Beautifully Dark Places

Chapter 9

Paramour

(A/N: CLIMAX BEGINS! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN)

The way I felt that night was as equally impossible to describe as blue or air. It was a mix of things: hurt, confusion, love, and fear. But I could never tell someone how that sick, twisted feeling in my stomach made me feel. I kept what Ryan had said in mind; I knew she was right. I didn't know how in the world I was going to figure out which one of them I was in love with, but I'd figure it out. I had stayed with Boris for the night, assuming I was probably no longer allowed to stay with Susan. I figured she would hate me for hurting Nolan… and Malorn. I didn't have us pegged for best friends in the near future.

Boris was very nice about everything, especially after I told him what had happened. Boris was sort of a middle ground between the boys and me. I sighed, it was nearly three in the morning and I still hadn't gotten a lick of sleep. Boris had kept me up until one with his theories of things I could do to figure out who I wanted. One of which consisted of me having them fight to the death. Ryan had left at eleven thirty when she knew Boris wasn't going to shut up. Ryan was the smart one.

I sighed. I'm not getting any sleep tonight. Part of me waited for the sound of Nolan's smart ass remark. To my dismay, none came. I found myself longing for his presence again, in a way I couldn't really describe. I assume it's something similar to texting a boy and getting no response. I pulled the staticy blanket up to nose. Boris was a storm, so everything that stayed with hi for a long time got electici-fied.

Nolan? The room went cold. My whole body went cold. Not the oh-I-forgot-to-turn-the-heat-on-and-it's-3AM kind of cold but something… unnatural, almost ghostly. Old fashion Interview with the Vampire's vampire kind of cold. I shook my head, as if that would chase away my fear.

"Boris?" I whispered to the boy spread eagle on the bed across the room. "Boris, wake up!"

"Huh?" He jerked awake, almost falling off the bed. "Wha?"

"Do you feel that?" I asked him. The window at the end of the room had started to frost over. He looked at it, and then back at me. Panic splashed across his face, and then something near realization.

"That's… That's you"

I froze. "What do you mean?" Boris jumped up as I spoke and shoved his shirt on. He motioned for me to do the same. I shrugged, already wearing my clothes, and got out of bed.

"What were you thinking about just then?"

"How stupid this is."

"No, before. When the window frosted over." Boris rolled his eyes at me.

"Uh…" My voice trailed off in embarrassment, "Nolan. He was ignoring me… and it hurt." The room's temperature dropped steeply again.

"We need to get you to Ambrose. Your powers are surfacing."

That one little sentence sent my emotions into a spiral.

I crumpled to the floor. Powers. I have… Powers. In reality, the powers didn't thrill me as much as knowing that this was somewhere I could belong. I wasn't really aware of Boris picking me up, nor did I really recognize Ambrose's office when we walked up to it. I heard Boris talking, but the words didn't register in my mind. I was on cloud nine. I had powers. I could be a student; I would never have to go back to Earth. I could live in Wizard City for the rest of my life with… with whoever I wanted to live with. I was free from persecutions here. I was free from the cheerleaders and the taunts I had to live with there. I was a glorified citizen of Wizard City.

And I was never going back.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Boris's voice.

"She's in a sort of shock." Ambrose chuckled, "Wu said when she found her trigger she go into this. Let her rest, let her rest."

"Will she be ok here?" Boris asked quietly as I felt him lower me onto something soft. "Should I stay?"

"You can if you'd like, Boris." Ambrose nodded, and sat back down at his desk. Boris sat down at a chair close to the bed-like thing I was on. The two said nothing more. It was oddly quiet here. Normally, Ambrose's office was full of Novice's who just signed into Ravenwood. I could hear the constant tick-tock of a clock somewhere in the room. I didn't bother to look for it. I smiled. I was finally here for something good; not because I couldn't activate a simple symbol but because I froze an entire room.

I thought back to Nolan. Will he know I'm here? I paused to ponder the question. He could ask Borris. Borris could—and probably would—go and find both Malorn and Nolan in the morning to tell them. Will they care? I sighed in exasperation. Was it so easy to kill someone's feelings for you? Could everything I did leave me without either of them? My questions tired me out. I couldn't possibly answer them.

"Kym?" Borris's voice was gentle as I felt his weight push the bed down beside me. I didn't bother to look at him. "I'm going to go check on Ryan… Do you want me to get someone for you?"

Nolan. That was my first thought. I didn't want Boris going and begging Nolan to come and sit with me. I could barely focus on my thoughts, much less a conversation. I shook my head at him. He got up, and I heard the door shut behind him.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like Mr. Ashthorn or Mr. Stormgate here?" Ambrose's sweet voice asked from his side of the room.

I forced myself to speak. "I don't want to bother them."

He laughed. "I'm sure it wouldn't be a bother, Miss Dawn."

"Richardson." I corrected him gently.

The room went silent for a few moments. "Do you want to be called Richardson?"

"It was my last name on Earth… I just… I wanted to start over."

He peered at me for a few seconds before he responded: "But what do you want to be called."

I thought the question over for a while. Savored it. I considered all of my possibilities. And then: "Dawn. Kymma Dawn. Kymma Richardson died the moment I stepped in Ravenwood."

