29. TWENTY-EIGHT

TWENTY-EIGHT

D avina trudged into her green-colored home and closed the door quickly before Isaiah came up with another insufferable conversation. She was welcomed immediately by the intricately patterned flowers in every corner of the house she shared with Leilani.

Leilani had decided to take care of their new home's interior design. The lamps and small chandeliers were a gift from Valerie, the wall lined with weapons was a gift from Caleb and Beacon, and the furniture was given to them by Cara through one of her father's business contacts.

She felt a bit upset that she hadn't done much to renovate the house, but they all claimed that she had already done enough with her portion of her money to buy the homestead. She still had a bit left of those coins but those were hidden in case of an emergency.

Davina was glad that she had a quiet space for herself for the first time in her life, but she couldn't help but miss the irritating knocks from her siblings each morning. She missed the way they would ask her to execute justice whenever they had a silly little argument. Davina longed for those days when they would beg her to bake them pastries.

No, she couldn't think about the past anymore. It was her birthday, she had to enjoy the day.

Davina found the kitchen lights dimly lit, yet no one seemed to be occupying the area. It was empty save for the large purple cake set over the white and black polished table.

The cake had three layers of lavender-hued frosting. Boxes with different colored wrapping paper surrounded the cake.

As her footsteps resounded across the glossy floorboards, several figures popped into view.

"Surprise!" they yelled.

Davina flinched as she pulled out a dagger from one of her sleeves. She stopped when she realized that she was aiming for Caleb's chest. Caleb held a horrified look on his face as he realized he was her first target. She lowered her knife instantly.

"Davina!" Cara gasped.

"What the hell? I could've killed you all," Davina yelled.

They awkwardly stalked from behind the counter.

"We're sorry. We thought we might give you a good surprise for your birthday." Leilani laughed as she pushed past Caleb and reached for Davina, embracing her with her earthy scent.

Davina closed her eyes as she enjoyed the peace of being hugged by her best friend after the troubles they'd been through.

"Happy birthday," Leilani said.

Valerie walked toward them and hugged them both, making sure to squeeze tight. "We're so happy you've made it this far."

"Thank you, guys," Davina said.

Valerie and Leilani parted to allow the others to grant Davina a hug. Caleb approached her. "Please don't plunge a knife into my chest for getting this close to you."

Davina chuckled as she faked pulling out another dagger. He jumped back with his arms covering his chest.

"It's just a joke, Caleb, calm down." She laughed.

They came. They hadn't forgotten about her birthday. The Island Protectors had come in the middle of the night to surprise her. They had all come together to share her eighteenth birthday with her.

But a small part of her wished her mother was here to hug her.

Beacon came and engulfed her. "Happy birthday, kid."

As he pulled away, he ruffled her hair. She pushed his heavy arm off of her with a wide smile. Cara held onto her tightly almost immediately.

Snow approached her with a beautiful yet emotionless expression, lifting her hand as Davina watched her intently. A large and pointy snowflake in her hand.

"I am grateful for your life." It must've been the nicest thing Snow had ever said to her, but she still said it with her usual icy voice. "I hope, that one day, my snowflake will be of use to you as you fight our wars."

That was all she said before walking away. The sharp snowflake felt like it was more than just a birthday gift. It seemed like a token of gratitude. Gratitude for embracing her role as Captain.

She didn't believe herself worthy of others being grateful to her because of her duty. She saw it as an obligation to protect those of Bellatorm, an obligation she was able to share with her friends who stood around the kitchen, conversing with one another. Davina watched her white-haired friend walk into the hallway.

But that was when her eyes reached Ron with messy hair and his usual dark blue clothing.

He was here and he was staring at her. His eyes were still bloodshot. Probably from all the alcohol he had consumed earlier that night. Other than the fact that he was stupidly drunk, he was staring at her with such a horrible void. An oblivion of hatred.

For some reason, as he stood there in her kitchen, she was overwhelmed by a deep rage for him. He had chosen his contempt over his love for their country. He had chosen to desert the King's calling for him to be an Island Protector, so why was he here with them, celebrating her life? How dare he show up at her birthday party and ruin the walls she had so effortfully built?

"Who invited you ?" She hadn't meant to ask so harshly, nor for everyone to hear. Everyone turned to find Davina and Ron staring at one another.

He was here and he was drunk. And she was able to infer that he wasn't planning on playing nice despite his secret infatuation for her.

The room fell silent.

He clenched his jaw as he glanced at the others. Davina ignored their wide-eyed stares as she let Ron read the anger on her face. Beacon cleared his throat.

"Let's start with the traditional song so we can finally dive into the cake Leilani made for you," Valerie interceded.

Davina pictured the tapers above her cake igniting. Purple flames violently lit the candles that surrounded the three layers of the cake, as she continued staring at Ron.

"Thank you, Lani, for the cake. Although, I doubt it's any better than the ones I make," Davina said before giving her best friend one of her sweetest smiles.

"Shush your mouth and appreciate my gifts." Leilani squinted her eyes threateningly.

They began to sing and chant, except for Ron. Davina laughed as she watched the others clap and sing for her.

While she scanned her group of friends, she found Ron's gaze. She didn't know whether what she was seeing was true, but she saw him hesitate.

He gulped.

Davina blew out her candles while simultaneously watching him rush out of the kitchen from the corner of her eye.