Cyrus took the rifle from Holly after the contest was officially over. He congratulated her on her perfect performance. He saw dad walking up looking pleased. "How is my favorite daughter," he said. "Your only daughter," she teased poking him in the ribs. Cyrus laughed, along with the others. Then after the conversation wound down he let them know he would return the rifles and be back soon.
Cyrus made it to the booth to drop the rifles off. Just as he was returning the rifles Cyrus saw Kimberly walking away looking dejected. Part of him felt bad and wished he could help her. He just was not sure how anymore. They had been growing apart for so many years now. As Kimberley rounded the corner Cyrus heard someone call her name. Then as she turned Cyrus saw something he had never seen in her before. Fear. Fear and, terror gripped and contorted Kimberley's face. He saw her disappear behind the lean-to building. He could not see who she was talking to. He heard some talking in muffled tones for a while, then a loud slap rang through the air. Cyrus then saw Kimberley's older brother Travis who was no small guy, just a little bigger than himself in terms of strength and height. He was walking away. Cyrus walked around the corner slowly. He turned to see Kimberly sitting. Her back was slumped against the wall of the temporary building with her right hand on her cheek and her knees were drawn in close to her chest. She was shaking and sobbing quietly, the tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at the ground ahead with unseeing eyes. The sun was just slightly in front of her now, and it made her elongated shadow a silhouette, outlined against the brightness on the building wall. He could see her eyes for the first time this closely. At least this closely when he was paying attention. Both eyes had two colors; one color circumferencing the outside and the other occupying the inside. Cyrus believed it was a rare trait they call centralized heterochromia. He had remembered her eyes were uniquely pretty from when they were younger, but he had never observed them as he had now. They were blue-gray-like labradorite or sodalite on the outside. The inside just around the pupil was another color. A copper Starfire gold. Her eyes looked like an ocean with the sun first rising upon it.
"Kimberly", he said softly. She jumped like she had been hit by a live wire. She scrambled to her feet looking instantly angry. "What do you want!" she shouted acerbically her fists shaking and her lips quivering. Then she turned around to wipe the tears from her eyes. She turned back around her eyes puffy and still wet. "I'm sorry," Cyrus said looking at her with strength and sincerity he felt from deep within. He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." She broke down crying as she reached forward pulling herself into his chest quietly sobbing. Cyrus put one hand behind her head and the other behind her shoulders. "It's OK," he said softly. "It's going to be ok." Her hair smelled faintly of lilacs. She shook and trembled as she cried silently. After a minute she stepped back and looked at him with a look he had never seen before. She was observing him. It was like being x-rayed. Cyrus smiled at her. She observed him tentatively at first, then optimistically she smiled back at him. Then he heard a voice behind him.
"What the &#@% is he doing here." Kimberley's face became sorely afraid again. She began to stutter. "He-he-he was j-j-just talking to me Travis nothing happened." "Nothing happened," He said looking at Cyrus with a sneer taking a step closer to Kimberley menacingly. "You talk to this trash and tell me nothing happened." Kimberley's face waxed bolder now as she found a remnant of confidence. "So now I can't talk to people," she said with a modicum of fire holding her head high despite that Travis towered well over her. He raised his hand to hit her as she shrunk back in apprehension her hands covering her face defensively. Cyrus shouted aggressively, "Hey!" Travis turned to look at him menacingly. "Travis is a real big man," Cyrus said mockingly. "Oh yeah, he can beat up little kids, and his sister who's half his size." Cyrus stepped forward towards Travis clenching his teeth as he drew himself taller. "How about you pick on someone your own size," he said with more daring than he truly felt. The strength came from somewhere but he knew not where.
Travis grinned maliciously as he advanced on Cyrus. "I've been waiting for you to cross me, White. Today's my lucky day I guess." He swung fast from the left, but Cyrus was ready. He parried to the left before Travis's swing overtook him. Then Cyrus lunged at him with his right fist hitting Travis in the gut. He heard the air being knocked out of Travis's gut. Travis backed up but recovered remarkably quickly. He then swung left, but at the last second, he swung super fast with the right. Taking Cyrus by surprise the blow hit him upside the face knocking him back. He could see nothing but colored popping lights and hear ringing for a few seconds. Cyrus could feel his hands in the grass but see little else. His vision began to blur back in but the ringing continued. He blinked furiously trying to focus. He saw Travis come into focus standing over him laughing. He grabbed Cyrus's collar pulling him up. The collar tore as Cyrus fell back to the ground. Travis was about to advance on Cyrus again when he heard a loud snap noise followed by rapid clicking. Travis instantly went ridged and dropped his eyes rolling up into his skull as he fell flat forward almost knocking Cyrus over before he moved over quickly.
Cyrus saw Kimberly's small figure standing over Travis huffing with a look of pure outrage twisting her face. She let go of the trigger on the stun gun she held pointed at Travis as the rapid clicking ceased, the leads still stuck in his back. She walked up next to Travis and whispered next to his ear, but Cyrus was just close enough to make out what she said. "If you ever hit me again I'll make today look like a picnic." She kicked him in the side and pulled the sharp stun gun barbs forcefully out of his back. Cyrus winced knowing he would feel that later.
She turned to Cyrus. "Are you ok?!?" She asked with a tone of softness and concern. "I think I'll be fine," Cyrus said trying to work his jaw as it was still somewhat numb. She softly put her fingers on the side of his face then winced as she saw the bruise forming. She helped Cyrus stand putting an angular arm around his broad shoulder while pulling his other arm over her neck drawing up into a standing position. She steadied him as they slowly walked back to where his mom, his dad, and Holly were. Cyrus shook his head but immediately regretted it as his head began to throb. Yeah, they were gonna love this he thought, the gloom and doom clouds forming in his mind.
