Jakob's POV:
It's been a few days since .... Well since things happened with Kalysta. We have not spoken about it. She seems to want to avoid the subject when I try to bring it up and I'm not sure why. It has me worried.
I realize that it was her first time. I didn't know beforehand and she was the one who initiated it so I thought she had experience. Maybe that's why she has been avoiding making eye contact with me now. Maybe she regrets it since she had remained untouched for so long.
I don't know what to do about it now and I miss talking to her. She is the only person in this world that I have ever been able to consider a friend. In Maine I was truly alone.
Speaking of friends, I have noticed that Kyrhen has not been hanging around that snake, David, anymore. I'm grateful that he won't be causing issues between the twins now but Kyrhen looks like the sudden loss has devastated him.
I will never understand Kyrhen's need to associate with that creep. I'm hoping he will work on his bond with his sister, but he does seem to be prone to stupidity.
While lost in thought I have been keeping my eyes down and was eating my breakfast. Across from me is Kyrhen and Miller. Kalysta is to my left. A couple younger siblings are at the table with us as well. She has made no move to look at me though. The awkwardness has not gone unnoticed.
I've been behaving like my eggs are the most interesting thing in my life. I was at least until Miller spoke, "Are you all not getting along or are we having a competition to see who can remain silent the longest?"
I was about to answer when Kyrhen answered his step-father, "I've been quiet because I lost my friend. I do not want to speak about it, but I feel lost without someone to spend time with."
"Spend time with your sister. It seems she needs you. I'm not sure what is going on but it's like she is afraid to look at Jakob today."
I raised my head about to say that she has no reason to fear me but yet again I was interrupted by one of the twins. This time it was Kalysta.
"I'm not afraid of Jake. I just did something foolish and now I don't know how to look him in the eye."
Her confession shocked me. Miller looked at me and then to Kalysta. I knew he was going to ask what happened I felt the need to get my running legs ready. I have deflowered their precious daughter and he is about to learn it over breakfast. How could things get any worse?
Suddenly my scrambled eggs caught in my throat. Water didn't help the food go down and it became painful until it slowly slide down into my stomach. I looked to Kalysta. She took swallowed hard. I can tell she is getting ready to confess.
Why now though? We haven't even talked since that night and I don't know why. We can't talk about it with her dad if we have not yet discussed it ourselves. Redness began to creep across my face.
"The night he got that buck I kissed him. He did nothing wrong Miller. I'm just afraid that it means I will lose my friend now. I have never kissed anyone before. It seems like everytime I got close to a guy they ended up pulling away from me or stopped talking to me. I just don't want Jake to disappear too. Also, this is extremely embarrassing to be discussing during breakfast," Kalysta explained.
Luckily she left out the banging against the side of the house. That fear disappeared but then it sank in what she said. "You don't have to worry about me going anywhere. I want to talk in private about what happened though." She nodded her head and agreed.
I noticed Miller and Kyrhen looking at me like they felt the need to protect her from me. This has been the most awkward breakfast in all of my life.
"I'll meet you in about an hour out back by the hose." My words caused a slight blush. I'm sure the memory of what happened at that spot was behind that redness in her cheeks.
She looked up at me with big grey eyes and said, "Okay Jake." After that she got up and left the table. I looked over at her as she washed the dishes. Across from me Miller caught my eye. He took two of his fingers and pointed them up to his eyes and then flicked his hand to point those same fingers at me. Message received loud and clear. He is gonna be watching me from now on to make sure I don't go breaking the heart of an eagle.
I got up and took my plate to the sink. I silently stood next to Kalysta and assisted her with finishing up the dishes. She looked at me and smiled. "Thank you Jake. I'll meet you outside soon."
*****Later*****
Where is she? We agreed to meet but she hasn't come yet. I've been out here for several minutes staring at the woods and the girl hasn't shown up. I'm starting to get worried. Am I so unapproachable that she feels she can't talk to me?
I looked at my watch again and decided to go back inside. I guess she got caught up or something. Walking to the door though something caught my eye. It was an overturned flower pot. Dirt and torn flowers were spilled out of the ceramic.
That's odd. These are Kalysta's favorite flowers. I've been here so long I have seen her many times watering them. She sometimes picks a fragrant blossom and wears it in her hair. She would not just leave the pot turned over.
I bent down to pick them up and was about to try saving them when I saw something that shot fear into my heart. Blood. On the side of the flower pot was a small amount of blood.
I began to look around and then noticed that the clothes line was snapped. Under the downed line in the soft mud was a boot print. It was too big to be hers. It belonged to a man.
I ran inside the house to her room just to see if she was there but she wasn't. As I came out of the home Adelaide came running towards the fence gate. A look of horror in her eyes.
"Kalysta!!! Where is she? Something is wrong. Fenix is in the study in great pain but the wounds causing her pain are not her wounds." Adelaide frantically told me this. Her words loud.
"What's going on?" Kyrhen came outside to investigate the commotion. Adelaide shrieked, "Kalysta is missing and wherever she is she is in pain and is in danger! Fenix is writhing in the study. That eagle is terrified and her fear is coming through the link. We need to find your sister Ky!"
"It has to be David. He has been stalking her." Turning my head to Kyrhen I sneered at him, "Where is you're friend Ky?"
Kyrhen bit his lip anxiously. It was plain to see without words he didn't know where David may be. They had a falling out after all. He hasn't seen the scum in days.
"I'll show you where he lives."
That was good enough for me. The three of us followed him to a run down cabin. The door was ajar and slightly off the hinges. It was completely trashed on the inside. Stepping inside I called for David to come out but in the end we went through the entire home and he was not here.
"He had ransacked his place the last time I was here. He was pissed because he had watched you and Kalysta after you went hunting. He said he saw you kiss her," Kyrhen explained.
"What else did he see?" My question came quickly and Ky stammered to answer. " What else did he see? He is obsessed with you're sister and kissing is not all we did behind the house that night! So, again I ask Kyrhen, what did he see? Did he see us having sex or not?"
Kyrhen's face got snow white as his face went from shock to understanding. "Now I know why he was so angry. He had to of seen everything you two did. It makes sense now. He was livid and when I came to check on him he mentioned her and I told him that I can't be his friend if he can't leave her alone."
Adelaide chimed in by saying, "If he saw what you two did it would make sense that he would want revenge. He is probably insane with jealousy and she has repeatedly rejected him."
"I don't know where he would take her. I swear I don't, but I want to help find her." Despite his shortcomings as a brother he was ready to go find Kalysta. I gave me about an ounce more of respect for him, especially since we are about to confront someone he had previously been very close to.
Adelaide said, "We have to get Fenix to focus through the pain. She will guide us to Kalysta. Boys, let's go!"
Running towards the building Adelaide uses for a school we could hear the cries of the enormous bird. If the pain the beast is feeling is coming from Kalysta then what is happening to her? We have to find her soon. What if David kills her? I would never let go of the guilt.
A great cry of pain sounded again. Fear had a tight grasp on my heart. I have to save her.
************
In a dark room Kalysta was blindfolded and chained up to a ceiling as David continued to burn cigarettes on her chest. "This is how it felt when you broke my heart." The next thing she felt was her skin sizzling as he burned her.
Through the link she could hear Fenix cry out as she screamed in pain.