The Blushing Rabbit

Abarron, Nizra, Kefira, and I were called before the leaders of the rebellion. With uncertainty, we walked into the tent. It was strange, all the older men and women stopped what they were doing and stared. We must have been quite a sight to see. While everyone else was clearly older than their twenties, we were far younger. None of us had reached double digits yet.

"Good you're here. Please sit." We did as the leader of the rebellion asked. Stealing glances at each other, wondering what we could have done wrong. Seeing our unsure faces the man gave a chuckle. "You are not in trouble. As you know we have been training you all for the fight to come. Your main duties will include intelligence and recon, however there will be times where you will need to do more. Over the past year and a half we have been watching all of you to see where your strengths lie.

"Everyone has surpassed what we thought of you. You are all determined and excel in many areas. The transformation I have see in you children... blows my mind. It makes me sad that you have come so far away from being children, but it is necessary. Without you, we may not be able to topple this corrupt government.

"I have called you four here specifically because you have shown the greatest leadership skills. We want you four to be leaders of the four groups, or Decks, we have split you up into for different missions. You will still be one group, one family. However, you will have smaller units that you four will be in charge of as you go off to gather information. Do you understand?" Looking at each other, we nodded. "Excellent. Your code name as a whole will be The Major Arcana. Each of you will be given an individual code name that will line up with one of the 22 cards. From here on you will refer to each other as that card so you are not in danger, do you understand?" Again we nodded. We were not particularly happy about losing the one thing that connected us to are deceased family but we understood the dangers.

"Wonderful. Please stand." We did as we were told along with everyone else in the tent. Now all eyes were once again on us as the leader walked over to us. Placing a hand on each of us as he renamed us and assigned us out duties, he decreed, "Abarron, you are The Magician the first card. You will be leader not only of Deck one, but of the Major Arcana. You are to watch over them and care for them as a whole. Your decisions on missions will carry weight and you will meet with other leaders to give your opinion for the Major Arcana." Abarron nodded with his mouth hanging open. It was an honor that placed a large weight on the child's shoulders. Next he stepped before me. "Rikki, you are the High Priestess the second card. You will be leader of the second Deck and the Magician's second in command. You will do what no one else can and keep in contact with all the other decks to make sure they are safe. If anything is to happen to the Magician you will step up as Leader of the Major Arcana." My eyes widened in fear at the task given to me. Lowering his voice, the leader whispered, "You will do fine. You were born for this." He placed a hand on my head lovingly before moving on.

"Kefira, you are the Empress the third card. You will be the leader of Deck three and head of combat training for all decks. When not on missions you will carry out training so the Major Arcana does not lose their abilities to fight. If anything is to happen to both the Magician and High Priestess, you will become leader of the Major Arcana." Although she looked a little started at becoming a leader, she also had a look of relief at not being too high on the totem pole. With a smile he moved on to the last leader. "And Nizra, you are the Emperor the fourth card. You will lead Deck four and special training. You have shown a keen ability with tracking and trap setting and thus you will train everyone in that skill set. If anything is to happen to the Magician, High Priestess, and Empress you will become leader of the Major Arcana." Out of the four of us, the Emperor was the most relaxed about being assigned his lot. There was no fear in his eyes when the leader told him what his duties were.

"Do you accept the duties placed before you?" With only slight hesitation, we nodded. Schooling our features from slight fear to determined. "Excellent. Let us gather your siblings. We shall tell them what has transpired here and assign them their cards and decks." With a smile the leader started towards the door. Glancing once more at Abarron, I followed realizing how different my life once again was.

Present Day

"Alright!" Ezra slid gracefully into a stool right in front of where Rikki was filling a glass of on tap beer. "What do you want to do for your birthday?" He was more giddy about it than she was.

"Wait your birthday is coming up?" Slader asked standing next to the bartender's brother.

"What about a birthday?" Kai smiled, arm wrapped around Christine's waist. They apparently fixed whatever had happened weeks earlier.

