Title: Mina and Kyle -- Pre-simming
Author: DarkJaina
Timeline: When the Animorphs are 15 or so to when they are 18.
Spoilers: Andalite Chronicles, book 23, The Simming
Summary: A love story about the struggle of Chapman's other daughter (the one KA didn't know about) and her new friend Kyle, as they struggle to avoid the Yeerks, thinking they're alone. **It is suggested you read the simming to understand this story!** However, it will make sense on its own.
Disclaimer: Jake, Cassie, Rachel, Tobias, Marco, Ax, Loren, and Arbron do not belong to me. These amazing characters belong to the Great Ms. Applegate. ::bows:: Kyle and Mina are mine. ::pause:: Well, okay, maybe Kyle is Nicole's, but she gave him to me!
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Mina and Kyle -- Pre-Simming
Part 1/4 The Meeting
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Mina Chapman sighed as she walked into yet another new school. She hated all this constant moving around Loren made them do. Sure, she loved Loren like she would have loved her real mother -- if she remembered her -- but Loren could be too ... paranoid sometimes. Oh well. Mina supposed she better make the best of arriving late yet again during the school year. But dammit, she had liked Wyoming! It was all open country, and she could spend almost all her time riding her horse, Mask. The wind blowing through her hair, as she and Mask raced away from phantoms they knew were there but could never quite see or understand ...
She went through the motions that were so familiar to her by now: go to the principal's office, exchange pointless pleasantries which neither of them wanted to make anyway, get her class schedule and go to her homeroom. She always came in early so she could watch all the other kids come in.
Surprisingly, there was someone in the room before her. When she looked at the clock, she saw she was a full half an hour before "normal" kids started arriving. Who was this boy sitting in the back of the room, reading a thick book? As Mina sat down on the other side of the room (but still in the back where she could see the door), she looked closer at him. She gasped. He was gorgeous! Mina felt her heart flutter and immediately chastened herself. He was just a guy. Some guy who liked coming into school early and reading books.
But she kept stealing glances at him over her own book. As other students began filing in, she found distractions and forgot about the boy for the time being while she observed her new classmates.
Eventually, the bell rang and the homeroom teacher began attendance. Mina rolled her eyes and thought, same old, same old. When would these teachers get some originality? Suddenly, she was jolted out of her stupor by hearing her name.
"...Mina Chapman and Kyle Starr, your two new classmates. Kyle, Mina, please stand."
Mina slowly stood up and looked around for the other new student. Her eyes widened as they met those of the cute boy on the other side of the room. He was new, as well! Shocked, Mina slowly processed that the teacher was asking her for a little information on herself.
"Uh, m-my name's Mina Chapman. Um ... I'm 14 years old and I moved here from Wyoming."
The teacher waited a few seconds, as if expected her to say a little more, then nodded at the boy. "Kyle, would you please tell us some things about yourself?"
The boy, Kyle, nodded. "My name is Kyle Starr." Mina tried to appear casual. He was looking straight at her as he talked! And she couldn't look away. "I'm 15, and I have no family." Then he smiled -- only at her.
The teacher smiled a bit, then nodded. "Thank you Kyle. The bell will ring in a moment, students, but first there are some papers ..." His voice droned on as first Kyle, then Mina sat down. Finally, Mina was able to look away from him.
What was wrong with her? She had never stuttered like that! She would always keep her cool, looking at each of the students as if daring them to make some move, any move at all. But worst of all, she had never fallen for anyone so quickly.
Kyle wasn't in her next class, or the next, which gave her time to mull over her feelings. She quickly decided that it was just some stupid crush that other girls got because of some guy's looks. This Kyle was probably arrogant and boring, anyway.
This particular school had "block scheduling," which meant they had two one and a half hour classes, then a two hour class during which the classes rotated a half hour lunch period, then one more one and a half hour class. It was all pretty stupid to Mina, but it did mean less homework.
Mina had lunch before her third class. She carefully picked out her table after buying her lunch. She had already designated into groups most of the girls in her classes, so she knew what tables to stay away from. Luck was with her today, she thought. There were plenty of empty tables she could pick from. Again, she chose one where she had her back to the wall and could watch the door and the people simultaneously.
Mina cautiously looked at her lunch and was thankful this school had decent-looking food. Tasting a bit of the hamburger, she found its taste was also decent. That was one plus for the school.
Suddenly, a tray was set down before her and someone sat down across from her. Looking up quickly, she saw it was Kyle. What was his deal?! She really wasn't in the mood to be stalked.
