Kingdoms

33

{Alex}

"Hello?" I lean one the bathroom door, "Are you ok?" There's no response.
"I dunno, I just heard crying and I wanted to see if everything was ok." I wait for a second, "Ari, I know it's you."
"Go away Alex." She says
"Since when have I ever listened to you?" I ask
"Alex, I'm not in the mood." She says
"Let me in before I force my way in." I say
"I put up a shield to block your powers." She says
"Then I'll bust the door down." I say.
"Fine." The lock clicks. I open the door and look at her.
"Ari..." She covers her arms and looks away.
"Alex please-"
"I'm sorry." I say
"This isn't you." She says. I sit next to her.
"Let me see." She takes my hand out of my lap and holds it.
"Ari you little flirt." I look at her arms, "We need to get you cleaned up."
"No... I'm not done."
"Yes you are." I get up and grab a washcloth.
"I'm sorry." She says quietly.
"Don't be." I run the cloth under warm water and sit back down.
"It's not your fault." I say
"I could've resisted."
"No, I know what it's like." I take her hand and put the washcloth on her arm. She winces.
"Sorry." I say
"We need to stop apologizing to each other." She says.
"I know." I get some bandages from the kit in the cabinet.
"No-"
"If not they'll get infected." She pulls her arm away from me.
"But-"
"I'll let you have my sweatshirt." I say
"Which on?" She asks
"The white one that's too big on you," I say, "Your favorite."
"Fine." She says.

"Morning." I say
"Something's wrong." Luna says, "It's before noon, why are you smiling."
"Good mo-"
"Oh my god, you guys." Luna says
"What?" We say in unison.
"That's Alex's favorite sweatshirt." She says, "You're wearing Alex's favorite sweatshirt and they-"
"He." I say quietly.
"And he's smiling before noon." She says, "Care to explain?"
"We're not together again." We say
"Then why the sweatshirt?" She asks
"All of mine are dirty." She says
"And then there's that." Luna says
"Yeah, there's that." Ari says, "What'd I say about going in my head?"
"Sorry."
"Stop!" Violet sits up breathing heavily.
"Are you ok?" Luna asks
"Yeah, just a nightmare." She says
"Is that it?"
"Oh yeah, Luna reads people." I say, "It's kinda creepy to be honest."
"Yeah, I just don't feel well." She says
"Want something to eat?" Ari offers.
"No thanks." She gets up and walks into the bathroom.
"So why are you smiling?" Luna asks
"Can't I just be happy one morning?" I say
"I'm not stopping you, but that's not a you thing to do." She says, "I'm just saying."
"Luna let him be happy," Stella says, "It only happens once every four years."
"You guys are the worst." I laugh
"Thank you."
"We try." Rain walks in.
"Where have you been?" I ask
"I was talking to my dad." She says
"Is everything ok?" Ari asks
"Yeah, he was just checking in on me."
"You bite your lip and hold onto your wrist when you're lying." Luna says
"We're still doing the whole 'no lying' thing?"
"Kinda." Stella says
"Fine, his lawyer died when the kingdom was destroyed and he lost visitation." She says
"Oh, sorry." Stella says
"I'm gonna go back to bed." She says

{Reni}

"Hey." I sit next to Rose, "Is everything ok?"
"Reni, I can't keep doing this." She says
"Doing what?" I ask
"I really like you, I do." I says
"But..."
"But I get hurt every time and then when I think it changed something happens and I'm left in pieces again." She says
"Do you think I would hurt you?" I ask
"I don't think you would hurt me, I just think one of us is gonna get hurt and you're a lot stronger then me." She says
"Rose please..."
"Reni I don't want anything to happen to you." She says
"Rose..."
"Reni, please don't make this harder." She says, her voice breaks.
"I promise, I won't let you get hurt." I say
"That's what they've all said." She rolls up her sleeves, her arms are covered in cuts and scars.
"They're all over my shoulders and back too." She says
"Who did this?" I ask
"Nobody." She says
"Then what happened?" I ask
"I don't know, it just happens." She says, "I got more the night I got you and I've been getting more since then."
"Do they hurt?" She nods.
"I'm sorry," She says, "I told myself that someday I'd find someone that made the pain worth it and I wanted it to be you so badly."
"Rose..."
"I'm sorry and I really do love you." She winces and looks at her palm.
"I love you too." I say quietly. She gets up and walks back inside.

"Reni? Are you gonna come back inside?" Honey asks, "It's getting cold."
"I don't get cold, I'm fire." She sighs and sits next to me.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" She says
"More than anything." I say, "Did you know about it?" She bites her lip.
"Yeah." She says, "I wanted to tell you but I was afraid of hurting you."
"Well it happened anyways." I say
"Can we maybe get away from the edge of the roof?" She asks
"If it'll make you feel better." We back up.
"It's a curse." She hands me a cup.
"What's this?" I ask
"I figured you needed a little something to help you feel better." She says
"I thought you condemned drinking." I say
"It's not alcoholic." She says
"So a curse?" I ask
"From a witch." She says, "She just doesn't remember it which is why she has no memories of the first ten years of her life."
"She was in a coma, she couldn't remember anything when she woke up." I say
"The witch did that." She says
"So is the curse breakable?" I ask
"Yeah." She says, "You could try going to Nessie."
"But she's back in the kingdoms." I say
"There is another way." She says
"What?" I ask
"Everyone says that the way to break a cure is through true love's kiss."