Alright, it's update time! I've been working hard on future chapters of this story, and just started chapter 16 last night! Just a heads-up -BIG things coming in the next two chapters. Gah, this chapter and the next two seem SO LONG... But they are VERY important. Anywhoo, hope you like this chapter, and the ones to come! I shall be updating again, soon!
Thank you to EVERYONE who's reading and reviewing! It all means so much! I love reading your reviews -they make me so happy and keep me laughing for days and days. You all are so wonderful! COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! :D hahaha
Emi, Scree, I just have to tell you this really quick: I was in this thrift store today with my mom and brother (where I found this GORGEOUS black velvet vintage Macy's dress, but that's beside the point), and I went over to look at the shoes. I found a pair of tap shoes, and it made me think of you, Scree, which then made me think of you, Emi, and then I thought, OMIGOSH I need to update! ...So that's why I'm updating right now because I had to tell you! xD
Okie-dokie, I've held you all in suspense long enough! Let's get this show- er, chapter on the road!
-XII. Divided and Lost-
"Great." Kyoya snapped his phone shut. "No cell service."
"Wonderful," I said dryly.
"Looks like we'll have to figure our own way out of here."
"Mm-hmm," I said, nodding. "So where should we start?"
We blinked at each other for several long seconds.
Kyoya was the first to look away. He looked down at his watch, a small green light glowing up from it. "Well, first, we should probably find some cover."
"What?" I asked.
"If I'm remembering correctly, it's about time for the squall."
As if on cue, I heard the sound of distant thunder, and water started raining down on us.
I sighed heavily, standing. "Your family builds a tropical resort place and they make it pour rain? How is that relaxing? ! Not to mention having the lights cut out!"
He didn't reply, but instead opened a small notebook and jotted something down.
I huffed out a breath, exasperated, and headed off to find some shelter from the fake rain.
Yeah, I thought, annoyed. I'm really relaxed right now.
Kyoya followed me without a word.
After two minutes of walking (and getting drenched to the bone), we stumbled upon a small, covered sitting area. It looked like it was meant to be some sort of hut, but I didn't care as long as it got us out of the rain.
I plopped myself down on a bench, wringing water from my blonde hair.
Kyoya stood on the other side, pushing buttons on his phone again.
Does he really think it's going to work just because we're under cover now? I wondered. I wouldn't put it past him, really.
I exhaled quietly and put my chin in my hands, resting my elbows on my thighs. Sure hope Serin and Kelsey and everyone else is alright.
3_3_3_3_3
"I swear," Serin muttered, flicking fake rain water off her sandaled feet. "When I find Kyoya-senpai, I'm gonna..." She made strange movements with her hands that were probably supposed to look like she was strangling an imaginary Kyoya, but ended up looking like a bizarre new form of sign language.
Kaoru laughed softly. "It's just a little rain," he said.
"This is a monsoon," she said, wiping her wet bangs out of her face. "And we'd better find cover before it washes us away."
"Right," Kaoru said, still smiling.
The two walked through the jungle until they happened upon a small covering. It looked like a thatched bus stop or something. As if a bus was really going to happen by or something.
"Works for me," Serin said, sitting down on the bench.
Kaoru sat next to her, leaning foward, his chin in his hand.
Serin looked at him. "Think we'll find them?"
He gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course we will. I mean, how big can this place-?"
He stopped when he saw Serin was pointing at a directory (an incomplete, useless one) hanging behind them. Serin shook her head.
"O-kay..." Kaoru said. "Well...if know Hikaru -and I'm pretty sure I do-, he's probably freaking out and wondering what happened, so we'll probably hear him come along any minute now. Just wait and see."
The silence that followed was interrupted only by the rain pounding on the roof over their heads, and the occasional call from a random jungle inhabitant.
"Hikaru worries that much, huh?"
Kaoru laughed softly. "He can't really help it. Being twins, of course we're attached to each other. We've never really needed anyone else, so when we get separated, he freaks out. Even if it's just for a few minutes. He's getting better about it, but I can tell it still bothers him."
Serin blinked at him for a moment. "You mean you never had any other friends or anything?"
"Not until we met Haruhi and you three," he replied with a smile.
Serin blushed a little, smiling back. "Well, then I guess we can just hope that Hikaru's coping alright."
"Oh, he's a big boy. I'm sure he's fine."
Meanwhile, somewhere in another part of the jungle...
"KAORUUUUU! WHERE ARE YOU? ! KAORU!"
"Hikaru, would you shut up! With our luck, there's probably some jungle monster out here!"
And, in yet another part of the jungle...
"Takashi, where'd everybody go?"
"Mm."
;;;;;
"Sorry about that," Kelsey said, adjsuting her glasses nervously. "I mean, freaking out before."
Tamaki chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I would've had the same reaction, but you beat me to it!"
She laughed, and he smiled.
They both looked up at the same time, feeling a drop on their heads.
"Rain?" Kelsey wondered aloud. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Guess that's Kyoya for you..." Tamaki said. "His family's always striving for authenticity and such."
Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Perfect. We better find some shelter before it starts..."
They were drenched two seconds later.
"...dumping on us." She sighed.
So they started walking. It was slow going because of Kelsey's ankle, but, a few minutes later, they managed to take cover under a large tree. It didn't keep all the rain out, but it kept them mostly dry (aside from the fact that they were already soaked), so they weren't complaining.
"How's your ankle?" Tamaki asked.
"Throbbing a little, but I'll live," Kelsey replied, taking her glasses off and flicking water off of them.
"I really am sorry."
She smiled at him, putting her glasses back on. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. I mean, who could've known that Hikaru randomly tossing that banana peel would lead to us all getting lost in this fake-but-real-looking jungle?"
"It is a rather strange coincidence," he said, laughing. "Regardless, I still feel bad that you got hurt."
Kelsey shook her head. "Never mind me. I'll be alright. We'll just wait for this to pass, and then we'll go back to finding the others."
Tamaki looked at her for a moment. "It hurts more than you're letting on, isn't it?"
She snapped her head up to look at him, a mix of fear and wonderment in her eyes.
"Your ankle, I mean."
"Oh," she exhaled, almost in relief. "Um, uh, well..." Her face was starting to turn red.
"I'm no doctor, but let me see it."
Before Kelsey could argue, Tamaki had shifted down to kneel near her feet. Her face was even more red now. She bit her tongue, trying to focus on anything but Tamaki.
Tamaki gently lifted her left foot, softly running his fingers over her ankle. It looked a little red, and like it was starting to swell up. "Okay, you're not walking on this anymore."
Kelsey's eyes widened. "Wh-What? N-No, I'm fine, Tamaki-senpai! There's no need for-"
"I just don't want you hurting any more than you already are."
She stopped her protest and looked at him, slight amazement filling her eyes.
"No one needs anymore pain, and you least of all, I think."
Suddenly, the small brunette felt like crying.
Tamaki noticed her changed expression. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No!" she said quickly. "No, I-I'm sorry... You're right. ...And it sort of is hurting."
Tamaki gave her a small smile, and sat next to her again. "Just wait and see. Everything will be okay."
Kelsey looked off into the jungle, thinking.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Oh, Tamaki, she thought. If only you knew that what you said was the exact opposite of wrong. If only you knew how right it was.
Tamaki looked at her as the silence grew longer. He looked at the way her brown, blonde-highlighted hair curled around her face as water slowly dried from it. He looked at her blue-green eyes as they moved about, taking in the scene around them.
There were so many things he wanted to ask her -some serious, some not-so-serious things. Some things that people say they don't want to talk about, but are secretly happy when someone shows interest or concern for them. Other things that people think are trivial and don't want to bother talking about.
He wanted to ask why she lived alone. He wanted to know why she kept a fish if she didn't like them. He wanted to ask about her guitar and why she'd started playing. He wanted to ask why she seemed so shy sometimes, but really wasn't. Why she became so self-conscious when someone complimented her on how she looked or something she did well. He wanted to ask why she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt over her swimsuit. Where did she come from? Who was she?
Yes, these questions and many more were running through Tamaki's mind as he looked at this girl that had seemingly just appeared in his life almost two months before. But only question made it through his mouth.
"How do you think the rest of our group is fairing?"
Kelsey chuckled. "Well, if Emi had the luck of landing with Kyoya-senpai... I can only imagine that they've killed each other by now."
Tamaki laughed. "Yes, they really don't seem to get along, do they?"
"As well as cats and dogs," I said.
Tamaki blinked at her, somewhat unfamiliar with this "commoner expression."
"They're like oil and water...?"
Still no recognition.
Kelsey exhaled. What was an expression he could relate to...? She looked at him. "...Like two like poles on a magnet?"
Now he looked even more confused.
"Y'know, like when you stick two north poles together and...?" Kelsey facepalmed. "In other words...no, they don't get really along."
"Oh." Tamaki nodded, wondering what she'd meant by all that.
Hope they're all okay, Kelsey thought. I'm sure Serin's alright, no matter who she's with. I just hope no one ended up alone. And if Emi did end up with Kyoya-senpai...I can only hope they haven't torn each other to bits by now.
Knowing Emi, she's probably being mean to him because he isn't lifting a finger to get us found.
1_1_1_1_1
"So, genius," I said. "What's your plan on getting out of here and finding everyone, assuming they're as lost as we are?"
Kyoya sighed in reply, obviously annoyed with me. "I had been planning on calling my private police to find us all, but it seems my cell phone isn't working."
"I could already tell that much," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "But are you saying that we're just going to sit here stuck until someone comes and looks for us?"
"What would you have me do, Miss EmiShae?"
I kept my jaw from dropping -but just barely. Seriously? I wondered. Has this guy never been lost in a store or anything? I shook my head and stood.
