The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

We finally arrive at her hotel and quickly found a spot to park in. I unbuckle myself and climbed out of the car, walking into the front lobby. Marron spoke with the clerk for a moment as she checked herself in. I let out a yawn, cupping my mouth. I pan my head around, seeing a few Coven kids in the sitting room, watching TV. I smile softly.

It was odd that I didn’t see Robbie or Susie today. Plus I didn’t really get a chance to talk to their mother either. But that’s why there is still two more days for the gathering, plenty of time to see everyone. While nowhere near as tired as I was after either of my previous trips abroad, it’s still been a long day.

I catch Marron heading back over to me. “All set sweetie?”

I lift up my handle to my suitcase, “Ready.” She smiles and we head down the hallway.

A minute later we stop in front of a door. Marron pulls out her keycard and slides it into the slot, unlocking the door. She then pulls on the handle, and two of us enter the room.

The room smells like every other hotel room you’ve been in, cold air, smelling of faint cleaning solutions. I roll my bag over to a table and promptly collapse onto the bed. The cold plastic-like bed cover presses against my cheek as the bed bounces from the impact.

I look over to Marron, who already has kicked off her shoes and slowly climbs onto the bed. She peers over to me, patting the bed beside her. I smile, crawling over to her, also kicking off my shoes, hearing them flop onto the floor.

She gently pulls me into her lap and holds me close, stroking my arm. “Now for some proper sister-time.”

I smile, laying my face onto her chest. “I sometimes miss the old days. But that was when everything was so chaotic.”

She sighs softly, holding me closer to her, “I still say that if things were different, I would’ve loved to have raised you sweetie.”

I look up at her, seeing her emerald eyes glistening in the light. “My sweet little baby sister,” stroking my cheek.

I grin softly, “My amazing big sister. Can’t wait to have you back.”

She gently kisses my forehead, “Nor can I. I hope to slowly get us back to where things used to be, but there’s so much left to do before that happens.”

I curl up into her, letting out a sigh, “I know. Just hope it won’t take too long.”

Marron slowly rocks my body, humming to me. My mind begins to drift away as I listen. She used to the do this a lot when I would visit her. The same tune, over and over again. For some reason it always made me feel happy.

While she was meant to look after me and help me, she also did treat me like a teenager, even when around the old Lolita group. Somehow she always saw me as a kid, one needing to be pampered and even babied at times. I still am amazed at how fast she began to treat me like her little sister.

“Sweet Baby Ahri. Such a sweet little girl who lies in my arms.” My cheeks blushed softly. “I have yet to see what this young man that has captured your pretty little heart looks like,” hearing her whisper into my ear.

My heart feels like it skipped a beat, feeling her spinning my body around so that I was now sitting in her lap.

I hold out my hand and summon my bag and dig through it. I pull out my phone and boot up the picture gallery. She leans in closer as I thumb through the pictures, eventually finding those of Kenji.

“My, my, he truly is quite handsome isn’t he?”

I turn my head away, but keep my eyes squarely on him. My heart thumps hard in my chest, almost wishing I could disappear into the picture and be with him again.

A kiss is then planted onto the side of my head, “This is such a major step for you in so many ways sweetie. It’s so hard to imagine that you might have found someone to love.”

My eyes dart away from the screen, “I…I’m not fully sure about my feelings towards him.”

Her hand softly yanks on my cheek, “Oh yes you are. You’re just not sure whether or not it’s the girl that’s fully talking.”

My fingers grip the top of the bed, “I am fully a girl Marron. There’s really not much of the guy left in me.”

This was something that I had been wrestling with for a long time. While I thought, acted, spoke, and even behaved like a girl, I am truly a girl. There still remains a fragment of my old self that managed to linger on within me. It never bothered me or was even an issue during my daily life. I just wasn’t really a man anymore.

“I know sweetie. But that piece of you will always remain. It’s your past life.” Marron takes the phone out of my hand and sets it beside her, “Your mother and I have been talking about this since the beginning of the year. I know you aren’t the man anymore by any stretch of the meaning. You truly have become an insecure little girl. It’s still a little amazing how much you have changed since we first met."

She rests her head onto mine, “When you kissed this boy, how did it feel? Was it natural or awkward?”

I stare out onto the wall, “Natural, like I was just a girl kissing a boy. Nothing else even entered my mind, even the idea that I was guy didn’t matter to me.”

Her arms wrap around my chest, “That’s good. It means that you are now a full girl at your very core.” She then leans over, “Bet you even felt a wincey little tingle down below didn’t you?”

My cheeks burn deep red, staring at her, “Marron!”

A massive grin stretches from ear to ear, “I’m teasing you sweetie relax.”

My cheeks puff, “No you’re not,” gritting through my teeth.

She chuckles, hugging me even tighter, “Hey, what are big sisters for if they can’t tease their siblings.”

A long, hard sigh exits me. This is what I feared even more than my friends, Marron’s personal brand of torture. She has always been able to find some way of making me lose my cool, and reveled in it. But at the end of the day, she did it because she was my big sister, something that had never once changed over the years.

