After much pleading and a few empty promises, Teal and I finally managed to convince our parents to let us out, provided that we came home before 11 and helped Teal's parents clean up after the reunion. We were now sorting through my closet, trying to find something "appropriate" to wear to Brianna's. It became clear after a few suggestions, all of which had been profusely objected by Teal, that nothing short of what she herself suggested would be considered. So, more than happy to oblige her, I was now lying on my bed, having taken a shower just moments before, in my favourite jeans and a tank top waiting for Teal to find the perfect top. Teal was already in her 'perfect outfit' wearing dark jeans that made her usually long legs looking even longer and a baby blue tank top with a short sleeve navy blue cardigan on top. Her hair was out and was still slightly damp from her shower, making her sand blonde hair look darker, like wet sand after the oceans watery embrace.
"Ah HAH! Oh. My. God. It's perfect! Since when did you have this top, Kiki?!" squealed Teal, making me block my ears. Teal was holding a loose, v-necked t-shirt out in front of her. I myself, had never seen the top before, but I shrugged the thought aside. It really was perfect; the kind of loose top that also framed your figure nicely. More importantly, it wasn't too low cut and was a beautiful khaki green.
"Hm... I think I might actually have to agree with you there, Teal. I really is perfect..."
"I KNOW! Isn't it?!" gushed Teal, "And it's so... YOU! It's totally something you would wear, and it's comfortable and...just perfect!!"
I laughed. It wasn't every day you saw Teal grapple with herself trying to find the right words. She always seemed to have the perfect word to sum up my rambling explanation. Apparently, not this time. I grabbed the top and went to change.
Looking at myself in the full length mirror, I had to admit that I loved it. Together with my jeans, the top managed to make me look a little taller than I actually was. I wasn't remarkably tall or short, but simply average. The outfit managed to stretch my slight 5'1" frame, and make it look 5'2". And in fact, everything about my appearance was average, except perhaps my eyes. They were a rich chocolate brown that sometimes appeared like dark honey depending on how the sun hit it. If one were to study my eyes closely, not that anyone would, one might notice that there were darker brown flecks in my right eye that formed something of a broken and slightly distorted circle around my pupil. The flecks had often reminded me of a scorch mark, though I never understood why.
"KIRI! We have to go or we'll be late!" called Teal.
"Yes! I'm coming!"I called back, quickly running a brush through my already dry hair before dashing out of the bathroom.
"Okay! Let's get this show on the road!" joked Teal when she saw me, linking her arm around mine, as we made our way out onto the cold street.
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2 hours later
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I pulled my side fringe back to its place, as the night wind once again tousled my hair teasingly. I was sitting on the railing with my back against a pillar on the back veranda. To my right was blasting music that had already begun to give me a slight headache, and to my left was the dead of night where the crickets were singing quietly and the owls were hooting sleepily. Teal had temporarily left my side to get us some drinks, and no doubt scout for the two strangers who had somehow managed to fish invitations out of the Bailey sisters.
We had arrived at the party an hour ago to find it in full swing, with everything but the canned drinks and furniture well and truly spiked. Teal, had promptly dragged me to the dance floor in another attempt to get me to dance, even if it only meant I bounced on the balls of my feet. Stubbornly, I had denied to do anything besides imitate an amused statue for the past hour, and had only just been allowed a reprieve.
I gazed up at the night sky, admiring the moon. As always, the glowing orb illuminated most of the sky, however unlike its brother the sun, who was always praised for his glory, the moon I found always seemed wanting in affection or praise of any kind. I often found I had the maddening urge to cry when I saw the moon at night. It always seemed so lonely, despite the millions of stars that twinkled behind it.
"Beautiful night out, I see...."
I grabbed onto the railing, trying to regain my balance and composure before whirling around to glare at the voice. I turned to find Ken standing on the other side of my pillar with his arms crossed on the railing, watching me thoughtfully.
"Mm... it is. Where's Karl?"
"Around..."
I obviously wasn't going to get a better answer, so I remained silent listening to the night's quiet symphony. I flinched when the party music that had temporarily stopped, started up again twice as loud with a boom that made my body vibrate.
