KOTA

"Her location has changed." Odina says from the living room. Kota retreats from his grandfather's bedside and regroups with his parents and sister. His attention goes to the portal which spawned in their living room. The view is very hazy; Kayla can't be seen accurately. Although she saw them as clear as day, their visuals aren't as fortunate.

"Why has it changed...?" Dyani wonders.

"Maybe she sensed us."

"Meaning she ran away?"

"That's possible." Matto stares ahead at the blurry view of Kayla.

"She seemed too young to be on her own. She must have parents." His mother disagrees with her husband. "I think she'll return home."

Kota eyes his father. "Maybe mom is right."

"There's no way to know for sure. There has to be a reason the girl jumped from 12 miles away to 44 in less than an hour."

"We should visit in the morning...her parents may know where she's gone."

Matto looks to his wife with brooding eyes. "There's a flaw in that. We don't have her name."

"We have a fine enough description from the first encounter. I'll sketch a drawing."

Matto ponders, holding his chin. "That would be wise."

"I'll go too." Kota declares.

"No...your mother and I will handle this."

"I don't think she'll help if I'm not there."

Dy nods in agreement with her little brother. "He's right. Kota has to be there, so she knows he's a vampire."

Odina glances between her children, she's somewhat swayed by their reasoning. "They're not wrong, Matto."

"We'll do this our way."

"Please, father...can I go for the ride? This is too important. I can't sit this out." Matto gives a long sigh, debating his answer. "I'll stay in the car, I promise."

"Stay with your grandfather, watch after him. The spell weakened him." He advises Dyani. "I'll allow you to come along." Kota is thankful for this permission...and for his grandad being monitored.

That's true. My mind will be eased if he's watched after. My dread of losing someone else is greater than tagging along. My folks can handle it. Dyani is pissed, I guess she wants to go too. This is a huge update; we'll finally have answers soon. She's just as anxious for a solution as I am. I hope she doesn't get mad over this. She may get over it. Same as hating me.

It seems she's coming around. That's the first time my big sister supported me since the change. Just her siding with me has made me hopeful. Tonight will be a good night. We have a spell bender. Now all we have to do is prepare for the morning.

Kota doesn't sleep. Everyone else does. He roams the house, finding himself examining where the portal once hovered. It's a shame I couldn't see her face. The gateway was fuzzy. Could she see me clearly? I hope so. That'll make tomorrow a success if she did. If she knows my appearance beforehand, maybe she'll see my truth. That I'm not human. 

The sight of green and orange fireworks pop the sky throughout the night. The spooky holiday ends at midnight...yet it still has a lingering presence. Why is that? Is it true that the day holds a supernatural energy?

The sun rises come dawn. Kota will never get used to the feel of it on his flesh. The traumatic burning experience will always haunt him. He watches the pillars of light dance across his forearms. He raise his fingers to catch the light rays in between them. Kota is happy to have some normalcy...regardless of being a monster. I can still live...even if the cure is a dead end. Magic has helped me so far.

Maybe I should drop the desire to be mortal again...and go after the vampire who's done this to me. I could channel this depression into revenge. That would help. I could kill the red eyed devil who cursed me. That could be how I find closure. It's smart to have a backup plan. This human girl could choose not to help. I must prepare myself for that outcome.

His grandfather wakes at 8am. "Osda Sanalei (Good Morning)."

"Osda Sanalei."

"I assume there is a plan?"

"Yes." Kota recaps what happened last night. He leaves out nothing. The portal. The concerning distance Kayla traveled. The choice to involve her parents.

"Are you going along?"

"Yes."

"I agree with my son. Your appearance may frighten her. You must view the world from normal eyes. Seeing a vampire may be too alarming."

"I understand."

"I will sit this one out...to recover."

By noon, they're all dressed to go. Dyani is sour, she pouts as they exit the house. Matto drives using the marked map for instructions. The streets are semi crowded. The horror of rush hour hasn't begun yet. The bummy, dilapidated neighborhoods are miserable. The poor health of the pavements, buildings and air quality darkens the day in gloom. The sun is blocked out.; a gray orb in the sky. The leafless trees are dismaying; their naked roots curl and hang in a sickly manner.

