Guilded

Prologue - Guilded

Death is something I don't understand; I never will. I hope I don't keep thinking about how I died or what I did to deserve it. Death claims souls without thinking, never wondering about the pain of the other people. I wonder if people will be there when I die.

My dad is laying in a box in front of me, a few feet in the ground. Death claimed his soul just a few days ago, and whoever decided to have his burial so soon obviously didn't know him as well as I did. He was a soldier; volunteered in the U.S. Military. I didn't see him much, but when I did, he would always tell my sister and I stories of how he would hide in bombed, caved in, cement buildings. He often played war with us, pretending to aim an imaginary gun at us from behind the couch. I miss those days.

My sister taps me on the shoulder to wake me from my thoughts. Everyone else is walking towards their cars. The funeral is over. I take one last look at the coffin and leave without looking back.

When I arrive at home, my friends are all sitting on the roof, waiting for me. I met them by joining a team of free runners in my area. We hold competitions between the few groups scattered over New Mexico. In a match between teams, we usually play a game such as capture the flag, kick the can, and sometimes blind man's bluff. The only difference is the terrain. We play on roofs of buildings in the city. It's our version of parkour.

"Ava!" They all cry as they jump down from their perch.

"Hey, guys," I say quietly.

"Hey, love. Thought you might wanna to go to Menchie's with us. Ice cream can make anyone happy," invites Kyle, my boyfriend and the leader of the group.

I look at my sister, who is now my new guardian while mom is in a specialty hospital located in Salt Lake City. She gives me a nod.

"Sure, I guess," I reply, trying hard not to smile.

I didn't expect my friends to come find me. I didn't even know they knew what was going on in my life! I'm glad they're here for me, though.

I take Kyle's hand as he walks with me back to the car. He kisses me on my forehead gently before whispering to me.

"Are you alright?"

I nod. He opens the passenger side door for me and I hop in.

Three other groupies hop in the back of Kyle's SUV and four others climb into another. Rachel is squished between Paul and Beth. Before I know it, we're off.

"So I was thinking about taking you guys camping. I've looked at some different sites and there's one with a rope course that I'm most interested in. It'll be like free running with the ability to jump higher... and ropes tied to a harness. Who's in?" Kyle asks.

The car goes chaotic in response, but I sit quietly and raise my hand with a curt nod.

"Then I'll get us a spot!" He announces.

On the way to Menchie's, a lot of things are discussed, but I never say I word to anyone. Eventually, Kyle gets up and excuses himself. He motions for me to follow him and he grabs my arm, pulling me outside.

"Ava, you haven't said a word since you agreed to come with us, are you still upset over the accident?"

I nod and let my shoulders droop. He grabs me and pulls me into a hug, playing with my short brown hair gently.

"I'm sorry, Ava." He whispers in my ear. "Things will get better, they always do."

After we all finished our ice cream, most of the group decides to go home. We drop off our friends and start back to my place.

"Can I take you somewhere?" Kyle asks me.

"Sure," I say absent-mindedly.

He makes a quick u-turn and I'm thrown into the door with a scream. He laughs at me and I punch him gently in the shoulder. It would've been harder if he wasn't driving.

We eventually pull onto a dirt road and he parks on the side. He gets out to open my door for me.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"You'll see." He says, taking my hand.

He starts climbing the stone rocks that I've always seen from afar. I know the rock climbing groups come down here but I've never been that interested to try it myself. When he makes it to the top, he takes my hand and pulls me up the last ledge. I realize he's taken me to a cave, and when I go in, there are old drawings on it from the natives that lived here before.

"Wow..." I mumble speechless.

The rock is cold inside the cave and I sit down to look around me.

"I like to come here when I'm upset." He says sitting next to me with a sigh. "I thought I should probably show you it."

I nod. "It's really interesting..." I say as I bite my lip nervously.

Kyle must notice the depressing tone in my voice because he grabs my chin and pulls my head towards him so our foreheads touch. If my skin wasn't naturally tan, I'd probably be as red as a tomato right now.

He pecks my lips before taking a blanket from the corner and laying it on the ground. I assume he brought it up here earlier.

"What's that for?" I ask.

"Well, sometimes, when I'm really upset, I end up sleeping here. I find it calm," He explains.

"Wait, do you really?"

"No, love. I want you to be warm. I want to watch the sunset with you. I want to look at the stars."

I smile and lay down on the fluffy blanket. He's right, it's warm. He lays next to me and stares at the ceiling which is decorated with some kind of story painted by the Indians.

I look at him. He looks so peaceful. There's a lot I want to say, but I don't say it. He rolls over and looks me in the eyes, brushing my hair behind my ear.

"Kyle," I begin. "I won't be here tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" He asks, rather concerned.

I stay silent for a moment before replying. "I mean I'm moving."

His face becomes sad as he moves closer to me. "Oh... where?"

"Utah. Salt Lake, Utah. It's closer to mom's hospital and Noel is going to the University of Utah. She's my new guardian and since she can't take care of me from so far away, I'm moving in with her." I sigh and sit up.

I take off my black funeral heels and look at my feet which are blitstered and bleeding from the climb. I hate heels. They're not practical for parkour.

Without a warning, Kyle grabs my feet and looks at the wounds. He takes some bandaids from his wallet and applies them to my feet with care, giving a kiss to each one.

"You don't have to do that," I tell him as I lay back down.

"No, but I care about you, so I will." He says.

"Will you visit me in Utah?" I ask.

"Of course I will, Ava." He tells me.

"Good, then I won't have to end our relationship here."

Instead of laying back down, he pins me with his hands on mine above my head. I'm not sure what he's doing until he leans down and kisses me passionately. He hasn't kissed me like this before, but I like it, so I kiss him back. He puts a hand on my cheek and I put a hand on his neck, pulling him closer to me.

"I don't want to go..." I say.

"I know. I don't want you to leave either. Let's make our last night one to remember," he whispers.

He makes his way down my neck, kissing me to my collar bone. I take of my black suit jacket, which has been restricting me from moving too much. He runs his hands down my sides and grabs me by the waist. I like it. I love it. I love him. And I'm going to miss him.