Chapter 6

Xavier and Zachary walked out of the manufactory building in silence. Each one was thinking about the girl he'd just left behind. Neither one of them said a word until they reached the bridge that led into the East side.

Zachary was the first to break the silence, "So, X, how did it go?"

Xavier shrugged, "It was okay, I guess." He sighed, "You were right. Nikki's had it rough, but I'm hoping she'll open up and learn to trust me. Od’yia, Zach, she's beautiful! But she has so much pain inside of her."

Zachary nodded, "Yeah, Kris explained some of why Nikki is the way she is. Xavier, did you know that Nikki was there when they killed her whole family? Kris said she saw it all. She said that Nikki used to be different than the way she is now. Before, she was friendly, participating in school activities, and on her way to becoming someone big. Then this happened and suddenly she retreated into her shell. She doesn't seem to care about school anymore and isn't trying to be the best student like she once was."

Xavier frowned as scenarios of what Nikki's life was like formed in his mind. As he and Zachary continued to walk through the East side of the kingdom before walking through the gates that led to the castle grounds, he wondered if she would eventually tell him what had really happened to her and her family. He just couldn't imagine that the death of her family had been the reason why she would just close up and become the untrusting, cold girl she was now.

He knew that wasn't entirely true. He knew somewhere inside of her was a warm, caring person. He'd had a glimpse of her when they'd kissed in the park and another one when she'd sat with him in the barn. He could see it in her eyes, it was in there, but afraid to come out. He just hoped he could somehow find a way to help her be the girl she once was.

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Nikki closed her eyes in exhaustion. She couldn't believe how tired and drained she felt. It had been a long day for her. She wasn't used to all this emotional upheaval. She'd had to deal with avoiding the gang before and after school. Then Kristine and her had run into the two guys again and they walked them home as a way of protecting the girls.

Along the way, Nikki had discovered the feelings she thought long buried were rising to the surface again. And it was all because a mysterious stranger with the most mesmerizing emerald eyes she'd ever seen had somehow managed to get beneath the surface of her skin. She was no longer a stone wall, no longer able to hide her heart away.

The conversation she'd had with Xavier had reached deep inside and made her think about the past again. It had also opened her eyes about how she'd been treating everyone who cared about her. The conversation she'd had later with Kristine had added to the eye opening thoughts. It had distracted her to the point that she had been unable to concentrate on her homework, so she'd given up and gone to take a really long hot shower in hopes it would help her relax.

No such luck.

As soon as Nikki got out of the shower, Amy had called them to dinner and Nikki had to listen as both Amy and Felix explained how things were going with the protests against the Mayor. This time she had remained quiet throughout most of the dinner conversation.

Instead of getting angry, she had gotten sad. As she glanced around the table watching everyone eating and talking as if all the protesting was just another day in their lives, she realized that they had all begun to take their lives for granted. Everyone was so caught up in fighting for their freedom, that they never realized what else they were missing from their lives.

No one seemed to be taking the time to cherish what they had. People who cared about them. People who depended on them. Time wasn't spent on each other anymore, it was spent on trying to come up with the best strategy for winning a war. It had nearly brought her to tears and she had quietly excused herself from the table when she could no longer stand it.

Now, she was curled up under her covers listening to Kristine lightly breathing in her sleep. Nikki had attempted to do her homework again after dinner. She'd succeeded in doing most of it, but exhaustion had finally caught up with her and she had called it a night. Kristine had already gone to bed by the time Nikki had crawled under the covers.

Luckily for Nikki, she didn't have to wait too long as sleep finally claimed her.

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Xavier grinned as he watched Evelyn wrestling with Charles for one of the puppies from Kegan's dog, Sleeta. He had kept his word and accompanied his sister to Charles house after they'd had dinner, to see the new virtual computer Charles had built. After playing with the computer for a while, the three of them had then gone over to Kegan's house to see the new puppies.

"That's the one I wanted Charles! Pick another one!" pouted Evelyn.

"No way! I saw him first, I picked him up first. And Kegan already said I could have this one."

Evelyn huffed, "Alan Charles Nieri! Don't you dare make me pull rank!"

As Xavier hissed, Charles widened his eyes in mock terror before he chuckled good-naturedly, "Okay Princess, you win." He grinned as he handed the puppy to Evelyn.

Xavier rolled his eyes, "And Zach says I'm a wuss!"

Charles glanced at him, "Hey! I resent that! Besides, my parents taught me never to argue with a lady."

Kegan, who had been sitting on the floor with Sleeta across his lap laughed and looked around the room, "Where's the lady?"

Evelyn cast him a glare as Charles answered, "You my friend, have been hanging around your bitches and their puppies for too long!" He then looked back at Xavier and grinned, "Besides, I'm man enough to admit I'm a wuss when it comes to my lady."

