Chapter 1
What Happens at a Party
A pulse moved in the night, the awakening of something long since forgotten. It had waited for the time when it would rise again.
Tall trees surround the small town of Orland, Kansas. To the north of the town were the Cede caves, a place that at one time had been the heart of the town, till the mines were closed down many years ago. The sun was now setting over the tree line, sending a golden halo across the land.
Amori and her two best friends Alexis and Anise were heading over to a graduation party that was being held at Ryan Xerxes' house. Alexis drove following the curving back roads, since Ryan's house was on the out skirts of the town, his family being one of the wealthiest in the area.
As they pulled into the driveway they were completely surprised, this was the first time they had seen Ryan's house, and it was huge.
Alexis parked in front of the drive so that when they had to leave it would be easy to get out. Getting out of the car they made their way across the walkway and headed for the front door.
Amori looked at her friends, “I still can't believe Ryan invited us to his grad party, when he had been in school with us he never seemed to notice that we existed.”
Anise nodded her agreement, as they opened the door and walked inside.
“I know what you mean, I guess things can change.” They stayed close to each other, making their way through the crowd. Though they were glad to be there, the three couldn’t help but feel out of place. Going through the French doors that stood open leading to the backyard, their mouths dropped when they saw the size of backyard and the pool, it seemed to be a little under half the size of a football field. They had heard the rumors of the magnitude of Ryan's home, but they had never dreamed anyone could have such a giant pool. While they stood in awed silence they did not notice that someone had walked up behind them, “That's the smaller of my pools; would you like to see the larger?”
Turning around Amori was stunned to see that it was Ryan; he had been the coolest guy in their school. The coolest guy in their school he was really talking to her; she was mute from shock. Hearing the question Alexis answered for Amori, “She would love to go.” She said, knowing that he had just been asking the question to Amori. Giving her friend a light shove towards Ryan, Alexis motioned for her to go, effectively snapping her out of her temporary trance.
“Um, of course, I'd love to see it.” Smiling Ryan took hold of her hand, but before he could lead Amori off Alexis looked him straight in the eyes, “She better not tell me that anything happens’ buddy.” Ryan nodded his understanding. With his hand still holding Amori’s he guided her through the mass of teens down a hallway, then through two huge twin maple doors. Upon walking in Amori’s mouth dropped once again; Ryan kept the doors open behind them. When he had said the other pool was the smaller of the two, it had been an understatement. For the other was most definitely the smaller of his two pools. This indoor pool would be an Olympian's heaven. Amori looked around and noticed that there were not that many others inside the room, “There isn't that many people in here.” Ryan smiled at her as he removed his shirt, talk about killer abs; Amori began to blush, “Only those who I know I can trust I let come in here.” Ryan began walking towards the water. Then stopping he turned, looking at Amori. She stood stock still; she was still contemplating whether to remove her swim suit cover or to leave the room.
“I can understand you would like some privacy to change into your swim suit? There's a room over in that corner,” He pointed to the room, “where you can change.”
Amori turned to the direction in which he had pointed; at least he knew she did not want to remove her cover in front of him. Walking to the room Amori entered shutting the door behind herself. Removing her swim cover she looked at herself in the full length mirror that hung on the side wall in the room. Her swim suit looked nothing like what the other girls there were wearing. Her all American one-piece was defiantly more conservative than what she had seen so far, but that was just her. She let out a silent laugh turning so that she made sure everything was in the right place, she would never dream of wearing such skimpy clothes. She had too much respect for her body.
After she finished changing Amori walked out of the room. Seeing her exit Ryan beckoned her to join him. He looked her up and down, “Classy.”
Amori mumbled a shy thank you; using the side step she entered the water. Ryan swam to her with two others following behind him, “I would like you to meet my best buds,” he said, “This clown is David, and the other is Blake.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
David bowed, “Nice to meet you too Amori, just know when you get tired of hanging with Ryan you can always hang out with us.”
“I second that.” Blake said a bright smile on his face.
“Uh, I'll remember that.” Amori replied somewhat uncomfortable with the attention she was receiving.
“Alright, off with the both of you, you two can go flirt somewhere else.” Ryan said shoving them away. Getting out of the pool they walked away calling out to those in the room that they were going to go get something to eat.
With a shake of his head Ryan focused his attention back to Amori, “So now that you've finished high school what are you planning to do next.”
“Well, I'm still in the process of figuring out what college I want to go to, since a lot of them have offered me scholarships.” She said moving to the pools edge Amori leaned against the wall, “I'm trying to figure out which one is the best to go to for journalism, since whatever I decide to do is going to be in Journalism.”
“I can see you being a good journalist, your articles in the school paper were always interesting.”
Amori paused for a moment, she couldn't believe her ears, “You read my articles?”
“Well yeah, of course while I was in school. What weren’t they there to be read?”
“Yes of course, but I never would have thought that you of all people would, well, read them.”
Ryan just looked at her, “Why's that?”
“My articles were not well, you know sports and all that stuff, they were more about logic and reasoning,” Amori stared at the water for a moment, “it was more for smart people.” She looked up to see one of Ryan's brows raised.
