Chapter 103: The Greys

I woke up in my big bed alone. Liam was asleep in the reclining chair at the corner of the room. I shuffled out of bed. The clock read 12:03. A part of me felt bad for sleeping in like I'd wasted the day, but I had only slept six hours. It was the curse of having a night job.
I showered. When I came back into the room, Liam was gone. I looked through the dresser drawers of new clothes. I struggled with just choosing jeans and a t-shirt, but I needed to dress like a professional. Was the leader of a faction considered a professional? What would that kind of person wear to impress? Probably lots of leather, it was a biker gang after all.
I could feel the Lanie side of me all excited to dress from head to toe in leather and jump on one of the bikes and drive around being a badass, but the Kira side of me was freaking out. She'd never worn a strip of leather in her life other than cowboy boots.
I breathed. Okay. I was one person. Just one. I was me. I was... still nameless. I sighed. I lifted my chin. I just needed to pick one. Any name... I could be... No one. I was no one. Okay, so I couldn't choose a name. So what? I could pick clothes. I could be a new person with new clothes. I just needed to decide. It was such a small thing, not like picking a name. I could try them on and change them. It wasn't permanent like a name.
I reached out and grabbed the leather pants. Was I skinny enough for these? I slid them on one leg at a time and buttoned them. My mouth drew down in a frown. I could see why only really skinny chicks wore these. They showed every part. I needed to hit the gym more. I'd been trying, but between Kira's work schedule and Lanie's imprisonment, it was still a struggle to get in shape.
I peeled the leather pants off. Okay. So that wasn't the new me, not yet anyway. I reached out for a pair of jeans. At least these fit properly. I picked a navy blue top with quarter sleeves and a V neckline. It hugged my sides, and the decoration of the front hid any little bits that weren't perfect yet. I looked at myself in the mirror. Okay, I felt okay with this. I added a short leather boot that fit nicely under the boot cut jeans. I added a bit of makeup, not too much, just some eyeliner and mascara. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail.
Okay. I felt good. I felt put together and a little fancy, but not over the top. This was alright. This was a good start to a new me without being totally uncomfortable. I walked downstairs. Anton saw me and jumped off the couch. I gave him a skeptical look. He started shuffling around in the cupboards.
"Good morning," I said slowly, eyeing the mess he was making. "What are you doing?"
"I was thinking about what you were saying. I'm going to make you breakfast."
I gave him a tight smile. "Okay... Do you even know how to cook?"
"It's never too late to learn a new skill." He pulled over an already opened cookbook on the counter and started dumping ingredients into a bowl.
"You know all the dry ingredients goes in separate from the wet."
He nodded. "I've been watching cooking shows. I've got this."
I really hoped so. I didn't really want to be a test subject for a weird cooking experiment. I looked around. I guess I didn't have much else to do today. I would just be doing the same as him, trying to find a way to be useful.
Kezia came wandering down the stairs. She looked scared, with big eyes and little steps. Aylin followed behind her, all muscle and easy movements. She looked between me and the door.
"Good morning, please join us. My brother was just going to make some breakfast," I said.
She hesitated, looking at the door for a moment, then shuffled toward me. She joined me at the high counter. Together, we watched Anton mix pancake batter.
"Does he know what he's doing?" She whispered.
I leaned towards her. "If he messes this up, we can go downstairs. They might make us something edible."
A light laugh bubbled from her. She eased back in the bar chair. Aylin stood behind us at a distance.
I turned to him. "Aylin, come join us. You can partake in this experiment, too."
Aylin nodded and stepped forward. He took a seat on the other side of Kezia.
The door to the apartment opened. Liam walked through. He saw me at the counter and bowed his head. "Beloved, good morning."
"Good morning, join us. Anton was making pancakes," I said.
"I shouldn't, beloved."
"Liam, join us."
He nodded and stood at my side. We watched Anton pour the batter on the griddle.
"That one's done," Kezia said. "See the bubbles; they have all popped."
Anton flipped it over. To everyone's surprise, it was a perfect brown.
"Well, it looks like we might actually get a real breakfast."
I slipped out of the chair and started setting the large round table under the central light. Liam joined me, and before too long, we were all sitting around the table with a pile of perfect looking pancakes.
