Her dad takes a card out. “All right, Marco Polo questions.”
Turning to Damien, Kayla giggles. “If that isn’t appropriate.”
He laughs back. “I’m never going to let you live it down if you get it wrong.”
“What is so important about Marco Polo?” Jackson asks.
Damien replies, “Nothing, just a little competition. Okay, Miss Kayla, let’s see what you got.”
Kayla’s father looks at the card and reads, “What Asian island nation did Marco Polo know as Cipangu?”
“I have no idea. Ummm, well it’s an Asian island, so I’ll say…hmm…” Kayla tries to remember everything she knows about Marco Polo, trying to see if something triggers an answer.
Damien leans over. “Do you want some help?”
“NO,” Kayla snaps. “Be quiet.” Damien smiles and sits back up. “I’ll say Japan,” Kayla finally answers.
“Correct,” her father chirps.
She throws her hands up. “I rule!” Kayla picks up the dice and rolls again. “Oh yeah, who’s in the center, yeah, that would be me.”
“Stop boasting and get the question right.” Damien laughs.
“What category do you want?” Kayla’s dad inquires.
Thinking about it, Kayla finally says, “People and places.”
Her mom takes out a card and reads, “For the win, what state is the top United States honeymoon spot?”
Kayla groans and puts her head on the table. “What kind of question is that? Ugh, I don’t know!”
“Guess,” Jackson retorts.
She sits back and glares at him. “Of course you want me to guess. It’s your turn next.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “It’s who is smarter; guess, Kayla.”
With a heavy sigh, Kayla winces. “California?”
“That’s your guess? California?”
“Yes,” she snaps.
Her dad exhales. “No, I’m sorry. It’s Florida.”
“Knew it,” Jackson quips. Kayla scoots under the table and kicks him in the shin. He grabs his leg and glares across the table at her. “Ouch, sore loser!” She sticks her tongue out at him. “Real mature, Kayla. All right, let’s see who the winner is.” Jackson takes the dice and rolls. “Five. Oh what, does that take me to the center? Why yes it does.”
“Cheat!” Kayla shouts.
Jackson sticks his hands out. “How am I cheating?”
Crossing her arms, Kayla mumbles, “You suck.”
“What category do you want?” her mom asks Jackson.
Jackson pauses and turns to Kayla. “I’m going to win, but I will let you pick the category.”
“He’s going to get it wrong,” Damien whispers. “So don’t worry about it.”
“That’s what you think. Pick the category, Kayla.”
She leans forward. “You can have people and places, so I’ll feel better when you get it wrong too.”
Her mom says, “Okay, whose Missouri national monument was first named after an African-American?”
“Ha! Try and get that one right,” Kayla jeers.
Damien laughs. “See, he’ll fail, it will be my turn, and I’ll win, because I’m obviously the smartest one here.”
“Shut up, Damien,” Jackson snaps. He taps his chin and sarcastically sighs. “Wow, whatever could the answer be? Hmm, I don’t know. This is a tough one.”
“Guess,” Kayla snaps mockingly.
Jackson looks at her and answers, “George Washington Carver’s.”
“Correct,” her mom yells.
“NO!” Kayla screams, slamming her hands on the table. “He cheats!”
Tilting his chair back, Jackson puts his hands behind his head. “I don’t cheat, I win. So you won the bet, and I won the game.”
Damien grumbles, “This is ridiculous. I go to Yale. I’m a disgrace to myself.”
“Ooh, poor baby, someone is smarter than you, who would have thought that would ever happen?”
Scowling, Kayla says, “Whatever, boooo!”
With a cough, Jackson says, “Sore loser.”
“All right, we have to go home and unpack. You kids should do your homework.”
Jackson sighs. “Yeah, I have some to do. Good game, good pizza, but I have to be responsible now. Kayla, we can do our homework together. You have new calculus equations. I told your teacher I would show you.”
Damien snorts. “I am more than able to help her with her homework.”
