Chapter 8: Kayla Lang 
	"Kayla Lang?" Krit choked. 
	"Yes. I think that if I am going to start my life over I should have a new name," I stated, "Plus Manticore knows I was called Kai. Plus Kai isn't an ordinary name." 
	"Fine," Krit agreed, "I'll call you Kayla." 
	"Thank you," I smirked. 
	"You'll be late for school," Krit said tossing me my bag. 
	I caught it and laughed, "Have fun with your admirer." 
	"Shut up and go!' Krit joked. 
	I left the house in a run to avoid any more flying objects Krit decided to throw my way. I closed my eyes and boosted my speed relying on my senses to take me where I needed to go. I had missed being able to display my abilities, I was one to show off in Manticore. I stopped about a block from the school and walked the rest of the way. 
	"What is up with you?" Eve asked as I shut my locker after last period. 
	"What do you mean?" I asked. 
	"Let's see. You're practically glowing and you've decided to be called Kayla Lang!" 
	"I've decided that I had to open new chapters in my life and I decided to have a new name to go along with it. Plus, I have a boyfriend." 
	"Who?" she asked much more intrigued. 
	"Kai-Kayla!" Kevin called, speak of the devil. 
	"Hey," I said as he gave me a peck on the cheek. 
	"Eve meet Kevin. Kevin this is Eve." 
	The two exchanged simple greetings. Kevin and I left together and walked to my place. 
	"Julian?" I called as we walked into the front hall. 
	"Kitchen!" she called. 
	We walked to the kitchen and found Julian and Krit sitting there. Krit gave meet a look that begged me for help. I smirked and mouthed 'that's not very polite'. Krit frowned and used his hands to make a few sharp signals, 'I don't care! Get me out of here!' 
	"Julian, this is my new boyfriend. Kevin Peterson meet Julian Angelic." 
	Julian began to give Kevin the third degree. I guess I had a mother figure and a big brother. God save me!! I walked over to Krit. 
	"Here's your chance." 
	"This is much more fun!" 
	"That's not nice," I hit him in the arm lightly. 
	Krit chuckled, "He seems harmless enough." 
	"Gee, thanks!" 
	"Just watching out for ya Mini Me." 
	"What!?!" 
	"We do share DNA," he commented. 
	"Whatever," I laughed. 
	I left Krit's side to go rescue my boyfriend. 
	Silver Hill's became more like home and a safe haven in the next months to come. I found myself in a normal and perfect life as Kayla Lang. I was popular and people knew who I was and liked me. Well, they liked Kayla. They didn't know whom Kai or X6-711 was. Kevin and I worked shifts every day after school together, we'd become pretty serious over the 3 and a half months since we started our relationship. Krit's even managed to fit in, he hangs out at the local bars and hustles people in pool and mostly any other challenge possible. I'd almost been able to put the past behind me, but like they say, the past always catches up to you and apparently it does. 
	"Kayla?" Eve asked. 
	"What?" I asked confused. 
	"I said here comes your fiance." 
	"Excuse me?" I asked a little annoyed. 
	"Kevin Peterson." 
	"He's not my fiance." 
	"You two are practically joined at the hip! If he doesn't propose in the next three months I'll be surprised." 
	"Whatever." 
	"Hey, baby," Kevin said as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and kissed my temple. 
	"Hey," I replied. 
	"I got news." 
	"Really?" 
	"My dad has gotten us money and passes to go to Seattle!" 
	"Us?" 
	"Well me, you, Eve, and one adult." 
	"Maybe Krit can go," I said, I didn't like to stray far from my big brother with these two. They tended to attract trouble. 
	"That'll be fun!" Eve said, she had a crush on my big brother. 
	"What's it for?" 
	"He called it a late birthday gift for me. I think he just wants to get rid of me for a few days." 
	"Seattle..." I murmured, my mind going back to my last visit there. 
	"You been there?" Kevin asked. 
	"Once." 
	"Then you deserve to go again." 
	"When are we going?" Eve asked excitedly. 
	"This weekend." 
	"This weekend? As in the day after tomorrow?" I inquired. 
	"Yeah. Something wrong?" 
	'Hell Yes!' I screamed in my mind 'it's the 4-month anniversary of me getting out! I would like to spend it with my brother from whom I was cloned.' If it wasn't for the fact my mind always seemed to recognize these milestones I would be able to get rid of Manticore! I forced a smile. 
	"It's fine. It's just so little time to prepare." 
	"You'll do fine," Eve said, "I know you and Kevin want to be alone." 
	Kevin nodded. 
	"But us gals need to go discuss clothes," Eve said and dragged me into the B and B. 
	I laughed as we ran up the stairs and into the room I shared with Krit. Krit jumped up from his push-ups quickly as we barged into the room. 
