9 Belle

There was so much relief that coursed through me when I saw Kane alive. He was beaten up but fine. He had a scrape on his arm where he got shot. I was glad that it had just missed him. His eye was swollen and purple and he could barely see out of it. There was a cut on his cheek and cuts on his arms. There were also bruises from where he was tied down in the chair. His worst wound was his ribs. He told me that when he was trying to leave the city, they hit him with a bat in the ribs which knocked the air out of him. That's when they dragged him to their hideout. The doctor's weren't too happy with me for going out and they had to redo my stitches.

"Dang Belle. They got you good." Kane said as he looked at my wound. "You shouldn't have gone out there with that. You could've been hurt worse." I knew from the tone in his voice that he was being serious.

"We had to get you home Kane. They actually made me wait. I wanted to turn back with Niko and us go find you but they told me that I needed to wait." I heard him chuckle and I couldn't help the small smile that crept onto my face.

"Miláček." I turned and faced him with a look of confusion on my face. He on the other hand had a huge smile on his face.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"You'll find out eventually." he smiled. I shook my head and let the doctor finish putting my bandage on me. When they were done checking on Kane and I we left together. We decided to go on a walk before going home just to enjoy the nice breeze that was out today.

"Thank you Belle." he said as he grabbed my hand and stopped walking.

"You would have done the same for me." I replied. Once again I was in this position. He pulled me closer to him and kissed me gently. It was different then the kiss that I shared with Niko but equally as good. I pulled away knowing that what I was doing was wrong. "Kane,-"

"No. Please. Don't say anything. I just want to enjoy this moment with you. He leaned his forehead on mine and closed his eyes. "What are you doing to me?" he mumbled. I didn't know how to answer him. I didn't know what to say in general. What was up with them today?

"You should go see your dad. He was worried about you too. I'll be at the house." I said to Kane.

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. Can I come see you when I get in?" he finally opened his eyes and for a moment I couldn't breath.

"I don't think it's a good idea with Niko being there and all."

"I don't care. Niko won't either. She's had more toys over than I can count." For some reason that sentence hit me hard. It was a punch to the gut in fact.

"Kane please. I just need time okay." he sighed but he nodded in the end.

"Okay. It'll be our little secret." he planted a gentle kiss on my forehead and then walked away. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. What was I going to do? I knew for sure that Kane liked me but what about Niko? Did she like me or was it just because she was lost in her emotions? How did I make two completely different people kiss me all in the same day? I wasn't anyone special. I was just being me. I didn't think that I was flirting or anything. But if I was, I wasn't aware of it at all. I continued walking to the house thinking about what was going to happen. I had to set things straight with the two of them. I knew one thing though. No more kisses from either of them until I figured things out. I opened the door and saw Niko sitting there on the couch. She stood up quickly and walked over to me. She grabbed me and pulled me in once again, connecting our lips. I pushed away faster this time and looked at her. She looked hurt from my actions.

"Niko, what's gotten into you?" I asked her.

"I don't know. I was worried about you today. I should have made you stay here. I was distracted. We could have both been seriously hurt today. I don't know why I care about you but I do. I tried not to but that didn't work. You grew on me. I can���t fight this anymore. If you need time then I can give you time but when you're ready, I will be right here. If. If you have to sort out your feelings for Kane then so be it but I am here. I'm here for you Belle." She kissed me again but this one was more passionate than before.

"NIko, I-" she caught me off with another kiss.

"You don't need to say anything. Go ahead and freshen up or relax or whatever you want to do and I'll get dinner going." She gave me another kiss and walked into the kitchen. I was once again out of words and went straight into my room. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. What was I going to do? They were both bound to find out. What if they both ended up hating me for kissing them both? What if they got mad at each other and would stop being friends? What if they fought each other about it? I wouldn't be able to stop them if they did. I grabbed some clothes and went into the shower. It didn't stop my mind from racing. I finished my shower and put on more bandages. I walked out and went right back to my room. I didn't know if Kane was here or not but I couldn't go back out there. If I was alone with either of them I knew they would try to kiss me.

"Belle you good? Dinner's ready." I heard Niko say. I closed my eyes and let out a soft sigh, preparing myself for this.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'll be right out." I turned around and walked out of my room. Kane was sitting at the table along with Niko. Kane and Niko were talking and I stayed quiet. They didn't seem fazed by any of this but then again they didn't know that I had kissed both of them today. I finished my food and put my plate in the sink.

"Don't worry about washing your plate Belle. You look like you've had a tough day. You should go get some rest." Kane said.

"We just got you back from being tortured Kane. You should rest."