“You’ll probably be a distraction,” Kayla’s dad replies. “Kayla needs to take her studies seriously this week, since she’ll be gone.”
Damien looks at her dad. “I know that.”
“No, seriously, Damien, I probably should study with Jackson. Our story is also due this week, so you’ll have to stay occupied until later,” Kayla states.
“Fine, I’ll watch some movies.”
Kayla nods as she stands up. Looking at her parents, Kayla says, “We’ll see you guys tomorrow then?”
“Yup,” Kayla’s dad replies. Kayla walks over to them and gives them each a hug and a kiss. “Be safe.”
“I will,” Kayla promises. Her parents leave and then she turns to Damien. “You have to swear, no distractions.”
“I won’t interrupt you,” Damien states, holding his hand up. “But you have to give me a kiss before you go.” Kayla goes up on her toes and gently presses her lips to his. “I expect for you to at least come and say good night before you go to sleep. Oh wait, did you want to call the council?”
Shaking her head, Kayla says, “No, maybe tomorrow. I believe you.”
Damien sighs. “You can trust me. I trust you completely.” He puts his hand on the side of her face and traces his thumb across her cheek.
She puts her hand on top of his and says, “I don’t plan on ever hurting you.”
“I’ve never had a broken heart before, and I don’t think I want to go through that, but let’s not talk about that. You should go do your homework. Go, study, beat Jackson some more on school stuff.”
Jackson snorts. “Yeah, okay. Come on, Kayla.” She waves at Damien one more time and then follows Jackson to his room. When they get there, Jackson shuts the door. Kayla raises her eyebrows. He laughs. “I don’t trust Damien to leave you alone, and you need to get this done.”
“Okay.” Kayla giggles.
Jackson gestures to his desk. He opens Kayla’s backpack. “You have to read four chapters for history, but you can do that tomorrow, because you’re going to promise me you won’t go anywhere. Damien is going to have to train you tomorrow since he didn’t do it today. I think blocking someone out of Shima is the best idea.”
“I agree. Okay, let’s do this.”
Two hours later, Kayla slams her book shut. “Had enough?” Jackson asks, chuckling.
“Yes, math done and no more reading, we should work on our story.”
“Sounds good. So, obviously, now you know you were picturing our home planet.”
Snorting, Kayla says, “Yeah, who would have known. So we’re an alien race that was at war and fled from home?”
“Yup.”
Kayla’s stomach twitches. “Uh-oh,” she exhales.
“Come on,” Jackson instructs. “Sit on the floor. We’ll go to Shima.”
“Okay,” Kayla replies, dropping to the floor. He sits down opposite her and closes his eyes. Kayla follows him and instantly, they are in Shima. Spinning around, Kayla says, “It’s almost freeing here.”
Jackson nods. “It is. It balances you out, body and soul. Where do you want to go?”
Kayla closes her eyes and thinks of their world. When she opens them back up, they are standing in a forest of trees that are red with black leaves. “This place is so cool,” she exclaims.
“It dwells in all our hearts. I don’t think it will ever be forgotten,” Jackson replies. “Do you still want our story to take place here?”
“Won’t we get into trouble? Letting loose our alien secrets?”
Jackson laughs. “Unless you were publishing a novel with our exact story to try and out us, you’ll be fine.”
“Okay, let’s see, what kind of story should it be, a suspense, a horror…a love story?” She doesn’t turn around to look at him. She just starts to walk amongst the trees, tracing her fingers over the leaves of the plants.
“What kind of story do you want it to be? It has to be fifteen pages long,” Jackson says quietly as he follows her.
Stopping at a flowered plant, Kayla bends over and smells it. “You can actually smell the flower!”
“Yeah, you can even eat things, it just won’t give you any nutrients.”
“It’s like the ultimate diet.”
Palming his forehead, Jackson sighs. “Kayla, you don’t need to worry about your weight. Your metabolism is too high when you’re shifting. Anyway, you’re beautiful, just the way you are.”
Kayla smiles at him. “Thank you.”