Xavier chuckled as Evelyn stuck her tongue out at him in a very unladylike manner before turning back to Charles and gracing him with one of her loving smiles. He'd known that eventually Evelyn would have won anyway. Charles never won against her because it was just as he said. He'd do anything for Evelyn, and everyone knew it.

Everyone except the King and Queen it seemed. Evelyn was just as smitten with Charles as he was with her and Xavier often wondered how their parents had never caught on to the relationship between their daughter and their best computer programmer. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Charles had been a part of their group all of their lives, just like Kegan had been.

After setting Sleeta aside, Kegan got up and stretched, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat. And I gotta get up at the crack of dawn to get to my new training sessions that dad insisted I have."

Xavier quirked an eyebrow, "New training sessions?"

"Yep, dad is gonna start training me for the position."

"Is he thinking of retiring?" Xavier asked.

Kegan shook his head, "Nah, but he's been wanting a new assistant since Tan up and left two months ago. So he figured who better than his only son, right." He shrugged, "Not that I'm complaining really, I just hate getting up that early. And it's even less sleep I'll be getting now, as if I need to lose any more."

Charles laughed at that, "Well Kegan, guess you are gonna have to give up some of your hobbies to make room for more important things."

Evelyn snickered, "Yeah, like breeding your bitches and well, attempting to breed yourself."

As Xavier and Charles chuckled, Kegan feigned a hurt look, "Hey! I love my bitches!"

That sent all of them into fits of laughter, "Wait, that came out wrong! I love breeding my dogs. And it's not my fault that the ladies love me!"

Xavier shook his head, "It's okay Kegan. You know we all love you anyway. Right Ev?"

She walked over to Kegan and gave him a hug, "He's right. We love you, ego and all." She pulled away after giving him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll come get the puppy when you tell me he's ready to leave his mom, okay?"

Kegan nodded.

Charles shook his hand before joining Evelyn at the door, "I'll come by tomorrow and pick one for myself."

Kegan grinned, "Sure." As Xavier shook his hand, he asked, "Sure you don't want one too?"

"Sorry, man. I already have Teether. And he doesn't play well with others."

Kegan chuckled, "You really have to let the tiger go X, he's getting too big for you. And your dad is starting to complain loudly to my dad about the cat's destruction of things, no matter how harmless it seems."

Xavier sighed, "I know. He's complained to me too, but I raised Teether from a cub and he's never hurt me. You know about the connection we have. How can I possibly let him go knowing about that?"

"I don't know man, wish there was someone who could help."

Xavier nodded before following Evelyn and Charles out of the house. They waved goodbye to Kegan, then headed towards Charles house. Evelyn was going to say goodnight to Charles there, then go with Xavier back to the castle.

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Nikki tossed in her bed as the nightmare seized her. Visions of the past flew through her mind in a flurry of images.

Glass breaking, gunshots, and heavy objects hitting the floor. A tall, thin man smiling as he held a little blonde girl in his arms. The whisper of wind blowing across tombstones with the names, Henry Parker Payne, Lindsey Nicole Payne, and Anne Taylor Payne.

The angry shouts of the man as faceless men stormed his home. An auburn haired woman, laughing at the sight of a small brunette girl chasing a butterfly. The screams of the woman and the cries of the little blonde girl.

An eerie silence, broken by the soft weeping of the small brunette girl. Evil laughter and voices promising more pain and terror. The little blonde girl's body lying like a broken doll at the bottom of the stairs.

The look of terror on the auburn haired woman's face as a knife protruded from her torso. The tall man's hand reaching out as he dragged his useless body across the floor, a name on his lips.

"Nikki."

"No!" she screamed as she sat up in her bed.

Kristine frowned, "Nikki, are you okay? You were having a nightmare."

Nikki looked at Kristine sitting next to her on her bed. She swallowed and shook her head, banishing the nightmare images. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure, Nikki?" Kristine asked as she watched Nikki breathing hard.

Nikki closed her eyes in an attempt to regulate her breathing, but the images were waiting for her behind her lids. She snapped her eyes open and leaped out of bed, heading for the bathroom.

"Nikki, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Kristine, I'm just gonna take a shower."

Kristine tried to follow, but Nikki shut the door in her face. She sighed and went back to getting ready for school. She knew Nikki would talk to her when she was ready to.

Nikki stood in the shower letting the hot water rush over her body. She could feel the tiny shudders moving through her as she stared at the tiled wall. She was still in shock that the dreams had returned. She knew very well why they had.

