Chapter Eight: Comforts

 

            The ball had ended abruptly after the ‘incident’, all the partygoers having gone back home. Kye seemed more disappointed that it was over than scared that nearly half of the population had disappeared in just one night.

            He walked Torin to her house, the two of them silent. Kyrill had stayed behind to talk with Nia, and Cori left for her own home. Kye kept glancing over at Torin as she walked, though she didn’t seem to take notice. She had receded deep into her mind, trying to figure out whom it was that had shown up that night, and what they were planning to do with the people they had taken. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand, it was the unknown. This was the biggest puzzle she had come across so far, and she made herself a promise that she was going to be the one to figure it out.

            “Torin?” Kye’s low voice broke into her thoughts.

            She looked up at him. “Yes?”

            “We’re here,” he replied, nodding over her shoulder.

            Torin turned around, realizing that they had reached her house without her even paying much attention to what direction they were going in or how long they had been walking for.

            “Tonight was kind of ruined, wasn’t it?” she asked, turning back to him.

            He smiled, looking sorry. “There’s always next year,” he pointed out.

            Torin shrugged. “I guess so. But you heard him, whoever he was. They’re all coming back for the rest of us anyway. So who knows where we’ll be by this time next year.”

            “Here,” he said simply. “We’ll be here.”

            She raised an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure?”

            He shrugged and flashed her a pointy-toothed grin. “I just know these things.”

            Torin rolled her eyes and smiled at him. “What else do you know?”

            “That’s a secret,” he replied with that same cheerful grin.

            She rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the fear that somehow kept sending shivers through her body. Kye noticed this almost instantly.

            “What’s wrong?” he asked, his smile now gone and replaced with worry.

            “I think I just need some sleep,” she lied to him, hoping he would buy it.

            “Well than what are you doing out here?” he asked, half joking. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

            She nodded in response, the wind blowing the bottom of her dress around her ankles.

            “Goodnight, Torin,” he said, brushing her shoulder before turning to go into his neighboring house.

            Torin sighed. “Good isn’t the right word to describe it,” she whispered to herself before pulling her own door open just wide enough for her to slip into. Closing it softly behind her, she was instantly surrounded in darkness, the only light coming from the soft glow of the moon shining through the little window in the living room. Reaching blindly to her right, she found the tiny light kept by the door and pulled the little string, switching it on. Using the dim light it gave off, she made her way to her bedroom and began struggling with her dress.

            The night hadn’t been a total loss. She had gotten to feel like she actually belonged for a moment, even if it was ended rather quickly. She had gotten to dance with Kye, however, and she smiled at the thought. He had held her so close; she could practically feel his heart pounding against his chest. When the dark figures had appeared, he only held her closer, as if his arms alone could save her. He didn’t know that she was fairly well trained in self-defense, but it was still sweet of him.

            Having finally reached the zipper of the dress, she pulled it down her back and moved to untie the ribbon before sliding off the gown and tossing it over the back of a chair. Pulling a large shirt and a pair of pants out of the dresser, she changed quickly before heading to the mirror to let her hair down.

            Cori had helped her with it, which had surprised Torin at first. She didn’t seem the type to know much about hair; but it ended up beautiful, the only downside being the number of clips and pins she had to take out. As the number of the little hair ornaments piled up on the desk below the mirror, panic began to set in. She was sure that there was one more clip, there had to be.

            Running her fingers through her hair, she couldn’t feel anything but her soft red locks. She swore under her breath. She had lost the one thing that actually mattered to her.

            Years ago, only a few weeks before her parents were taken from her, her mother had given her something she had owned when she was a teenager. It was a silver flower shaped clip, only meant to be worn on special occasions. It must have fallen out sometime at the ball. She had to get it back, and she wasn’t going to wait until morning.

            She strode out of her room to the front door, slipping on shoes before she hurried out into the warm summer night. Cursing herself for being so stupid, she hadn’t thought to bring a light, only adding to the self-hatred. She wasn’t even sure if she was going in the right direction. All she had was the memory of walking there and back earlier that night.

            It wasn’t hard to find; though everybody had long since left, the little lights that had been strung on the trees were still lit. She hurried onto the main ground of the field, scanning the short grass for her missing clip.

            “Looking for this?”

            Torin’s heart seemed to leap into her throat. She straightened up and turned, not recognizing the voice. All that could be seen was the face of a man, his eyes almost completely black, a hint of what could be a beard on his face. He smirked, holding her lost clip in one hand, twirling it around between his thick fingers.

            “Where did you get that?” she asked, trying to mask her fear.

            “Does that really matter? Don’t worry your pretty little head about it; I’ll give it back. On one condition.”

            “What do you want?” she asked, trying to threaten him with her voice.

            “Come with me.”

            “Why would I go with you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

            “Because if you don’t, your little boyfriend is going to pay for your mistake.”

