Enigma

1.1

Kallisto always hated it whenever someone woke her from a good sleep, never giving an explanation until she was with everyone else and blinded by the room lighting, she believed it to be rude.

Her mother, father and older brother sat at the clean table, with a few papers scattered across the brown surface, and grim expressions. Her mother was holding onto her father's hand like a lifeline, Kallisto was sure she was cutting off the circulation, while her brother only stared at the table with tears falling from his chin and cheeks.

"Ma..." her voice broke the delicate silence that oozed from the room.

Marieke turned to her daughter, quickly letting go of her husband's hand and reaching for the confused and tired blonde, and directed her to the empty chair beside her. Kallisto sat down with her brows drawn in and her lips pursing. "Ma what's going on?"

A beat.

"Marcella was found dear," her mother's voice cracked, "but they were too late."

Kallisto racked her memories for the name; a quick flash of her mother showing a photo of a young blonde with a large grin and bright blue eyes connected with the name. Her older sister, missing for the past twenty years, was found.

"Kallisto, are you dressed yet?"

She barely mumbled the words as her mother pushed open her bedroom door. Kallisto was sitting on the edge of her bed, wearing the blue dress her mother had given her earlier that morning, holding onto a hairbrush. Her mother quietly walked up to her and took the brush from her hands. Kallisto shuffled around the bed and tucked her legs under the dress so her mother could sit beside her.

"I'm sorry we had to cancel your appointment for today."

Kallisto raised her head. Her mother took her long blonde hair and ran the brush through it. She put her focus onto the metal ball that sat on her bedside table. It shook on its stand, vibrating against the wooden base, before levitating off and dropping into her hands. Kallisto twisted the ball as she answered, "it's okay."

"Are you sure? I'm positive they would understand, Nicolas and you don't need to be there surely."

"I'm okay, mama." Kallisto lifted the ball between her hands and spun it. Her mother hesitated as she finished gathering Kallisto's strands of hair into a low tail. She could never get over the talents her daughter had. The ball dropped suddenly, as if it burned Kallisto, and she moved her hands together against her chest.

"The car will be here in a few minutes..." her mother pressed a kiss to the top of her head before leaving the room. Kallisto looked back as the door closed. The room was quiet again as the metal ball crushed into a crumpled mess and Kallisto let out a shaky breath. The ball, given to her by her brother as a gift when she was seven, popped back into shape. She held out her fingers slowly and watched as it floated back to its base.

The car ride was silent. Kallisto sat beside Nicolas in the very back, their parents in the seats in front of them. She discreetly manipulated the bracelets on her brother's wrists who barely paid any mind to her as their driver continued down the highway. Her father had sent her a pointed look when he noticed the buttons to the vehicle's system flicked on and off, and she stopped the nervous tricks. She focused her gaze onto the fabric of the car seats and internally counted to thirty in Greek.

"We've arrived."

The Rumenas filed out of the car, all close together and standing in front of the building's entrance. Marieke and Robert Rumena held their hands tightly and trailed after the officer who was waiting for them. Nicolas followed in suit, keeping his head down as he shoved his hands into his slack pockets. Kallisto could hear their voices bounce around in her head softly, as if their minds were on a radio, the static of their thoughts went and left and got cut off the farther she got from the driver, and closer as she reached the officer with her family.