The Day It All Burned Down

Chapter Six

"Miss, Miss" Katie shook Kiera awake.
"I'm not ready to get up yet" she groaned, pulled the sheet over her head.
"Today's the day, Miss" Katie pulled open the curtains before she pulled the sheet off her.
"What's today?" She groaned at the light that was now shining in her eyes.
"Your coming of age ball is tonight Miss"
"Tonight!" Kiera shot up in bed "How could I have forgotten"
"Your mother is downstairs making the final preparations"
"Tell her I'll be down soon" Kiera smiled, sending Katie out. As the door closed behind her Kiera climbed out of bed and moved to the window, searching the garden for Bennett when she saw that he was already looking up, searching for her. She smiled down at him as he smiled up at her, she waved and so did he.
Good morning Bennett

That evening Kiera straightened out her dress in the mirror as her mother wheeled herself into her daughter's bedroom.
"Beautiful" Vienna smiled.
"Don't cry mom, you'll ruin your make-up" she reminded her.
"Of course" she smiled "I'll see you downstairs, the car is waiting" Kiera turned back to the mirror rechecking her outfit before she moved to the window for any sign of Bennett. He looked up from his work to wipe his forehead when he saw her in the window he froze. His eyes were glued to hers as he rose to his feet, taking in her outfit. She watched as he muttered something to himself that she couldn't make out, he smiled before she turned away from the window and headed downstairs.
"You look lovely, Kiera" Elias offered a small smile.
The three of them got in the car and headed to the grand hall. On the outside it looked like any ordinary building in the city, but on the inside it felt like a palace. Tables after tables of glittering silverware, white table cloths, glass. It was like heaven. Or my personal hell.
"Kiera. You look amazing" Ella crossed the room quickly and hugged her friend tightly.
"Thanks Ella" she smiled.
"Kiera. Ella" Vienna smiled "You both better get upstairs, we wouldn't want any young men seeing you before it's time"
"Yes mom" Kiera hugged her mom tightly, giving her a smile before she headed off with Ella, their arms linked tightly.

The whole night Kiera was dragged from man to man, each one more obnoxious than the last. She started wishing for the night to be over so that she could sneak away to see Bennett, until she saw her father crossing the room towards her.
"Father" She smiled widely.
"Kiera, I have someone who would like to meet you" he smiled, guiding her back through the room.
"This is Kiera" Elias smiled as he showed her off "Kiera, this is Mr Arthur Shaw" Kiera offered the older man a kind smile even as his eyes raked over her body making her uncomfortable.
Gross. Never going to happen. Over my dead body.
"Kiera, there's someone that would like to meet you" Vienna called her.
Thank you mom
"Please excuse me" she smiled before she rushed to her mother's side.

It was well past midnight by the time they had gotten home.
"Good night sweetheart" Vienna smiled at Kiera from the doorway to her bedroom.
"Goodnight mom" she smiled back before she wheeled herself away. Kiera continued reading her book in her window seat when her father knocked on her door.
"Hey dad"
"Hi. Your mother says that you couldn't seem less interested in any of the men that were here tonight" he sat on the end of her bed, resting his elbows on his knees. Kiera let out a sigh before she closed her book and placed it one side.
"What's the law again?"
"Every young woman of Eden comes of age at 15, after such time she must marry and multiply" he recalled. Kiera pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, she hid her face mostly behind them.
"Why?" He asked.
"What if I didn't want to marry any of them?"
"What's going on, Kiera?" She finally met his eyes again.
"I love someone else, at least I think I do. He's better than all the men I met at the party. I think I want to marry him" she admitted through quiet mutters.
"Who? Who is it?" Kiera avoided his eyes again "It's the gardener, isn't it? Bennett?" She gave him a small nod.
"It's wrong Kiera. You have to marry someone like us. All of those men were asking after you-"
"I don't want any of them" She shot back.
"You have no other choice" he bit "As the child of a founding father it is your duty to marry a member of the elite and be fruitful. You cannot marry a gardener" Kiera frowned scowled at him, her eyes going to the window.
"I knew you wouldn't understand" she grumbled.
"One day you'll see that everything I do is for you, for our future" he told her, moving to leave.
"I want no part in the future you're creating" she shot back, her tone unwavering.
"You're already a part of it" he closed the door behind him as he left the room, leaving Kiera alone.
I won't escape my father's actions. What he's done. What he plans to do in the future. I can't escape what's coming. All I can do is hope. Hope that I am ready when Bennett's plan is set in motion. I'm going to be ready. I don't want to live like this anymore. I want to be free.

Kiera crossed the garden quickly, moving herself behind the hedge.
"Hey" Bennett flashed her a wide smile.
"Hey"
"What's wrong?"
"I told my dad that I didn't want to get married. He said that I had too and that I was already apart of the future he wants to create" she sighed heavily, falling onto the log next to him.
"There's a word for what your feeling right now. Shit"
"Shit?"
"It's a swear word, a bad word people used to describe awful emotions"
"I feel like shit" he smiled.
"You could also say life fucking sucks"
"Life fucking sucks" Kiera groaned, only making him smile wider. She looked at him, finding him looking right back at her, his brown eyes switching from her eyes to her lips.
"Kiss me, Bennett. Please" he moved his hand across her cheek, threading his fingers through her hair to hold the side of her head.
"What did you tell him?" He asked in a low whisper, his fingers trailing up her arm.
"I told him that I think I'm in love you, and that I didn't want to marry anyone else"
"You love me?" she nodded "That's a dangerous thing. Two souls meant to meet, meant to interconnect"
"Do you love me?"
"I met you not too long ago Kiera but I knew from the minute you stomped over to me on the front lawn that I was going to love you. Because I do, Kiera. I love you" he admitted.
"Will you kiss me now?" She asked, her eyes darting between his eyes and lips.
"For as long as you ask me to" he smiled at her before he brought their lips together gently.
"Kiera!" Her father's voice bellowed, making Kiera and Bennett pull apart.
"Dad-"
"Unhand my daughter" he bit, grabbing her wrist, he pulled her away from him "You two are to stay far away from each other and if I catch you near her again I will have you trialed for breaking the law" he bit.
"Yes sir. This won't happen again"
"Bennett, no" Kiera tried to pull herself out of her father's grasp as he dragged her back to the house but she couldn't get free. He pushed her into her bedroom, locking her door.
That fucking shit. He wasn't going to win this one.