The First and Last Kiss (4 page)

“ – put a lid on it, Isaac. I’m sick of your false praise,” she snapped, pushing her maroon, thick, horn-rimmed glasses further up the bridge of her nose.

“But I thought you liked that sort of thing. Sucking up,” he grinned. “Or is it only acceptable when you’re the one doing it?”

“I love people sucking up to me,” she smiled through her rapidly blinking eyes and thick green lipstick, “but I would hardly consider you a person. Something between a virus and a deformed toad is more precise.”

“Yet I’m still on the evolutionary chain. There’s hope for me yet. Oh, Morrigan!” Isaac pretended to swoon as he pranced around her with clasped hands. “Your compliments are like the kiss of snowflakes upon the cheek.”

“That wasn’t even remotely intelligent.”

“So, what do you want?” Aidan said bluntly, crossing his arms. “Ms. Head of the Discipline Squad. Here to follow up on some rumors?”

“Are they rumors, Aidan?” she asked, leaning close to his face. “Considering every single person present at that presentation is ready to testify against you?”

“Oh, is that how many people I have to kill tonight?”

“You’re not funny.”

“Murder never is.”

“You have a subpoena for tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.,” she said, handing him a folded packet of paper. Isaac whistled at the size. “I assume you know where the Squad’s chambers are located.”

“You assume wrong. I’ve never been there in my entire life.”

“And afterwards, I can tutor you in the library on proper use of the Obsidial language. It can help with whatever…backwards, wild man grunting thing that’s dribbling off your lips.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not green,” he said, gagging at her lipstick. She gave a false smile, her cheekbones raised as high as they could go.

“Language doesn’t have a color, imbecile. See what I mean about having to tutor you?”

“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned us getting together,” Aidan raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“I would rather choke on my own vomit,” she said with an up-curled lip. “And I would never do such a thing as to taint my reputation.”

“Taint?”

“Do you even know the meaning to -” she turned to Isaac. “Can you please enlighten your dense friend here?”

“Enlighten? What poetic enunciation is this?” Isaac batted his eyes. “Perhaps the lady cares to educate this backwards gent on the particulars. You know green happens to be my favorite color.”

“Go jump off a bridge,” Morrigan said flatly. She shoved them aside and headed back towards the village center where the crowd was enjoying themselves. Both of them couldn’t help staring at her strange, multi-layered clothing ensemble and bouncing pink pigtails as she walked off.

“For you I would but I can’t leave this place!”

“You think that’s her natural color?” Aidan asked, but Isaac ignored him.

“Her speech loses some of its bite everyday,” Isaac sighed. Aidan unfolded his arms and glanced at him. He didn’t know what to think of their strange relationship. Sometimes he was sure Isaac was in love with her, and then in the next second, it couldn’t be anything but loathing. What went on in that head of his?

“All of Lowsunn knows I’m not going to that hearing,” Aidan declared out loud. Isaac nodded in agreement as he continued staring off in the direction Morrigan had disappeared.

“She knows too, but it’s part of the job description. Has to keep up a good standing for the higher-ups. She is the only villager our age to gain their favor. She probably has an exemption.”

“Ugh,” Aidan gagged. “Then who would want to be here a moment longer? I’ll never understand women like her.”

“You don’t understand women, period.”

“Oh, and you’re one to talk!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You drive me nuts every time I see the two of you interact,” Aidan shook his head. “Your eyes study her whenever she walks by like she’s a new species, but then your lips say otherwise.”

“I’m maintaining my distance until I’m sure of who she is, that’s all. I know what I’m doing. Unlike you.”

“Are you talking about Leah again?”

“You said her name. Not me.”

“I know her well enough,” Aidan said, glancing away and re-folding his arms.

“Oh?”

“We have a class together. Woodworking.”

“Right. I’ll make sure to check the roster and see if it exists.”

“We were partners. The teacher put us together. She made me a practice sword.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I didn’t say that. I just suspect there’s more to the story than you’re willing to admit. Don’t you remember who you’re talking to?”

“Right,” Aidan said, closing his eyes. “The last thing I need is to be thrown on your radar. I don’t know what’s worst. Being a part of your conspiracies or listening to them.”

“I would say listening, because then we can work together. We’ve yet to figure out the mystery of the disappearing chocolate cake.”

“I already told you,” Aidan sighed, slapping his forehead. “The head of the dining commons ate it whole.”

“But she’s so nice.”

“
She’s fa
t
,” Aidan stressed. “And noticeably fatter after the incident.”

“That’s stress from the job.”

“For someone who’s paranoid, you sure are willing to dismiss those you like.”

“She could be pregnant.”

“Yeah, you go ahead and ask her.”

“I’m a gentleman. I wouldn’t think of it.”