But Kyle didn't say anything. He just ate his hamburger, watching his food. Mina frowned at her Jello. This was new. She suddenly wanted very much to say something to him, anything. Finally, she blurted out:
"Why don't you have any family?"
He looked at her, and suddenly she felt dizzy. His eyes were a dark blue, the deepest blue she'd ever seen. It seemed his eyes held all of his soul, right there. She could see so much hurt and confusion ... but such strength, courage, and hope. Mina was frightened and intrigued at the same time.
Mina blinked. What was wrong with her? Get a grip! she screamed at herself.
Kyle, unaware of Mina's conflict, looked as if he was expecting the question. "My mother gave me up as a child. My adopted mother and father gave me away when I was two. My next caretaker decided I should ... I would be better off without him, and he left me at a boys' home this summer. I have to come to this school. What about you?" He startled her with his rapid sentences and quick change of the subject. "What family do you have?"
Startled, she hurried to respond. "My mother and father gave me to my caretaker, Loren, when I was 2, as well," she said. "We've been moving all over the place since." She paused, then added, "I have a horse."
Kyle nodded, his shoulder-length, curly, dark hair bobbing back and forth. "We were both unwanted."
Mina blinked a few times, flustered. She had no time to think about her answers, about him. The conversation was going too fast for her to process things. He had been given up three different times? That might explain the hurt she saw. Suddenly, Mina wanted nothing more then to take the hurt out of this beautiful boy's eyes.
"What's your horse like?" He changed the conversation again, veering to more pleasant topics. Mina had the feeling that, by exchanging the very personal information about their family situations, in his eyes that meant something very important. She only wished she knew what.
"He's, um, kind of brown, dark brown, with a black mane and tail. He has this white streak down his face, so I named him Mask. I got him on my seventh birthday, when he was just a foal. He's really beautiful, and a great runner. He can go so fast ... we really make a perfect team." She tilted her head to the right a bit. "Do you ride?"
He smiled faintly, mysteriously. "Oh, I've ridden here and there. Do you enter any competitions?"
As the lunch period wore on, Mina became more relaxed around Kyle, and he around her. They created a bubble of happiness and joy around them, laughing and discussing various topics. When lunch ended, Mina was glad to see Kyle was in her third period, and her fourth after that. Fourth was chemistry, and, while they weren't lab partners, they were close together and could pass notes back and forth.
The bell rang, screeching in its loud siren that everyone could finally go home. Mina raced to her locker, eager to run home, tell Loren about her day, and then go see Mask. Slamming her locker closed, she whirled around only to slam into Kyle.
"Ohh!" She looked up into his stormy eyes and looked quickly away. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you!"
He grinned. "Hey, it's okay. Which way are you heading? Maybe I can escort you home. It's getting to be a dangerous world these days."
Mina looked at her shoes and shifted her backpack nervously. No guy had ever spoken to her that way -- he was such a gentleman! She wasn't sure how to react. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and forced a smile. "That would be great. Thanks, Kyle."
The walk home was just like lunch. They talked and laughed, slowly learning about each other. When Mina reached the walk leading to her house, Kyle waved and continued walking once he saw she was inside her house.
Mina collapsed against the door and slowly began examining the day. There was something different about Kyle, something ... dangerous. Like he knew a secret no one else did. Why was she drawn to that?
"Mina? How was school?"
A thought struck her as Loren called out her name. She had seen the same thing, the same knowing of a secret in Loren's eyes.
Shaking her head furiously, Mina drove the thoughts from her mind. There she went, making up stories again. She would have to do something about that imagination of hers.
"Hey, Loren!" she called back. "School was the same old. No homework, for once." She paused. "Loren, can I go riding?"
Loren Fangor looked out from the kitchen at the girl she considered her daughter in everything but blood. While Mina would never replace the child she had left behind, Loren had vowed to care for the innocent Mina as best she could ... Shaking her head slightly, Loren thought about Mina's question. She was spending more and more time with Mask, riding faster and faster. Loren knew there were much worse things that could happen to Mina than getting thrown from her horse, but she still worried. She sighed. Still, it couldn't hurt her right now. The trail Loren had explored today (because she knew Mina would ask) was as safe as any place was in this world.
"The beginning of the trail is marked. Be back by 6," was all she said. Mina grinned as raced out the door to Mask's new stable, leaving Loren to stare at the picture in her hand, the one of the little boy she had had to leave behind.
*****
Authors Note: Okay, okay, I know the beginning was too much like a cheesy romance novel! But I had to show it was love at first sight.