The Star Children's Destiny

Chapter Thirty-three

Cane was lazing about on the hood of his truck. It was a warm spring afternoon. Clouds dotted the sky and a pleasant breeze was blowing. It was the type of day you wish it was like all year long and he loved every minute of it.

"Hey Cane?"

Cane looked over at his twin, who was lying beside him. Her brown hair was spilled out behind her. A small smile tugged at his lips. Her hair was inherited from their dad and her eyes came from their mother. He was just the opposite. He had inherited his hair from their mom and his eyes from their dad. His smile faded, however, when he saw her serious expression.

"Yeah? Something wrong?"

"Who's going to tell her?"

Cane frowned. That had been the last question that he expected her to ask. It was true that he himself didn't want to even think about it, but now was as good a time as any to prepare for whatever reaction his long-time friend might have upon receiving the bad news. A variety of things she could do were going through his mind and none of them were good. Even though he had known her for seven years, that didn't mean that he knew everything about her. Some things were still a mystery, like her temper, for instance. She could be all excited one second, then sad the next.

"I guess I will," he said after a time. "I mean, so far I'm the only one who hasn't passed out when Tenshi's punched them in the face." 

Khris laughed and ruffled Cane's blonde hair. "That's because you're the only one who's crazy enough to try to keep up with her."

Cane laughed as well and gave her a push, which started an impromptu game of wrestling on the hood. It ended when Cane fell off the hood and landed on the ground with a startled cry and a thump. He looked up at Khris, who was looking down at him and trying not to laugh.

"You okay?" she managed to ask between giggles.

"No," Cane said, pulling something out from underneath him. "I broke my sunglasses," he pouted.

Just then, there was a screech of tires and the sound of music blaring. A Diablo came tearing onto the street and headed towards where the silver Avalanche was parked. Aletta pulled in and stopped about six inches from Cane's back. Aletta stepped out and looked at the still-downed boy.

"Thanks for saving me a spot, Cane," she said, helping him up.

"One of these days, Tenshi..." he mumbled.

The three Neikus joined Ethan at his front door. He had his hand on the knob but refused to turn it. He suddenly let it go and turned to the three.

"Thanks, Cane," Ethan said before going in.

Shutting the door behind him, Ethan looked around. A delicious smell floated through the air and he knew that his mother, Margaret, wouldn't be too far from the kitchen. He found that he was wright when he found her sitting in the living room watching the big-screen TV. When she saw her son, she jumped up and ran over and gave him a big hug. When she released him, she looked him up and down like she was looking for any damage.

"I was so worried about you. Where were you? Are you okay? What happened?" she gushed as she pulled him into another hug.

"I'm fine," Ethan said, weaseling himself out of his mom's grasp. "Mom, we need to talk. Please, let's just have a seat."

They both sat down on the couch. Margaret grabbed the remote and turned the volume down a couple of notches. A thick silence enveloped the room for a few moments. Ethan tried to think of a way to jump-start the conversation, but nothing came to him. It was his mom who finally broke the silence.

"What is it that you need to talk to me about? Drugs? Drinking? Smoking? Girls?" A smile appeared. "Sex?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, Mom, it's nothing like that."

"Then what's wrong?"

"It's about Dad."

"What about Dennis?"

"Not Dennis. My dad. Rubin."

Margaret frowned, not liking where this conversation was going. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you tell me I was a Neiku?"

Ethan's mom let out a gasp. "Who told you that?"

"I found out from some other Neikus that I met. I also found out not only that, but also taht Dad was the King of Neikus and I am heir to the throne. So what do you have to say for yourself, Mother?"