“Not that I'm saying you aren't smart or anything, it’s just... I don't know…” she paused momentarily before continuing, “You’re more like a jock.”
“So a jock shouldn't be able to read and understand things written for smart people?” Ryan asked his arms folded over his chest, amusement flashing in his eyes.
“That's not what I'm saying at all, I'm just surprised that you would take the time to read something that I wrote, when there were plenty of other things that would have interested you more.”
He leaned back, “Trust me, you were one of the best writers we had, yours was the only thing next to the comics strip that I would read.”
“I guess I should be thanking you for the complement instead of insulting you huh?”
“A thank you would be nice; it would help with the fact that you called me an idiot.”
Amori laughed, “I did not call you an idiot, I simply was somewhat surprised that you read my articles and that’s all.” Amori paused thinking for a moment.
Ryan stayed silent waiting for her to continue the conversation, a moment later she did, “Ok, I want the honest truth which of them was your favorite?”
“Ahh one of those types of questions.” Placing a hand under his chin Ryan thought about it, and then said, “The one I liked the best was ‘At the Core of Who We Are’ it gave me good insight into one of the ways the human mind works.”
“That was the longest article that I have ever written, and the most complex. Tell me what did you find the most interesting about?” Amori asked.
“Well, you stated in it that people in general tend to want history to reflect whatever they want to believe is true, or they do the easiest thing and ignore what is there in history. I want to know this though before I continue on, why did you say that this is one of humans’ core values?”
“Because it is one of our cores, think about it, when our histories don’t align with whatever agendas the popular media is trying to portray what do they do? They change it, I have been through high school and each time I move on to the next grade I get a new history book, and each time I do there seems to always be something altered about it. I’m not saying that it just has more information about the happenings of our nations and other nations, as well’s, past, but our histories are changing.”
Ryan nodded, though she couldn’t tell whether he was agreeing with her or simply humoring her, “You still have not answered my question, what makes it a core value, why are so many set on changing the past, so that it aligns with what they want in the future? I want to know this, I’ve heard it said many time, ‘Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it’ how can you learn from something if it is not truth?”
Spine straightening Amori collected her thoughts. Though most except those closest to her didn’t know this, one of her majors was to be in psychology. Since a part of her had always loved to learn the workings of how people thought, and reacted to the things around them. Another thing that she considered to be more of a hobby for her was her love and for history.
“Alright to answer your question, we have a tendency to want history to say what we want it to say; even when it’s in black and white we still want it to agree with us. We want to be able to do whatever it is that we want, and when history and things from the past, long since proven true, doesn’t agree with us we change it to match whatever it is at the moment that we need or want it to be.”
“That explains a lot.” He looked away; shacking off the thought, Ryan focused his attention back to Amori, “I guess I’ll continue now, in the latter part of your article you made a statement that said, ‘we as people seem to always be looking for something, ‘to fulfill us’, I find that interesting because at the front you say that at the core of who we are we tend to change history to fit or own wants and desires, and yet at the end you state that we are all searching for something to fill a void that is inside us.”
Amori shrugged, “That’s because it’s true.”
“What I want to know is why you never connected the two things, since they are one and the same.”
“Trust me there not.”
Laughing Ryan shook his head at her, “Yes they are, because your answers are in the very histories that people continue to change. I find it amazing how some people can say that they are searching for it, and even when the answer is given them, they don’t want to hear it.”
“I understand where it is your coming from but that just isn’t true, though both of what I said is something that’s at the core of who we are, it doesn’t mean that the two things feed off of each other.”
“Yes they do, you’re a journalist if you want to be good at what you do you have to start looking at all the angles, I’m simply going off of what you yourself…”
“I am a good journalist, and I already know to look at all the angles thank you very much.”
Ryan knew where the conversation was now headed, he knew that it would have probably been best if he hadn’t have said what he had. Still he knew that it was the truth, and seeing as she could not see it, she was just the same as those she accused.
“I don’t need advice from you; at least I know where I’m going in life.”
Ryan looked at her, since he had been staring over her head from the moment she had started in on him, “Amori, you need to keep your voice down.”
Turning her gaze from him, Amori looked around to see that the others had stopped talking, and were now watching with peaked interest the scene that was unfolding before them. Shooting a brief glare Ryan’s way she turned and lifted herself out of the water. She was through talking with the jerk.
She could not believe that he had actually said that she was not a good journalist and on top of that he had critiqued her work. Ok, fine, she had asked him to but still.
With an irritated groan Ryan followed after her, “Amori wait, Amori.” Though he did not say it out loud the authority with which he called out her name the final time, caused Amori to turn around.
She craned her neck so that she could stare him straight in the eyes; gosh the guy was tall. Amori thought though still irritated, with the man that stood before her, “You know I think I just figured out one of your core values.”
He looked at her, “And what might that be?”
“Insulting people, you’re a natural at it.” Amori glared long and hard into his eyes. This was the first time she had ever looked into them this closely before. She noticed that they were greenish silver, and that they seemed to glint and shine as the overhead lights reflected in them. They looked quite nice in this…
Amori groaned within herself, blast her writer’s eye, it made her pay attention to the things she would at this moment much rather not notice.
