Everlasting

Everlasting

by: Reiko-chan

Standard Disclaimers apply.

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Chapter 8: Change

Up the wooden steps of the building she went, and at the third floor, she opened the glass door to her right and sighed heavily. It was hard climbing up to the third floor with a huge bag and some fencing swords. She took her time and sat down at a nearby bench, wiping her perspiration with a hankie.

A few minutes later, Kate walked to the women's locker room and changed into her training gear. She then entered the training hall through another glass door and smiled warmly at those who greeted her. At a corner in the room, she found David and Aaron sparring against each other, with Aaron gaining the upper hand. She immediately spotted a flaw in her cousin's techniques and walked towards them to correct him.

"Hey, you're doing your stance wrong," Kate casually said, patting her cousin at the back. As usual, an outburst was the reply to her brief statement.

"What the hell am I doing wrong, ugly?" David replied. Kate flinched at the name-calling, but resolved to keep her cool. So she ignored the insult and then proceeded to lecture him, like a senior should.

"You see, you're gripping your sword too tightly, and your body's too tense," Kate explained. "Try to relax a little bit. Then you'd be able to get the hang of the technique. I know it's quite hard since it's already advanced, so you must be patient. No one gets it overnight."

David nodded in acknowledgement as Aaron watched him practice the stance. He turned to his mentor. Kate was checking on David's stance quite cheerily, although her eyes seemed sad, and exhausted. As if she had cried the whole night. Finally gave the go signal, David lunged at Aaron and successfully pinned him down on the ground.

"That's it!" Kate laughed, seeing the two of them sprawled on the ground. "Better get up now. Aaron, there was a tiny flaw in your technique a while ago that made David bring you down."

"Really?" Aaron replied, getting up.

"You see, you need to make your movements quick, and at the same time, relax a bit. You're tense," Kate said. She positioned to perform the technique.

"Give me the go signal," she said. The two boys looked at each other, and together they said, "Go!"

In a quick, silent motion, Kate performed the technique perfectly, an astonished look on both boys' faces.

"It takes practice to do it perfectly," Kate said softly. Clapping her hands, she said, "Now, move it and get your muscles moving. You're going to have a lot of training to do today."

A few meters away, Coach Thompson smiled at the trio. Although he seemed to be missing another star pupil at the training hall that moment. And as if on cue, Kevin opened the glass doors of the training hall and walked toward Coach Thompson, apologizing for his tardiness.

"Sorry sir, I overslept today," Kevin apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I slept late yesterday watching a game."

Coach Thompson shook his head, pouting.

"You really ought to control TV time Kevin," he scolded. "Now, go on and start training. You're already late fifteen minutes."

Kevin nodded and turned around to see Kate training the two younger boys. All of a sudden, the guilt swarmed through him and he felt glued to the spot. He just stared at her, breathing quite uneven, when suddenly, Kate turned and saw him.

God... I hope she isn't angry with me anymore.

But his hopes were in vain. Kate just looked at him, her face just like it had been when they parted yesterday. Then, she turned away just as David and Aaron began waving to him, motioning him to come to them. Taking the two boys as an excuse to get closer to Kate, he began walking toward them, quite stiffly.

"Hey Kevin! You're late! What happened to you?" David asked.

"I... um... slept late, watching a game," Kevin replied, rubbing the back of his head again.

"What game?" Aaron asked.

"The NBA finals," Kevin replied.

"Oh my God! I missed it! Tell me, who won?" David begged. Just then, Kate interrupted them.

"You are in training, don't you remember? Especially you David. You've got lots of mistakes you can't seem to correct," Kate said, her voice cool. She didn't see David sticking his tongue out at her, mumbling insults under his breath. She turned to look at Kevin. "Guess we'd better divide. You take David I'll take Aaron."

Kevin nodded mutely, not believing the harshness he heard in her voice. So, she was still angry with him. Who could blame her though? He promised himself that he'd tell her everything right after practice.

Aaron looked at his mentors. There was tension between them, he could tell from the way Kate talked to Kevin. It seemed that Kate was upset with Kevin for some reason he didn't know. Her voice was harsh and cool, and she was ordering Kevin around. He looked at Kate. Anger and sadness were in her eyes, and her eye bags were getting quite large. His thoughts were interrupted when Kate patted him on the shoulder, signaling the start of the training.

