Krel and Aja had just gotten back from their driver's education test. Krel was face timing me and telling me everything that happened.
I was listening but I couldn't stop myself from getting lost in his dark, electric eyes.
"And then, Aja shot the ship with her serrator and we came crashing down!" He laughed.
"And Coach Lawrence didn't notice any of this?" I asked full of amusement.
"No! And then Aja drove what was left of the car back to the others, and the Coach Lawrence was making a really weird sound. I think he was out of breath or something."
I chuckled to myself at his storytelling.
"And I stick my head out of the window and ask, "How did we do?"
I laughed along with him, I bet that would've been amusing to watch.
"I'm pretty sure your sister is not going to pass."
"I heard that!" Aja yelled from the other room.
Krel rested his chin on his hands and smiled at me through the camera.
"Have I told you much of a pretty human you are?"
I blushed intently at the comment.
"Yeah...thank you Krel."
He remained in his lovesick position for a minute before Aja could be heard in the background again.
"Hurry little brother, we need to show Vex the axial darray!"
Krel rolled his eyes. "She can't even get the name right. Hey, I never asked you. Did you find anything online about it?"
"Yeah! I did! I had to do a lot of scrolling though. I actually wrote down some things. I can text it to you if you want."
"I would love that. I should probably go before Aja stomps me. I'll call you later princess." He said before hanging up.
After my call ended I squeezed stitch to the point his head might pop off. I let out a high pitch squeal and kicked my feet like a child ready for Christmas.
He gave me the best feeling and it was like butterflies were doing flips inside me. I went ahead and sent him the Information about the array along with a smile. Suddenly, Olivia threw open my door and I jumped at the sound.
"I heard everything! You're dating the new guy!" She exclaimed.
"What? No, I'm not!"
"Really? All my evidence proves it!"
I half expected her to pull one of those crime boards with red string out of her pocket. "He called you princess! Why would he give you a nickname if you weren't dating? And you're always texting him, calling him if you're in your room. If you aren't dating at least admit you like him!"
Olivia had caught me red-handed. "Okay fine, maybe he's cute but so what if he gives me a nickname and we aren't dating? Sam and I were friends and I gave him a nickname."
"Correction, you and Sam were best friends. But you're bringing him into this when you obviously have an elementary crush on Krel? That's two different things Phoenix, do I need to spell it out for you?"
It was official, Olivia had lost me in her words. I rolled my eyes at her "elementary crush" comment. It was what she called people who like each other and are too shy to say anything.
"Olivia, you lost me."
She sighed in annoyance. "Curse my brain. What I'm saying is you need to do something about Krel." She then left my room, shutting the door behind her.
"You do know that conversation had nothing to do with asking him out right?" I hollered through the wall.
I sighed and spun around in my chair. Looking at the old paint peeling off my window I had the bright idea to paint something new.
I got up and walked over to my window as I thought about what to paint. Unfortunately, my vision focused on the crack in my glasses for the fifth time today. That crack drove me crazy, I swore it would be the death of me.
I stared off into the blank plot of land across the road. That was where I would always get inspiration when I enjoyed painting. I threw on a pair of sandals and made my way outside.
Once across the street, I stood in the middle of the field where burned dirt could still be spotted.
"What should we paint today, ghost?"
I paused. Ghost was what I called him. Talking to him gave me a relaxed sensation at times. When I was still grieving I would always sit over here and talk for hours to myself. The neighbors thought I was going crazy but in reality, it was how I coped.
"I'm thinking... The Andromeda Galaxy." In habit, I looked down at the ground where the old house burned down. "You know I've been doing really good lately. I like someone. I bet if you were here you would be freaking out and begging me to tell you about him."
My phone caught my attention as it began to vibrate in my back pocket. I pulled it out, seeing that it was Krel again. I held up the phone and answered.
"How would you like to go on a chase tonight?" Krel grinned.
"What do you mean?"
"Vex is going after the Zerons! Aja and I are going after him and- wait are you outside?"
"Yeah? ...What is a Zeron?"
"They're one of the bounty hunters after us." He groaned. "But I want you to come, will you?"
