Outside

Prologue

Chase had barely made it out alive. "I can't believe you did that!" exclaimed Kyla. "That was probably one of the most dangerous things anyone has or will ever do!" Chase gave her a flirtatious smirk. "Yeah, I bet no one's ever crossed the border before! I could've gotten the whole race killed! Oh my goodness!" Chase said dramatically. Kyla gave in and giggled a bit, before going back to her lecture about how the Government could have caught them and punished them for breaking one of the most important laws, even though no one got badly injured. 

"They'll take one look at you, notice you're hand is covered in blood, and take you away to the Place of the Lost," Kyla said, although she knew it was no use trying to convince Chase about how dangerous what he did was, and what the consequences would be. "It's just a scratch, stop exaggerating. Who cares anyway?" he said, losing his patience. "I'm only 16! They're not going to put a 16-year-old in prison!" 

Kyla looked down at her hands, and then back up to meet Chase's eyes. "I care," she said finally. "I love you, Chase. I always have, even  though you can be such an idiot sometimes!" Kyla said. This was the only time she had been genuine with Chase about her feelings, except for the last part. Chase stared at her blankly for a moment, although he gave way into a surprised smile. "Idiot? Look who's talkin'!" The two started laughing and kept shouting friendly insults at each other, although they were both taken aback by Kyla's confession.

The sun had begun to set and Kyla and Chase were sitting on the porch of their makeshift fort from when they were little. "So... You like me? As in, you're in love with me?" Chase asked. He seemed a bit shy when he asked, unsure what he was saying was the right thing, which would probably be a first. "Yeah," Kyla replied, her face red as a tomato. 

"Well, obviously!" Chase said with a smirk. Kyla felt embarrassed that he had known all this time. How could I have been so obvious? she thought. "Everybody loves me!" Chase blurted. Kyla relaxed, as it was all another joke. Classic Chase. Kyla laughed for a while, feeling more relaxed now that she had gotten her feelings off her chest, like a cage of a thousand butterflies being opened for the first time.

The two watched the war-tainted sunset until there was no trace of the sun ever existing. They sat in silence for the first time in years, until Kyla turned to look at Chase and saw that he looked the same way she did when she was about to confess. "Kyla?" he asked, breaking the peaceful music of silence. "I- I love you, too," he said, exhaling a gust of air that he had been holding from the moment he thought of telling her the truth. 

It seemed strange, since Kyla had already told him her feelings, so it would be more than easy for Chase to tell her now, but Chase still felt as if she would be surprised. Instead, Kyla put her hand on top of Chase's and muttered, "I know," which made the two smile as they sat in silence, no longer watching anything except for the man-made trees blowing in the wind.