The Elementals #2 by Kiki XoXo (books for new readers .txt) 📕

I get settled on Rush, my very own horse that was given to me, waiting for Thayer to come back from the bathroom. He always goes before we go out riding, that way he doesn't have to leave early. Once he comes back and is ready to go we leave we  go. We trot through the trails, and eventually stop giving the horsea break and giving them apples and carrots. It's a lot of fun riding a horse, I'd never actually been on one until I came here. Thayer taught me how. He still doesn't believe me about never riding a horse because I seem like a natural. I of course told him, I might've road one before I lost all of my memories but I don't remember. 

As we sit eating the sandwiches his mothr never fails to pack, we talk looking up into the three. We're laying under a willow tree, watching as the wind blows the vines. I dig through the picnic basket lookig for the juice, and I find a vine of grapes. Pulling them out I smile at Thayer, he smirks sitting up. Clapping his hands and nodding he tells me he is ready. I pull off a grape and aim. I flick my wrist, and it hits the bullseye. I laugh as he eats the grape, smiling. We've practice this everyday that we came out here, or at least the days she packs grapes for us. After the two of us have thrown all of the grapes catching most but not all of them, we get back on our horses galloping back to the palace.

Going our separate ways so we can get cleaned up and ready for our lessons we say goodbye. I go to my room and he goes to his... even though they are right next to each other. We orgianlly were in the same room, but then Thayer begged his parents to not have us in the same room. They put us in different rooms then, but right next to each other. I'm not complaining though, I'm happy we do have different rooms. I haven't ever really shared a room with a boy, I've slept with Elijah... all we did was sleep.... other then the one night.. two nights. 

I change the subject running through my head back to my classes. I'm going to start crying. It's been a month since I left. It's been a month since I've talked to any one back home other then my parents. I sent them a letter, saying we arrived safely. They wrote back, but I haven't even opened it. I glance at the letter on my desk, pretending to tell myself that it got lost in the mail. Braiding my hair back again I leave my room meeting Thayer outside, we walk through the halls makingour way to the classroom. Sitting at our desks in the room, we chat until his mother or ather comes in telling us the lesson today. 

****

"Thayer!" I whine as he take the last bun just as I was gonna grab it. He smiles as me, eating it slowly rubbing it in. Then the kitceh door burst open and in walks his mother with a fresh pan! I smile at him spitting my tongue out. He roles his eyes and I take one smothering it with grape jelly!  

"How was your ride today?" Mrs. West sits down, getting her plate filled with supper. 

"Good, we could use more grapes next time." Thayer replies, cutting into his steak. 

"What on earth do the two of you do with all of them grapes?" She asks looking from Thayer to me. I smile, as Thayer explains where all of here garden grapes end up. Either on the ground or in our stomachs.  "Well I hope you eat more then you drop." She sighs, and takes a spoonful of the pudding. Thayer and I laugh quietly, digging into our plates as well. 

"What are the plans for tomorrow?" Thayer asks after we've finished, and all the dishes are cleare from the table. "With dad being gone, are we going to be doing anything important?" 

"Why dear?" His mo replies, sorting through mail. 

"Well I was wondering if I could take Lyra down to the cottage, show her the lake." He says, I glance at him not knowing this until now. 

"Oh that sounds very nice dear. Of course. How long will you be down there for?" She says looking up at the two of us with a big smile. Is there something I'm missing here? There must be, this is the first time I've heard anything about a cottage! And what's with the look on her face? 

"Only one night probably." Thayer replies shaking his head at her. I watch her face drop a little, and I think I know what she thought was gonna go down at this cottage. I'm afraid not! Thayer and I have only kissed one! That was at a party his parents through for us to because of our engagement. Other then that he hasn't mad any moves and neither have I. I only thinnk of him as friend as well. A very good friend perhaps my best friend, and maybe part of me does love him but it's a botherly type of love.  Oh god, and we're getting married next month! We're giong to be expected to kiss and be in love and have kids!

Excusing myself, I leave the table feeling slightly sick. God, ho could I not think about kids. They're going to expect kids, in the future espicially! Walking down the hall I rub my forehead, what do I ssay to him? Do I tell him that I don't like him like that? If I do that then things might take a turn for the worse. The last thing I want is to have Rashell come and take their land!

"Lyra! Hey slow down!" Thayer yells behind me. I stop waiting for him to catch up, I send a quick prayer up to who ever is there asking them to help me. "Hey, I'm sorry about my mother. I promise I didn't plan on bringing you up there to do anything like that. I really just wanted to show you the lake, I  remember you saying you liked swimming." He says completely embarrassed about what went down in the dinning room. 

