𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐚 [𝐁𝐱𝐁]

CHAPTER 18: A Little Southern Hospitality?

CHAPTER 18: A Little Southern Hospitality?

Lewis Kaplan Age 17|

I hurried towards Tanaka's friend's car in the parking lot completely clouded with fear yet my lips still felt pressed with Zhavia's own, I was still high from my time spent with him. Foolishly I expected the time spent with him to make me come to terms with the unrealistic crush I had on him, but I knew that was going nowhere. Especially since I could still feel the imprint of his hands on my hips, could still feel the weight of his body pressed on top of mine and the taste of his pink tongue on mine.

The door to the car opened and I slid in to see two new faces sitting in the backseat both of pure blood.

"You're leaving your other friends behind?" I asked as Tanaka drove us.

"Yea, they offered the car to get you to your Father asap. Grace and Esly needed a ride too so..." he gestured to the backseat and shrugged.

"Hi I'm Grace," she tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to face her. She was the same Grace who had kissed Zhavia before I did, up close she was breathtaking both in looks and gracefulness. Her features were proportionally defined on her melanin filled skin, she had even darker coarser hair. Held together from her forehead by a white headband with clear diamonds that shone blue every time we the crossed city lights. "And that's my twin brother Esly, we used to live and learn in the South but we're enrolled at your school now."

"And I'm...."

"Lewis Kaplan." her brother finished for me, finally driving his eyes from the window. "Yes, how could we not know the West's First Son. A Kaplan no less. It would be poor form on our part, our Mother is the new Ambassador from South she raised us well." He placed a dainty hand to his heart feigning sincerity. It was easy to place him-boys like him made platters filled with sweet words that women like my Mother binged on. He shared his sister's dark complexion, but where her curls were black his were an unnatural ombre shade of blonde and sea blue. His eyes twinkled with mischief and an unclasped disdain for me, his lips were curled into an innocent looking pale pink glossed smile. What I'd done to him, when we'd never formally met before I don't know but it was clear he didn't find me charming

"Well It's nice to meet you both, I have met your Mother twice before. She has very pleasant manners and business form." I meant the compliment. "And I do hope you enjoy what our school and country has to offer." I finished with a curt nod.

They rudely shared a telling look that I dismissed, turning back to face the road ahead.

"So where was my Father spotted?" I asked Tanaka.

His knuckles were white from his hard grab on the steering wheel. "Not sure, I just overhead Crocodile and a few other guys talk about him-they mentioned that he was near the forest. Thank heavens he didn't actually come around but I figured it was best to get you out of there as soon as possible. I don't want him raining his terror on me." he chuckled, but it was tense.

I smiled to comfort him; Tanaka was a lot of things but brave? That was highly debatable "Thank you, but just so you know I wouldn't allow it."

He eyed me and nodded his understanding soon we were in silence except for the whispering in the back.

"So, Lewis, have you ever been to South?" Grace asked.

I nodded "Yes, I remember East South the most. Beautiful landscapes and the wide show of culture pride there hasn't been matched anywhere else. Which South are you from?"

"Does it matter." Esly muttered under his tongue, he thought I couldn't hear him and I let him.

Grace placed a calming hand on his knee and smiled. "It doesn't really matter which side from South we are from because the best thing about being from the South. Is that every town has two or more schools for everyone." her voice took on a serious tone, just like her mother's. "But if you have to know we're from the Islands of the South. The Islands just a small fraction of land and kind of unimportant to you Westerners. The school we were at? had a student body that included Multiformed bloods. What do you think about that?"

I glanced behind me long enough to see that the twins had their heads tilted to the left. Identical and intelligent brown eyes fixed on me, dead in the eye. They were caging me with their attention so I would speak.

I chuckled, I felt like I was under the microscope, one meant to dissect and judge me. "I think that's great and while we only have one school this side of the West, it's just as inclusive. Right Tanaka?"

Tanaka turned on the radio, it started with a static and he fumbled with the remote mumbling incoherent words at the betrayal he was facing from his car radio.

"Right?" I tried again.

"Seems like your best friend cannot answer because he disagrees with you." Grace said, there was something akin to victory in her silken sweet voice.

"Guys we discussed this. Please." Tanaka was staring ahead the congested highway with a stern gaze. The way he was grasping on the wheel was even tenser than when I'd first got in the car.

Esly cleared his throat and I heard him lean forward to the back of my seat. He tapped my shoulder and stretched out for a handshake. "I hadn't actually introduced myself. Properly anyway. I'm Esly former heartthrob at my old school, desperately trying to revive my identity here as quickly as possible." he scooted back "So tell me besides you two who's who at school to make this easy for me?"

Grace giggled, "Mhm, you can tell us but I can already guess who's who at school just try me?"

Tanaka gave her the greenlight and as she commenced by counting down names starting with. "That fine head boy, Asher the tall senior...." I stared down at my phone, wondering why Father hadn't called me if he was looking for me. He usually tried me himself. Nerves bit at my skin at the thought that he could somehow sense where I had been all night, I wondered about the ways he would express his disappointment in me. ".... Zhavia." I heard her finish.

That brought me out of my reverie "What?"

"Zhavia," she repeated with a raised brow "you ought to know him, his brother is Tiger that infamous gaffa, after your dad's policies. But I doubt you do since he's mixed." She finished, with a hand dismissal.

"I know Zhavia Yorush," I said and when I didn't extract the reaction I was hoping for, I spoke louder with a pointed tone "I saw you come onto him. Didn't he reject you?"

"Only because I'm a girl." There was something biting and begging to be questioned in her tone.

I turned back and faced her, her twin brother and she were looking at me as if I was clueless or something. "Are you sure it's not because you're not mixed?" I said smiling and feeling petty.

She huffed and crossed her hands over her chest, her perfect cleavage rising. "Whatever, I always get what I want." Then sweeping an imaginary lint from her brother's hair she finished "case in point my ex-boyfriend, before he didn't even talk to full bloods."

"Well then, Zhavia is not him and besides what if he's only into men? No government not even in your perfect Islands is it permitted to sex change just because."

The twins met eyes and smiled at each other, their eyes so full of secrets, their smiles full of knowledge. "Then if it's men he's into. I'll take care of him however he wants." Esly breathed, "You'll help me make friends with him right Tee?"

Tanaka cleared his throat, side eyeing me and agreed.

I gave Esly a furtive consideration. He was the perfect amount of pretty boy. Glorified and chased by most of the boys in school. In as much as he was like me in our blood, he was very outgoing, he came across as accommodating, flirty with sex appeal and very embracive of Keffas. I imagined him whooshing away Zhavia and the thought of it left a bitter taste in my mouth and a motivation for me to help my father push for stricter laws in the school prohibiting inter friendships even outside of school.

Could I do that?

Help my Father, jumpstart my career with this move.

A/N: Quick question, how'd you find out about Keffa? Were you reading one of my other books? Do you remember which one? Care to share? Did it come recommended by a friend, Wattpad or me? Do you even remember