“So what kind of story do you want to do?” Jackson asks quietly, walking up next to her. Kayla fiddles with the weird petals of the flower and shrugs. Jackson takes her hair and puts it behind her ear. “Why don’t we do a love story? It’s the easiest.”
Kayla turns to him. “What kind of love story? Two people who can’t be together?”
Jackson looks at her tenderly but doesn’t say anything. Finally, he whispers, “Isn’t that very Romeo and Juliet?”
“I guess,” Kayla exhales, turning away from him. She starts to walk again. “I say it should be about a guy who is closed off and bitter about the world and the girl is able to get underneath that and open him back up.”
“In fifteen pages?” Jackson asks, with a chuckle.
“Okay, smarty pants, what do you think it should be?”
Walking past her, Jackson says, “I say it should be about two friends who realize they are in love with each other.”
Her breath stops and she squeaks, “Okay. What should their names be?”
“Oh,” Jackson replies, turning around. “They have to be ridiculous. Like Macon, because it sounds like bacon and Starlight, because Sunshine is not acceptable.”
Kayla bursts out giggling. “If the opportunity ever presents itself, you and I should pretend were having a baby and tell our parents we’re naming it Macon.”
Jackson laughs. “Deal. Okay, so what are the characters, childhood friends?”
“Yeah, they could have been in love with each other forever, but something catastrophic happens and they finally fess up to it.”
Jackson taps his chin. “They are aliens from a different planet. What if they were on a spaceship and it crashed? They think they’re going to die, so they confess their love to each other because they may not have another chance.”
“Ooh, that’s good. How will they tell each other?”
He grabs Kayla and pulls her against him. Jackson puts one arm around her and takes her hand with the other. “They should be dancing.” He starts to move with Kayla. She blushes. “Because she has never danced before, and she wants to do that before she dies.”
“I know what I would want to do before I die,” Kayla whispers.
Chuckling, Jackson notes, “I don’t think they would find that appropriate for a homework assignment.”
“Just saying.” She looks up at him. “This sounds like a nice story.”
With a soft expression, Jackson says, “It’s a great little tale.”
They sway back and forth, never moving their gaze. Kayla finally murmurs, “I wonder what it will be like to fall in love.”
“I think you’ll just know. Like the guy takes your breath away every time you see him.”
“It will be great if someone feels that way about me.”
Staring at her, Jackson says, “When someone falls in love with you, you will be all they can think about, your face, your smile…your ass.”
“What!”
“You have a cute ass.” Jackson laughs. “It’s nice to look at.”
Kayla’s face flares. “Thanks.” She looks up at him and says, “Every part of you is hot.”
Jackson smirks. “Thanks, I feel the same way about you.” They continue to dance. Then, as Kayla is staring at him, Jackson bends down. He brings his lips to hers and Kayla closes her eyes. Jackson tenses and breathes out, “Damien.”
“What?”
Jackson lets go of her and backs up. “Damien is here.”
A second later, Damien appears next to them. “I was coming to see if you were done doing your homework. It looks like you are.”
“Yup.” Kayla gulps. “We were just coming up with our story idea, but you know what, I’m actually tired. I kind of want to read before I go to bed. It’s usually what I do at home. I need some time to decompress.”
“All right, let’s get you to your room then.”
An hour later, Kayla crawls into bed. She picks up her book and starts to read. It’s not long before her eyelids droop. She yawns and closes her eyes.
She appears in a field of wheat. Kayla looks down and sees she’s in her pajamas. “Weird, I usually dress better in dreams,” she mumbles.
“Could be because this isn’t a dream,” a voice says.
Kayla looks up to see William. She quickly backs up. “What…how…what’s going on?”
“You’re in Shima, and I’m here with you.”
“I-I fell asleep,” Kayla stammers. “I’m not meditating.”
William shrugs. “People who are new to shifting will sometimes come here instead.”
“Well, I’m leaving. Bye.”
“No wait! Aren’t you curious at all why I am here?”
She stops her retreat. “Why are you here?”