"Look, I'm not some prissy rich girl -heck, none of us girls are-, and I'll apologize in advance for that. Just in case I 'offend' you or anything. I have patience and sometimes grace when the moment calls for it, but this isn't one of those times. Now I've got a plan for trying to get out of here. You can help me out, or I'll go out and try it and you can wait here to be rescued. What'll it be, Kyoya-senpai?"
He looked at me for a moment, then looked away, water flicking off his bangs. "I suppose anything's better than just sitting here."
I nodded. "Good. So we just have to wait until the rain stops."
He looked at his watch. "There should be about five more minutes of rainfall."
I nodded again. "Okay."
I listened to the rain falling for a few minutes.
"Do you think they're alright?"
"Who?" Kyoya asked.
"Everyone else," I said, wondering why I had asked that question aloud, especially with Kyoya around.
Kyoya inhaled, then leaned against the wall behind him. More water dripped from his hair onto his shoulders. (Not like I was paying that much attention or anything...) "If I know our club, and I'm sure I -more than anyone else- do, they're all fine. With the possible exception of Hikaru if he and Kaoru got separated. And Haruhi if she's stuck with Hikaru. And then there's Tamaki to consider. He's an idiot on a good day, but lost in a jungle, he's probably hopeless."
I laughed softly and quickly tried to cover it up. (I was sure he'd heard.) I wasn't going to start laughing at the things Kyoya said.
"Interesting."
"What?" he asked.
"What you just said. You said, 'If I know our club...'" I looked at him.
He snapped his head away. "I can't really call it mine, now can I? You girls are a part of it after all. It doesn't matter how you came to be a part of it, just that you did. That's what makes it your club, too. Commoner help though you may be."
Kyoya Ohtori, you moment-killer, I thought, wanting to shake my head. "Either way, I suppose I should thank you for including the three of us in that statement. We may have different or maybe not-so-obvious ways of showing appreciation and happiness, and we may complain at times, but we're happy to help out at the Club."
Despite some of the people we have to associate with, I added in my head.
Kyoya nodded. "I have to admit that I don't quite understand, Miss EmiShae, but I suppose I should thank you as well."
I noticed that neither of us actually said, "Thank you." We just said, "I suppose I should thank you." Meaning, what we were thinking was something along the lines of, I should thank you, but I won't. Because I hate you.
Despite anything that happens today, or has happened, I thought, nothing is going to be different between us. I still loathe him, and I always will. Even if he has a brief moment of civility or humanity, it can't change my view of him.
Call me stubborn, but it's how I felt.
3_3_3_3_3
Serin thought she heard someone screaming in the distance, and a shiver ran up her spine. She wrapped her arms around herself loosely, as if this would scare away the shivers.
"Something wrong, Serin?" Kaoru asked.
Serin shook her head, trying to smile genuinely. "Just...thought I heard something." She looked around. "Think there're any kind of...creatures out here?"
"Hmm," Kaoru said, thinking. "I don't know. But I wouldn't put it past Kyoya's family to do something like that."
That makes me feel loads better, Serin thought sarcastically.
Kaoru smiled at her. "Not like there's any reason to be afraid, though. I'm sure we can outrun anything that's out here."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
Kaoru was about to reply when something that sounded like a roar reached their ears.
"What the...?" Serin stood.
Kaoru stood as well. "Was that a-?"
They both jumped at the sound of rustling branches, and turned to see what was making the noise. Their hearts were in their throats, and were taking shallow breaths, as if they were afraid whatever was making the noise would hear their inhales and exhales.
A green, scaly form crawled into view, and they both screamed, jumping at least four feet in the air. They grabbed onto each other, still screaming, then took off running into the jungle.
The chameleon, meanwhile, flicked its eyes around, watching the two teenagers flee. It looked up as the rain stopped, the lights slowly came back on, and a fly flitted past. The lizard shot its tongue out, sticking it to the fly, then snapped it back into its mouth. It chewed the fly for a moment, then swallowed, a strangely pleased look on its face.
Meanwhile, Serin and Kaoru were still in the process of escaping from the great lizard (chameleon). While they were running, Kaoru slipped on some wet leaves, and knocked into Serin. The two flew off the path and rolled down a hill, landing with a thud in a small clearing.
"This whole falling thing is getting so old," Serin said, sitting up and shaking her head.
"You're telling me," Kaoru said, looking around. "Now where are we?"
They both stood, taking in their (somewhat) new surroundings.
"Now we're even more lost!" Serin groaned.
"Let's see..." Kaoru said. "I'm thinking we should be able to find a way out if we-"
"KAAAOOORRRUUU!"
Serin looked in time to see Kaoru get tackled to the ground -by Hikaru!
"Kaoru! Are you alright? ! Are you hurt? !"
"I'm fine," Kaoru said, pushing his brother off him.
"Hikaru?" Haruhi pushed her way through the trees and into the clearning. "Hey, Serin," she said.
"Hey, you guys are okay!"
"Sorta," Haruhi said, glaring at Hikaru. "He wouldn't stop screaming until we found Kaoru."
"Ah," Serin said, nodding. "I see."
