CHAPTER 11

Five days. It has been nearly a week since Zia's true color came out and Kai left me. These 5 days have been the worst of my life. I was still sheltered in Zia's place, mostly because neither of us knew what to do. She was ordered by Boris to hand me and Kai to him when he came to Wyatt's school to inaugurate a new auditorium. He would come armed and ready to take me after capturing Hiwatari. It was supposed to be a moment of great splendor when the infamous killer would be caught in a huge crowd. I scorned the extravagance, but it also bought me great horror. I learned from Zia that Boris wasn't the only person who had survived the fire. Voltaire too had made it out. he was currently nothing more than a burnt shell of a man, but people still regarded him as some kind of king. he was the chief guest at the function. My evil foster father and childhood tormenter were together and plotting to force information out of me. Information that I didn't even know whether I had. Not to forget that I have a Killer who is either pursuing me now or has left me in the hands of another freak woman who was planning to sell me to those evil men. yep. Life is good. I knew that if there was someone who wanted revenge more than Kai did at the moment, it was Voltaire. If Zia failed in her task, the Hayes family would be completely wiped off the face of the earth, and if she succeeded, I would be History. Running away now would be pointless since I was a total lost puppy without Kai. Zia had kept me in a sort of house arrest, but she did not dare to move out of the house or inflict harm on me. Hiwatari was like a noose around her neck which would tighten and choke her the moment she tried going too far.

My biggest problem was anticipation. It was killing me. Each time I heard footsteps approaching my room I thought it was him. I hoped that it was him and got depressed when it turned out to be someone else. In the days we were spending apart, my memory was coming back gradually. I still don't remember what happened that day or know details of my past. But what he had meant to me is crystal clear now. I treasured his smile and craved to be with him. more often nowadays I would let my emotions take over and allow myself to long for him. I wanted him... Zia had confessed to me that she did not want me to die. She was desperate but still wanted me to be safe. "Do you think you can ever be safe with Kai around? at least Boris won't smile at you one moment and kill you the next. You will be happy with him if you cooperate. Kai will be killed and everything can go back to normal" she had once told me while slipping food in through the door. I ignored her. The happiness she mentioned was hers and not mine. 'It comes down to what you want from them…… people keep what they want.' the words kept haunting me.

That night Zia came to my room (she actually had the nerve to come in!) and told me that I would be handed over tomorrow, with or without Kai didn't matter much. I could easily tell that she was lying. It was clearly visible that Kai's absence would be noticed and Zia would be punished. I gave up all hope. It was a clear sign that I was not the old tala Ivanov. The post-trauma Tala would never give up.

I spent my possible last night of freedom tossing around in the bed. I must have looked so pathetic that even Zia took pity on me. She let me out on the terrace for some time (obviously guarding me). As I gazed at the clear sky and hungrily breathed in my last few hours of freedom, I surprised myself with what I was worried about. "If I never get to see you again, will you get someone to complete that painting in your room? Wyatt likes it a lot... " I asked while pointing at the stars. My words broke her and I saw her blinking back tears. Even after she betrayed us, I couldn't help but admire how strong she was. Not the sort that society would consider strong. But Zia was a girl who was not ashamed of crying her worries out. What made her different was that once she was done crying, there was no turning back. She would make sure to fight for her cause.

I followed her back to the room one last time. The place seemed very weird without Kai in it and it was also out of place to see Wyatt sleeping among the shifted furniture. He also looked like he had been crying. The boy missed Kai. I wanted to hug him and tell him how much I could sympathize, but that would just put too much pressure on him. After all, tomorrow if everything went according to Zia's plan, Wyatt would be one among the kids to welcome Boris and Voltaire to the function. I didn't think the boy knew anything about the risk he was in, but it wouldn't matter once he was given a life of luxuries when both me and Kai were out of the way. I suddenly remembered that there was some more paint which I had mixed that day, a bit of red black, and blue. As Zia watched, I took a bit of a spare sheet from Wyatt's desk and quickly scribbled something on it. The strokes had come on their own. When I was done, I stepped back and looked at the abstract work I had made. At first glance, it was just a few splashes of color. But if one looked closely, a magnificent ice phoenix seemed to materialize. She was surrounded by ice, but her wings were pure flames. The senseless part was that the flames charred the ice black, but the ice did not melt. It was as though the creature knew that the ice and fire were part of it. It was a beautiful balance.

