Chapter 5

1700 (Plethia): Fiore

No way can Lalette outrun me! If only Kayla would run faster! Then we'd catch her! I love the smell of the woods. I can tell that it just rained a few hours ago; the trees are that murky brown color. The soft soil beneath my feet allows me to accelerate faster. What a feeling to run so fast and be so free!

"Fiore! I wish you hadn't given Lalette that extra minute to count! Now we'll never catch up to her." As Kayla heaves this statement between staggered breaths, she trips on an obnoxiously large log that I had gracefully skipped over.

"Maybe if you hadn't decided to dress up so prettily and wear those dainty shoes, we'd have caught up already." Kayla's only response is to growl at me from the floor. That makes me smile. She looks so cute on the ground with dirt smeared all over her and growling. Of course the growling might become real once she figures out that that log ripped her dress.

"You guys are too slow. You might as well forfeit since I need to walk back here to get you guys." Lalette's taunting as she strolls between the trees sets me off and I tackle her. We end up rolling around in the dirt and laughing. I love the feeling of the earth under my nails.

"Fiore, Lalette, maybe we should head back now… it's getting late. We shouldn't even have run out this far. My mom told me that there is evil alchemy around here…"

"Your mom tells you a lot of things, princess." Lalette snaps her teeth when she says this, and we all start laughing. Kayla jumps on top of our pile and we roll around some more. For once, Kayla didn't care that her hair was getting filthy. But all at once our hearts stop.

"Maybe you girls should have listened to your mother, little lady." A dark shadow is lurking between the trees. Kayla is the first to scream, but Lalette puts her hand over Kayla's mouth and shakes her head. The dark form is starting to step out from the trees; I'm not sure if I can breathe anymore. The dark form is a man. Without a doubt, that man has dabbled in alchemy. There are symbols that I don't recognize all over his arms and half his face. I don't think it was the good kind of alchemy. "Now which one of you girls should I pick at first? Hm?" He starts to approach us, and we all start running now that the feeling was back in our legs. I scream as he grabs the back of my dress. Lalette quickly pushes him off me. Before he has time to get his balance back, we're back to running. It's becoming painfully obvious, however, that Kayla is falling behind. She was never as fast as Lalette and I. A second before it happened, I knew Kayla would trip. There was another large log on the ground, except this time it was hidden under many leaves. We turn around and try to help her up, but it's useless; her ankle has swollen to the size of a grapefruit.

"Just go! Please, leave me. There's no point. Go!" Kayla is screaming and throwing dirt at us at the same time. But neither Lalette nor I would budge.

"You girls are really irritating me. I just had to run about a mile to find you girls; you're going to regret that." He then looks at Kayla and grabs her wrist to drag her up. "You smell like strawberries, girl. What's your name? That doesn't matter. I think I'm going to name you 'Berry.' Haha, don't you think I'm funny?" Before he could inhale another breath from Kayla's hair, however, a bolt of fire hurls past his head.

"Kayla, girls, are you all alright??" Somehow, Maiza has found us. The man's eyes widen and he, too, starts glowing. "Get out of here!" Maiza somehow summons another bolt of fire at the man and makes the man jump out of the way. Swift as lightning, Maiza rushes over to us and picks Kayla up for Lalette and me to carry between our arms. We then make a run for it as Maiza runs back to the dark man. After running for what seemed like ages, we finally reach our village. Leaning against one of the buildings, we all sigh at once in relief.

"I hope Maiza is okay." Kayla stares very deeply into the woods as she says this.

"He'll be fine! Did you see that though, his alchemy? He is amazing! I want to be able to do that someday." Lalette seems excited as can be. If you just looked at her now, you wouldn't be able to tell that she just had a near-death experience.

"Like hell you'd be able to do that one day. All you can do is summon up gas." I can't help but explode into laughter as Kayla says this.

"I really can't believe that just happened though. You know we three are bound now, right? Forever bound together. We should have died, but we didn't…" I realize how precious life is now. "Why don't we make this into something more real? Let's make a blood oath!"

"To be together forever! To treat each other like how we would treat ourselves. To never lie and always protect and support!" Kayla's eyes shimmer as she suggests this, and I just know that we have to do it now.

"One life in three bodies!" Lalette is in favor of this, too. We all smile broadly; the adrenaline of the situation still hasn't worn off. Within minutes, Lalette returns with a knife and a bowl.

