Things are starting to heat up and it's getting close to the end, so you know things are going to start getting intense! Thank you again for all your support thus far, and I hope you stick around and as always, please enjoy! :)
Ralph looked up at the sky, frowning when he noticed how far past the moon had gone, almost going into moonset. He ventured forth, stopping at the edge of the forest to look around, frowning more when he saw no sign of Kira.
Had his worst fear come true...? Has she been united with her human mate?
He promised her he would wait for her, and that was what he intended to do; but he couldn't help but sense that something was wrong. He looked around, about to step past the trees into the clearing behind the penthouse in the near distance, but when the moonlight shone on his foot, he quickly retreated a bit, sighing lightly. What if he was seen, if someone was watching? He could defend himself, but Kira... what would happen to her?
And speaking of her... as Ralph worried about her, she sat curled up in her closet, hugging the wood template to her. She shook her head, getting up and going to the window, looking out as she placed her hands on the glass. She stared sadly into the night until she saw movement in the distance. She gasped lightly as she watched Ralph stand on the edge of the woods, searching for her no doubt. Her breathing quickened, her stomach flip flopping as she became more desperate to get out than ever.
Felix sighed lightly, sitting up as he was unable to sleep, everything that had happened on his mind. He hugged his knees, resting his chin on them. He felt saddened at the thought that Kira was miserable, and felt useless that he was unable to do anything about it.
Kira meanwhile, rummaged through her closet, grabbing the carving tools she had used to make the wood template, going over to the window. She bit her lip, trying to pry the chains off, grunting with frustration as it was to no avail. She became more desperate, glancing out the window.
"Ralph..." she whispered, but then rose a brow when she saw a small scratch in the window. She looked at the carving tool in her hand, her expression changing with new determination as she gripped it tightly, curling her lip as she made a stabbing motion, hitting the glass with the tool as hard as she could. Luckily her father was a heavy sleeper, and she shut her eyes tightly, stabbing at the glass again and again, crying Ralph's name softly until she jabbed a hole through, gasping as the tool fell through, clattering on the balcony outside.
Now Ralph's hearing was better than a human's; as he turned to walk away, cursing himself for his own reluctance, he heard something in the distance, turning back to look towards the penthouse. He furrowed his brows, his heart racing as without a second thought, he willed his legs to move towards the building.
Kira quietly cursed to herself, shakily going back over to the closet to rummage through it in the dark, feeling around for another carving tool. "Come on, come on..." She whispered to herself, her hand frantically groping along the closet floor until she felt a handle, grasping it tightly as she backed out, stumbling a bit as she came over to the window. When she did, she gasped, nearly dropping the tool when she saw Ralph standing there, smiling sadly at her as he held the tool in his hands.
"... Dropped this?" He asked.
"Ralph..." Kira choked out, pressing her hands against the cracked glass. "Please, they've discovered I've been running away each night... they trapped me in here."
Ralph frowned deeply at this, sighing. "Stand back, I will be as quiet as possible."
Kira nodded and did as he asked, sitting on her bed anxiously as she watched Ralph rear his fist back.
Felix was pacing around a bit, just having a sip of water when he returned to his room, sitting on his bed. Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken- quite literally- when he heard a shattering of glass outside. His eyes widened, sprinting to the window to look around, and he heard shuffling in the balcony above him. He was about to run out of his apartment to call for help until he heard a familiar voice;
"Ralph!" Kira exclaimed, embracing him tightly as he held her close.
Felix furrowed his brows deeply. "Ralph...? What in Sam Hill..." He muttered, but his heart skipped a beat when he saw a large man hop down and land, a seemingly impossible sight before his eyes, especially from such a height. When he saw the man place Kira down, and the two run into the forest together hand in hand, his confusion soared, shaking his head as he tore away from the window, sprinting out of his apartment, down the stairs and out of the penthouse.
No... this couldn't be the secret she was hiding. This had to be a cruel dream.
Kira laughed with Ralph, and she was lifted in the air and twirled around a bit once they entered the trees, holding Ralph's face tenderly as she kissed him. He carried her for some time, and she rested her head against his chest as she looked up at him, her hands gently playing with the ends of his hair. After a period of silence, Ralph plopped down on the ground, and she sighed lightly, the thrill from earlier quickly wearing off.
"Ralph... they will find the window broken... they will know I got out." Kira said, getting to her feet and walking around a bit.
"Kira... why must you stay with the humans if they treat you so terribly? They lock you away and bring you sadness. If you want... if you want, I... I can take you away. We can live together in the forest." Ralph said.