The homeless beg for money on the roads, going from car to car. Holding cardboard signs reading: Change for food. Help. 5 days of an empty stomach.

Odina rolls down the window to pass out dollar coins to the lost souls. Their grateful smiles brighten the bleak morning. Kota grins at the feeling of hope radiating from their spirits. This is the first time he's felt the emotion of others so vividly. Before it was a subtle warmness in the gut. Butterflies in the stomach. Not a stark rumbling in his core. A tingling of his spine and heart. Wow. My bones are shivering...but in a good way. As if the holy ghost has entered me.

The environmental shift from the destitute side of the city to the high-class side is ground shattering. The charming, old-school Chicago is fascinating. It truly captures the essence of the 1960s era. The tall skyscrapers are pure stone and stretch so high that Kota can't see to the top from the wagon's window. The colossal size of each takes him and his parents by amazement.

The luxurious storefront restaurants shaded by huge umbrellas. The designer shopping centers. The businessmen and women. The street artists. One plays a grand piano in the park. Others paint canvases for their audience. There are no homeless people in sight. The endless sea of shiny, expensive cars is marvelous. Their crappy car trails over the drawbridge, passing the lake.

His father eyes the map. Kota sees it as if he's not in the backseat. The enhanced, zoomed vision of his is God like. We just have one more turn...and we're there. Kota counts down the seconds to speed up time. Starting from 10 down to 0. Here is the moment of truth. The shot in the dark. The final solution to my torment. The Volkswagen parks on the curb, in front of the glamorous penthouse. There's a bellboy standing between the spinning doors. His father twists off the ignition. He peers back at his son. "Stay put."

Kota's parents exit the car. Their son stares after them, full of angst. I can't go inside...but I can use my hearing. I can hear the rustling of the picture my mother drew. If I focus hard enough, I can isolate all of the bustling noise to hear the lobby. Once again, he engages his ears to pinpoint his mother's footsteps. Little by little he distinguish her motion from the roaring city. Until the ruckus of commotion and traffic fades to an inaudible frequency.

"Hello, good noon" Odina's footsteps halt.

'Good noon! How may I help?" The receptionist greets.

"I'm looking for this girl. I was told she lives here?"

"Miss. Kayla Harris. Yes, she does. Unfortunately, she has left the premises."

Kota's heart sinks to the floor of his stomach. Unlike the glorious sensation from before, this one is bone crushing. "Could I speak with her parents? Could you ring them down?"

"I'm afraid her parents have stepped out for the day on business. I'm sorry. You may leave a message." The woman grabs a pen and notepad. "To whom should I say it's from?"

"The Ahoka family."

KAYLA

Kayla stretches her body over a ballet barre. The glamorous dance studio is empty. Only her and the sun rays mark the room. A ballerina in a cream-colored leotard and tutu. She flexes her arm and leg muscles to loosen the tightness. Her mind revisits last night. Who were those people? They looked similar to the guy I saw.

Although their skin is brown, his was pale. I'm guessing he once had the same complexion as them. Maybe they were his parents?? But why would they call on me? It seems as if they opened a portal. I wasn't expecting that. I thought I had this all under control, but I don't. I left the party as if a boogeyman was after me. Darius rode back home with me. We left the others partying. I'll have to apologize for ditching them. I had to get away from the insanity.

Kay recalls the bus ride home. "What's going on with you?? Darius is startled by her change in character.

"I'm just worried about getting in trouble." Kayla lies.

"It looked like you saw a ghost or something! Are you that terrified??"

"Yes..." She grips onto the pole as the bus comes to a stop. Her deadpan, shocked expression causes him to wrap his arms around her.

"It's alright. I  told you I'll take the blame."

Kayla lengthens her back on the barre and closes her eyes. She recalls what happened next. The nightmare she found at home. Red, white, and blue siren lights. The sight of a cop car outside the penthouse. Kay didn't think twice of it. Chicago is an aggressive city...police cars are parked on almost every corner. But once on the 17th floor, she found the true meaning behind the cop car. As soon as the elevator opened, she and Darius spotted a police officer. A uniformed man jotting down information into a notepad.

