From Prisoner to Guest
OPAL
When dinnertime rolls around, Kyle surprises me by asking me to join him in the living room.
I don't say no. I'm so sick of the bedroom that I don't mind hanging around him, even though he's the reason why I'm in this situation to begin with.
I follow him to the kitchen, where he hands me a plate of food similar to what I had in the afternoon. The house is empty, as empty as it was earlier in the day. I head into the living room and choose one of the couches to sit on.
I've stopped questioning what I'm doing here and what the outcome of this will be a long time ago.
The food is delicious. The only sound in the living room is that of our forks hitting the plates. Kyle is seated directly across from me and I feel his eyes on me occasionally.
That's another thing I don't question: Why, all of a sudden, he decided to be civil toward me.
Suddenly, the front door opens and I look up and see his deranged girlfriend, Cassie, walking in. Her footsteps slow as she takes in the scene before her, and her expression changes.
"What's the meaning of this?"
My gaze flickers from her face to his, and he sighs in exhaustion. Without looking at her, he says, "Cassie? We've been through this before."
When her gaze settles on me, she doesn't bother hiding her hatred. I stare right back at her. I don't fear her. If she thinks I asked to be here or that I'm in control of anything, she's mistaken.
Cassie swallows whatever response she was thinking of and turns right back around, slamming the door on her way out. Frustration is written all over Kyle's face. Our eyes lock, but he doesn't say a word. Neither do I.
We go on eating. He then stands up and moves to take the plate from me once he notices that I'm finished.
"Oh, you don't have to."
"It's no trouble at all."
I stand up. "I can clean up."
"I insist."
I finally relent and watch as he heads into the kitchen to clean up. I don't know what to do, so I move to one of the windows in the living room and stare at the dark forest beyond. The moon is high in the sky, bathing everything in its magnificent light.
"Tea?" I turn my attention away from the window and focus on him. "Coffee?"
This alarms me and I can't explain why. Now I'm finding this weird. "Uh...Coffee. Thanks."
He turns around but I keep staring at him. I promised myself that I wouldn't ask questions that I wouldn't like the answer to, but this time, I'm way too curious.
"Why're you doing this?"
He pauses and turns his head slightly to the side. "Doing what?"
"Treating me like a guest and not a prisoner," I clarify. "Being nice to me."
Kyle says nothing for the longest time after I pose this question. As he puts water in the kettle for it to boil, he finally tells me, "I'm not your enemy, Luna Queen. If I mistreat you, then I'm just as bad as the man you married."
I lower my gaze as I process his answer. Well, cruelty has been shown to me, that's true, but never by his hand. In fact, he has always tried to fix what his people or even his girlfriend tried to do.
That doesn't mean I'll lower my guard around him.
"I hope that doesn't offend you," he comments dryly.
I realize that he asked me this because I chose to stay silent, but I tell him, "The truth doesn't hurt me."
This time, he looks at me for a long time. I'm not going to stand here and stick up for Bruce when he's hurt me just as much as the members of my family.
His betrayal still burns, even on the days when I try not to think about it too much.
"Since when was this the truth?"
"It always was. You just haven't been listening to me."
He turns around, leans against the kitchen island, and watches me through narrowed eyes. "Is this meant to be a trick to get me to lower my guard around you?"
"No," I whisper. "It's the truth, but I won't elaborate, so don't asl me to."
"I'll respect your wishes, then."
Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing fills the room and Kyle slides his hand in the pocket of his jeans and pulls it out. He presses it to his ear without saying a word, and I watch as his expression darkens with each passing second.
It appears that someone is giving him bad news. He doesn't say anything during the call, and then he hangs up.
The mood in the cabin has changed completely. The lightness from earlier is long gone.
Naturally, I don't ask him what the problem is. It's just not my place. Kyle is the one who volunteers the information. "Another attack on our people. Houses are burning and people are hurt."
I say nothing. Kyle starts walking toward me and all of a sudden, I have to suppress the urge to back away. I don't really understand him and I won't pretend that I do. In a low voce, he tells me, "Were you lying about what you said? About your husband?"
I raise my chin and answer fearlessly. "No."
"Do you agree with this war?" he questions. "Do you think my people deserve to die because of whatever selfish plan your husband has in mind?"
"No," I answer right away. I don't even hesitate. This war was unnecessary to begin with, and I no longer know what to believe. Kyle insists that he has nothing to do with this, and Bruce called him guilty, and blamed him for the attack on the packs.
"This time, I won't leave you here alone, like I usually do," he claims. "No, I want you to come see the damage that your people have caused. I want you to see it with your own eyes."