"Are you sure we should bring her? What if she gets hurt?" Aja asked in the background.
"Yeah, krel. If it's a bounty hunter why take me?" I joined Aja's side.
"You don't have to worry, Phoenix. If anything happens, I'll protect you."
I could hear Aja cooing in the background.
Krel rolled his eyes, "You said so yourself, you want excitement. Will you come or not?"
The fact he said he'd protect me brought the butterflies back and I had to say yes.
"Great! Meet me outside the mothership! We'll meet Aja up ahead!" He hung up.
"Well Ghost, here goes another adventure." I ran back into my house and grabbed Stitch and his harness. Before leaving my room I took a glance at my sword and hesitated. On second thought, I grabbed it and rushed out.
"I'll be back soon Olivia!" I accidentally slammed the front door a bit too hard as I rushed out.
I had arrived pretty fast due to how close we lived, and that extra brace krel made me was helping.
"Okay, are you ready?" Krel hopped onto his hoverboard.
I nodded and stepped on. I held onto him and he started racing through the empty field behind the neighborhood.
"So you're going out like this?" I asked.
"Well, my human form is worn off, besides I quite like being myself around you."
~~*~~*~~
"Aja!" Krel whispered before stepping off the hoverboard.
"Shh. I'm listening." Aja was knelt down behind a bush near an old parking lot with dozens of run-down cars.
"Is this the old drive-in theater? I used to go here all the time!" I knelt beside her.
"Hey, you want to see something cool? Look left." Krel cocked his head in the direction he mentioned.
I looked around confused until I saw it. Behind the old screen was a ship.
Our attention turned back to the parking lot when luug started barking. There we could see a big blue man and the Tarrons' dog running through the parking lot.
"Is that vex?"
Krel nodded.
"He's so big. I mean that in the nicest way possible but wow. You think he'd be caught by now with how noticeable he is."
Krel held back a laugh. The street lights suddenly flashed on and lit up everything. Underneath one of the poles was a dog-looking man, almost an Anubis resemblance.
"Listen, I have an idea. I thought about this before we left, there may be a subspace manifold on their ship."
"A what?" Aja and I both asked in confusion.
"It's just what we need! You could get some more training in while Phoenix and I look around."
"I said I wanted to train not die!" Aja almost said a bit too loudly.
"You said you wanted combat training. This is your chance!"
Aja looked at the ground in deep thought. "I'll do it! Now go while you still have time."
Krel grasped my hand and quickly led us behind one of the abandoned trucks.
"Why do I feel like you planned this all too well?"
"I didn't mean to, I just-" A thud next to us made us both jump, and Krel instinctively covered my mouth.
"Quickly." Krel pulled me the rest of the way to the giant ship that wasn't very hidden coming from the side.
"May I ask, why did you want me to come?"
"Well," he pulled me up into the ship, "You said you wanted excitement, and... I want to spend as much time with you as I can."
Sounds of fighting could be heard outside along with loud crashes. I was half expecting one of the old cars to blow up.
I stared up at Krel as he led me through the doors of the ship. He looked around frequently, unsure of where he was going until we reached the flight deck.
It was all lit up by orange energy and made of some sort of strong metal.
"Not gonna lie your ship is way prettier. It's always the villains with the strange homes." I noticed a picture on one of the control panels and picked it up.
"Hey, Krel, are these your parents?"
He walked over and took a look for himself.
"Yes, they are." He glanced closer, "why is Aja's bounty higher than mine?"
"You're on a bounty list and you're worried about how much you cost?"
The whole ship shook with a loud thud and I lost balance. Krel managed to keep his and grabbed my arm before I hit the ground.
"Krel!? Krel, go back to the ship!"
Krel turned his head and there was Vex, plastered onto the glass.
He chuckled and waved as Vex slid off the window. He looked back at me with a smile and pulled me back up to my feet. Not expecting it, I stumbled into him only to realize how close we were. We both blushed and separated before Krel went back to looking around.
I looked down at my stitch and tried to clear my mind. My eyes traveled around until something caught my attention.
"So I know this isn't the best time to ask but... Do you think we could go to that park again?"
