Cloud Piercer

Five

Cadence and I spend the rest of the afternoon lazing under the sun. She continues to ramble mindless gossip she'd heard, and I can't help but smile at the expressiveness of her face as she recounts them. If there's one thing Cadence is good at, it's telling a good story.

Thankfully, both Jakob and Killian stay relatively clear of us. Killian swims, which I make a point of not watching, until the chill of the setting sun chases him from the water, and they help us pack up Cadence's belongings.

We head back, Cadence and I arm in arm and Jakob rambling Killian's ear off behind us. When we reach the fork in the path, Cadence presses a chaste kiss to my cheek and starts in the opposite direction, Jakob following. She doesn't say anything to Killian, her eyes darting away shyly.

I know she's still embarrassed by what he'd said earlier, shutting her down, and I want to punch him for hurting her confidence like that. Maybe if I wasn't so intimidated by him, I would. I stare at him, my stomach dropping when I realise he doesn't move to follow. His eyes are already on me.

"Aren't you going with them?" I ask.

"I'm heading the same way as you. Unless you'd rather I wait five minutes so you can walk alone."

When a grin pulls at his lips, a dimple dents his left cheek. Despite his warm manner, I know he's picked up on my indifference towards him. Maybe I should feel guilty, but I don't. He's new, from Portson, and there's something about him that sets me on edge. I don't have to like him, no matter what Cadence thinks.

"You can do what you like," I say, continuing the path without looking behind.

Any hopes I had of heading to the forge dwindled as the sun fell. By now, Casimir will be home, no doubt waiting with his eyes glued to the time. And if I want any hope of continuing my pursuit tomorrow, I have to prove to him that there's nothing to worry about now.

Killian falls into step beside me as we head down the narrow path. I try not to look at him as we walk, hyper-aware of his presence.

"Your village is beautiful," Killian comments. "Everything is so green."

"It won't be that way for long with autumn coming in."

I eye him sideways. The sun filters through the trees, creating a grid patchwork across the planes of his face. There's something so smooth about the way he moves, even the subtle tilt of his head as he gazes to the sky above seems... different. I drag my eyes away before he catches me.

"Don't you have forests in Portson?" I ask.

"The nature is different, sparser so close to the sea." He shifts his gaze to look at me, ducking to miss a low-hanging branch. "Jakob said you were going to work in the fields when you finish school. With Casimir. Is that your brother?"

"No."

"But you live with him."

"Yes."

We continue in silence, and I ignore the nagging urge to stare at him. I don't know if he's completely oblivious to the fact that I wish he wasn't here, or he doesn't care. Either way, it's irritating.

"There's a meadow down that path," I say, nodding to our left, "it'll take you the long way around, but it's beautiful."

I keep walking, praying he'll take the hint and go to the meadow, but he puts a hand on my arm to stop me. I look at him, up in those dark eyes—they make me think of Portson, the ocean. I've never seen it before, but my father would describe it to me as I drifted to sleep. Is this what he meant when he described its depth?

"Have I done something to upset you?"

"Why would you think that?"

A charming grin crosses his face. "You haven't exactly been the most welcoming."