A Place Called Home
1327 Words
Anastasia remained where she was for a few moments longer.
Her gaze lingered on Kaden.
The boy looked as though he'd checked out of reality halfway through their conversation and simply never bothered coming back.
Honestly...
She wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't asleep.
A faint breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying their scent around the clearing.
The frustration that had been clawing at her all afternoon had begun to settle… Not completely. Just enough for her to breathe.
Then voices drifted through the trees. It was distant at first… Then closer.
Footsteps followed… Lots of them. Students.
The sounds immediately pulled her attention away from Kaden.
Anastasia turned her head.
Through gaps in the trees, she caught glimpses of students moving across the academy grounds.
Groups crossed the pathways with books tucked beneath their arms.
Others hurried towards distant buildings. Some were already running.
The sight made her stomach drop.
The lunch break was ending… Classes were starting again.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh no."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
She immediately stepped forward.
Then paused.
A conflicted look crossed her face. For some reason, leaving felt... strange. Which was ridiculous. She'd known this boy for less than an hour.
And most of that time had been spent arguing with him.
A sigh escaped her.
Slowly, she turned back towards the massive rock… Towards Kaden… towards the human embodiment of boredom lying beside the rock.
Kaden hadn't moved… Not even slightly.
One arm remained tucked beneath his head. His breathing was slow and steady.
His eyes stayed closed.
Looking at him now, he seemed completely detached from the rest of the world.
As though classes, schedules, responsibilities, and people simply existed somewhere very far away from him.
For a brief second, Anastasia genuinely wondered if he'd fallen asleep.
Then she remembered who she was dealing with.
"Kaden."
The name left her mouth softer than she intended.
No response… Not even a twitch.
Anastasia folded her arms tightly across her chest.
A small spark of irritation immediately reignited.
"Class has started."
Still nothing… Not even the slightest reaction.
Anastasia narrowed her eyes.
She knew he wasn't asleep. At least... she was fairly certain he wasn't.
"You know," she said, placing a hand on her hip, "most people answer when someone talks to them."
Silence… Absolute silence.
The boy might as well have fused with the rock beside him.
Anastasia stared…
Kaden remained perfectly still.
The breeze moved through the clearing… Leaves rustled overhead… A bird chirped somewhere in the distance.
Even nature seemed more responsive than he was.
Her eyes twitched.
For a few seconds, she continued staring at him, half expecting some kind of reaction.
Anything… Nothing came.
Finally, she threw both hands into the air.
"Fine!"
She spun around dramatically.
"I'm leaving."
The declaration echoed through the clearing.
Kaden didn't even dignify it with a response.
Anastasia slowly turned her head and looked back over her shoulder one final time.
The boy hadn't moved… Not even a little.
Her disbelief somehow managed to evolve into annoyance all over again.
"You're weird."
The accusation hung in the air between them.
Kaden remained completely unmoved.
Anastasia huffed.
Then turned and marched away through the trees.
Branches shifted as she passed… The sounds of the academy gradually grew louder with every step.
As she followed the path back towards the academy buildings, Anastasia shook her head.
"What a weird boy," she muttered beneath her breath.
The words had barely left her mouth when movement in the distance caught her attention.
Students… Dozens of them.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh no."
Panic immediately replaced irritation.
Groups of students were already disappearing through classroom doors. Others were hurrying down pathways with purpose written all over their faces.
Class had definitely started.
Her pace doubled instantly. Then doubled again.
Within seconds, she was practically running.
The last thing she needed on her very first day was getting lost and arriving late to class.
The thought alone was enough to make her move faster.
Branches blurred past as she hurried through the trees.
A few moments later, she vanished from sight.
The clearing grew quiet once more… Only the wind remained.
And for several long moments… Nothing happened.
Then...
Kaden opened his eyes.
The lazy, half-asleep expression that had occupied his face moments ago was gone.
Silently, he stared towards the path Anastasia had taken… Towards the place where she'd disappeared.
His gaze lingered there… Unreadable. Perhaps thoughtful, distant or perhaps something else entirely.
There was the faintest trace of curiosity buried somewhere behind his eyes.
A strange thing.
Because Kaden rarely found people interesting.
Most people exhausted him long before they managed to intrigue him.
Yet somehow...
The loud, dramatic girl who had stormed into his quiet place, complained to the trees, argued with him for no reason, and called him weird had managed to leave an impression.
A small one.
But an impression nonetheless.
Eventually, his gaze drifted upwards… Towards the canopy of leaves above.
Sunlight filtered through the branches in scattered beams, painting fragments of gold across the rocks, the grass, and the forest floor.
The breeze shifted again… cool and gentle. Carrying with it the distant sounds of academy life.
Kaden listened without really listening.
Then slowly closed his eyes once more.
And for the first time that afternoon...
The clearing didn't feel quite as quiet as it had before.
…
Later that evening...
The moment the black carriage rolled through the gates of the Crimson Blood Pack courtyard, the weight of the entire day seemed to lift from Anastasia's shoulders.
The academy…
The whispers…
The stares…
The expectations…
Even the infuriatingly strange boy sleeping beside a rock.
All of it faded… Because she was home.
"Mom!"
Her voice rang through the entrance hall, bright and full of life.
Across the room, Anana looked up.
The moment her eyes landed on her daughter, her entire face softened.
A smile immediately bloomed across her features.
"My little moon."
Anastasia didn't slow down, she didn't stop or even pretend she was too old for this.
She sprinted forward.
Anana laughed… A warm, familiar sound.
Then she opened her arms.
Anastasia practically launched herself at her.
Anana caught her effortlessly, as though she'd done it a thousand times before… Which she had.
Not a single step backwards or a single wobble… Just strong, welcoming arms wrapping around her daughter.
"Hello to you too."
Anastasia immediately buried her face against her mother's shoulder.
The scent of home surrounded her.
Without realizing it, she melted into the embrace… All the frustration she'd been carrying seemed to loosen at once.
Anana held her close.
One hand moved into Anastasia's hair, smoothing it back gently.
The gesture was absentminded… Natural.
Then she pressed a kiss against Anastasia's forehead… Another against her cheek. And another because one was never enough.
"My little wolf."
Anastasia immediately brightened.
For all the intimidating legends surrounding the Kael family… For all the fear Lucien Kael's name inspired… And for all the expectations that seemed to follow their bloodline wherever they went...
None of it existed here… Not with her mother.
Because to Anastasia, Anana had never been a queen, a legend, or the last royal blood of the Blue Moon Pack.
She was simply Mom.
And somehow...
That meant more.
Anana eventually lowered her back onto the floor.
Even then, her hands remained resting on Anastasia's shoulders as she wasn't quite ready to let go yet.
A warm smile lingered on her face.
"So..."
Anana tilted her head slightly.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"How was your first day at school?"
Anastasia froze… like completely. The brightness on her face vanished.
Anana immediately noticed… Of course she did. She always noticed.
Then Anastasia drew in a very long dramatic breath.
The kind of breath someone took before recounting a disaster or surviving a war.
"...Anastasia."
Anastasia's shoulders slumped.
Then she finally released the breath in one long exhale.
"Well..."
- Writer
