Page 61 of A Sky of Storms
I didn’t mind it one bit.
“I still can’t believe Mark’s really dead,” Kendra said, shaking her head in wonder before her slender nose scrunched up and she frowned. “I’m glad he’s dead. Now he can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
I laid my head against her shoulder as we sat in one of the storage rooms on the top floor of the garrison, swinging our legs from where we sat on a crate. “Kendra, I hate to ask but he didn’t … hurt you like that, did he?”
“Oh gods no.” She gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. “I don’t think he was planning to. He just delivered some payback from me beating him up. I think he was also using me as bait so he could capture you.”
I wilted in relief, but a deep sadness filled me too. “I’m sorry. If it wasn’t for me, none of this might ever have happened.”
“Don’t you dare,” she said in a low tone, pulling back so I had to lift my head. Her dark brown eyes burned with fire as she looked at me. “Don’t apologise. The only one responsible for his actions was him, and he paid in the end. He paid with everything he had.”
I blew out a breath. “I know, but I still feel somewhat responsible. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
She relaxed, her features softening. “You know, we make an odd team, but I’m glad we’re friends.”
“Me too.” I smiled, bumping my knee against hers. “Friends aren’t really my speciality. The closest thing I have back home is my brother, Ethan.” My heart sank, feeling empty just talking about him. “I miss him a lot.”
Kendra cocked her head. “In the orphanage I grew up in, I’d had friends, but they came and went, and in the end, I stopped bothering. Even if my parents had still been alive though, many families where I come from only have one child. Times are tough and resources are hard to come by. The Crimson Steppes is a harsh place. In a way, it’s like the marshland, just a hell of a lot hotter. Survival of the fittest, living day to day.” She shrugged. “We pride ourselves on strength there, but a lot of hot heads can make it hard to find friends, ya know?”
I grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “With people like Kayden as your neighbours, I can’t imagine why.”
She laughed, pulling out a chocolate bar from her pocket before snapping it and offering me half. I took it with a smile.Girl knows a way to a woman’s heart.“Kayden is tough, but he’s not as bad as he seems. I think deep down he’s a bit of a marshmallow.”
I blinked, bursting out laughing as I thought of the Kayden-boulder I’d seen roaring around at the other garrison. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same guy?”
Kendra nudged me playfully, a suspicious smirk on her face. “We are, but I’d rather talk about some others.”
“Oh gods,” I groaned. “What do you know?”
“That there’s enough sexual tension brewing between you and Ace that I’m expecting a ticking bomb to go off any second.”
“Gross. When you put it like that it feels so dirty.” I groaned again, covering my face with my hands. “Itisdirty. He’s disgusting, and awful, and—”
“A freaking beast in the sack?” I didn’t answer, and she tutted at me knowingly. “And what about the merman?”
“Zane?” I bit my lip. What about him? I didn’t even know how to answer that. “We’re just friends.”
“Ah-huh.Good friends.”
I looked at her, exasperated but also surprisingly happy to have someone to talk to about boys and other normal things. I’d never had someone to talk to like this, to gossip with, laugh, and just … hang out. It was weird, but it also felt so nice to have a friend.
Kendra was the kind of girl I could just be myself around. She’d never judged me about my family or my House, and she’d never questioned my reasons to be here. Even though the world had already formed their opinions of me before I’d had a chance to show them who I really was, Kendra hadn’t let that bother her in the slightest. Apparently, she’d found something in me to like, and that was all kinds of heart-warming.
I found I really liked her too. She was kind, genuine, and funny, and she rocked her own unique style. I loved that about her. She was just unapologetically … her. Not bothered about society or its expectations, and not afraid to kick ass if she needed to.
“I don’t really know what Zane is to me but I’d like to get to know him better. Maybe some others too.” I stretched my neck so that I was looking at the stone ceiling. “I just don’t want to be tied down. I’ve been living in a cage for so long, I can’t be barred in another way.”
“You don’t strike me as the type of girl who follows societal norms,” she said. “So don’t.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged, looking at me with a cheeky grin. “If you want to explore things between more than one guy, what’s stopping you? There are no rules, and girl, we might die any day. I need to live vicariously through you before I depart this shithole.”
I chuckled. “You’re not going to die, Kendra, I promise. We’re going to get through this together and I’ll rain hell on anyone who tries to get in our way.”
She smirked, hopping off the crate and heading out the door. “I know you will. Just think about what I said. There are never guaranteed tomorrows, Fallon. Life’s too short.”
I sat there for a long time after she’d left, thinking on what she’d said. She was right. I hated to think that if today was my last day on Terrulia, I’d achieved nothing with my life. Never taken risks, never done anything of my own choice except for entering the very trial we were in right now. For the first time I didn’t have my parents’ prying eyes or rules over who I could spend my time with. Thanks to my sister’s lies and gossiping, my romantic relationships—if they could even be called that—had been hidden in the shadows. Now, I had my very own friend and the possibility of other relationships in my life. The trials may kill me, but they also set me free.
