3.29|Someday I Will Return

 

3.29|Someday I Will Return

 

Everyone looked in Ellie’s direction. The entire Solar Society research division went still and silent. “You’re the KALEIDO PREMIER! IT’S REALLY YOU? YOU’RE ACTUALLY HERE?!” suddenly the energy in the room went electric. Sandra was shouldering and silent. Every one of them was about to rush and surround her, when she stopped the commotion with a single utterance.

“Ahem.” Ellie and the crowd turned to her. “Sandra?” Ellie asked. She was unsure what to expect of the Solar Society’s new prized child, and didn’t quite believe this. But Sandra looked just like a little girl.

“What are you doing here, Ellie?” Sandra was quaking.

The Kaleido group stared at her, their thoughts turning in a whirl of emotion. Sandra just grinned and stood up and walked over to Ellie and hugged her, and all the others did the same. Ellie found that lovely. “I thought I would never see you again. I wanted to say I’m sorry and to let you know I forgive you, for all that shit back then.”

Sandra let her go and shrugged. “It’s.. whatever I guess.” She didn’t clutch to the girl or hold on as tightly as she thought she would. She never thought of it before but, a swollen sunken part of her never wanted to be in her sister’s embrace and feel so, devoid of fulfillment. “I forgive you too. For, wrapping and imprisoning me up on your watch.”

Ellie looked at Sandra, who was gazing up to her. “I want you to be my friend Sandra. You were really brave to come here..” Sandra stared back with her wide blue eyes and smiled. “I want to be with you too. PLEASE! E-ellie..”

“Pardon me for interjecting on this, reunion.” Protas stepped up. Ellie turned to her. The resemblances instantly stood out. “Your sister, I assume! I apologize for yanking her out under your watch. Your presence is, quite a big show here and if I’d asked you face to face or made it known, the SS would be in uproar. It had to be done discretely.”

Ellie walked around her and smiled.

“They have cosplayers even out here? I’m joking. Xi right?”

Protas nodded, she went around the group and shook hands.

Ellie was delighted. “I didn’t know clones of me were still out there.”

“I’m a very resourceful girl.” She giggled and winked.
A figure came up to Ellie that she had not seen in a long time. The outer chassis was pearly silver and crystalloid, but she could see the resemblance, like a long childhood friend she dimly remembered.

“BARON?!?”

“Ehehe.. I’m actually Monarch now.” He waved away any awkwardness and the group laughed. “I’m sorry if I didn’t explain things. They’re kinda my family and the last time we saw each other, I was almost crushed to death under a ship. Still think of you often.”

“Oh it’s no problem.. I don’t really remember you that well, that was a long time ago but we had fun didn’t we? Heh. And now you’re doing pretty well for yourself.“

“Yeeeah. I’m a dad now. Kinda.”

Theo shot him daggers.

A dimensional expanse of space opened up for Gaia to peak through outside, just a few dozen miles of turf to peak into the commotion. The cracks required an icy blanket of glaciers, coldly resting over their continents like an icepack.  

Gaia eyed the Algae Mama. “Hey, you single? Wondering if you wouldn’t mind a women with kids.“ The Algae Mama chuckled, feeling her perky, tilting breasted mountaintops and flirting away.

Ellie tried to turn to Sandra when another returning group of returning figures stormed the room. The latter found herself swarmed by members of the Society of the Domesticity, by staff at the Sandra Sisterhood, even by returning SS researchers and Wardens.

“EVERYTHING’S SAVED!”

“SHE DID IT!”

“SANDRAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!”

The tiny queen was picked up and shared like a doll by adoring faces, fawning over her with little friction. She felt fuzzy and weird, when she looked at everyone appreciating her and thought back to that cold white cell, alone with her toys, something sparked in her. While she was embraced and picked up, all her questions were being answered with smiles and nods and nods and smiles and…

The Grand Magus of Xi started to cry. 

She was so confused, why was everyone treating her like a doll? Like someone they wanted to play with.. be with… memories of the cell and Novus’s emotionless interactions contrasted with the warmth and friendliness she received from everyone.

Ellie struggled to pick her up off the ardent mob. When she did and put her down, the two looked at the door to see Mercy and Sway arrive, coated in blood stains, wiping the sweat from their brow.

“Wait.. YOUUU! I remember you stinky buggo! I SEE YOU!” 

Sway gave her the middle finger. Her and Mercy locked lips.

She turned back to Sandra and cleared her throat.

