Kaleidoscope Eyes, Part 5

KALEIDOSCOPE EYES

by uciboy

PART V

At 13, Annie was no different than most girls her age.  She enjoyed the
attention of being the youngest daughter, but as her body began to change
with puberty, so too did her attitudes.  Time to put away childish things,
she thought, and as she prepared to enter high school the following year she
looked forward to the experience that her teen years would bring:  clothes,
more responsibility, and, of course, boys.  All in good time, her mother
would tell her, just be patient.

But patience was not one of Annie's virtues, and so she was often at odds
with her parents over what was important in life:  school or going out with
friends.  Annie often chose the latter.  She admired her big sister's
accomplishments, but accused her on many occasions of being a bit too nice, a
bit too boring.  Kim and her friends just didn't know how to have fun.  Annie
wanted to experience all the pleasures in life.  She even had a desire to try
smoking, though she knew her mother would kill her if she found out.

When Annie got home Sunday afternoon after staying the night with a friend,
her senses were immediately assaulted by the overpowering smell of smoke in
the house.  "Yuck," she said out loud, "what is that smell?  Kim, are you
home?  Hello?"

She heard the TV on in the family room and walked in to find Angela sitting
down on the couch smoking a cigarette.  "Who are you?  And why are you
smoking?  My mom doesn't allow smoking in the house, so you'd better put that
out."

Angela stood up, cigarette in hand.  "You must be Annie.  My name is Angela -
I'm Kim's friend."  She extended her arm to shake hands, "I'm pleased to meet
you."


Annie awkwardly put her hand out and began to ask about her sister when she
was suddenly grabbed by Angela and held tight.  "What are you doing?  Let go
of me."  Angela put her cigarette in her mouth so that she could use both
hands to spin Annie around and lock her arms together around hers.  "Lemme
go, lemme go.  I'll scream!"

Suddenly Kim walked into the room, dressed in a black skirt and blouse and
sunglasses over her eyes.  In her right hand she held a freshly lit cigarette
that dangled from her fingers.  "There's no reason to do that, Annie.  I'm
here."

"Kimmie, what's going on?" she asked fearfully.  Noticing that her big sister
was holding a cigarette, she asked, "Why are you smoking?  Mom's gonna be
really mad at you."

"Oh, I don't think so, Annie," Kim responded with a cloud of smoke.  "I think
I can convince her otherwise."

"Why are you holding me like this?  Let me go."

"Now, Annie," Kim said as she leaned down to caress her sister's head.  "I
know how eager you are to grow up, and we're going to help you.  We'll let
you go.  First, though, I just want to let you know that you were right about
me.  I was 'too nice,' 'too boring.'  But I've changed...."  Kim took off her
glasses and revealed her shimmering eyes.

Less frightened now, Annie was intrigued by her sister's new appearance.
"What's wrong with your eyes, sis?  They look really cool."

"Annie, if only you could see the world through my eyes..."  

Angela tightened her grip on Annie as Kim performed a cheek-hollowed puff and
exhaled a thick cloud of smoke into her little sister's face.  Annie began
coughing uncontrollably as Kim stood up, taking another puff in the process
and sitting in a chair a few steps away, shooting a stream of smoke Annie's
way.  Angela loosened her grip and put her hands on Annie's shoulders to
steady her.

When the coughing ceased, Annie stood bewildered.  She suddenly felt
different.  "What's happening," she asked her sister.

"You're changing, Annie," Kim explained.  "You're body is starting to crave
something that it's never had before:  smoke.  Your brain is telling you to
light a cigarette, you're lungs are crying out for the chemical rush that
only nicotine can provide.  In essence, little sister, you are becoming a
smoker."

A wicked grin appeared on Annie's face.  "I want a cigarette," she whispered.

"This is my kind of girl," Angela said as she handed Annie a freshly lit
Benson and Hedges.  "Definitely a demon seed."


Annie coughed from the strength of the cigarette as she tried to inhale it,
but her lungs acclimated quickly to the richness of the smoke.  When she
finished it she asked for another, but said she wanted to try the "sexy" kind
that Kim was smoking.  "Here ya go, squirt," Kim said proudly as she taught
her sister how to light a 120 free-handed.  "I like these," Annie said, "very
cool."