“Uh-huh. Or is it because she gives you the leftover cookies after hours?”

“You saw that?”

“Now who’s part of a conspiracy?”

“At least you’re not,” he smiled. “You’re not on my radar…yet.”

“Lucky me,” Aidan said as he began heading inside the cabin. “Lucky me.”

*              *              *

The nightmare was more vivid than usual, and what made it worse was that for the first time, Aidan couldn’t wake himself up. He was back home again, falling out of bed over the piercing screams he heard coming from outside. He thought it was all a figment of his imagination, that he had just conjured it up in his sleep, but the shrieks didn’t let up. Disoriented, he staggered to his tiny, clay hut window, and scanned the area.

His neighbors were outside his window.

And they were on fire.

Aidan rushed out through the open door, so concerned with the plight of his neighbors that he didn’t even think of whether his parents and little sister would be okay. They had been outside the safety of their home on an expedition.

As soon as his feet hit the dirt, however, he was paralyzed.

The sky had turned a blood red. The clouds, a lightning blue; and a sickly yellow rain drizzled from the heavens, slowly corroding the clay of their homes and withering their bountiful harvest. Aidan stepped back inside as soon as he realized the effects of the yellow rain, but it didn’t appear to affect his skin any more than regular water did. Still, he took off his shirt and wrapped it in a turban around his head for protection, then rushed back out and searched for a solution to the fires. A way to save his people.

Water, sand, blankets – nothing worked.

And as he watched them all stumble and fall, barely even twitching once they hit the soil - he wondered why he was the only one not afflicted. He felt like throwing up, and the only thing that prevented him was the sudden boom in the distance, sounding as if the planet itself had just cracked in half. He ran to the source, past the smoldering clay huts and the recently deceased until he hit the edge of what was once his home, now just a land of fertilized soil, sitting atop the second mountain of Tilkin.

A firestorm was coming towards him, rolling across the adjacent mountains and valleys with a mix of thunder, flames, sand, and destruction. Aidan stayed frozen in fear as it approached with a deafening roar. Nothing he did could save him. His fate would be no different than those of his people.

And he didn’t mind at all.

He closed his eyes as he felt his skin begin to singe and crackle, the hairs on his arms and head already gone. He winced and grit his teeth through the tears, accepting his certain fate when unexpectedly…

A voice asked him a question.

“What do you wish for right now?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the sole survivor of Quinn spoke.

“I wish I was protected from the fire!” he cried aloud.

Just as the firestorm descended upon him, he screamed, not over the incoming storm, but the intense ripping sensation that came from his right arm. Three seals appeared in an instant. Two illuminated, signifying wishes yet to be granted, and one dark – blackened over the words he had just uttered. He had no time to examine the symbols. The pain in his arm was too great. All he could do was roar within a cloud of mixed emotions as the firestorm engulfed him, destroying his village, his friends, and everything he had ever loved within seconds, leaving no trace behind. As if his life had never existed.

He screamed and screamed and at one point, he went mad.

But then it was over.

The storm subsided, vanishing into thin air as if it had achieved its sole purpose…and only Aidan remained amidst the smoking ruins. Two tornadoes of fire, as small as bracelets, circled his wrists at an increasing rate of speed, but he wasn’t looking at them or the devastation at his feet. He couldn’t contain his rage any longer.

It erupted like a solar flare and in an instant, everything within a five mile radius was reduced to flat land, mountains and all. The village of Quinn and the mountains of Tilkin were wiped clean from Obsidian.

Aidan barely survived the fall from the mountaintop as it crumbled beneath his feet like an avalanche. Even after he awoke, all he could do was breathe in the soot, and cough, and swear.

What had happened to his people…his village – it could not have been an act of nature. Nature had been a catalyst, but it was surely not the cause. Red sky? Yellow rain? No, this was a biological attack of some sort. And someone had definitely spoken to him before the firestorm had arrived. That voice…that voice would know what had happened to his people.

It would know who was responsible for their deaths.

It would know who had to die by his trembling, eager hands.

Chapter 2 – Bailey

A cry shot through his nightmare and startled him awake. The moment he came to, Aidan realized just how real his dream had felt. The room around him was ablaze, a wall of flames writhing up against every bare wall and lapping at the ceiling with its forked, devilish tongues. Leah stood in front of the bed with her hands clasped and head bowed, muttering inaudibly. In an instance, a ring of ice shot out from the carpet and in a single motion, snuffed out the fire, giant ice spikes replacing each of the flames. The large ice spikes cracked once they touched the ceiling and steam erupted from the tips. Leah muttered again, and they shattered and spilled all over the floor, the water slowly leaking through the floorboards and into the dirt below them.

