Chapter 7: Strange Illness

  "Shhh."  Kei whispered to Ethan.  "Follow me.  We have to be quiet.  Everyone should be sleeping."

  "What about your father?"  Ethan whispered back.

  "Him too.  I told him I was staying with a girlfriend of mine.  He was so relieved to hear I would be somewhere safe, he didn't question me too much.  It's dark in here, ouch!  Watch out for the cat toys.  Dumb cats" she grumbled.  "My sisters sleep in the bunk beds over there.  Are you sure you don't want to go to your place?  it's kind of dark."

  "Just how I like it tonight."

   With a little bit of giggling they both settled down on Kei's bed.  Kei took the initiative this time, she was done with Ethan being in charge.

  
 They weren't quite quiet enough, and Kei could hear her sisters stirring.

  Ethan kissed her.  "I gotta go."

  "Stay!"  Kei pleaded.

  "Morning is almost here.  I have to find Ari anyway.  I'll see you at school."

  "Fine."  Kei pouted, but Ethan had already left.  A couple of minutes after Ethan left, Kei groaned at the bright light that suddenly turned on.  She snapped at her sister, "Shut the light off!  Can't you see that I am trying to sleep?"

  "Kei?  I thought I heard..."

  "You didn't hear anything, Monster bait.  So shut up and turn the light off."

 

   Poulani sat up a little bit.  "Kei, don't be so hard on Keilani.  Besides, it's just about time to get up and go to school. Why are you here anyway?  Daddy said you were staying the night at a friend's."

  "I did.  Now I'm here.  Now---turn---the---light---off."  Keilani flicked the switch off and the room was dark again.  Keilani and Poulani grabbed their clothes and left Kei to herself.

  Kei promptly fell asleep, and had one of her favorite dreams.

Kona really needed a new stove, but he just didn't have the money for it.  So he gave the one he had a little more persuasion.

  

  He thought he heard the basement shower go on, and he went downstairs to investigate.  "Kei!" he said, surprised.  "Shouldn't you be in school?"  Kona frowned at her.

  "I'm not feeling well."  Kei told him.  It was the truth, she wasn't feeling very well at all, she felt like she was burning from the inside out.

Kona felt her forehead, and Kei didn't protest the contact at all.  "You're burning up Kei.  Maybe you'd better stay in bed and get some rest.  I'll check in on you later."

  Kei kissed her father on the cheek.  "Thanks Daddy, I think I'll do that."  and she obediently went back to bed.  Kona was touched, and concerned at the same time.  Touched, because the last time Kei had kissed him, and called him Daddy, was the night before her mother died.  Concerned, because the new Kei would never act that way.

  Ethan on a mission.

     Kei woke up from her nap, feeling owly, cranky, and just plain disgruntled.  "Stop looking at me Freak!" she yelled at Poulani, who was sitting at the table doing her homework.

  


  Poulani sighed.  "Kei, I only looked up to see who was coming.  Would you just calm down for once."

   That sent Kei through the roof.  "Calm down!?  Calm down!?  I was calm until I saw you and your perfect little smirking face!  I'd like to smash that face of yours!"

  

"I've had it with this family!"  Kei grabbed the phone and called Ethan.  The words that came out surprised even her.  "Ethan?  What did you do me?  I don't feel right!  My skin is all itchy and burning and..."

  "It's nothing to be afraid of Kei.  You're just changing that's all."

  "I don't want to change!" she yelled into the phone.  "I liked me the way I was."

  "I liked you that way too."  Ethan said in a soothing voice.  "But didn't you talk about how you hate feeling weak and powerless?"

  "Well, yeah."  Kei said in a more normal tone.

  "And you hate feeling helpless?"

  "Definitely." she muttered.

  "Then you should be happy.  You are going to be more powerful and stronger than you ever thought possible."

  "But what I am changing into?"

  "Come over Kei and see.  We'll talk."

Next: Chapter 8: Bonds That Tie