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Chapter 9: Missing
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The forming pieces of white ice trailed after my fingers, forming in the salty water and creating wavering shapes that glistened in the moonlight. My hands had long since gone numb from the cold, but I wasn't sure if it was the ocean air, or just me.
Zeus suddenly peeked his head above the water, looking irritated. He shivered slightly. "Do you mind keeping yourself out of the water?"
I raised a questioning eyebrow, "Why?"
His eyes narrowed as he retorted, "You're freezing the water."
"But you're cold-blooded!" I exclaimed, suddenly bewildered. Ariella was cackling next to me.
"Not that cold-blooded! Remember when Zora's Fountain froze in the mid fourteen-hundreds?" he said, "The Zora tribe was a wreck!"
"It wasn't in the thirteenth century, you moron." Ariella muttered.
Zeus glared at her, "All right, then. What century was it?"
She hesitated, "I-I don't remember, but still." Then, she stuck her tongue out at him. He shook his head in irritation before flopping into the water again. A few seconds passed and something swatted at my hand. I quickly withdrew it, realizing I had left it in the water and Zeus had grown impatient. Ice had steadily marked our trail, broken and tossed here and there by the waves, but still there.
"How long until we reach the shore?" I asked Ariella dully, ignoring Kado entirely from where he sat at the front of the boat. He couldn't wipe that pensive look off his face. I wanted to smack him so bad.
"A little longer," she replied before stretching out her arms, "I think I'm going to take a nap if you don't mind. I didn't get much rest, you know?"
"Sure," I murmured, "We all need rest." Maybe my reflexes were a little faster or my eyes had sharpened a little, but I could have sworn Kado had glanced at me for a very brief second.
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We reached the exact same beach that Kado and I had been sitting on only the night before. It was a little eerie, to say the least. It felt like we were entering a different world all over, again.
Now, why was this happening, again?
The boat stopped on the shore, parting the soft sand and edging into the surface.
I reached over and shook Ariella's shoulder to wake her up, but she merely swatted my hand away, mumbling something incoherent before turning around on the seat.
"She's a very deep sleeper," Zeus mused from where he stood on the shore, pulling the boat out of the water.
"I guess it won't hurt to let her sleep," I muttered. "Will you guys give us a little while?"
He nodded and I stepped out of the boat, but ended up losing my balance and knocking my arm into someone in the process. I yelped, barely gaining my footing as something splashed behind me. The sand and water squished through my toes as I turned around to gaze at Kado's irritated expression. I smiled apologetically, ready to help him up. Zeus was laughing in delight and I couldn't help but join him, forgetting to offer the brunette my hand. Kado was grumbling and no doubt cursing unintelligibly. His clothes were once again wet and his hair frazzled.
"Come on," I said, reaching with my hand, "I'm sorry."
He narrowed his eyes at me, his gaze flickering from my face then to my hand. I drew away slightly; worried he might not want to touch me because of the palpable temperature freeze in my body.
But he took hold of my hand anyway and I quickly pulled him up, not wanting him to hold onto my hand any longer than he would have under normal circumstances.
"Where to?" I asked skeptically once he let go of my hand despite the fact that I didn't want to let go of his warmth.
"My house." He muttered; his voice was distant.
I was beginning to resent his pensiveness.
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I looked horrible in that picture. How could my parents put that picture up? I just- it… They were unbelievable!
Date missing: May 28, 2006I snatched the worn down "Missing" poster from under the streetlight where it had been taped and crumpled it up. Underneath mine was Kado's own picture, and he looked handsome as ever. A pang of jealousy was my demise right there. I had to look away before I could see the reward amount underneath the photo.
"Hey," I smirked, "They think you're a suspect in my disappearance."
He crinkled his nose and tore his picture from the pole as well. "Are you kidding me? Why would I kidnap you?"
Why did that sound so offensive?
"Maybe I'm worth kidnapping," I muttered, tossing the paper in the trash. Would they give me ten grand if I turned myself in…including Kado? I mean- hey, it was a reward, right? And the more the merrier...
"Come on," he said, "Only a few more blocks." Either he hadn't heard me or he had chosen to ignore me. I kind of hoped it was the prior.
His house had a step stone walkway up to the front porch where an archway led into the little sitting area. The flowers on the wicker coffee table were withered, the petals crisp and falling on the surface. A bird feeder hung from the roof over the off-white railing where an array of ferns and plants continued to thrive despite possible neglecting.
I should have expected there to be a key on the top of the doorway, and I assumed everyone else in his family must be tall- taller than me, at least.
