Chasing Sunset

Chapter 1: My Favorite Rival

If there was one person I never wanted to see first thing in the morning it was Kael Reyes.

Unfortunately for me, the universe had it out for me.

I stood in front of the bulletin board outside our classroom, one hand clutching the strap to my bag and the other the edge of the paper that had just been pinned up moments earlier.

Students clustered around me murmuring enthusiastically about the new announcements.

Someone behind me moaned about getting assigned to a group of students they barely knew. Another had their phone already out taking pictures of the list. The usual cacophony of a hallway filled the air with the sound of shoes slapping against the tile floor, laughter echoing from other rooms and teachers calling their students to hurry before the bell rang.

But none of it was registering with me.

My eyes were locked onto one line in particular.

ANNUAL SCHOOL FESTIVAL

Theme: CHASING SUNSET

GROUP ONE

KAEL REYES - LEADER

ELARA VALE - CO-LEADER

I blinked. Then stared again. Then blinked.

"No."

The word left my lips before I could stop it.

I leaned forward to the paper inspecting it more closely as if perhaps my eyes had deceived me.

They hadn't.

There I was, my name sitting proudly beside his among the group of students our teacher had apparently assigned to work together on the annual school festival.

Out of all the students in our year.

Out of all the students our teacher could have picked.

It had to be

Kael Reyes.

"Having trouble reading?"

My whole body went stiff.

I closed my eyes for a moment steadying myself.

I knew that voice. I had known it since most of my life.

Slowly I turned around.

Kael Reyes was standing behind me with his bag slung over his shoulder his uniform neat if a bit loosened at the tie and his dark hair tousled from the morning wind.

He looked as relaxed as ever.

As he always did.

His eyes flicked from me to the paper and then back down to me a small smile playing across his lips.

"You've been staring at that for quite a while."

"I was hoping it would disappear."

"It won't."

"Unfortunately."

He stepped up beside me and looked at the paper.

A knowing smile forming on his lips as he took in the sight.

"Looks like we're partners."

I turned to look at him.

"Don't sound so thrilled."

"I'm not."

"You are smiling."

"I smile when I'm amused."

"I'm not amused."

"That's probably why I'm smiling."

I rolled my eyes walking towards our classroom.

I heard his laughter trail behind me.

I hated that laugh.

Not because it was an unpleasant sound.

Actually quite the opposite in fact.

His laugh was warm and easy and somehow made the people around him smile without them realizing it.

I just hated that I knew it so well.

Kael and I had grown up together.

Our families were practically best friends meaning there had never really been an opportunity for me to escape him.

His family would come over for dinner and my family would go over to theirs. We celebrated birthdays and holidays together. Even went on family vacations when we were younger.

Our parents always loved seeing us together. They always said we were like siblings.

I vehemently disagreed.

Siblings didn't fight over everything.

At least I hoped they didn't.

Our rivalry had started when we were children.

It had begun as something innocent.

Who could finish their homework first.

Who could run the fastest.

Who could get the highest score in a game.

Then we grew older and the competitions grew more serious and cutthroat.

Grades.

Awards.

School competitions.

Leadership positions.

If I won something Kael made sure to beat me the next time and if he won I made sure to do twice as hard to take his spot.

Neither of us ever admitted it but we both secretly enjoyed it.

There was a certain thrill in having someone that always kept you on your toes.

That never let you get comfortable.

That made you want to try a little harder just to beat them.

Unfortunately that someone was

Kael Reyes.

"You're walking fast."

I heard his footsteps quicken beside me but I didn't turn around.

"Maybe it's because you're walking slow."

"I'm walking at a normal pace."

"That's your problem."

He caught up with me.

"You're always in such a hurry."

"Because unlike you I actually care about being on time."

He glanced at the clock hanging above the hallway.

"We still have fifteen minutes."

"Exactly."

"You're such an annoyance."

"So I've been told."

We walked into the classroom where the morning sun spilled in from the windows casting scattered patches of light all over the floor.

I immediately took a seat by the window.

My favorite spot.

I could see the school garden and old acacia trees from there.

I always liked to watch the sky change as I studied.

Sometimes when class got too tedious I would look out the window for a minute or two and remind myself that there was a world outside of tests and due dates.

Kael took a seat behind me.

I turned around immediately.

"Why are you sitting there?"

He looked at me innocently.

"Because it's my seat."

"It wasn't yesterday."

"It is today."

"You set this up."

"Why would I?"

"Because you enjoy annoying me."

He smiled.

"Maybe."

Before I could retort our teacher walked into the room.

Everyone hurried to take their seats.

"Good morning class."

"Good morning Ma'am."

She placed a thick folder on her desk.

"I'm sure most of you have already seen the announcement regarding this year's annual school festival."

Several students nodded in response.

"The theme this year is Chasing Sunset."

A few excited whispers floated around the room.

"This year's competition will be focused on storytelling.

Each group will be given the task to create a creative presentation regarding the theme.

You can do a short film or photo story or spoken word presentation or mixed media project."

I immediately felt an interest stir within me.

I always loved storytelling.

There was something magical about taking a simple moment and turning it into something so people could feel it.

Our teacher continued with the instructions.

"Each group will be given three weeks to complete this project.

The presentations will be scored based on creativity, storytelling, originality and execution."

Three weeks.

My mind immediately jumped into gear, compiling ideas.

Maybe a short film or photo story.

Something emotional.

Something that would stay with people long after the festival was over.

Then our teacher turned to look at us.

"Group one will be led by Kael and Elara."

The whole room seemed to react simultaneously.

