Playing with Fire

e p i s o d e | t w e n t y - o n e (pt. 1)

I still haven't gotten used to the looks that people keep exchanging when they see Rowan and me walking together. It's different from the usual looks I would receive from people back in town; instead of being sympathetic, their stares are filled with confusion. I wonder what's so confusing about it; is it because they think his caliber of attractiveness is so much higher than mine? Or maybe it's because our personal vibes clash so greatly.

Either way, I guess that anywhere I go, I'll never be able to escape the questioning stares of the public.

Rowan and I stop by an arcade – he'd been against it, because he claimed that he was too old for this kind of stuff; but my curiosity won him over – and it's the first time that I've ever laid my hands on a video game. Killing vicious clowns with a plastic gun is actually a lot more entertaining than I'd thought it would be.

"I think you have pent-up rage that you need to let loose," Rowan tells me, with a concerned smirk on his face.

I hand him the plastic gun. "Try beating my score."

"And if I do?"

I tap my chin with a finger pensively. "Well, then, maybe I'll consider sitting on top of the same mattress as you." I grin mischievously at his surprised expression. I have enough confidence in my newfound gaming abilities to make that claim.

"Well, you asked for it." Rowan aims the gun at the monitor.

Just as his gameplay starts getting interesting, my phone buzzes in the pocket of my jacket. When I see the caller ID, my heart nearly sinks to the ground. It's Kai. I'd lost track of how long I'd been outside, and he's probably worrying about where I went.

"Hey," I say warily into the phone.

"Anna, where are you?" Kai asks, his voice filled with concern. There's that brotherly protectiveness I feel from him.

I briefly glance over at Rowan and then stammer, "Well, I just decided to explore the city."

"By yourself?"

Damn. What should I say? I plug my other ear with a finger. "Um – you're breaking up on me."

There's a pause before Kai asks apprehensively, "Is Rowan with you?"

"Why? Is he not there?" I ask, evading the question.

"Yeah. And he was here a couple of hours ago. I doubt he would have left by himself so early." Another moment of silence. "He's with you right now, isn't he, Anna?"

"Anna –" Rowan starts, turning towards me. He stops when he sees me on the phone.

"Yes," I decide to respond to Kai, holding back a sigh. There's no use lying to him. It wouldn't make sense that I went out by myself, and I can't say that I'm with anyone else.

Kai doesn't answer for a brief while, before he finally says, "So, you stopped denying it."

"Can we talk about this later?" I ask him, my eyes shooting up to Rowan's face. He has his head tilted curiously to the side, though I can tell from the worried look in his eyes that he probably guessed who's on the other end.

"Okay, Anna." That's it. And then the phone clicks off.

I hurriedly shove the phone back into my pocket, as Rowan asks, "That was Kai, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," I reply resignedly. "I told him we were here together."

Rowan innocently points to the game screen. "I beat your high score, by the way."

"What?" I jump at the monitor and then cross my arms. "That's not fair. You've probably had a lot more practice than I had."

"So? That wasn't part of the deal."

"I said I'd consider."

Rowan rolls his eyes argumentatively. "I won, and I think I deserve an award for that."

"Don't be such a crybaby." I wave him off, before my phone buzzes once again. At first, I think it's another call, but I realize that Rowan's buzzed at the same time as well. When we look at the screen, a "tornado watch" sign is written across the notification board.

"Maybe we should head back," I say.

Rowan walks into his room first, and I follow a few seconds afterwards, trying to be subtle about our outing. The moment I open the door to my room, however, Sawyer nearly jumps out at me.

"Oh, my gosh," I gasp, as her face pops out from behind the door.

"Anna Silver," she says, tapping a finger against her arm. Her eyes are narrowed skeptically. "I wake up from my nap, and both you and Rowan are out of your rooms. I demand an explanation from you immediately."

"Sawyer," I hiss, placing my hands out in front of her submissively. "I'll tell you about it, but keep it down."

"There's no one else here."

"Someone might listen through the walls."

She rolls her eyes, but doesn't argue anymore. I've become a little more paranoid about others finding out about Rowan and my new relationship, especially thanks to Valentine's reaction when she found out that he was coming with us. I just don't know how I'm going to reveal it to her without breaking her heart.

"What?" Sawyer exclaims, after I explain to her what's going on. I immediately clap a hand over her mouth, and her muffled voice asks, "So, you and Hawthorne are dating?"

"It's a secret!" I whisper to her. "No one can know."

She backs away from me and nods. "Okay, Anna. But I do get to say 'I told you so.' You were so against me telling you that you fell in love with him, too."

"It just sounds weird," I say, shuddering. "It wasn't like I was trying."

"Cute." Sawyer pats the top of my head. "I admire your innocence. Are you trying to keep this to yourself because your sister's in love with him?"

I nod. "Also, my brother hates him."

Sawyer's eyebrows rise. "Wow. You're screwed."

"I know." Yet another sigh escapes me. "It's really a pain."

She puts a hand on my shoulder. "Follow your gut, Anna. Who cares if other people don't agree? They'll have to learn to accept it sooner or later. Might as well start the healing process sooner."

Still. I have no good way of revealing it to either of them. I bite my lip thoughtfully to myself. Surprisingly, I'm more afraid of Val's reaction. Kai would just be furious at Rowan, but that would eventually subside. Valentine, on the other hand, would be heartbroken – both by Rowan and by me. I can't do that to her.

"Well, I knew you were good for him," Sawyer says, looking pleased with herself. "I'm telling you – I can judge a person by their cover better than anyone else. The moment I saw you two together, I knew that you were special."

"Thanks," I beam at her. At least I've gotten the secret out to one person. "I just need the courage to talk to the others."

"Speaking of the others," she mutters, "I think they're coming back right now."