Chapter Text
September, 2015
Two Harbors, Cali
After breaking the news of his impending move down to Cali with his girlfriend of just a Year, thirty-Year-old Nikos Kilcher’d fully expected to board the plane with only her at his side. Just as he’d settled in his seat, though, two of his brothers–Atz Lee and Joel–had boarded the very same plane. Not only that but two of his nephews–one of whom’d pitched in to help when his girlfriend had gotten hurt just under a Year ago–boarded along with them.
On the flight down to Los Angeles–which was the closest they could get to their new home by plane–his brothers’d explained their current Insanity. Even though they agreed that the pictures twenty-one-Year-old Kai’d taken when they’d viewed the property were beautiful, they were sure they didn’t do the actual property Justice. Not only that, but aside from their Desire to see said property in person as it was–a blank canvas for them to start afresh on–they knew these two were gonna need some serious help. After all, building a homestead from the ground up was gonna take a lot more than two people, if they wanted it done right.
Having six of them to get the most important parts done so they could actually survive was a Goddess-send, as the young woman oft said. Even though two of them were technically crippled–she’d severe rheumatoid arthritis, Atz Lee was still recovering from an accident the Autumn previous–that was four more handsta get tasks completed with.
But regardless of how many of them were functioning at a hundred percent, once they landed at the Eternally-busy Los Angeles International Airport, they’d to even get to the couple’s new property. That required making the drive down to San Pedro, which was just outside the City of Long Beach, so they could catch the only ferry going to what they considered their side of the Island of Santa Catalina. Luckily, Kai was a lot smarter and better at planning than she got credit for, given that she’d bought a truck during her last trip down here.
“So, just how far is it to this property from here?” Atz Lee queried as she drove that truck–which he considered an SUV–off the ferry once it docked in Two Harbors.
“By road, ’bout eight miles–as the Crow flies, ’bout three,” she answered with a chuckle.
Seriously? Joel signed with an odd-sounding laugh, which was due to him being deaf. Damn, you’re really not that far from Town, are ya?
“From Two Harbors, that is,” the young woman said once her boyfriend translated so she could keep her eyes on the Dirt road. “Now, from the only other Town on the Island–which’s more of a City, in comparison–it’s more like twenty-five miles or so.”
“But it takes about two hoursta get to the property from Avalon, which’s why we took this ferry,” Nikos said, signing as he spoke for his younger half-brother’s benefit. “Too many Dirt roads going through the Mountains for us to wanna deal with after a flight since we knew there was a ferry that came to this side of the Island, instead.”
“Fair enough,” the older of his brothers chuckled. “Can’t say I’d wanna deal with that kinda shit after a flight, either.”
“Hey, you didn’t have to come with us,” he retorted with a laugh of his own. “You’re the one who decided to do that.”
“Which I’m already halfway regretting, as hot as it is compared to what I’m used to,” Atz Lee assured him.
“At leastcha can go jump into the Cove we live above without freezin’ to Death this Time of Year,” Kai chuckled, guiding her truck up the road known as Fourth of July Cove due to where it led to.
“Wait, you’re actually gonna live above a Cove?” he queried. “I mean, it’s not exactly easy to tell from the pictures since we couldn’t see the Beach till ya were down on it.”
“The Cove’s technically next door–the spot I’m talkin’ ’bout is known by hikers as Parsons Landin’,” the young woman explained. “But I still consider it a Cove, ’cuz even though it’s a Beach of Sand, it’s not really big enough for a big group to do much on all together.”
As she continued onto the road known as Cherry Cove, she explained that a group could damn well go down and barbecue or play volleyball on this particular Beach. However, it was significantly smaller than anything one could see on TV, especially if they were watching something like the nineties show, Baywatch. For that reason, she considered it more of a Cove than an actual Beach, the lil spot just on the other side of a rock outcropping from it like its Secret twin or something.
Those who hadn’t already been here at least once listened–watched, in Joel’s case–Intently, barely noticing that it took them almost forty-five minutesta drive just under eight miles. Course, they were looking out at the scenery–which included a lotta sheer Cliffs, much to Atz Lee’s displeasure–as they drove. It was too beautiful a sight once they came outta the Trees and could see the Water again to pass it up or complain too much.