Someone whistled and another laughed.

"Good luck!"

I heard someone whisper "They're going to kill each other" as the whole class erupted in laughter.

Even our teacher chuckled.

"I know you two have an interesting... relationship."

Kael leaned back in his chair.

"That's one way to put it."

I kicked the back of his chair and he stopped.

"That's exactly why I chose you two.

Kael has excellent technical skills while Elara has excellent storytelling and creative skills.

You two complement each other."

I didn't quite like that word.

It almost made it sound like we were a

couple.

We most certainly were not.

We were rivals.

Just rivals.

After class I immediately walked towards Kael.

"We need to talk."

He looked up from his notebook.

"Good morning to you as well."

"We already greeted each other."

"You said it sarcastically."

"You deserved it."

He smiled.

"What do you want?"

"To plan."

"I already started."

He turned the notebook towards me and I immediately stopped.

Pages and pages of notes filled the paper.

Possible concepts.

Locations.

Camera angles.

Characters.

Scenes.

Even a rough schedule.

"You did all this already?"

He shrugged.

"You were busy staring at the bulletin board."

I ignored his comment.

"What's your idea?"

He turned the notebook towards me.

"The story is about a character who spends the entire day chasing the perfect sunset."

I read over his notes carefully.

"Why?"

"Because they think by reaching it it will fix something."

I looked up at him.

"Fix what?"

"That's the part we figure out."

I sat down across from him, for the next few minutes we talked about the concept.

Then I shook my head.

"It's too literal."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What's your idea?"

"The character doesn't chase the sunset."

"Then what?"

"A memory."

He stopped.

I continued.

"The sunset is just a symbol.

Maybe the character is trying to return to a moment in his life that he knows he can never repeat."

Kael stared at the notebook for a moment then slowly looked up at me.

"That's actually good."

I blinked.

"Really?"

"Really."

No teasing.

No sarcasm.

Just honesty.

Somehow that made me uncomfortable.

I looked back down at the notebook.

"Then we'll use it."

He began writing.

For the next hour we worked on the concept.

And surprisingly we didn't fight.

Well not much.

We argued about the ending and setting and wether or not the main character should speak but somehow everything worked out.

Kael was great with structure.

I was great with emotion.

He worked on how the story would look.

I worked on how it would feel.

It was so frustrating how well we worked together.

By lunchtime we had mostly come up with the concept.

"We should film the final scene at the hill," I said.

"The one behind the school?"

"Yes.

Why there?"

"The sunset."

He smiled.

"Of course."

"What?"

"Nothing."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You were about to say something."

"I was about to say that you really love sunsets."

"I do."

"Why?"

I hesitated.

I didn't really know how to answer that.

"I like how temporary they are."

He looked at me for a moment.

I continued.

"They're beautiful because they don't last forever."

For once Kael didn't tease me.

He simply nodded.

"Fair enough."

The rest of the day went by in a haze.

When the final bell rang most students rushed out towards the gates.

I pulled my camera into my bag.

Kael was waiting by the door to the classroom.

"Ready?"

"For the project?"

"Obviously."

We walked towards the hill.

The afternoon was nice.

It had lost the harsh bite of morning and now everything was warm and golden.

The trees lining the path swayed gently in the wind.

It was the kind of day where if you weren't walking with someone their footsteps would be the only sound you'd hear for miles.

As we climbed the hill I stopped when we reached the top.

The view was beautiful.

The school looked tiny from up here.

The horizon stretched on forever.

The sky was changing colors, fading from blue to gold to orange and pink.

I took out my camera clicking a few pictures.

Kael watched me.

"You really do take pictures of everything."

"I like remembering things."

"Why?"

"Because they disappear."

He looked up at the horizon.

"Everything disappears eventually."

"Exactly."

I took another picture, the wind ruffling my hair.

I lowered the camera and for once neither of us said anything.

Until I realized Kael wasn't looking at the sunset.

He was looking at

me.

I frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You're staring."

"So are you."

"I'm looking at the sunset."

He smiled slightly.

"I know."

My heart gave an unfamiliar little flutter.

I looked away.

"You're weird."

"Maybe."

The sun slowly sank beneath the horizon.

I looked until the very last strip of orange had disappeared.

"That's it," I whispered.

Kael looked at me.

"What?"

"The sunset."

He looked up at the empty horizon.

"Tomorrow there's going to be another one."

"Not the same one."

"No."

He hesitated.

"Not the same one."

I didn't know why those words stayed with me.

Maybe because it was more than just a comment on the sunset.

Maybe because for the first time I realized something about Kael.

That he wasn't the same boy I had known years ago.

Just like I wasn't the same girl either.

As we walked back towards the school gates our shoulders occasionally brushing against each other.

Neither of us moved away.

I noticed.

He probably did too.

But neither of us said anything.

At the gate I stopped.

"I'll send you the revised outline tonight," Kael said.

"Okay."

"And Elara?"

I looked at him.

"Yeah?"

He hesitated.

"Your idea was better."

I smiled despite myself.

"Don't get used to it."

He smiled back.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Then he walked away.

I watched him disappear into the crowd.

For years I had thought I knew exactly what Kael Reyes was to me.

My rival.

My competition.

The one person I wanted to beat more than anything.

But as I stood there watching the evening light fade from the sky I felt something unfamiliar settle quietly inside my chest.

Something I couldn't explain.

Something I didn't want to examine to closely.

Because maybe the most dangerous thing about having an enemy was discovering that you could start liking them.

And I wasn't ready for that.

Not even close.