Hey, sorry it took me so long to update but it is the holidays and there's school and work and a social life on top of all that.
Anyways thanx to everyone who reviewed. Hope you like this chapter. J
~Miss Wright~
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Chapter 9: Twelve Years
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Kai pulled over into an empty grocery store parking lot when he figured they were far enough away from the fan out break at the BBA banquet. He parked the bike and hopped off before helping Amara down.
"I hate to sound cliché but… my hero," Amara flung her arms around Kai's neck.
"I owed you for saving me in the mall yesterday, we're even now," he replied coolly, pulling her arms off his neck and held her wrists in between them. Amara studied him for a moment.
"Is that all it is, a score?"
"We should go before everyone gets worried," Kai climbed back on the motorcycle breaking away from her eyes.
"Fine," Amara joined him on the bike. She didn't bother to ask him if he knew where he was going, she just let him drive. She was exhausted physically and emotionally. Amara leaned her head on Kai's back and closed her eyes.
Amara sat up a few minutes later when the bike stopped.
"Kai where are we?" Their surroundings did not look like her driveway.
"I don't know…I'm not the one that lives here," he snapped.
"Calm down, it's not going to make this any better if you snark at me," Amara's voice rose.
"Well maybe if you had told me where to go we wouldn't be lost," his tone rose to meet hers.
"Well you chose a nice place to be lost," her voice softened to a whisper: her eyes were fixed on something over Kai's shoulder. He turned to see the rolling waves and sand. Then raised his eyes to the pink and orange summer sunset. "It's beautiful!"
"Yeah." Trance like Amara walked to the sandy beach and discarded her black heels. She walked right up to the shore so the water was lapping at her bare feet. The black racer's helmet was also discarded revealing how long her red hair truly was. It cascaded down passed the hem of her dress in golden red waves. She stood there not moving, only staring out at the water. The wind whipped through her hair. Kai didn't move. All he could do was stare at her and the picture perfect scenery.
"Twelve years…twelve lonely years," Amara sat down hard in the sand. "Why? Why? Why?" She screamed, pounding the sand with her fists.
"Amara?" Kai finally joined her in the sand.
"It's nothing," she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Really, I'm fine. Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you think I'm being a stupid girl," her tear stained face lightened with a small smile.
"I don't think you're a stupid girl," Kai retorted, joining her in the sand.
"Oh," she turned her eyes away from his. Silence hung between them as they watched the waves hit the sand.
"So you and Tyson eh?"
"What?!? Where did you get that idea?"
"You too seemed pretty cozy on the dance floor."
"Is that what you think? That I love every guy I dance with?" Anger threatened to ruin the calm sunset.
"I'm just saying…"
"You think I'm some kind of slut?" Amara cut him off sharply.
"NO! I…oh never mind!" Kai rolled his eyes before turning his face away from her and looked back out to the water. Again it was silent between them. A seagull crowing was the only sound other than the water hitting the beach.
"I don't think you're a slut. Cat is a slut. You're… you're… well that's not one of the terms I would ever use to describe you," Kai broke the silence.
"Thanx…and there is nothing between me and Tyson. He pulled me close to him while we were dancing. I just want to be friends with him," Amara moved closer to Kai, their faces almost touching. "Kai…I…" Kai moved towards her. Closer, closer, so close…
"AMARA!!!! KAI!!!"
Amara and Kai jumped apart startled by the shouting.
"Bugger." Amara cursed under her breath but only Kai could hear her.
"We've been looking everywhere for you two," Rei and Kiki tromped through the sand towards the couple.
"Hope we weren't interrupting anything," Kiki crossed her arms and waited for a response to a question she already knew the answer to.
"You're timing is impeccable Keeks," Amara groaned, picking herself up from the sand and retrieving her shoes. "Where's everyone else?"
"Back at the house freaking out about you two," Rei answered his voice escalating. "Why didn't you come straight home? We thought you might have gotten hurt."
"We got lost okay," Kai tried to calm the irate boy.
"Right "lost"," Kiki agreed sarcastically. "Considering Amara knows this place like the back of her hand."
"I wasn't driving and I didn't give Kai any directions," Amara spat the words at her friend in disbelief. Why was Kiki questioning her? Where was the trust? Kiki nodded her head, mocking Amara's defense.
"Well he chose the perfect, romantic spot didn't he," Kiki chuckled wickedly.
"Kiki, what's gotten into you?" Amara stood directly in front of her best friend.
"Me? Nothing, let's get going."
"I'll meet you guys later," Amara grabbed her helmet from where she had discarded it. She hopped on the Ninja and revved the engine. In a flash she was gone.