"Her middle name is Aria, born November 30th, 1967. Her height is 5'6. I called her friends' parents. Their children haven't returned home either."

Her mom didn't notice the elevator opening. She was too grief stricken. Same as her husband. Mary embraced James as if too weak to stand on her own two feet. Her slim hands shaking against his chest. James spied her exiting the lift. "KAYLA!" He exclaims. "You had us worried sick! Where have you been?!"

"Oh, thank god.' Mary is so relieved that she holds her forehead.

"Abort that search." The officer reports into a walkie. "The teenager just walked in."

"Copy, that." A woman responds from the static radio.

The cop looks to James and Mary. "Your daughter won't be filed in the system as a runaway. I hope this gets sorted out the way it should."

"It will, thank you for all your help, officer." James walks the man to the elevator.

"Please don't scare your parents like that again, kid." The cop warns Kayla.

James glowers at Darius, who leaves the elevator to allow the officer inside. He goes to stand beside his girlfriend. James holds in his anger, bottling it up until the elevator door closes. The tension in the air is thick. The silence is menacing. Once the elevator closes, he explodes. "EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!!"

An icy hot sweat works Kayla's forehead. "Dad, I'm sorry!"

"It's my fault, sir. I lost track of time. It won't happen again."

Mary paces over to Kayla, wiping her teary face. "You know your curfew...still you broke it!"

"I'm sorry, mom."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, missy!" James roars.

"It's past midnight!" Mary frowns, she's scared and angry at the same time.

"Mr. and Mrs. Harris, please don't blame Kayla, I was irresponsible with her curfew."

James folds his arms. "Thank you for getting her home safely. We'll handle it from here. Goodnight, Darius."

Kayla shares a dismal look with her beau. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"We'll see about that..." James retorts.

"Get home to your mother, she's just as scared as I am." Mary escorts him to the elevator.

James analyzes his daughter. His rage builds more and more by the second. The only thing that's missing the steam from his ears. It takes a few seconds for the metal carriage to arrive to pick up Darius. Once again, there's an intense silence until the door closes. James harshly stares down his daughter. Kayla is too ashamed to combat his chiding glare. She eyes the floor in humiliation. "Do you have any idea how many kids go missing on Halloween??! How many get harmed?? We thought the worst! You worked your mother into a panic attack and had me ready to hunt you down!"

"Where were you?!" Mary grabs the shoulders of her daughter and shakes. "Where were you?! At a party?!! Because we drove around for miles. You weren't out trick or treating." The nervous panic in her mom's voice is sharp.

"You weren't at the theater or the mall, we checked. She was definitely at a party." James places the crime on her. "Darius is beginning to be a bad influence."

"No, he's not, dad!"

"You think I don't know what goes on at teen parties??!" James yells, every vein in his forehead protrudes.

"Why are you behaving this way?! You always follow the rules." Mary tightens her hold on Kay's shoulders.

I shouldn't be judged for having fun for once in my life! I can't always follow their law like a perfect child!! Kayla huffs and puffs. Her eyes tighten and sizzle with resentment. She shoves her mother's arms away. "Maybe that's the problem!"

"Excuse me??" Mary scoffs. "Watch your tone!"

"Maybe if you two didn't lie about spending time with me, I wouldn't break the rules. Both of you promised to take me out. To make up for all the late nights at work. What happened to that plan?!" Kay works herself into a rant. "I'm here alone!! Always! All the time! While all you two care about are your jobs!! All you do is lie!"

"You're grounded...and you're not seeing Darius until we decide you can." Her father flares his nostrils. "You owe both me and your mother an apology."

Kayla laughs harshly. "No, you owe me one!" She stomps down the hallway to her room.

James attempts to march after her, but Mary takes hold of his arm to stop him. "Let her cool down."

"Not until she apologizes!"

"Let's not escalate things, dear." Kayla slams her bedroom door and runs to her bed, burying her tear-filled face into her pillow.

I haven't apologized yet. I woke up this morning and snuck out to practice for the big night. I don't care if they're mad at me. They can't ground me from the ballet show.