A Message In Water

It is well into the morning before I wake up again. I finally drifted off to sleep sometime after Alaric left. Top has not made his presence known and I guess Alaric must have been very stern about his orders to make himself scarce.

I get off my bed and head into the washroom. The few clothes I brought along with me to the island were retrieved from Alpha Ryder's cabin last night. 

Soon after, I head down the stairs to the kitchen island where I spy Top pouring himself a bowl of cereal. He glances over at me as I get to the bottom of the stairs, eyes wide and I quickly stop him. "Oh come on, Top. You can stay in sight. Don't pay Alaric any attention."

Top flashes me a grin and nods his head. "Just call me Cedric." He says and slides the cereal box across to me. "I will have someone get you real food. But I'm not sure about your preferences."

"Okay...Cedric." I reply, heading around the table. "Well, the cereal is fine..." I begin to say but Top's eyes narrow.

"Not a chance." He says. "Alaric complained all night about how skinny you look. Must have been too focused on running away, you don't eat properly."

"Why are you both even talking about me?" I murmur, rolling my eyes at how both Cedric and Alaric won't stop bringing up my escape attempts. "I don't need so much food, I'm not human."

"That's where you're wrong." Cedric corrects. "We can go long periods without food, that is true. But we need more food than humans do... particularly you. You're not even showing."

Cedric hints at the fact that I am already five months gone and I have no baby bump.

"Just good genes." I roll my eyes as I pour myself a bowl of cereal. Cedric snorts but he carries on with his food. 

"You know, you and Alaric might as well share a mind." Cedric commented. "How did you end up here at the element games the one cycle Alaric decides to officiate in person?" 

"I... I don't know..." I reply. I had only come to the games because I did not expect either Alpha Mikos or Alaric to be present, I had even investigated it to the best of my ability and no one thought either of them would show up.

Yet it turns out they both did.

"I do." Cedric replies. "I knew from the moment I saw you that you would be good for Alaric. Though I admit, I did not go about that the right way." He finished sheepishly.

"No you didn't." I agree.

Cedric chuckles quietly and nods. "I apologize for my methods. But I know an apology is not nearly good enough. I'll make it up to you, Kyra. I swear it." He says in a solemn tone.

I shrug casually and return my attention to my breakfast. There's not much that can be said, Cedric had done what he felt was right for his best friend, whereas I was just a stranger and a trespasser. By all rights, they could have chosen to kill me without asking any questions and it would be justified.

I'm alive and even looking forward to my child's birth... I am not entirely at a loss.

The rest of the day passes by uneventfully with Cedric bringing me varieties of food by the hour, like being pregnant means having an additional food storage. Soon, it is early evening and I feel suffocated from being stuck inside all day.

Cedric had disappeared into Alaric's study, from the voices I heard while passing by, he was probably on a video call with Sera and I hurried past before he calls me over to join in the call. I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with Sera's accusatory glares, she visited me at Jake's bar quite a couple of times and I never told her about the baby.

And then there's Rhett... recalling our last meeting has me wincing. I know I will have a lot of explaining to do.

At the moment, I'm standing on the porch of the beach house. Watching the waves. Cedric had said the second stage of the games had ended so I guess Alaric is still busy finalizing the details and making preparations for the next stage.

A curious shift in the waves draws my attention and I squint slightly. Sure enough, a thin thread of water swirls around in the air, right by the beach and my brows furrow slightly.

I glance back at the beach house, contemplating dropping a word with Cedric but I decide against it since I do not plan on going very far.

Pulling my jacket tighter around myself, I step down the stairs and walk across the beach. The water swirling above the beach moves and I follow it, letting it guide me away from the beach house.

I soon arrive at a cluster of trees where I find Lana, just as I already knew I would.

"I knew you would recognize my signal." Lana says, stepping out fully from behind the trees. She looks as stunning as ever and it saddens my heart that the days we would stay up all night talking and laughing are too far in the past to even recall.

"You would always send me messages with water since you discovered your element. Even in college..." I murmur, recalling in amusement the time everyone had thought the fountain overflowed due to a malfunction.

Humans hardly see beyond what they know. While they found a handyman to fix the pipes, it had taken me a search around the crowd to find Lana grinning mischievously.

I knew then it was another weekend she escaped from one of her many interviews to hole up in my dorm room till the press stopped hunting her.

"Kyra..." Lana says. "How could you disappear without a word to Dad, Tyler...or me?" Her tone is one of disappointment and my heart constricts in pain.