She locked herself in her room all weekend. Whenever she emerged, she moped bitterly. Her parents tried to figure what could be wrong, but she refused to speak to them. Especially her father, she blamed him for the entire mess. It wasn't until Sunday, when Kayla came across Amarie's twitter update about dress shopping for prom, that she lost it. She had tossed the phone across the room, and locked herself in her bedroom again while working on math homework. The ruckus sent her mother rushing to her immediately.
"Kayla, what is it? Please tell me what's been bothering you so much lately."
She was in tears before she could stop them, "It's not fair, mom! Cody asked Amarie to prom, but it should have been me! It would have been me if it wasn't for this stupid agreement!"
Her mom tsk-ed and gently stroked her hair. "Oh, Kayla. I'm so sorry. I really am."
"Why can't I be with the one I love like you can!? Like everyone else can, it's not fair!" Kayla sobbed bitterly.
Her mother pulled her into a hug and held her tightly, while Kayla cried into her shoulder. She hated to see her daughter so torn apart, it broke her sweet heart to bits.
"I know it's hard, but give it a chance, for the sake of peace. Maybe you'll even learn to love Damian, you never know."
Kayla's cries came to a screeching halt when she heard this. She slowly lifted her head to stare at her mother in disbelief and horror. "Fall in love... with him!? I've grown up in a pack that hates his family and talks daily about how nice it would be to kill them off! And you suggest I just fall in love with him!?"
Her mother stiffened her jaw, sometimes tough love needed to be used on children. Unfortunately, she hadn't given Kayla the discipline she may have needed, and now the girl was still throwing tantrums at age 16.
"You'd be surprised what could happen." She said stiffly. "Either way, you are his future bride and there's nothing you can do to change that! So unless you want a bunch of innocent lives killed, from both packs, I suggest you fix your attitude."
Kayla put her head down hating everything she heard. Bernese carefully lifted her chin up to face her, "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you've lived a life of luxury for far too long. It's time you grew up and faced your responsibilities. Life sucks, no matter what, so instead of acting like a 2 year old, keep your chin up, and face what comes. You are a daughter of Pelisian, do not be a coward, be strong, like your father."
Kayla turned away, "Does being strong include giving your children away to the enemy?" She said bitterly.
In the hallway, her father leaned against the wall, listening to their conversation. His daughter's words felt like ice picks through his soul. Everyday he'd asked himself if he'd done the right thing. He needed to protect his people, it was his duty, but what about his family? It seemed he was doing a lousy job at that. Bernese was quiet with her answer for a long time before she nodded.
"Yes, I'm afraid it does."
Kayla dropped down onto her bed limply, crying softly into her pillow. Her mother left her to herself. She came face to face with her husband when she opened the door. He raised his eyebrows at her, but she narrowed her eyes coldly and continued down the stairs. He sighed deeply, and followed her, another argument hot on their tails.
Kayla didn't stay long, as soon as her eyes had dried she left to find Raul. He was the only one who would understand her, the only ally she had in this world. She needed to see him, but he wasn't home, odd, because he was always there. She wandered through town, following his scent trail, and found him at the diner. It looked like a date, he was dressed nicely and the Pelisian girl he was with, Silvia, was dressed just as well. He'd been spending a lot of time with her lately. He'd had girlfriends before, but something about the spark between him and Silvia was different. Even now, as they sat across from each other in the diner, he did something silly--something Kayla would've normally rolled her eyes at-- and Silvia laughed. The look Raul gave her as she laughed, was a look that immortalized time, it made that moment between them last forever.
It made her feel bitter, even Raul could be with whomever he chose, and now he wouldn't be there for her. She was tempted to stomp in there and pour her heart out, but she knew better than that. Sighing deeply, she turned away, unsure of who to go to. The thought of Cody and Amarie made her sick, Raul was too busy, and her parents had brought her to this place. She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She began to slowly walk away, a breeze carried a few strands of her hair. The air smelled cleaner than ever, now that the snows had melted, it was the time her and Raul would've been running through the mountain, whooping to the high heavens. The diner's door dinged open, a few people exited, the smell of fresh cooked meals and satisfied bellies strong on their bodies.
"Kayla?" Raul asked.
She twisted around, and forced a smile. "Hey."
"What are you doing? Don't you have homework or something to do?"
She shrugged. "I felt like talking to you, it's been awhile."
He scratched his head, "Well, I'm kind of in the middle of something. Is it serious?"
She shook her head. "No. It was just about..." She trailed off. "Prom."
He chuckled, "I am not going to be your escort, if that's what you're going to ask. Besides, you're a sophomore, it's really only meant for upperclassmen."
"I know." She muttered. Under or upperclassman, I'm never going, anyway.
He was getting antsy, he turned around to glance back inside at Silvia. "Look, I have to go. But I'll come over to your house to visit later. We can play Mario Kart, or something."
"Okay." She said. He was gone before she could even finish the word.
