TO KYLE, getting Andorra and beating Noah meant everything to him. When he looked back on his childhood, he remembered his father, the dutiful merchant, always saving up money and always dreaming of going back to Anlithamy. His father had always been a dreamer.
His mother had been something different, something harder. She was a realist, someone who knew the probability of things happening and the reality that Anlithamy was out of their reaches.
Kyle never understood how his parents managed to fall in love and get married. Their differences were so large that Kyle wondered who he should be: a dreamer, or a realist. He felt that if he picked a side, he picked a parent, and he wanted both.
He got along with his father more than his mother. His father was easy going, a kind man with a big heart. He was easy to talk to, and he could sell things like that was a power of its own. He was a big, burly man with a big smile and a strong embrace and the ability to make Kyle feel safe.
But, it was his mother that Kyle looked up to the most. She was quick on her feet, and she wasn't impulsive. She was safe, secure, and she was protective of Kyle. She always told him before bed that dreams were for the foolish. But, there was always a kindness in her words, always a shared look between both mother and father.
Growing up had been strange between both parents. He lived the life of a merchant's son, poor enough that they struggled to buy things, but not so poor that they never had food on the table. His father dreamed of a different time when they would be dining in Anlithamy, eating wonderful food, wearing wonderful clothes. His father dreamed of a time when he could be a merchant to the rest of the faeries in Anlithamy, joking around with other merchants that lived similar lives to his own.
His mother knew that they would never have much money, and so she treated the money they did have with such care that Kyle wondered if she ever bought anything for herself. It was always new clothes for him, or better things for his father. She was careful with their money so that Kyle was never really wanting anything he needed, but wanting enough so that he understood where they stood financially.
Kyle was a realist, even if he wanted to be a dreamer. And the reality was that getting Andorra to come back to the sun clan was harder than he thought it would be. The reality was also that if he brought Andorra back, he would have enough money to get his mother something she actually deserved. It would bring honor to his family of dreamers and realists.
He hated that Noah had never wanted anything. Noah had it all; Kyle knew this because his own Clan Leader's son had it all.
Noah didn't have to dream; he had the dream.
The only thing Noah had ever wished for was Andorra, and now he had her. It made Kyle so angry that he found himself pacing in his apartment, head down and eyes narrowed. Kyle knew that Noah wanted Andorra because when the two of them were children, Noah never wanted to talk about her after the prophecy had been announced. Kyle could spot the longing in Noah's eyes that often matched his own father's, and that was how he knew that she was something that he wanted. Something his title as Clan Leader's son couldn't give him.
Kyle threw himself on his couch when the pacing had become enough. He threw his head in his hands and let out a groan that sounded more like something come undead, and then he wondered how he'd get her back.
Paul was right; Noah would have her on lock and key. Now that Noah had her in his clutches, there was little Kyle could do to take her away, or even have a private conversation.
What made Kyle most angry about the situation was the fact that he once had Andorra. She had been all his, and she would have gone with him to Anlithamy just to spite Noah, he was sure of it. Even if, deep down, she liked Noah more, Andorra hadn't realized just what type of connection she had with the dark haired, cold-looking boy. And Kyle had used that to his advantage.
Not anymore, he thought sullenly.
When he looked at the watch on his wrist, he vaguely realized that Andorra and Noah would be in school, playing pretend, acting like there weren't more things at stake than high school for humans. A grubby place to study knowledge, Kyle thought, but after all, he was a realist. And human schools were inferior.
He wondered if they were playing the same game, where Noah ignored her, and Shaniah bullied her, and Andorra cried to herself in the bathroom. The same tired, boring routine of a girl who was more powerful than most faeries in Anlithamy, yet refused to acknowledge who she was.
He pictured how he would erase her memory. Now that a few days had passed, he would claim she had been shaking in the hallway, even screaming. And she would believe him, because she'd done it in the past.
He would look into her eyes, acting worried, wondering why she couldn't remember him dropping her off from the dance, or even worse: why she didn't remember them kissing.
He wondered how she would react to that lie; he wondered if her cheeks would burn, and if she would tell him she liked him. He wondered if the lie would make her kiss him for real.
If she kissed him for real, it would be over. She would be his, not Noah's, and there would be nothing he could do. Not if Andorra thought she loved Kyle.
He sat up on the couch, pushing this plan forward in his mind. Pretending that they were dating was sounding sweeter and sweeter to him. He imagined how Noah would react to the news, how he would try to make her remember all the sweet times they probably spent in the diner, or after he rescued her.
Kyle wondered with a sudden burning jealousy if Andorra and Noah had already kissed. He wondered if Noah had held her tearful face and kissed her so she would forget. Or perhaps, he kissed her so she would choose him.
Kyle shot off of the couch, angry at his own imagination. He decided he didn't like imagining Noah kissing her, and banished the thought from his own mind as he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on over his sweater, which paired nicely with his khakis.
