A/N: A guilty hello from your neighborhood trash monster! Okay, so we're finally getting into the thick of the plot, so enjoy!

The next morning, the group took breakfast in the courtyard, still buzzing about the party. Brady regaled Nino with tales of the King's various mishaps. He laughed at some of the more outlandish stories, insisting they couldn't be true. However, all those familiar with the stories assured him they were true. Boz alternated between talking excitedly with Brittney and shooting not-so-surreptitious glares at Nino, who took no notice. The only people missing were Boomer and Rebecca, which wasn't so strange. They hadn't gotten much alone time since Brady arrived.

As of current, Boomer and Rebecca were curled up together in Rebecca's bed. She laid with her head on Boomer's chest, listening to the soft rumble of his snores. It was a soothing sound, and she needed all the soothing she could get. She'd slept fitfully that night, dreaming of violent battle scenes and blood red skies. She was sure they were just dreams, but they scared her all the same. Tonight had been particularly bad, because at one point she'd dreamt of the triplets, in traditional Kinkowian armor, with Brady leading an attack. She wanted desperately to tell Boomer, but she knew he would worry incessantly about her. On the other hand, he'd stroke back her hair, kiss her nose, and tell her not to worry, as dreams were only dreams. Thinking of Boomer's soft side made her feel better. At first, she'd been intrigued by his status and mystique. After all, when a boy fought tarantula people at your prom, you tended to get curious. Then they'd started talking. He was goofy, yes, but talked to her respectfully and with deep adoration. Soon after she'd taken her on the best/worst date of her life, ending with him saving her from a caveman, and she was a goner. All her life she'd been dreaming of a handsome prince to come whisk her away, when she'd had a king in front of her all her life. Boomer was mature, sweet, and romantic just for her, and she loved it. She was so thankful for him. When she and her father moved to the island, people were weary and cautious of them, but Boomer handle the whole transition with grace, reminding people she'd fought in the war to destroy the dark side, and that she was a hero. She loved that the most. He didn't treat her like a porcelain princess in a glass tower, but an equal. After the war, he consulted her for every royal decision he and Boz made. She hadn't been an official advisor before, but Boomer valued her opinion over the elder's.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Boomer was now awake.

"Hey, Awesome Dawson," his voice was raspy with sleep, making Rebecca smile.

"Hey, you're Majesty," she replied, dragging her fingers over his jaw. He smiled sleepily at her. Keeping the smile on her was a little harder, because all she could see now was dream-Boomer, leaping into battle.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked. Apparently, he was awake enough to pick up the little nuances of her expression. She forced the smile back on her face.

"Nothing, just a bad dream, "she answered. His face crinkled in worry, just like she knew it would. She smiled a little brighter at him, trying to assuage the worry.

"Want to talk about it?" He held her a little tighter, like he could protect her from everything in his arms. A lump rose up in Rebecca's throat, surprising her. She wasn't going to fall apart over a dream and ruin this nice morning. She shook her head, not trusting her voice. Boomer didn't look convinced, but he knew his girlfriend well; if she needed to talk about it, she would. If not, it probably wasn't a big deal. Rebecca was level-headed like that. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, getting out of bed.

"If we hurry, there might still be waffles left," he told her, tugging on her hand like a kid. That brought a real smile on her face. She loved this man, so much.

00000

Unfortunately, there weren't any waffles left, but Boomer managed to convince the head chef to whip up a few more. The boys all waggled their eyebrows at the pair when they came in, but it was laughed off. Mikayla noticed the odd look on Rebecca's face, like she was trying really hard to remain neutral. She joked around a bit with the boys, when asked why they were so late, but her voice was brittle. Of course, the boys were too dense to notice, though Brady and Boomer exchanged a meaningful look.

Breakfast was finally over, so the kings were whisked into a meeting. Nino, who had minored in history, with a specialization in famous monarchies, tagged along, to see the magic happen in person, leaving the girls to themselves. Mikayla had the morning off. Now that she was head guard, she got to make the patrol schedule. The girls decided to spend the morning at the beach. They grabbed their gear and set out, walking to shedder beach, to watch the surfers.

"Okay, girl, spill. What's wrong?" asked Brittney, bumping Rebecca's shoulder. They'd become fast friends, having both grown up in Chicago. Mikayla was a little jealous, because it had taken the better part of a year to become friends with Rebecca, though that might've stemmed from her own awkwardness.

"Nothing's wrong, per say, just a bad dream," she sighed. "I didn't sleep that well last night." Brittney winked at her and giggled.

"I bet!" That brought a grin to Rebecca's face.

"No! I meant because of the dream!" she laughed. Brittney had a bit of a crass sense of humor. Mikayla supposed that's what Brady liked about her. Something cold spread through her, a feeling Mikayla couldn't quite place. She liked Brittney well enough, she was cool and down to earth, but Mikayla felt… lacking next to her. Brittney was drop dead gorgeous, with her long blond hair and regal features. She knew everything there was to know about musical composition, which was a favorite topic of conversation for her and Brady. She had a good sense of humor, meaning the boys took to her like kittens to milk. Mikayla knew her own sense of humor wasn't as good, considering she laughed at jokes her father made. No wonder Brady had chosen this girl, instead of her. Wait, what? What did she care, Brady was free to be with anyone he pleased. She'd made her choice concerning the young king. And besides, it was staring to look like the blonde beauty had a thing for King Boz anyways.

