Frostbitten Past

X X V

KYLE WAS watching her from afar, but he wasn't happy with what he saw. She was with Noah, getting out of his car, going into the dinner with him. She didn't look mad, and she certainly didn't look like she hated him.

Kyle stood across the street, his hands in his jacket and his hat pulled low over his head, hiding his hair. His face was morphed to look like every other person on the street, with no identifiable features. Anyone passing him wouldn't remember him, and probably wouldn't even look at him.

He was standing against the wall of a building, just watching. If Andorra saw him, she probably would notice something off, but wouldn't recognize him. If Noah saw him, things would be different.

He wasn't worried about Noah seeing him. Noah, who was still pretending to be a high schooler. Noah, who was still pretending that he was human. Kyle wondered if he got some sick thrill out of pretending, and then he decided that yes, Noah probably did enjoy pretending.

Kyle didn't know much about the snow clan, other than the fact that Noah had always been the prim and proper son of a clan leader. Even as children, Noah and Kyle hadn't gotten along during the fleeting times both clans met.

Kyle was the son of a merchant, and as a child, he'd found happiness in small things. He was the type of child that was silent until spoken to, but was bright and glowing when others took note of him.

As a child, when Kyle first met Noah, the two were such opposites that they didn't get along. Like oil and water, the two never mixed well when it came time for them to be involved in similar things.

Noah had always been cold and collected. He'd always had a face of steel, always looking down at others with those dark, hardened eyes that announced his superiority to everyone around him. He was a Clan Leader's son, and he'd always been more powerful. While he never outright hated Kyle or the sun faeries, there had always been a distance between the two.

When the prophecy was announced, that was when it really began, the hatred. Kyle had known all along that Noah adored Andorra, the princess that was supposed to bring one clan back to Anlithamy. Kyle knew all along that Noah spent most of his time and energy watching over her, making sure she was safe.

It was the reason Kyle became a seeker; he wanted to rip Andorra away from Noah. Their hatred was so strong that Kyle would do anything to break the cold boy from the Snow Clan.

And now, as Kyle stood across the street, watching as Noah ate in the diner with Andorra, Kyle began to realize that it was he who was losing. He'd worked so hard to become a seeker, to bring her back, and now everything was pointless. Like always, Noah was better than he was.

But, it wasn't Noah who would win after Kyle wiped Andorra's memory away. And when he did so, she would be entirely his. There would be no Noah, not after Kyle was done wooing her and showing her the magic she possessed.

He would erase his mistakes, and he would make things perfect again. He was positive that Noah would be losing this time, and he'd be losing more than Andorra. He would lose his chance at saving his clan, lose his chance at living in Anlithamy, and lose his chance at being a real clan leader's son.

Kyle would single handedly destroy Noah. It was the only thing he cared about. It was the only thing that mattered. And he could picture how it would all happen; he would apologize to Andorra, and reach for her face. He would take her face in his hands and tilt her gaze to his own, and he would reach right into her mind and take away those precious memories. He would turn them into dust, and she wouldn't even realize it.

He would sit her down and tell her that she was destined for greatness. He would tell her that she could rule the world, and that she could be the most powerful faerie in history. He would tuck her hair behind her ear and whisper that she could have it all.