Without looking at her brother or friends, Rikki replied, "Nothing."

"She's lying. Come on Rikki, it's not everyday a person turns a quarter of a century." Ezra grinned and started cackling. "We have to celebrate!"

Slader and Kai looked at Rikki with mouths open as she replied, "I don't see what's so great about that? It's just another number."

"No! It's 25. You have to do something!"

"No I don't, many others reach 25. It's not that special."

"Ab never did. Neither did-"

"That's low, Ez." Rikki glared before sighing. "Fine. Do whatever you want, but nothing like when Mishka turned 21. I don't need to bail anyone out... again."

"Yes!!" Ezra fist pumped the air while spinning in his chair.

"I think that deserves a story." Kai grinned mischievously.

"And who's Mishka?" Christina added looking utterly confused by the name.

Grabbing two more glasses, she began filling them with Shocktop. "Mishka is one of my foster brothers and that is a long story that only ends with most of my foster siblings in jail for trespassing and/or skinny dipping at a local pool. Evelyn and Jackson were not too pleased to receive a call at 4am because their foster kids were in jail." Her eyes swept to her still cheering brother.

"Wait. Ezra has been to jail?" Christine placed a hand over her mouth in shock.

"No charges were pressed since nothing was damaged, but he got the taste of a cell. Isn't that right, Ez?" Rikki raised her voice.

"Possibly. What?" He smiled.

"You got the taste of jail life."

"Ah yes, Ab was pissed we got caught. He blamed Kefira for being a shitty look out."

Rolling her eyes, Rikki commented, "He shouldn't have. Ya'll were drunk off your asses. I'm surprised none of you drowned."

"Where were you in all this?" Kai asked enjoying the story. "And are these really your names or are you making this shit up?"

"No, they're really our names. They're unique here, but not really back home." Ez shrugged.

"As for me, I was trying to keep anyone from dying or wandering off. I was DD that night. It was like herding cats. Those assholes wouldn't stay in one place for more than two seconds."

"Mishka was the worst, he likes to strip and run around." Ez chuckled.

"All Ya'll were the worst! How I managed to keep him in his clothes until the pool still baffles my mind. It's a good thing Mom and Dad were liked by the community or you guys would have been fucked."

"It wasn't that bad." Rikki didn't grace him with a reply. With a glare in his direction, she turned to deliver the drinks to their owners. When she returned the discussion had turned once more to her birthday. Not bothering to contribute, she took more orders with a smile on her face. The small group that had formed was overly excited to plan an event. It probably had more to do with drinking than actually celebrating the day of her birth and she was okay with that. As long as no one ended up in jail.

All too soon however, Ezra, Christine, and Tara excused themselves so they could get ready for their session. Rikki shoo'd Slader and Kai away so she could get back to making drinks without them distracting her. With pouts the boys left to claim a table for the night. It was only when the stream of people died a little due to listening to the performers that Michael slid over near her.

"Soooo, what was all the hub bub about? A certain man looked especially excited." Waggling his brows, Michael nudged his friend with his elbow.

"A certain young man was hardly more excited than any of the rest of the group and it was... about my birthday."

"You don't sound excited."

Rikki shrugged. "I don't see how it's more important than other days. I survived another year, yippee."

"I know that voice. You're upset about something." He watched as she kept her face neutral. "You're thinking about one of your other siblings aren't you?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Which means... it's one of the ones that has passed. You know they would have wanted you to be happy and not guilty about out living them. Party for them then."

"I'm good."

"Whatever. You better be taking that day off because if I know Ez's look he plans on getting you smashed."

"I doubt I'll get that bad."

"I'm pretty sure you will, especially if a certain man is there with his girlfriend." Rikki shot him a glare that probably would have killed him if she had superman's abilities. "Just saying. Either stop before the crying phase or take two more shots to get out of it." She pinched him as she passed to give three martinis to the waitress. "Ouch! Rude."