"I have a couple of scratches and some bruised ribs. I'm fine. They don't know a thing about torture." he laughed.

"Kane that's not funny." Niko replied.

"I know Niko. I mean come on though, you hit me harder when we spar. They weren't even consistent." he scoffed. "Belle just go relax, we can handle cleaning the kitchen." he said as he stood up and walked over to me. He put his hand on my lower back and began leading me back to my room. I turned around and looked at him. He gave me a small smile and winked at me before shutting my door. I had an uneasy feeling. It was certain that they would talk. Would they bring me up is the question. If they did they were bound to find out. I sat on my bed holding my knees to my chest. Nervous. Anxious. Terrified. I wouldn't be able to face them both. Not at the same time. There was a crash outside my door and I quickly ran to my door to see what was going on.

"Hey, sorry Belle. We didn't mean to alarm you. I just dropped a plate." Kane said as he picked it back up. They both gave me small smiles as I slowly went back into my room. Maybe I didn't have anything to worry about. Maybe I was just making myself worry for no reason at all. I grabbed a book from my shelf and got settled back in my bed. My mind could use a good distraction.

There was a knock at my door and then it slowly opened. I set my book down and watched as Kane entered. He closed the door behind him and walked over to me. There was something on his mind. He sat down at the foot of my bed and sighed.

"You tried to tell me didn't you?" he asked as he looked at me. He looked back down at his hands.

"What are you talking about Kane?" I asked.

"When we kissed. You tried to tell me that you and Niko kissed." he looked back at me and I could see the pain in his eyes.

"Kane, I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt."

"You never meant for me to find out, is what it is."

"Kane please just let me explain. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Fine. explain."

"I really don't know what happened. I was really worried about you and Niko was too I guess. I'd never seen her be so vulnerable before and I comforted her and then she kissed me. I pulled away from her and all she said was sorry before she walked out the door. Then again when I came back from being with you at the infirmary."

"You two kissed twice?" his voice was laced with anger. So much anger that it was frightening.

"Kane I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted to get you back home. I wasn't thinking that she would kiss me. She hasn't shown any sort of interest in me since I've been here. She's tolerated me."

"Well obviously she likes you. She told me that you two kissed. She actually seemed happy about it."

"Did you tell her that we kissed?" I asked him.

"Of course not! I'm not stupid. Niko would destroy me over you. Even with me being hurt. I wouldn't stand a chance. I found out and that's when I dropped the plate. I was shocked. I didn't think that you."

"I didn't play you Kane. Please don't think that I played you." I said as I grabbed onto his hand.

"Never Miláček. I just don't know. Do you even like me Belle? It wasn't just because I kissed you and you felt obligated to kiss me back?"

"Kane I honestly don't know. I'm so confused right now. I didn't think that I would be kissed by you two today. There's also something else that she said. I guess she picked up that you had a thing for me and she said that she'll wait for me while I figure out whatever feelings I have for you. She made it clear that she would be waiting no matter how long it took."

"So we just go on that. She said she could wait. That's brilliant Belle. You should have said that earlier." he said and then he kissed me again.

"Kane stop. Stop it. I'm not sure what I want to do right now. This is all happening way too fast."

"But we have a pass." then he stopped talking. He let go of my hands and took a couple of steps back. "You don't feel the same way." he looked like I had just broken his heart.

"Kane please I just need some time to process everything. This is new to me. I was alone for five years and now two people like me and decided to kiss me all in the same day and quite frankly turned my world upside down. I don't want to hurt you Kane. I don't want to hurt Niko either but either way someone is going to get hurt. Please Kane I just need you to give me time." I walked over to him and grabbed his hands. I knew he was hurt by what I had just said and I knew nothing would change that. He pulled me into his arms and put his chin on top of my head. We stood there for a couple of minutes until he finally pulled away.

"Just don't let her kiss you anymore please." he looked me in the eyes and for once I saw all of his emotions as clear as day. "I'll give you time to figure things out, but I think we should tell Niko together. I don't want her freaking out and hurting you."

"Kane, she won't hurt me. It might be best if it��s just me telling her. You don't need to get hurt anymore than you already are. We just got you back and I'd hate to see what Niko would do to you if she found out and you were with me. Just please. I need time and whatever I decide, I should be the one to tell her. I think it's the best option we have Kane."

"Why are you so concerned about hurting her?" I knew what he wanted to hear. He wanted me to tell him because no one deserves to be hurt that way. Because she's my friend. Anything else besides what I said.

"I don't know what feelings I have for her." I looked down at my feet feeling ashamed for some reason.