"It's fine, don't worry." I assure him. We walk down the hall towards our rooms, in silence. Definately awkward silence, both of us know it's expected of us to do those things. I know how I feel, but not him. He might like me like that. He might not. "Thayer, I'm here to help save your people and land." I begin. 

"Lyra, we're taking it slow. Like we agreed upon, maybe it time... we will feel like that." He interupts. I glance up at him, with a shy smile. "Anyways..." he flushes looking straight forward. "So, do you want to go tomorrow?" he asks. 

"Of course." I reply, grabbing his hand. Now walking in silence again, all the awkwardness gone. We stop outside our rooms, letting go of each others hands,  smiling our goodnights. "Oh and Thayer." I say turning to him before I go in my room.  He pauses as well looking over at me. "Earlier I saw one of the maid carrying a doll. I'm pretty ure they brought it to your room." I smile then close the door behind me. I actually know there is a doll in his room, on his bed even. I maid sure to tell Patricia to put it there. Ever since he saw Annabelle dolls have scared him. Like he mad his mother lock up her china dolls collection in a room scared of dolls!

I lay in bed waiting for him to lay down and find the doll there, I know I hear him scream or fall out of his bed. Something, I'm jittery waiting for it to happen. We had a late tonight, so I'm suprised he is still up. After an hour of waiting for him to see the doll I give up. Curling on my side, Iclose my eyes, thinking of a cottage and lake. 

"Oh shit!" I hear sittting up from my bed. Then there is a  loud hurtful sounding thud. I look at the clock. It's 2:21 A.M! He is just now laying down? What has he been doing all this time, that jerk waking me up!  "Lyra Castir!" He yells right outside my door, I cover my mouth with my hand. Trying to keep my laugh down.  "I hear you in there!" He says, and then the door swings open. I close my eyes bitting the inside of my cheek, I'm not very good at pretending to be asleep! "Nice try!" I hear him whisper, he is right above me! Then the blanket gets pulls from my feet and he starts tickling me! 

"No!" I sit up, trying to wrestle him off my bed. 

"You put that doll on my bed! I think I deserve some payback!" he laughs, has he grabs my hands on in each of his. Holding them above my head he smiles down at me.  I give him a shy  sheepish smile, what is he going to do to me! "Now I know you're ticklish..." he sighs, smirking at me. I shake my head, I hate being tickled! Since I'm so ticklish, and when I get tickled I have a horrible laugh. "Nahh, I wont tickle ya. I'll getcha back tomorrow though." He gets off of me laying next to me. "But I am staying in here tonight." he adds. 

"That's fine." I say fixing my comforter, then we both snuggle down under the blankets. I take a deep breath, calming myself from our little war we had. I turn on my side again, closing my eyes. With a small little yawn, everything fades into blackness. 

***

"Lyra! Hey! Lyra, wake up!" I'm getting shaken. I sit up my heart pounding, and my blood boiling. My head feels like it's about to burst. Another nightmare. I've had one almost everynight since I got here! "Hey, it's okay, you're fine!" Thayer soothes me holding me in his arms. I feel tears running down my cheeks, and I know it must've been a bad one. Almost everynight I get woken up from one, but I never remember them once I'm awake. All I have is my heart pounding and blood boiling, and every once in a while tears. 

"I'm sorry..." I whisper, I woke him up. I didn't think about this earlier when  I said it was okay for him to stay in my room tonight. He kisses my forehead, and we sit quietly for a hald an hour before I finally calm down. " I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." I whisper again, turnig in his lap, so my back is to his chest. I look ot the window in my room. "Wanna know the sad part?" I ask him, pulling the blanket up and around me. 

"What?" he asks. 

"When I wake up, I imediately forget what I was dreaming about." I sigh. 

"Dreaming? That sounded more like a nightmare." He whispers.  I nod, "So you have them often..?" he asks. 

"Yes." I admit. 

"You could've told me, I'm sure there is something we can do to get them to go away." He says, upset. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I thought they would just go away, but they haven't. It's nothing." I tell him, and he scoffs at me. 

"You can tell me anything. Remember that okay?" He says, I nod. "Lyra I am serious." He says,  I turn so I can see his face. He is looking me in the eyes, waiting for me to say something. Sitting here in his arms, I feel safe and relaxed. I haven't been almost killed here,