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Chapter 17.1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56When the news broke that Breanne was missing, there was a moment of silence before chaos erupted. The only two who didn’t jump up out of their seats were Breanne’s teammates. Instead, they shrunk down, then quietly got up and left the room. Nyla watched them go with what she thought was probably disgust rolling around her stomach.
Meeting Eason’s worried gaze, Nyla said, “You know what I have to do, Eason.”
“Yes,” his voice broke on the single word. Concern made his eyes bright.
“Do what? Nyla?” questioned Sarah, looking between the two of them, not privy to their silent understanding.
Nyla started towards Mrs. Smith, leaving Eason to explain the situation to Sarah. “What is it, Ms. Braun?” her teacher asked, her usual gruff voice tired and worried. The change unsettled Nyla and strengthened her resolve.
“Let me help look,” Nyla said boldly. “The sun’s already
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What Is Love? Chapter 17.2
Ten minutes later, she froze midstep. Something was different; some noise had been introduced that hadn’t been anyplace else. A deep, ragged breath cut through the night again. Starting carefully towards the sound, the faint scent of blood caught her attention. She started running again, estimating that she was several hundred yards from the place of the injured thing. Almost too late, she skidded to a halt in time to not fall into the gaping hole the ground became. Laying on her stomach to disperse her weight, she edged towards the opening. At the very bottom of the thirty-foot drop laid a crumpled, shaking form.“Breanne?” Nyla called down to the figure.She snapped her head up. “Nyla?” she croaked, her voice raw from screaming for help.“Hold on.” Standing up, Nyla edged closer to the edge, took a deep breath, and jumped down into the pit. She landed on all fours, a foot away from Breanne’s leg, which was juttin
What Is Love? Chapter 18.1
Breanne didn’t return to their room that night, leaving Sarah and Nyla alone. Nyla didn’t say much, and Sarah took her lead. Exiting their bedroom the next morning, they almost ran into Eason, who was waiting outside the door for them.“I’m pretty sure boys aren’t allowed over here,” huffed Sarah playfully. “Your room is on the complete opposite side of the building.”Eason grinned cheekily. “My daddy’s the Governor I can do what I want,” he said in an imitation of Mason so good they all burst into laughter. Linking arms so Nyla was in the middle, they began working their way outside. The hallways were wide enough that they didn’t have to move out of the way as they passed other students.“Ready to have some fun?” Sarah whooped, excited.“For the hike, yes. And then I’ll stay as far away from the water as possible.” Nyla shuddered at the thought of the cl
What Is Love? Chapter 18.2
Her eyes opened to blinding sunlight and Eason’s lips on hers. A bubbling in her throat forced her to push him off. She quickly rolled to her side, and vomited up the crystalline water. Eason’s hands were all over her, checking for injuries. Vaguely Nyla thought it felt nice, her mind still a hazy from her dip in the water.“Are you okay?” Eason asked fervently.Still fighting to get oxygen into her lungs, she could only nod. Eason fell onto the beach next to her, panting. Sarah crouched down next to Nyla and started stroking her hair away from her face. When Nyla felt like her raw lungs could manage it, she asked, “How did I get out?”“Eason got you.” Sarah’s hand paused. “I’ve never seen anyone swim like that before,” she added in a hush.Nyla turned her head to the side so she could see Eason. Apparently, he hadn’t bothered to take off his clothes when he went in after her as
What Is Love? Chapter 19.1
The next morning Nyla rose in a haze. She hadn’t gotten any sleep, memories of Eason holding her tight interrupting any peace she might have found.“Are you okay?” Breanne asked as Nyla tried to put her shoe on the wrong foot for the fourth time.“Yea,” mumbled Nyla, trying her hardest to finish getting dressed.Coyly Sarah asked, “Does this have anything to do with the walk you took with Eason last night?”Nyla dropped the shoe completely. “I knew it!” squealed Sarah and Breanne, exchanging excited looks.Playing dumb, Nyla asked, “Knew what?”“Well, Eason has been head over heels for you for as long as I’ve been friends with you,” Sarah informed her, doing a little jig out of happiness. “I thought he would never tell you!”“And I suspected he liked you, he was always around,” Breanne added. “Sarah filled me in with the r
What Is Love? Chapter 19.2
She went in at the shallow end, stepping down the stairs carefully until she stood in the water, which only reached her stomach. Ripples started emanating from her, and she realized she was shaking so much she moving the water.Strong arms wrapped around her, and Eason turned her, so she was against his chest. “It’s okay, Nyla, I’m right here,” he whispered into her ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” They stood there with Nyla clutching onto Eason until her shaking receded. Once still, Eason kissed her forehead and let her go.Almost simultaneously, the door to the pool house opened, and Mason stepped inside, her permanent scowl in place.“Why are you here?” snapped Eason a little too harshly, hastily backing away from Nyla.Mason paused and raised an eyebrow. “Can’t I enjoy the show? This is going to be hilarious.”Eason stared at her mutinously. “Fine. I can't m
