Amity

Chapter 42: Kim's House

School seemed to zip by as Megumi, Dre, and Kim loaded into Megumi's car. Megumi didn't even try to hide the excitement on her face. Dre, on the other hand, was anything but excited. "I'm going to be honest, Kimmy. I'm a little worried about meeting your parents," Dre said hesitantly as Megumi sped out of the school parking lot. He looked at her with a cautious eye. "I'm sure that they're good people, probably even awesome people. I'm just not good at meeting parents."

Kimmy gave a bright smile. "Don't worry, Ke'Undre. I'm sure that they will love you. I mean, who wouldn't?" She gave a gasp as she turned back towards the front before Dre could notice her blushing. Megumi on the other hand, looked at her in the rearview mirror with a mischievous look in her eye.

Dre looked to be too focused on meeting her parents to notice her hesitation. "I can literally go through our yearbook and count the people on my fingers who actually tolerate me." He gave a heavy sigh as he raked his fingers through his hair. "I can already see what will happen once I see them. I'll say one word to your dad and he'll simply point to the door and say 'Get out of my house'," he said, pointing at an imaginary door. "Let's just get this verbal abuse over so I can go home and sulk for the rest of the day."

Kimmy giggled in her hand. "Where do you come up with these situations?"

"I have a sixth sense about things like this. Ask Megumi about how I predicted that we were aliens."

"You just got lucky with that guess," Megumi had said.

Dre's heart was in overdrive as they approached the house. A blue Jeep was parked in the paved drive way, with an image of a tiger snarling on the Jeep's fifth wheel cover perched behind the car.

"You're overreacting," she said with a smile as they were coming up to the door.

Each step felt like he was walking through quick sand as they walked to the glass door. He gulped as Kimmy opened both the glass door and the white wooden door behind it. "We're here," she announced as she shrugged off her backpack.

At her announcement, an older, slim man appeared from the hallway. He had honey-golden hair, which reached the ends of his earlobes, and lime-green eyes. It was odd. Even though Kim was one of the tallest students at the school, her father was barely taller than Isaiah. His tan suit suggested that he had just gotten back from work. "Hey, Kim," he said in a thick Scottish accent as Kimmy rushed into her father's arms. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yes, sir. Oh," she released her father and gestured to Dre. "This is Ke'Undre Wolf."

Kimmy's father finally looked over to Dre and Megumi. He grinned as he walked over. "Ah, so you're Ke'Undre. My daughter's told me a lot about you." He held out a hand. "I'm Steve Stewart."

"N-nice to meet you, Mr. Stewart," Dre stammered as he grabbed his hand. For a slight moment, a mixture of emotions ran across Mr. Stewart's face. It went from confusion, to surprise, to jovial. Dre wondered if Megumi had seen it.

"Please, you can call me Steve if you want, me boy," Steve said, sounding even more cheerful than before. He looked over to Megumi. "And who are you?"

"My name is Megumi Gladestone, sir," Megumi answered as she extended her hand.

With a grin, Steve took her hand. The same range of emotions went through his face before he said, "Any friend of Kim's is a friend of mine." Releasing Megumi's hand, Steve turned to his daughter. "So, what do you three have planned for today?"

"We're probably going to relax outside." Kimmy stated before she turned to Megumi, who was dumbfounded.

"But, dude. T.V," Megumi groaned.

"It's such a beautiful day, though. Besides," Kimmy chided, "you were the one who insisted on coming. What do you think, Ke'Undre?"

"I think it's a perfect idea," Dre said before he turned to Megumi. He wished he didn't once he saw that mischievous look in her eyes.

"Okay, okay. You're right. Let's chill outside and get to know each other then."

"Great," Kimmy exclaimed before she led Dre and Megumi to the backdoor. There wasn't too much in Kimmy's backyard, besides a large elk tree, a white fence, and an empty clothes line. Exhaling, Kimmy lied down in the freshly cut grass, gesturing for Megumi and Dre to follow. Dre rested beside her, discarding his backpack by the stone steps. Megumi sat beside Dre, looking from him to Kimmy with an expectant look in her eyes. "It feels so good out here."

"It really does," Dre agreed, resting his hands behind his head. "Especially in this shade."

"Speaking of shade," Megumi said, "do you mind scooting a little bit closer to Kim? I don't really have a lot of shade on my end."

"Sure. I mean, if Kimmy doesn't mind."

"I-I don't," Kim hesitated. "O-of course, if you don't mind either, Ke'Undre."

"Not at all," Dre said as he edged closer to Kimmy, almost close enough to have his shoulder touch hers.

"Awesome." Megumi gave a mischievous grin as she sat beside Dre with plenty of shade covering the grass at her side.

~~~~

Steve looked out towards Kim and her friends lying in the grass from the kitchen window. More specifically, his eyes went to Ke'Undre. Using his elemancy, he saw the numerous events that he'd be going through within the year. Aside from that, he saw Ke'Undre wielding the Suscéptor, fighting off against Aggaron the Dark at the entrance of the Edge Walker's forest. Grinning, he stalked away from the kitchen to his room, where an Armonian warrior sat in the middle of the room, lost in deep meditation. Just as the Armonians themselves looked, this warrior had the appearance of an anthropomorphic cat, covered head-to-toe in white fir with black polka dots strewed about, and a black, slim tail slowly swishing from side to side. As Steve stepped into the room, the Armonian opened her green, silted eyes. "What is it?" she asked in a low voice.

Smiling, Steve said, "My dear Rain, our daughter is in love. Not just that, she's smitten with the King of Elements."

A smile formed on Rain's cat-like face. "Interesting," she purred, displaying her sharp teeth.