Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

A Much-Needed Rest

Kaya trudged down the hall and dropped to the floor in front of her apartment door. 

She shouldn't have heeded Lina's advice quite so literally. Running city blocks took its toll on Kaya's strength and stamina. However, it did appear that she made it home without anyone following her. 

Thank God. 

Keys, keys, keys... Kaya slumped against her door and rummaged through her bag. Lina had said she dropped off the new ones in the purse. No way would Kaya go through the same dilemma twice. Especially if it ended like this every time. 

"Ah! Keys!" Kaya held up the ring in victory. "Let's go home now. And then we can take a long bath. And crawl into bed." 

Kaya reached above her head to insert the key into the door. Her arms didn't quite reach. Figured. 

"Alright, legs, let's go. Get up." Kaya laid her head back against the door. 

Her legs didn't move. 

"We can't stay here all night. Let's go." 

Still nothing. 

Kaya sighed. "Great. I'm gonna die here because my legs gave up. I don't wanna die. I want food." 

"Did you see my dive? Wasn't it gorgeous? And then they were all 'who the heck is that dude?' and then you sped away and it was just so cool." 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, Lina. I was the one driving." 

Both Zoren and Lina appeared around the railing. Both stopped to stare at the girl slouched at the end of the hall. 

Lina spoke first. "Are you okay?" 

"Why are you asking that?" Zoren nudged his sister's shoulder with his own. "Hey, neighbor, you look like death warmed over." 

"You're not helping." Kaya pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Lina, help me! I ran home." 

"Aw, poor thing!" Lina shuffled her way to Kaya's side. "Did someone chase you?" 

"No, I just didn't want them to chase me." Kaya held out her key. "Can you unlock my door for me?" 

"Oh my gosh, you're both so pathetic." Zoren rolled his eyes and headed for his own apartment. 

Lina didn't bother to respond to him. She unlocked Kaya's door and pushed it open. Kaya slumped into the tiny entryway. 

"Did you get hurt?" 

Lina shook her head. "Just a scratch or two. I had Zoren pick me up right outside. It worked beautifully. Oh!" Lina slid the shirt off her shoulders. "I should give this to you so you can give it back to Jade." 

"Or you could do it yourself." 

"Nope. No can do. I don't do errands for other people." Lina tossed the shirt in Kaya's face. "Go wash up and rest well. No telling what tomorrow brings." 

Lina didn't know how profound her statement was. Kaya crawled her way out of the doorway and let the portal shut. If only she had lived with the same fervor as Lina. Tomorrow always brought things Kaya didn't expect. Not all of them good. 

For now, a bubble bath sounded like a good idea before bed. 

Kaya forced herself to her feet, kicked off her shoes, and discarded the troublesome shirt on a chair. She would take care of it later. After she washed it. Or something like that. 

Kaya let out a deep breath and gave in to the exhaustion. She would rest now and deal with the rest of the strange happenings later.