Shifted

23.Josalena

Separating from my father, and pretending to head in another direction in front of his eyes, once he was out of sight, I made a beeline for Kalaya's hut.
The last I saw of her, she didn't look too happy with me. My palms sweat at my side as my heart pumped in my ears at facing her.
Taking in a deep breath I rounded the corner to her hut.
Yelping, my body was pulled through an opening, my eyes slow to adjust from the brightness it was used to from the sun to this dark hut.
I was held against a thin body as something soft pressed against my neck, under my ear.
"I could hear you coming a mile away," Kalaya's voice wrapped around me as much as her arms .
With a soft gasp I spun in her arms and blinked as i looked at her dirt streaked face. Her skin was a shade darker and it upset me because I knew it was from working in the damn fields all day long with no hat protection. I made a mental note to make her one myself so that it wouldn't stand out.
"Do you hate me?" I whispered, my heart full, afraid to hear the answer.
She stared at me for a moment and I noticed her shoulders droop. "I could-"
"Of course she hates you, you vile human!" A squeaky voice startled me. Blinking slowly, I looked away from the smirk curling at Kalaya's lips to the little girl with snake eyes that were narrowed at me.
"Snakegirl, it's ok. Can you keep look out for me please? Warn if one of them approach," Kalaya stepped to the girl and flicked her on the arm, "and thanks for looking out bud," she spoke to the girl softly. Snakegirl nodded and shot me a distrustful look full of hatred that looked so wrong on a face of such a little girl. I would bet anything she'd have slit my throat if Kalaya told her to.
"Are you in any danger?" I asked Kalaya lightly.
She shot me a confused look. "You know," I pointed where Snakegirl had slinked off out the hut. "You have one tough bodyguard."
Kalaya smirked again. "She's feisty. Word of advice," Kalaya stepped closer. My breath caught in my chest as she moved in so close I could feel her body heat. "If you walk down an empty road and see her, run the other way." Her words were threats to my life but her fingertips glided softly up my arm and up across my throat. And maybe something was deeply wrong with me but I stayed completely still, wanting her to touch me in any way. She could strangle me to death right now and I'd die happy.
"Kalaya," I whispered as her gaze fell to my mouth as she flickered her tongue out across her lips. "I'm trying to help-" her hand came up in a flash her long black nails pressed into my cheek as her eyes narrowed. Her cat like eyes looked into mine so intently, I could swear she was looking straight into my mind.
"You are who you are." Her words made my heart sink. I slowly blinked; stunned as she moved in. The smell of dirt, wheat and my perfume filled the air. My perfume smelled too strong somehow. I was starting to favor earthy smells like mud and grass instead of sweet smells like the gardenia perfume I had put on. I wish my perfume didn't overpower Kalaya's scents here. "As I am, who I am." Kalaya finished her words close to my ear.
I wanted to explain to her everything. Why I was closer to my father. Why I had just stood by and allowed him to string up her people without so much of a protest.
"No, Kalaya-" but she didn't let me finish as she pressed herself against me and licked my lips with a flick of her tongue. I gasped, not expecting it and she licked into my mouth and all was lost. I couldn't hold onto my worry and need to explain myself to her.
Just one kiss and I could tell her everything without blabbing. I just need one.
But as I held onto her and kissed her with all I had, her body started humming against mine, and I lost all train of thought, instead replaced by the wonders of Kalaya. Of how perfect she was. Of how I couldn't believe this was actually happening.
My stomach felt as if it were full of butterflies as her hands roamed freely over my body. As she didn't stop me from doing the same. My hands felt shaky as they slid curiously over her.

