In the Heart of the Fire (a KOTLC fanfic)

Bonus Story

This bonus story is about Rayne and Zeke, how they met, their childhood friendship and Zeke's discovery of his heritage.

*****

It was the first day of Kindergarten. Rayne was slightly nervous but mostly excited. She was going to school! She had already picked out her outfit and with her stunning new look, she skipped into the building. No parent had to take her in!

She went to her classroom, finding it easily from the orientation the other night. Rayne's smarter than most kids and she knew it.

She easily found her name tag and plopped in her seat, skirt flaring beautifully. Slowly, the other kids started filtering in. Her table was full of bratty kids. Except this one kid. The kid seemed like a recluse. Dark hair, pale skin, dark eyes.

Oh yes... Rayne thought. We will be good friends.

One reccess later, they were inseparable.

Sometime in middle school...

Rayne was really upset so they called up their best friend, Zeke.

Without waiting for Zeke to say hi, they blurted. "Walk. Now."

Zeke wasn't given any time for a response. Rayne had hung up.

A couple minutes later they met in front of the woods. They knew the woods by heart. The woods were their stomping grounds, their safe place.

As soon as they set foot in the tree-lined land, Ranye spilled it. "I had a really bad day. Those jerks spew more trash than a landfill."

"You mean the Mean Girls?" The Mean Girls referred to the literal trio who ran the school. They always got the student council positions, organized the fundraisers, raised the most at said fundraisers and managed the whole cheer team as their main leader, Greta, was in fact the cheer captain. But when the adults aren't looking, they're the ones who trip the sixth graders in the hall or shove you out of your lunch table because it gets more sun than theirs. Today, though, their target was Rayne. Rayne had just recently came out as nonbinary and news travels fast in their small school. After seeing what happened when Zeke came out as trans, Rayne was less than eager to come out.

Their parents reacted kindly, accepting them as they are.

Greta and her gang, on the other hand, made sure to make Rayne's day a living nightmare. "Faggot" was their new favorite insult. Rayne tried telling them there was a difference between gay and nonbinary (not that she wasn't some flavor of fruity) but the Mean Girls just weren't having it.

"Yes, I mean those stuck-up stiletto wearing pricks."

"Those living sacks of crap come back from the dead."

Rayne knew what Zeke was doing. It was a game they played, a test of creativity. This time it was the most ingenious insult that wins.

"Those obsessive compulsive douchebags."

"Those botox drunk hyenas."

"Those incessant vowel buyers."

Zeke put a hand to his heart and fake-gasped. "Oh, that is cruel. You win."

Rayne smiled to themselves, feeling much better. They were glad they called on Zeke. That's what best friends were for.

Rayne looked over to tell Zeke so, but Zeke wasn't there. Rayne looked around, alarmed. "Zeke?" No response. "Zeke?!"

Rayne ran, looking behind trees. No Zeke. Where had he gone? Where could he have gone?

Hours later, Rayne was still sitting at the kitchen table, clutching the house phone, willing Zeke to be found. The police had to find him. They had to. Rayne stayed in that spot, not even moving to eat or drink, until the early hours of the morning when they could not keep their eyes open even a second longer.