"This…won't have to do with any evil alchemy, right?" Kayla looks pretty nervous. Before Lalette can answer, I cut in.

"It does. Will you still do it with us?"

"Yes." That one swift answer made me sure that this oath and friendship will last eternally.

1711 (aboard Advenna Avis): Warren

I've been waiting for this moment for years. Maiza is really going to do this; I'm finally going to get eternal youth. I won't have to fear consequences anymore. I'll be able to do whatever I want. I'll start here. I'm pretty sure this is the right room. Just to humor her, I'll knock on the door first.

"Come in." I sure will, princess, more than you'll expect.

"Do you need any help getting ready, Kayla?"

"Oh, Warren, it's you. No I'm fine. I am getting pretty nervous though. This summoning, it's evil alchemy. I don't know. Should we really be tampering with it?" With each word, she nervously whips her brush through her oh so very long, silky hair.

"Your hair is looking particularly soft this evening; want me to help you brush it?"

"Um, no? That's alright. Thank you for the offer, but I don't think Fiore would appreciate that."

"Who cares what Fiore thinks? I don't anymore, after tonight, I'm a free man." I knew that statement would set Kayla off. She's already standing. Her whole body is shaking from fury, and that only turns me on even more. She certainly knows how to dress to emphasize the soft, luscious curves of her body. I take a step toward her, but she's so stupid that she still doesn't understand what is happening. She takes a step towards me as well.

"You take that back. Are you drunk? I won't tell Fiore you said that; now go back to her." She places her hands on her hips and glares at me. In one swift stroke, I push her on top of her bed. I pull her hair back until she screams and ever so slowly, I lick her neck—soaking in the sweet aroma of her fear. Her screams make my blood hot. After I'm through with her, she won't want eternal youth anymore. She won't want to live through the memories of this. The high I'm getting from knowing that I'm about to ruin such a pretty girl makes me smile.

1946 (New York): Lalette

It's getting really late outside. I'm getting nervous. How many times have I washed this cup already? Maybe I shouldn't have told Fiore all of that. I didn't think she'd be gone for this long. No, Kayla deserves this. She took the person I loved the most from me, so now I'll take Fiore from her. It's too bad that I have to hurt Fiore along the way. It's not like I really lied to Fiore, I just stretched some truths. Yeah, that's it. It's starting to rain outside. What is taking them so long? I wouldn't be surprised if they made up already; they've always been disgustingly close. If they did make up, then they're probably mad at me. Finally, Fiore's back.

"Lalette…why did you do this?" Fiore is seething. I see my second theory is right; they made up.

"Oh I was just trying to test how strong our pact still was. I'm glad you two made up. To celebrate our strong friendship, I'll go make some tea. Where's Kayla?" Before I could even finish saying "Kayla," Fiore breaks into tears and pounds the ground.

"WHY, LALETTE?! I don't understand! Her memories! They're so… not what you described. Why? Oh God." It takes a minute for her words to soak in. Her….memories?

"Fiore…what did you do?" I find myself on the floor with Fiore. This can't be. This isn't what I intended.

"She loved you a lot too, Lalette, did you know that? Why did you make those things up about her?" This isn't happening. This wasn't supposed to happen. Kayla, I'm so sorry.

"Fiore, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen…"

"God! I'm so frustrated. I don't know if I want to kick the fuck out of you or cry. You're all I have left, and I don't even know if I can look at you anymore." I try to put my hand on her, but she shrugs me off.

"Fiore, I—"

"Stop. No. Don't say my name. I don't want to hear it. We're not friends anymore. You tell Maiza what happened. You owe Kayla at least that much."

"But what are you going to do, where are you going? Fiore!" Without another word, Fiore storms out the door. I know she won't be back. She's right though; the least I can do to make it up to Kayla is to tell Maiza she's gone. Within five minutes I am knocking on their door. Within a second, Maiza slams open the door.

"Oh, Lalette, it's you. Have you seen Kayla? I've been waiting up for her all night. I'm so worried. It's not like her to just disappear like that. She mumbled something about Fiore and just flew out the door at 9."

"Maiza..."

"What is it? Has something happened to Kayla?" The pain in his eyes makes my decision for me.

"Fiore ate her. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't. She was just too jealous of your relationship."