I wiped my feet on his doormat, knowing he, and his mother- most likely, would freak if I walked inside with earth-trodden feet.
The inside seemed dead. The warm, earth-tone colors of the walls and the furniture in the living room should have brought some type of comfort, but I didn't see any. His family was grieving, or at least spitting mad. It was only a day, I tried to reason to myself.
And then, I remembered about the one weekend my family had been setting aside to remodel our own house. The whitewashed walls were becoming a bore, and I was about ready to cover every inch with some type of poster until the place looked lived in.
"Jade," Kado hissed. I glanced at him warily to realize he was heading for the hardwood-based staircase at the end of the foyer. I ignored walking to the living room that continued past the staircase and quickly followed him.
"Where's your family?" I whispered as quietly as I could manage. There was no possible way I could get caught, now. For him, I didn't really care.
"They've been out on a business trip all week." He replied, "But I don't know if they got the news or not."
The floors creaked from the second story. I narrowed my eyes, stopping. A light flickered on from down the hallway, and I quickly stepped back. More footsteps ensued. This was beginning to feel like a very bad idea.
"Kado?" A voice called, slightly wavering. It hit just the barest hint of familiarity. I didn't like the thought of that.
Maybe it was his sister…or his mother?
"Isabella?" he called.
Damn….
I grimaced as he ran up the steps. A tall girl with light brown hair stepped into my line of vision. From the sound of her sniffling, I knew she was crying. Other than that, her face was merely a blur.
"Oh, Kado," she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and practically sobbing. For crying out loud- it was only one day! Was he not supposed to have a life or something? "Why are you wet?" It sounded like an afterthought. Damn, she probably didn't care about the clothes- wouldn't be there for long anyway.
"It's all right, Izzie," he rubbed her back soothingly, trying to shut her up. At least, that's what I hoped. I pressed my back against the wall where I stood at the end of the staircase. Maybe…if I was quiet enough…I could leave…
I only came to make sure he stayed. Technically, I didn't trust Ariella or Zeus and the fact that I could just maybe see my home one more time would possibly lessen the pain of leaving.
It didn't, actually.
"Where have you been?" she demanded suddenly. Oh, only the goddesses from Hyrule could possibly know how much torment it was to listen to her damned voice!
"I…I just needed to get away, really." He hesitated, "Honestly, it hasn't been that long."
She pulled away from him, completely frantic, "It's been a week!"
"What?" They both turned to stare at me. I widened my eyes, suddenly realizing I was the one that had blurted it out.
Isabella's eyes suddenly furrowed, "Who are you?"
"That's not the point," I muttered, slightly embarrassed. "How long have you been staying here?"
She scowled, "I arrived Monday. Your parents allowed me to stay and wait for you. They went frantic and now they nearly go looking for you every night. They don't believe you kidnapped that girl…" Then her eyes averted to me. "Where did you take him? What did you do?"
Oh, this was too funny.
"You're blaming this on me?" I choked, ready to laugh. "Listen, if you want Kado- keep him. He causes me a lot of trouble, anyway."
The said brunette turned to glare at me, "Jade, shut up."
"No," I snapped before returning to the girl, "It was very nice meeting you again, Isabella… Kado, it was nice knowing you. Tell my parents and my sister I'm very, very fine and I'll see them around." I turned to go, my foot inches from the ground floor when he interjected my perfectly acclaimed exit.
"You can't leave, Jade." His voice was stern, and a touch of anger at the edges.
Why could I just barely resist him?
"And you can't come." I said, glancing at him from the corner of my eyes. He made a move to follow me, but Isabella already had snatched his sleeves, pulling him away from the stairs…from me.
I vaguely wondered if the girl had school at this point.
"I bid you two good night," I said, opening the front door and waving at them like I had a hat in my hand.
And my feet touched the cold, wooden steps of his front porch.
Did this mean that I was free?
Regrettably, it was too soon to say that.
"Jade, wait!" he exclaimed, catching the door before I could slam it behind me.
"Please, Kado," I begged, "You aren't making this easy for me. Don't you see? I can't be with you or near you or anything." He shook his head; his eyes were set firmly on me. I didn't like his determination at all. Talk about bad timing to care.
"No, Jade. I don't believe that. Why don't you understand?" I was growing impatient, and narrowed my eyes at him.
I reached over and brushed my fingers against the side of his face; the skin paled under my touch, his blue veins appearing through the thin membrane. His lips turned a light purple, chapping.
I withdrew my hand quickly as I spoke, "Now, please, don't follow me, don't come after me, and don't even think about waiting for me… I won't for you."
