Fractured Star

Chapter Two

Callie sat patiently as Leo tentatively made the first big cut, ultimately allowing half of her hair length to fall to the deck.  "Are you sure that a haircut and a change of clothes will be enough to convince them that I'm not a girl?" she asked as she felt yet more of her hair drop to the ground.
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Leo responded, making another big cut and shortening the length to Callie's shoulders. "We'll just have to see. They're smart, but so are we."
Callie let the corners of her mouth turn up in a small smile. "Who are they?"
"Two sets of brothers," Leo told her, brushing the loose hair off of her neck. "Jonathan and Tucker Wills, and Parker and Ben Alistair."
"Fancy-schmancy," muttered Callie.
Leo lightly smacked her shoulder with the flat side of the scissors. "Hey, our name's McKinney- can't get much more fancy-schmancy than that."
"Alistair," Callie repeated. "That's literally the name of Kerryl's royal family."
"So? Not all royalty is hoity-toity."
"How would you know? You've never met royalty."
She could practically hear Leo's smirk in his next words. "Oh, and how would you know? I was alive for eight years before you came along."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're almost thirty." Callie ducked to avoid a thump on the head, but Leo gently flicked her anyway. "Leo," she whined, "I'm almost sixteen."
"And I'm only twenty-four," replied Leo, trimming the hair over Callie's right ear. "Not the thirty year old you make me out to be."
"You didn't have to flick my head."  Callie sat in silence until Leo came in front of her to trim the front of her hair. "How old are they?"
"Nate and Parker are twenty-one and nineteen, and Jonathan and Ben are seventeen and sixteen."
"17? Are you sure?"
"Yes, why?" Leo held the scissors against Callie's forehead to stabilize his next cut.
"Oh, no reason." Callie phrased it innocently, but really her mind was racing. "Just never met a seventeen year old I'm not related to."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "That's why you're asking? I mean, for sheltered little you it's a valid reason, but for most people it wouldn't be."
Callie made a face. "I'm tired of not being normal."
"Well, once you meet these new people, you'll have taken a step closer to being normal: you'll have met new people."
Callie smacked him.
"Hey!" scolded Leo. "Uncalled for."
"You're the one making a huge deal out of me not being normal! And as I remember, you're the one protecting me the most whenever we dock for food and supplies."
"Still doesn't mean you get to hit me. Good thing Allen wasn't around." Leo returned to perfecting Callie's haircut.
"You're stricter than Allen," Callie said, gently swinging her legs to alleviate the need to move around.
"Your memory seems to be failing you, because Allen is strict on things like you not doing dangerous stuff. Like climbing the mast when there's nobody around to make sure you don't die. Or sitting on the rail. Stupid stuff like that. I'm strict on the let's respect your brothers spectrum."
"And then Justin acts like my parole officer."
Leo snorted a laugh. "Where in the world did you hear that?"
"Someplace called Yuken."
"Ah, yes. A place known for their crime. I'm surprised Allen stopped there even in our desperate situation."
"As I remember, we were sinking even as we drifted aimlessly up to the nearest dock," Callie said, wrinkling her nose against the itchy bits of hair falling onto her face.
"Oh, that's right. Anyway, you had the right idea with parole officer but  you're not on probation of any sort. Yet."
"Yet? Excuse me, sir, I am an angel."
"Sir? I rather like that. Why don't you do that all the time." Leo grinned at her.
Callie made a face at him. "Nobody calls their brother sir unless it's like I just did."
"Or unless the brother makes that a rule." Leo laughed at Callie's sudden indignation. "Oh, don't worry, none of us is going to make that a rule."
"You'd better not."