Once the sun sets, Sam lights the bonfire in an impressive display of pyrotechnics. Show off. The boys drag over a few of the larger driftwood logs to circle the bonfire. We toast sausages then marshmallows in the fire for dinner. The heat from the fire dries the remainder of sea water from my body leaving a fine coating of salt on my skin.
My hair has dried in beachy waves and is tousled gently in the wind, a definite improvement on the drowned rat look I was sporting earlier. I set my marshmallow on fire and pull it back towards me. I blow it out then remove the burnt shell so I can eat the gooey center, I wipe a gooey bit from my chin and lick it off my finger.
Sam eyes my discarded burnt marshmallow bits in the sand. "Probably a good thing Nate dumped you, you are not princess material," He jokes.
"What are you taking about, this is how I get all the boys," I put the next finger in my mouth and make exaggerated moaning sounds before laughing at his disgusted face.
"I need to find you another cat."
"You're a mean drunk," I pout, little does he know that I have the ability to make sure I don't end up alone, I can choose the future I want.
I jump up from my seat and careful not to step in my discard pile, I walk around to bonfire to talk to the less annoying Westmore. Cassy and I start a drinking game where we take a drunk each time Eva touches Nate and he shrugs her off but it soon expands to include each time Michaela or Nadia say the phase 'like totally' and when Sean and Cole fist bump. It doesn't take us long for us to go through our drinks a few times over.
I giggle as I take our glasses back over to a footman to ask for a refill. I breeze blows past me and I shiver in the night air. I head back to the house to get something warmer to wear. I rely heavily on the rail to stumble my way upstairs; I use my hand to steady myself against the wall. I open the first door I come to and burst through it.
I stop cold, this isn't my room and it's already occupied by two people. They spring apart but it doesn't erase what I just saw. They were kissing like there was no tomorrow, hands everywhere, far more exposed skin than I ever wanted to see. I blink a few times, maybe I drank more than I thought. They search for their clothing while I stand there dumbstruck. Nope, this is really happening.
"We were just..." Sam says before trailing off unable to think of an excuse. Suddenly a lot of things he said about his secret relationship make a lot more sense. I switch my focus to the other person in the room.
"What he said," Dec replies blushing faintly.
I can't help the grin that take over my face, "You guys are cute." Sam throws a pillow at me and I duck, "My lips are sealed, you to go back to whatever you were doing with yours." I shut the door before the next pillow hits me. I seal it with magic from the outside so no one else can interrupt them.
I feel oddly happy for them. I find my way to my own room and find a cardigan before heading back to the beach. Sam and Dec are a couple; another wide smile overtakes my face. I can't believe it; I laugh as I remember their guilty expressions, I don't think I've seen Sam so flustered.
"What has you in such a good mood?" Nate asks meeting me halfway back to the bonfire.
I giggle in response, "It's a secret," I whisper drunkenly pressing one finger to my lips.
"Alia, I wanted to tell you something..." Nate begins seriously before his gaze shifts over my shoulder and his words trail off.
I look over my shoulder to see what has his attention, Sam has followed me out from the house but he hasn't managed to get all his clothing back on, he has his shirt slung casually over one shoulder and his pants are still unbuttoned and hanging low on his hips.
"Not much of a secret now," Nate huffs out before storming back to the beach.
"Nate!" I call out after him but the tension in his shoulders only intensifies as he continues to stride away. "Great, now he thinks you did sleep with me," I say letting my frustration out and turning towards Sam.
"In the interest of keeping my head I guess you can tell him you're not my type, but don't mention Dec," he buttons up his pants and threads his arms though his shirt before working on the rest of his buttons.
"At this rate he might do it just for fun anyway," I throw my hands in the air. Nate's so mad I really don't think he's up for listening to any kind of explanation.
The bonfire is starting to die out and we relocate back into the courtyard, I help a drunken Kayden back up the beach, he's had far more to drink than me it seems.
"Let's play truth or dare," Michaela exclaims excitedly.
"No way," I protest.
"Figures," Kayden huffs out.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I turn to face him.
"Just that you have more to hide than anyone else here, wouldn't want to have to tell anyone the truth would you," he slurs a little as he accuses me, I notice our fight has drawn the attention of everyone.
"Kayden you're drunk, we can talk about this tomorrow," I try to reason with him.