***************

Tired after hours of training, Kate walked slowly to the locker room, eager for a hot shower. It took her a long time to get out of the water, and some of her friends were worried that she'd already drowned inside. She changed into a new set of clothes after, slung her bag over her shoulder, stuffed her swords inside the locker and went out of the changing room, only to find Kevin waiting for her, his bag also slung over his shoulder.

She ignored him. She completely ignored him. But Kevin was persistent. He rushed up to her, demanding that they'd talk. She declined. But he wouldn't accept it. She made her point clear. She didn't want to talk. But he persisted. Even down the stairs up to the first floor, she refused, he insisted. Finally, seeing that there was no point in refusing his plea, she agreed. He smiled, happy. He then led her to a coffee shop and bought her a drink.

"Thanks for agreeing to this," he smiled. Kate was in no mood for such.

"I had to. You wouldn't stop," she replied coolly, taking a sip from her latte. Then, she looked at Kevin. "You have something to say?"

"Yes..." Kevin replied. He suddenly found something interesting in his drink, and it took a long time before he continued. "It's about... our argument... yesterday... about what you said."

Kate breathed in deeply. She had to prepare herself for whatever she would hear. There was no guaranteeing that this would be a nice conversation.

***************

A tall house, marble pillars, red carpets and soft linens. That's what you would find inside the Matthews' residence. The neighborhood's houses were no match for this magnificence. With gardens filled with the prettiest flowers and abundant trees, the Matthews' residence was truly a mansion in its own right.

Although, the inside of the house was dark and gloomy, all furniture covered with black linen. In the living room, Mrs. Matthews sat quietly, melancholy. She was dressed in black, her hair in a tight bun. Beside her was her son, Eric, who was also dressed in black and had a serious look on his face. Then, his father entered the room. Mr. Matthews, also in black walked in and sat down across his wife, his face expressionless.

"Where is she?" Mrs. Matthews turned to her husband. "Have they seen her George?" Her husband shook his head mutely.

"They haven't found her Olivia," George Matthews replied. "Although one of them spotted her last night, at the city park."

"At the city park?" Olivia Matthews repeated. "Why? Why was she there?"

"The man described her wearing a coat and holding a suitcase," Eric answered for his father.

"She ran away?" his mother moaned. "George I told you! You should've accepted him from the beginning! You should've respected her feelings! She loves the man!"

"But he doesn't fit in! He would never fit in. I don't know why the girl broke up with Williams in the first place! They were already a perfect match. Imagine my surprise when I saw him yesterday at the Pryce mansion. He was also as surprised as I am. But he acted cool in front of everyone, as if he didn't know me at all," George Matthews said.

"Mother, the man who spotted her last night said that she had been talking with Williams before she left. They seemed to have a disagreement at first," Eric said. "But later on, they were in good terms, and Tonya even smiled at him before she left."

"But where did she go? I want to know where she went," Olivia Matthews said. "I want to see Tonya."

"Don't worry mother. We'll find her," Eric said, putting an arm around his mother. "Believe me. We'll find her."

**************

"I had a girlfriend, back then," Kevin started. "She was serious, rarely smiled, but she was very beautiful. I loved her, she loved me, although I couldn't tell how much she did since she never showed much of her affections."

"Her name?" Kate asked.

"... Tonya Matthews," was the reply.

She felt like as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. Tonya Matthews? The girl whom they, or rather, she had just met yesterday, had been his girlfriend?

"She used to study in our school, although she never hung out with the crowd," Kevin continued. "Her father was very strict with her, although he approved of me as her boyfriend. Every after school, the family car would be parked right outside the front gate, waiting for her to arrive. She'd go straight to home everyday, since her father never allowed her to go out on her own. She was like... a bird in a cage. I could tell that she wanted to get free of her father, but she couldn't do so.

"Our relationship lasted for some months. One day, in morning assembly, the principal announced a new student, Kiyosato Akira from Japan."

"Kiyosato Akira," Kate repeated. "He's the one who stayed at section A..."