Cyrus saw mom and dad as he and Kimberley came into the food market clearing. Holly was the first to see them. Her brown eyes normally large grew even bigger in surprise. She grabbed Dad's hand and pointed to Cyrus and Kimberley as the two slowly trekked over to them.
"What on earth happened to you, Cyrus?" Dad said as they finally made it over to them. Cyrus looked up at him. "I guess I got in a fight," he said sheepishly. Dad did not look pleased. Mom spotted Cyrus at this point and just about jumped him as she grabbed his shoulders. "What on earth Cyrus!?! Are you ok?!?" She looked him over with concern and empathy in her eyes.
"It's my fault," Kimberley said softly with her distinct southern drawl flaring up. She looked crestfallen as her face pointed downwards in shame. Cyrus stood up straight stepping slightly in front of her. "It's not her fault. It was her brother Travis. He..." Cyrus looked back at Kimberly to see if it was ok to tell them what had happened to her. She looked back and inferred approval with a small nod. Cyrus smiled at her gently then looked back at mom and dad.
"I heard Kimberley's brother Travis hit her and then he walked away. I came around the corner to see if she was ok." Cyrus looked back at her and she smiled at him. Holly had a pensive look of knowing in her eyes as they darted between Cyrus and Kimberley.
Kimberley now spoke up. "Travis came back and started to threaten Cyrus. He started to fight Cyrus, and when I saw him knock him to the ground I decided I had had enough. So I shot him in the back with my stun gun." Some of her bravado had come back towards the end as she talked.
Dad looked shocked but had a small grin nonetheless. "Let's get some ice on that," he said pointing at Cyrus's face. They were about to leave when Cyrus realized they had Kimberley with them and she had nowhere to go. "What were you planning on doing after this?" Cyrus asked her. "Not going home or near Travis," she said her eyes lighting up with a flash of trepidation followed rapidly by anger and disdain.
Cyrus turned to dad. "Hey dad, can we invite Kimberley over for the evening?" He looked thoughtful then he looked at mom for her input. Mom said, "Provided it's ok with Kimberley's mom and dad she sure can, and if she wants to stay overnight you can sleep on the downstairs couch Cyrus." Cyrus smiled. "Thank you!" he said to mom with a broad smile. The smile didn't last long as he winced in pain at moving his jaw.
"What do you say, Kimberley?" Cyrus asked turning and looking into her eyes. "Sure," she said smiling. "If it's not an inconvenience to you Mr. & Mrs. White." Her eyes looked from Roy to Sarah tentatively just for a second confirmation.
"Not at all," mom said as she smiled at her. "And you can call us Sarah and Roy," she said with a grin. Kimberley smiled too now. "I'll just call my parents, and let them know." She did just that as the group found their way to the SUV and dad went off to get some ice for Cyrus. Mom said to Kimberly, "We can drop you off too after the sleepover, so don't worry about having to find a ride later." Kimberly talked with her father for a minute, then gave Holly and Cyrus the thumbs up with a smile then hung up on her phone. "Dad says it's ok, and if I needed anything to call him." The group then piled into the spacious SUV. The vehicle charted its way back home.
Mom smiled back at the three of them from the front seat. "I remember you girls used to have sleepovers, remember how I used to read stories to you guys?" Kimberley smiled, then she looked crestfallen again. "What's the matter hun," mom said? Kimberly looked at Cyrus, then Holly. "It's just...I have not been very nice to Holly, and Cyrus in the last few years. I have been particularly harsh on Holly." Kimberley now turned to face Holly directly. "Yet for some reason, you both have returned kindness for apathy. I don't know what I did to deserve such kindness. I hope it's not too late to still be friends." Her eyes looked tentatively onward at Holly.
Cyrus smiled, and Holly wrapped her vice grip hug around Kimberly, who smiled turning red. Mom smiled, "You girls are so young, I'm glad you're figuring this out now and not when your thirty. So dinner is in the oven on a timed bake. It should be done in half an hour," she said as the SUV crackled along the gravel of the driveway heading for the parking spot by the veranda.
The sun had climbed past its apex, but it was still hot out Texas-style. Everyone quickly headed for the shelter of the air-conditioned house. Mom said, "Dinner is in the oven, we will have a 5:00 pm early dinner since we are all kind of hungry." Tony came up the stairs his lab coat still on and half his tools and gadgets sticking out his lab coat pockets. He looked very excited and came up to Cyrus, mom, and dad and was about to say something when he noticed Kimberley. "Kimberley?" She smiled "It's me," Tony said. She remembered Uncle Tony as she waved shyly. Tony said, "Your taller now, and you look all grown up." He smiled, "I remember you girls used to try to get me to carry you from one end of the living room to the other, and you guys would have fits of giggles."
Kimberly smiled blushing a little. Tony said, "You girls were always so well-behaved and nice to each other. It's good to see you hanging out together again." Kimberley smiled bigger as Holly wrapped her arms around her again with a very happy and content smile on her face.
Tony adjusted his glasses and said, "I don't mean to interrupt anybody, but I just had a massive breakthrough and I managed to tear myself away from the project for a second to share it with you guys." Cyrus was immediately intrigued he looked at Dad. Roy smiled. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he said with a smile. Tony smiled excitedly in return waving everyone downstairs. Kimberly refrained and stood back from the others not wanting to intrude on family matters. Cyrus smiled at her and waved her ahead of him. She smiled at him gratefully before proceeding down the stairs with Cyrus in her wake.