They both looked at the twins, who were now hugging, so glad to be together again.
"Well, he looks happy enough now."
Haruhi nodded. "Hate to break up this reunion, but we should be trying to figure a way out of here."
"Oh, Kaoru was saying something," Serin said.
"Right," Kaoru said. "I think we should be able to find a way out if we follow the path we made when we fell."
"But wouldn't the rain have washed that away?" Haruhi asked.
"Not necessarily. We all had to have broken some branches and things falling. There's got to be some sort of path."
Serin shrugged. "It's worth a shot. I say we try it. And, if worst comes to worse, there's always plan B."
"And what's that?" Hikaru asked.
"Get to the edge of the jungle and start looking for an emergency exit!"
;;;;;
"The rain's letting up," Kelsey said, leaning forward to look up at the "sky," which was growing lighter again.
"You're right," Tamaki said. "Guess that means we should start walking again."
Kelsey nodded. "Right."
"Remember, you're not walking anywhere."
She groaned. "Fine. But you're not carrying me."
"In that case, we're at an impasse."
"It would seem so."
They blinked at each other for several long moments.
"Compromise," Tamaki said.
"Oh?" Kelsey asked.
"What if I carry you on my back? Is that okay?"
Kelsey thought for a moment. It's not nearly as bad as him carrying me like he did before, she thought. Not to say it's "bad" in that way, just that it's awkward is all! Oy...
"I guess I can live with that."
Tamaki helped her stand, and she put her weight on her right foot.
"But there's something I want to try first." She looked up at the tree they'd been sitting under. "Can you lift me up to that lowest branch?"
Tamaki blinked at her. "Why?"
"This tree's ginormous! I might be able to see the water slides if I climb it. If that's the case, we'll know which way to go."
"But you can't climb a tree on that ankle!" Tamaki cried, flailing his arms worriedly. "I'll do it!" He pointed at himself dramatically.
Kelsey raised an eyebrow. "Tamaki-senpai, have you ever climbed a tree in your life?"
Tamaki blushed a little, scratching the back of his head. "Uh..."
"Case in point. I've been climbing trees for forever. Just ask Emi and Serin later, they know! And I can do it on a bum ankle. So lift me up."
Tamaki exhaled. There was just no way to say no to her, it seemed. He picked her up, putting her on his shoulders.
Kelsey reached up for the branch, standing on Tamaki's shoulders. She winced when she stood on her ankle, but bit her tongue and focused on climbing. She pulled herself up onto the branch, perching there for a moment to find her balance. Once she did, she grabbed onto the next branch and kept on climbing up.
"Be careful!" Tamaki called.
"I'll keep that in mind," Kelsey murmured to herself, not looking down at him.
Rule number one was never look down. Anyone knew that. Unless you're climbing down, that is.
When she figured she was high enough to see over most of the trees, Kelsey stopped on a sturdy branch and climbed out from the trunk of the tree. She held on tightly, not looking down. She looked out over the fake jungle, searching for the big, shiny, metallic-y shape of the water slides.
She looked all around, waiting for something to catch her eye. She strained her eyes, looking as far into the distance as she could.
She was distracted for a moment when a bird landed on her branch, but she was quick to ignore it. It was fake, after all. ...Right?
"See anything?" Tamaki called.
"Not yet... I think maybe-" She did a double-take. Wait a minute, she thought. I think I see... "Senpai!" she called down. "We were headed in the right direction! I can see the water slides!"
"How far away is it?"
She'd never been good at mental measuring, so she didn't even try. "It's not...too far, I guess. Less than a mile, for sure."
Yeah, she thought sarcastically, that was totally not vague. Way to go, Kels.
"Then we'd better start walking again," Tamaki said.
Kelsey nodded. "On my way down." Getting down is always the difficult part, she thought. Because now I have to actually look down at the ground. Lucky me, I'm scared of heights, but also something of a thrill-seeker.
Isn't that how I got into this mess in the first place?
The thought startled her so much that her foot slipped from a branch, but she caught herself before she fell from the tree.
Why on earth did I think about that at a time like this? she wondered, trying to get her eyes back to their normal size.
"You alright?" Tamaki asked.
Kelsey took a deep breath, calming down. Not the time or the place, she told herself. "I'm fine," she assured. "That branch was lower than I thought it was. That's all." She then climbed down as quickly as she could, sitting down on the lowest branch. She shifted herself forward, grabbing the branch with her hands. She then dropped herself off it, dangling about six feet from the ground.
She was about to let go and drop herself to the ground when she felt a pair of hands on her waist. Tamaki.
He smiled up at her. "It's okay, I've got you. I won't let you fall."
Kelsey didn't let her think about the many implications she could take from his words. She just nodded and let him set her on the ground.
"So which way is it, exactly?"
Kelsey pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and pointed out the way. "This way."
"Alright, then. Remember our deal?"
She sighed. "Fine..." She went around behind Tamaki (trying her hardest not to limp on her sore ankle) and put her hands on his shoulders.
