ELEMENTS Book Two

Chapter Two: Celebrants

Author's note: For this chapter took me a while to get the creative juices flowing. Enjoy!

Later that night, our friends come over to celebrate the first argument I have had with Katie since we first started dating. River raises his glass and announces "I propose a toast; to Katie, to Aiden, and to the dispute that has evened out their relationship recently."

Adam lifts his glass and shouts "Hear, hear; on that note, I, too propose a toast." The majority of the rest of us look at Adam inquisitively. "Why do you raise your glass, Adam?" Violet asks.

"River never told you? I would have thought that you would be the first to know- River recently had his coronation. He is regretful that you never got to see it." I can see River inch away from Violet. She touches his shoulder and croons "It's alright, baby; I'm not angry. I love you, River, and if you don't trust me now, what will we do when we're finally married?"

Instead of backing away, as he had done before, River slides over to Violet and wraps her up in his arms, like Earth-dwellers would with the contents of what they call a 'burrito'. He then proceeds to kiss and inhale the scent of her hair, which is pinned up in a light blue satin bow, and brushes the back of his hand on her cheek.

"Sorry Ciro and Ayla couldn't make it" River whispers in my ear. "They had... other things to do." In the same instance that I nod, we hear the stuttering motor of Ciro's van grow louder and louder, then silenced by the turn of a key. Both come into the house with their clothes askew and hair messed up. It's exactly what you think.

"Dude, did you and Ayla-? Ha-ha, yes!" Adam hoots. He gets up, walks over to Ciro, and slaps him on the back. Ciro lets out a few coughs.

"Yeah, we did. " Afterward he mutters "And now she's carrying my bastard child..." The rest of us gasp. Ciro looks at River and curtly changes the subject. "I got your text, man. So... we're celebrating Katie being bitchy towards our fellow man?" He scrunches up his face, and Ayla giggles.

"No; not exactly, Ciro. Katie and I just had a little bit of a fight-"

"And I am not bitchy!" I can see she is seething with anger. I step behind her, rub her shoulders, and kiss her perfect porcelain neck. "Just calm down, sweetheart... find your happy place..." She puts her head on my chest and mutters "I am in my happy place, my love; it's wherever you are."

I receive an embrace from her before pulling away and saying "I must continue to prepare dinner." Adam snorts and says "Isn't that Katie's job?" but not before getting a punch in the shoulder from Marie.

Before I leave the room, without responding to Adam's statement, I make my rebuttal. "Apparently Marie's made him a lot smarter, everyone." I can hear everybody- except Adam, of course- laughing in the other room. Knowing Adam, he'd probably be fuming with anger and thinking of millions of ways he could murder me right now; the only thing holding him back from that is Marie.

An hour later, dinner is served; it is quite late to be eating the evening meal, but we don't mind it. The eight of us just eat, talk, and laugh as if it were a meal at Lazarus or Kellie's place. There was no such thing as talking or laughing at Kate's house.

Everything was too sinister, too ominous, to say anything above a whisper, especially with her owl looking over your shoulder. The even stranger thing was that Ciro knew what it "said" when it was screeching. One time we visited him, Ayla and Kate, Ciro almost got his eyes clawed out; and for no reason, too! That was the last time we ever visited them again.

After our friends leave, Katie and I lay down on the sofa and watch a chick flick together. I don't mind it at all; it gives me a sense of being equal to her. She likes it as well; we enjoy sameness in the same ways that any other couple would in this type of situation. We both adore the presence of each other in our lives and would rather die than be without the other.

All of a sudden I feel tired, without really meaning to. As I rub my eyes, Katie caresses my face and mutters "Are you alright, my love? We can always continue watching the movie tomorrow." I nod, confirming my agreement with her suggestion.

I must admit that I do feel a tad tired, but definitely not enough to stop me from giving her what she wants. She is my world, my Maurasia, and so I shall treat her with the same respect with which I treat my planet.