What Is Love? Chapter 20.1
The door opening behind her altered Nyla to another person’s presence on the patio. The weather was so lovely, one of the few days of transition between the too cold of winter and the too hot of summer, she had moved to one of the tables outdoors to study. From the stomping of the feet, Nyla knew it was Mason approaching her, and inwardly she sighed. She didn’t want to deal with the girl right now. She just wanted to finish her history reading.“I see my brother’s not hanging onto you. Did you finally scare him off, or did he just come to the conclusion you aren’t worth it?” Mason sneered, stopping next to Nyla.Carefully, Nyla marked her page in her holopad. Turning to Mason, anger sparked in Nyla’s chest. It was unfair she had to be subject to this type of attitude in her own home. Unable to control her anger at the injustice of the situation, Nyla snapped, “What’s your problem, Mason? What did I ever do to you? I
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Mason leaned in close to them. “That you loooooooove her. That you’re seeing each other in some capacity.”Eason sank to a squat next to Mason’s chair, his body trembling.“How did you know?” Nyla asked. Her heart was beating in her ears. If Mason knew… well, they were in trouble.Mason leaned back in her chair, enjoying the chaos she’d created. “I saw you in the pool holding her, Eason. That first day. And unlike our oh so loving parents, I can see what’s around me. You two make goo-goo eyes at each other all day, it’s kind of disgusting.”Nyla didn’t understand. Mason had gone out of her way to cause issues for Nyla. “Why would you do that for us?”Mason’s grin faded. “First of all,” she said, “you’re keeping my secret. And secondly,” she cast a glance at Eason, “this is the happiest I’ve ever seen my brother,
What Is Love? Chapter 21.1
Lunches had been awkward since Nyla had stopped speaking to Eason. To her own surprise Nyla found she as painful as her silence was, she couldn’t bring herself to forgive Eason yet. Sarah pulled Nyla aside the day after Veronica had given her tentative permission. “Nyla, when are you going to out Eason out of his misery?” Nyla blinked slowly at her. “What do you mean?” “Either tell him you never want to see him again and break off whatever you had, or talk it out with him. It’s not fair to him to keep him in limbo, and it’s not good for you, either. You’re both hot messes. I don’t know how his parents haven’t noticed.” Blushing, Nyla glanced over to where Eason sat chatting with Breanne looking forlorn and lost. “But Sarah, he kept something from me that hurt me.” Sarah shook her head. “Sometimes people make mistakes they can’t take back. The people around them have to learn to let the person go or let the mistake go. You’re at that point now.
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The days in the James’ household fell into a pattern. Every morning she rose later than she ever had been allowed to before. She then traipsed downstairs to have a light breakfast with Madame James, who was delighted to have a young woman in the house after having raised only boys. The rest of her day was spent reading or exploring the mansion, which was old enough to have hidden rooms long forgotten. This morning Nyla rose the latest she had yet and headed downstairs still in her pajamas. Yawning, she entered the family dining room only to find two guests sitting with Madame James. “Sarah! Breanne!” The girls leaped up, squealing, and attacked Nyla with affection. They each squeezed Nyla tight enough to make her ribs crack. “Nyla!” Gazing over their heads, Nyla found Madame James smiling serenely while sipping on her tea. “What’s going on?” Nyla choked out. Sarah and Breanne let her go and backed up a step. “I was about to send someone up to wake you
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As dawn was reaching her fingers out across the sky, Nyla arrived. She stood at the front gates that blocked her path and contemplated what to do. She knew she looked a mess; her hair must be a rat’s nest after all the flying. It’d be rude if she flew over the wall. Without any other option, Nyla pressed the buzzer.“Yes?”“This is Nyla Bra- just Nyla. May I come in?”She heard a scurry of movement and then a muffled, “Oof,” before a bell chimed, and the gate swung open. Taking it as an invitation, Nyla started up the long drive. About halfway up it, she was met by Madame James, who flung herself at Nyla, hanging onto her by her neck.“Nyla! We’ve been waiting all night for you!”Michael loped over, his pace much more sedate. “Mom was about to go out looking for you herself if you didn’t get here soon.”“How did you know I was coming?” Nyla asked,