"You deserved that." Rikki pointed.

"Maybe, but it's only friendly advice. I've been there girl. Getting stuck in the sad phase sucks."

"Isn't that how you and Mary got together?"

Michael tilted his head. "I think so." Then his eyes glazed over as he thought about his girlfriend. "I also confessed to her that the reason I was crying was because I liked her. She laughed at me before kissing me. First time I ever had a threesome."

"Don't need to know this thank you."

"Hey you never know, maybe it'll happen to you."

"First off, no. Second, I don't want a three way relationship. It works well for you, but I'm a one person relationship kind of girl. And third, I'm pretty sure Christine would never go for it and kill me in my sleep of she found out I even had a small amount of a crush on her boyfriend."

"Kill seems overkill."

"Point, but she'd still be pissed. I'm fine with how things are now."

"I don't think you are, but keep telling yourself that." He patted her head as he went to give to customers their beers. The rest of the night was uneventful. Everyone loved the singing and playing, employees got great tips, and no one fought. At the end of the night, after clean up, Ezra, Slader, Kai, Christine, and Rikki walked to the train station to head home.

A couple weeks later found Rikki slightly panicking. She was on break when her phone rang with Kefira lit up across the screen. Frowning, the bartender picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Rikki, sorry to call so later but... I think we have a bit of a problem." The other woman's voice sounded tired and a little anxious.

"What's wrong?"

"I haven't... I haven't been able to get into contact with Eitan. He's been having it rough lately and since I was closest to him, I've been keeping an eye out... I haven't seen or heard from him in a week. It's beginning to worry me. I've looked all over Henderson for him but he's vanished."

"He was always great at disappearing... And he's known for running."

"I know, that's why I'm worried. I don't... I don't think he's been going to his sessions. If he accidentally hurts someone-" Kefira cut herself.

"Where was the last time you saw him?"

"Coo Coo's Gourmet Coffee Shop. We had lunch as he waited for his boyfriend to get off work. He seemed stable. I tried to call him the other day and he didn't pick up. I tried his boyfriend, but he said he hadn't seen Eitan in a while. It might be nothing, but... It's not like him. We talk usually once every other week."

"Are you concerned enough that you want me to go and find him?" They both knew Rikki would drop everything to find their lost brother if he was in fact lost. They couldn't take chances and he was their brother.

"Yes, sister. Something doesn't feel right." Kefira's voice cracked as she held back tears. She felt guilty.

In a soothing voice, Rikki replied, "Everything will be fine. I'll come and find him. Let me know if he shows up before I arrive."

"Thanks, Rikki. And I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, baby sister. We'll find him and everything will be okay. I'll keep you updated on what happens."

"Thank you... I never realized how much work you and Ab did."

Rikki let out a chuckle, "After a while it doesn't feel like much. I mean we're siblings, looking after ya'll came natural."

"Yeah, but you keep track of everyone's movements. That's a lot of movement and information."

"Playing Big Brother wasn't that hard."

"Creep. I'll talk to you soon. I love you."

"Love you too. Stay safe." Hanging up the first thing Rikki did was look up flights while trying to plan. She needed to find a replacement for her shifts which would be difficult since two bartenders were out. One for a wedding and the other just quit. Getting an idea, she looked up at the clock to see she had ten minutes left. Moving quickly she found Kai talking with Slader and a few of the lawyer's friends from work.

"Hi. Kai may I speak with you a moment?" She knew she looked a little anxious but she didn't particularly care.

"Yeah, no problem. Be right back." After moving a ways a bit Kai asked, "What's wrong?"

Biting her lip, Rikki inquired, "Are you still looking for a job?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Have you bartended before?" Cocking his head, Rikki clarified. "I'm having a family emergency. Ezra's fine, but my one of my foster brothers needs me and I was hoping you could cover my shifts."

"Shouldn't you be asking one of the others?"

