THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[94.1] PENANCE

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"Kings Land became Kingsland. Subtle difference but it does make a difference."

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I HAD BEEN tricked that was for sure. Or I was merely dumb. Either way, he had won this little rigged game of his. 

Of course, he would find it in a blink of an eye with his cursed super speed. It hadn't been a fair bet after all, but I couldn't find it within myself to be angry or in the least, upset.

I chuckled momentarily at the term before nodding lowly.

The fact of the matter was that he had won and it was only right I do what I had promised. He smiled widely, his teeth grazing his bottom lip and my eyes shifted from him, looking down at the book, he had brought me.

'Brethren of the King's Land,' it wrote in perfect cursive.

The hardcover of the book didn't look half as bad, but the pages within were dusty and dirty. I read the cover cocking an eyebrow in surprise.

"Clever right?" Lucas grinned, "Kings Land became Kingsland. Subtle difference but it does make a difference."

I glanced at him as he was speaking before nodding in agreement. 

I could feel his eyes trail over my face as I pretended to read the first line of the book.

Well, I didn't intend to pretend but I found it hard to understand a single word with his eyes on me like that.

"I was thinking," he began, leaning against the ladder, "now that we're besties," he added to which I glanced over at him- we had only become 'besties' a second ago.

"I should pay my penance to you. So miss, Karu," he added, leaning in, "I'm at your disposal."

My eyebrows arched at this offer, trying to see if he was being serious but when nothing happened I chuckled to myself shaking my head.

I didn't know what he was playing at but I didn't see a need for penance. I wasn't a priest and though he had done me wrong I wasn't demanding anything back.

"If I may," he began, "I just don't think it's wise to refute such an offer so quickly. Think about it, you have a Gigan at your mercy,  and just so you know, it's a lot of power," he added with a cheeky smirk, "you can't throw that away, not when it's this good-looking," he added to which I couldn't help but chuckle along to.

I stared down into his hazel eyes, trying to think. He raised an eyebrow wiggling them around playfully as if prodding me to think harder about his offer.

I had to say, Lucas was smooth at this whole thing.

I wondered why a guy as great as him, slimmed down his only chances to Daya. It kind of saddened me knowing that deep inside his heart was already taken by Daya, even if he was trying so hard to push her away.

On the other hand, his offer had a lot of substance as well as benefits to me.

I mean, he was an original, one of the very firsts to be on Kingsland and so he probably knew a lot about it.

I could use that to my advantage. His head tilted eyes still drinking me in.

"Do we have an answer yet?" he asked, amusement in his eyes.

My eyes narrowed on him slyly, my hands raising to sign.

'Fine. Teach me everything you know about Kingsland."

He paused for a moment as if thinking it over, his eyes trailing back to meet my expecting gaze.

"Everything?" he echoed and I nodded bravely, my hands gripping the edge of the book tighter.

His eyes narrowed on me still looking as if he was debating it before shrugging.

"You drive a hard bargain Crazy Locks, but you're lucky you're my bestie," he huffed and I looked at him in surprise- surprised that he agreed to all of it, a wide smile now proudly on my features.

He pushed off the ladder standing at his full height, "excellent choice," he added, offering me a hand down.

I took it noting that it was firm and steady even though it completely engulfed mine in his rather large one, making my way down the ladder, jumping down over the last steps.

"You're going to need this, " he began handing me my bag as well as my notebook that I had taken and laid over it.

"New," he noted, glancing at the sparkly pink cover. It wasn't the same as the old one but still the same color. Gravis had that right down to a tee about my preferences.

"Why don't you write a list of questions so that I know exactly what to say," he offered as we walked beside each other.

He was taller than me which I was very aware of, but that only seemed to make me feel safer.

Lucas Bowne was built like a brick wall but with a heart as big as a kid's teddy bear, I figured. And funny too, and that right there ladies and gentlemen, toppled with looks that could grace any fashion magazine cover was his charm.

It was kind of alarming to me that I had concluded all this about him when in all honestly it had been barely two weeks since I first met him.

I nodded at his suggestion, clicking my pen, and opening on the first fresh page. This time I would not waste any paper, writing neatly on the first line.

I could feel him peeking over my shoulder and I stopped writing looking at his mischief-filled eyes to which he raised both hands as if he had just been caught by the police.

"Fine, no peeking," he replied to my expression.

I looked back down on my book printing the next question down with incredible craftsmanship.

If he was going to read this, he had to be able to well, you know – read this.

After writing down the questions and ignoring his plea's to take a peek even though we had already made the no-peeking rule we arrived at some tables that lined the middle section of a few rows in the library.

We were the only ones to be seen and Lucas took a seat on the far end, leaning back, legs on the table, folding his arms.

I glanced over at his relaxed look, chuckling to myself before taking a seat across the table, finally doting my last sentence, looking back up at him in satisfaction- before pushing my notebook towards him and placing the book I got from Section BR on the table.

I had to go and check it out by the Librarian and also return my previous books so there was no point in packing it.

He got the book, looking across from me with a smirk, "let's begin shall we?" he asked, opening my book to the first page. His gaze dipped into the pages, reading through, eyes suddenly darkening reading the line, his elbow on the table,

"Why was I brought to Kingsland?" he stated, his tone sounded stale and if anything, he did not seem happy about the question.