She leapt forward onto the bed to avoid the cold water on her bare feet and landed right on Aidan’s leg. As soon as she heard him wince, she turned around, and leapt playfully onto his bare chest without mercy. He had to catch his breath, but her playful attack let him know that she was fine. And really, that was all that mattered.

She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head into his neck as he grit his teeth. The touch of her fingers on his bare chest nearly made him shriek – he still wasn’t used to the burning chill her body maintained after using her abilities.

“Did I do it again?” he whispered in the dark once the cold subsided. He could feel her eyelashes brush against his skin as she opened and then closed her eyes.

“It wasn’t that bad,” she replied, her voice soft and distant, her breath chilled and crisp like winter. Already she was beginning to fall back asleep. Was she used to his nightmares already?

“Do you think anyone noticed?” he asked.

“There’s no way everyone slept through that, but we’ll worry about it tomorrow.” He looked down at her and admired her long and fine icy blue hair, which had now taken on a silver tint in the lunar streaks of light that were streaming in through the window behind them. “You weren’t worried last time,” she yawned. “What makes tonight so different?”

“I have to go before the Discipline Squad tomorrow,” he said. Leah practically catapulted off him and sat up on the bed. She crossed her legs and gave him an intense glare, though as always, it didn’t have the effect she intended. Her gorgeous, mesmerizing eyes were incapable of any kind of real anger. They maintained their innocent shine and infant wonder that he longed to find again in his own. But it didn’t matter. As long as her innocent eyes were always there to gaze into, he was satisfied by how happy his reflection looked within them. He was tired of seeing his reflection when in front of a mirror, clothed in rage all the time.

“The Discipline Squad? What for?” she asked, forming two long chopsticks made of rock in the palm of her left hand. She used them to wrap her hair up into a bun as he continued.

“You didn’t hear about what happened at the schoolhouse?”

“That was you?” she asked in disbelief, scooting forward on the bed. The creak it made wasn’t loud, but whenever it made that sound, he was sure someone had woken up in the room next door. “Wait,” Leah said, cupping her chin in thought. “That means you have three strikes. What happens now?”

“I might get kicked out,” he said, admiring her smooth olive skin. Her beauty was making him feverish. How come he wasn’t used to it yet?

“But you still have two seals. They’re not going to let you leave with those.”

“So I keep hearing,” Aidan said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Which means if I’m kicked out, I’ll be leaving before they get the chance to take my seals.”

Leah cast her eyes to the sheets and sighed. “I’m not ready to go, Aidan. It’s too soon.”

“I understand,” he said, leaning back against the head board. “Your parents controlled your entire life, even before Advent. You barely got to see the outside world afterwards, and even now, all you hear about are the horrible things that go on out there. But they’re exaggerating.”

“You told me yourself that it’s dangerous.”

“It is,” he said, sitting up to face her better. “But it’s also the most heavenly and elegant thing you’ve ever seen. There will always be bad people, but we put so much focus on what the bad people are doing that we forget about the good. What people create out there when they’re unrestricted – it would take your breath away. The people here do okay, but it’s nothing compared to seeing a hundred people gathered together, working on the same project. Think about it. I’ve seen cities made of glass erected before my very eyes, oceans placed permanently in the air, clouds turned into the perfect soil.”

She grimaced. “That last one doesn’t soun
d
to
o
appealing.”

“Okay, but you get what I’m saying. The list goes on and on. Do you understand why I want out of here so badly?”

“But you could have left years ago,” she said. “So what made you stay? Scared of the policies in place?”

“You mean the one where if I leave without permission, I’ll be killed? No,” he laughed. “If I was able to survive out there that long, nothing this place can do will harm me.”

“But they will come after us if we leave.”

“Let them come,” Aidan said, clasping her hands gently. “For all we know it’s a bluff. We never hear any news about those that ran off, whether they survived or not.”

“Then why are you still here? I’m curious.”

Aidan paused and studied her face. He could see that it had been on her mind for longer than just one night, but was it the right time to tell her everything?

“I still have something I have to do first.”

“Aidan…” she whispered. Tears began to fall and crystallize against her soft cheeks, and the way her lips pursed – he could tell that his response had hurt her, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. But he couldn’t tell her now. Not yet.

He reached forward and pulled her into his arms.

“I want to tell you,” he said. “I do. I promise I’ll tell you everything soon.”

“But you’re my husband,” she sobbed. The words brought a sensation, like a dagger going through his throat. He instinctively grit his teeth and fought against the lump in his throat. He couldn’t reveal how close she was to breaking his resolve.

“I know,” he managed to reply. “I know. I haven’t forgotten, but trust me when I say that this is the only thing between us that is still a secret, and it’s for a good reason.”

“Is this what adults mean when they say that our age is too young to get married?”

