Worlds of Waves and Shadows

Nineteen

Kaenisa sat in the cab that Zaira must have booked while she was....with Zaic, bawling her eyes out for reasons unknown and scarily vague to her. She didn't know who to feel or what to say about what had happened back there.

She had mumbled an apology, too disoriented to face the boy Kaenisa had just confessed that she was a murderer to. She just had to get away from there and him, of course.

How could she face him after clinging to his shirt and shedding two bucketfuls of tears? Kaenisa just could not.

What scared her most though, was what she had seen. There was no way to explain why Kaenisa had witnessed herself driving a sword through someone's heart.

She shuddered at the memory, feeling the weight of his gaze from across the car.

It had been quite astonishing when the cab had pulled up, and one look at her friends' faces had told her they felt the same way.

The cab looked a lot like the cars back home. Normal. Well, more like a celebrity-limousine-normal, but it wasn't what she had anticipated.

"You know, I was expecting the flying saucer thingie." The platinum blonde had said, to which Kaenisa had responded by mumbling something she did not recollect.

She had to admit, the inside of the car had indeed left her speechless, especially grateful for the luxurious interior with enough room to stretch her legs and maintain a comfortable distance from Zaic, who had taken the seat opposite to hers.

And now, she avoided his lavender gaze as if her life depended on it.

He had run after Kaenisa, calling out her name. And as much as she wanted to turn around and bury her face in his neck, it was something her pride wouldn't allow.

Zaic had eventually caught up with her, grabbing Kaenisa's wrist and pulling her to a halt.

"What the hell just happened? Are you hurt? Talk to me Kaenisa!"

A single tear had trickled down her face, "I don't know. But I don't think you have the right to ask me that." She had whispered, watching his eyes darken as he reluctantly let go of her.

That hurt more than she had anticipated it to.

Kaenisa had caught up with the others, halting as she beheld her friends, laughing.

Ever since they had met, it was the first time she had seen them smile like that. Free of all the worries that weighed them down, even if it was just for a little while.

So, she had schooled her face into neutrality, wiping away her tears, hoping they wouldn't know that she had been bawling her eyes out a few minutes ago.

Then, she had stepped out of the park and onto the sidewalk, bracing herself.

"Kaenisa! Where were you?" The platinum blonde had begun with her endless inquiries before pausing, "Wait. Have you been crying!?" She asked, squinting her cobalt-indigo eyes.

'Well, fuck.' Kaenisa remembered thinking.

All eyes had turned to her, anxious and concerned.

"No, I just-" She had begun, struggling to come up with a believable lie.

"I think we can safely establish that she is allergic to the Veridian Lilies by the Lake." Zaic had asserted, coming up behind her.

"I see." Zaira had nodded thoughtfully, "Well, bad for you."

"Aw, you poor thing!" Sarina had cooed as if she were a baby, something which Kaenisa had found highly preposterous.

"Thanks." She had whispered into Zaic's ear before stepping into the car.