Part I
Chapter 1
Inna loved the mountains. The thrill of the climb, the wind in her hair, the crisp, clean smell, the view, all of it. Kal wanted to love it like she did. He climbed the sheer cliffs and never looked down. He braced against the chilly winds. He took in the view and grew dizzy. He wanted to love it as much as he loved her... but he couldn't.
"How's it going back there?" Inna called down, a wide smile on her face.
"Great!" Kal lied through his clenched teeth. His fingers cramped into permanent claws and his head spun from the altitude. "How much further?"
Inna turned to the guides several yards ahead of them on the sheer cliff. She yelled something in Finnish. Kal wanted to kick himself for not studying harder. He could barely understand her native language. He'd taken classes ever since meeting her, but the best he could manage was to ask where the toilet was. And the library. Why did every language class teach you how to ask about the library?
"Another hundred meters." She leaned against the rope, gazing out into the blue sky. "Isn't this amazing? I feel like I can see the whole world from up here." Mount Waris offered an amazing view of the snowfields below, not that Kal could stomach looking down for too long.
Kal's stomach dropped at her casually leaning against the cliff, trusting the little bit of string to keep her anchored to the wall. He swallowed the bile in his throat and focused on the pitons in front of him. This was their most challenging climb so far. Two days climbing up this stupid mountain and sleeping in a weird bed braced against the cliffs. Not that he'd gotten much sleep as he constantly worried about rolling off into oblivion. They'd had nothing to eat but eating protein bars, and he'd just barely managed to swallow those while dangling over an empty chasm below.
He grasped the rope tightly as the wind buffeted him, while Inna laughed at the sensation. The higher they went the worse the winds seemed to get. Even with the windbreaker and all the padding, he could still feel the icy touch working its way into his bones.
Kal glanced up again and froze. Inna still smiled down at him, but just over her shoulder a dark grey cloud formed. It stood stark against the bright blue sky. The roiling mass ominously expanded, growing ever larger.
"Inna? What the hell is that?!" Panic tinged his voice.
She turned in confusion and similarly froze.
The churning black clouds spread across the sky, blotting out the sun. Frigid winds slammed them into the face of the cliff. Heavy snowflakes pelted them, obscuring their vision. Inna yelled something, but Kal couldn't make it out over the howling winds. His rope swayed dangerously, jarring the anchors.
Kal's lower anchors tore from the mountain. His body blew nearly horizontally as the winds ripped him sideways. He clawed at the line, desperately pulling himself up. His scream was swallowed by the wind as the line snapped.
###
"Why did you meet her again?" Melissa seethed at him from the door. Kal hadn't been back five minutes before his sister had flown down the hallway in a rage.
"Mel, she didn't know. It's not her fault."
"Not her fault?" Her voice grew dangerously high. "She left you for dead!" Her greens eyes flashed as she spat the words.
Kal sat heavily on his childhood bed, his head in his hands. All he recalled of the accident was the fear and panic, followed by bone-shattering impacts. That was it. He had awoken in a Finish hospital months later with no memory of the disaster.
"Mel, please. I don't want to fight about this. She deserves some closure." He hadn't thought her voice could go any higher, but he'd been wrong.
"Closure? Closure?! She deserves another foot in her ass! That bitch had the gall to come here and tell us that you were gone! That you were dead! And it was all her fault! Oh, and fell right into the arms of another man, like the slut she is!"
"Mel!" He glared at her. "She was mourning. You can't blame her for an accident or for moving on."
Melissa shook with barely contained rage. She had been on edge ever since he'd returned a week ago. She glared at Kal before finally retreating without another word, slamming her door shut.
Kal sighed, falling back onto his bed. Their relationship had always been strained, but now it was completely off the rails. Everything he said to her caused a fight. Even his apologies caused a fight.
"Is the war over?" A soft voice came from his doorway.
"No, just the battle." He laid his arm over his eyes. They were still sensitive to the light, something the doctors had said should go away at some point. "Hope you weren't on a call."
Hana stepped gingerly into the room, avoiding the backpack and assorted papers on the floor. "It was wrapping up anyway. I just muted myself." She smoothed her skirt and sat beside him. A faint whiff of vanilla wafted his way. She rubbed his leg comfortingly.
Hana was always the caretaker, being the oldest. She wasn't actually his sister, none of them were even related. But Hana had practically raised them, as they slowly trickled into Ms. Aberdeen's home.
Ms. Aberdeen had had a big heart and would have taken more kids if she'd been able to. Unfortunately, she had already been quite old when she took them in. She had held on until Hana turned 19, after which she had passed peacefully in her sleep. That had been four years ago, and Hana still held them all together.
"How's the tiredness? Is it any better?" Hana reached over, placing the back of her hand against his forehead. "You're a bit hot. Maybe you should stay in for a bit."
Kal smiled despite himself. "I'm fine, mom."
He yelped in surprise as she poked his ribs.
"Don't call me that," she scolded.
Hana couldn't act angry to save her life. The best she could do was pinch her lips, furrow her brow, and growl like a five-day-old puppy. She could, however, poke the daylight out of ribs with her long and pointy fingers.
"Gah, okay, okay." He rolled away from her laughing. "I'm sorry, Hana."
She lay on the bed beside him, spooning him like she used to when he was little. "You should be." She rubbed her cheek against his hair.
They lay there quietly. He listened to her heart as it beat against his back. He began to drift off when she hiccupped lightly as she sniffled. She had been getting better about it, but sometimes she needed his reassurance.
"You're here with me now, right Kal?" Her voice was strained. She had cried the hardest when he had shown up last week. They had all cried, but Hana had gasped for breath between her sobs, clutching him so tightly that her fingers had shaken.
Kal wrapped his hand around hers. "I'm here, Hana. It's okay." She nodded against him, her body shaking slightly.
Kal woke up later that day to a warm body against his back. He needed to nap more often these days, becoming lethargic for no apparent reason. He had a list of random symptoms the doctors had advised him on, but that was one of the most annoying.
The interlaced fingers on his hand squeezed him reassuringly. He smiled, bringing them to his lips and kissing them softly. The giggle and nuzzle to his neck let him know that someone had replaced Hana, and he somehow doubted that it was Melissa.
Kal rolled over, laying face to face with Kaylie. Hana called them the twins as they were so alike. Silky brown hair, big brown eyes, and button nose sprinkled with freckles. She was only two months younger than him, having turned 20 while he was away.
She flashed him a toothy smile. "Good morning, Kal." She rubbed the tip of her nose with his. 'Ekimo kisses', as she used to say when she was young. "I kept you warm."
He pulled her in for a hug. She happily pressed herself against him, nuzzling his neck. "Thanks, Kay. I missed this."
Both Hana and Kaylie had become much clingier since his return from the dead, but Kaylie and Kal had always been close. They had slept in the same bed until they were teenagers. Now that he was back, she would sneak into his room and cuddle with him at every opportunity.