“First of all, no one even knows we’re married, so no one’s judging us. Second, they have no clue what they’re talking about. There are elderly couples who get married and separate. It’s not the age that matters, it’s the commitment, and I’m yours forever.”

“But you’re such a wild man,” she laughed, gently pushing him away from her. Though her face was still tear-stained, her jade green eyes were playful and forgiving. “You just do things on a whim. What’s to stop you from falling for someone else in the future?”

“When it comes to love,” he said with a straight face, “it takes a lot to warm my heart, but once it is, it burns only for the one who kindled it.”

“You’re so full of it,” she laughed, pushing him backwards onto the pillows. “How many times have you said that line to a naïve young girl?”

“Not a one,” he smiled, grabbing her wrists and pulling her on top of him. “And for the record, I don’t just want a girl. I want you.” He kissed her hard and she squeezed her thin arms tightly around his neck. After a few moments, she parted from his embrace and stared deeply into his hazel eyes, searching for something. He allowed her to explore his expression and take in every emotion that he felt for her.

To her, and to her alone was he exposed, and it was so strange by how comforting and free it felt when he was with her. Normally, one wrong word from anyone, human or beast, was enough to make him want to send them into an everlasting inferno, but for her, it was as if every wound had been healed, every dirty deed had been wiped clean, and the life he had once lived was not his – like it was just a recurring bad dream, or a story told to him so many times, he had taken it on as a memory.

He was not the most tactful or articulate man. He wasn’t nearly as strong as he wished he was, and he sure made plenty of mistakes, but he felt close to perfection in her presence. There was little wrong he could do in her eyes. Every act, no matter how heinous, had a reasonable explanation. She thought the world of him, and consequently, he was hers to do with as she pleased. He would transform himself for her, because he couldn’t bear the alternative. For her to see him as so many others did... No, that was unbearable.

“You really love me?” she asked finally, clutching the sides of his face. He tried to give her lips a peck, but she kept his head stationery, waiting for her prince’s answer.

“I would do anything for you,” he said. “And I love you so much that it makes my heart break when you’re not with me.” He meant every syllable.

“That’s just because you’re getting old,” she chuckled, letting him go. “It’s probably a stroke.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he smiled, grabbing her shoulders hard. She looked him up and down with a mischievous smile.

“Like you could stop me,” she said. “You know you’re just with me because you need protecting.”

“That,” he chuckled, “is exactly why I’m here. All that stuff I said about loving you – I rehearsed it in the mirror eight hours ago.”

“Eight hours ago you were threatening to kill everyone in Lowsunn.”

“Not you.”

“How thoughtful,” she said, giving him a peck on the lips. He leaned in for more but she grabbed the sides of his head again. “You know I can see right through you, don’t you?”

“I do,” he said.

“And you’ll tell me your secret as soon as you’re able?”

“Of course.”

“Okay,” she sighed, letting go and leaning back onto his chest. Once again he could feel her close her eyes and within a few minutes, her heavy breathing resumed. He adjusted his seating position slightly to make it more comfortable for her neck, then he began to stare out into the space around him. The sun was starting to dawn in the background, illuminating their surroundings so clearly that he could easily see the damage that had been done.

The walls had been scorched and the wallpaper was crispy and peeling. The little of what he could see of the floorboards was black, and the door still had small embers resting within its cracks. Though he was sure Leah didn’t look down on him for his outbursts, he did feel a little embarrassed. It was as if he had had a tantrum, and the destruction caused on the outside was far more damaging than if he had just dealt with it internally.

He looked down at his young wife, sound asleep, and placed a hand on her head. Even her hair was cool to the touch, as if she didn’t have an ounce of rage stirring within her. Perhaps he should consider taking her approach sometimes. Especially since he had been so painfully selfish.

The threats to Mr. Young, the strikes against him, the Discipline Squad, his outbursts, and the occasional damage done to the rooms in which he slept – what had it brought him but trouble? He had a reason to stay in Lowsunn, yet he was doing all he could to get kicked out. He thought nothing of Leah’s safety, he suddenly realized.

She knew nothing of the outside world. How could he ask her to leave with him when her life was already so concrete? What if she was killed the moment they left? What if she wasn’t happy? What if he got into a scuffle over something petty and died? Leaving her all alone? That would be far worse than if he had just sucked it up and finished out his last year.

There was no way he was going to allow the Elders to take his Yen, but he could at least take advantage of them until his inevitable departure came. Why couldn’t he enjoy the free shelter and amenities that he would have to work hard for once he was free?

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair. “I’ll think of another way.”

She moaned in her sleep, as if she had been reading his mind and was now agreeing with every word he said. Satisfied with his conclusion, Aidan settled further back and rested against the bed’s headboard. After a minute had passed, he fell asleep with a clear mind…

A Dawn of Heroes

Now Available!