"I take it you don't like loud noises?" Ken asked looking sceptical.
"No shit Sherlock," I muttered sarcastically before replying in a louder voice, "Yes. I find it unnerving, and it makes my senses go haywire, which is to say I feel vulnerable not being able to hear and feel."
Kenneth looked at me astonished and raised an eyebrow, an expression I quickly mirrored defiantly.
"There you are! So glad you could make it!" cried Karl as he placed a hand on my shoulder. Again, I found myself clinging onto the railing for dear life, as I almost found myself tumbling off my perch again.
"Watch it!" snapped Teal, "You make Kiri fall, intentionally or not, and your head will be so far up your ass that even your mother won't recognise you!"
Karl chuckled, and I watched in absolute amazement as Teal huffed angrily and stamped her feat. She had never really been one to get easily annoyed or lose her temper without good reason, and yet, Karl seemed to have no trouble handling Teal.
I cleared my throat uncomfortably, trying to get Teal to snap out of it, "Eh, so..."
"What do you guys want with us?" asked Teal pointedly, making no attempt to sound remotely polite.
"Is it really that hard to believe that we're just.... what's the word? Interested?" asked Karl casually.
"Yeah, and I'm a leprechaun"
"Oh! Care to do an Irish gigue for us?"
"On your dead body I would"
"Well in that case..."
"Karl..." growled Ken warningly, while I tried to control the grin that threatened to take over my face.
"yeah, yeah, yeah. So we didn't invite you 'cause we were 'interested' per se. Though that's not to say you guys aren't attractive in any way. I mean that would be absurd, seeing as the whole concept of beauty is rather abstract and is really up to each...."
"KARL!"
"... but I digress. We asked you to come here, because..." Karl faltered, casting a nervous towards Ken who simply glared at him impatiently.
"Look, here's the thing. You're not going to believe me, and chances are this is going to get awkward but before I tell you, the answers are... No, we're not mental. No we do not need counselling. Yes, it is true. Yes, we do expect you to believe us. No we don't think you're stupid, far from it. No, no one's ever going to ask you for your opinion on the matter, because regardless of whether you like it or not you're stuck with it. Now, just match the answers to the appropriate quest..."
Loud shrieks pierced the night's symphony as the thumping music suddenly came to a stop, and the house was plunged into darkness.
"tions... hm... that was strange... perhaps there's been an out..."
I felt Karl whip around to face the sliding door that led to the balcony, and before I knew it, his arm had knocked me with enough force to send me diving head first off the rails into the garden below.
"YOU EFFING BASTARD!" screeched Teal before her screeches became muffled. I presumed Ken or Karl, had finally taken to covering her mouth.
"You ok?" asked Karl as he hoisted me off the hedge.
"Besides the sharp stings in my hands and my throbbing hip, I seem to be alright... I'm pretty sure I haven't broken anything..." I answered, brushing the leaves of my top and jeans before finally looking at Karl.
I gasped, taking a step back. His eyes had begun to glow a bright sky blue, though they were progressively getting lighter, swirling just like his now-glowing pendant. Looking up at the veranda, I could see that Ken's pendant and eyes had also begun to do the same; glowing a brilliant flickering red.
"What the hell is going..."
"Karl! Back now!" commanded Ken, slinging a struggling Teal over his shoulder before dashing towards the trees, leaving a short trail of red in his wake. Karl followed suit, completely ignoring my loud protests and thrashing as he too, slung me over his shoulder like I was nothing more than a sack. Incredulously, I realised that I was being kidnapped by a pair of teenagers who couldn't have been much older than I am.
"How did they find us? We weren't even DOING anything for Pete's sake!" wailed Karl having finally caught up to Ken.
"I don't think it was us, they were after..." Ken glared at me angrily, like this was all somehow my fault.
" Look, Ken, seriously... what is your"
"Was anyone following you today?"
"I don't see how that makes this"
"WAS anyone following you today?"
"This is"
"WAS ANYONE FOLLOWING YOU TODAY?"
"Oh for the love of... NO!" I yelled back, "I did not SEE anyone following Teal and I today."
"You did not see..."
Even in the dark, I could tell Ken was giving me a look.
