Summer Solstice

Running With Memories

I got up quickly in the morning, dressing in a blur and donning some running shoes. It looked like it was going to be a pretty decent day, so I decided to go for a quick run. Plus I really didn't want to be here when Konai woke up. I left a note for Kaida on her dresser and took off. I noticed, as I sprinted down the stairs, that Konai was no longer on the couch. Good. Hopefully he was snoring away in his room and I could now avoid him for the rest of the day. *Sigh* Or at least until he was forced to give Kaida and I a ride to the Spring Festival Dance. Forced to baby-sit us.

For a moment I considered having Kaida and I dress like mobsters, look the part, and really give him a heart attack. Hmmm. His heart. I tried to push the thought away, barreling down the street as fast as I could. It was cold outside, but nothing would take the burn off my cheeks. Konai sleeping, my hand over his heart. That was almost funny. And all this time I had thought he didn't have one.

'Thump thump.' My feet touching the thin layer of snow mimicked the sound running through my head. Maybe what I needed to do was jump in the lake, and not work myself up more. I turned sharply, headed towards the dock. The thumping got louder as I hit the old, faded wooden planks. I stopped at the end, looking down into the glassy, frozen waters. Too bad. I nice cold dip would wake me up. Or at the very least, put my mind on something else. Something that wasn't Konai.

But my mind wandered to just a few days ago, when Kaida and I had left for school early so she could spy on Little Joe. Something she'd talked me into doing for the past few months. Every morning Konai and his crew of friends would head out to the open clearing just over the hill from the docks to practice some kind of tribal sport. Kaida and I took the long way around and had watched them from the cover of the trees. Okay, so spying wasn't a very nice thing, but watching the boys in action was a learning experience.

Konai would line out a circle on the ground and then the boys would take turns sparring with each other. It wasn't normal sparring, no flying fists or strangle holds. From what Kaida had told me, the point was to not let the other person get their arms around you, or to move you out of the circle, and hard contact hits were not allowed. There was always lots of ducking and swinging, but contact was never made, or I simply never saw it. It often looked like a dance of some sort. And Konai's signature move would be to wait until his opponent was tired and out of breath, and the moment their concentration was broken, Konai would lunge at them, flying forward and forcing the person on their back and out of the ring.

Kaida always watched Little Joe with rapt interest, her eyes never straying to any of the other five boys. Boy did she have it bad. But it was nice to know that Little Joe might reciprocate the feelings, to some extent. He was always very polite to her. I wondered what it would be like to be charmed by a boy. Charming. Now the opposite of that would be Konai. I reached up and rubbed the back of my neck, still slightly sore from the tumble I'd taken those few short days ago.

After school that same day, she and I had returned to the open field with a few of her team mates from baseball. We'd been commandeering the field for extra practice because the schools field had been torn up by polar bears. Yeah, that would take a little remodeling. That's what they got for using a natural fish-based fertilizer.

I wasn't on the team, but if I wasn't at home, I was with Kaida. Homers rules. And Mrs. Goski, the coach, had complimented me on some practice moves I'd taught Kaida, and had made me an official 'team helper.' Some of the team mates that needed extra practice, the players that weren't that good, were actually nice enough to acknowledge my existence. But other than a wave or a grunt, they didn't take the time to talk to me.

But when we'd crested the top of the hill later that day, we'd been surprised to see Konai and his crew there, practicing again. And all of us had protested. Konai had told us to leave, but Kaida had argued.

"You guys practiced this morning, so scram." She put her hands on her hip. Little Joe, standing silently next to Konai, watched the movement. Yeah, he had it bad too. Konai looked back at him then glared at her, "And just how do you know what we were doing this morning little sister?" Kaida glanced quickly towards Joe, and blushing slightly, looked away. Konai laughed out loud, and one of her teammates stepped forward and touched Kaida's hand, "It's okay, we can always practice some other time." "I know Ben, but we need the practice."

A low growl caused me to turn back towards the group of boys. Konai's eyes were a flat black color and he was staring at the hand on Kaida's arm. And if that didn't cause poor Ben's hand to burst into flame, the glare shooting from Little Joe certainly would. I wasn't entirely sure which of the two boys had growled. Konai, out of brotherly protection, or Little Joe, out of what I could guess, was extreme jealousy.

"We'll fight you for the field." Konai's voice was low and dangerous. I looked back at Kaida, and her face was nearly as pale as mine, "That's not fair! We can't afford to have one of our teammates beat up. Forget about it." But from the look Konai was giving Ben, it was more about pummeling the guy that had touched his sister, no matter how innocent it had been, and nothing to do with getting the field.

"No fighting Kaida, we can spar. I'm sure one of your players could survive a little sparring. Or am I wrong?" He cast a chastising stare across the other ball players. "No, no way, they don't even know the rules..." Ben interrupted her, "Hey, if there's no punching, I don't mind, right guys?" He glanced back to the other players and they were nodding, although they looked a bit put off by the smile spreading across Little Joe's face.

Konai gave them a quick run down of the rules, but Kaida still seemed uncertain. Tugging on her sleeve, I pulled her to the side, "Say yes." "What? Are you nuts? None of my players has a chance against them, we'll never win the field." She pulled loose from my hand but I leaned in and whispered in her hear, "Trust me, just this once, say yes." She swatted me away. "I trust you all the time dingbat, it's THEM I don't trust." She flicked her hand back towards the group of tribal boys snickering to themselves.

She grumbled under her breath and made her way to Konai. "Fine, we'll spar. You pick your warrior and we'll pick ours." Konai smiled, an eerie evil smile. And walked back to his group of friends. Konai turned, tapping his finger on his chin and said, "Hmmm, which one of my friends should it be?" he looked around, obviously pretending to judge which would be the best opponent.

"Joe?" Joe smiled but I turned, and one look at Kaida proved me right, she looked nervous. She didn't want Joe to fight, anymore than she wanted one of her own team mates to fight. Konai turned around, staring at the boys who were now smiling, just a bit wickedly. He gave a small shrug and turned to face Kaida and I, and the rest of the ball players, who now looked as nervous as I felt.

"No, I think I need a good practice. So I'll be sparring today." He smirked and a small part of me was pleased with his decision. The boy needed put in his place. "So little sister, which one of your teammates is going to spar with me?" He looked over the four boys, a very sarcastic smirk pasted on his face. I listened as the four boys bartered back and forth over who would be defending us for the field.

"Me." I stepped up to Konai and put my hands on my hips. Konai's face turned cold, absolutely unfeeling. Nothing new to me. "No." He's voice was cold too. "What, offended you have to play against a girl? Or are you just not skilled enough?" I turned back and looked at Kaida, who's face had been mock horror, probably for volunteering to fight Konai. Now she smiled slowly, and smirked, "Yeah, no skills. Jeez, he's afraid to fight a girl." The four boys standing next to Kaida laughed and I turned back in time to see Konai's cheeks turn a dull bronze.

He also looked highly offended. He was, no doubt, the most highly skilled warrior of the tribe, and was not impressed with his sisters flippant remark. I walked over to the circle and stepped inside. "I'm ready whenever you are, unless you admit defeat now." I smiled sweetly and he blinked at me, the blush leaving his cheeks, "No, there's no need to spar, the field is yours, we were done anyways." He turned and started to walk away. There were short cheers behind me, from the ball players. I stood my ground.

"Figures, I knew you were no match for me." There were audible gasps from the tribal boys and Konai whipped around to look at me. He smiled, almost imperceptibly. "Very well Andy, we'll spar, and maybe you'll learn something."