***Oh, the drama. Have fun with this one. I'm sure the cover for the background music just puts you to rest...**

***(Kai's POV)***

It took Jay and Zane a while to rig the sheet and projector, but they eventually got the hang of it. Nya was ecstatic. We laid a couple of blankets out across the sand, and once the sun set, we decided to start the movie.

An hour and a half into the show, I look over to see Nya is conked out. Her head rests against Jay's chest.

I elbow Skylor, who's currently cuddled up against me. "I hate to bother you, but I kind of need to get up. I don't like how close Jay and my sister are."

Her relaxed eyes come to meet mine. "Hmm?"

"Just look at them," I sigh, gesturing to the two.

"Um...it really just looks like she was tired, so she fell asleep with her head on the closest person to her."

"Cole's on her other side! She could have totally used him as a human pillow!"

She rolls her eyes. "Calm down, Kai. If it were Cole, you would've complained that she could've used Jay. You're being overprotective again."

"Am not! Don't you recall the whole sunscreen incident? Or the fact that she can dance because Jay introduced her to some stupid arcade game when they were out the other day? That guy is totally hitting on my sister!"

"I don't think Jay even knows how to hit on anyone. Besides, Cole's way too bulky to make a good pillow. I would've chosen Jay, too."

I scoff. "Excuse me? I'm right here!"

She laughs a little. "Kai, you know for a fact I'd pick you over Jay and Cole both."

"Let's keep things that way." I nestle her back into my arms.

"Uh...Kai...you know we aren't technically a couple yet, right? You don't really have a say in whom I cuddle with."

"And why aren't we official yet?" I frown.

"Because you said you wanted to take things slow yesterday morning?"

"Oh, right. That." I place my lips right next to her ear. "But I think things have changed since then."

She shivers a little. "How so?"

I lean my head toward hers, sending her a slow wink. "I think I'm falling for you."
She quirks a brow. "Oh, really?"

"Congratulations."

Skylor thinks for a moment. "I guess being your girlfriend wouldn't be that bad, Kai Smith. Let's see: I'd have to deal with your super overprotectiveness, your temper, the way you think you're the best thing to ever happen to – "

"And those are just a few of my incredible traits," I smile charmingly. "So, what do you think? Wanna be my girl?"

"On one condition."

I frown. "There are conditions?"

"Yes. The one condition is that you don't choose our song from the pool of country music."

I laugh. "Fine by me, Skye. But mark my words, I will get you to like it someday."

She smiles and kisses my cheek. "We'll see about that, Kai Smith."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cole rise and stretch. "I guess the movie must be over," I muse.

"To be honest, I wasn't paying much attention."

I eye my new girlfriend. "And why is that?"

"Your arm was in my line of sight the whole time."

"Nuh-uh!"

She grins. "And here we have it: Our first fight as a couple."

"I can guarantee it won't be the last." I help Skylor up, then go to Jay to retrieve my sister.

I eye him. "If you even think about – "

Skylor cuts in. "Thanks for coming tonight. It means a lot to her."

Jay smiles and nods, stroking back her hair. "We're friends."

"And you'd better remember that, Walker," I rumble. I gently scoop my sister off the ground.

She moans, opening her eyes just a crack. "Kai? What – put me down!" She struggles against me.

I just laugh, throwing her over my shoulder. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. You fell asleep at your own party, it was so lame."

"At least I wasn't making out during the movie, like you two!"

Skylor blushes. "W-we didn't do that. There was no lip action going on. Nada. At all."

I shrug. "Not to say I didn't think about it, but sadly, nothing happened."

Nya sighs and stops wrestling against me. "You're a pain in the butt."

"And you're incredibly muscular for your size. Don't weigh me down even more with a big attitude."

"Hotheaded oaf!"

"Pesky brat!"

Skylor clears her throat. "Are we done here?"

Nya sighs. "No. I'm sure we'll fight about it on the way home, but we'll spare you for now." She waves to her teammates. "See you guys tomorrow night. Thanks for stopping by."

Cole high-fives her. "Happy sweet sixteen."

Zane gives her a little smile. "I hope this rite of passage has been made most enjoyable with our company and the consumption of unhealthy snacks."

Silence.

Nya clears her throat. "Jay, are you going to say something or just stand there blushing miserably until Kai hauls me away?"

He waves a little. "Uh, b-bye, Nya. I hope you had a good birthday."

"Thank you." She makes a sweeping gesture with her arm as I tote her off to the car.

"Were you trying anything with Jay while I wasn't watching?" I grumble.

I can hear her eye roll. "Yes, Kai. We waited until you and Skylor weren't watching, then I said, 'Jay, I've never been kissed.' And then he was like, 'Wow, how would you like me to be your first one?' And I sighed dreamily and said, 'Jay, my love for you is hotter than Kai's rage,' and he said, 'Wow, that's really hot!' And then – "

I heave a sigh. "I get the point. You guys didn't do anything."

