Caelum.
"I do not know what he looks like." The lie slipped out of my mouth easily because to , it was better than having to recount all the facial features of a man whom I had watched die. "All I can rember is that he was handso. Very handso..."
I let my voice trail off as she lted even more into my body. But just when I was beginning to enjoy her warmth a little too much, she leaned away and crossed her arms over her chest, letting her hardened expression return to her face one more ti.
I gulped. "If you would ever stop to think about it, and I an, really think about it, then you would realize that this is all Malakai’s fault. I am not one to bla anyone but in this case, I cannot help but bla My father for making us—"
"Can we not talk about it?" Leilani cut in, interrupting , and at first, I thought that this would be the part where she asks to leave.
But she doesn’t.
Instead, she whispered; "I do not wish to talk about it here or now."
"Okay."
"And I am really thankful that you took your ti to, you know, co here to talk to ..."
"You should know that I would always do that or anything I feel would make you feel better."
"So you should also understand my need to be away from you and your brothers, right?" She asked, and goddess, I could swear that I heard my heart shatter when she asked that question.
I didn’t know how to respond, especially with my heart beating so fast. Even my voice was suddenly lost and I found myself swallowing thickly just to smoothen out the bile now forming in my throat... all to no avail.
She continued; "I cannot bring myself to look at you and see past it right now. I cannot even look at my mother either, knowing fully well that she’d hidden sothing of this nature and magnitude from for so long. I have thought about it and I have co to a conclusion that I do not hold any grudges against you or your brothers. I do hold so grudges but they are directed at your father and my mother’s husband..."
"So what do you an?" I rasped, hating the way I sounded like a scared puppy but hating the thought of losing her more.
"What I an is; I want you all to stay away from . I do not wish to be around you all anymore. This entire city has hurt beyond asure, and I need to leave, and to leave all of these behind."
As soon as I heard those words, I felt my heart turn to stone. A strange kind of panic rushed through my veins, almost rendering immobile.
I tried to decipher what she was driving at even before would say the words, but the more I tried, the more antsy I beca. I looked away. "Leilani—"
"I have decided to move out of New York City."
She dropped that bombshell like it was nothing when in truth, it was more than enough to sweep off my feet.
And yes, it did sweep off my feet as I staggered backward, almost falling to the ground. My heart literally sorsaulted in my chest as soon as I heard it too, and I found myself gasping for air but unable to breathe.
"But we could make it up to you!" I cried in a voice I barely recognized. "You don’t age to leave! I understand that you are hurt but you don’t have to—"
"What could you possibly do to make it up to ?" She snarled, her voice small yet cold. "Can you bring back the dead? Can you make unfeel all I have felt?"
I gulped. "I cannot, and that’s why I intend to pay back what is owed!" I snapped, ignoring the way she looked at like I was crazy.
"Caelum—"
"I intend to die, to be killed like he was killed as a payback for what happened. But first, I would be branded a thief and a traitor... and—"
"You will do no such thing!" Leilani yelled so quickly, goosebumps spread across my skin. "That is madness, Caelum!"
"It isn’t!" I began to say but stopped when the door was suddenly pushed open and Frostclaw stepped in, his eyes wild and nostrils flaring as he snapped;
I was mad at him for walking in especially at a ti like this, and was especially mad when I realized that he didn’t even seem sorry for barging in on us.
He seethed; "Leilani, I agree."
"Agree to what?" I asked in confusion, glancing between him and the confused looking girl standing in front of .
Leilani seed like she was about to comnt like but then slowly, very slowly... it began to look like the realisation of the aning of his words had started to dawn on her. She gasped.
"You would let transfer?!"
Transfer?
To where? To what?
He nodded once then turned to shoot a glare. "Yes," he said coldly, "...even if you choose to go to Africa, I’ll let you."
For a mont, I didn’t exactly believe the words I was hearing. I didn’t fully grasp the gravity of what was happening right in front of ; And when I did, I nearly imploded with rage.
My heart broke.
"Leilani..." I began to say, but stopped when I realized that the person in front of was no longer the vulnerable girl who had only been here a few seconds ago.
This was a different entity entirely. A more closed up version of the girl I have been talking to for the past few minutes.
She smiled, but not at — at Jarek Frostclaw— and said; "Thank you, I’ll start processing my transfer docunts now."
—
By the ti I arrived ho and relayed the news I’d gotten today to my brothers, they were disheartened. To them, it felt as though their lives were about to co to an end, but for , I did not feel that way.
And that’s not because I wasn’t feeling sad— goddess, I was. It was because I was worried about sothing else. I was worried about the girl I had found hiding away in the parking lot before I drove off.
—The girl who vaguely looked like Keisha with her pink and blonde hair and whose eyes had shone with a kind of maniacal gleam I’d only seen on her.
This thought made turn to Zevran and lowering my head, I asked; "Did you ever hear anything about that nutcase from Frostclaw’s pack, Keisha?"
At the sound of my words, he sighed, shook his head and muttered; "No. I only heard that she was banished by Frostclaw. He may have threatened her into keeping her distance or sothing, I’m not sure. But why are you asking?"
"Nothing." I said quickly— a little too quickly. "I only saw soone who looked like her today."
And I hoped to the goddess and beyond that my mind had simply played tricks on ...
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