“Ah, good for you weird buggirl…” Ellie shrugged and turned back to Sandra.

“When Mika told me you were, quite popular, I didn’t know quite what to think. Certainly wasn’t expecting..” she wasn’t sure how to parse it, but stared her sister directly in the eye. “Look! The girl I see and wanted to find doesn't exist, but there’s something special about the girl in front of me. I'm not seeing a future that will change her. She’s very much the opposite of me. And ultimately I'm not seeing anyone better equipped to help her then herself.” She poked Sandra’s nose. “Quite frankly, you don’t need anyone at all. I don't think it'd be enjoyable to have you  hang  with me it if the things we like are the things the other ones hates. You don’t need me or anybody, but even so..”  

Her hand waved to the crowd. “Seems like you have everybody.“

“Uggh shutuppp!” Sandra hated what she was feeling in this moment. Elder Dragon Amity came in with her Comm. “We’re getting transmissions from the High Council of X.U. They want their Association of Higher Sciences to exchange with the Research division at the SS, they want a partnership under your leadership. And the resolution we pushed to nominally retitle the Xistress Union ‘Xi’ passed in a three-party majority measure! They want you back Sandra!” She put down her tablet. 

“But there’s a lot of dissenters still. The recession looms, military is hawkish. They’re going to need you around the clock if you’re to turn things around.“

“People.. are going to need me?” Sandra wavered.

Ellie had heard enough. She started to walk back with a gentle smile.

“W-wait! Come BACK!!” Sandra said. “You can’t leave me with these blokes!”

The Kaleido Premier turned her head. “I’m here, and I’ll be here in the future. You know we were destined for a different world if all else fell under.. But like me, you’ve also made friends whose futures you’ve shaped..”

Ellie gave her sister a sympathetic look. Sandra sniffled. “Why? Why won’t you listen? Why’s everyone been treating me like I’m crazy?”

While the group gathered over Sandra, Protas and Raelyn sat down leaned into each other. “Dearie.. when are we going to have that white wedding?” Raelyn asked. Protas kissed her gently.

“I don’t know, but I think at the very least.. we won’t be short on guests.”

“SANDRA SISTERHOOD FOREVER!”

“EVERYONE HAIL TO THE GRAND MAGUS!”

“WE LOVE YOU SANDRA!” Another researcher threw a labcoat on her, everyone tugging and pulling on her as if they were ready to tear her flesh in adoring affection. Before she knew it, Ellie had finally reached the end of the room and took one last look back. “Guess you’re everyone’s favorite toy now, sis.. If you’d like to return to the Tower that bad, well you know where to find me.” And she left.

Sandra blushed among her admirers.

Tomorrow awaited her.

 

 

A daughter slips back into her home, she felt like she’d been away for a thousand years. The same cobblestone steps of the manor lead her in, and the musky smell of the walls and old leather furniture never ceased to serenade her with a world so familiar as to drag her back from the depths once again.

“Mika Mannerly!” The voice of her mother said. “Where ever have you been?”

“Mom? Are you there. I have something to confess..”

Another voice sighed. Kamisada was on the couch with her. “Oh hey.. hey

 dad?”

“Well Mika? If you have an explanation I would like to hear it.”

He put up one finger, making a Ssssh gesture.

“Oh um..” She looked around and fiddled her hands into a single clasp. “The field trip at Hemlock was actually to Sol Les Heights! We couldn’t get permission to go into, that sort of place obviously.“

Kamisada lit a cigarette smiling. “Surely you jest.”

Mannerly gave a gentle sigh. “I thought as such. Especially after that, rickety invasion they had broadcasted on the news, no way they could arrange such a trip in the conditions of today’s crazy world. Your father came for a brief visit, how fortunate of us to have been graced with his presence.” Mika sat next to him, looking awkward.

“I’m sorry about the fieldtrip deary. Did you atleast make any friends?”
Mika looked at the device in her backpack- the same one Intellica had been charging for so long. Attached to it was a tiny post-it-note with a doodle of a fox and a phone number, written next to “Let’s hang Miki! -Kaleido Premier”

She got my name wrong, what even..

“Uh.. just one.”

MIKI feared she would still hear the squeak of a thumb should she will it.

“Ohhh.. I know you’re hungry Mika.” Her mother called from her room. “Now You didn’t do dinner yet did you? Why don’t I prepare a truly Hex blessed traditional Vygian styled feast.” 

Mika laid her head back and closed her eyes.

“Ugh, let’s just talk. I’m so sick of feasts...”

Fin