"Thank you. I don't know why you think Jay and I would ever kiss. I'm definitely not his type, and I barely know him."

I shrug. "He's a guy, and he sees you're vulnerable."

"I'll show you who's vulnerable!"

She kicks me in the stomach, but her blow is feeble.

I laugh. "I see you still haven't mastered your element or any kind of fighting style. Get it together, Sis."

She growls as I open the car door and plop her inside.

Skylor comes up behind us, carrying our snack supplies and trash from earlier. "The guys already have the projector taken down," she informs me. "We're good to head out."

"Great," I smile. "I know Nya's exhausted, so she'll go to bed as soon as we get back. Then, you and I can hang out."

She rolls her eyes. "Haha, Kai. You're running a store, remember? And you were already late waking up this morning." She messes with the edge of her shirt. "Besides..."

My hands close around hers. "Skye, I don't like the sound of this."

She sighs. "I need to go home and talk to my dad."

"What?"

"Calm down, Kai. I'm sure my dad has answers about Yang, and he's probably the only way we're going to get them."

"Have you forgotten that Shade said your dad wants to steal your power? Didn't your ex say you could die, if he brings your mother back?"

"We don't know any of that, Kai. That's why I need to go to him for answers."

"Fine. I'm going with you."

"No, you're not. You recall that my dad will kill you on sight, correct? And I have powers, too, so I should be able to handle this."

I pull her close. "Skylor, what if you get hurt? I couldn't live with myself if – "

"Stop blaming yourself for bad things that happen to other people! Gosh, Kai!"

I huff. "You have no idea what it's like to lose someone you love."

"Wait." She puts her hands over her eyes. "First, that is entirely untrue. I loved my mom, and seeing her waste away a little each day was...horrible."

I pull her hands away from her face, then touch my forehead to hers. "I'm sorry, Skye. That was really...I just burst out at you. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you shouldn't have," she sighs.

"Um...Skye, you said 'first', indicating there was something other than your mom that bothered you about what I said."

"Yeah. Um, second, did you just categorize me as somebody you love?"

My eyes go big.

That didn't come out the way I had intended.

"I...uh...Skye...I was just speaking generally. I don't love you." I laugh nervously. "Well, in a friendly way, I do, but – "

She raises a brow.

"I...didn't mean it." Yeah, right.

Her expression seems to sadden. "Oh, all right. Anyway, I'm going to visit my dad, and that's that."

I laugh humorlessly. "Fine, but I'm going with you."
"Fine! Then you can stay outside."

"Fine! Then you can, too."

"Fine! Then – "

Nya cracks open the car door. "You guys need help solving this argument?"
"No," Skylor and I say in unison.

Nya gives us an expression that says she doesn't believe us. "Care to join me, then? It's getting late."

Skylor crosses her arms. "We were just about to go, actually."

I scoff. "No, we weren't. You and I still – "

"I'm not talking to you right now, Kai. Not until you can think clearly."

"You're the one who's not thinking clearly! Your father wants to kill you, and your plan is to walk in and talk to him with no backup!"

"And yours is to get kicked out before I can say a word to him, so you can't be there if I do need you!"

Both of us are quiet for a moment, realizing the errors in our logic.

"Okay," I sigh. "Fine. I'll go with you, and I'll stay outside. But you keep your phone on you and put it on speaker. I'll mute myself so your dad doesn't know I'm listening in. Then, if I hear anything that doesn't sound good, I can come check it out."

She thinks for a moment. "Okay. I think that'll work. And Nya will be fine alone, right?"

I sigh. "If she's asleep, I don't think there's much trouble she can get into. I mean, I've gone out evenings without her before, and she's been fine."

"All right, Kai. I'm going to trust you on this. Let's go."

***(Skylor's POV)***

I gather my strength and pull out my house key. This is it. My father had better have good answers about what's going on with him and Yang.

I slip inside. All the lights are already off...except the light to my dad's study.

"I'm in," I whisper, knowing Kai will hear me over the phone.

I stick to the walls, making my way to the very last room in this sector of the house. I would use smoke to teleport, but I don't want to lose my footing when I reappear. That could cause unwanted noise.

Through the window to my father's study, I can see my dad is alone.

Where's Clouse? He's always around to help my dad out.

Well, it's better this way. I'd rather face my father alone than with his magic-wielding henchman.

***Music Cue***

I slowly push open the door. My dad doesn't even look up.

Using the power of sound, I quiet my steps on the carpet.

I'm right in his face when his eyes dart upward.

A squeal sounds from his mouth. "Sk-Skylor! What – how did you get here?"

I shrug. "I have a door key. Care to talk?"

"Yes. If you recall, you insulted a guest yesterday, then told me you never wanted to see my face again." Anger flashes in his eyes. "Does that ring a bell?"

