Target To Save

Chapter 11 - Part 2

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Petunia was very excited to see them again even if it was before the crack of dawn. She hugged them both, squeezing them a little too tight. Ivalin stiffened under the touch. She sat them down in their usual booth, and whipped out pie, and placed it between them. "It's amazing to see y'all again. I was worried. Y'all have been away for a while." She paused for a moment, smiling at them. Ivalin stared at the table, and Lyia's eyes widened at Petunia, and then she turned to Ivalin.

Petunia nodded and shuffled away, yelling her usual complaints at Arnold. Ivalin dug into the pie, the sugary-sweetness sitting heavy on her tongue.

"How long have you known?" Ivalin moved the fork around the middle of the pie. Lyia blinked, panic in her eyes. "Come on, that speech had to be practiced."

Lyia snorted, and she relaxed. "I mean, a while. You come in the middle of a school year right after an illegal hit was called on the president's son? I mean, it's just math."

"You didn't see the tattoos?" Ivalin stared at Lyia, begging her not to say yes.

The lights flickered again. "The government sanctioned brands?" Lyia spat, and Ivalin winced, the mention of them burned. "No. You hid them well."

Sighing, Ivalin nodded and took a bite. Her manners were pristine, her hands still, her voice controlled. The scars burned, "It was the only choice I got."

"It's false freedom." Lyia's voice raised, and her eyes flickered dangerously, "They'll brand you, but you get to choose where?"

Ivalin snapped. The fork bent in her fist. "It's the only freedom I've got."

Lyrics tumbled out of the jukebox, separating their silence. Ivalin's shoulders dropped, "So you've known for a while." She let go of the broken fork.

"Yes." Lyia stared at the table, took a breath, and took a bite of pie.

Anger seemed to harden in Ivalin's skin, "Is that why you wouldn't talk to me in school?"

Lyia choked on her pie. "What? No." She set the fork down. "The other girls, in my group, they, uh, didn't like you."

"Ki." Ivalin tilted her head, and took another bite. It tasted like ash.

Rain pattered against the window for a brief moment before it fizzled out.

Somehow Ivalin finished the pie, and Petunia came by with a coffee and a smile, and she started to chat with Lyia. Ivalin picked at the edges of the light pink sleeves.

"You're mighty quiet." Petunia had turned to Ivalin who shrugged. Crossing her arms, Petunia turned back to yell to the kitchen, "Arnold, ya' lied about ya pie. It's not magic and it can't cheer everyone up." Ivalin found a moment of warmth had cracked through her current cold and gloomy mind. Petunia winked at Ivalin before leaning back and yelling, "You owe me sum'em." and shuffled away.

Lyia giggled, and they shared a moment of awkward eye contact before cracking up. Ivalin sighed. Water threatened to leak from her eyes, her bones were so heavy it was hard to move. "I've missed her."

"Didn't we all?"

They shared another glance before Ivalin nursed her coffee, letting the cool steam mask the tears that were forming.

The door opened again, and the bell rang. Ivalin tenesed, carefully setting the cup down.

"Ivalin." Ivalin glanced up, and there stood Kallen. Relief coated his voice, "You're okay." The bags under his eyes were larger than usual, his hands twisted the edges of a sweater that slipped off his frame. "Your s-sister called, she s-said..." He wiped at his face, and then he looked up, and his eyes locked with Lyia's. His back straightened, his tone sharpened. "Ms. Shandra."

"Kallen." Her voice was colder than it had been just a few seconds ago, dismissive.

The tension made Ivalin's fingers twitch. Her heart sank, and Arnold put away the dishes, the pieces clanking against each other. The stove sizzled as it cooked meat. People rushed past the street, the wind blew. Ivalin had forgotten how to breathe. Somehow, she managed to form words, "Good. I'm glad we all know each other," and then make it sound smooth enough it wouldn't seem out of place. Lyia and Kallen were too busy glaring at each other to notice.

"Stop playing, Ivalin," Lyia snapped, her knuckles paling as she gripped her fork tighter.

Ivalin sucked in air before releasing it, "Sorry." She glanced between them before making room for Kallen in the booth. "Kallen, would you like to sit?"

"Oh, so now you w-want me," Kallen crossed his arms, his brown eyes sharpening in anger.

Ivalin looked down, her mind clouded with guilt. She couldn't do anything right. Ivalin drew into herself. "I'm sorry."

Kallen shifted his jaw, his eyes were red and puffy, "Please be."

"Don't talk to her like that." Lyia slammed the fork on the table, her voice was hard. Ivalin's head shot up at the movement, and her heart raced. Lyia snarled at Kallen who flinched under her anger.

They argued, their voices getting louder, harsher, and Ivalin forced herself to not to curl away from their tones. She counted backwards from ten. "Guys." She wondered how she could sound so tired. Kallen and Lyia immediately looked at her, their fight forgotten, and she straightened her back.

She looked into Kallen's eyes, and her shoulders sagged, "Kallen, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I didn't contact you because we're allies. We're not friends." Kallen winced, but Ivalin couldn't stop. "It's been a very trying forty-eight hours, and I haven't really had contact with anyone. So, the fact that Jaizya contacted you is a good sign."

She took a deep breath, and looked at Lyia "And the both of you need to stop fighting. There are so many unknown variables it's dangerous to add more conflict." She paused for a second, and her voice dropped, "but right now, I'd really like for the only two teenagers who will speak to me, speak to each other. Please." Her voice cracked.

Kallen's shoulders dropped, and he slid in next to Ivalin, muttering, "Low blow."

There was a pause, and they both looked at Lyia who made a very melodramatic sigh. "Fine. I guess."

Ivalin smiled, and pushed the dark mass that bubbled inside of her further down, "Good because I'm still hungry." She waved at Petunia, ignoring the anger that bubbled in her chest, the panic that clenched her heart, and the fact her mind wouldn't stop slowly wandering to her mother.