Where Fires Dare to Burn

Chapter 27 - Forks in the Roads

 "Feeling better?" Luke asked.

Kenny nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so." He tapped fingertips against the side of the empty soda can and smiled nervously. "Could do with something a little stronger, though." He eventually pressed both his hands down flat against the table in an effort to stop the fidgeting.

"It scared me too, the first time."

"It's not that." Sighing, Kenny shook his head. "Just... kinda knocks your world view on its ass, you know?"

"Yeah."

The four of them had retreated to the sanctuary of the Growler following the clash with Kasper, and the abrupt enrolment of his friends into the secret world beneath Lasquette Bay. For a while neither Gabi or Kenny had said much, on autopilot as they made their way back to the campus. After an awkward, silent bus ride Luke made the command decision that some sugar and solid food might jolt them out of their brooding. As they ate, he and Oaklynn tried their best to fill in the blanks, explaining the wild river ride of their actions over the past few months.

So far it seemed to have loosened Kenny up, at least.

"I'm sorry you had to see it like that," Oaklynn told him, tucked into the corner chair with one knee curled up to her chest. "With Luke, I had time to prepare, to at least try and make him ready for what he was going to see. With you guys..." She shook her head. "I thought Kasper had more control."

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Your boyfriend can be surprisingly annoying when he wants to be," Gabi chimed in, shooting him an impish smile.

Luke raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Is that a fact?"

"Afraid so." Then she forced herself to look at the Oaklynn. "But... well, I guess I owe you an apology."

"No, it's okay," the Karkadda replied, shaking her head.

"No, it's not. I said..." Gabi looked sheepishly down at the table, picking at the cuff of her jacket. "I said some nasty things about you, before, you know?"

"You couldn't have known. I know how it must have looked."

"I thought you were stringing him along, and I just wanted-"

"You were looking out for a friend. I get it."

"And... and Luke?" Gabi turned her face to him. "I'm sorry. For what I said."

"Honestly, don't be," he told her. "I just... I couldn't say anything about it. I must've seemed like a total brain case." He leaned round the table and slung and arm across her shoulders, tugging her into a quick hug. "And I'm really happy I don't have to lie to you about this stuff anymore."

"So, let me get my head around all this," Kenny interjected quietly, his eyes flicking left and right, making sure they had no unwanted eavesdroppers. "You and big K, you're both ... you know..." He flapped a hand awkwardly.

"Karkadda," Gabi finished for him. She and Luke eased apart, and she took a huge gulp from her steaming cup of black coffee to steady her nerves.

"Right, right." He drummed his fingers on the table, his brow furrowing. "But he's part of this 'herd', and you're not, yeah?"

Oaklynn nodded. "That's right."

"And you're from another herd? From out of town?"

"From Thunder Bay, yeah."

"Why'd you leave?"

She shrugged. "Just couldn't stay there anymore. I couldn't take the rules. We've got a lot of them and they... well they make it hard to be normal. At least I thought so."