"So, you're telling me that you don't know who you want to be with. She has just as much of a chance with you as I do." He was once again angry. He walked away from me again and started pacing.

"Kane I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. I've told you this. Please stop walking away from me. You're making me feel guilty. I can't control my feelings." He stopped walking but didn't face me. He swiftly walked over to me and grabbed my face. He connected our lips and I let myself be drifted away with his. I felt tingles move throughout my body as he took control of the kiss. He began walking and before I knew it my back was against the wall. My arms tangled themselves around his neck as our lips moved in sync with one another. I pulled away first, needing air. He leaned his forehead against mine as he held his eyes closed. He still had one of his arms laced around my waist and the other cupping my face.

"You're mine. There's nothing else I need to say besides that. You're mine. You won't be one of the girls that I let Niko humiliate while she thinks she's into you. I'm putting my foot down with this. I will not lose you to her. Yes she is my friend but you can and will mean more to me. I've never stood up to her when we both liked the same girl but that changes now. You're mine." He gave me another kiss before he walked out of my room. He closed the door behind him as well, leaving me to my thoughts. I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face. My lips once again tingled and I couldn't stop myself from touching them just like last time. He made himself perfectly clear and I couldn't deny that my mind was made up. The tingles that I got from Kane would always surpass anything from Niko. They were completely different kissers for one but Niko's were more of lust filled kisses. With Kane, he had all of his emotions out in the open and wasn't afraid to put it in his kisses. I knew that Niko would never be able to do that. I turned off the light in my room and went to sleep with a smile on my face.

I woke up the next morning feeling great for once. I was immediately reminded of my kiss with Kane and my fingers graced my lips once again. I gathered some clothes for a shower and headed to the bathroom. It didn't seem like anyone was awake yet so I took this opportunity to figure out what I was going to say to Niko. I spent my time cleaning up and muttering to myself exactly how I was going to tell her that I would be taking a chance with Kane. That I am with Kane. I got dressed in some black athletic shorts and a blue t-shirt. I also let my wet hair fall down my back so it could air dry. I took my dirty clothes back to my room and when I turned around Niko was standing in my doorway.

"Hey you. You wanna join me in the kitchen while I make breakfast?" She asked me. She had a smile on her face as she turned around and walked into the kitchen. This could be the moment I tell her. Kane is more likely still asleep so I wouldn't have to worry about him interfering.

"I was actually wanting to talk to you." She was getting the plans and ingredients out for breakfast so I was less nervous about telling her. I knew it was going to be easier without her looking at me, but of course I spoke too soon. She looked at me and smiled.

"I know where this is going." She walked over to me and connected our lips. I panicked and quickly pushed her away.

"Niko stop." But she kissed me again. "Niko stop. Get off of me." She wouldn't listen to me though. She forced my lips to hers again.

"Get off of her!" Kane yelled. I heard his feet stomping before I felt Niko yanked away from me and as I fell to the floor as well.

"What the hell Kane? I told you we had already kissed. What's your problem?" Niko shouted as she sat up. Kane turned to me and helped me stand up running his eyes down my body from head to toe to make sure I was okay. "Hey, what the hell is your problem dude?" She yelled. He clenched his jaw then looked back at her.

"She's with me now. We talked about it last night. So much for waiting for her to decide her feelings." He spat. They were both glaring at each other and I knew there was going to be trouble when Niko stood up, never breaking her glare.

"So what? I tell you we kissed and you move in on her. What kind of friend are you?"

"Stop it. Both of you stop it. Niko you know what you said. I have feelings for Kane and that's that. We did talk about it last night and that's what I was trying to tell you when you decided to kiss me. I chose Kane. I'm sorry but I did. Can you two please stop acting so childish now? Niko please just understand." She looked away from me and nodded.

"I understand Arabella. I wish you two the best." She then turned around and began making breakfast. Kane led me to his room and made sure that I wasn't actually hurt.

"I'm sorry. I know you wanted to tell her alone but I heard you tell her to get off of you and before I could control myself I rushed to get her away from you. I'll have to talk to her later and fill her in if she'll even talk to me. Are you okay though? I didn't hurt you did I?" I thought it was cute that he was so worried and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"No. I'm fine Kane. I'm not hurt." I gave him a peck on the cheek and smiled at him. "I'm going to go on a run okay." I walked out of his room and into mine to put my shoes on.

"I'll come with you." Kane said as he walked in my room.

"You should probably talk to Niko. I won't be long. Don't worry." I walked past him and exited the house. I began my run around the place. I ran around the perimeter a couple of times when I decided that I was good and time to head back to the house.