He stooped lower, put his hands under her knees, and lifted her up onto his back. "Okay?" he asked. He tried not to blush as she looped her arms around his neck.
"Yep," she said. "Now let's get out of here."
1_1_1_1_1
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Do you have a better plan, Mr. Glinty-Glasses?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "Or would you rather sit back in that hut and wait for your precious police force to come save you?" I didn't exactly know where I was getting all these quips from, but I was glad I wasn't sounding completely dumb.
Although, I think my "escape plan" sounded dumb enough to compensate for that. At least the lights had come back on.
Kyoya gave me a look that bordered on a glare, but followed me anyway.
Honestly, I couldn't really blame Kyoya's reaction to my plan. Because, really, I had no plan. My idea was just to walk in what seemed like the right direction based on what I could see from the ground. (I wasn't about to climb up a tree to see where we were. I knew I'd get onto the first branch and most likely fall right on my butt. Not exactly a good thing when we were lost in a "jungle." Or lost with Kyoya anywhere.)
Guess being a blonde is just a specialty of mine, I thought, looking around as we walked. Along with ticking off Kyoya-senpai.
Really, I didn't mind the silence between us. It was better than awkward coversation that always ended in one of us stalking off (usually him) and us not talking to each other for some time, which then led to more awkward conversation... You see what I'm getting at? It was a very annoying cycle.
But Kyoya seemed determined to keep the cycle going.
"How do you even know if we're headed in the right direction?"
I held in a sigh. "I don't. But I figure trying to get somewhere is better than just sitting around being helpless. If you think we should be going another way, by all means, take the lead." I meant it somewhat sarcastically, but it was partly sincere as well. I didn't know where I was going, and this was his family's resort. I had to at least give him that.
He looked around for a moment. "Hmm..." He veered off to the right, pushing through some ferns and other foliage.
I hesitated for a moment. Why should I follow him? I asked myself. It's not like I'm completely incapable of...
You're such a blonde, EmiShae.
And I followed him. I knew I had a terrible sense of direction. At least I'd have someone to get lost with.
...Kyoya-senpai? Never mind, I thought. I'll go get lost on my own. In Antarctica. During its six-month-long night or whatever. Live with penguins and seals. Eat raw fish.
Yes, all that sounded so much more appealing than being lost in a fake jungle with Kyoya Ohtori. ...Especially after what happened next.
Kyoya stopped after a minute or two, and crouched down by a semi-large rock. I shouldn't have been surprised when he lifted a panel of it away -this was all fake, after all. But then I just got plain ticked-off when I saw that, under the panel, was an emergency phone, like ones you find in elevators that call the fire department if you're stuck.
I could feel blood rushing to my face, and not from embarrassment. My voice came out sounding tight, angry. And I was indeed angry. "You mean..."
He looked at me.
"This whole time...?"
He adjusted his glasses. "Of course. You don't think my family would just allow people to get lost out here without some means of help?"
My hands clenched into fists at my sides. So he'd let us be lost for who knows how long, sit in a hut during a rainstorm, then wander through the jungle when he could've just walked over to this rock and called for help? ! What kind of sadistic jerk is this guy, anyway? !
"You-! I-! We-!" I groaned and went behind the nearest tree, muttering out my frustration into the bark, while Kyoya informed security that we'd all been split up and lost and could they please send out a search party to find us.
I banged my head against the tree a couple of times. (This didn't help get rid of my blonde any, but I figured it couldn't hurt.) I swear, I thought, Kyoya Ohtori, I hate you. And I'm catching the next flight to Antarctica as soon as I get out of here. Serin and Kelsey will understand.
Kyoya thanked whoever he was talking to, hung up the phone, and put the panel back on the rock. He turned and leaned against it, seemingly very proud of himself. "Now all we do is wait."
"Fantastic," I said dryly. Everyone else is probably already back at the main area by now, I thought. I'm just a total blonde and got stuck with a humorless, calculating jerk as my get-lost-with person. At least if I'd gotten lost with Serin, she'd have thrown me out of the jungle by now.
"Master Kyoya and friend!"
I cried out in shock and fell back into the bushes behind me. I jumped back up, ready to defend myself.
A tall man stood before us, dressed all in black, a black helmet hiding his face, and wearing some sort of symbol across his chest. He looked like he was armed.
"W-Who are you?" I stuttered.
Kyoya rolled his eyes and gave me a look. "This man is obviously a member of my family's private police force, Miss EmiShae."
I took another look at the man. Ohh, I thought. Yeah, that symbol is Kyoya-senpai's family's... Oh, never mind. I flicked my bangs out of my face. "I knew that," I mumbled.
The man tugged a radio from one of his many pockets, and informed whoever was on the other end that he'd found "Master Kyoya and a friend." He then turned to us and said. "I've come to escort the two of you back to the main pool area. Are any of you in need of medical attention."
"No, we're fine," Kyoya answered.
"Then follow me, please."
All the time that we were walking back, I kept sending annoyed, hateful thoughts to Kyoya. Knowing him, I was pretty sure he heard all of them. And, I may have been hallucinating, but I thought he was sending some back.