"I would, but there's only three of us right now and with Saturday coming up and one of the other bartenders at a wedding for the week, me leaving without a replacement isn't possible. This could lead to a job." She smiled.

Kai chuckled, "Alright, yeah. If it's okay with Nina and Mike I'd gladly take over your shifts while you're away."

"Thank you!" The young woman cried and threw her arms around his shoulders. Kai laughed and patted her back. "Let's talk to them now, I'll need you to start tomorrow of that's okay."

"No problem. Is everything okay?" His concern caused her to chew on her lower lip again.

"I hope so... my brother just... sometimes he disappears without notice and it concerns us. I want to make sure he's okay."

"Understandable, if Slader just up and left I'd go crazy looking for him."

"You're a good brother." She smiled as she knocked on the door to the main office. When the received a 'come in' the pair walked in.

"Rikki. Kai? What brings you two in here?" Nina asked as she stood from behind the desk.

Looking down at her hands before speaking, the woman replied, "I need to ask for a few days off. My brother Eitan is kinda... not answering his phone and I want to make sure he is alright. I know we're down bartenders, so I thought Kai could cover for me and if he works out possibly take the open slot since Gina quit?"

Nina looked over the man with stern eyes. "Ya worked a bar before?"

"Few nights a week for about two years while Slader went to school, ma'am" The Texan replied.

"Don't ma'am me, it's Nina. I guess we can do a few test runs. Lucky for you Michael will be working with you for the next couple nights. If you have any questions just ask him. Come in early so he can 'train' you on our drinks and where everything is. Break more than four glasses or get more than three complaints in a night and you're out. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'-Nina. I understand. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, you're doing both Rikki and I a favor. Now get, I have paper work and Rikki should be working." With that dismissal, the pair left the back office.

Rikki stopped Kai before they left the back. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"Hey, I should be thanking you. I've been shot down three times already because they don't need help. Now I don't have to feel like I'm mooching off my brother."

The smile Kai gave her caused her stomach to flutter. "Mooch?"

"Living off him without helping basically." He chuckled.

"Got it. Well, again thanks. I should head back out." Saying bye to each other, Rikki went back to work while Kai drifted back to the table. Once her shift was over, she went on autopilot back to the apartment to pack. Her flight was at 8am and she needed to pack and get some sleep.

By the time her plane landed there still was no news on Eitan. Kefira picked her up and they went to the coffee shop he was last seen at. The girls split up, asking if anyone had seen their brother. When Rikki came across Eitan's boyfriend she found out the couple had recently split up. Eitan had taken the breakup pretty hard and hadn't spoken to his ex in two and a half weeks. He suggested asking their friend Joe since Eitan had gone there to stay while he looked for an apartment. With a thanks, Rikki continued on. As she hunted through the large city, her mind kept racing. Where was her brother?

As the sun rose high in the sky and then started its descend, Rikki didn't stop looking. She bounced from place to place asking as many people as possible about Eitan. Someone had to know where he was. Near dusk, she found herself talking to a few of the people on the streets. Offering food, non-alcoholic beverages, and money, she eventually was pointed in the direction of someone who might know where her brother was. Dropping a ten in the person's cup, she searched for the informant. This person who possibly knew where the prodigal brother was hiding, was an older war veteran. The man looked into her eyes for a moment before determining she was worthy of his information. They were both products of war, they shared a bond most people wouldn't understand. The pair talked for a time.

Finally the man pointed her in the direction he last saw the person who fit her discription. With a thanks and handing a hot coffee to the man, Rikki continued her search. By now darkness had set in with outside lights barely giving proper illumination. She came upon one alley way that had a tall shadowy figure in it. The being stopped and appeared to be staring in her direction. She could feel his eyes on her. Staying where she was, she called, "Eitan?"