Kyle didn't want to dream about erasing Andorra's memory; he wanted it to be a reality.
He could practically hear his father's voice in his head saying, where did the old Kyle go? You used to be so good. His father, however, had never understood the hatred between the two boys. He never understood how Kyle, a merchant's son, a big nobody, even knew the son of the Snow Clan Leader. How Kyle even interacted with Noah during their brief and inconsistent visits.
Kyle wondered too why the two of them had found each other immediately. How Noah had managed to look so cold and unfriendly even as a young boy, barely old enough to even have opinions about those below him.
In any other situation, Kyle and Noah would have never met. If the two clans were still in Anlithamy, Kyle would know of Noah's existence, but Noah would never know of him. Even with the two clans trapped on earth, Noah should have never met Kyle, the lowly son of a simple merchant who was kind and eager, but not special in any sort of way.
In any other situation, Noah wouldn't have been the one to collect Andorra before her twenty first birthday. In any other situation, it would have been a different snow faerie that was trained to be a seeker. It was never supposed to be Noah.
Kyle stomped down his apartment steps and out to the parking lot, wrapping his arms around himself. Andorra looked ridiculous as always in her winter clothes, but she was right; it was freezing. Even for Kyle, who was more adapted to the winter weather. He hated that Andorra could bundle herself in so many layers and still be as royal as she was born to be. She was the Princess of Anlithamy, and yet she was perfectly content wearing six layers and mittens that looked fit for a child.
His car was just as freezing, and when he started it up, he could barely hold onto the frozen steering wheel. His hand couldn't clench it for long periods as he backed out of his parking space and pulled onto the main road.
He looked at the time, satisfied that it would be close to lunch by the time he arrived to school. He softened his face, blending in to what high schoolers looked like, perfecting the look of someone who was innocent yet perfectly dependable and someone that other's yearned to talk to.
He was good at that - making people want to be his friend. He turned it up for Andorra, hoping it would make her want the same, but she seemed to be immune to it. Even looking back on that first day, she had tried to brush him off.
Even on that first day, she hadn't wanted to like him.
When he pulled into the school parking lot, it was oddly still. He'd only missed a few days, yet he felt out of place as he stepped out of his car and pushed his keys into his jacket pocket, looking at the school with such disdain. It killed him to return to it, knowing that inside laid the most shallow living things he'd ever met.
As he crossed the parking lot, he caught the eye of a few girls who immediately whispered to each other. He wished he didn't hear their voices, but he could hear them as if they stood beside him. I wonder what happened to him. Weird that he's been absent. I wonder if he and Noah will fight over that girl...
He didn't want to do any fighting, not today, not with Noah. While he would love to sink his fist into the boy's face, he knew their real fighting would be away from prying human eyes, where Kyle can prove that sun faeries are stronger than snow faeries. Though, even he knew Noah was more powerful. That came with being next in line to be a Clan Leader.
When he pushed open the school doors, it smelled of textbooks and sweaty humans. His nose wrinkled at the smell, but then he had to plaster on a fake grin when he saw Shaniah slink out from one of the classrooms closest to the front door.
She was with a few of her friends, but when she saw Kyle, she nearly let out a squeal and ignored the girls she was with. "Kyle, you're back!"
Her voice was sugary-sweet, but Kyle hated that about her and her friends. He forced his smile wider as he approached her, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. "Shaniah, it's nice to see you."
She nearly swooned. "You've been absent. Were you sick?"
Kyle hadn't spent anytime thinking of a lie, and now he wished he had. "Yeah, I was. The flu got me pretty bad." Then, he paused for a beat, making a show of looking around. "Have you seen Andorra?"
Shaniah pushed her dark hair over her shoulder and sneered at Andorra's name. It was fascinating to see her mood sour so quickly. "I wish you hadn't taken her to the dance. She doesn't deserve you."
Kyle pretended not to hear those words. "I'm going to look down the hall towards her locker. I'll see you later."
He didn't stay to hear what else she wanted to say about Andorra, and headed down the hallway and around the bend. He wondered if Shaniah hated Andorra because the blonde was much prettier, or if it was because Noah liked her. Perhaps both.
There, at her locker, was Andorra, right where Kyle knew she'd be. She was putting her books away, and beside her was Noah, leaning against the metal like he always belonged there beside her. He didn't look thrilled to be standing there with her, but Noah never looked anything more than angry or bored. But, as Kyle watched, he noticed that Noah was leaning towards her, almost protectively, his eyes light and watching her with interest. The small differences between how he acted around Andorra and Shaniah were enough for Kyle to know he liked Andorra, but to anyone else, they wouldn't notice.
Noah was nearly perfect at hiding his emotions. It was a wonder Andorra even liked him when she was so bubbly and personable. She was always smiling, always cheerful, always seeing the bright side of things.
Kyle ducked back in the shadows before Noah noticed him, because if Noah saw him, it would be over before it began. If Noah saw him, he would have no chance to erase Andorra's memory.