"Belle." I turned around and faced her. Astrid didn't look so good. Her skin was more pale than before and it looked like she had barely eaten.

"Astrid are you okay?" I asked her. She nodded her head and stood there awkwardly.

"I just wanted to ask you to treat Niko right. I know that she doesn't like me but I still care about her and I know she likes you. I just want her to be happy." she had tears running down her face as she finally looked up at me.

"Astrid maybenow would be a good time for you to reconnect with her. I'm uh, Kane and I are actually together now and we just told her this morning. She could use your support. Actually why don't you come join us for breakfast? Niko's cooking." She gave me a smile and shook her head.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I can just talk to her some other time." she said as she rubbed her arm shyly. I walked over to her and slung my arm over her shoulder.

"It's fine. Come on. Plus you look like you could use it." She walked along with me and followed me into the house. Niko and Kane were in the middle of talking when they saw me come in and then their eyes trailed over to Astrid. Both their faces fell and then they looked back at me.

"Why is she with you?" Niko asked me.

"I invited her to join us. Which she will be doing so play nice. Come on Astrid. It smells good doesn't it." I grabbed onto Astrid's hand and pulled her to the kitchen with me. I gave her a plate and then grabbed one for myself. We piled food onto our plates and sat down at the table. Kane and Niko were still looking at us in wonder.

"You two gonna eat or what?" I asked them and then they began moving once again. They both sat down and began eating in silence. It was stupid that they were being childish still. They needed to grow up and put the past behind them. They didn't seem like they were mad at eachother anymore which was good.

"So I'm assuming that you too talked?" I asked. They both looked at me and then nodded. They went back to eating and stayed silent. "How'd it go?" I asked.

"We can talk about this later Belle. This is a house thing. Astrid isn't a part of this house." Kane said.

"I don't care. I want to know how it went regardless of Astrid being here. And she will be around more since she's all alone and abandoned. She will hang out with us. End of story."

"Why are you being nice to her. She was against you training with us. She was against your runner trials and now you're inviting her in."

"She needs friends Niko. You can't just be cold to everyone. She gave her loyalty to you and you betrayed her. Don't you at least own her some of your time. Some of your gratitude. Stop being a jerk Niko." I spat at her.

"Belle stop. It's fine. Look, we talked, got right with each other about everything and settled it."

"She was against you Belle."

"Don't you think I don't understand that. I didn't like her because I was clouded by my feelings for you. You were so ruthless that I didn't know how to act after. I haven't been able to do anything and you would think that a friend would check in with one another regardless if they're mad at each other or not. But no. I bet you didn't even give me a second thought. You showed your true colors and you know what. If you were out there and there was no one to rescue you then I would do it. Without a second thought. I would go save you. Maybe then you would show me an ounce of respect that you demand from everyone else." Astrid said. She had tears running down her face as she looked Niko in her eyes. Part of Niko softened as she saw how much she had broken her best friend. Astrid shook her head and looked at me.

"Thank you for inviting me Arabella. Maybe we can hang out sometime. I need to go." She then stood up and walked out the door. I heard another chair scrape and watched as Niko followed Astrid out the door. That was something we hadn't seen in a while. I looked at Kane and gave him a smile. He grabbed my hand and gavit a gentle squeeze.

"You're something else you know that?" Kane said with a smile. I nodded and continued eating my food along with him. Once we were finished eating we both cleaned up the kitchen. We talked about our past life and what our families were like. It was bittersweet to say the least. We mostly got to know who each other was more and had a good time. We were happy and enjoying each other's company and that's all I have ever wanted. I found myself looking at him every now and then and I was filled with admiration. I knew I had made the right choice. He was caring and funny and I knew above all that he truly cared for me. We spent the rest of the day talking on the couch. Niko didn't come back until the sun had already set and she sheepishly walked over to us.

"So I was thinking that this week we go on your final run. After that you'll be made a runner if you pass. Marcell already gave me the list of the first ten people we'll be training. Be sure to train on your own. You won't be sparing considering your injury but you'll still need to be ready.You pass and you can see the list. For now only Kane and I can see it." She said.

"I understand. It'll be fine. I can wait until then because I know I'm passing that test. But enough about me. How was your talk with Astrid?" I asked. She gave me a small smile and shook her head.

"It was well needed. Thanks Belle and um, I'm sorry for how I acted this morning. I just assumed things and I'm sorry. I'm not going to switch up and act cold towards you either. You're with Kane now and I'll respect that." She said. She gave me a sincere smile and walked into her room. For once everything was seeming to fit perfectly. But part of me thought that this was the calm before the storm and I had a feeling that it was going to be a big storm.