The figure spooked and bolted. Cursing, the woman pursued. Running up and down alleys and streets she did not know, a few times she thought she'd lost him. Growing tired of this game of chase, she tried cutting him off by running parallel to the street he was on. Sliding a few feet in front of him, Rikki growled, "Judgment, enough!"

The figure froze again and squinted. "Rikki?"

Being recognized, she started towards him slowly. "Hey Eitan. Mind telling me why you ran away from me as if I was the government soldiers."

The man looked down suddenly ashamed. "You startled me."

"Oh." Gently placing a hand on his arm, she felt him flinch. "Hey, it's okay I'm here." It took him a minute to relax and when he did, he pulled Rikki into a hug; curling around her. She rubbed his back and his anxiety started to settle. "I've been worried." She said gently knowing this would cause him guilt.

"I'm sorry."

"I know. Come on, let's tell Kefira you're okay." Upon letting their sister know they were fine, the pair headed back to a properly lit part of the city. "Do you want to go back to her place or a motel room?"

"Motel please." With a nod, they found a nicer motel to stay for the night.

"Take a shower and get some sleep, we'll talk tomorrow. Okay?" Rikki kept her voice low, calm, and soothing. Not verbally replying, Eitan nodded and headed into the bathroom. While he showered, Kefira dropped off Rikki's bag and extra clothes for their brother. Promising to keep her sister updated, the Empress left without a word.

That night Eitan slept restlessly while Rikki stayed awake to watch over her brother. Although slightly tired, it wasn't like she was not used to lack of sleep. The next day they went out to get food and returned to the motel room to talk. Near the end of their meal Rikki finally spoke. "Alright Eitan, talk to me."

"What do you want to know?" His deep voice quiet as he stared into his meal.

"What happened? Why did you go radio silent for the past week?"

He didn't respond right away instead thinking through his thoughts. "It just... became too much... I thought I was doing better with, well you know." Rikki nodded but stayed quiet. "I hated taking the anti-anxiety, but I did... for a while anyway."

"You're not anymore?" There was no accusation his her voice, merely a question.

"No. I wasn't getting anxiety attacks, I wasn't feeling jittery or anything so I stopped."

"Did you at least wean yourself off? Those types of meds you can't just cut cold turkey."

Shrugging, Eitan pushed his food aside and made his large body as small as possible. "I haven't been to my therapist in a while. Things got crazy and before I knew it... It's just been a while. Probably half a year at least. It was fine though, I could handle life. I wasn't really experiencing flashbacks or having nightmares. As I said I wasn't experiencing the anxiety or jittery feeling I used to. Life was fine.

"Then things started to go down hill. It's getting close to Miccah's anniversary which is always tough." Rikki nodded in understanding. Death anniversaries were always rough for her. "Brett and I have been rocky for a while. I thought we could work through it... but apparently not. Two days before I lost my job he broke up with me. I really thought he was the one, Rikki. I could see us getting married and then he sits me down and tells me it's over. That was shitty, but even broken hearted I could deal with it."

"Then you lost your job."

"Yeah. I go into work and my boss announces that it was the last day because they'd gone bankrupt. I lost everything. My boyfriend, my home, and then my job. Everything was spiraling and my anxiety hit me tenfold. Then I stupidly went drinking and bam something triggered me. I'm just glad no one got hurt."

By now Rikki had her arms around her brother. Her head resting on his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell Kefira or me or anyone else?"

"I don't know. I felt like I couldn't think straight. I felt like I was in a fog and could barely breathe. Before I knew it apparently it's been a week and you were chasing me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I also didn't think you'd run from me, but I should have known better."

"Why did they even agree to letting me be in the Major Arcana. I'm a runner, that's all I ever do."

"Yes you are and even though you're freakishly tall, you can sneak around like no other. You were alwasy the best at gathering information and getting it to the other decks or rebels. Running isn't a bad thing Eitan, it's when you run away from your family and friends that is the problem. And police that one time..."

He gave a hiccup of a laugh. "I was high off of pain killers from my surgery. How was I supposed to know they weren't monsters?"