What the heck did I do? ! I wondered. Ah, forget it. Like I even care.
We walked for about ten minutes or so in silence before we broke through the trees and saw our destination before us.
Never had I been so happy to see a pool in my life.
"Thank you very much," Kyoya said to the man, and I got this funny feeling he was thanking him for more than just getting us out of the jungle. Hint, hint, it had to do with me.
"Not a problem, sir," the man replied, saluting. "My men will bring your friends here as soon as they're found."
"Thank you," Kyoya said again.
The man bowed, then left.
Not a minute later did I hear a familiar voice calling, "Kyo-chan! Emi-chan!" Then I heard a giggle as someone grabbed onto my arm.
I looked down at Honey as Mori approached. "How did you two find your way back here?" I asked.
"Well, it wasn't too hard!" Honey said with a big smile. "We just followed the current pool, and wound up back here."
Brilliant, I thought dryly. Honey and Mori found their way back, but we couldn't. ...Yeah, I don't know what my point was in thinking that, exactly.
"Yo, Emi!" Serin waved at us as she pushed her way out of the bushes. She was quickly followed by Haruhi and the twins. She walked right over to me and smacked me.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For getting lost and making me worry. ...And for anything blonde you may have done while I wasn't around."
I shook my head, and she smiled and slung an arm around my shoulder.
Haruhi sighed heavily as she approached.
"What happened to you?" I asked.
She glared at Hikaru. "Bit of advice," she said. "Never get lost with Hikaru when Kaoru's not around. Ever."
"Seems Hikaru was having some 'separation issues'," Serin said, making air quotes.
I raised an eyebrow. I'd have to log Haruhi's advice away for future reference. Wait, I thought. If Haruhi was lost with Hikaru, then...
"Does that mean you were lost with Ka-"
Serin smacked me again, cutting off my question. But this wasn't a "You're such a blonde" smack. No, this was more of a "Shutup! Kaoru's right there and you're embarrassing me!" smack.
Lucky thing I could tell the difference so I knew when to grin at her.
"Ah, there they are," Kyoya murmured.
I looked up to see Tamaki and Kelsey approaching. Oh, and might I add that Kelsey was on Tamaki's back?
"Kelsey! Did you get hurt again?" I asked nervously.
Seirn rolled her eyes. "No, Emi. Tamaki-senpai's carrying her because she's a lazy bum. Of course she's hurt!"
Kelsey shook her head as Tamaki set her down. "I'm fine, you two! I just twisted my ankle..."
Tamaki chuckled softly. "I have to say, she's a lot tougher than she looks. Climbed a tree on that ankle and everything."
Serin and I looked at her, eyes wide.
Haruhi scoffed and muttered something that sounded like, "Show-off..." Guess this wasn't an unusual thing for Kelsey to do in Haruhi's eyes, but it was to us.
"But you're okay otherwise?" Serin asked.
Kelsey nodded. "Perfectly fine, now that we found our way out of there."
I started and looked at Kelsey. Wait a second, I thought. So...does this mean that...Kyoya-senpai and I were the only ones that had to be lead out of the jungle? The rest of them found their way out on their own?
Well now I feel like even more of an idiot. But if Kyoya-senpai feels like an idiot, too, it's worth it.
Like I said earlier, I continued, nothing changed today. I still loathe him. Yeah, yeah, he got us found...when he got around to finding that dumb rock phone thing. I always knew he was self-centered. Today just proved it that much more.
"So everyone's alright...with one...notable exception?" Serin asked, looking pointedly at Kelsey.
Kelsey gave an apologetic smile and shrugged.
"How come you're the one that always gets hurt?" Hikaru asked her.
Kelsey ran a hand through her hair (which had turned curly again thanks to the rainstorm). "Just clumsy, I guess."
"Oh, so it had nothing to do with the fact that Tamaki fell on you?" Kaoru asked with a grin.
Kelsey blushed and looked down at her sandaled feet. "That might have had something to do with it," she said quietly.
Serin walked over and smacked both Hikaru and Kaoru. "Oh, leave her alone, you two," she said.
They grinned, unfazed by Serin's warning.
You really should be afraid, I thought at them in a sing-song voice. You don't really know what Serin's capable of...
Now that we were all back together and alright (with, as Serin had put it, "one notable exception"), we decided it was about time for us all to get home. It was a school night, after all.
"Next time, we should go to a real beach," Hikaru said.
"Yeah, that'd be fun," Kaoru agreed.
Tamaki rolled his eyes. "You idiots," he said, "the girls wouldn't be into something like that."
"Now hold up just a minute," Serin said. "Who said we didn't like the beach?"
"I like the beach just fine," I said.
"Me, too," Haruhi said.
"Yeah," Kelsey said, adjusting her water-spotted glasses. "I know some of us may not be into this water park, but a real beach could be fun!"
Tamaki got a scheming look in his eyes. "Yeah... Alright, then! Next time, we'll go to the beach!"