            “You wouldn’t dare,” she spoke up, throwing her words at him like daggers, her right hand twitching with the urge to make a connection with his face. If she didn’t feel like violence wasn’t a way to solve problems, he would have been on the ground by now.

            “I think we both know I would.”

            Her eyes seemed to almost glow with anger, all past fear having left and being replaced with fury. “I swear, if you touch a single hair on his head, I’ll…”

            “You’ll what? Kill me? Please, we both know you aren’t going to do that.”

            “I will,” a third, slightly deeper voice came from the shadows.

            The man turned to look behind him, and Torin used that brief second to throw a well aimed punch to his jaw.

            “Where did you learn that?” asked Kyrill, springing out of the shadows and lunging onto the man.

            “Picked it up on the road,” she answered as Kyrill practically tore apart her aggressor. He had given up within minutes before running off into the woods, though making promises that he wasn’t done here.

            “You come back here and I won’t be so easy on you!” Kyrill shouted into the night. “Coward!” he brushed off the dirt from his now torn dress clothes, and looked up at Torin. “You alright?”

            She nodded and walked over to where the man had lie, the only evidence a small pooling of blood and her flower hair clip. He must have dropped it during the fight.

            “Why didn’t you do anything sooner?” he asked, watching her as she tried to wipe the blood off of a little silver clip.

            She shrugged. “I don’t like solving things with violence.”

            “It’s a pity. You’re pretty good at it,” he said, raising one eyebrow.

            Torin rolled her eyes and started walking home. “What were you doing out here anyway?” she asked over her shoulder.

            He hurried to catch up with her, falling into place by her side. “I like the peace of night.”

            “It wasn’t very peaceful,” she replied, running her fingers over the stones set in the clip.

            He chuckled. “It’s not usually like this.”

            Torin stayed silent, the words of the man replaying in her head as she walked. Had he meant what he said about Kye?

            “Are you alright?” he asked, for the second time in a matter of minutes.

            “What if he actually does it?” Torin asked quietly. “What if he actually takes Kye?”

            “He’s not going to,” Kyrill responded with such force that she almost believed him for a second.

            “You don’t know that.”

            “Yes, I do.”

            “What is it with you two?” she almost laughed. “Earlier tonight, Kye said he ‘knew’ that we would be here this time next year.”

            “I agree with him.”

            Torin rolled her eyes. “Do you think he’s still awake?” she asked as their houses came into view.

            Kyrill turned his head, furrowing his eyebrows. “Probably not. He’s a light sleeper though, if you want me to wake him.”

            “Can I do it?” she asked quietly.

            Kyrill nodded, pushing open the door to the old house. “Whatever makes you happy.” He waved a hand into the open doorway, letting her in before him.

            “Thanks,” she said quietly before stepping over the creaky floorboard and heading around the corner to Kye’s bedroom.

            The curtains were closed, and without the light, Torin wasn’t able to see very well. She didn’t have to though, knowing where the bed was from the last time she had been in the house.

            “Kye?” she called his name softly, shaking his shoulder until he woke.

            “Torin? You need to stop waking me up,” he replied groggily, turning over to face her.

            She just stared back at him, trying to remember every detail of him. If he was taken, she might never see him again.

            “What’s the matter?” he asked. Even in the darkness, he could tell she was upset.

            “I went back to the ball for my hair clip, the one my mother gave me.” Kye simply nodded. She had told him about the hair clip earlier that night. “A man was there, and he had found it. He wouldn’t give it back to me unless I went with him, and…” she paused, looking back over his features in the dark room. “He said if I didn’t do what he asked, that he was going to take you instead.”

            “But neither of us are going, are we?” he asked, undoubtedly fearful.

            Torin shook her head. “Kyrill fought him off,” she explained, leaving out the part about her punching the man; after all, there was no reason he should know.

            “So what’s the matter? He asked again, now sitting up in the bed.

            “He could still come back!” Torin nearly cried, worried for both herself and the half-lycan boy she knew she didn’t want taken.

            “Tor, nothing’s going to happen, he soothed. He reached out to her. “Come here.”

            She crawled into the bed next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder as he slowly lay back down.

            “Everything will be fine, I promise,” he said, pulling her against him. And I don’t break my promises.”

 

            Kyrill woke up the next morning with an ache in his right arm, undoubtedly from the fight the night before. He decided to see if Kye was awake, and find out what Torin had said to him. He didn’t get to ask, however.

            Upon opening the bedroom door, he was met with the sight of two figures lying on top of the blankets, legs intertwined. Torin’s head rested on Kye’s shoulder, and they were both fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, Kyrill left. He could tease them about this later.

Author's Note

It's a little longer than my other chapters (By about 500 to 700 words...), but I couldn't bring myself to cut anything. So here you go!

Reviews

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This is a really good story! I love it! Great writing :)