"You wandered off from your foster parents you goof."

"The sky was being very seductive. It promised me hot fudge sundays." The duo laughed. "I'm sorry I ran."

"I know... I think you should come back with me."

"Rikki..."

"Just for a little while. Get away from here that reminds you of your ex and job. We'll reestablish your balance and you can decide from there. Ezra would love to see you, I miss you, and you can hear how amazing Ez has become."

"I don't know..."

"There's an Abezian therapist Ez and I go to. He understands us unlike the American ones. He didn't fight, but he lived through years of war to get where we are coming from. Talk with him, find your balance and we can get you back on your feet."

"I don't know. We've alwasy said it was dangerous for us to stay together."

"How many times have you had flashbacks or nightmares, Eit?"

He was quiet knowing his sister would not like his answer. "The nightmares are almost nightly. Have been for the past month. The flashbacks have happened a few times... I scared Brett once or twice because I didn't recognize him right away."

"We are too dangerous to have that unchecked. We could seriously hurt someone if we are unable to distinguish memories from reality."

"I know."

"Come back with me."

"Do I really have a choice?"

"I'd rather you choose than for me to force you." Rikki still disliked that she was technically the leader of her family. She always found her place as second in command far better.

With a sigh Eitan finally relented. "Okay, but only for a little while."

"Until you've found an equilibrium. You'll be able to meet Samandriel."

"Who?"

"Ez's boxer puppy. He's cute and jumps like a kangaroo."

"I did always like dogs. It sucked that Brett..." He trailed off suddenly being hit with loneliness.

"Well, if you're lucky he'll sleep with you. Be warned he tries to push you off the couch to claim it as his own." Eitan chuckled. "I'm going to shower. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'm gunna try to get a quick nap in."

Leaving Eitan to his nap, Rikki undressed and stepped into the shower. Normally she was in and out in five minutes, however this time since she wasn't paying the water bill she took a little longer. It felt wonderful to just let the hot water fall over her. For the first time in years, she let herself relax under the shower head's spray. She'd just washed off the body soap when she heard a cry. Pushing the curtain aside her hearing focused on her immediate area for anything out of the ordinary. Hearing another muffled shout and some thrashing, Rikki darted out of the shower not caring that she was naked.

Upon entering the room, she found her brother in the middle of a nightmare. He thrashed about as if fighting off another. It took a moment for Rikki to align herself just right to wrap her arms around him so he wouldn't harm her. "Eitan! Eitan! It's okay, you're safe. You're having a nightmare. You're safe. It's me. You're safe." He continued to fight her as she repeated that he was safe over and over again. Slowly he started calm until he fell back into a soundless sleep. Waiting a half a dozen minutes, she slipped away from him groaning at the wet spot she left behind. Not caring too much, she headed back into the steam filled room to finish up.

With her hair and body wrapped in a towel, Rikki walked out to find her brother still sleeping. Slipping her phone out from her shorts pocket she called her sister. "Hey. I talked with Eitan and he's gunna come back with me for a while. Some shit went down here and he's off his anxiety meds and stopped going to his therapist. I think New York will do him some good. Once he's found his ground again, we're gunna talk and see what he wants to do and what's best. Thank you for looking out for him."

"I think that's a good idea. A change of scenery will do him good. Just... keep an eye on him. I know how Big flashy cities like New York can change someone for the worst. Sorry I didn't catch him spiraling sooner." Kefira sounding upset at the latter part.

"We aren't omniscient. I didn't catch it either and that's my job... or was... Anyway you did your best. Want to meet up for lunch? Tomorrow we are gunna head out of here."

"Yeah, I can do that. 1 o'clock sound okay?"

"Perfect, see you soon." The rest of the day went by fast. Rikki, Eitan, and Kefira had lunch and spent the afternoon together. That night the siblings said good-bye. Then early the next day, Rikki and Eitan were on a plane to New York.