"I thought you were her friend?" Kai turned his steely eyes on Kiki.
"I am but I was scared okay! I thought something might have happened to you guys! And then to see you all cozy like that…I…" tears flooded her chocolate brown eyes. "I didn't know how to react."
"Chill man," Rei wrapped his arms around the distraught girl and walked her to her red Civic.
"Where are you going?" Kai whispered to himself, looking towards the direction Amara had sped off in.
* * *
Amara tried her best to focus on the road ahead of her. Tears were running down her cheeks. She couldn't understand Kiki's outburst. Their friendship had never been one of confrontation. Any time there was a problem they always managed to work it out without a big uproar. It just made the day even worse.
Amara knew the route to the cemetery so well she could do it with her eyes closed. Every curve leading to the site at the top was permanently embedded in her mind. She had made the trip many times over. When she reached her destination she cut the engine but didn't get off the bike. All she could manage was to stare. Stare at the three headstones, each with a single red rose lying in front.
Amara had already been there earlier that day before the banquet. Today was the day she always visited the graves of her family, the anniversary of their deaths.
~ Behind the Trees in the Cemetery~
"Oh yes my darling, cry over the loss of mommy and daddy," the cold voice spoke quietly from behind the shaded trees. Amara had no idea that she was being watched. Her thoughts were consumed in her sorrow. "The worst is yet to come princess. Life is about to get much worse. MUAH MUAH HAHAHAHAHA!!…Whoops! A little too loud there… aaaaaa… WOOF WOOF!" Amara had turned her head in the direction of the trees but the darkness kept the owner of the voice well hidden.
"That's it my sweet, ride home, back to where your little friends wait. Enjoy them while you have them! HEHEHEHEHEHE! I'm so evil, I scary myself sometimes. HEHEHEHE AHHHHHHHHHH! Whoopsy Daisy, just my silly shadow!"
~ Back at the Mansion ~
"You just let her ride away?" Nicholai shouted at his sister. "How could you?"
"I don't know okay," she buried her face in her hands. Mico sat down beside her on the couch and tried to comfort her friend.
"Stop it Nicholai, getting angry at each other won't help find her," Mico scolded.
"She's right," Kenny stepped forward, pushing his glasses up. "If we just use simple deduction maybe we can figure out where she might have gone."
"How would she ride the bike with that short dress on?" Tyson thought out loud. "Wouldn't it ride up, revealing… OOOOOOOOOUCH!!!" Kai and Nicholai punch him, one on each arm.
"I know where she is," Mr. Dickinson entered the rec room where the two teams had gathered. All eyes were on the older man, waiting for him to tell them where she was.
"Tell us already," an impatient Kai grumbled.
"Mount View cemetery," he choked out the words. "Today is the anniversary of her parents and sister's deaths. She goes up there every year."
"Why didn't she say something to us about it?" Tyson asked.
"She doesn't really like to talk about it, it's a very private thing," Mr. Dickinson answered, tears shimmering in his eyes.
"I had no idea," Kiki sobbed. "Why didn't she tell me?"
"She doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She's accepted it a long time ago, so she grieves alone."
"I'm her best friend and I know nothing about her parents."
"It's not really my place to tell you. I'll leave it up to her," Mr. Dickinson left the room.
"I was five when it happened," Amara's quivering voice came from behind them. Her face was tear stained and her eyes were red and puffy. "I was suppose to go with my parents, sister and dear uncle for a day on the beach. I woke up that morning with a high fever, making it practically impossible for me to leave my bed." Amara paused to take a deep breath. Everyone else was holding his or her breath waiting for her to continue.
"My mom wanted to cancel the beach outing but I insisted that they go without me. I didn't want to ruin the day. And I had a sweet uncle who offered to stay with me for the day. Reluctantly my family left me in the care of my uncle and headed out into the vehicle, which was waiting to escort them to the beach." Amara paused again to breath. She closed her eyes causing the tears to spill down her cheeks.
"They never made it to the beach…the car…" Amara choked on her words. "The car burst into flames and crashed into a power line. The polices theory was that the driver died on impact and my family...burned to death."
"Oh Ams," Kiki and Mico hugged their friend, who had now burst into tears.
"How does a car just burst into flames?" Max wondered out loud, directing his question more or less at Kenny.
"I don't know. The only thing I can think of is…" Kenny stopped as if saying the answer was too painful for all of them.
Kai answered for Kenny. If he felt any emotion towards it, he didn't let it show in his voice. "It wasn't an accident."
