Chapter Four: What Does Love Have to do With it?

           A small figure sat on the highest branch of an oak tree, red hair tumbling down her back. The tiny frame belonged to that of Torin, who sat in peace, swinging her legs out under her. She was deep in the woods somewhere outside of Dritton. Though only having been in the city for a little more than two weeks, she was already beginning to feel at home. She had never trusted anybody the way that she trusted the people here. Of course, she didn’t know that many people, but the few she did know were of the best kind. It made her feel safe, something she had never felt before.

            The sun had started to peek out through the trees, drenching everything in golden hues and making the whole area look absolutely stunning. She had come up here before sunrise, not wanting to run into anybody on the way. It wasn’t like she was trying to get away from people, but she wanted to be alone in the woods, with nobody knowing where she had gone. That wasn’t what she got however.

            In the silence of the early morning, branches were easily heard being snapped underfoot. Leaves rustled and a dark figure emerged, black against the bright rays of the newly risen sun. Torin pushed herself as far back in the trees as she could without falling out. She didn’t want to be seen by anybody. Besides, whoever this was could be dangerous.

            The shadow raised its head, and began sniffing the air. It sensed something out of the ordinary, and much to Torin’s horror, she realized that this was a mutant. She mentally scolded herself for not recognizing this sooner. Of course it was, this was Dritton City, after all.

            The dark silhouette paused with its nose still in the air, and looked up to where Torin was. No, not where she was, but directly at her. She had been spotted.

            “What are you doing up there?” came a low voice, both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

            Torin inched out of the branches a little, peering out over to see who was speaking. The sun still blocked her vision, she realized with frustration.

            “Torin, isn’t it?” the voice rose again. “Stay there,” it said, before disappearing.

            Torin had half a mind to leave. Why give this stranger the satisfaction of doing what he said? And how did he know her name? But she didn’t have much time to process this thought before the mysterious shadow was sitting on a branch next to her, staring at her with confusion.

            “Rill?” Torin asked, partly out of surprise. “What are you doing here?”

            A low growl sounded in the back of his throat. “I could ask you the same thing. And it’s Kyrill.”

            Torin looked down at her lap. “Sorry.” He may look like Kye, but he was a lot more frightening.

            “So?”

            She looked back up at him. “What?”

            He rolled his eyes. “What are you doing up here?”

            She shrugged, her red hair blowing softly in the wind. “I just wanted peace.”

            He laughed, though it wasn’t out of joy. “Sorry to ruin your fun.”

            “So why are you here?” she shot back. She didn’t really like Kyrill, that had begun the night of the party.

            “Same thing. A person can only take so much Kye,” he scoffed. Not hearing a reply, he decided to go on. “I suppose you wouldn’t know that though, what with being so in love and all.”

            “I am not in love with him!” she responded, more embarrassed than anything.

            “Please,” he said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “I’d have to be deaf and blind to not know how you two feel about each other.”

            “What are you talking about? And could you put that out please?”

            He took another huff. “Nope.”

            Torin sighed. Her perfect summer morning had been ruined by both this annoying lycan and his cigarette fumes.

            “What I mean is this,” he started up again.  “Kye won’t shut up about you. That’s part of the reason I left. Love and I do not mix well.”

            The redhead let her curiosity get the better of her. “Did something happen?”

            Kyrill inhaled again on the cigarette, holding it in for a few seconds before releasing a perfect ring into the warm summer breeze. “Do you really want to know?” he asked, hazel eyes meeting her blue.

            She nodded in silent response, and waited for him to begin.

            He took a deep breath. “When I was fifteen, I fell in love. At least, I thought I had. She was easily the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.” He sighed. “Evlyn.”

            The pause after this was so long that Torin wondered if he had forgotten. His eyes seemed distant, as if staring backwards into his own painful memories. Just as she was about to ask him if he was going to start up again, he did, his voice so quiet it was barely heard over the soft chirping of the blue jays in the trees.

            “She was half angel, which is part of the reason why I think I was so attracted to her. Perfect figure, sky blue eyes, golden hair, she was just… perfect. She loved me back, and for about four months, we were happy.” He took another drag on the cigarette. “She ended up leaving me for some demi-god,” he spat the word as if it burnt his tongue. “I assume you know what happens when lycans get ticked.” He looked at Torin and she nodded. “I took down three houses before Kye came to find me. As much as he annoys me, he’s really the only person who understands. That’s why this whole thing bothers me. The last thing I want is for him to get hurt.”

            Torin swung her legs back and forth, not really sure of what to say. What would happen if Kye did like her? Relationships weren’t her thing either.

            Kyrill looked at the girl sitting next to him, immediately sensing that something was bothering her. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he asked her.

            “Are you sure he likes me like that?” she asked, purposely not answering his question.

            “No,” he replied honestly. “But it sure seems like he does. And you like him too.”

            “So you came up here to make false accusations about my love life?” she asked, not even attempting to hide the distaste in her voice.

            “Who said it was false? Besides, what do you have against love?”

            She suddenly found the rough bark of the tree very interesting. “Nothing.”

            “Right,” he laughed that cold laugh of his again. “I told you what my problem was; now it’s your turn.”

            “But…”

            “It’s only fair.”

            Torin swore under her breath. This would require him knowing what she was, and that was definitely not a good thing. “Ever heard of an encantado?”’  He nodded, surprising Torin. “Some kind of mythical underwater creature right? Musically talented, attractive, can make people go insane?”

            “Yeah, and causes sickness.” She reddened. “That’s what I apologized for a few weeks ago; making you sick. My birth father was one of them.”

            He turned to look at her, one thick eyebrow raised. “So what does this have to do with love?”

            “The whole beauty thing. Think about it. No guy wants a girl just for her personality. All my relationships in the past have failed because they just wanted me for my looks.”

            Kyrill shook his head and tossed the burnt out cigarette to the dirt below. “Kye’s not like that; believe me, I’m the one who has to put up with him all the time.”       He jumped off the branch, landing with perfect balance on another just below where Torin still sat. “Need help, princess?” he asked, offering his hand.

            Torin rolled her eyes, but took it anyway. Being helped down by a complete jerk was still better than falling on her face. He smiled at her; not a caring smile, more like a triumphant smirk.

            “Do you trust me?” he asked, once they reached the ground.

            “Not really.”

            “Good,” he said turning to leave. “But don’t forget what I said about Kye. That was probably the only truthful thing I’ve said in a while.”

            As she watched him disappear into the dense clutter of trees, she began to wonder if what he said was true. And if it was, what was she planning on doing about it?

Author's Note

So after having writers block for what seems like forever, I produced this. Let me know what you think!

Reviews

[natalieanne]

this is probably one of my favorite books ive readd on here. Torin and kye's love is so realistic, and i really fell in love with the characters because of the secrecy and shyness surrounding the both of them. Im not very experienced, but if i had advice to give it would be to change torin 's initial reaction to seeing rill in this chapter. It doesnt quite match up to the last time they met, when they were both kind of sheepish over the way they acted the night before. I hope i could help, because i really do love this story. Great job!

[T. Logan]

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I try to have a new chapter at least once a week. I'm starting chapter five tomorrow.