Summary: Just read it. It’s good; you’ll like it. Tell your friends.

I don’t own any of these characters. I don’t own anything, actually. I’m a poor college student. Therefore, donations is welcome. Also, hamsters is nice.

Rated PG-13 just to be safe.

Rising Smoke-Chapter one

Four A.M. Not the best time to be lying awake in a bed, but she was doing it nonetheless. Staring at the green numbers of the clock on her bedside table, Kaywinnit Lee Frye sighed and decided to get up and do something about her restlessness. When she was younger, she used to go out into the main room of her house and get a glass of milk, sit on the couch, and stare at the stars, wondering just what was going on out there. Wondering just how many unseen moons and planets were actually in her field of view; wondering how many ships, with their own close-knit crews, were buzzing to and fro between them. She so desperately wanted to be out there, working on a great ship, keeping her in shape, making sure she flew to the best of her ability. Communing with it, she told herself. Her unique talent to just intrinsically know what was wrong with faulty machinery, and also know how to fix it, was something of a legend in her small community. It was a good source of work for her and her father; they soon became the town’s “fix it” people. Eventually, though, her talent landed her a place in her dreams, a place aboard Serenity. And that was something she could never give up, not in a billion years, not even for the entire ‘verse itself. Pulling back the sheets and swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress, she got to her feet in the dim light of the room. Moving slowly, cautiously toward the closet, she found her robe hanging on the knob, and put it on. She knew she couldn’t do what she used to, as Mal was currently sleeping on the couch in the main room. Her parents had insisted; not one of their daughter’s crewmates were to stay anywhere else while on Heathmore. As a result, the small Frye house was literally packed to the roof with people; Mal on the couch, Zoë and Wash on an inflatable mattress on the floor beside the couch, River and Inara in sleeping pads on the floor of Kaylee’s room, and Jayne, Simon, and Book in sleeping pads on the floor of the study. Stepping over the snoozing forms of both River and Inara to get to her door, Kaylee made sure to not make a single noise. She opened the door, and was greeted by the sound of her father’s snoring. Much quieter than that, she could make out a strange, airy noise, almost like whispering. Coming around the corner, she was able to make out Wash’s voice. “It ain’t natural, Cap’n. That’s all I’m saying.” He finished. “Would you stop that? I don’t think Kaylee would rightly care for that kind of talk.” Mal replied, with a hint of edge creeping into his barely audible voice. “Actually,” Kaylee cut in, “It ain’t natural. Imagine how mom feels.” “Oh, hey Kaylee. We, uh, we were-“ Cut off by his wife, Wash decided it best to shut up. “He was making fun of your dad.” She said, voice flat. Kaylee could tell the larger woman was smiling. “It’s okay. He does it all the time.” She replied, a slight coloring of exasperation crawling into her voice. “So, we know why we’re up, but what are you doing up? Snoring get through your door?” Mal asked. She could begin to see him now, a very dim outline of a man propping himself up on his elbows on the couch. “Just woke up.” She lied. “I do that at odd hours sometimes. Just came in for some milk. Y’all shiny?” She began to move toward the kitchen area, which was really part of the same room as the living area. “Oh, yeah, we’ll be okay. We can all sleep when we’re dead, anyway.” Wash said, his mood light. Kaylee’s new position in the kitchen allowed her to plainly see the outline of both Zoë and Wash, as they were in front of the room’s only window. Their black forms were eclipsing the distant stars. Opening the refrigerator, Kaylee sent out a bright swath of light across the room. “BWAH!” Mal shouted as he ducked his head under his arm. He really didn’t look all that great in the morning, she thought to herself. Looking into the open ‘fridge, she was dismayed by the sight of anything but milk staring back at her. No milk. Holy crap. Never before had she been in this house without some milk in the ruttin’ fridge. Closing it again, she started to move back towards the hallway that led back to the bedrooms. “No milk?” Zoë asked. “Nope. It’s weird; we’ve always had milk. Maybe it was just for me all these years. Don’t worry, I’ll go poke my dad. Should stop the snoring long ‘nough for y’all to get to sleep.” She moved back over toward her parents door. “We’d take that as a kindness. ‘Night, Kaylee.” Mal called after her. “Night, guys.” She replied, after Wash and Zoë simultaneously echoed his statement. She plodded into the room, moved around the bed to her dad’s side, and poked him in the ribs with her finger. He grunted, rolled over, and the snoring stopped. Rolling her eyes, she left, gently closing the door behind her, thinking the wood of the door may help to soften the noise when the snores inevitably issued forth again. As she approached the door to her room, she stopped, and overcome by the emotion she had been trying to subdue since twelve thirty, sank to the floor, and began to sob, silently yet uncontrollably. All the fear and horror and shame swept over her in waves now, the disgust and revulsion slamming into her like a brick wall. She had lived like this now for several moths, ever since that one night. That horrible night forever burned into her brain. She would never forgive him, and god help his soul should she ever see him again. A soft hand startled her from her dark isolation. She looked up to see a dark shape; no fear was in her. Soft hands and thin arms wrapped themselves around her shoulder. She leaned into the person, tears flowing, no sound. “Man of black is not back. She fears him, but he does not fear her.” River’s voice, soft and meaningful, gently entered her ear. “He fears nothing. He feels nothing. All he sees is darkness, forever swallowed in the belly of a whale. A whale with two tails.”

To Be Continued...