Callie and Lexi's Kiss List | ✓

1: Callie

'Sparks began flying everywhere. Jayce, Erica, and Lukas were shouting. They were trying to use their magic to break the wall. But I couldn't hear what they were saying anymore.

'Starting from my feet, a burning tingle began to spread through my toes. As the sparks outside the barrier glowed brighter and erupted all sorts of sounds, sizzling against the invisible field, the burning began to work its way up to my ankles. At the same time, spreading out in a perfect circle from my feet, a plethora of flowers began to sprout from the ground. As the heat rose up my legs, the flowers continued to burst from between the blades of grass, until finally the heat was—'

A loud bang of objects sounded from the neighbouring room, followed by mum groaning, "Ah shit!"

Slipping my finger in the book to mark my spot, I shouted through my open door, "Everything okay?"

But when mum didn't respond, I dog-eared the page and set the novel on my nightstand.

Reaching for the liner I kept in the drawer, I rolled the fabric over my stump, slipped my leg into the socket, then pulled the sleeve upwards, suctioning my prosthetic in place. A manoeuvre that used to take much longer was now becoming second-nature to me.

Getting to my feet (a phrase I was still growing accustomed to), I walked down the hallway into the junk room—which was once Lexi's room, now to become hers once more.

"Everything okay?" I asked more softly, scanning the room for the source of the noise.

Looking up from a heap of objects scattered over the floor, mum blew a brown lock out of her face as she placed items into a new box. "Huh? Yeah... Some of these boxes really haven't fared well with age," she said, pointing to the broken box with one of her hands. Following her indication, I realised the bottom had fallen through on one of the boxes she was carrying out.

"Are you sure I can't help?" I asked her, walking through the room and sitting on the bed.

"This is all too heavy, Callie," mum replied, looking up at me with a thankful smile nonetheless.

"My arms are strong," I grumbled in response.

"But your leg—"

"I know, I know. It's only able to carry a certain amount. Why couldn't we have gotten the more heavy-duty one?" I asked, despite knowing the answer.

"You know I couldn't afford that," she said back, placing the last item into the new box before getting to her feet. While my leg was covered by Medicare, they didn't deem the next-level prosthetic as necessary for my living quality, so if I wanted one I could use for all sorts of strenuous activities then mum would have to pay it out of pocket. "One day we will get you a leg you can run in and lift heavy things with. But for now, it's just—"

"Walking and light-weight activities," I cut her off. "I know. And I am grateful for this, mum," I then added, not wanting her to think otherwise.

She threw me another small smile before heading out of the room with the new box, leaving me to glance around at the room. Ever since Lexi left five years ago, I avoided coming in here.

The purple walls were still the same, just less vibrant. The carpet underneath once a light grey, now aged and a little brown from the years of dust tarnishing the quality. Mum obviously cleaned in here every now and then, but with no one ever using the room, it hadn't received as much attention as those we did regularly use.

As I heard the grunt of mum echoing down the hallway as she evidently plopped the box down in the garage, I leaned down into the nearest container, pulling items out to inspect what she felt the need to keep in here all these years.