Heaven's Closer Than You Think

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-Leilani

“...You wouldn’t happen to know Morse code, would you?” 

“Nope, not at all. But, no worries. I’m sure once we get home, we can find a translator online and get this all sorted out. Sound good?”

“Yeah.”

Alanna held the scrap of paper tight between her fingers, staring at it as if the dots and lines would turn to words if she believed hard enough. Her brother, Kai, stood behind her, trying to keep a careful eye on the doors and windows lining the room, but becoming distracted. 

The siblings found themselves within Kahikina Manor, the previous home of their family. It had been passed down for generations, well taken care of and paid for by the riches their great-great-great-grandmother had amassed years prior. It was a beautiful place, renovated with all of life’s necessities but without losing the charm of older architecture. Alanna loved this place growing up. However, the memories made there had since become tainted. 

“...Alanna?”

Snapping out of her own thoughts, Alanna slipped the piece of paper into her pocket and stood up. She turned to Kai and shook her head, trying to refocus on the task at hand. 

“Sorry. Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah, but...are you alright?”

“I’m...I mean, no, but it’s fine. Once we get out of here and figure out what Leilani left for us, I’ll never have to worry about it again.”

At the mention of their older brother, Kai tensed ever so slightly. 

“Right…”

Seeing her brother falter, Alanna reached out and patted his shoulder, giving him reassuring, if fake, smile.

“We’re almost done here, remember? Soon, everything’s going to be over, and we’ll be able to move on. We knew the risks coming in, but it had to be done, for his sake. For our sake.”

“I know, I know. I’m not having regrets, if that’s what you're thinking. I’m just…”

“...Scared?”

“Anxious, more like. And...mournful.”

Alanna let out a breath and nodded, letting that smile fade.

“Yeah, me too.”

Neither could think of anything else to say, so they said nothing at all. Instead, with Alanna taking the lead, they began to make their way out of the manor and back to their true home. 

If only it could have been that simple.

“...Alanna? Wait, Alanna! Kai!”

That familiar voice only made the siblings move faster. Running through the halls, the sounds of footsteps followed them, echoing off of every empty wall and pounding into their skulls. Right as the front foyer came into view, a person stepped out in front of them, blocking their way. 

“You...You’ve come back?”

The man sounded almost hopeful, though all Alanna and Kai could do in response was stand there, wordless. Alanna took great effort to turn her expression of panic into one of sturdy stoicness. At the same time, Kai couldn’t even look the man in the eye. 

“Finally, finally! I knew you two would come around. Now, the whole family can be together again. Isn’t that great?”

The man took a step forward, smiling wide. At the same time, the siblings took a step back, fear filling their eyes momentarily. A look of realization slowly fell over the man’s face. 

“Hey, hey now, this...this isn’t about, y’know...the manor, is it?”

Alanna could only scowl.

“Noa, move.”

“Guys, come on, I…”

Noa looked between the two siblings, desperate to find any hint of recognition or care in their expressions. However, he found none. Instead, all that was there was cold rage.

“Noa. Move.” Alanna repeated, staring daggers into Noa. 

“I...Why did you come here? Why do you both insist on focusing on this and nothing else? Don’t you want to move on? Don’t you think that’s what Leilani would have wanted?” Noa asked, sounding exhausted. At the sound of her brother’s name, Alanna snapped. 

“You don’t get to say what he wanted!” she shouted, hands balled into fists at her side. “You didn’t know him! Not like we did.”

“I did! You know I did, Alanna. While, yes, I didn’t know him as long as you two did, I did still know him.”

“No! You tricked him, and that’s all! You lied to him, broke his heart, and destroyed our entire family! And all for what, our money? The thrill?” 

“That’s not what happened, honest! I would never hurt him, I loved him! You know I didn’t cause this, Alanna. You know that.”

Grief and anger pulsed through Alanna’s body, shortening her breaths and shaking her hands. Feelings that she had been repressing for years were beginning to bubble to the surface, though she tried to regain some control. She jammed her hand into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper, showing it off to Noa. 

“Then what’s this, huh? Why would you hide this from us if you weren’t up to something? Why would you lie about Leilani’s wishes?” 

Noa’s eye’s widened and breath caught as he saw the paper in Alanna’s hand. Guilt turned to panic as he fully realized why the siblings had come. 

“Alanna...Alanna, you have to give that back.”

“I’m-!”

“No, seriously, Alanna, that is not what you think it is. That’s between me and Leilani.”

“If it involves him then it involves me! Especially after all you’ve done, I’ve earned this much.”

“Alanna-”

“Stop saying my name!”

Noa opened his mouth, wanting to try and talk her down. But, he closed it just as quickly as he saw the tears she was so desperately trying to fight back. Though Alanna had matured greatly in her time away from home, she was still her same old self in many ways. With a heavy heart, Noa knew what he had to do. 

“...Okay, I won’t.”

Turning his gaze to the other sibling, Noa gave a small nod.

“Kai?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Kai nodded back. In one swift motion, he reached forward and grabbed Alanna’s arm, pulling it behind her and securing her in place. 

“Ah! Kai, what are-”

Without a word, Kai dislodged the paper from Alanna’s tight fist and held it out for Noa to take.

“No, no! What the hell are you doing? Stop!”

Tears now freely flowing from the pain of betrayal, all Alanna could do was watch as Noa carefully took the paper and slipped it into his own pocket. He looked down at her, expression a mix of pity and longing. 

“I promise, one day you’ll know everything. And maybe you’ll still hate me, and that’d be fair. But, for right now? I’m sorry, but I still have to be the bad guy.”

Noa turned away from the siblings, hiding his own trembling lip. After a small breath, he spoke once more.

“...Thank you, Kai. I know this must have been difficult for you. As promised, your reward will be found up in your room. Now, please, take her away.”

“Of course.”

“No!”

Alanna struggled against her brother’s grip, but it was useless. All she could do was scream. 

“Bastard! I hate you! Give me back my home! Give me back my family! Give my back my brother!”

Noa still didn’t look. He simply stared down at Leilani’s message, hoping without hope that all this suffering would all be worth it in the end.