"Now go into the living room and practice," Kim told her as she handed her
sister her own pack of Virginia Slims.  "We want to be sure and show Mom what
you've learned today."

An expression of concern suddenly came across Annie's face.  "What will Mom
say when she comes home?  You know she hates smoking."

"Don't worry about Mom," Kim assured her.  "I'll take care of everything."

Annie gave her big sister a hug.  "Thanks, Kimmie.  I've always wanted to try
smoking.  I just knew that I'd love it.  I'm so happy!"  And she walked off
to the living room, swinging the cigarette back and forth as it left a trail
of smoke following in her wake.

"Do you want me to be here when your mother comes?" Angela asked.

"No need," Kim replied.  "We'll just have a mother-daughter talk alone.  I'll
call you later."

___________________

Mary Lee loved living in America.  This accomplished chemist, microbiologist,
and happily married woman was living success of the immigrant's American
Dream come true.  Arriving in the United States from Taiwan when she was but
a freshman in college, she worked hard to make something of her life and to
be accepted as an American.  Meeting the person in college who would soon
become her soul mate, she and her husband to be, Yao, found that their
interests in research fell in the same field, and so they worked as a
research team after graduate school - first in the private sector in North
Carolina, then at the University of California.  

But of all her accomplishments, Mary was most proud of the two children she
raised - mostly on her own while her husband scoured the international
community for research grants.  But she didn't blame him for his absence, and
felt that she had done a pretty good job raising two children regardless.
And she was grateful that her pride and joy, Kim, was mature and well behaved
enough to handle things on her own when necessary.  She was a bit concerned
that Kim had come home so late last Friday night, but she assumed that her
daughter would have a proper explanation for her tardiness.


It wasn't more than an hour after Angela left that Mary arrived back home
from her out-of-town research conference.  She looked forward to a restful
evening with her daughters, but when she walked through the front door, she
looked on in shock as she saw her 13 year old girl sitting on the living room
couch holding a long cigarette.  "I'm smoking, Mom," Annie yelled out proudly
and took a puff.

"What the...."  Mary was speechless, but only for a moment.  "What are you
doing there young lady," she said sternly.  "Put that cigarette out
immediately."  Out of the corner of her eye she suddenly saw her oldest
daughter enter the room.  She turned to face her and scolded,  "Kim, are you
aware that your little sister is smoking?  And so are you!!  What has gotten
into you girls?"

Kim kept walking towards her mother with no expression on her face, her eyes
hidden behind the sunglasses she wore.  "I love you, Mom," she said before
hollowing her cheeks in a deep puff and exhaling right into Mary's face.

Mary began to cough uncontrollably, gasping for air as Kim stood motionless
and watched.  Annie jumped up off the couch and yelled, "Make her a smoker,
Kimmie!"  Kim took another pump off of her Virginia Slim, inhaled deeply, and
engulfed her mother in smoke, but the coughing did not subside.  What's going
on here, Kim thought to herself, why isn't this working?  A third puff and
exhale, but still no effect.  Suddenly Mary doubled over and began to vomit.
"Mommy," Annie yelled with fright.  "What's wrong with her, Kimmie?"

"I don't know."  Kim was frightened, too.  This hadn't happened with anyone
else.  Maybe a fourth puff was necessary, but before she could exhale Mary
pulled together as much strength as she could muster and yelled, "No!!  Get
away from me," and forcefully pushed Kim to the tile floor where she hit her
head and was knocked out cold.  Annie screamed, fearing her sister was dead.

"Annie," Mary said out of breath and wiping vomit away from her mouth, "put
that cigarette out and go to your room."  Annie was paralyzed with fright and
began crying uncontrollably.  "Go to your room NOW, young lady, and don't you
ever smoke again.  Do you understand?"

Annie was dumbstruck as she stared at her older sister lying unconscious on
the floor.

"ANNIE - Do you understand?"

Annie nodded and ran off to her room.


Mary tried to hold back tears as she checked to make sure her daughter was
still alive.  She gently picked up Kim's head to remove the sunglasses and
lifted up an eyelid to check her pupils.  She was startled at what she saw:
Kim's shimmering eyes.

"Oh my, God," Mary murmured. "What have I done?"

END PART V

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