Forever of the Wood

"Kia, I can't afford law school and an apartment, even with the grants and scholarships. I'm going to have to move too."

Tears welled up in her eyes as the weight of his words settled on her. "But..."

"I don't want to go." He reached out and touched her cheek. "It's bad enough that I'm moving, but when I think about not seeing you..."

Kia couldn't deal with that thought, and buried it as quickly as she could. "Let's go for a walk."

"Kia..."

She put her fingers to his lips. "Not right now. Let's just go for a walk."

"Okay," he said, forcing a smile.

Once out of the car, Kia walked to his side and took his hand. She tugged him toward the woods surrounding the house, and he pointed out a trail. She did her best to forget the conversation in the car, and concentrated on being close to him, holding his hand.

The moment that she set foot on the trail, a feeling of deja vu swept over Kia. A few steps later, she realized that the feeling wasn't really that she'd been here before, but rather that it had the same magical feeling as the woods next to her house.

She found it a bit strange, because old growth pine dominated the woods, leaving the ground mostly a carpet of pine needles spotted with newly sprouted trees and islands of other vegetation. It was just as beautiful in its own way, but certainly far different than her grandmother's wood, which was mostly hardwoods and filled with thick undergrowth.

"I want to show you something," Steve said, his smile looking far more genuine this time.

"Okay," Kia responded, glad that he wasn't talking about the move any longer.

Steve had a bit of a spring in his step as he walked, his eyes either intent upon the trail ahead, or upon her. Kia saw something ahead through the leaves and pine boughs. "What's that?"

"That's what I want to show you — our clubhouse."

"Oh, wow," Kia exclaimed as Steve led her into the small clearing. The clubhouse was really two buildings, one on the ground, and another set in the branches of a tree. Rope swings and poles descended from a balcony on the upper level, and the whole thing had been painted to resemble a castle, though the paint was faded and peeling in many places.

Dried leaves crunched underfoot as he led her into the clearing. "I haven't been here for a while. What do you think?"

"It's amazing. Did you build it yourself?"

Steve laughed. "Dad did most of the work, but my brother and I helped. I was only about nine at the time. Come inside."

The door creaked on its hinges as he opened it. There was a large table and several chairs in the center of the room, all covered with dust, as well as four bed frames lacking mattresses. A door stood open, and Kia could see a toilet and sink in the small room.

"Dad let us camp out here in the summer once we were a little older. It took him a week to dig the water and sewer lines. We used to have a generator out here too."

"It's amazing," Kia remarked, and then noticed a crude wooden sign hanging on the back wall. No gurls allowed, it read. She pointed at it and asked, "So, am I in trouble?"

Steve laughed. "That was actually Dad's idea. I think that this place was as much his dream as ours — not that we didn't love it." He walked over to a ladder ascending through the roof and said, "Come on up."

Kia looked upward at the ladder, her expression a little dubious.

"Don't worry, it's safe. Mom refused to allow us anywhere near it until she relented that Dad had done a good job. That's when Dad had us put up the sign as a finishing touch, because she never stopped complaining that we were going to break our necks."

Steve climbed up, and after a moment of hesitation, Kia followed. When she emerged from the boxed-in ladder, she was in an empty space, and had to stoop a little because of the low ceiling. She shrugged her shoulders, hardly impressed, and not knowing what to say.

Steve held up a finger to indicate that she should wait, and then walked over to one of the walls.

One after another, Steve pushed up wooden panels that propped up on notched braces, opening all four sides of the tree fort, and giving a marvelous view of the surrounding woods. A pair of panels in the roof also opened, providing a skylight.

"All the other boys must have been jealous of you," Kia said as she leaned out one of the windows.

"Probably, but they all got to use it to." He opened the door and said, "There are some benches built into the parapet."

"Parapet?" she said with a laugh.

Steve laughed with her and took her hand to guide her outside. "We called it a porch at first, but Dad corrected us. He said that castles didn't have porches."

The benches were sturdy, but designed for young boy's behinds, so Kia had to sit quite close to Steve.

She didn't mind that in the slightest.

"I'm going to miss this place." He let out a great, sad sigh.

"Shh," she admonished, not wanting to think about it. Her eyes met with his, and she felt her emotions surge. Her lips parted of their own volition, and she leaned toward him.