"Ralph... I've come to the point where I must choose to live the life I am forced to live and the life I want to live... if I live the life I am forced to, I will live with my heart forever empty. And if I choose to live the life I want... they will come for me and I will have to live with the harsh consequences of my choice. Either way... this story offers no happy ending."
Ralph reached a hand out, and Kira met him with hers as he folded her hands in his large ones, concealing them. "Kira... I will take you deep in the forest where we can live together in peace. I will always take care of you and shelter you. And even when you die, I will live on peacefully with your soul at my side. All the animals that die here become a part of the Earth, like the trees. They live on in another form."
Kira smiled. "I would love to live in the forest with you... but Ralph, they will call other humans and they will search and search until they find me... and when they do... if they tried to hurt you... I would... I could never live with that. I would die before I let them hurt you."
Ralph smiled sadly, drawing her close. "I know that... but we could go to a place where they wouldn't find us no matter how hard they try..."
"You're not taking her anywhere, mister!" A voice cried.
Kira gasped lightly as she turned, her eyes widening when she saw Felix standing a few feet from them. He ran a hand through his hair, looking from Kira to Ralph in utter confusion. "Felix... what... what are you doing here?" Kira asked.
"I should be asking you the same thing!" Felix cried. "THIS is what you've been hiding from me? H- Here we are, engaged, planning a WEDDING and you're having carnal relations with another gentleman!"
Kira gulped thickly, trying to keep her breathing steady as she was overwhelmed with tension. "Felix, just... please... let me explain... I didn't want you to find out like this, but I-"
"But what? Y- You expect me to just let this continue, that everything's going to be dandy?" Felix paced about, clutching his hair.
Ralph remained silent as Kira took a step forward. "What... are you going to do...?"
"What am I going to do?! I should be asking YOU that question! I don't have to do boo, Kira! You've been lying to everyone and I've been playing your little games for too long!" Felix plopped down on a rock, rubbing his forehead. "How long...?"
"What do you mean?"
"How long has this been going on?"
Kira sighed. "Remember that day... it was the beginning of summer, and I had wandered here while the penthouse was still being built. You found me and carried me to the car and you asked about my foot." She turned, smiling at Ralph for a moment. "I saw him... but when I tried to approach him, he was still wary of me, and I was stung trying to go after him. He tended to my foot and brought me back to the edge of the forest, and then you found me. Not long after that, we began to interact more."
"Back then...? THAT long?" Felix exclaimed. "No wonder you turned me down outright in the beginning!"
"Felix, everything I have felt in regards to you I communicated to you honestly. Everything I have told you in what I feel for you in my heart is the truth, as everything you have said that you feel for me is also the truth. But Felix... how much we care for each other as friends will not stop this marriage from being built on lies and my father's financial ambitions. Even if Ralph was not in this equation our marriage is doomed to fail-"
"Don't think you're going to justify the impediment of our union with your father, Kira! And if you think I'm going to just go ahead and let this slide, and trap me into a marriage where I have a wife that longs for another MAN, you have no idea what that feels like!"
As Felix began to storm off, Kira shouted after him. "And what do you think I am, Felix? Am I not trapped as well? I do know how it feels, I am trapped every day of my life! And don't think I don't know that the only reason why you're allowing my father to go forward with this is because just as he gains something from it, you do also! You gain me!"
Felix slowed to a stop, biting his lip and shutting his eyes tightly. "Kira... I-"
"Everyone thinks I am some object to be passed around and used at their disposal! The only creature on this Earth who has genuine love and respect for me is him!" Kira pointed behind her to Ralph, who still remained silent. "So go ahead... I can see it in your features that you want to teach me a lesson... that just like my father, you will get what you want even if you have to hurt me to do it. Go, and tell my father everything. But know this... if you think you will gain anything, you won't. I will forever loathe you. I will have such a great hatred for you that I will make you just as trapped in this marriage as I shall be."
Felix inhaled shakily, slowly turning around as he whimpered lightly. "I... I don't want that, Kira..." He choked out. "But this isn't right... he's... I don't know what he is... but this... this is taking the one thing I love."
"No, Felix. As long as you abide by my wishes and respect me, I will always love you. I always have loved you. There will always be a place in my heart for you. You have been my dearest friend. But if you choose the same path my father does, the path of greed, you will lose me completely. We will be married, but we will be strangers living under the same roof."
Ralph observed silently as Felix broke down, stumbling over and hugging Kira closely, and now it was his turn to cry into her shoulder. She hugged him back, the two comforting each other. When Felix calmed down, he slowly stood, glancing over at Ralph as he approached him slowly. He looked him over, clearing his throat.
