Chapter Three: Of Horses and Secrets

Torin hadn’t realized how much she had missed the sent of a stable until she set foot in one for the first time in years. Kye smiled at her as they stood between the heavy doors that were propped open with two large stones. She was taking it all in, he could tell.

            “Do you ride?” he asked, glancing towards the horses that stood around the stable.

            “I used to.”

            “What happened?”

            She turned and gave him a look. “What do you think happened?”

            He reddened, cursing himself for his stupidity. “Sorry.”

            She shrugged. “Nothing to be sorry about. So can we ride, or did you just bring me here to stare?”

            Kye laughed. “Take Moren,” he nodded towards a midnight black stallion in the corner. “He only looks scary.”

            “I believe that’s not up for you to decide,” came a females’ voice from somewhere near the back of the stable.

            “Cori! You scared me half to death!” Kye shouted jokingly into the shadows.

            “Want me to do it again?” asked a dark skinned girl as she stepped out of the shadows.

            “Funny,” he mocked, turning to Torin. “Cori, this is Torin.”

            “So my baby brother’s finally got a girlfriend.” She smiled.

            “What?” they both asked, blushing furiously.

            Cori only winked. “Just teasing. For now anyway.”

            Kye rolled his eyes. “This is the infamous Cori, the owner of these fine horses and pretty much the supreme overlord of my entire life.”

            “I’m only two years older than he is, but if I didn’t take care of him, nobody would,” she punched his arm lightly.

            Kye just rolled his eyes. “Can we ride or not?”

            “You’re no fun,” Cori pouted. “But only if I can come with.”

            Kye shrugged. “Sure. Is that all right with you?” he asked, turning to Torin.

            She only nodded, too eager to speak.

            They quickly mounted, and as they rode out the door, Cori brought her chestnut mare close to Torin’s side. “So how’d you find him?” she asked, nodding to where Kye rode in front of them.

            “At a party last night,” she replied simply.

            Cori’s eyebrows disappeared into her dark bangs. “Kye? At a party? Are you sure?”

            Torin laughed. “I’m sure.”

            “But he hates parties.”

            “I figured that out. We met on the balcony when I went to get some air.”

            “How romantic,” Cori teased.

            “It’s not like that.”

            “But he wants it to be.”

            Torin turned to look at the older girl next to her. “How can you tell?”

            “Just the way he looks at you. It’s pretty obvious.”

            “I don’t even know if I want a relationship with anybody.” Torin argued hopelessly.

            “Doesn’t matter,” Cori shrugged. “He’s too big of a chicken to ask you out anyway.” She stuck her tongue out at the back of Kye’s head, and Torin giggled.

            “Are you two coming, or what?” he called back, as if on cue.

            The two girls sped up until they were at either side of him, putting the previous conversation behind them as they slowly made their way into the hills.

 

            Two days after their first journey to the stables, Torin went up to Kye’s front door, knocking sharply. She would go back by herself, but she couldn’t remember how to get there. It took a moment before the door was opened, but it wasn’t Kye who had answered. Instead was a boy who looked like him, but maybe a little taller, and with intense hazel eyes.

            He stared at her, studying her face. “You look familiar…” he started, staring at her hard. “You were at the party,” he said after a moment with what seemed to be embarrassment.

            Torin winced. He must have been the one who had called her ‘cupcake’. She wouldn’t have been so rude to him if she had known that he was Kye’s brother. “I’m sorry I got you sick…” she trailed off, looking down at her feet.

            “How did you know I got sick?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. The day after the party had been pretty much hell on earth for him, but how did she know that?

            “I kind of caused it,” she laughed nervously. “I’ll explain some other time. Is Kye here?” she asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

            “Yeah, come in.” He eyed her as she walked past him and took a seat in an old armchair by the window. How had his awkward brother managed to get a girl like that? He shook his head clear and walked into the bedroom at the end of the short hallway.

            How adorable. Kye was still sleeping, curled up into a little ball on top of the bed. Kyrill smiled. This was just too easy. Walking hurriedly but without a sound, he leapt on top of the sleeping half-lycan, successfully waking him from his slumber.

            “Morning!” he chirped with a fake joyfulness. “Your girlfriend’s here.”

            “I don’t have a…” Kye began before realizing what his twin had meant. “Shut up,” he stood up quickly and begun to change his clothes.

            “You want her to be.” Kyrill said, leaning back to sit on the bed.

            “But she isn’t my girlfriend.”

            “Yet.”

            Kye scowled. “You’re impossible.”

            “I’m right,” he smirked.

            He rolled his eyes and strode out of the room, leaving a smug Kyrill behind. Torin was waiting for him in the main room; she was sitting in an armchair, staring out the window. She looked up when she heard Kye’s footsteps echoing in the hallway. “Take me to the stables?” she asked, trying to contain her excitement.

            He laughed. “Sure. Cori could probably use some company,” he said, opening the door and waving her out.

            It only a fifteen-minute walk from his house to the stables, but Torin didn’t mind. She was beginning to enjoy human contact again, after the month or so it took her to get to Dritton. But at the same time, it was a little weird. She never really got along with people. Maybe this could be the exception. They walked most of the way in silence, which neither of them had a problem with. Silence didn’t seem uncomfortable to either of them.

            Cori was waiting for them when they arrived, as if she had been expecting them the whole time. “I thought you two might be coming. Did my baby brother have an episode yesterday?” she asked, looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

            Kye flushed. “It wasn’t my fault.”

            “What wasn’t your fault?” Torin asked.

            Cori looked between her and Kye, obviously confused.

            “I told her,” he said, turning to look at Torin. “It’s the whole lycan thing. I only turn when I’m extremely ticked, which happened last night. Sometimes I just wish Rill could learn to keep his mouth shut,” he rolled his eyes.

            “Oh. I’ll remember that. Wouldn’t want to be in any danger,” she joked.

Kye looked sad for a fleeting moment, but just as quick as it had emerged, it departed, and he was back to his happy self again. “Don’t worry about it.” He nudged her side with his elbow. “You ready?”

            She nodded, and once again they took to the trails.

            Torin kept coming back to the stables over the next week, and having memorized the pathway, she could now go by herself. Cori rode with her, and told her more than she needed to know about both Dritton City and Kye.  She could probably write a book on her ‘baby brother’.

            “Can I ask you a question?” Torin spoke up one afternoon as they rode together.

            “Sure.”

            “What happened to their parents?”

            “Whose? Kye and Rills’?”

            “Yeah. He never said anything to me.”

            “He doesn’t like to talk about it, I guess. Never brought it up with me either,” she shrugged.

            Torin let the matter go, but planned to ask Kye about it when the time was right. She had her own secrets that she could trade for his.

Author's Note

Changed! Kye has his own room now. :P

Reviews

[Skye]

I gotta admit, I love the names XD

[T. Logan]

I always go for unusual ones. It's fun!