Mikayla looked down at her hands and sighed, wiping a tear from her eyes; she had been sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. Since Brady got back, she hadn't stopped crying. He was gone for so long and when he came back she realized how much she had missed him. When she saw him, it was like she ran into a brick wall; her knees got weak and her stomach dropped. She didn't know what the feeling was and she didn't know how to deal with it. She was so frustrated with every single emotion running around inside her, she got up and left her room, running straight for Candis' place.
"Oh, Mikayla." Candis hugged her. "I don't even know what to say other than I'm sorry."
"What's happening to me?" Mikayla sighed.
"Oh, hun." Candis laughed. "Hello? You're in love!"
"I'm what?!"
"Duh! Think about it, you KISSED Brady right before he left, then when he comes back, you're totally out of it. You love him!"
"I don't fall in love!" Mikayla panicked. "Especially not with someone like Brady!"
"But you said so yourself, he's not the same person he was six months ago." Candis playfully poked Mikayla's shoulder.
"I-I don't even know what you're talking about!" Mikayla stood up from her friend's bed and looked out her window. "I can't love Brady…"
"Hey, Boom, have you seen Mikayla?" Brady asked Boomer while they were in the throne room with Boz.
"Please tell me you haven't been bothering her again."
"What?" Brady's voice went high as he lied. "No."
Boomer snorted. "Yeah, okay."
"I think she went to a friend's." Boz answered, eating a banana. "Why are you looking for her?"
"No reason." Brady stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Oh puh-lease." Boomer laughed. "You're still head over heels for Mikayla, admit it."
"I'll admit it when she admits she has feelings for me."
Boz looked back and forth between his brothers. "Why do you think Mikayla has feelings for you?"
"Because she kissed me." Brady put on a smug smile as he sat on the couch next to Boz.
"She kissed you because you were possessed by evil." Boomer pointed out.
"Yeah, but you remember how she was acting all weird before that?" Brady said. "I think she has a crush on me."
"Or you just repulsed her more than before."
Boz laughed as Brady glared at Boomer.
Mason walked into the throne room and stopped mid step. "My kings."
"Hey, Mason." Brady nodded his head in his direction.
"What's up, Mason?" Boomer asked. "You look a little-."
"I need to tell you something."
Brady shot up from his seat. "Mason…"
"No, Brady. You were right. It's time they knew."
"But-."
"King Boomer, your broth-."
The double doors being pulled open interrupted his sentence and Mikayla stepped inside, glaring at Brady.
"Uh, hi." He gave her a small wave.
"Dad, what are you doing?" She asked Mason, ignoring Brady.
"I was just going to tell king Boomer something very important."
"Well, can it wait? The islanders are asking for you."
"What for?"
She shrugged. "Don't know."
He sighed and jogged outside to see what the islanders wanted.
"Hey, Mikayla." Boz waved.
"Hi, Boz." She turned from them and walked upstairs.
Boomer smirked at Brady but jumped when he heard Mikayla slam her bedroom door.
"Well, that can't be good." He said.
"Mikayla?" Boomer knocked on her door. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah." She answered.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "How are you?"
"I'm, uh, fine." She lied. "Why?"
"Well, because you've been a little…distant from Boz and I since Brady got back."
She sighed. "I know, but you have to understand that I can't just forgive him so easily."
"Why not?" He questioned. "I did."
"But you're family, it's hard to stay mad at family for such a long period of time."
"That's not true. I was mad at him for six months."
"But after he got back, it wasn't so hard for you to forgive him, was it?"
"Actually, it was very hard." He disagreed. "Mikayla, I forgave Brady because you're right, we're family, but also because he thinks he's become a better person, he feels like he reached a goal for the first time in his life. I'm giving him a chance to prove it. Now, I can't say you'll do the same because I don't feel what you do."
"What are you talking about? I don't…I don't feel anything." She stuttered, playing with her hands.
"You may be good at fighting, but you're not that great at lying." He laughed. "I know something happened with Brady before he left, okay? And I know it's an emotional time for all of us, but as long we stick together, nothing could go wrong." He patted her shoulder gently before leaving the room.
"Dad!" Mikayla called; she'd been looking for him for almost half an hour to see if she could spend the night with Candis.
"Dad!" She called again, jogging around the castle. It was getting dark soon and knew if she asked by the time night came around he wouldn't let her go.
"Where are you?" She turned a corner and straight into Brady, knocking them both to the ground.
She groaned as she sat up. "Brady! Watch where you're going!" She snapped.
"Sorry." He stood up, holding his hand out to help her up.
She pushed his hand away as she stood up on her own. "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, showing the kingdom you've become a 'better man'?"
"So, you're still mad." He sighed.
"Of course I'm still mad!" She scoffed. "Did you really expect me not to be? Like I can just forget about all of it?"
"What exactly IS all of it that you're not forgetting, Mikayla?" He stepped closer.
She put her hand on his chest to stop him from moving. "Don't you dare take another step." She warned.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want you near me."
"Because…?"
"Because I said so!"
He took her hand and laced their fingers together and pulled her forward, removing the space between them. "I said I was sorry, didn't I?"
Mikayla's stomach churned as it had that morning, only now it was less tolerable. She knew all Brady had to do was lean closer and she'd give in, but she wasn't going to do that, she wanted to fight it.
"You should let go of me." She mumbled.
"Why?" He whispered, waving his other hand into her hair. "Nervous?"
"No." She gulped. "I fight tarantula people, I don't get nervous."
Brady nodded his head as he leaned in.
She breathed in sharply and closed her eyes, expecting him to kiss her, but when he kissed her cheek instead she let out a slow, deep breath.
"Goodnight, Mikayla." He whispered, letting go of her and walking away.
She was tempted to call him back, but shook the thought out of her head and continued to look for Mason.
That chapter revision on my Benny and Erica story is up.