"We're going to a real beach?" Honey asked from his place atop Mori's shoulders. He giggled. "That'll be fun, huh, Takashi?"
"Yeah," Mori replied with a small smile.
With that, we left to find the hosts' black cars waiting for us, and Kelsey's car parked alongside them. She offered to give us rides home, and I was the first to agree. There was no way I was getting stuck in a car with one of the hosts after what just happened -especially not Kyoya.
;;;;;
After we dropped Haruhi off at her apartment, Serin and I offered to have Kelsey come over so one of our moms could look after her ankle.
She smiled and said, "You guys, really, it's nothing! I'll just keep my weight off it, and it'll be good as new in the morning." Her cheeks tinted pink. "Thanks for your concern, but, believe me, I can handle it."
"You sure?" I asked.
She nodded. "Positive. I don't want your parents to worry or anything just because of me." And, with that, she headed off to our homes.
"So you still loathe Kyoya-senpai, even after being lost in the jungle with him?" Serin asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, what happened out there?" Kelsey asked.
My face flushed a little. "I could be asking you two the same thing..."
"Yeah, but we don't hate anyone like you seem to hate Kyoya," Serin pointed out.
I exhaled. "He's a sadistic, self-centered jerk who won't do anything unless it's in his favor."
"And here I thought you didn't like him," Kelsey said, pulling up to Serin's house.
I rolled my eyes as Serin laughed and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow!" she said. "And, Kelsey, stay off that ankle!"
"Will do," she said, laughing.
"Oh, and Emi, I'll just leave you with this little tidbit: There's a fine line between love and hate."
I rolled my eyes again. "See you, Serin."
She laughed. "Bye!" And she turned and jogged up to her front door.
My house was next. "You sure you're okay?" I asked, picking up my bag.
"Really, Emi, I'm perfectly fine," she said with a smile. "Just wait and see, I'll be walking into school tomorrow on two good ankles. I'll put some ice on it and everything, I promise."
I hesitated for a moment. I could see something churning behind her smile, something whirling around in her blue eyes.
But did I dare ask? No. We said our goodbyes and she left.
As soon as her car was out of sight, I immediately started kicking myself for not asking. She probably just would've said she was fine again, but still...
"Where on earth have you been?" Mom asked.
"Oh, uh... Sorry, Mom. Serin, Kelsey, Haruhi, and I kinda got kidnapped by the twins, and they took us off to Kyoya-senpai's family's water park and... Yeah, sorry. I would've called, but there was no cell service."
She was giving me that look that meant she thought I was lying. I guess everything that happened with the hosts kinda sounded like a work of fiction.
"You can talk to Serin and Kelsey if you don't believe me," I added.
She exhaled. "What sort of crazy things are you getting mixed up in?" she asked with a tired smile.
"I don't even know the answer to that question, nor do I want to know."
Mom laughed as I headed to my room.
"I'm gonna take a shower and do my homework."
"Okay," she called after me.
;;;;;
I really did try to do what I said I'd do -the homework, I mean. But I couldn't get that look Kelsey had had on her face out of my mind. And what Serin had said was kinda bugging me.
Fine line between love and hate, I thought dryly. There's no way that's true. If I didn't hate Kyoya-senpai, then I'd greatly dislike him. There is nothing resembling love going on here. Nothing like that at all. The exact opposite, if anything.
At least...not where Kyoya-senpai and I are concerned... With Serin and Kelsey and a certain two other hosts... Well, I think that's another story entirely.
3_3_3_3_3
Kelsey unlocked her apartment door and limped inside, locking the door behind her. She tossed her keys and bag on the small dining room table as she passed, sighing and running a hand through her now-curly hair. She slipped off her shoes and left them by the door.
She didn't turn on any lights, just crossed the apartment in near-darkness. She went into her bathroom, closing and locking that door behind her as well. She took her glasses off, setting them on the counter.
She looked at her reflection in the dark, barely able to make out her own face staring back at her. It couldn't have been her face, though. It was a face from another time, a sadder time. It was a face from another bathroom mirror in another place, a more harmful place. Where was the girl she had been trying to become -the optimistic dreamer, the good friend, the random and good-humored one, the good student...the happy one?
The girl staring back at her now was sad, a million emotions swirling in her dim eyes. Fear. Anger. Sorrow. Hopelessness. Memories swirled in with them, bringing more emotions onto her face. Sadness. Rage. Hate. Pain.
Kelsey stepped back from the mirror and looked down at herself. She was still wearing the long-sleeved shirt and swimsuit. She peeled them all off, dropping them in a damp pile on the floor, and stepped over to the shower, cranking the handle all the way over to hot.
When the water had warmed up, she stepped under it, letting the heat steam over her and wash away the emotions and memories. That's what she was trying to let it do, anyway. But it wasn't working. All the steam was helping to do was coax tears from her eyes, and make them roll down her face and mix with the water pouring over her.
A sob escaped her lips, and she sank down to her knees, the bottom of the shower cold on her bare skin. She sat and cried for a few moments, tears blurring her vision.