I lean my head back into her, “Do you think that the man inside me will ever go away? So that I will truly be free of him?”

Her hand softly strokes my hair, pulling us up against the headboard. “That’s…an interesting question sweetie, and a bit too deep even for me to answer. You really are a little girl now, with a fresh new life. There might be a day when it finally happens, and on the other hand it might not. Who’s really to know? What I do know is if that day were to ever happen, it’ll profoundly alter who you are.”

I take a few short breaths, resting against her chest. I hadn’t really struggled with this since Rachel and I spoke at the start of the year. Is it childish wanting to completely purge my old life from me?

I was a little girl now, with new friends and family, a whole entire world that my heart calls home. I now just wished to live out my new life, with who I am now. I never wanted to go back, there was nothing left for me there. I even have someone that I fantasize about.

Marron places another kiss onto the top of my head, picking up my phone and scrolling through the pictures. “I see you even wore traditional clothing while there.” Feeling her smile over me, “I might have to come up with some new clothes for you based off of this.”

My eyes catch the picture of when I wore the kimono top and hakama skirt. A soft smile rises on my face, remembering when my yokai grandmother picked out the outfit for me. “I did love wearing it. It felt really good with a kimono on, even near the start of summer.”

I watch the pictures pan across the screen, remembering every story behind each of them. I could almost imagine myself back there, feeling the cool morning sea breeze as I gazed out onto the ocean. I wanted to go back, but that wouldn’t be for a long time.

I feel her placing another kiss onto my head, “Why don’t we get ready for bed? We’ve got a busy and fun-filled day tomorrow. Plus I’m pretty sure that a certain wolf and pair of knights are anxious to get you back.”

I giggle, knowing that Fenris was possibly nearby, watching me from afar. I couldn’t feel him even through our bond. More than likely he’s concealing his presence, letting me enjoy just this single night alone.

I finally slip out of her arms and off the bed to my suitcase, opening it. I rummage through my clothes and pull out my pajamas.

I yank off my shirt and undid my shorts, putting on my night clothes, buttoning down my top. I stood up to see Marron taking off her clothes, leaving only her tank top and panties.

I crawl back into bed with her as she pulls the covers off. She pulls me back into her and holds me close, turning off the lights. “Goodnight sweetie.”

I smile, curling up even tighter into her, “Night Marron.” She raises her chin and plants a kiss onto my forehead.

The room is dark and quiet, with the air conditioner loudly humming behind us. My hands rests beside my face, finally letting the fatigue from the day take me. So much had happened, and it’s only just beginning.

Two more days remain and I intend to make use of every minute of it. My eyes grew heavier with each breath. My body began to sink deeper into the mattress. Darkness and sleep slowly took me, drifting off into my prayerful dreams.

The next morning started with a jostling of the bed. I groan loudly, and then wince as my feet instantly freeze.

My eyes open to see Marron stepping out of the bathroom, naked and drying her hair off with a towel.

I push myself off of the bed, hearing my joints pop. I felt stiff everywhere in my body, muscles aching and burning. I roll my head around, hearing it snap and pop, releasing some of the stiffness.

She sits onto the bed, now wearing panties, “Stiff sweetie?”

I rub my neck, “Yeah, could go for a run, but doubt I have the time,” glancing over to the clock on the bedside table.

We were to meet everyone back at the park around 10:00 and from there it was free time until the evening. The coven would break off into teams and explore the city. We really were allowed to do whatever we want, within reason of course. I know the girls will want to go shopping and eat out…a lot.

The evening was to be spent at a fancy restaurant, hence why Rachel and I went shopping for a new dress. Just the thought of hundreds of people crammed into a rented out space had always been fun. Well…sort of.

The children would often go to one restaurant while the adults went to another. The one the children choose tended to be a club of some kind, which meant lots of dancing.

Last year, I managed to persuade that our lunch should be at a place known as The Court of Two Sisters, an amazing little restaurant that I had visited during my first trip to New Orleans. It became an instant hit with everyone. I hadn’t even realized that we had gone to it on a Sunday, so we got to enjoy its jazz brunch. That’s another city I’d love to go back to.

Marron leans in, “You should go ahead and wash up. I know your mother will be wanting to see you soon.”

I really wanted our time together to be longer, but…she was right. Rachel, while being patient, could also be the most impatient person in world, only with Silvi being just barely behind her.

I roll to the side of the bed and onto the floor. I pull out my travel case and take off my pajamas, tossing them into the suitcase. I scoot past Marron and hop into the bathroom.

After getting dried off and dressed, I close up my suitcase and pull it up. Marron was sitting on the bed with the TV on. I glance over to see the local news talking about how there was a chance for rain today. It would really suck if it did, with everyone complaining about how a potential storm could derail any plans that had been made.

I giggle to myself, wishing the Asha was here, making sure the weather cooperated. I glance back towards the clock, seeing it read 7:34. Just enough time to grab some breakfast before heading out.

The TV then shuts off, “Ready to get some food?”

I pull up the handle, “Ready,” looking to her. She smiles as we both turn and move towards the door.