	"Sorry," I laughed. 
	Krit rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Hey Eve." 
	I saw the shadow of sadness flicker over his eyes. I always felt bad because she reminded me of Eve, my sister who remained in Manticore. But I knew that when Krit saw Eve and heard her name, he heard the name Eva. Eva was Krit's big sister in Manticore. She was killed during the escape in front of their eyes. Krit smiled sadly at Eve. 
	"Krit?" I inquired. 
	"Hmm?" he asked breaking out of his thoughts. 
	"How would you like to go to Seattle?" 
	"WHAT!" he said angrily. 
	I saw Eve jump back slightly scared of his tone. I knew it was a bad idea to ask Krit this right after he was thinking of his big sister. I wasn't Krit's favorite person right about then. I mean, first I make him think of his dead big sister and then his dead baby sister. 
	"Kevin invited me, you, and Eve to go to Seattle for the weekend." 
	"Sorry. It's just..." Krit stammered. 
	He looked over at Eve and then at me. 
	"Krit had a close friend who died. She lived in Seattle," I explained. 
	Eve nodded, "I'm sorry." 
	"It's okay," Krit said, "not the first person I know who died," he added so quietly I had to strain to hear it. 
	"We need an adult. I don't know if you count as an adult, but would you go?" 	"Yeah. I would like to check in on a few people." 
	"Syl?" I inquired. 
	"Nah. She's over in Arizona last I heard from her." 
	"Kayla?" Eve inquired. 
	"Clothes! Right," I muttered and smirked. 
	Krit laughed and pulled his black tank top on. 
	"I'll leave you ladies to your clothes. I have to go fix a leak." 
	"Don't fall off!" I called after him. 
	"Shut up!" he called before I heard the door close downstairs. 
	"He doesn't like me, does he?" Eve inquired as I opened my dresser. 
	"What do you mean? Like you as in boyfriend and girlfriend?" 
	"As in anyway. He always gives me this weird look." 
	"He knew someone who had a name like yours. He was really young when she left," I replied, it wasn't a complete lie. 
	"Krit's had a hard life. You need to excuse a lot of things he does," I added. 
	I finished packing my duffel bag. I only put in the necessities, I liked to pack light. 	"That's it?" Eve asked. 
	"Yeah," I replied confused. 
	"How can a girl survive on that little?" 
	"Eve, I lived on less than that for two weeks. You need to learn REAL survival skills." 
	"Whatever," she mumbled. 
	Eve didn't believe I went to military school or that I did as much travel and 'camping" as I said. She was a great friend, she just thought I exaggerated a little. It only added to protect my cover. 
	"You hungry?" I asked putting the bag on the floor next to my bed. 
	"Starved," she replied. 
	"Let's go raid the kitchen," I quipped and led the way downstairs. 
	We ran down the stairs and I caught sight of the vase that I knew hid the dog tags of Zero. Julian never moved them as far as I knew and I had seen her hide them in there. I shoved the thought into the back of my head as Kayla and Eve made their way into the kitchen, leaving Kai with her memories. 

	The next morning, I ran downstairs grabbing my backpack from the bottom of the stairs and ran into the kitchen. I heard a crash but barely registered, seeing how I was late for school. I grabbed pop-tarts from the cabinet and ran back towards the door when something stopped me in my tracks. I looked at the broken vase I had knocked down and picked up the broken silver chain and dog tags from the pieces. I slipped it into my pocket and ran out of the house toward school. 
	"Ms. Lang, you're late," Mr. Morgan said without turning around. 
	"I know," I mumbled and took a seat. I opened my sketchbook to a clean sheet and grabbed my pencil. I looked over at Kevin and smiled. 
	'Hey' he mouthed. 
	'Hey. What are we doing?' 
	'Freehand.' 
	'What?' I mouthed back. 
	'Whatever comes to mind.' 
	'Thanks.' 
	I slipped my hand into my pocket and retrieved the dog tags. I examined the broken chain. I unhooked the broken part and slipped it into my pocket. I hooked the remnants of the necklace onto my wrist as a bracelet. I looked at the blank paper before me and was hit by inspiration. I began to sketch a frame of a memory. I have a photographic memory. I drew a scene that was one of my few fond memories of Manticore. My hand moved my pencil as I pictured in my mind a photo frozen in my brain. I saw the faces of Zero, Bullet, Ralph, Eve and Fixit as Zero and I told them about or first mission on the outside. Their faces were glowing and they were truly excited. 
	It was one of the best things in the world, to see so many happy faces in the barracks. I looked down at my paper. I had drawn the scene to each perfect detail. From the curves of Ralph's dimples to the look of longing you can see in Bullet's eyes. I could tell I took the most precision with Zero's face, seeing how every curve and every line was perfect. I could almost see the bright blue of his eyes as he recapped the mission for our comrades, he had told them every detail. 