"Why are you scared I'm going to accidentally say something I shouldn't?" I hear the threatening tone in his voice.
"Yes actually," I reply sharply, I have no idea where this attitude is coming from but I don't want him to say anything he might regret tomorrow.
"You mean like the real reason you broke up with Nate?" Kayden crosses his arms across his chest and stares at me. I notice that his statement has caught Nate's interest.
"Nate broke up with me," I defend but my blood runs cold, a have a very bad feeling about this line of questioning.
Kayden laughs coldly, "You are a better manipulator than that, what was it; fear of your safety, a guilt trip, a dose of reality, an ultimatum?" he watches my expression closely, "Combo attack, wow, that's rough."
"That is enough Kayden," I warn him.
"So you're going to claim it's just a coincidence that it happened on the same night that-"
"Yes, a complete coincident," I cut him off.
"I thought you weren't going to lie."
"Don't do this. Please," I've resorted to begging.
"Since you won't, I guess I will. Alia decided it was too weird to share a sibling with her boyfriend. Annemarie didn't die, she faked her death to save me from having to grow up like Nate did," Kayden turns his attention to Nate, "Hey, little brother."
I stand completely shocked not only did he announce Marie is still alive, he lied and said the king is his father. Why is he doing this?
"Alia, tell me it's not true," Nate demands.
"Wait, the mother you told me about coming back was Annemarie Baudelaire?" Sam asks.
"We haven't even gotten to the best part," Kayden taunts.
"Enough!" I shout pressing my hands into the side of my head, this is astronomically bad. I need to be sober to deal with this.
"Lying isn't your only talent, faking is more your forte, like how you faked-"
I scream a mute spell and his voice abruptly cuts off. He mouths a curse at me. "You can have your voice back when your sober," I turn and run inside, I lock myself in my room and sit with my back against the door.
I can't believe he was going to tell everyone, including Eva, that I faked my death at the ball. What is he thinking? I know that he was drunk but that doesn't explain half of what he said. He put himself in danger, he put Nate in danger and he put me in danger.
He announced himself as the king's firstborn son. What has he done? No matter what I do, tomorrow this news is going to be everywhere. What has he done? He's destroying everything. Kayden materializes four feet from me.
I stand and punch him in the chest, "What is wrong with you?" He stares calmly back at me. He teleported in here, he's not as drunk as he's been acting. He taps on his ear and motions me to cast a privacy spell. I comply but I still glare angrily at him. He points to his mouth. I cross my arms across my chest. He sighs and mouths the word 'explain' reluctantly I utter the counterspell.
"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad," he looks remorseful.
"I'm way past mad," furious might be a better description.
"Marie asked me to do that, she said it was important for the next part of her plan," he explains.
"What plan?" I demand.
"I'm not sure exactly, but she said that it was necessary. She also said it would be the last time she interfered," he looks apologetic but I can see the hint of mischief glinting in his eyes. He loves his spy missions and I bet he classes this as a success.
"And that was enough for you to put your life on the line?" I ask trying to make him see the danger he's put himself in. Is he really ready to trust her so blindly?
"She said the rebels have to think they are winning, I had to announce her and my survival. I also trust you to keep me safe," he adds the last part looking at me seriously.
"Hmph, if you die, it's your own fault," I'm still mad but he knows I don't mean it.
"Love you to," he smiles crookedly.
"Whatever," I huff and look away from him, "You could have told me what you were going to do."
"Your reaction needed to be real," he says. I see him disappear in my periphery leaving me alone with my thoughts.
What kind of game is Marie playing? Does she want to use Kayden as a pawn to destabilize the Winchesters claim on the throne before replacing them completely. I thought she was doing everything she could to protect us, what was the point if she was just going to throw us back to the wolves.
There were plenty of ways she could have Kayden announce they lived. She had Kayden stage an ugly fight so the gossip would spread quickly and probably to make it seem more believable; a drunken fight between sibling leads to the accidental revelation of a family secret.
She is sabotaging my relationship with Nate on purpose, she didn't have to bring Nate into it, she's trying to distance him from me. Accusing me of being a liar and a manipulator, insinuating that I faked something. I know it was all her, she fed Kayden those exact lines.
I don't feel like going back to the party, I have a feeling it will be winding down soon. I get ready for bed hopefully I'll be feeling more forgiving in the morning.