The Dog-Keeper (#Wattys2016)

13-Come To Terms

"All the world's asleep, in this forest deep

Snuggled up with those they love

Until the sun comes up"

-All The World's Asleep - Lullaby

BRENT'S POV:

I was riding a pegasus. We were up in the sky, high above the clouds. There was no sound except the rushing wind and the beating of the pegasus' wings. I looked around and noticed that we were dropping in altitude. We got close to the clouds and I squinted to see people standing on it. I could see them waving to me and I hesitantly waved back. As we dropped closer, I realised that they weren't greeting me, something was wrong and they were trying to alert me. I spotted Becca, Kira and my dad in the crowd. I tried to say something but I couldn't make a sound. Suddenly my dad's voice rang in my mind, loud and clear, "Wake up!"

I sat up and my head hit something hard. "Ow." I winced and cleared my eyes. My dad was sitting on the floor, rubbing his head. "When did your head get so hard?" he asked as he stood up. I grimaced and pushed myself out of the camping bed. "Was the situation bad last night?" Dad asked. How did he know? That was the first thought that came to my head. Then I noticed that he was looking at Kira (who was still fast asleep). "Oh. No, it was fine. She wasn't that drunk." I said. "Alright then. Wake her up. I've left her some water and aspirin. Once you both are ready, come downstairs. We'll have breakfast together." Dad smiled and left the room, pausing to only mutter about the mess on my study table. I rolled up the camping bed and stowed it back in the cupboard. Then I went to wake Kira up.

She was fast asleep. Her hair was still curly at the ends and her make up was all over her face, but in that moment, she looked as beautiful as ever. Somewhere during the course of the night, she had turned from her side to her stomach, but her hands were still hidden under the pillow. One leg was outside the blanket while the rest of her body was snugly covered. Her eyelids fluttered as she dreamt. I hated to wake her, but it was needed. I needed to know if she remembered anything from last night. "Kira." I whispered, but she kept sleeping. I poked her arm to no avail. "Kira. You need to wake up." I said and shook her shoulder. She frowned and snuggled her shoulder, but I kept going until she finally opened her eyes. She looked around and I whispered, "Good morning." Kira's hand came up and hit my nose with alarming speed. "Ouch! What is wrong with you woman?"

"Where am I?" she asked as she sat up. "You're in my house. Party, Mabel...do you remember anything?" I asked her as I rubbed my nose. "Oh right. I'm sorry I hit you." Kira said softly. "Are you?" I asked sarcastically. Kira frowned. "Well you should know better than to push your face towards someone first thing in the morning." she said defensively. "I-I did not- I did not push my face into anything!" I was outraged. Kira held her head in her hand. "Do you have any aspirin?" She groaned. "Yeah. It's right there. Next to you." I got off the bed and walked towards the door "Come downstairs when you're ready. Dad and Becca want us to have breakfast together." I said and waited outside the room.

I waited almost twenty minutes before shouting at her to hurry up. Becca came upstairs with a bag in her hand and asked me why I was waiting outside the door. "Kira's taking ages to get ready." I grumbled and Becca smiled at my annoyance. "It's a good thing if she's still getting ready. I have her clothes here." Becca gestured to the bag and knocked on the door. "Kira? Could you please let me in?" Becca asked and the door unlocked itself. Becca entered the room the door was locked before I could even say anything. I sighed and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Dad was downstairs, toasting bread. I was hesitant to enter, in case he brought up yesterdays fight. However, he smiled at me and told me to go help him with breakfast. "Crazy night, huh Brent?" Dad asked me as he placed a few strips of bacon on the pan. "Yeah, pretty crazy." I grinned and inhaled the amazing smell of bacon being fried. Dad continued to fry the bacon and I started with the coffee. I figured that Kira would need that. Becca came downstairs with Kira right behind her. I couldn't help but ogle at her attire.

She wore a dark blue top with long sleeves that covered her arms. She paired that with a black high-waist skirt that came upto her knees. Her hair was tied into an elegant knot at the top of her head. Her face was clear of any make-up, contrary to last night, when it was smudged all over her face. Kira looked pretty uncomfortable in those clothes. Her eyes locked with mine and she made a face. "Why are you dressed like that?" I asked, trying hard to hide my laughter. "Mabel has decided that she wants to stay home for lunch too." Kira muttered as she lowered herself into a chair. I took a seat beside her. Becca gave each of us a plate, which had three slices of bread, bacon, scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes.

"You guys have gone all out today." I remarked as I picked up my fork. "Yeah. This looks amazing. Thank you." Kira smiled as dad set a cup coffee in front of both of us. They got their plates too and we all dug in. Jasper trotted into the kitchen and gazed at Kira who immediately gave him a piece of bacon. "I'll get his food." I said and got up. I filled Jasper's bowl with dog food and added the extra bits of meat for him. I cautiously set it down in front of him and went back to my seat.

Kira's presence had completely altered the mood in the house. Breakfast was full of lively chatter instead of a cold, silent meal that the three of us shared. Kira told us more about Mabel and how Marley and Jonas were not allowed inside the house while Mabel was there. Emma had to serve them food outside. Becca told us about her latest project and how if she did well, she could win a trip to the Bahamas. Dad just spoke about sports and cars, which none of the ladies were too keen on. When everyone looked at me, I told them about how I had managed to get over my fear of Jasper. While dad and Becca looked happy, Kira squeezed my hand and gave me a proud smile. "I told you that you would fall in love with him." Kira whispered to me as dad changed the topic again.

After breakfast, Kira helped me clear the table while dad and Becca got ready to go to work. As I set our coffee mugs in the sink, I asked Kira, "Do you remember anything from last night?" My heart pounded as she thought about it. "I remember closely missing Mabel, meeting the twins, and Mason setting me down in the car. I guess I passed out, because I remember nothing from the ride. I do remember you and me talking, but I don't recall what it was about." Kira said with a frown. "Oh." I said and concentrated on the mugs. "Why? Was it something important?" Kira asked hesitantly. I suddenly felt irritated and said, "Yeah, it was." I set the mugs aside and left the kitchen. "Brent!" I could hear Kira calling me, but I couldn't stand the idea of her not remembering the kiss. I guess whatever spiritual power I had prayed to was mocking me.

I went to the backyard and sat behind the large tree growing in the corner, hiding me from the view of anyone in the house. I went back inside after an hour, with the intention of talking to Kira, but she was gone. I took a deep breath. I had to tell her, otherwise I would go crazy. Becca was in the kitchen and she saw me heading out. "Where are you going Brent?" she asked me. "Kira's place." I said, putting on my shoes. "I need to talk to you." Becca said and I sat on the couch opposite her. Dad had left some time ago. "Brent, last night around quarter to four, I had come upstairs to check on Kira. Your bed was empty. I went downstairs to look for you. Your bike was missing from the garage. Where were you, so late?" Becca asked me, seriously. My breathing hitched. I was in trouble.