Making the turn onto the unnamed road that actually led to their property, Kai and Nikos were certainly excited. They were ready to get home, as far as they were concerned, but they were equally eager for the othersta see where they Intended to call home. Once they saw it, they were sure they were gonna fall just in Love with the place–maybe even to the point of wanting to live there, too. Well, the oldest of the present brothers prolly wouldn’t since he professed to hate Summer and its accompanying Weather, but that was a different story. But even if he didn’t wanna actually live there, they could see him being more willing to visit, for sure.
Just as they’d suspected, the others’ jaws dropped in Awe as they approached the three-way intersection where one Direction led to the Beach, the other to where they Intended to build. They were surrounded by Mountains on two sides of that spot, but they were afforded a clear view that technically stretched all the way to the mainland.
“Holy shit,” Reid breathed as they all climbed outta her truck. “Man, those pictures ya showed us don’t do this place Justice, Kai.”
“Now, y’all see how we felt when we flew down here back in April,” she chuckled.
“The pictures in the real estate listing were beautiful, but seeing it in person…” Nikos trailed off. “Well, I think that coulda convinced me to move down here, even if our relationship didn’t.”
“Good to know it was our relationship that did the convincin’, rakkaus,” the young woman laughed.
“What the hell does that even mean?” Atz Lee queried as he somewhat literally ripped his gaze away from the view. “I mean, you’re always calling him that, but none of us’ve ever heard that word before.”
“It’s literally the Finnish word for Love,” Kai answered. “And the nickname he’s always calling me–kultaseni–means sweetheart in Finnish, before ya ask.”
So, where exactly’re ya planning on building? Joel signed as he looked around.
“You’re pretty much standin’ where I want any cabin we actually live in,” she answered, not needing her boyfriend to translate, now that she could look at him since she also knew sign language. “To be quite honest, I’m still a lil terrified that anything we build’s eventually gonna slide down the Hill into the Cove.”
“She refusesta build pretty much right over Strawberry Cove, even though it’s an even better view, ’cuz she’s terrified the Cliff’ll give way and send our house into the Water,” Nikos chuckled.
“If I wanna do the same thing Atz Lee did last Autumn, I’ll Intentionally throw myself off a Cliff, Bless it!” the young woman retorted.
“I think we’ve had enough folks fall off Cliffs lately,” the brother in question laughed.
“All right, if this is where the house’s gonna go, what about things like an outhouse?” his other nephew, Kyle, queried.
“Talk to Nikos ’bout that one!” Kai laughed. “’Cuz even if he partakes of that Alaskan Tradition, I’m getting indoor plumbin’ in this house, come Múspellsheimr or high Water.”
“It’s just weird to take a dump in your house, though,” Atz Lee jokingly argued.
“Nobody ever said a toilet’d to be right next to the kitchen sink, numb-skull,” she retorted with a grin. “But with my arthritis, I’d much rather have a bathroom branchin’ off the bedroom as opposed to havin’ to toddle over uneven terrain in the pitch-blackness, if I need to go in the middle of the Night.”
“Good point,” he admitted with a nod. “’Cuz that’s certainly been more of a challenge since I broke my hip than it used to be.”
Considering that very valid point and what he considered to be the absolute most important thing to have on a homestead, the still-recovering man assigned himself Spring duty. In other words, he Intended to search the visible area for a freshwater source since all the Water in the Cove didn’t do them a damn bit of good due to its Salt content. He just wasn’t going up into the Hills without one of the others so he wouldn’t wind up getting hurt all over again and dying what he considered way too far from home.
None of them were expecting the young woman to suddenly go damn near completely limp before she started to turn in a slow Circle. Even less expected was when she simply stopped so that she faced what looked like the Beginning of a Natural ditch about three hundred feet away. Once still, she simply raised a hand that was turned palm-up, and they were stunned stupid.