It was because of him. He had opened her heart again. After everything that had happened to her family, Nikki had shut herself down, she'd thought it was the only way for her to survive. If she could turn off all of her emotions then she wouldn't dream the deaths anymore. It had worked. No longer allowing herself to feel anything except anger and disinterest, she'd managed to get through her life and her sleep had been nightmare free.

But Xavier had come along, and now she couldn't seem to close up her heart again. All the emotions she'd buried for so long were now bubbling over at an alarming rate.

She took a deep breath and let it out. It came out shakily and the next thing Nikki knew she was on her knees with what she knew wasn't the water from the shower falling down her cheeks. Trembling, she lowered her head and covered her face with her hands, a soft keening wail escaping from between her fingers.

She wept as the past came back in waves. Tumbling over her and sweeping her away. She couldn't stop it and so she gave in. Let it take her where it would, she couldn't fight it anymore. She knew it was past time to deal with her pain.

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Xavier turned back to look at Zachary who was still trying to fix his hair. He laughed, "Man, enough, it isn't gonna stand up any higher."

Zachary made a face, "If only one of my powers was being able to dry things, my hair would be done. Or how about the power to stiffen things?"

Xavier rolled his eyes, "Really Zach, sometimes you come up with the strangest things."

Zachary grinned, "Well, what else am I supposed to do to relieve the boredom?" He turned to look ahead of them and his grin blossomed, "There they are."

Xavier looked in the direction Zachary was looking, his eyes were immediately drawn to the shiny, chocolate tresses he was already familiar with. He smiled as he made his way closer to Nikki, her scent washing over him, making him sigh in contentment.

It wasn't until he got closer and saw the circles under her eyes and the way she wasn't looking at them. His smile faded as he noted the glassy look in her eyes and the pinched mouth. She had been crying. He just knew it, he could still smell her tears.

Instinct took over and before he realized what he was doing, he reached out to her and slid his arm over her shoulders, bringing her into his side like a wild animal protecting its mate. He felt her tense, but only for a moment until he lowered his head to hers and brushed his lips against her hair.

"Shhh, it's okay nu'halla, I'm here now."

Zachary gave Xavier a look before taking Kristine's hand and giving her a kiss, "How was your day Kristine?"

She nodded and responded without taking her eyes from Xavier and Nikki, "It was fine."

Xavier still held Nikki close to him as he sent Kristine a wordless question with his eyes. Her response was a shrug.

He nodded and bent towards Nikki again, "Come on, leijha'mi, let's go home."

Nikki allowed Xavier to steer her through campus and towards the park without a word. As they walked, her mind kept repeating what she'd heard him say. As the four of them passed the park, Nikki glanced up at Kristine and Zachary who were walking ahead of them.

The two of them had their arms around each other and their heads leaning towards each other as if talking softly. She lifted her eyes to Xavier who was still holding her to his side. He was also watching Kristine and Zachary ahead of them.

Her voice came out almost too softly, but Xavier heard her clearly, "What was that you said?"

He looked down at her, "What?"

She looked down at the ground, "Those words, what did they mean?"

He looked startled for a moment before he spoke, "I was just trying to cheer you up."

She frowned, "Why would you think I needed cheering up?"

"You looked sad."

"I wasn't. I just had a long day at school." She stopped walking and turned to look at him, her frown deepening.

Xavier didn't look at her for a moment, he watched as Zachary and Kristine disappeared around the side of the barn before he turned to Nikki. "Nikki, I saw your face, even now your eyes look sad. Like you've been crying."

She stiffened, "I wasn't."

He closed his eyes. He knew she was lying, he could smell it. He let out a little sigh before opening his eyes and looking straight into hers.

"You're being defensive again. I thought you said you'd try to trust me?" he asked softly.

He watched as his words sunk in and her lips trembled before a tear slid down her cheek.

"Nikki..." he trailed off as she lowered her head into her hands and he heard the soft sobs.

Reaching out he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. He held her as she sobbed, softly brushing his lips over the top of her head and whispering to her, "Let it out, nu'halla. Let it go. It'll be okay."

Nikki leaned against him, letting the warmth and comfort of his arms chase the pain away. He was right. She was being defensive. She was desperately trying to keep her walls up and failing miserably. Slowly she moved out of the safety of his embrace and looked up at him.

"You're right. I was crying." She looked down at the ground, "Last night, I had a dream, it was bad. I woke up upset. It's been bothering me all day."

Xavier nodded, "Will you tell me about it?"

Nikki swallowed, then looked towards the barn, "Can we go sit down? It's kind of complicated."

Xavier took her hand in his and led her into the barn. They got comfortable among the pile of hay before Xavier took her hand into his again. "So, what was this dream about?"

Nikki looked into his emerald eyes and said, "It was about my family's murder."

Translations

nu'halla - small one

leijha'mi - beautiful