“Amori I am sorry for insulting you, I was merely trying to help you to see a point that was made in your writing. Forgive me, next time I shall restrain myself.” Sticking out his hand he held it there waiting for her to shake it, “Come on it won’t hurt you.”
Taking hold of his hand she shook it, again Amori began to drift, his hand was strong and warm, very warm, we had just come from the… she chided herself yet again, Earth to Amori, stay in the conversation. “This is a truce then.”
“Yes it is I wish you all the best concerning your journalism.”
Amori nodded as she pulled back her hand, “Thanks, and you with what it is that you’re going to be doing.” With that she turned and walked away heading for the room she had changed in.
Ryan watch as the door closed shut behind her. Picking up his shirt from where he had left it, Ryan pulled it over his head shoving his arms through the sleeves. Walking out of the indoor pool area, he headed back to the main living space.
Spotting him David walked over, “Hey man we're going to play a game of B-ball.” Pasting a fake smile he followed David outside. The party didn't seem that great anymore; he rubbed the back of his neck, which made no sense to him at all.
Amori was still standing inside the room, her swim cover on. She looked at herself in the mirror. Did she really just tell Ryan off? Of course he had deserved it for insulting her work but still. Tying her semi-wet hair into a sloppy bun Amori exited the room. Fishing her phone out of her purse Amori saw the time. Speeding up a little she went in search of her friends. First she found Anise, sitting at the kitchen bar, Sprite in hand talking to Jillian.
Moving up to the two Amori shot a quick smile Jillian's way, “Hey Anise do you know where Alexis is? We really should be going now.” She said having to raise her voice slightly because of the music that was pulsing through the houses sound system. Nodding Anise said bye to Jillian then followed Amori. The two hurried off to find Alexis. Amori was the first to spot her, on the dance floor. Moving through the congested space, she made her way to Alexis. When she was close enough Amori flashed her phone at her so that she could see the time, “We have to get home now we had promised our parents that we'd be back by eleven. It's a quarter 'till and we have a twenty minute drive.” Weaving their way off the dance floor, the two were joined by Anise. With Alexis taking the lead, they made their way through the crowd and towards the front door.
Getting something to drink, Ryan turned to see Amori as she walked through the front door. Great he had really blown it, he had at least thought that she would have stayed and enjoyed the party. Making his way back outside, Ryan thought to himself, ‘this was not supposed to be like this. I mean I wasn't trying to insult her or anything.’ Just before he had made it to the French doors something caught his eye. Focusing on the figure Ryan groaned under his breath. Walking over, he kept pace with the person, following the figure into an empty room. Shutting the door behind them Ryan spoke, “Morgan what are you doing here?”
“Come now; let's not get so hostile, I'm only here because I've been sent to get you. Our fathers are about to come to a peace agreement, and they want their sons to be there for it.”
“Our kingdoms will never be able to strike up a real peace treaty, and you know it. It's a wonder they even try.”
“Don't worry yourself; this time they really have come up with an almost agreeable treaty, I'm sure that it will work.” Morgan gave a sarcastic smile, “One that will benefit all our people, though it will change the ruling on what happens to the humans.”
Ryan cocked his head, “What do you mean ruling? To them we are but a fairytale and myth. We have no right to punish them when they do not even know of our existence.”
“I never knew you were such a fan of humans, you, the son of Lord Dayan when did you start caring about what was to happen to them?” Ryan focused his gaze on the wall behind Morgan.
Even though he could not explain it, there was something about mortal humans that made him strive for more. In a sense the way that they tended to care for one another, it intrigued him. “They tend to grow on you.” Ryan paused for a moment, then redirected the subject back to where it was supposed to be, “So what is the agreement, that our fathers have come to.”
“Intermarriage, the two of us must choose and marry someone from the other's kingdom.”
“WHAT!” Taking a breath to calm himself Ryan waited, he did not want to give Morgan the satisfaction of seeing him roused, “I want to know this, what do us intermarrying have to do with the humans?”
“Have you paid no heed to the things taught to you concerning the ruling of a kingdom?” Morgan regarded him with complete boredom. With an over exasperated sigh he continued, “I guess not. It's simple really, the moment our two kingdoms unite there will be no more need for arguing and fighting over Loam, and who would get the most land. Also we shall be much stronger with our kingdoms united.”
“We still have no right to just take their land; humans are living beings, we cannot simply wipe them out because we're the stronger.”
Morgan watched Ryan for a moment, “And why not,” he shrugged, “well your ideas matter not, our fathers have made up their minds, and you will return by dawn tomorrow or your bride shall be chosen for you.” Giving Ryan one last glance Morgan turned to leave the room then stopped, without turning around he said, “If you’re thinking of not coming, you and I both know it would be unwise. Imagine what your father would do.” With that he left the room.
Picking up the closest thing to him, a glass cup, Ryan hurled it at the wall. As it shattered into pieces he allowed his anger to subside, before leaving the room.