The Shadow Morpher-Book 2

Chapter 6

Here is the sixth chapter! :) Please comment and vote and identify yourselves to me so I can dedicate my chapters to my loyal readers! Please! I really want to know how many there are. The picture on the side is of Luna. :)

Chapter 6

                   There was a little silence as Troy and Dahlia both started getting ready for bed. In other words, they flapped out their blankets but didn’t get under the covers.

                  Troy hesitated. There was a gnawing piece of guilt in the pit of his stomach and he desperately needed to free it.

                   So he said, “Dahlia... I’m, I’m sorry about what happened at Varmer’s castle. I let you get whipped when I could have easily prevented it. I’m sorry.”

                   Troy looked down carefully avoiding Dahlia’s gaze. He could not meet her eyes; he did not want to see anger or sadness in them. Then Dahlia did something that surprised him deeply.

                   She kissed him on the cheek.

                   “I’m partly to blame, Troy,” she said. “Varmer manipulated you more easily because I had allowed us to get captured.”

                  Troy looked into her blue eyes and saw, not the anger or sadness that he had been expecting, but trust and kindness. He brushed back a lock of her blonde hair from her face, his hand barely touching her cheek.

                 “I’m sorry about Helen,” she added. “She sacrificed her life for mine. I... I guess that I owe her.”

                  Troy swallowed hard. “Not really, Dahlia. I promised myself that I would look after her. She is... was my younger sister and should be the big reliable brother. I guess I failed.”

                   Dahlia looked at him in the eye, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. They looked like huge deep pools of water.

                   “I guess then, we are both to blame,” she whispered.

                   Troy nodded. He couldn’t help but feel excited that Dahlia had kissed him. Not on the lips, of course, but still, it was progress. He hesitated. He had to apologize about what he had had to do for Sapphire and yet he knew he was heading into trouble.

                    “Dahlia, I’m sorry about... about what I did to Sapphire,” he said, hesitantly.

                    Troy looked at her, his heart sinking. Dahlia’s expression reminded of glass about to break. Her blue eyes now looked fragile and brittle on the verge of cracking.

                   “You should have left that subject alone,” Dahlia said flatly.

                   Then she turned on her heel and stalked back to the sleeping area.

                   “Dahlia,” Troy began. “I didn’t-“

                   “Didn’t what, Troy?” Dahlia snapped. “Didn’t mean to upset me? Didn’t mean it when you hugged me? Didn’t want me so you can have Sapphire? Is that what you didn’t want?”

                  “Dahlia,” Troy repeated. “I didn’t mean for-“

                 “This is what you didn’t mean!” Dahlia hissed and wrenched the curtain shut across the rail, leaving Troy standing in the middle of the room.