"When is your next human holiday?" Her question seemed so random, my brain couldn't process it for a second.
"What?" I asked, sounding breathy even to my ears. She kissed down the side of my neck, pulling back to look me in the eye before she grabbed the edge of my shirt and lifted it off my body, so fast, I barely processed it as she pressed back close to me. Filling my space, making me want to hum in happiness along with her. Instead, I moaned as her lips touched against the place in between my breasts.
"Kalaya." I held onto her shoulders as she flicked her tongue out, first licking along the edge of my breast and then up to my sensitive bud, circling her tongue around the edge of my nipple before lightly scraping her teeth against back against the sensitive bud.
"Your human holiday. When is it?" She asked again and I groaned at the loss of connection as I looked down into her golden eyes.
"In about three weeks," I said, confused by the line of questioning, causing the cobwebs of my mind to be cleared. "Why?" I asked confused as she slowly stood back up, she smirked at me again. That same smirk that made my heart drop in dread. "What are you planning?" I stepped away from her. Self consciously covering my chest. Her eyes remained on me, unflinching as she shrugged.
"I want to celebrate with you," she glided over to where I was standing, softly circling my wrists with her hands as she gently pulled my arms away from my chest.
I allowed her to lead me to her makeshift bed, sitting down next to her as she brushed my curls off my shoulder. Her fingertips gliding down my naked back.
"Tell me about it. My mother used to say humans held their holidays to a great importance," she explained, looking shy as she spoke. It was odd to see her so shy when she's always been so confident in everything she did and was. "And that sharing in these holidays, made humans closer. She always wished we could up with our own holiday. Maybe I can get some ideas," as she talked she stroked her fingertips against my skin. Making me feel at peace with her.
"You want to be closer to me?" Guilt ate at me. My first instinct was that Kalaya was plotting and using me for information for some type of angle.
But no, she only wanted to be closer. It wasn't because she was shifted that I thought badly of her. It's that I understood. Would I not do the same, in her place? Whatever means to be free; to plot against those who enslaved me; I would do it.
And those thoughts led me elsewhere. Our positions made whatever we had imbalanced.
Could we really love each other? Would it be real love? As slaver and enslaved? My people held hers captive. Wasn't it then, wrong, to seek this type of connection from her?
How could she truly have freedom to choose when she didn't even have freedom? Were her choices not altered due to her situation?
Or was I thinking too much into it?
Her sweet smile and gentle touch made me want to just push all the negative thoughts away.
But something nagged at me. Something felt wrong.
Just wrong. But her being so close made any deep thoughts impossible as my whole being was aware of her. Of her eyes that I couldn't get enough of.
"We don't need a holiday to be close," my tone came out staler than I meant it to. And her face dropped as her tail, that had hung behind her, now came and twisted around her ankle as if she were comforting herself.
I nearly gasped at the reaction as it made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest.
She wasn't one to look sad or disappointed. She was supposed to smirk and ask what crawled up my ass. Or glare and give me the cold shoulder. Or even shrug and tell me keep my stupid human holidays to myself. Maybe even just stare at me with those inquisitive eyes, waiting for me to blabber an explanation. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I don't even celebrate holidays, you know," I began, "My mother is gone. My father isn't the most cuddly family person if you haven't noticed," she cracked a sad smile at me. And it made the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding, release. "In exactly sixteen days, humans will gather with their families and close friends and they all play games and have a banquet and the adults will drink until near sunrise."
Kalaya grabbed my hands into hers as I spoke. I felt weird now, being the only one half naked, but i didn't want to take my hands away from Kalaya, afraid to see that disappointed look on her face again. "Why? Whats the purpose?"
"It's a way to celebrate our love for each other. For us to stop our busy lives and enjoy each other's company and to feel whole, I guess, again I don't have a family-"
"I want to be your family," Kalaya whispered and as soon as her words left her lips, even she looked shocked to have said them. She blinked and then a smile stretched against her face. It was one that made me feel as if she were about to eat me. Something twisted inside my gut but I ignored it as she pressed her lips back against mine. I never wanted this feeling to end as I reached up to softly touch her cheek while our tongues stroked against each other's. The skin of her cheeks were so soft. There was a small scar I could feel but barley see at the bottom of her cheek. I felt against it now and wondered how she got it.
Most likely caused by a human. The thought choked me. And whatever had been welling up inside burst out of me.
"I want you to be free Kalaya. I want all your people to be free," I breathed out as tears welled in my eyes. "I want to help, and I'm trying but I feel as if I can't move fast enough," a tear slipped out my eyes and I ignored it as I looked at her widened eyes. "Kalaya, I-"
"No," Kalaya moved away from me so fast, she was already with her back to the wall. "Stop it." Her whole demeanor changed. It made the knot in my stomach untwist. This was the Kalaya i knew. Not one who was nervous, sad and coy. I grabbed my shirt, hating how aware I was of my nakedness and pulled it back over my head. And i needed time to collect my thoughts. I was obviously saying the wrong thing and needed to smooth everything over or reevaluate what I wanted to say. What I wanted her to understand.
I didn't agree on how my people treated hers. She had to know that and I wasn't about to stand by and allow it to continue. But we had to be smart about it.
Only, I feared by the time I found a way, it might be too late for Kalaya. If she was hurt or killed, I don't know how I could continue on. Her strength and fearlessness was what drove me to do the same. Be the same.
Three loud knocks interrupted whatever was happening between us.
Kalaya's shoulder sagged. "I'm sorry Josalena, I haven't been-"
"Hurry up!" hissed Snakegirl from the other side of the door.
Fear ran through me as I remembered the outside world. If my father found me with Kalaya, he would notice her all over again. And punish her for it.
And possibly not trust me again. Everything would fall apart.
"I'll come back another time," I promised as I looked down at myself and made sure I looked as I did before walking into the hut and not as if I had just came from a love nest.
"Wait, I have to tell you-"
"Seriously!" Snakegirls tone sounded desperate. "Screw this," and suddenly the door was gone. Light poured into the small area and I zipped outside. Afraid we had been caught. But Snakegirl was the only one there as she hissed at me again, before going inside, righting the door back in spot.
Blinking, feeling as if I were going through too much emotion all at once and not understanding as my thoughts raced and I couldn't think of any one thought to grasp on to. Out the corner of my eye I saw two figures approaching down the road.
"Hey! You're fathers looking for you!" One pointed at me and shouted as they came closer, their features starting to come into focus. I jogged to catch up to them, wanting to get as far from Kalaya's home as possible before anyone noticed.