Kia felt as though she was hovering over the bench, her whole body as light as air. She was connected with Steve in a way far deeper than ever before, as their lips met in a passionate, incredible kiss.

They'd kissed before, but only quick, chaste, shy pecks. This was anything but. Steve cupped her cheek in one hand, while the other held hers tight. Kia's free hand moved to his back, and their tongues slipped out to caress each other.

When their lips finally parted, Kia gasped. Twin, powerful emotions swept through her — love and desire. She could see both dancing deep in his blue eyes as well.

The pair sat for long seconds, lost in each other's eyes, mindless of the world around them. A rapid tapping sound finally snapped them out of their trance.

Kia giggled and demurely turned away for a second, her cheeks red and flushed. She immediately looked back at him and smiled. "Wow."

"Wow," he echoed.

The tapping arose again. Kia's brow furrowed and she looked around, seeking the source of the sound. "What is that?"

Steve looked around as well, and then he pointed to a large pine tree. "Look — there. Woodpeckers."

"Oh, I bet they have babies in there." Kia dug into her purse for her phone. When she found it, she aimed the built-in camera and took a picture of the birds. She then turned and snapped a picture of Steve.

"Are you trying to break it?" he asked, raising his hand as if he was covering his face.

"You look handsome," she corrected him. Somewhere, deep inside her, a voice arose that added, And delicious.

Kia's cheeks burned again, and she turned to snap more pictures to hide her blush. This spot was more open than the part of the wood closer to the house. She could see open spaces, the blue sky above, and even a large pond a short distance away, surrounded by cattails. "It really is beautiful up here."

"Very."

Kia glanced back at him, and smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt when she saw that he was looking at her, not the scenery. She aimed the camera out into the woods again, the naughty voice in her head growing a bit louder from seeing him admiring her.

After she'd snapped a few more pictures, she heard Steve mutter, "Shoot."

"What is it?"

"I guess I should really get back and check on Dad. He refuses to listen to the doctor and pushes too hard. He was planning to work on the upstairs sink today."

Kia nodded her understanding, and then followed him down the ladder. Somehow, she missed the last rung, and lost her balance. She didn't even have time to cry out in surprise before Steve caught her.

"Are you okay?"

With his arms wrapped around her and his body so close to hers, Kia answered, "Wonderful."

Their lips met again, the kiss just as perfect and amazing as the one that they'd shared above. Afterward, the couple walked hand in hand back to her car.

Kia had tried to tune out her father and grandfather talking about the new highway, and didn't care one way or another — until now. There was no way that she was going to let them destroy this place after the way she'd connected with Steve here.

♠~~~~~∞~~~~~♠

Kia sat down on the couch next to her mother, with shame evident in her face.

Brina smiled and asked, "How was your date?"

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I didn't mean it."

Brina took Kia's hand and said, "It's okay, sweetie. I would tell you that you should apologize to your grandmother, not me, but Mom... Well, she's not so easy to upset. I think you did mean it, in a way."

"No, Mom. I..."

"Shh. It's hard enough growing up. Growing up different from everyone else and hiding a secret is even harder."

"But..."

"I forgive you. Your grandmother forgives you. No harm done." Brina leaned in a little closer and smiled. "So, how was your date?"

Kia shivered, prompting her mother to chuckle. Brina twitched her eyebrows and said, "That looks like a good sign."

"Mom," Kia protested, her cheeks burning, and rolled her eyes. "He kissed me. I mean really kissed me."

Brina squeezed her daughter's hand a little tighter, and her smile turned devilish. "You've got him in your trap."

Kia's face turned even redder, but then her smile faded. "It may not matter."

"What's wrong?"

"His dad is selling the house. He thinks that they're moving to Florida."

"Oh, honey." Brina wrapped her arm around her daughter and hugged her close.

"Dad and Grandpa are trying to stop them from putting in the highway, right?"

"They're trying," Brina answered, not wanting to get Kia's hopes up.

"I want to help."

"I'm sure they'll be glad to hear that. In fact, why don't we go down and talk to your grandfather about it right now." Brina stood up, still holding Kia's hand. "Then, maybe you can have that talk with your grandmother that you missed yesterday."

