Chapter One, Part two

So Lexie was schooled at home. She thrived, and despite what Zelda thought, was a social butterfly. Everyone liked Lexie, and she made friends easily. She wasn’t always the center of attention, but she was always a part of what was going on. If there was some secret plan going on, Lexie was with the others, listening to plans. If there was a party, Lexie was the first on invited. She didn’t care whom she hung out with. She liked everyone. Which is how she made friends with Kiho Braeden. Kiho was Lexie’s age exactly. Kiho had been born one hour after Lexie, on the same day, in the same hospital. They pretended they were twins, sometimes.
They met through a homeschooling group when they were 7. Kiho was small and dark. Dark haired, dark eyed, and even her skin was more tanned looking than Lexie’s. Her father’s side of the family was Irish, but her mother’s side was Italian. She definitely took after her mother.
From the first time they met, something clicked. They were as different as day and night, but they were inseparable. Lexie wasn’t shy, but she was quiet, so she didn’t go over to talk to the new girl who looked so exotic. It turned out that she didn’t need to. The new girl came right over during the time when the parents talked.
“Hello,” she said boldly. “I’m Kiho. Who are you?”
“I’m Alexandra Athena Dulcinia,” Lexie responded. At that point, she was still proud of her long name. Kiho’s eyes widened.
“Is that really your name?”
“Of course it is!” Lexie laughed. “Isn’t it beautiful?” She looked sidelong at Kiho, to see how she would react. Kiho was still surprised. “I’m allowed to say it’s beautiful, because I didn’t choose it, so I’m not being vain. If my mother says it’s beautiful to everyone, she really is being vain, because she did it.”
“What do people call you, then?” Kiho asked curiously. “That’s a long name for all the time. You must have a working name. For everyday.”
“Oh, people call me Lexie. Except when my parents are mad at me, then they say the whole thing. It sounds grand. And my Aunt Zelda calls me Athena a lot. She likes that name.”
“I don’t have any aunts. Not here.”
“Where are they?” Lexie thought that everyone’s aunts lived with them. She stopped, stunned with excitement. She leaned forward. “They aren’t dead, are they?” she whispered. She didn’t know anyone who had died, or anyone who knew someone who had died. Kiho laughed.
“Don’t be silly. They live in Colorado.”
“Where’s Colorado?” Lexie thought that maybe it was a different planet from the way Kiho said it, but she couldn’t be sure. Maybe it was only a country.
“It’s a state far, far away. I’ve only been there once. I threw up in the car, but I don’t do that anymore. I was only little. What is your Aunt Zelda like? I don’t remember my aunts very well. Is she fat? My aunts were all really fat and old.”
“No! She’s young and beautiful and smart and thin and strong and brave.” She said all this in one breath, took a huge gulp, then finished off with “She used to be in a war.”
“She was in a war? What did she do?”
“I don’t know. She fought all the time. She’s really brave, and she does karate.”
“That’s nothing. I do karate.”
“But she’s a black belt!” That made Kiho stop and think.
“Is she here? Could I meet her?”
“She’s here. I’ll take you to her.” She grabbed Kiho’s hand, and tugged her to Aunt Zelda.
“Aunt Zelda, this is my friend, Kiho. She does karate, too. She wanted to meet you.” Kiho skipped the preliminaries.
“Are you really a black belt?”
“Yes. Are you really in karate?” Kiho looked indignant. She put her hands on her hips and glared up at the living Amazon that was Lexie’s Aunt Zelda.
“Of course I am. I could show you.” Aunt Zelda’s eyes twinkled.
“I believe you, but we shouldn’t fight in here. We might knock something over.” Kiho nodded wisely.
Cybele came over just then with Galen and two other adults. One was gorgeous, and one had bright red hair.
“Lexie, there’s a little girl here who’s your age, and- Oh, I see you’ve met Kiho already.” Kiho looked up.
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. I made a friend. Her name is Alexandria. But I can call her Lexie.” The two strangers looked down and smiled.
“We’re going to Lexie’s house after this is over, Kiho. We’re going to have lunch there.” Lexie and Kiho jumped up and down in joy.
A few hours later they were playing with Barbies up in Lexie’s room. Cybele knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Lexie asked sweetly.
“It’s your mother. It’s time for Kiho to go. Say goodbye.” The two girls looked at each other sadly.
“Wait!” Lexie said loudly. “Before you go, we have to make a pact.” She jumped up, and rummaged in a large sailor’s chest, and brought out a sewing kit and a notebook. She pulled a pencil out of the spiral binding. She carefully printed a contract. She read it out loud. Since her father was a lawyer, she knew just how a contract should sound.
“We, the undersigned, hereby swear to always be best friends, forever and always. Now, sign here, and I’ll sign here. Barbie and Ken will be witnesses.” Kiho did as she was told, and they helped Barbie and Ken sign.
“What’s the sewing kit for?” Lexie pulled out a needle and, wincing, pricked her finger. She rubbed a drop of her blood into the paper.
“Hold out your finger.” She held the needle out towards Kiho. Kiho took it, and picked her own finger without a second thought. She rubbed her finger into the paper as well.
“You’re brave!” Lexie exclaimed.
“My father is a doctor. I’m used to blood and guts.” She said “blood and guts” in a way that would do a boy proud. Lexie nodded. That made sense. Kiho knew about insides because of her father, Lexie knew about laws because of her father.
“Now we have to rub our fingers together. We’ll be blood sisters.”
“Won’t we die because our blood is all mixed up? Like those people who got trans- transfusions?” Lexie didn’t know what Kiho was talking about.
“Well, it’s not very much blood,” she said reasonably. Kiho agreed, and they mashed their bleeding fingers together.
“Good. It’s binding.” Lexie sat back on her haunches. “Now we have to be best friends forever and ever. So we’re certain to see each other all the time.