	"Kai!" Mr. Morgan's voice came from behind me. 
	"I didn't do it!" I responded immediately. 
	"This drawing is magnificent!" 
	"Really?" 
	"Yes! You can see this scene meant something to you. Your shading and your drawings are the best I've ever seen from you! You can almost see the emotion in the subject's eyes. What do you call it?" 
	I thought for a second and closed my eyes. Zero's words that day came back to me, 'being on the outside gave me a ray of hope in the darkness of Manticore.' 
	"A Ray of Hope in the Darkness." 
	"Perfect! May I hang it up?" 
	"Actually, I would like to keep it. It holds sentimental value." 
	"Okay," Mr. Morgan said, "I'll record you down for extra credit." 
	Then the bell rang. I gathered my things and waited by the door. Kevin put his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. We began to walk towards the science wing. 
	"My little artist," he murmured. 
	"Who you calling little? By the way, Krit's going to go with us." 
	"Great. I'll pick you two up in the truck at 7:00 in the morning tomorrow." 
	"I was thinking Krit and I could ride his Ninja up. Then, you and Eve could take the other car." 
	"But-" 
	"I want to ride on the back of Krit's Ninja," I said enforcing that he wasn't going to win this. 
	"Fine, Kay," he said and kissed me softly. 
	"I'll see you later," I whispered against his lips and walked into Chemistry. 
	That afternoon, I walked home from work with Kevin and Eve. We'd become really close, the three of us. There were almost no secrets between us. Except for that huge skeleton in my closet, but that should be obvious. Kevin put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. 
	"You sure you don't want to ride in the truck? Just the two of us?" 
	"I'm riding with Krit. That bike is like a part of me! If it wasn't Krit's I would swipe it." 
	"It's just a bike." 
	"It's more than a bike! It's like a gorgeous work of art! It's metal molded into perfection. It's engine hum is more beautiful than the ocean waves!" 
	"Kayla," Eve piped up, "When it comes down to it. The bike or Kevin?" 
	"The bike." 
	"Hey!" Kevin said. 
	"The bike don't talk back, babe," I quipped. 
	"You little," Kevin began. 
	I laughed and began to run away. The others took off after me but I was fairly confident that I was fatter and that I wasn't being too obvious about my abilities. I laughed as the Bed and Breakfast came into sight. I sat down the porch swing and smiled as Kevin sat down next to me laid his head on my shoulder. I patted his head softly and kissed his forehead. 
	"My poor out of shape baby," I murmured. 
	"Not funny," Kevin mumbled, "You didn't have to life heavy boxes all afternoon." 	"I offered," I protested. 
	"Whatever," he mumbled, "I'm gonna go. We'll meet here at 6:45 tomorrow morning." 	
	"Noted," I said, "Krit will be up and we'll be ready to hit the road." 
	"Love ya," he said and kissed my cheek and walked away with Eve close behind. 	"Right..."I mumbled and my eyes fell onto the silver bracelet that decorated my wrist, once again I could not help but wonder if I should be getting myself into a situation with Kevin 
	The next morning, I walked outside with Krit close behind. Krit wheeled his Ninja 650 into the road and checked it for any scratches or marks. He obsesses about the bike, more so since I turned 16. My 15th yearly checkup in Manticore had been done in February, so that's when I claimed myself to be 15. I guess it was cheating, but my birthday will be June 8th, so I said I was 16. Simple enough. Krit had taught me the basic gears of the bike, besides he knew that I would handle the bike better then a guy twice my size and age. 
	"I hear them coming," I murmured as I hear the distant sound of an engine. 
	Sure enough, within the next 5 minutes Kevin pulled up in the 2001 model truck with Eve in the passenger seat, she was half-asleep. He got out and gave me a kiss. 	"Morning," He whispered. 
	"Morning, ready to blaze?" 
	"You sure you don't want to ride with me?" 
	"Yes. Besides, I don't think Eve can hang onto Krit on the back of a motorcycle in her state." 
	"Please," he whispered his lips a breath away from my ear. 
	"Kevin," I said sternly to get my point across. 
	"Fine. We can probably ride straight through to Seattle, it's only two hours." 	"Sounds good," Krit said appearing next to us. 
	I almost laughed aloud at the look in his eyes, a mixture of concern for my well being and amusement at the scene before him. I allowed him to lead me to the Ninja. Kevin gave me one last look before getting into the truck. I climbed onto the bike and Krit slid on behind me, he was actually gonna let me drive! We left Silver Hills behind as we headed for Seattle, Washington.