Kia now understood that her mother wasn't going to back down from this mysterious talk, no matter what. She decided that it was best to get it out of the way, and nodded as she stood up as well. "Okay."

♠~~~~~∞~~~~~♠

Daniel scratched his chin and leaned back against the trunk of a young tree. "You know, it couldn't hurt. If you could get enough of your friends to show up, that could bring in the media."

Kia said, "April's dad is on the city council, and Jenny's is a state representative."

Brina drummed her fingertips on her knees. "Hmm... There are a couple of wives that I might be able to convince to work on their husbands, too."

"It's worth a try," Daniel admitted. "We're running out of time, and options."

"I'll go call Jenny right now," Kia said as she stood up and tossed away a leaf that had stuck to her bare behind.

"Oh no," Brina corrected her daughter. "Don't you have something else to do first?"

"Oh yeah," Kia responded, remembering the talk that she was supposed to have with her grandmother.

Brina picked up her clothes and stood up. "Come on, Dad. I think that you might want to come visit with me for a while."

Daniel chuckled, and then groaned as he stood. His mate helped him dress, while Brina did the same.

"You okay, Dad?"

He stopped rubbing his arm. "Just aches."

"Maybe you should go to the doctor."

"I'm old — everything aches. I'm twice as accurate as the weatherman, just by waking up in the morning and seeing what aches, swells, or stings."

Brina handed him his cane, and then took his other hand. "I left blueberry muffins cooling when we came down here."

"If you'd told me that before, we'd already be there." Daniel headed down the trail, tugging on his daughter's hand. "Come on now, keep up."

Brina laughed as she picked up the pace.

Xantina held out her hand to her granddaughter. "Come sit with me. I want to teach you some very nice things."

♠~~~~~∞~~~~~♠

Brina hung up the phone, wearing a smug smile. "Veronica didn't even know anything about it. Her husband is going to have to consider his vote carefully, if he doesn't want to eat boiled grass and sleep alone."

"I don't know if we have enough time," her father remarked, and then sighed.

Brina sat down at the table next to him. "Well, we're going to try."

"So, what brought Kia around? She didn't seem to care much about the highway."

"The boy she's seeing lives on the route. If it goes through, he's moving to Florida."

Daniel grunted and nodded his head. "That'll do it. Your mother likes him."

"I do too. Gary's not so sure about him, though."

"He'll come around. He's just not happy with the thought of his daughter growing up."

"I'm not completely comfortable with it either," Brina admitted.

"It's the nature of things."

"I know, but I don't have to like it any more than you did." Brina shook her finger at her father, wearing a mock stern look. She couldn't help but laugh a second later, though. "I wish I could just be happy for her and not worry, like Mom."

"There's more of your mother in you than you know. You'll do just fine, and you'll get Gary through it."

"If I don't have to help Kia get over him moving away," Brina said, her eyes focused out the window, toward the wood.

♠~~~~~∞~~~~~♠

Kia moaned and let her eyelids flutter open. Every inch of her felt warm and tingly, the lingering aftereffects of what her grandmother had shown her. Even though she'd already experimented with sex, she was a little overwhelmed by what she'd learned in the magical journey. Through her grandmother's magic, she'd shared bodies with women that had coupled with their lovers around the pool. She'd felt what they felt, and understood how they pleasured their men. She shivered, thinking about what it would be like to show Steve what she'd learned.

Xantina giggled and cupped her granddaughter's cheek in her hand. "Your man is very pretty. You will like doing the nice things with him — many times."

Kia sat up, thoughts of him moving away intruding upon her arousal, and the deeper emotions she felt. "If I don't lose him because of that stupid highway."

Xantina smiled, and kissed Kia on the forehead. "You know what to do."

"Can't you do anything — you know, with your magic?"

"It's not my place. This is my place."

Kia's eyes welled up with tears. "But, there are only a few days left, and Dad sounds like he's about to give up, and..."

"He will never give up. Neither will Xanbrina or your grandfather. They have magic, and so do you."

"What do you mean?"

"Xankia, the greatest magics are hope and love." She hugged her granddaughter, and then added, "And the nice things. Those are very magical."

Kia couldn't help but laugh through her tears — and blush — upon hearing that.