She looked down at her arms, imagining for a moment in the almost-dark that the ugly reminders were gone. But she'd memorized their patterns, traced them over and over with her fingertips, connected them like some twisted game of connect-the-dots. She knew they were there, and couldn't pretend for even a few seconds that they would disappear.
I can't just will the past to disappear, she thought. Even if I can't see it, it's still there. But I'm trying. I'm trying so hard to not let it control me anymore. But it seems that's becoming increasingly difficult for me.
Suddenly, a different memory's soundtrack played through her mind. One from earlier that very day.
"It hurts more than you're letting on, isn't it?... I just don't want you hurting any more than you already are... No one needs anymore pain, and you least of all, I think... Just wait and see. Everything will be okay."
She saw the look on her friends' faces, showing concern for her because she'd been hurt. She heard their worried questions of whether or not she was alright.
She looked at her arms again, then closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her small, trembling frame. She exhaled a shaky breath.
This has got to stop, she thought. I've got to try harder. The last thing I want to do is to bring these good people that I've been blessed to be friends with into this ugly mess I'm trying to get past. I couldn't bear to see their faces if they knew.
Worse...I don't want them to leave. Because, if they knew...I'm sure that's exactly what they'd do.
She stood and turned off the water, listening to the quiet dripping from the faucet as she grabbed a fluffy towel from the rack on the wall. She dried herself off, toweled off her hair, and stepped out onto the rug.
She shivered slightly as she stepped onto the cold tile, and stopped in front of the mirror. She looked at the fogged-up glass, then turned and switched on the light. She grabbed her hair brush off the counter and ran it through her wet hair. Then she wiped off part of the mirror so she could see her face.
Her face had changed. It looked a little lighter. But maybe she was only fooling herself into thinking that, instead of thinking, Or maybe it's just because I turned on the light. Don't demons like the dark? she wondered.
She wrapped her towel back around herself, then looked back at the mirror. She wiped a stray strand of wet hair off her face, then stopped, her hand still raised. She glanced around, as if wondering if anyone was watching, then looked back at her face.
She raised her pointer finger to the glass and drew a small straight line. Then she drew another next to it. Under the two lines, she drew a curve.
She stepped back, looking at the face she'd drawn. She smiled, a laugh bubbling up and out of her mouth. She shook her head, still smiling.
She put her glasses on and opened the bathroom door, switching off the light. She limped to her bedroom, put her pajamas on, then limped off to the kitchen to feed her fish. She fixed herself some dinner, made an ice pack for her ankle, and sat herself down on the couch, switching on the TV.
She knew her demons weren't gone. No, that would've been too easy. But, for the moment, she was happy if they were just pushed to the back of her mind. At least they'd sleep for a while there.
Besides, she thought, I have to focus on getting my ankle back to 100%. I promised Emi and Serin, after all.
If you've never read any of Ellen Hopkins' books, you have been living under a proverbial rock. (But that's just my opinon.) She's an amazing author. I've read four of her books, and plan to read more as they come out. (Waiting for Tricks and Fallout to come out in paperback.) Anyway, she has this unique style called "prose writing" -the whole book is in prose, like poetry, but reads like a book, telling a story with characters and everything. They're amazing. I just finished her book Identical, and it gave me so many ideas for my OC-me (Kelsey) in this story. I really love the way Hopkins writes, especially about inner demons, addictions, and love, and it sometimes rubs off on me as I'm writing. Some of that is starting to show in those moments where OC-me has little epiphanies or moments to herself. So maybe that's why I feel my writing's maybe a little better on these parts...? At any rate, if you're up for books about messed-up lives, addictions, questioned mentality, and sometimes love, you should read her books. Look her up -they're better than I can make them sound. The four I've read are Crank, Glass (sequel to Crank), Burned, Impulse, and Identical. Whoops, guess I've read five. Don't let their size scare you -they're really good, and quick reads! (I finish them in about two days... Maybe six hours total.) They're also a little adult, so be prepared going into them (drugs, sex, language, all that stuff) but please don't let that scare you away from them! Because they are SO GOOD! (Now I want to read them all again...) ...And that's the end of my ramble about Ellen Hopkins. Look her up, if you get the time.
Oh, and the thing about Kelsey drawing a face in the mirror... I had "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz stuck in my head while I was writing this (of all songs... I had been listening to the Tangled soundtrack, and somehow Jason Mraz got stuck in my head O.o Go figure), and I kept thinking about the bridge where he says, "I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror / and bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer / But my breath fogged up the glass / So I drew a new face and I laughed / I guess what I'll be saying is there ain't no better reason / to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the season / It's what we aim to do / I would name this our virtue." Just seemed fitting *shrugs*
Wow, this chapter was really long... But I had a lot of ground to cover! Oh, and thanks to Dreamaker401 for her saying about the fine line between love and hate! (Told you I'd use it! ^.^) Let me know your thoughts on the chapter! Thanks for reading!