Neverswan

Chapter Sixteen | Kaylessa

i luv you all to the people who actually reads this (I'm talking to that one person XD) and I hope you enjoy this chapter <333 happy reading, oh yeah, and I drew the banner :D

—caly

Being in a group with Keryn was torture. Every little thing he does provoked her anger, and she had no control when she lashed out at him. It wasn't Keryn's fault. It was the fact that he was infuriating.

He acted like her dad. Exactly like her dad before he fell into grief. She couldn't help but get mad at the fact that her dad is gone and was replaced with a fake version. She couldn't exactly yell at her dad though. He would break.

It had been one day since Viessa assigned their groups, and Kaylessa's anger was just starting to settle. The group had decided to meet at her house to debate the murders of Alina and Alden after Viessa had dismissed them. She plopped down on her couch, propping her feet up on the arm of the chair, and took out her sketchbook. She let her anger take control of her and she drew as therapy.

She furiously scribbled across the page creating a drawing that looked a lot like her father smiling. Her mouth tightened, but she kept adding more details, including his old laugh lines that had seemed to disappear during the years.

She left her door open for Esarae but didn't realize that Keryn might get there earlier. He suddenly peeked over her shoulder breathing down her neck and she stiffened.

"What are you drawing?" he asked. Kaylessa slammed her notebook shut and whirled around to face him grinning at her. She remembered when her dad used to ask about her drawings all the time. She would always show him, but the fact that Keryn asked made her grit her teeth. Insufferable prick.

It's not the fact that he asked, that would've been fine, but his facial expression when he asked sparked her anger.

"None of your business," Kaylessa hissed as she threw the sketchbook into her open bedroom down the hall. She sat up and crossed her arms. She moved her legs to sit criss-cross style and glared at Keryn as he took a seat in front of her. She grinned mentally as she realized where he sat. Exactly in the place where she throws her bag every time she comes home.

"Why do you hate me so much? I only met you a couple of days ago," Keryn asked as he picked at his shirt. Because you remind me of my dad. Because you remind me of what I lost.

Kaylessa glared at him, aware of Esarae walking into the room.

"Hey, guys!" Esarae exclaimed, trying to break the tension in the room. She dropped down next to Kaylessa and placed her bag on the arm of the chair. She cleared her throat and tried to start a conversation. She was acting like a buffer between her and her brother.

"So! Kaylessa, have you ever been to the death scenes?" Esarae asked. Kaylessa turned to her, finally aware that none of them realized she had been in the Neverseen.

"Uh, yeah, I have," Kaylessa said carefully. Keryn's eyebrows rose up in question, but she ignored the pang that went through her at the familiar expression. She carefully put on a mask of ignorance trying not to react to anything Keryn ever did.

Esarae's eyes widened, "What did you see?" Kaylessa grimaced as she described the blood and gore. By the end of her retelling of the scenes, both twins were cringing. And she hadn't even brought up the bodies.

"Alina and Alden were both stabbed in the gut with a dagger. It was shoved to the hilt and—" Kaylessa mimed jabbing something in her stomach but was cut off by Keryn holding up a hand.

"How are you not feeling anything?" Keryn asked as he noted her eyes were not brimming with tears. Kaylessa dropped her gaze, not deeming to answer. It also seemed that they didn't know about her mom.