A small Geyser suddenly shot up outta the Beginning of that Natural ditch like somebody’d turned on a faucet or outdoor spigot that was connected to a Garden hose. Just as suddenly as it appeared, though, the Geyser disappeared again like it wasn’t even there. That made the group of men stare at her with wide eyes and dropped jaws, not quite sure what to make of whatever it was that she’d just done. None of them’d ever seen anyone else do such a thing, no matter the Season or their exact location on the Planet at any given Time. It’d certainly be a Blessing up in Alaska, if ever they needed another Water sourceta add to the ones they’d already found.
Laughing as she came outta her trance enough to register their expressions, Kai told them that it was more or less a Secret talent of hers. She reminded them of the fact that she was a Witch who’d been raised by another Witch, and all of them nodded almost dumbly. From there, she told them what her name actually was since Nikos was the only one who already knew it was Kailani, Kai simply being a nickname.
“Kailani is a Hawaiian name that means Sea and Sky,” she explained, still grinning.
“Fuck, is that how ya can read the Winds and Waves so well?” Atz Lee sputtered in shock.
“More or less,” the young woman answered, nodding. “Whether it was somethin’ of a premonition on my mother’s part or I simply grew into it, she pretty much named me for my two strongest Elements.”
“Whaddaya mean?” his nephew asked, not quite sure he followed.
“The Five Elements–Spirit, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water,” Kai answered. “Everybody’s an Elemental Lineup, as it were–it’s just a matter of figurin’ out what that exact lineup is.”
“Damn, seriously, kultaseni?” her boyfriend chuckled.
“If I’d to peg you as anything, I’d say you’re either an Air or a Fire personality, your bein’ born in early-March be damned,” she chuckled.
Nikos’ eyes widened again as he processed that.
“As far as you’re concerned, you’re a Pisces, which makes ya a Water sign,” the young woman explained. “But as far as personality and attitude goes, I’m kinda torn between Air and Fire.”
“Whyddaya say that?” his older brother queried curiously.
“’Cuz he’s all the Creativity and kick-himself-in-the-britchesta-get-back-up of an Air sign, among other qualities,” Kai answered. “But he’s also got the hot-headedness and Iron Control typical in Fire Witches–or those who’re otherwise Fire personalities, if they’re not Pagan.”
Damn, she’s gotcha nailed down, not just pegged, bro! Joel signed with another of those odd-sounding laughs.
“I think I’ll save waiting till we run outta Light to work with to ask about being a Pisces, as far as I’m concerned,” the young man mused, not even trying to deny his younger brother’s accusation.
Nodding since their bottled Water’d last only so long, Kai wrapped up her explanation for the moment by saying that due to her given name–or simply some other Natural talent–she was innately good at sensing where Water was. She was better with Seawater for obvious reasons, but the Seawater’d to come from somewhere. Most of it fell straight into the Sea in the form of Rain, but a lot also ran off Land in the form of Creeks and Rivers, and she knew it.
As Atz Lee set off to see about developing the Spring she’d found all too easily, the rest of them turned their attention to at least setting up camp. They were gonna need somewhere to hang out at and sleep once they called it quits for the Day, and they decided that needed to be taken care of first.
Once they’d gotten their camp set up, the couple decided to start scouting out and marking off where they wanted various structuresta go. After all, they’d to decide exactly where they were gonna start building, or nothing’d ever get done. They also had to agree on locations, or they’d wind up living in two separate cabins and visiting each other like neighbors, which wasn’t what they wanted. In the meantime, the rest of their volunteer building crew decided to start scouting across their Land for building materials. Considering they were bound to need a lotta Wood and Stone, it’d be niceta know where to get it before they actually needed it.
By the Time they all met up again, Joel and his nephews’d found plenty of Trees that could be cut down, which should be perfect for their Wood needs. Some of them were actually from the very spot that’d have to be cleared for their cabin, which was a bonus. And there appeared to not only be a ton of Stone in the ground they’d have to figure out how to excavate, but plenty of gravel making up the Shore of Strawberry Cove. That’d all come in handy for shit like filling in holes dug for foundation posts, and possibly anything else they could come up with.
It was a slow start to building their own homestead, but a great one, and the couple couldn’t have been more thankful for the extra help.