"He was a creep, Dad, and you wouldn't make him leave for his suggesting I join his creep club."

My father releases a longsuffering sigh and pulls off his reading glasses, polishing them on his shirt. "Where did you stay the night?"

"Like I'd ever tell."

"Right. Well, I already know." He pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "It was with that boy, wasn't it? The one I told off last week?"

"No."

"Yes, it was. I can see it in your eyes."

I shake my head. "You're wrong. But that's beside the point. I've recently had some interesting encounters with my ex."

My father raises a brow. "Would this be the one Yang told me about? You somehow failed to mention the extent of that relationship to me."

Fury rushes through my body. "Yes, that would be the one, Dad. And he told me that you intend to steal my power and bring back my mother."

My father's face turns as pale as a ghost. "That – that lying thief!" As his face changes from colorless to red as a beet, he growls, "Yang dared to cross me?"

I gasp. "You – no. You don't mean..." It's all true.

My father suddenly notices my presence. "Skylor...none of what he said real. I'm sure your ex-boyfriend just lied to get your attention or something."

I throw my chair back. "You forget that I can read minds!"

My dad curses. "Listen to me, Skylor: I am your father, and you will help me transfer your power to my staff. It's the only way to bring your mother back!"

"You could kill me!" I shriek, throwing my chair against his desk. The seat splinters, and chunks of wood go flying.

"That's enough, Skylor!"

"I thought you loved me," I cry, shooting ice out of my hand. It freezes my father to his chair.

"Let me go! Why didn't anyone tell me raising a daughter would be this difficult?"

Tears pour down my cheeks. "Why, Dad? How could you do this to me?" Sobs rack my body as I freeze different objects in the room: The bookcase, artwork, a pencil sharpener.

Someone throws open the door. "What's going on?" asks an alarmed employee of my father's.

"Get this girl out of my sight!" my dad directs her.

She takes a step toward me, but I hold out my hand, a ball of flame appearing. "Get away from me!" I wail.

Someone comes busting through the door behind the hired help, and I ready to shoot.

It's Kai.

"What happened?" he demands, coming to my side.

I throw my arms around him. "Shade was right," I cry. "Everything he said was true."

Kai strokes my back gently, and his expression morphs to anger.

"You criminal," he seethes. "You lousy, good-for-nothing villain! You were going to murder your own daughter?"

My father's eyes grow cold. "Get out of my house, Boy. You come in here, seduce my daughter, then proceed to tell me how I should raise my child?"

"I didn't seduce your daughter; we fell in love! At least now she has people in her life who actually care about her! And by the way, I know a butt ton more about raising a kid than you do."

My father's expression transforms from anger, to realization, to smugness.

"What could you have to smile about?" I bellow. "We have you cornered, if you haven't realized."

Hysterical laughter resonates from his throat. It's small at first, then louder, louder, until it fills the whole room. He's doubled over in his frozen seat.

Kai shoves him back, then jerks his head up with his hand. "What's so funny?" he hisses.

My father can't even speak for fits of amusement.

My stomach twists, and I feel like I'm going to throw up. "Dad...what did you do?"

"You don't even know!" he exclaims.

Kai forms a fire ball and holds it right up to my dirtbag father's face. "Better start talking, you worthless rat," my boyfriend snarls.

"I don't give Clouse enough credit," he giggles. "He even knew you were the master of fire."

"Kai...I don't feel so good." I clutch my stomach, knowing whatever my dad has done, it's vile.

My dad grins wickedly. "I'm sure you have a sister, just like my second-in-command informed me. And I bet she's all cozy and snuggled up in bed."

I see spots. Oh, no.

Kai's face turns pained. "What did you do?"

He shrugs. "Some people just never remember to water their house plants. That's a bad thing, if your elemental power accidentally creates a firey spark or two..."

I grab the wall, holding myself up. "No. No, you...you wouldn't..."

"And Clouse didn't even have to lure my daughter out of the house. She did that all by herself." He bursts into more laughter. "You made it so easy. Of course, your boyfriend won't get his, but won't it be fun for him to watch his precious baby sister go up in flames?"

Kai falls to the floor, letting out an expletive. "No, Nya...no!"

I shakily grab my phone, punching in the emergency number. "We need to go, Kai. We have to save her."

He looks at me, entirely broken. "He...he's killing my sister." His voice raises in volume. "He's killing my sister!" He stands, then pulls back his hand to slug my father in the face.

I break into a run. "Kai, we have to go!"

"You demon!" Kai bawls.

I race back, grabbing his arm. "Kai, we're going to save her, but that means we leave now!"

Kai blindly follows me, and his screams disturb the dark house.

"My little sister – no! I hate you, Chen. I hate you!"

***I...am getting similar vibes to Nya's breakdown in I Never Knew. Oh, boy.***