"Yeah, sure." I tilted my head and focused on the only shaped area. "So, is this worth inspecting?"
He walked back over to me and looked where I was staring.
He gasped, "Yes! Thank you, princess!" He laid a kiss on my cheek and knelt down to pry open the floor panel.
"Agh, it's stuck." He failed to open it.
Then it hit me, I unsheathed my sword and slammed the tip into the crack of the floor. We both pulled on the sword and with enough force, the panel popped up.
"Good thinking my princess."
I blushed even more at his nickname for me.
"This may just be better than what I was looking for."
I looked out the window now unable to see anyone or hear anything anymore and worry filled my thoughts.
"Krel, I think we better hurry."
He stood up, now holding a giant claw in his arms.
"What is that?"
"This is a key to stop them from going after us!" He laughed. "But you're right, we should go."
I grabbed his remaining two hands and hoisted him up off the ground.
We rushed back to the place we entered and Krel jumped out before turning to look at me.
I looked down, realizing how high it was.
"It's okay, I'll catch you!" He glanced back at the parking lot.
"It looks higher than when I climbed in."
Krel looked around again, "It's not I promise you, just jump, please."
I took a deep breath before putting my trust in him. I closed my eyes and jumped out of the ship. Not even a second later I was in his arms and opened my eyes. Our faces were practically inches apart and that fuzzy feeling washed over me.
"And now we have to go." He took one last look before walking into the brush behind the ship. Before putting me down, he paused.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I have another idea!" He gently placed me back on the ground and took my hand in his.
"What's your idea?" I asked. He led me to the back of the parking lot which was a bit out of view from the fight.
"I'm going to start up one of the old cars," he placed the mechanical item on the ground and opened the hood of a silver, run-down truck. "Hopefully if I can start it, I can drive us out of here."
"Are you not going to ask me to drive?"
"You said you don't like to, so I didn't." He slammed the hood shut, "Get in princess! We're going for a ride!" picking up the claw, he climbed into the driver's seat.
I opened the passenger door and climbed into the middle seat, closing the door behind me.
"I thought you didn't get a chance to drive today."
"Well I know it well enough, so I think I can do it."
Still unsure, I buckled myself in. As soon as I did, the truck started and Krel stepped on the gas.
I clipped stitch onto the seatbelt and held onto him tightly as if it would save me. I looked down at the floorboard and saw a bunch of dead bugs as well as spiderwebs.
Feeling grossed out, I scooted closer to Krel. He pulled up next to everyone and slammed on the brakes in a panic.
"Get in!"
Aja climbed in next to me holding luug and Vex hopped onto the back of the truck, giving it a heavy tilt. Krel sped off out of the gate of the theatre and onto the main road, leaving the Zerons behind.
"Why did you bring the human girl? We are exposed to her eyes!"
I scowled at Vex's comment.
"Not important, Vex!" Aja snapped.
"Fine! But they still have their ship! We will never outrun them in this piece of junk!"
"Yeah about that!" I said, squeezing Stitch and reaching for Krel's free hand.
"Is it the daxial array?" Aja asked.
"Uh, close. I may have taken their navigational subspace manifold."
"And what does that do exactly?" I looked at him.
"It'll throw off their navigation system and send them flying into outer space." He smiled.
"Lively! But do you think we could slow down a bit, little brother? I'm pretty sure they're gone."
"Oh, right." He chuckled and slowed down.
~~
Shutting the truck door behind me I glanced over at Vex who gave me the deepest glare ever. I shivered and squeezed Stitch as he walked inside with Aja.
"Are you okay?"
I jumped and looked over at Krel who was next to me.
"Yeah, just a bit shaken up." I giggled.
"Sorry about that... It's probably a weird question but...did you have fun?"
"It's not a weird question, but yeah, I did... Did you?" I tried not to think about how Vex could kill me at any moment.
"Yes," he laughed, "Although, I think I only had fun because you were there...thank you for coming, Phoenix." He kissed my cheek and I blushed instantly. "Could you wait out here for me? I'll be right back."
I nodded and he ran off inside. I walked down their driveway and sat down on the curb as I stared up at the now starry night sky. A few shooting stars passed and made me wonder how late it had gotten. I wouldn't dare check though.