He nodded, as if in agreement. "You're very strong, Kymma Dawn."

I opened my eyes to see Boris sitting in the chair again. I blinked a few times, and stretched. The bed was incredibly uncomfortable, and my back was killing me. I yawned.

"Good morning." Boris smiled a little. I smiled back and pushed myself off of the bed.

"Good morning, Boris." I stretched again. "Is Ryan coming?"

His look faltered. "I—uh—I don't know?" I gave him a confused look, and heard the door open. Malorn walked in, and I noticed Nolan had been standing in the corner. The two looked very different than yesterday. Malorn was wearing robes I hadn't seen before: black trimmed with a rich gold color and hood that covered his mouth as well as his hair. His eyes looked slightly saddened, they were an odd gray color. Nolan looked like a wreck. His robes were the ones he'd worn the day before, and his eyes were red and puffy looking. They too had turned a slate gray color.

"Hey…" I whispered, looking down at my feet. Nolan said nothing, Malorn muttered a hello, and took a seat beside Boris.

"You talk in your sleep." Boris whispered without looking at me.

"I had nightmares." I replied.

"We have bad news." Boris whispered, still not looking at me. He continued before I could ask. "The Myth students are not allowed to use magic again. Another Earthling was summoned last night."

"But—" I started, but Nolan interrupted me.

"The crystals were not the only thing that's been corrupted. Ambrose wants to see you when you're ready." He started to the door, and paused, "Don't include me in your battle plans… Or your thoughts."

Startled, I glanced from Boris and Malorn to Nolan. Does he mean that? How could he do that to me? I got off of the bed and started to the door behind him. For a split second my stomach twisted up again. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart. I nearly hit the floor from the rush of pain and emotions.

Yes. I mean it.

Those were Nolan's feelings. He had opened the connection between us long enough to say that. I waited for the pain to disappear with the connection he had closed. But they didn't leave. My stomach clenched. I felt for the door handle. Pain seared in my chest. Nolan, no. I tried to pull the door open, it didn't budge. Wait. I pulled the door again. Still nothing. I was sobbing without even really realizing it. I felt someone's hands wrap around my waist and pull me backwards. I turned, tears streaming down my face and fogging up my vision.

"Kym," Malorn was the one holding me. He had gone back to his normal, gentle self. He pushed the hair out of my face and pinned it behind my ear. "Let him go." I could feel the heat radiating from my face from the drastic rise in my blood pressure. I shook my head, and pushed Malorn away from me. He looked at me, shocked.

Those three words lit a fire in my soul that words will never do justice.

"I love him!" I practically hissed. Malorn blinked, taken aback by my mood swing. I couldn't help it that losing Nolan would kill me. I breathed for a few moments in the silence, and then elaborated: "I'm in love with Nolan." Boris smiled, as if he had known it all along. Malorn, on the other hand, looked a combination of feral and hurt beyond belief. I sighed and hugged him. He didn't move. "I'm sorry Malorn. I love you. I'm just in love with Nolan." He nodded. I turned and finally managed to open that damn door. The town square was bustling with people. Some were on their way to the shopping district for new stuff; some new kids were headed off to Unicorn Way. I looked around for Nolan; surely he couldn't have just disappeared.

"Nolan!" I yelled, running my fingers through my hair in a panic. People were looking at me like I was insane. Some seemed to be looking for Nolan. Once I felt like the area had been scanned good enough, I took off to his house. It was a nice little walk to get there, but I ran fast and it only took a few minutes to find it. I looked around his yard for him. No sign of Nolan. I walked over to the little garden he had. The little area was full of exotic plants most of which seemed animal-like. I yelled his name again. Where on earth could that boy be? Nolan, please answer me.

I turned to his big house, and knocked on the door. No answer. I tried to open it; unfortunately, it was locked. I sat down with my back against the door. It was unbearably cold. I was freezing, and my light clothing didn't give me much protection from the wind. I pulled my knees up to my chest in an effort to keep warm. I wouldn't leave until he came back. There was no way I could begin to think about what Ambrose wanted until I talked to Nolan. I hate when people were mad at me. If you can hear me, I'm so sorry. Please come back.

"What do you want, Richardson?" Nolan's voice came from the end of the sidewalk. My head jerked up to look at him. His eyes were all red, and his face was as puffy as I imagined mine to be. But I noticed the venom in his voice. He was back to being the Nolan I met on the first day.

"I want you to stay."

"I'm not the one going anywhere. I told you not to include me in any of your battle plans."

"No, I mean stay with me." I stood up. He crossed his arms, and cocked his head. His dark hair fell in his face.

"I want to be done with this, Kymma."

"With this or with us?" I choked out. He looked at the ground and didn't answer. I felt my heart stop as he walked closer to me, his head fixated on the ground.

"With us." He whispered as he looked me dead in the eye. He was so close to me I could see the color in his eyes, and the little flecks of gray and silver that inhabited them as of recently. His hair was messy and unfixed. It was like he hadn't bothered to do anything this morning, but then again, he was probably thinking the same thing of me. I could see the tears build up in his eyes. Mine had already spilled over. I had gained enough control to not be shaking and gasping for air, but I was still bawling. Nolan didn't want me anymore.

