The Awakening (First in the Dynasty Cycle)

Chapter Six

“Oh, you look positively beautiful! Okay, so we’re going to head to the airport now, remember that we’ve left enough food to last for a few weeks, and after that runs out, Walter has the bank card. There’s a credit card too, but that is only for emergencies got it? And we should be back by the end of summer. Oh, my goodness you two are so grown up now!” Mrs. Stevens exclaimed, her beige coat wrapped snugly around her body as she stood in the doorway, camera at the ready.

Starla smiled, standing next to her friend as they waited for his parents to take their fill of pictures, before leaving. They had a lunch reservation with Leah and Mike at the Outback Steakhouse, and if they wanted to make it on time, they would have to leave soon. Walter sensed as much, because he smiled warmly at his mom, hugging her as they worked their way to the door. Starla made them wait to see his parents off, watching as the cab disappeared down the road before making sure that all the doors were locked. With a warm smile, she lowered herself into the car as her friend shut the door behind her. As the male, it was naturally his job to drive them to the restaurant, and to prom, which was being held at Cape Hatteras National park. There were lights strung up through the trees around the large clearing, and there were several tables set up with an assortment of drinks and snacks.

Off to one side was a DJ’s table, equipped with a row of large speakers that were blasting loud music. Squealing in delight, Starla grabbed Walter’s hand as she recognized the song and tugged him into the clearing. She wasn’t aware of the way that several of the other guys had stopped to stare, and were now throwing dirty looks at her friend. He smirked at them all, dancing with the black haired girl and spinning her in his arms. Beside them, Leah and Mike were together, limbs intertwined as they swayed to the music in a way that should have been censored. Starla followed his line of sight, a grimace on her face as they twirled again, before a wide smile curled across her face.

Walter felt his own lips twitching upwards, light blue eyes landing on his friend’s happy face as a frown turned his lips down. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked her to go to prom; she was drawing too much attention from their classmates. It’s not that he didn’t want her to find somebody good for her, but there was no way in hell that anyone here was that person. He was protective of her, knowing that she’d been through hell after her mother’s death. None of them would understand.

Often, he’d wondered if there was any way that he would be the one person for her, but just as often shook the idea off. They just didn’t have those feelings for each other. Starla was like his sister, and he often acted as the protective big brother. It didn’t help that in comparison to him, she looked so small and fragile all the time, which was completely at ends with her personality. Starla was fierce, a fighter and a survivor. She took self-defense classes weekly, and had also been in boxing and street fighting. He remembered fondly when she’d been in those classes.

It had been when she still lived with her father, and the first couple of days had been awful. She’d always come to his house first, so that he could clean up most of the cuts and bruises on her body before she headed home. Of course at that time, he’d had no idea that most of the injuries she’d worn were actually from her father. Every time he thought of Carl Smith, Walter saw red. How a man could do that to his own child, especially one as wonderful and kind as Starla, was beyond him.

“Walter, I’m bored and it’s getting really hot and crowded. Do you want to take a walk in the woods?” Starla’s voice was quiet, and close to his ear and Walter jumped in surprise. He nodded; worried that she wouldn’t be able to hear him in the loud music.

 A wide smile made her face glow as she ran to scoop up her large, cargo purse, where she had a sketchpad, journal, and the drawing that Leah had done earlier in the trees. She never traveled without her art supplies and a sketchpad, just in case the urge ever hit her, and she saw something she had to draw.