Kayla: Episode One

For those of you missing Smallara proper. Here is a teaser of something I’m working on for later this year. 

Present Day…

The loud sounds of the city assaulted Kelli’s tiny ears in a way she didn’t expect. The chatter of idle people Kayla passed by. The sounds of cars rumbling by and horns honking. The birds chirping away which Kelli only recently learned just how terrifying they can be. All combined to create a miasma of sound that blended together making it difficult for her to be heard.

The chilly fall air has been growing colder as of late. She had learned about how sensitive her little body was to heat. The cement, when it sat in the summer to early fall sun, was often much too hot for the body to handle. If she spent any kind of considerable time on it, she would roast to death. It forced her to rely on Kayla, her sister, in new ways she never expected.

When she first caught Smallara, she knew in a lot of ways her life would never be the same. Not over, simply different in so many ways. However, nothing could prepare her for just how reliant she was on her little sister, who was her guardian. In her mind, She was still the big sister. She was older, wiser, and, in her mind, smarter than her younger sibling. But now she was living in some kind of role-reversed world where her younger sister was now her guardian, which was just a politically correct way to say owner.

She understood why Kayla was chosen, and she really wouldn’t have wanted her parents as guardians anyway. Her parents wanted her to still experience life, even if it was partially through Kayla’s life. They wanted her to still be able to go to parties or go out and do things. Not to mention, they were older and long-term with the amount of investment needed to be a guardian in the form of not only classes but licensing and filing fees. Along with legal fees if you hire an attorney to help guide you through the process. It makes sense to choose Kayla as you only need to pay for all that once. However, when her parents got older and could no longer care for her, they would have to pay a lot of those fees again. They also managed to withdraw one dose of Smallara Remnant from her body, which was given to Kayla. The remnant had the effect on immune people to slow the aging process and extend the human lifespan. Unfortunately, it didn’t protect you from diseases or cancers. But because of it, Kayla was close enough in age that they would age similarly now.

None of that made it any easier to accept that she had to ask her younger sister for permission for things. That Kayla now had the final say in all matters even though she was a good sister, and they had a pretty good relationship throughout their lives together. It still created moments of strife and animosity. Much like how she ended up in this situation.

Earlier Today…

“Kayla, are we going to do anything today? I’m bored.” Kelli whined as she laid back in the new bed Kayla had gotten her.

“I am doing something. I’m playing Final Fantasy 14 with the squad. I’m leveling up my crafters and gatherers. I’m so tired of having to spend so much gil on raid food.” Kayla said.

“Excuse you? I don’t speak dork. I’m going to need that English.” Kelli teased.

“I’ve explained this before. Gil is the in-game currency. When I do the weekly raids, which you should remember are the 8-person teams where we run a gauntlet of 4 bosses. Before each boss, you eat food, which boosts your stats. The best food obviously costs the most money, so you end up spending thousands to millions of Gil as the food buff only lasts 30 minutes. So, I’m leveling classes where i can make my own food for free.” Kayla explained to Kelli.

“That sounds super boring. We should do something. What’s Sara and Jordan doing?” Kelli asked.

“I am doing something, Kelli. You can hang out with Mom if you want. I can text her to come up and get you. This is what I’m doing today.” Kayla said as she continued on with her game.

“You know how boring Mom is. She’s probably doing real-life cooking and cleaning rather than your virtual cooking and cleaning. Besides, you’re my guardian. It’s your responsibility to entertain me. It’s in the bylaws or whatever.” Kelli whined.

“First off, it’s not. Second, my job is to keep you safe, provide for you, and care for you. Nowhere does it mention entertaining you. I did just get you that bed, so you don’t have to sit on the floor or struggle to climb onto my bed anymore,” Kayla said.

“This looks like a dog bed. Jordan has a regular-looking bed, only smaller,” Kelli said as she leaned back against the pillow.

“He also has a habitat that someone absolutely refuses,” Kayla said boldly, “and that’s totally a little bed. It’s just an off-brand one, not a Generitech one.” Kayla tried to say it as convincingly as possible.

“It’s huge. There is no way this is made for Littles Kayla. You could fit 15 or 20 littles on this thing. It is plush, though. I will give you that,” Kelli said while getting comfortable.

“It’s just new, and it’s big because they have accessories coming for it in the future,” Kayla said, turning fully away from Kelli so she couldn’t see her, trying not to laugh.

“Whatever, it’s totally a dog bed. It’s comfy, though. I just wish we didn’t need this nightlight,” Kelli said, looking behind her.

“It’s not a nightlight. It keeps bugs and insects away. They can’t get within 20 feet (6 meters) of that thing. You know how vulnerable you are,” Kayla said while continuing to play her game.

“Don’t remind me. You won’t even let me go into my room anymore. I had to move into your room.” Kelli complained.

“What did you do in there anyway? Nothing was your size.”

“It’s my room. I do my own stuff in there. Can you get four or five of those insect thingies and put them in each corner and one in the middle of the room?” Kelli said.

“They are like 300 dollars each. That one was practically my whole paycheck. It would take months of working to get 1500 dollars. You know Mom and Dad don’t let me work that many hours.” Kayla said as the clacking of her mechanical keyboard continued to fill the room.

“Oh, I guess it is an expensive nightlight. Well, I appreciate it. It just sucks, you know. Are you sure we can’t do something with your friends? It’s so boring here.” Kelli whined again.

“I messaged Talisa in the game. We’re going to hang out IRL. Are you happy?” Kayla said, turning around in her chair and looking down at Kelli.

“With Talisa? Oh…” Kelli said.

“Yes, with Talisa. You can come hang out with us or stay here. Either way, I’m tired of your whining,” Kayla said, standing up.

“No, I’ll come. I was just surprised, that is all. Anything is better than here. So, what are we doing? I haven’t been to the movies in forever. Although you’d have to hold me up higher or I guess I could sit on your shoulder as you’ll be fairly stationary that way I can still see. Don’t sit up close though, we’ll have to go to back which would probably be best anway so i can see everything.” Kelli said.

“We aren’t going to the movies just get dressed will you. Otherwise, I’ll leave you behind” Kayla said enjoying the reversal of fortune. Usually, it was her getting drug to things by Kelli or having to do whatever Kelli wanted to do.

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