"Yes, I did not see anyone following me today. As in, when we were walking back home from the beach, there was no visual indication that we were being followed though I turned around a number of times." I articulated slowly, making sure that every syllable was perfectly enunciated. Ken turned his now blazing eyes towards me, and looked about ready to throttle me with everything he had.
"Please explain Kiri. I have to say I'm confused..." interrupted Karl, who I had completely forgotten about. Some small part of me registered that we seemed to be gliding through the trees at an alarming rate, but the detail was quickly overlooked.
"Ugh... on our way home, or in fact, after we talked to you guys, I've felt that there've been people following us. I don't know how to explain it and this'll probably sound corny, but I've had this cold chill running up and down my spine for basically the whole day. It only stopped when we got to Brianna's..."
"You felt it too?" called Teal surprised, "I thought it was just..."
Karl suddenly catapulted forward, making me land on my back with him on top of my legs. I groaned painfully and was about to push Karl off me, when I realised that he and Ken were now standing protectively over Teal and I. A few metres in front of us were two robed figures shrouded in a misty darkness.
"Leila. Drake" said Ken and Karl in unison as they inclined their heads stiffly at the two people in front of us.
"Ah cousins, why so cold?" giggled the figure on the right in a cold tinkle, who was evidently Leila.
"Yes, why the formalities? We all know each other. Well... those of us that matter all know each other..." continued Drake, who was obviously smirking underneath his hood. A deep-rooted dislike fuelled by an instinctive repulsion was weaving itself into my gut, replacing the fear I had felt moment earlier.
"But my, how you boys have changed... I see you no longer mind the company of the weak" Leila snickered delicately as Drake threw his head back and laughed coldly. Karl paled at the remark while Ken's eyes blazed brighter than before. I could feel the dislike turning into pure hatred, though I had known the two for barely five minutes. Arrogance was not a quality I tolerated wel.
"Someone obviously hasn't looked at herself in the mirror lately..." shot back Teal.
"And someone's obviously still a twelve-year old" smirked Drake
"Yeah, you would know..."
A smoky black wisp suddenly wrapped itself around Teal lifting her into the air and constricting her. My hatred sharpened into outrage and pure loathing. I wanted nothing more than to tear them both to shreds, and watch as their faces contorted in pain... as it were, they were going to die painfully for what they were doing to Teal.
"Now where were we?" Drake's gaze flickered between Ken and Karl who were glaring at him coldly, shaking with rage, "Ah, yes. We were discussing your company's inferiority. Really, cousins. You could do much better than that blonde bimbo and her midget sidekick. Remember what we all use to say? To each his own. The weak belong with their kind, we belong with ours..."
Teal was now grunting in pain, biting back the screams that threatened to tear through her throat. I could no longer control myself. I felt my loathing and repulsion bloom magnificently in my chest, swelling till it occupied every fibre in my body. I blinked as my eyesight gained a slight tinge of green and blue, the forest around me coming to life as the trees began pulsing. The forest floor became a network of tunnels each with a steady stream of water flowing through them towards the trees. In front of me, I saw Ken engulfed in beautiful dancing flames, while Karl was wrapped in a gentle swirling whirlwind. Looking beyond, I saw two pure black holes of nothingness with black smoke pooling out of them. My loathing continued to blossom, though by now it had become pure energy encasing all of me till it was all I could feel. It didn't stop.
I struggled to control its blossoming, struggled to prevent it from seemingly bursting through every part of my body. Hoping, desperately that it would cease. I could no longer sense anything. My sharpened eyesight had been replaced by a swirling mix of the richest forest green and the clearest ocean blue. The forest floor had disappeared from below my feet. Murmuring voices surrounded me, calling my name, pulling me towards them.
I ran.
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As always, comments/feedback would begreatly appreciated =) I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm trying to pick up the pace a little, and I'm sorry if the story falls a little flat in this chapter... I think I'm losing my touch a bit
But, I promise you it gets better!! (Well, it does in my head at least...)
Also, I'm not too sure about the title for this chapter... so if you have any suggestions, I'd be more than happy to change the title!
Have a great weekend! I'll post again soon!
xx