She took a tentative step, and then another, until she only followed her feet. They lead her to the border that separated her side of the valley from Damian's. It was a wide highway, and to her dismay, she saw Serians crossing back onto their side, bags of merchandise in their hands. They'd come shopping in her side of the valley, something that'd been unheard of a year ago. They were getting bolder, and she doubted that to be a good thing. The wind shifted and they caught her scent, each one of them turned to glare at her.
She smiled in mock and continued on her way. Eventually, she found herself hiking to the top of the mountain, the setting sun cast a pink blanket over the sky. By the time she made it to the top, only the moon ruled. There was no more snow up there, it was all dirt, grass and rocks. It smelled like pure earth, the trees were quiet, all the animals were asleep, except the owls and field mice. A few bugs chirped quietly. She loved the night sky, it was so beautiful and so gentle. She was a creature of nighttime, so she found dusk alluring. She always would.
She planted herself on a large boulder and stared at the sight before her. From the summit, she could see everything. The twinkling lights of the houses and businesses of the valley accented among the black greenery surrounding it. It didn't look divided from the summit, it looked like one united territory, and it once was a united territory, until she was two months old. Then the Serius pack limped in, and they have remained for more than a decade.
A twig snapped. She sprang up and looked towards it's direction, there was a shadow of someone there. It smelled like Cody.
"What do you want?" She asked.
He stepped out of the trees and stalked towards her. "I just thought I'd come find you." He sat himself down next to her. "I knew you'd be here."
She relaxed and gazed at the valley again.
"I'm sorry I can't take you to prom, Kayla."
"It's not your fault."
He leaned closer to her, "I know it's not, but it still stings. I can't imagine what it's like for you, being forced to marry that guy and everything. Can't you do anything to stop it?"
She looked into his eyes and at his soft blonde hair that she wanted to run her fingers through, those perfect lips that she desperately wanted to kiss. It all taunted her. She quickly looked away at some trees to her left.
"I don't think so. Every time I think of something, I get threatened that I'll start a war, then I feel... guilty."
"We could just run away." He offered. "I'd make sure they never find us."
She smiled sweetly. "Where would we go?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. I've always been told that I'd look good in California."
"You would." She laughed.
His blue eyes bore deeply into her. "Let's go then. I doubt they'll marry you off right at 18. They'll probably wait until after you graduate. I'll sneak you away during your grad night. They'd never know until the next day, and by then, it'd be too late." When she didn't reply, he leaned closer. "What do you think?"
"It's perfect." She said back dreamily. She could already see the two of them, lounging in the California beaches. Nothing but bliss and happiness between them. They could start their own pack, the seventh, and they would teach them to follow the heart, and to fight for love. She remembered her parents suddenly, and Raul, what about them?
"You don't think it would actually work, do you?" She asked.
He nodded, "I do."
"But the war--"
He shushed her by placing his finger over her lips. "Don't let them brainwash you like that. The war would happen anyway. Let's face it, as soon as this Serius heir marries you, he'll kill you. You know how their kind is."
They stared into each other's eyes and she became aware that they were only inches apart now. His warm breath stroked her red lips gently and her heart began to pound. Slowly he lowered his hand from her mouth, and sighed deeply, his eyes searching her face. He wanted to kiss her badly, and she wanted him too as well, but neither of them made the move.
The closeness between them, and the earthy smell of the mountain, reminded her of the time he'd first kissed her. Four years ago when she was only 12.
A lot of the Pelisian youth had snuck away into the mountain range, Raul and Kayla being the ring leaders, and played in the river that ran through them. It was around spring, much like now. She remembered because the melted snow had made the river wild. They played in the pools for hours. During a game of hide and seek, Cody had succeeded in sniffing her out. She was a sore loser and he used it to his advantage, he proposed that he wouldn't tell anyone he found her if she gave him a kiss. Of course, she loved the idea, but she'd been raised to be a lady, played hard to get. But, she never got the chance, because he pressed his young lips into hers. That very day he stole her first kiss, he stole her heart, and a simple childish crush, turnes into passionate puppy love. She spent the next four years watching him grow and mature, becoming more handsome with each year, and anticipating the future she thought they were destined to have.
They both remembered the day clearly, he saw it replaying in her eyes. The memory was so clear, that he felt 12 years old again. He felt the same impulses, and the same rhythm of his heart. Before he could stop himself, his lips were already gently pressed against hers. So soft, and so sweet, just like they had been the first time, only this time, they were forbidden lips to kiss. This time, he wasn't stealing a kiss from only her, he was stealing it from her fiance, lighting a spark with a fuse dangerously nearby. It was wrong of him, he knew it, but it felt too right to be a bad thing. She tasted so good...
But, she wasn't his. She'd never really been, and now she never would be.
He forced himself back, "Kayla, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--"
"No", she interrupted, "It's okay." She stood up in a daze, the world whirled around her. She couldn't tell if the city lights were stars, or if the stars were lights. "I should go home."
She would have to hurry home, and erase this from her mind. Before anyone else saw the kiss on her lips, before they heard her drumming heart, smelled her sweaty palms, or felt her anguishing spirit. However, she knew that she couldn't delete this kiss, not from her heart, mind or soul, she didn't want too. She would never want too.
With one flashback, and one unconscious motion, Cody had captivated her again.