"Girls! You're here! Looks like Sakura found you. Out of breath Kate? Take a moment, breathe." Mother said, taking the time to focus on her boy who was breathing fine.
Kate happily gasped in the hot air, Mother breathed Kate in and smirked.
"No alcohol at all, I'm surprised."
"Don't be, we got free mods that let us stay by the snow instead."
Mother touched Griff's shoulders, reaching inside the collar and finding the tech underneath.
"Free mods, for snow you say? And Full body too. You're ever making new, fancy friends."
"In the way you're thinking… maybe. I might be liked by triplets." Kate lied.
"You move incredibly fast! Faster than me and I was a model."
"Mom, it's because people here are different." Kate said with a conspiratorial brow wriggle.
"Different how?" Mother asked.
At that Kate shrugged. That was when the chosen son decided it was his time to shine.
"They were even fighting over kissing her!"
Those last words were converted into a yelp as Kate put Griff in a headlock while squeezing in as many knees to his kidneys as possible. But it proved awkward as she'd still been holding Sakura's hand and were currently on top of each other. Which Sakura leant into with purpose.
Time slowed forcing her to linger eternally in the awkwardness of bodies with the softness of Sakura's skin under her armpit, smothering Kate's face.
The smell of strawberries washed over her once more. One would have thought that, with all the night's running around, there might have been some sour to Sakura's cheesecake sweetness but no. Her existence was as unrealistic as it had been. The effort must have been incredible, then the thought it Kate.
They're watching, all the time.
Still trapped in the moment, Kate stared up into the sky, as if she'd see the answers to all her questions or a God with a drone. She couldn't, but her look was its own gesture. Her hand reaching out.
Would she be a part of the strange universe that actually wanted her? They hadn't said but what ever they were asking for would be harder than the picture they were painting.
Kate could do hard. But being special wasn't the right kind of hard.
Being different meant trouble, battle and pain. But standing out under Tiff, Em and Sakura's attention wasn't just out of her league. It was a whole other sport!
Adapting was hard under a spotlight, maybe too hard. Her instincts demanded she made the choice to runaway, then recover.
And from there she could expand her network from a different angle.
Kate loosened her hold, pulling free enough unlock everyone but somehow both her hands were full with Griff and Sakura.
"Mom?" Kate began.
"What is it?" She asked, still looking ahead.
Kate switched to a more private network.
"I think you underestimated how big this project is."
"Yeah, I saw the schematics."
"You panicking still?"
"You'd be amazed at how much of a relaxant Champaign can be. I'm guessing you couldn't find a way to help?"
"Not really mom, it's pretty weird out here. I think you've brought us somewhere strange."
That put a smile on Mother's face.
"Is my little boy behaving?" Mother asked.
"The boy is doing fine actually. You might have to only worry about yourself."
Her mother's smile warmed up.
"Ha, I'm still charming, immaculate and adorable, while remaining a certain degree of dangerous. I still have the medal's to prove it."
It was Kate's turn to smile.
"I'll choose my new schedule tomorrow, is that alright?" Kate asked.
Mother's face changed.
"What mom?"
"You just got here."
"Yeah, and these all people suggest that I'm staring at a cliff and each other them is offering me their own rope."
"I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for…" Mother began.
Mother bit her lip. Then to Kate's surprise she hugged all three of them, her, Griff and Sakura, a prelude to the real action which involved her squeezing and wiggling in a dance that tripled as a kidnapping and hiding from a sniper.
"You guys are so adorable! And I need as many photos as I can get!" Mother said into the group network.
Her drone appeared at that moment. The camera's flash was enough to bind them for a while. It was surreal, she kissed and squeezed all of them on the forehead, but lingered on Kate, her nose on Kate's ear.
"You're waiting for me to yell what you should do while hating that you have to do it. Because you know you'll have to do it. So let me tell you a story."
Meanwhile, the camera kept flashing away.
"Your loving mother, while trying to impress the man who'd become your father, started a schooling revolution, and nearly started a corporate war. All I needed to do was be the best person I could be, no matter the consequences… And there were consequences. I was the bonfire, and I created change because it was my right. I was stunning, fit, young and fuelled by righteous fury. But that school, that city was my turf, my home. You don't have that here. You like to hyper focus, so you don't need to waste energy. You're gonna be big shit for a moment then, it'll go away. Unless you're so bright people change to adapt to you. Then you'll want to feel the pressure. Glow babe, glow on purpose and for yourself. It'll be amazing! Play hard, people can see something inside you, don't cheat them because you won't run out of yourself. Look at Sakura. They figured her out and what she wants and people fill it so she never needs burn up pieces of herself. Have fun and be fun for yourself." Mother finished with a kiss to her temple.
The camera stopped flashing and she grabbed Griff, before speaking aloud.
"Okay, you kids are spending to much time with the grownups. Me and Griff will be admiring grown up stuff alone, and keep him away from so many of you sleazy tarts. The Beezley's are heading somewhere by the blossoms. There's a party there or some such, don't care. Make me proud, Sakura look after my girl." She said out loud but in the private feed, she said. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it. Is to disgust me, have me shaking with shame."