And, because Shaniah had seen him, his presence would sweep the school pretty soon, and then it would be over before it began as well.
He watched as Andorra shut her locker door and turned to Noah, her cheeks flushed and her smile wide. She was telling Noah about a grade on a test, as if that even mattered now that she knew she was a faerie, and she idly touched his arm.
Kyle watched Noah go stiff at that little touch to his arm, watched Noah clench his hands into fists, and then watched as Noah took a step out of her reach. Kyle watched with rapt interest, wondering why Noah would have that reaction towards Andorra, the girl that he'd always wanted. The girl he finally had.
Andorra didn't show signs of even noticing Noah's discomfort. She continued to talk, waving her hands around, moving now towards the cafeteria. He watched Noah's eyes darken when the two of them passed another guy who looked at Andorra for a hint too long, and then his eyes met Kyle's.
Kyle wanted to swear, but instead he pressed a sorry smile on his face as Andorra turned towards him. It was happening, and even if Kyle hadn't wanted to be noticed so soon, he no longer had a choice.
He shouldn't have stayed to watch the two of them, but it was like he couldn't turn away.
"Andorra, hey. I wanted to apologize."
It was public, now. Others were gathering around, interested in what Kyle had to say. Not only because the two of them had gone to the dance together, but now because Kyle had been absent for a few days.
She turned from him, her anger still obvious. "I don't want to hear it." There was a fire in her eyes that he hadn't seen before, and if he was being honest to himself, it terrified him in that moment. He could already see it: the shift in her now that she was with Noah. Gone was the timid girl. Gone was the frightened girl.
"Andorra, c'mon. I'm sorry, really. Don't let this fight ruin our friendship." Kyle forced the pleading into his voice, turning his face into a mask of sadness. Noah might have been the king of masks but Kyle was no stranger to deceiving others either.
There was such a chill in her eyes that made Kyle want to step back, but he didn't. He immediately recognized the look in her eyes - it was the same expression of someone who was looking down on him.
"I'm ashamed we were ever friends."
"You don't mean that," Kyle rushed to say, placing his hand on her shoulder. There was real fear in his voice now as he tried to pull her towards him.
She leveled a look at him and then shook his hand off of her shoulder. "You're just as low as my aunt, Kyle. Using my fears against me. I want nothing to do with you or the rest of your clan."
Kyle's mouth opened, nearly sputtering in shock and surprise, when the glass windows behind them shattered.
Andorra didn't get the chance to see what was happening. Noah grabbed for her immediately, pushing her behind him, against the lockers. Her face was pressed up against the back of his shirt, and she smelled it again: the smell of winter. It was like the first day all over again, and she was overwhelmed with him. With the way she was pressed into his back. With the way she could feel the tight muscles in his back, as though he were ready to pounce. She inhaled, and then she peeked around his shoulder to see what the commotion was, and right there in front of them was a Daemonium, its long tongue reaching towards them, drool dripping onto the floor beneath them.
Andorra screamed the moment she saw him, digging her face into Noah's back again. The other students who had been watching Kyle and Andorra were now suddenly running in the other direction, screaming and shoving at each other to get out of the way.
"What the fuck?" Kyle shouted, brushing glass off of his body as though it was nothing more than a nuisance. "This is a public place. You know the rules."
There, standing next to the Daemonium, was a man that wore a sinister smile. He wore dark clothes that looked as though they didn't belong to this century, and when Andorra looked at his face, she saw it flicker between a man and something else, something not so human.
The man grinned at Kyle's words. "I am here for the Princess."
Noah pushed her harder against the lockers. His face was a mask of indifference, but inside, he was panicking. Not because he was worried about telling his father about Andorra being taken to Anlithamy without them, but because he was worried about what would happen to her.
"She hasn't turned 21 yet," Noah countered, calm and collected. "We have until her birthday."
Kyle swiveled to look at Noah, surprised at how calm the snow faerie sounded. He's a sociopath, I swear, Kyle thought to himself. He had to be, with the way he was able to show no emotion all of the time. The only hint was the darkness of his eyes.
The man's smile stretched so wide it seemed to consume his entire face. His teeth gleamed in the dingy hallway lights, and for a moment, Andorra wondered if she was dreaming of if this was actually happening. If she was suddenly dreaming again in her bedroom, just like the first time. The memory of that dream made her shiver in fear, and she gripped onto Noah tighter.
"We're taking the girl whether or not you like it. And let me tell you, there is no way you will get past the Daemonium. I'd love to see you try."
* * *
THE SEQUEL IS ALMOST HERE!
Go check it out on my page and leave a vote on the prologue! I'll be picking a random voter to dedicate my first chapter to!
GOLDEN will be released January 1, 2021
See you soon ;)
Hi there.
Sorry it's been forever. oops. But here is another chapter!
I honestly wish this story was more recognized but whatevs. I enjoy writing it, and that's what matters.
I love you all, XOXO