"I don't know what is going to happen from this point forward... but whatever does... I only ask that you take good care of Kira. She is very dear to me." Felix said.
Ralph gave a firm nod. "I intend to do that."
Felix nodded, sighing. "Kira... we have to get you home, it's almost dawn."
Kira nodded, quickly turning to Ralph and kissing him farewell. Felix had to look away, hard to watch before the two headed back to the penthouse. Felix quietly entered her room, cleaning up the broken glass and working as quietly as possible to fix her window before morning. Before Gene woke up, he hurriedly took the broken glass and his things with him as he left for his apartment, regretfully re-locking the chains on the window and Kira's door so as to create little suspicion for Gene. She then curled up in bed, closing her eyes to have some well needed sleep. When she awoke, she looked over to see Gene standing over her, his arms crossed.
"... what do you want...?" Kira asked sleepily as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"I'm sure you've had time to think about your actions." Gene replied. "If you promise to act decently and do what you're told, I'll have Felix remove the window chains and restore to you your freedom."
Kira glared at him, narrowing her eyes. "I am an adult... and I can act how I please."
Gene tightened his lips again, tightening his fists a bit. "Fine. You've made your choice. The only way you leave this room is if Felix comes up here and retrieves you." Gene stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Kira continued to glare even after he shut the door, relaxing after a few moments. She sighed lightly, pulling out her necklace from under her shirt, and holding all the 'charms' in her hand. When she graced her thumb over a second key that had been added, she smiled knowingly, looking to the chained up window. "Thank you... Felix."
Mary was sitting in her chair, twiddling her fingers nervously. When she heard a knock at the door, she hopped up, opening it to see Gene.
"Good morning Gene... please, come in." She said.
"Thank you, Mary." He came in, huffing as he sat down. "I don't know what to do with that child, Mary. She's just out of control. How am I supposed to get anything done if I have to spend all my energy taming her?"
"Oh Gene, I know it's hard... but I'm sure you'll figure something out." Mary said, bringing Gene a glass of whiskey that he accepted with a nod.
"I want this marriage to happen quickly! The quicker the marriage happens the quicker I can get paperwork done! With his contractors I can double my work force and perhaps quadruple my profits! But Kira doesn't care about any of that! That stupid forest... I should tear every last one of those trees now and have residences built! Then she would have no where to run!" Gene exclaimed.
Mary cleared her throat. "Well... I know my shop isn't much... but maybe it could at least help with your finances... it doesn't cost too much to upkeep it..."
"Mary dear, I can't even begin to think about you and I until all of this nonsense with Kira is out of the way..." Gene said, rubbing his forehead before taking a sip of his whiskey.
Mary closed her eyes, biting her lip. She never wanted to hurt Kira, she had come to adore her. But she had waited so long, she had been so patient, and she couldn't bear it any longer. She looked up at Gene, inhaling sharply. "Gene... I saw... I saw something last night."
Gene blinked, looking at Mary. "Saw something like what...?"
"Well, I finished moving the rest of my things from my old place into this apartment here yesterday... I was just getting ready for bed when I heard a sound from a few floors up. I thought nothing of it, but then... I thought I must have been dreaming, but... I saw someone... at least, I think it was someone... it was a man, but almost like a beast! He was large, his hands were like the size of bear paws! I was petrified... but then beside him I saw..."
"... saw what, Mary? You're not making any sense, I can't bother with silly stories if-"
"Gene, it's the reason why Kira's been running off!" Mary exclaimed, covering her mouth soon after.
Gene slowly turned to look at her, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I beg your pardon?"
"O- Oh... Gene, please, don't be cross with me... it's why I called you here, I had no idea how to tell you. I... I saw her running off into the woods with the man... I... it was if he was her lover!"
Gene flew out of the chair, placing his hands on Mary's shoulders. "Are you absolutely sure of this...?"
Mary nodded worriedly. "Gene, if you make her forget him, it will end your troubles... make her remember what a good young man Felix is... he may not even know!" Gene backed away, clenching his fists and screaming in anger. He breathed heavily, resting his head against the wall. "Gene, please calm yourself, you'll work yourself into a dizzy spell!"
Gene slowly turned to her, pointing his finger. "You are going to help me. Tonight... we are going to end this foolishness once and for all. I will find this man and make him sorry for even so much as battering an eye at Kira!"
Ohhh dear. This is bad. How will Kira and Ralph get out of this NOW? More to come in the next chapter! Don't forget to review! :D