He was watching me with utter remorse, but no words came from him.
"Bye, Kado." With one last glance to see his skin returning to its healthy vibe, I turned around and walked down the porch steps. I could hear the front door opening; Isabella's voice was frantic.
Only a week…
He comforted her, again. I knew the thoughts of him trying to comfort me would have to disintegrate, just like everything else in my life: my family, my friends, my future… I was done. I only had one purpose, and there was a huge chance that I would fail at that, too.
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"Is he going to stay?" Zeus was the first to voice his thoughts.
I nodded half-heartedly, "Yeah." I jumped into the boat, ready to leave everything behind.
"Are you sure?" Ariella suddenly spoke. I hadn't realized she was awake until she sprung up from where she was sprawled out comfortably on the floor, her legs resting on the seat and her back against the back piece of the boat.
"Why do you ask that?" I was completely skeptical. She nodded, gesturing behind me. I glimpsed that direction to see him running down the sandy slope. I wasn't sure if I was angry or glad because I could definitely feel a growl emanating from my throat. He didn't slip or fall or tumble, but the brunette girl behind him was nearing that predicament.
"What the hell?" I practically shrieked, climbing out of the boat to meet him at the edge of the water. The cold waves brought me further to my senses.
"Kado, wait!" Isabella called. The said boy widened his eyes and turned around. His expression was very plain: horror, mortification.
There was a splash behind me. Turning back, I could see Zeus just barely dodging visibility. Ariella had covered her features underneath her cloak.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Kado. He ignored me.
"What are you doing here?" he remarked at Isabella.
My mouth was wide open.
"What are you doing here?" Isabella sneered at me. My eyes were wide; I was horrified. How dare she ask me that question?
"Excuse me," I seethed, "But what are you doing here?"
"I think we've reached an impasse here." It was Ariella. I thanked the heavens. Isabella merely watched in awe as the Zora stepped into the growing group.
Maybe I should have asked her to lower her hood to scare off the brat.
"And who might you be?" Isabella asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"That's a good question," I stepped, raising a finger, "And we would love to help answer that, but see- we're part of this secret organization hunting humans that know too much about vampires. And, well, you just caught us trying to capture one. You better leave. We don't want to have to kill you for knowing too much."
Maybe I was a really bad liar or a really good one. I had completely silenced the entirety of my audience. I stifled a laugh.
"Oh, shut up," I snapped at Kado suddenly. He was trying to hold back a laugh. Isabella did not seem at all amused. Maybe I wouldn't have to kill her after all…if she just went away, that is.
"This is ridiculous, Kado," she turned her gaze back to him, "You can't leave, and if you do- I'm coming with you."
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," I waved my hands frantically before turning to Ariella, "We're getting out of here, dude. No more of this."
"Hold on, Jade." Kado was holding me up, again. I was about to smack him so hard.
"Kado, you have to stay here. What about your family? What about me?" Tears were rimming her eyes, welling so that her pupils glistened in the faint moonlight.
Oh, brother. This was getting out of hand.
"Hey," I took hold of Kado's arm and pulled him my direction, "You're going to stay here, understand?"
Didn't my words mean anything, or did they just slip into one ear and out the next?
"Listen to her!" Isabella said, waving in my direction.
"Yeah," I agreed- even though it felt a little awkward, "Stay with your girlfriend." And then I stormed off.
It was a done deal- that is, until Zeus popped his head out of the water, his smile wide and his teeth glistening.
"We've got a slight problem, people."
And Isabella shrieked.
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Heehee, this was one of my fave chapters so far. Well, another chapter done. Hope you all enjoyed it! I decided to update just to keep myself busy and you all, especially to those who have started school. This is for you all!
The part where Jade knocks Kado down is just a little part I'd add in when I drew the pic of her holding a paddle and Kado in the water. Course, she isn't holding a paddle here, but oh well.
Oh, and thank you lots and credits to Zombie Dragon. Without ZD's story, "Skirmish" I wouldn't have exactly gotten the idea for Link's muteness. ;-) Eheh, even though it is pretty common along fanfictioners. And, also, I hadn't mentioned why Jade was going with Kado, and ZD caught that, too. So, I added the explanation.
Thanks to all you wonderful people reviewing so don't forget to come back!
True Blue- lol. Just wait to find out. Haha. No problemo. And good luck. I started school on that day as well. Not too great I have to say. And thank you!
Lindadoodle- thank you! Yah:-D You should one day. Pirate hats, costumes, cake, the works. Now, that. Would be awesome.