"Yes. Kiyosato Akira and Tonya met at the cafeteria. The two of them were in good terms with each other, and they were often together. I also noticed, that she smiled more often when she was with him. Of course, I got quite jealous. Her father eventually learned about this and forbid her to see him. But Tonya persisted, and the two kept on meeting each other in secret. I perfectly knew it. This continued for a whole month until one day, Tonya approached me and suddenly broke up with me. It was all so sudden. I was so surprised. Then, I realized, that it was because of Kiyosato. She finally realized that it wasn't 'love' she felt for me, but a different kind of love. More like, a love for another friend. It took me so long to realize the fact that she was no longer mine, but months passed and we both acted as if nothing happened. We could pass one another without even talking with each other, as if the other were a ghost. I heard one day that Tonya was transferred to another school by her father because he didn't like Kiyosato. But I also heard that they kept on seeing each other in secret. Finally, her father got angry with her. He arranged for her to fly to London and continue studying there. But Tonya didn't want to. She threatened that she'd run away if her father would take her away from Kiyosato... So, she did... last night. We saw each other..."

Kate was silent as she stared at her latte, stirring it lazily. Her eyes never left the drink, and Kevin didn't know if she had listened to him or not. He sighed, not sure at what to do.

"So... I guess that's it... I told you," Kevin breathed. "You're still... angry with me?" Kate looked up.

"Why didn't you tell this to me sooner?" she asked. Her brows were creased and her eyes... they were brimming with tears.

"K-Kate, don't cry... I..." Kevin stammered. He didn't want to see her cry. Not now. Not ever. "I... was scared... I didn't want you to know... you mightn't accept me..."

Then, the unexpected happened. Kate smiled. Her tears seemed to add more beauty to her smile. Suddenly, the whole world brightened up for Kevin, and he beamed. Then, Kate reached out and held his hand. Her warmth was surely a comfort to him.

Smiling, she said, "I love you, and I wouldn't care if you had a girlfriend before or not. All I want is that you tell me what I must know... If it doesn't concern me, then I don't care if you tell me or not. And don't worry about me not accepting you. I love you."

Heaven. That's where he was. It was pure heaven for him to hear his loved one say that she loved him, and that she forgave him. She was so understanding, so loving. She had this power to make all his hurt go away with just one smile of hers. Her words were comfort. She always made you feel loved, and cherished. That's Kate...

"Aren't you going to say something?" Kate asked, quite worried.

He smiled and said, "Thank you, for loving me as you do." Then he took his other free hand and held it over hers, that simple touch with a meaning more than words can say.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

*************

"Here we are," Kate smiled. "Home, sweet home." She took her key from her pocket and went to open the gate, just to realize that it was already open.

"I guess your parents are home," Kevin said.

"I guess so," Kate replied. "Would you want to come in and rest for a while?" She looked at him, her blue eyes pleading for him to stay. Kevin smiled. How could he refuse?

"If it's alright with your parents," Kevin replied. Right on cue, the curtains were drawn by Mrs. Laurence, revealing chubby Mr. Laurence watching TV. She saw her daughter, and Kevin, and smiled at the two of them. Then she opened the front door and called out.

"Come in now," she said. "The weather's getting cold. Both of you might get sick. Get in here now, spit spot." Kate and Kevin looked at each other, then hand in hand, past the gate and past the door, they entered the Laurence residence.

It was like a painting made by a great painter. The scene that the clear glass window revealed was truly warm and happy. Mr. Laurence greeted Kevin with a nice pat on the back that almost sent him down the floor. Kate laughed, Mrs. Laurence smiled, and Mr. Laurence stood chortling over the poor fellow. Kevin was then invited to sit down on the couch as Mrs. Laurence went to get some snacks. Kate sat beside him, and Mr. Laurence on his chair, and the three of them watched Mr. Laurence's favorite program, the fire cackling by the window.

****************

"I want you to find Williams. Do whatever is necessary to get him to talk. He might know where Tonya is," said a masculine voice, hidden in the shadows.

"Well, sir I dunno how he looks or where he lives," said a burly fellow. He spoke with the country accent as he stood inside a dimly lit room with only a table in the center as part of the furniture. Then, a hand appeared on the table, placing a photograph down side up. The burly fellow took the photograph and saw a redhead beaming with a black-haired girl by his side, also beaming.

"Hatcher, the redhead is Williams. I'll give you his address a little later. That girl beside him is his girlfriend, Kate Laurence. Do whatever is necessary to get some information out of him. I want to find Tonya," the masculine voice.

"Yes Mr. Matthews sir," Hatcher replied.

"Oh, and a tip. Try kidnapping the girl to make the job really easy."

"Yes Mr. Matthews sir."

Author's Notes:

How was it? Please R&R!