The next morning, I woke up accepting my fate. Today was the ceremony, and probably my last day of free will. Zia had kept a brand-new suit ironed for me. She explained that I would have to accompany her just like her friend and wait till Wyatt would welcome Boris and Voltaire to the ceremony. Since she had destroyed the old phone and couldn't reach Boris through any other device, it was important for them to see the boy know her presence. I just stood there in silence and nodded when she was done with the speech. I ever considered ending my life when I thought about what awaited me when I was handed back to Boris. Would he end me in a brute way as he did with Ray? Or would he take into regard the various nights I had spent obeying and loving him like a son? I hoped that he would at least consider the information I might be able to give him as helpful and give me a quick death. That was very unlikely and yet an annoying part in me still wanted to live and wait to see what would happen.

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The day was sunny, a stark contrast to my mood. I had reached Wyatt's school. The boy bounced around in excitement and ran away when his teacher called him to change for the formal function. Zia was anxious but hid it well and rechecked the program schedule with the teacher. Wyatt was getting on stage to greet the 'guests' just after the welcome speech.

Once he was separated from us, Zia and I went to sit among the spectators. There was a band going on and all the kids were enjoying themselves with their parents. At this important point in my life, I asked Zia a very meaningful question: "Oy, where is the bathroom?"

"What? Now? You really think this crappy trick is going to work on me?"

"Can't you even let me pee in peace? It's probably the last thing I'm asking you! And if you are so doubtful, come with me!" I said unable to control my bladder. She looked disgusted, but my situation must have been conveyed perfectly through my expression since she got up and lead the way. Instead of going to the main men's room, she took me to an old washroom at the side of the building. It was no longer used, and I saw exactly why she choose this spot. There were no windows and the ventilation vent was too tiny. The back of the structure was also dumped with plastic waste, so there was no way I could run off without her noticing/ hearing the crunch of plastic bottles.

She also went inside and checked (that witch also broke the last rusty lock!) before letting me in.

"Don't try pulling off a stunt. Take too long, and I'll open the door and drag you out!"

I clumsily walked in, closed the door, and got straight to business. When I was done and about to set my clothes, I heard a silky voice say "long time no see, Ivanov"

I jumped in shock when I saw Kai walk out of the shadow. How had both Zia and I missed him!

Never mind, my brain went completely blank with joy when I saw him. He had his hands placed on my mouth to prevent me from screaming and had a very mischievous smirk on his face. That's when it struck me that that pervert might have been in here all the while I... I blushed darker than the color of his eyes. He looked at me plainly and suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. I was too much into the movement and was disappointed when rather than saying how much he missed me he whispered, "when I let go, dash out." Same old Kai, without waiting for a reply, he let go. I burst the door open and took Zia totally off guard. Before she could know what was happening, Hiwatari's leg connected with her face, and she fell like a ragdoll. How genius of her to have taken me to an isolated place where no one could hear either of us scream! Out of habit, I rushed to her side and was relieved to find that she was still breathing. I looked up at Kai and expected him to end her. But the seconds turned to minutes and still, he did nothing but stare into my eyes. "Aren't going to kill her?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"I forgave her." He spoke. I dropped my jaw. "YOU WHATT!?" It came out louder than intended. "Pretty sure you heard me the first time" he said as cool as a cucumber. Then he took advantage of my disbelief and did something I could have never imagined. He kissed me. Right on my lips. I was too shocked and naturally kissed back. It was short but blissful. He was the first to pull away and spoke. "So, after all this do you reconsider coming with me?"

"Only if you reconsider your ways. I will never submit to a bloodthirsty -"

"Save your lecture for someone who cares." He snapped. "If you have nothing else to say, we'll go and watch the show," he said. I wanted to just stand here and hear him speak. I suddenly remembered something, and quickly took my drawing out of my pocket. For some reason, I had gotten emotionally attached to that icebird and carried it with me. He took it without questioning and stared at it for a long time. "It's beautiful," he said. "Keep it," I responded and without wasting my words elaborating, I went to the hall. Now that the lightheadedness of that kiss had worn down, I saw that Kai was excited. I hadn't seen him this happy in ages and something told me that this wasn't entirely related to the moment we just shared. I did have certain feelings for him now, but that did not change what he was. Something that could get the likes of him excited definitely wasn't good. Something was wrong... terribly wrong...

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This was the longest I took to update! Ideas + A busy week = Late update. that's the only explanation I have. Thanks to all the people who are still following this story, I definitely won't abandon it! though the updates might take longer. Can I have at least 2 reviews before the next update? n.n

Bye!