I thought about when he covered my mouth to be quiet, when he stopped me from falling, and when he caught me when I jumped. Those thoughts made me feel so fuzzy and giddy, I loved it.
On their own, they were small things, but they made me so happy to think about them.
The front door shut and footsteps followed after. I smiled knowing who it was.
Krel sat down next to me and sighed.
"So, vex was not happy about you knowing our secret. But he'll have to deal with it since you'll be coming over more often."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I wanted to ask you about it, but I already knew your answer." He giggled. "I'll ask you anyways, would you like to come over more?
"I mean, I would like to but why are you-" I was cut off by a kiss from him. It was a gentle kiss that he held passion in.
He brought his hand up to my face and gently held my cheek.
He slowly pulled away, hand still caressing my face.
A small "oh." was all I could manage.
"Phoenix, my princess. I know tonight wasn't exactly as I hoped when I planned to ask, but..." He held both of my hands and brushed my bangs out of my face."I would love it if you could be what humans call... my girlfriend."
My heart was racing and the butterflies were dancing all around me giving me a new feeling. Every time I looked at Krel, whether it be his human form or Akiridion form, I noticed I just felt more in love.
"I'd love you- I- I mean! I'd love to." I covered my mouth and turned red from the surprising stutter, earning a laugh from him.
"So...is that a yes?"
I nodded full of excitement."But what about-"
"We'll just stay quiet, for now. As for Aja, I think she'd have more fun if she found out on her own." He chuckled.
"Definitely! I can just imagine how happy she'll be when she does." And then it all sank in, krel asked me out... Honestly, I could hardly believe it.
"Hey, Krel. What did you mean by you want to spend as much time with me as you can?"
"Well, you do know we can't stay here forever. That's why I'm building a new daxial array. But every moment on this earth, I want it to be spent with you. That is why I took the chance to ask you."
"If I'm being honest... I really want to kiss you right now."
Krel laughed and gave me a sweet smile. "Do you remember how many times we've kissed?"
"Three. We have four to go."
"Right... I almost wish-"
"Look, look, look!" I pointed at the sky and more shooting stars appeared. "There's a human thing, if you wish on a shooting star, your wish will come true."
"Well then, I wish I had more chances to kiss you." He planted a kiss on my cheek.
"Of course, it's all a superstition but I think it's fun to believe, even Olivia believes in it." What he said registered, "Wait, what did you wish for?"
"You know, shooting stars aren't actually stars, they're meteors. They travel at speeds over 120 thousand miles per secton." He ignored my question.
"Okay, Mr. know-it-all. What did you wish for?"
"Don't humans say that a spoken wish never comes true?"
"But you said it."
"And you didn't hear it."
I rolled my eyes. "Alright, I guess I'll never know then." I played along. "A hundred and twenty thousand... Wow."
There we both were...sitting under the night sky, unaware of the future. It was nice...peaceful even.
"I could kiss you again...but that would mean we'll need to be more careful going forward."
I turned to him, "Then we don't have to. It's limited so we'll treat it how it is."
"Tonight is special, you know we both want to." I could make out the blush on his cheeks from the moon's light and his subtle glow.
I sighed as a smile crept up on my face. I tried to hide it by subtly holding my hand over it but it didn't do much.
"May I?"
I hesitated, only to have more blush appear on my face. I only do have so many times to do this, and he was right, tonight is special.
I turned my body to face him and pulled him into a kiss. He placed his hand on my cheek and deepened the kiss. My heart was racing and the fact this would probably be the last one for a while made it even better.
I could just feel myself melt into it, it was one of the best feelings ever. We pulled apart and just stared at each other for a moment. I just felt... Almost in love, so many feelings into one and it was so different.
And then he kissed me again, the same breathtaking one from seconds ago. I loved every second of it. I pulled away for good this time.
"I may have gone a little overboard." Krel chuckled.
I dropped my hands back down to my lap, "It's okay... It was nice."
3576 words!
I'm so proud of this chapter honestly, I was so excited to write it. I hope you enjoyed it as well as my art, see you soon! Byeeee!