"You're awful quiet this morning," Brittney's voice jarred Mikayla out of her thoughts. She blushed red, feeling guilty for her thoughts. Somehow, they'd made it to the beach without her even noticing.

"Just thinking about the patrol today, and what machete I should bring," she covered smoothly. If anything, she was a good liar, though that might not be such a good thing.

"You're not, like, worried or anything, right?" Rebecca asked anxiously. Mikayla gave her an odd look.

"Rebecca, you know there's nothing to be worried about right? You helped get rid of the threat," she told her gently. Ah. So this was what the bad dream had been about. Tarantula people were always well attuned to the spirits of the dark side, so Rebecca must've been channeling that.

"What threat?" Britt asked. Mikayla and Rebecca exchanged worried glances.

"Well, I don't know how much Brady's told you—"Mikayla started.

"He's told me a lot! There were some ridiculous stories, but nothing sounded threat worthy," Britt interrupted.

"Well, many centuries ago, there were twin kings that ruled peacefully together. One day, one of the twin felt he was being treated unfairly, and wanted full control of the island. They got into a fight, more like an epic battle, before one twin took control of the main kingdom, and the other was shunned to the jungles. In his anger, he channeled the energy of many evil spirits, creating the dark side, a place for terrifying creatures and a tribe of warriors called the tarantula people, who worshipped the fallen king. It stayed that way until the king died. After that, a warrior named Kaita took over the tarantula people. He showed them the power of the bat, and the tribe worshipped him after. He rose every few generations, to try and take over the kingdom. Most of the kings slayed him, but he found a medallion that gave him an insane amount of power. About 22 years ago, right when the kings were born, Kaita rose again to overthrow the kingdom. He got really close, but the king's parents, King Richard and Queen Taylor, sacrificed their lives to save the kingdom. He rose once more a few years ago, but Boomer and Boz managed to defeat him once and for all," The girls had settled into a secluded spot on the beach, perfect for storytelling. Brittney stared at Mikayla with wide, child-like eyes, hanging on to her every word. Once Mikayla finished the story, Rebecca felt something cold spread through her veins, and her face must've changed, because Britt gave a nervous little laugh.

"That's not all the way true is it? Because dark spirits don't really exist, right?" a nervous smile stayed plastered to her face. Mikayla answered with a reassuring smile of her own.

"It's true, but Kaita and the dark side don't exist anymore. Our boys are heroes," she explained. Brittney relaxed, exhaling a long breath.

"Just when I think this island can't get any weirder," she sighed, but there was a fondness in her tone.

"Let's talk about something else!" interjected Rebecca suddenly. Mikayla frowned.

"Alright. Like what?" she asked, drawing her knees up to rest her chin.

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe you're big crazy crush on Brady!" Rebecca replied, smirking as the guard girl flailed wildly, startled.

"What?! Crazy crus—oh god no! I would never—I mean that's insa—You're being, I don't have a crush!" she sputtered wildly, hoping the natural tan of her skin wouldn't expose the heat rising in her cheeks. Brittney laughed at the absurd reaction.

"If anyone has a crush on Brady, it's Brittney," sniffed Mikayla indignantly. This was precisely why she didn't have many female friends, because they made ridiculous accusations.

"Mikayla!" Rebecca hissed, shocked. Guilt burned through the girl, but it wasn't fair. How come the girl who actually had feelings for Brady was safe, but she wasn't? Brittney shrugged.

"No, it's okay. Brady and I had a thing, I guess, but I always knew he had a soft spot for someone else. That's why I was mean at first. But now, I'm over it. I mean, don't get me wrong, Brady still one of my closest friends, but nothing hurts when I look at him, like it used to," she explained. It wasn't fair at all, that Brittney could be so open and mature about her feelings but Mikayla waffled around like a clueless preteen.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up. I just, you guys put me on the spot, and I don't really do so well in social situations in front of my peers," Mikayla mumbled. Britt rubbed the island girl's arm gently.

"That's okay. Feeling are confusing. And maybe you're not in love with Brady, but even you can't deny something's changed," the blonde told her.

"Okay so in hindsight, that wasn't the best topic of conversation," Rebecca giggled. The girls burst into laughter, lapsing into friendly, and much safer, chatter about the party last night. All too soon, Mikayla had to go on her patrol, so the remaining girls trekked back to the castle, to see what the boys were up too.

Even after spending the morning in the warm glow of the sun and her friends, Rebecca still couldn't shake that horrible cold feeling.

00000

Somewhere across the island, a shadowy figure lurked in the caves by the rocky seaside cliffs of the old dark side. He gather herbs quickly in his arms, skittering away quickly, to escape the warm sun. He retreated into the nearest cave, reveling in the darkness.

"It is done, my lord. I have gathered the final ingredients," he whispered into the darkness. It answered back in a low rasp.

"Good. It's time. Begin the spell."

A/N: I would apologize for the cliffhanger, but you know… Anyways, tell me what you enjoyed, what you had critiques on, comments, concerns, etc. The next update will be at the end of the month!