UNDERSTANDING KAIUS

7 MARCH, SUNDAY, AFTER DINNER, TIMELINE 2.

I remembered it quite vividly, because it was that traumatizing for me. That video Kaius posted of me pointing to my clean laundry for Kaius to help put away. I should've suspected the trap when he suddenly offered to help me with it!

Of course he cut off the part where he insisted he wanted to help me. All the video showed was of me pointing at a basket of neatly folded laundry and saying, "It goes to my dresser."

And then him grabbing the basket and promising, "I'll do it right away! Don't be angry!"

And of course the caption that haunted my nightmares, "My little sister is a bully."

I hated bullies. It upset me that anyone might think I was one. I was worried sick and cried over what everyone would think of me.

Luckily it backfired on him, and Mum showed me the comments on the post. Most of his friends just said dumb stuff like "haha" or "cute". Nobody actually believed that Kai could be bullied, much less by his little sister.

Someone actually commented, "U probs e 1 bullying her tho?"

Fluffy-Kai seemed to enjoy the reaction and continued posting more videos of himself being "bullied" until Mum told him to stop it.

"It's just a joke, Mum." Kai had waved off Mum's concern with a smile.

"You're the joke." Kev scolded (because he was still living with us back then), "Whoever heard of an alpha wolf being bullied?"

If anyone needed Lady Amber to monitor his social media, it should be Kai. From wild parties to cross dressing, Kai had done it (and reported it in all its pictorial glory on his social media.)

Kev was always the angriest at Kai. He called Kai's posts shameful and was personally humiliated if anyone ever mentioned it in front of him.

"Why do you get so mad?" I had tried to comfort my big brother (because Lala, the silly girl, always didn't like conflicts), "You know Kai is like that. Everyone else just laughs it off anyway."

I knew because by then, I had enough experience to learn that no one took Kai's posts seriously at all. They were tear-filled and stressful lessons, but eventually, even Lala, the silly girl, realized none of Kai's posts actually hurt her reputation in tangible any way.

Kev, on the other hand, felt quite differently about Kai's social media channels, "Lala, he's the Alpha's son, but all he does is embarrass the Alpha Family. The other day he posted himself in Mum's dress, do you know how humiliating it was for me? How can I lead my men out to fight when I know they're laughing behind my back?"

Personally, I thought wearing Mum's dress was pretty mild compared to some of the other stuff he got up to. He had ever posted himself dressed in Savy's ballet recital costume. He was still in middle school then and was voted the prettiest girl in New Leaf that year.

"Dad's always saying how clever Kai is. Why can't Dad see Kai for the selfish stuck-up jerk that he is?" Kev fumed.

Anyway, Kev's anger seemed to have mellowed after moving out.

Kai's posts had also mellowed with age. The cross-dressing and prank videos stopped. He still had wild parties but had expanded to other official events with other young alphas now. Every once in a long while, in between the high life of a Young Alpha, he would slip in a nice picture of his personal life. Like the photo of our family by the lake at Night Forest with Grandpa and Grandma.

And last year, he posted a photo of Kenna and me. We were at an orienteering exercise with our Lycan Study Group and Kai had pictured the two of us crossing an open field of wild flowers. We were far from the camera, way back in the background of the photo and facing the other way. The photo was mostly wildflowers. It was almost like we were accidentally photographed.

The caption read, "The most beautiful flowers should be admired from a distance."

Ben had been the first to comment, "Is that a warning, Alpha?"

I guess we were all growing up.

Looking back, with all my maturity gained over two lives, I realized that Fluffy-Kai's social media channel wasn't the crazy thoughtless teenage indiscretions leaked out to the world that I had assumed it to be. Okay, maybe that was how it started, but he was deliberately shedding off that image.

Fluffy-Kai was crafting a story about a playful and beautiful young alpha growing up into an enigmatic leader. Every photograph, video, and caption was crafted to portray the next Night Leaf Alpha as a handsome, witty, sophisticated, well-connected, and increasingly reliable alpha.

Dad was right. Kaius was the kind of Alpha who would be able to lead Night Leaf into the complexity of today's ever-changing and media-centric world.

In comparison, no one needed the Alpha Princess. I guess I was really free to do whatever I wanted in this life.

The moment we finished cleaning up, I escaped to my room. I just needed a quiet place to think - I needed a long shower. Kenna walked up the stairs with me. I guess it was on the way to her own room.

"Are you okay, La?"

Eh? I was surprised, to say the least, "What do you mean?"

Kenna shrugged, "I don't know, you were kind of out of it at dinner time."

Was I? GULP! Was it so obvious that I wasn't all that Lala anymore?

"What did Kai do now?" Kenna asked.

Why did everyone assume it was Kai? I shook my head, "It's nothing to do with Kai."

Kenna didn't believe me, "You don't have to defend him. I don't even know why you do."

"He really didn't do anything this time!" I protested.

Kenna cackled, "Please, Lala! The day Kai didn't do anything would be the day pigs fly."

Which was true, but still.

"You don't understand, Nana." I tried to explain, "Even though Kai's always like this, he's really Fluffy inside."

And then I decided to shut up because how would I be able to explain who Fluffy was?

Kenna shook her head, "Sometimes I worry about you, La."

"About me?" We just got to the landing outside our rooms.

"Just because something is fluffy doesn't make it safe to cuddle." Kenna shrugged coolly, "Oh well. Whatever, as long as you're happy."

"What?" I blinked stupidly at my younger sister. Was Lala slow in this life too?

"Don't worry about it." Kenna opened her room door, "Just don't keep quiet if you need help."

"Okay." I said, but Kenna had already shut the door.

It took a moment more for it to sink in: OMG.

QUESTION: If I was the older sister, why was Kenna still talking to me like I was a pup? ANSWER: Because Lala was a dumb pup too! Was there an alternate timeline where I wasn't the dumb pup? Gah! This was so frustrating!

I stormed into my room much more Sam than Lala, but wth. I might be slow, but I wasn't going to be a dumb pup forever!