-Isabella-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can feel Mykayla's labored climb up the tower stairs, I wonder if she knows that the Island's flow of magic is the reason those stairs are so hard for her. She hesitates before making her presence known, I wonder if she is considering pushing me off the tower but notice the guards below setting up a safety net. She is probably worried about startling me.
Ugh this is annoying she has already pulled me from my memories of the golden days the least she can do is get whatever she needs from me over with.
"You gonna stand there all-day guard girl?" I call out impatiently without removing my eyes from the view.
"Where'd you come up with that clever nickname?" Mykayla snaps finally stepping out onto the balcony.
"Brady mentioned someone used to call you that..." I respond sighing too tired to even press the advantage with another clever quip, "Why are you here Mykayla?"
"Some of the other guards said they saw you up here, I came to bring you back inside it isn't safe to sit there," Mykayla sounds awkward and almost apologetic. Maybe she is regretting disturbing me.
I sit staring at the ocean soaking in one last moment of calm before I take a breath and turn on the performance.
"AWWWE!" I squeal pushing lightheartedness into my voice and finally turning to look at Mykayla with a huge grin crossing my face, "I knew you liked me!" I jump from the railing to land inside Mykayla's personal space. She stumbles back a step clearly disoriented.
"So!" I press a step forward following too close to her, "What is the plan for today?! Some of that boring training you all were talking about?" I figure since I fell asleep before the plans were changed last night this would be a logical question in Mykayla's mind.
"No actually," Mykayla sounds a bit annoyed by me stepping away again, "The kings convinced my father that you all should get to have a beach day today and start training tomorrow instead."
"Oooo! What fun! I will never turn down a BEACH Day!" I squeal making myself sick of me and my energy at this point. I tilt my head, "You don't sound so happy about this My-Kay-la? Don't you like the beach?"
-Mykayla ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My head flies up to meet her vaguely familiar vivid green eyes at her question. She has been so vapid since they arrived her catching my annoyance surprises me. Her head is tilted still the picture of innocent naivete even with her cutting question.
"I think taking a day off is a waste of time," I huff, "The three idiot kings of legend still treat this place as a playground and care more about goofing off than protecting the place."
For just a moment Bella's smile wavers and I think she might have a real reaction to what I just said.
"But you will look so pretty in a bikini My-Kay-La. BEACH DAY!" Bella proves once again that she is an airhead. Maybe she'll turn out to be an airhead that can fight? Who am I kidding.
"Ugh of course you would be shallow like Brady." I huff annoyed that this just proves how perfect the two of them would be together.
"I know you like him," Even with the teasing sing song in Bella's voice she suddenly seems serious and older. "He still likes you too you know... He never stopped loving you..." Bella's voice trails off her attention back on the ocean her voice comes absentmindedly, "He just... understands appropriate now... he is embarrassed about how he used to treat you." Bella's gaze catches and holds on mine for a moment emerald, green eyes meeting my own dull brown for just a moment before she looks away again tilting her head at the stairs.
"You know sometimes when you give them room to have fun, they give you the ammunition to push them harder. If they can do it for fun, why can't they do it for responsibility?" Bella says so quiet it almost sounds like the whisper on the wind. Her body is still and her face serious just long enough to say it solemnly.
The next moment she is bouncing on her toes smile brightly in place as I hear the pounding of feet on the stairs.
"I am going to beat you there!" I hear Boz's voice echo up the stairwell and am unsurprised when he is the first to bust through the door, he is the most athletic of the three. Brady is right on his heels with Boomer just steps behind. The boys are laughing as they burst in.
I remember how labored my breath became climbing those same stairs and look at the boys in disgust as I see they are lightly panting from the exertion but honestly, it's less than I would expect to see if I asked them to WALK across the courtyard.
"What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you still be asleep? Did Daddy change his mind and wake you up for training?" I question surprised to see them so lively so early in the morning.
"MYKAYLA!" Boomer complains, "Of course Mason didn't change his mind we are up to go to the beach!"
"Besides what are YOU doing in OUR room MY-KAY-LA" Boz questions me.
I realize why the way Bella has been pronouncing my name this morning sounds familiar. Although when she does it, it doesn't feel as annoyed as when Boz says it. Even two years later he is still not over me looking like his ex-girlfriend. The realization feels weird like for a moment I could see her being related to them.
"BRADY! Mykayla says we're going to the BEACH today!" Bella questions before I can respond.
"Good morning, Hottie!" Boz immediately loses interest in me going to instead offer Bella a bunch of grapes with his toes, "Would you care for some toe fruit?"
"Hey Boz," Brady says dropping a heavy arm around Boz and inserting himself between them, "Any sister of mine is a sister of yours my BROTHER."
"huh," Boz honestly looks unconvinced.
"So why ARE you guys in out room?" Brady pulls the conversation back on topic and I think I catch Bella give him a quick glare.
"Bella here gave the guards a scare this morning by perching on the railing of your balcony. They sent me to check on her." I explain
"You were their choice for checking on someone?" Boomer sounds incredulous. I choose to ignore him.
"Bella what were you doing on the railing?" Brady sounds concerned and I feel annoyance flash in my chest again.
"The view is just so pretty..." Bella trails off before exclaiming, "So! BEACH TIME THEN BROTHER?!"