New Life : A Second Chance

She didn't know what it was, and why it was, but seeing that small figure standing upright at the side of his mother's coffin hit Kay in such a way that she never thought possible.

The girl, Lianne, was crying silently and holding onto a broken piece of comb - and although the sight was truly heartwrenching, it was the sight of Joseph that hit her harder. 

Perhaps it was the fact that he was obviously mourning and in pain, yet he was standing up straight and trying to be strong. Strong for his sister, who appeared to be breaking down. 

Kay was used to guys who were strong but they had been trained from young: Ali and Xing Han were heirs to a multinational company. Even Sam, who may have been a 'commoner' but he was a genius and an only child - so his temperament was different.

You don't even need to mention Kyle, who was an old soul.

But this?

Joseph was a normal boy, with normal responsibilities and suddenly shoved with such a tragedy. Instead of wailing like a kid (Kay's impression of most boys who were very immature), he bore the weight on his little shoulders well.

But Kay could see the pain and the trembling of the body.

He was the perfect host as well, standing on guard for his mother who had passed on, and his sister that was sniffling beside him. He would be attentive to her, polite to guests, and all the while, that empty look in his eyes … 

Kay's heart just melted. She wanted to go over and comfort him so much.

She sighed inwardly and held in of those complicated emotions that were surging through her. She stood beside Kyle quietly, thinking that she resonated with what Joseph was feeling so well.

She, too, was the silent pillar next to Kyle. 

While growing up with him, she knew the sort of pain that he was always under. There were times when he would be under so much sadness that Kay didn't know what to do. Thus, she would be strong for him. To be the one that gave him hope and love to face each day, while he ached and missed his kids.

She was but a normal girl, who felt pain every time she saw how much pain he was under. Yet, she hadn't truly understood then, why he would be under so much sadness when he had her and his family. 

Kay thought back on all of the time she would be extra chirpy, just to bring him out of his dark moments. She relied on him, and she loved him to death, but she couldn't truly think of his kids, as his kids.

After all, they were kids!

Now, as she looked at Joseph and Lianne, she wondered if she would feel any different. 

Joseph, a rather good-looking young boy of 13. Just barely entering his teens and already burdened with a lot of responsibilities. Lianne, a sweet young girl of 11, who's silent sobs and sad face made you want to protect her.

Of course, neither of Kyle's kids had any resemblance to him as they weren't his biological kids in this life. Thus, she couldn't quite make the connection. She could, at the most, refer to them as his 'kids' but she didn't really feel nor think of them as her niece or nephew.

Even when she listened to Kyle talking about them when they were growing up, it was akin to listening about Kyle's friends. At that age, she regarded them as peers, rather than as Kyle's children that he had given birth to.

How was that possible for her little mind to accept? So, it adapted.

Thus, that was what it was like for her until now. She regarded them like how she regarded Dahlia.

Kyle walked over to his kids, seeing how he interacted with them. He was calm, and firm, and gave his support in his little way. When he introduced her to them as his twin, she couldn't help but hug them.

Even though this was their first time meeting.

Maybe it was because their pain called to her. Maybe it was because she had seen how much Kyle wanted to do so but couldn't because he was a guy. 

She didn't know why she did so, but she acted on instinct. She felt how they were rather stiff but didn't reject her hug. She was glad that she did, for she could feel how much they actually needed that.

Joseph, most of all, for he was the one that people tended to ignore. 

Being a guy, one expected him to be strong and not need such comfort. Kay knew that all of that was hogwash. Guys were still human and they still bled. They felt pain, and they cry. They needed such comfort as well. 

Kay felt how that stiff body was trembling and how, upon her hugging him tightly, that trembling stopped after a while. She didn't say much, only "I'm so sorry for your loss."

However, unlike some who were saying it because it was the right thing to say, Kay's heart was truly in pain for them - and unknown to her, her sincerity and warmth was what the kids felt and responded to.

It was one of those things that started the healing process for them.

After greetings the kids, it was time to view the coffin.

Kay looked at the coffin and idly wondered what Kylie might have looked like. She had refused to look at any pictures of Kylie in all of MIBs reports because it was just weird. Kyle, was Kyle. Kylie, was Kylie. 

Never should the two meet. Her curiosity wasn't that high.

It was enough to know that the body that lay in that coffin, had hosted the soul that was now Kyle. Kylie had to die, so that she could have her brother.

Callous it may be, but Kay wasn't sad.