♠~~~~~∞~~~~~♠

Gary checked his tie, and then looked toward the group of young people gathering in front of the State House. "Well, there they are. Did she tell you what she's planning?"

Brina finished touching up her makeup and answered, "Not really. I know that she called her friends, and that they called their friends, and..." Brina gestured toward the group, "Here they are."

"I really hope we don't have to bail her out of jail in a little while." Brina playfully slapped her husband. "I thought you would know what she planned to do. She hasn't left you or Dad alone for the last two days."

"Not really. She asked questions, we answered them. She sort of surprised me with how quick she got up to speed."

"She picked up most of it by osmosis. You and Dad have been going on about it for a year, and almost constantly for the last month. Besides, it's in her blood. I could find my way around the State House and the local courthouse alone by the time I was ten. She's hardly a stranger to the whole thing, either."

"True, and she actually seemed to enjoy it, right up until she turned into a teenager on us."

Xanbrina pointed at a television van pulling up into the parking lot. A second was coming down the street, while a third had already parked and raised its link tower. "They're attracting attention, at least."

"Out of town stations. If nothing else, they aren't going to be able to sweep this vote under the rug." Gary yawned. "And we aren't the only ones up at this ridiculous hour."

"We had to be here before any of the Senators or the Governor crawled out of bed."

When he saw a reporter walking toward the gathered young people, and Kia stepping forward to meet him, Gary opened his car door. "The sharks are circling. Let's get over there in case Kia needs us."

Brina looked at her daughter facing the press with eager determination, and beamed with pride. Kia held Steve's hand, and she didn't look the slightest bit nervous.

As she joined her husband outside the car, Brina said, "Something tells me that she has everything she needs right there beside her."

"Let's hope it's enough."

♠~~~~~∞~~~~~♠

The next couple of hours were a whirlwind for Kia. If she wasn't talking directly to the press, she was standing nearby, doing everything in her power to shame the legislators entering the State House in front of the cameras.

All the while, Steve was right by her side, and a growing crowd of young protestors gathered behind her. Even Kia was surprised by how many people had showed up, and they just kept coming. The arrival of the police made her nervous, but thankfully calmed a few people that were growing too enthusiastic. Despite what Brina had said to her husband earlier, Kia took comfort in her parents standing nearby, talking to reporters as well.

Word bubbled through the crowd that the press had already descended on the Governor, and that he was on his way. Kia didn't even need to see Governor's car to know that he'd arrived. The press moved as one toward the car, swarming upon him and asking questions before he could even open the door.

Kia heard several questions related to the protest, and how she was requesting that the Senate hear them before the vote. The Governor ascended the steps, his handlers busy fending off questions until he could reach the top. He wore a resigned look as he turned to face the press of reporters.

Someone behind Kia started chanting, "Let us speak!"

The cry spread through the crowd like wildfire as the Governor answered questions from the press.

One of the Governor's handlers approached after a minute or so and said, "The Governor has agreed to hear from representatives. No more than four of you, for safety and security reasons."

Kia quickly turned to her father.

"We'll come with you, but this is your show, Honey."

She turned to Steve, and he nodded his head before she could even ask the question.

"Here," a young blonde said while holding out some large pictures on posterboard to Kia.

"I've got them," Gary said, intercepting the pictures as his daughter reached for them.

"The four of you, then?" The Governor's handler inquired.

Kia took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Come with me."

Kia blushed as the crowd whooped and applauded. The press made way, still shouting questions, and the Governor made his escape into the State House. Kia hadn't really expected to get in — though she'd hoped for it — and her stomach tied into knots as she ascended the steps.

♠~~~~~∞~~~~~♠

Kia offered a silent prayer that her breakfast would stay where it belonged. A glance at Steve and her parents standing with her gave her strength enough to speak.

"I'm here on behalf of a lot of people like me to make sure that you know what you're really doing when you cast your vote today."

She flipped to her next card, much of which was written in her father's hand — though he had no idea that he was writing talking points for a speech at the time.

"The current route isn't the only one proposed for the highway. The other possibility goes across reclaimed strip mines for most of the route. No matter what anyone said, that proposal was rejected because it would connect with the existing roads at a place where certain people wouldn't make a profit."