I sliced into mine. It was good. I was surprised.
"Wow, Anton. You might have a future as a chef after all," I said.
"Help is needed in the kitchen. I am sure Graham would train you," Liam said.
"Really?" Anton asked.
Liam nodded.
Anton looked over at me. "Okay. Yeah. I'd like that."
I frowned. "I'm not sure if making pancakes once gives you a good resume for being a cook."
"I can wash dishes. I'll start anywhere. Just don't kick me out, please, Kira," Anton begged.
"I think washing dishes is a good place to start," I said.
Kezia looked over at me. "Kira? I thought your name was Lanie."
I sighed. "It is. I'm both. I used to be Kira and I used to be Lanie. I thought we were twins and then..." I clapped my hands together. "Then I was just one person. Kind of a kir-ie... Lane-a sandwich."
"How is that possible?"
"Magic."
She laughed nervously. "No, really, how?"
I looked at her seriously. "Magic, really. Wait, can you not see...?" I turned to Liam. "What does he look like?"
She glanced at him and then looked down at her plate. "What... what do you mean?"
"Describe to me what Liam looks like," I said.
"Umm... okay. He's got brown hair. Its medium length. And a goatee. He's really tall, like six and a half feet."
"Six eight," he grumbled.
"So she's outside of the Veil," I stated. "Wait." I leaned forward. "Is he handsome?" I waggled my eyebrows at her.
She turned red and looked down at her hands. "Yes, of course."
I smirked and looked over at Liam. "I told you."
Liam's eyes narrowed at me. I reached under the table and set my hand on his knee. He froze. Damn. He was still weirded out by my magic. I removed my hand.
"What's the Veil?" Kezia asked.
I waved my hand. "It's okay. Don't worry. So, you're not a witch?"
"A witch?" She laughed. "No... wait, are you being serious?"
I nodded. "Was your mother a witch? Or your father?"
She shook her head furiously. "No, no. Not at all. What a silly question. My mom was a dentist and my dad was a nurse."
"Was?"
"They are both dead. They died in a car accident about six years ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.
"A witch?" Liam asked lowly. "Is that what you are?"
I shook my head. "No, my mother was. At least, I think she was."
"If she was a witch, then you-."
I waved him off. "Shh." I turned back to Kezia. "If your last name is Grey, then your father was a Grey?"
She nodded.
"And he's dead. Okay, so his mother is your grandmother and my grandmother. Did you ever hear of an Aunt Isabell?"
She shook her head. "Never."
I frowned. She looked just like her. She looked way more like her daughter than I did. I almost felt a pang of jealously, but I would never wish the pain my mother inflicted on me on anyone.
"Okay." I tapped my fingers together. "So, the only thing we have to go on is that you are related to me by blood."
All the possibilities went through my mind. I didn't dare voice them. She looked scared enough. I turned to Aylin. "Will you keep Kezia company? She will be staying with us for a while." I turned to her. "Is that okay with you? We'll keep you safe."
She shrugged. "I guess so."
I leaned forward. "Do you have any other family members? Any others related to the Grey name?"
She nodded. "Yes, I have several cousins, some aunts and uncles, too. They are all spread out. I haven't seen them in a long time. I have no idea where they are."
"Okay. Hmm... Okay." I stood. "Alright, Kezia. Just relax. Think of this as a vacation. Don't worry. I'll figure out what's going on. You can return to your life soon."
She frowned. "Okay."
"Good. I'll see you later. Just take it easy." I turned and left the apartment.
Liam followed me down the stairs. He stopped me before I reached the garage. "What is going on?"
"I think the darkness is planning something. They couldn't get me, so they got her. It has something to do with the Grey line..."
"What are you talking about?" Liam asked. "Are you a witch? Do you have witch blood?"
I looked up at him. "I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I need to figure out what is going on before they find Kezia or me."
"But Kira, witch blood? That's serious. If people know about you, they will be coming for you. Everyone will be coming after you."
I patted him on the leather jacket. "Liam, please. Let's just handle The Grange first, then we can worry about everyone else."
He frowned.
"It's okay. I will protect the brotherhood. I will protect Kezia. Just let me think about this." I straightened his jacket and turned away, leaving him on the stairs looking at me as I walked away.