“I want you to see the truth, for what it’s worth. Damien isn’t the shining light you think he is. You’re limiting yourself.”
“No I’m not. Stop talking about him like you know him. He has no idea who you are, and I know very well that your name is not William Caster.”
He laughs lightly. “No, but my first name is William.”
“What do you want, William?”
William chuckles. “I just wanted to talk. It’s not like I could come to your door. I know you’re at Jackson’s. I still want to know why his family wants you so badly.”
“I’m never going to tell you, so we can just drop the subject. Jackson is definitely off limits!”
William narrows his eyes. “Such a strong reaction. If I didn’t know any better, I would suspect that you have romantic feelings for Jackson.”
“He’s just my friend,” Kayla mumbles,
Stepping forward, William asks, “Do you want him to be more than your friend? That’s what your tone sounds like.”
“No,” Kayla snaps. “I’m dating Damien. It’s none of your business anyway. Why don’t you just leave me alone? I don’t want to talk to you!”
“Then leave,” William retorts, crossing his arms.
Glaring at him, Kayla releases her energy, but she doesn’t go anywhere. Frantic, she does it again. “What in the hell? Why can’t I leave!”
William quips, “You aren’t strong enough mentally. I can hold you here. One day you’ll be powerful enough to knock me out of your head, but not yet. I have been patiently waiting, hoping the next time you were here, you would be alone, and look. No Damien or Jackson. They are both very powerful shifters. Damien’s a lot more daring, but Jackson is stronger in shifting ability. And yet, neither of them is here now. What would you like to do?”
“Are you going to hurt me?” Kayla whimpers, backing up.
With a disgusted look, William says, “No, of course not. I want you to understand and see things from my side. The Merjyet doesn’t need any more power. Even though they are the head family, there are four other families to consider. You should keep your options open. All of them have money and things to offer you.”
“I take it you’re part of one of those families.”
William seems angry when he replies, “You c
ould say that.”
“Gregory Caster didn’t have a son,” Kayla points out.
“Mmm, yes well, that is neither here nor there. I just want you to know that I am an option. I have a lot to offer, and I could give you anything.”
“I’m not a materialistic person, but if I were, Damien would be the perfect candidate. He has more money than I could ever need. He is intelligent and attractive and generous.”
William rolls his eyes. “There is more to a guy than his money and looks.”
“Yeah, I agree, but it’s a bonus when the guy is gorgeous. You are the last guy I would ever consider being with. I would rather be with a human. You invade my mind without permission. You’re controlling and manipulative—neither are very attractive qualities.”
Abruptly, William is inches from her face. He puts his fingers through the back of her hair and then grips. Kayla’s head tilts back and her pulse skyrockets. “I can make you happy, Kayla. You just have to give me a chance.”
“Pulling my hair will not make me give you a chance. Let go!”
He loosens his grip. “Kayla, we could be a powerful couple.”
“What do you have to offer? It sure isn’t your looks.”
Narrowing his eyes, William says, “Someone needs to teach you how to speak properly to others.”
“I know a few explicatives that come to mind right now,” Kayla growls.
“Maybe I should shut that mouth up,” William whispers. He bends down and kisses her. Kayla flinches and tries to pull away, but he pulls her tight against them. She feels his energy unfurl into her. Kayla pushes and fights as much as she can, but it feels so good. Her mind is in a war with her body.
Finally, she pushes away and screams, “NOOOOO!” She bolts upright. Kayla frantically feels the bed around her. No one is with her. She reaches over and turns on the lamp. The light shows an empty room. She puts her hand on her chest, feeling her heart beat rapidly. She feels sick to her stomach. She jumps out of the bed, and with fear burning inside of her, Kayla races to Jackson’s room. She hysterically starts banging on the door. “Jackson! Jackson! Oh God, Jackson, wake up!”
His door flies open. “Kayla!”
She rushes into his arms. “Oh God, Jackson, he was kissing me and it was horrible. I couldn’t do anything! I couldn’t leave Shima!”