"I'm in love with you." I whispered. The words felt strange and foreign on my lips. He blinked in surprise at me, but said nothing. I hoped he was too shocked to speak. "I told Malorn no. I chased you." I could feel my legs getting weaker and weaker by the second. I shook my head. "It doesn't even matter anymore."

He grabbed my wrist as I started away from him. I sighed and turned around. He practically dragged me into the house by my wrist. I blinked as I realized we were in the kitchen, the same place where I had kissed him no so long ago even though it felt like years before this moment. Tears was trudging their way down his cheeks. He grabbed me by the forearms and shook me.

"Why did you say that? Why would you try to tear me apart like that?" He was sobbing. I was in shock now. What do I do? I didn't mean to make him cry!

"Nolan, I love you." I said slowly, hoping he'd let go of my forearms, his grip was painful. He shook his head. "I'm in love with you."

He let go of my forearms and ran his fingers through his hair. "Congratulations, Richardson, you've officially broken me. Are you happy now? Why don't you and Ashthorn go have a laugh over this whole ordeal. He must think it's hilarious."

"Stop blocking me."

"No. I don't want you in my head." He had resorted to yelling at me.

I gritted my teeth. "Nolan Stormgate, stop blocking me right now." He sighed and complied. It was horrible. All I felt was pain and suffering and confusion. It was like getting hit in the face by a baseball. I was so close to breaking down from both of our emotions. I tried to force my good feelings toward him: the love, the memories of the kiss, of watching him sleep, and even when I saw him change at my house. I shared it all with him, watching his face as he relived and felt every memory the way I did. He bent over from the rush of emotions. He rested his hands on his knees, causing his hood to fall in his face a little. He looked so vulnerable, in a way I had never seen him.

For once, I had seen Nolan without all of his smartass defense mechanisms up.

He stuttered. "But you and Malorn w-went so far…" He looked into my eyes. I shook my head and placed my hand on his cheek. He leaned back up, standing about five inches taller than me as usual.

"No, I just meant for it to be a kiss, but he got all carried away. I told him no, but…"

His eyes blazed. "But what? He didn't stop?" I placed my hand on his chest and shook my head. "I'll kill that son of a-"

"It's alright. It's ok. He got carried away." He stared down at me. I smiled a little and wiped the tear away from his eye. He smiled a little. "I love you, Nolan."

He pulled me closer to him. "I'm sorry about causing all this. I should have just talked to you. I over reacted." I shook my head but he held his finger up to my mouth and shook his head. "No, I did. I hurt you, and I'm sorry." I couldn't even find words to say at this point so I just pulled his head down to mine and kissed him. It wasn't like the other morning. It wasn't rushed, and hard, but it was soft and romantic. He pulled away from me a little and wrapped his arms around my waist. "You're so beautiful, Kym."

I laughed, and he smiled. "Why are your eyes gray?" He blinked for a second and sighed.

"When wizards are sad or depressed or generally screwed up, their eyes get gray. The more gray the stronger the emotion." I recalled how Malorn's had been slightly gray, but Nolan's had practically been cover with gray specs. I smiled sadly at him. He gave me a half smile.

"What do we do now?"

"Well," He grinned, "I said we couldn't kiss like that until after you decided, and you've decided, right?"

I grinned back. "I want you, and only you, forever, Nolan Stormgate." He wrapped his fingers in my hair and traced my jaw with his free hand.

He shook his head gently. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that, Kymma Richardson." I smiled as he leaned down to kiss me.

"Wait." He blinked in confusion. I yanked his hood off, which also pulled the cloak off of him. He rolled his eyes at me. I simply laughed. "I like you hair."

"Obviously." I grinned as his lips pressed softly against mine. My arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled me against him tighter. It was too easy to get carried away with him. I had been stressed, careful, and worried for far too long. The weird effect my change in emotions had on me left my knees all weak. I could barely stand up. He simply laughed at me and propped me up against the counter. The air got cold again, I could hear the window behind me freezing and saw his eyes widen. He squeaked and broke our kiss. "What is that?"

"Me." I whispered, and pulled him back against me. It was odd to practically feel him collapse against me.

"You found your power."

"I guess one good thing came from you ignoring me." I laughed gently, he pulled my chin to face him. "I was trying to talk to you last night and I kinda had a breakdown. Then everything went cold and the windows frosted over. That's why I was in Ambrose's office." I paused. "Did Boris not tell you that?"

"He tried… I didn't want to talk about you." He frowned. "I didn't know what to say last night. I didn't want to answer you and let you feel everything I felt."

"You heard me then?" He nodded at me, but avoided my gaze. "Well, I must look like a total idiot now." I laughed nervously.

"No, I was being a bitch." He looked down at me and smiled. He leaned down to kiss me and—

Boris burst throw the front door.

"Guys—Wizard City—under attack—earth—Now!"

Fixed the italics! And thanks for the nice reviews! You guys made my day!

Review cause this chapter took forrreevvverrrrrr