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Nyla and Eason were unprepared for the bark of Edmond’s voice when they entered the house from outdoors. Ever since Eason had graduated at the beginning of the week, he and Nyla had taken to spending the afternoons in the backyard once she got home.Edmond was standing next to the back doors waiting for them, his arms crossed, and his eyes hard. “You two. My office. Now.” His clipped tones did not foreshadow a pleasant conversation.They followed him into his office where they found Veronica waiting, wringing her hands methodically.Edmond gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk. “Sit.” Nyla and Eason sat. Edmond began pacing behind his desk. Nyla didn’t dare glance at Eason. They were in trouble; she just didn’t know what for yet.Turning on his heel, Edmond gave the two of them a deadly glare. “Do you have anything you’d like to tell me?”Bewildered, Nyla shook her head and assu
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Breanne swallowed and turned to Sarah. “What do we do now?”“Find a place to hide, of course. We’ve got our food, Eason will be busy dancing for a while, and everything else is about to turn political,” Sarah said matter of factly.“Sounds good to me,” Breanne agreed, looking towards Nyla, who hesitated for just a moment before nodding.“Good. I saw back doors somewhere,” Sarah ushered them outside, where they found a small gazebo tucked away. “This is perfect!”They had barely sat down before Sarah leaped back up. “I forgot! You guys stay right here!” She rushed back inside before either girl could respond.Breanne turned to Nyla. “What’s that about, you think?”“No idea.” Nyla gave Breanne a perusal. “You look uncomfortable.”Breanne blushed to the roots of her beautiful, chaotic hair that had been left to its own
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Nyla and her friends were sitting on their rooftop spot, avoiding the noise downstairs when Sarah turned to Eason. “Are you having the usual aging out party for your birthday?”“Birthday?” asked Nyla, her attention diverted from her sandwich, which was in the process of falling apart. “Your birthday is coming up?”Eason laughed. “Nyla, it’s next week. Where have you been?”In a dark, dark place.“But that means you’ll be eighteen and will graduate.” Panic started bubbling up in Nyla’s chest. She couldn’t handle school without Eason by her side.He seemed to know exactly where her thoughts had gone. “Calm down, Nyla. Sarah and Breanne will still be here with you. You’re eighteen next month anyway. You’ll only have to survive a little bit of time.”“We’ll be here for you,” Breanne tried to comfort Nyla.
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Pre-discharge Report – Nyla Braun The agility, speed, and strength of Nyla have deceased quantifiably – however, levels are not where they should be given the length of time wearing the ring. A new, stronger ring might be necessary, although Nyla does not display any outwardly hostile or dangerous behaviors. Dr. Fredrick reported sub-par results from her psychological exam as well. He noted facial ticks several times, along with unsatisfactory answers. Three times he suspected her of lying, although he had no way to prove it. Her discharge was still approved, although conditional on further exams. Nyla sighed, unsurprised. “I knew I didn’t do very well.”&
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Yanked out of a deep sleep, Nyla lashed out, and caught someone’s arm. “Ouch! Nyla, it’s me!” Groggily, Nyla opened her eyes to find Eason hovering over her. “What’re you doing?” Ignoring her question, he thrust a holopad into her hands.“Nyla, you have to see this.” Nyla struggled to sit up. Once situated, she took the holopad. “What is it?” “I broke into my dad’s office and -,” “You did what? How?” She was wide awake now. “Nyla, you aren&rsq
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“Oh.” Eason turned round eyes to Nyla.“I’ve had excessive training on obstacle courses. I find them quite easy. But it’s been quite some time since I’ve practiced. Who knows how long it’ll take me,” lied Nyla. She walked over and stood before the peg wall, grabbing a peg in each hand. All she had to do was pull herself up the wall by placing a peg in one of the many holes going up, again and again, until she reached the top.Taking the peg in her right hand, she reached up and placed it in the highest hole she could reach. She followed with her left and then pulled herself up using just her arms. She froze with her feet off the ground, she counted to ten before removing the right peg and reaching up again, placing it in a higher hole. After counting to seven, she did the same with her left hand. Once both pegs were secure, she pulled herself up again. Repeating the pattern, Nyla inched her way up the wall, counting in be
What Is Love? Chapter 26.1
Nyla stayed in the hospital for an additional two days waiting for the wound to be completely healed and no longer tender. When she told Dr. Bunder she was ready to leave, the doctor told her, “We need to run some tests first, and then you’re free to go.”Automatically, Nyla’s mind went to the warning in her letter. She cast a glance at Eason, who was sitting by her bedside again. He met her eyes, a little crease forming between his eyebrows. “Are they really necessary? She says she’s feeling better, and Nyla would know best.”“I’m afraid they are. They’re the same tests you did last time you were here.” She paused, then continued, “You know how everything has to be documented because you’re a Menhit.” Seeing no way out of it, Nyla consented to the tests, praying nothing terrible would come of it. Perhaps th
