Ezekiel paused slightly when he heard her request. He was worried it would be something unreasonable for a moment but she'd have to make sure she was safe in return.

"What promise do you wish me to make?" Ezekiel asked.

He knew not to say 'anything' due to the fact that it could put him in a foul spot. He waited patiently as his concentration heightened.

He could hear the people in the streets murmuring among themselves about the events yesterday. The air seemed to hang with an anxious tone like the dew on the morning grass. His heart beat at a fast pace as he tried to ignore the fact that he, heir to Singston Corp, was being banished.

Verona hesitated for a moment. It's fine, she could easily say this, right?
"Promise.." she said again, he voice trailing off.
"Promise me that-" Come on.. "That you won't find someone else..."

There, it was out, she said it. It seemed like a simple enough task not to run after another girl.
I mean, for her, there were no other men that could even compete with Ezekiel. But women on the other hand, were a dime a dozen, they were everywhere.
And all it could take is for one pretty girl to flash by him, and then Verona could get left behind, waiting for letters that would never come..
I guess you could say that Verona was afraid of losing things that were important to her, the things that mattered, the things she valued above all else.

"I promise," Ezekiel began after she made the request. "That I will not find another girl."

It was easy for him to say since he knew she could easily get married off by her parents. He on the other hand would have rumors being spread about him all over the country. He'd be lucky if he could find a shed to sleep in.

He was studying her face now. Every feature that he could find so that he could remember it while he was gone. He felt like he barely knew her and yet felt as though he'd known her all his life. A terrible ache came upon him as he thought of this. He dreaded leaving but he had to.

Leaning up, Verona brought her lips to his, just like before; curse her shortness.

But all of that didn't matter now. She was in heaven as her lips moved against Ezekiel's.

The feeling was sensational. It wasn't that she hadn't kissed people before, of course she'd done that. It was the feeling that someone behind the kiss cared about her, and that they cared quite alot. That was the feeling she received from Ezekiel.

Pulling her body back, she smiled up slightly, and began to dig into her dress.

After a moment, she retrieved the end of a necklace, and pulled it from her neck. It was a simple silver necklace, that had one lone dog-tag on it.

"Here," she said softly. "I want you to keep this.."

Lifting the necklace up for Ezekiel to take, Verona felt somewhat proud of herself; the necklace was a gift from a friend who had it engraved, especially for her he'd said.

"These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume."

(You know I just had to use that.)

Ezekiel was a bit surprised again and he wrapped his arms around her waist. When she'd pulled away he took his arms back since she was taking something off.

He was a bit surprised and he took the necklace from her. Studied it for a moment and then put it on. It fit him well and he tucked it under his shirt.

"I'll keep it safe," he said with a slight smile. "We have to go now. My father should be starting the announcement... or rather one to two hour speech soon He takes a lot of breaks between words to drink water since he thinks it makes him look professional."

He picked up the bag he'd packed with ease though it looked painful due to the amount of bruising he had gotten on that side. He took her hand with his free hand and began to lead her towards the door.

"Wait," she said suddenly. Running back towards the bed, she grabbed up his jacket, and then dashed back to Ezekiel, there was no way she was leaving that here.

Taking his hand back into hers, she smiled and began to walk with him again.
"Sorry," she said as they began down the stairs. "I just wasn't sure if I'd ever come back here again.. So I couldn't leave this."

It was a good thing she actually thought of grabbing it before they left. Otherwise, she would had to come back into the home, by herself, and get the jacket, out of his room, wen she would be depressed enough that he was gone.
When they arrived downstairs, everything was quiet, and it appeared that everyone was gone. Everything was done now, there was no turning back.
He was leaving.

((I can just hear the soap opera music playing... jk))

Ezekiel smiled when she grabbed the jacket. Her hand in his was a comfort since he was essentially was going somewhere utterly alone.

As they went out the front door he was shocked by how deserted it seemed. He knew why his father had called the meeting, to give Ezekiel a proper escape route. He was nervous though, the weight of the bag a constant reminder that this wasn't a simple walk down the street for a breath of fresh air.

He knew this walk would seem like it would take forever despite the fact that he'd made it multiple times to get to Aldous' shop. It was approximately half a mile, which was almost nothing compared to how far out of town he'd have to walk.

"What do you think my father is saying about me?" he asked in a weak voice that surprised even himself.

"I don't know," Verona whispered as cool wind whipped at her face. "I would say something respectable, but I really don't think it's the truth.."

As they walked hand in hand down the road, Verona could feel a tension in the very air, that was thick, and very stifling, like death itself. And even despite the warmth of Ezekiel's hand over her own, she felt cold, but not from the temperature. Because of the situation, and the way things were now. Because they weren't walking hand in hand to the border of town, and not to something much lighter, like lunch, or the store.

"What do you think is going to happen to us Ezekiel," she asked, breaking the silence. "I mean, yes, we will write, but will I ever see you after this? I don't want to never be able to see you, I mean.. Will you just stay away forever..?"

"Knowing my mother and sister, they will both try desperately to get me back into the city," he said with confidence. "Give it anywhere from a month to a year and I should be back."

He had doubt in his heart though because of an obstacle he'd never considered before. His brother was next in line to be heir if he wasn't at home when his father passed away. He didn't want to think about that.

He felt tense and already missed the shelter of his own home. He kept glancing around so that it wouldn't be so hard to stay away for so long but he couldn't block it from his memory like he did so many other things.

"Verona," he said. "There have been other people I have been interested in but never liked. It's as if I'm leaving something behind. Just promise me you will try as hard as you can not to get married before I return. I promise you I will come back even if I die to do so."

"I will die before I marry against my will," she said bluntly. "But," she said looking down. "A year is a long time Ezekiel.. I don't want to wait forever.."
What was she doing!?
"I can't wait that long, I just can't... My parents, they won't wait that long either, they will marry me off to the first person who asks probably, and I don't want that. Because I know who'd I'd be marrying."

Stopping in the middle of the street, she could feel herself crying, "Mayhen Ezekiel, I'll end up with Mayhen! As soon as they put out word, he will be at my door, and you will be off somewhere."

Wiping her face, she felt horrible. Not even three days ago was she praising Mayhen mentally, and now, she was dragging his good name through the dirt.

"I don't love him Ezekiel," she yelled.

Ezekiel looked pained for a moment when he heard her blatancy of her response to marriage against her will. He caught himself before he protested that and let her continued.

Her words seemed reasonable enough but he felt there was a flaw. He knew now her views of her friend, Mayhen. He despised the man himself because of his blatancy with how rude he was.

When she yelled though he flinched slightly as though he'd done something bad. He looked confused for a moment and then fully understood what she said.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment of trying to think of what would be right to say. "I will try to come back sooner. If my sister needs to she could easily distract Mayhen."

Grabbing onto him suddenly, she cried just a bit more.
"You have to! You have to find some way to come back to me, I will runaway if I need to," she warned.

It was true, at this point, she would run now with Ezekiel, and not have a second thought about it, nor would she be guilty. But, she knew he probably would reject the idea completely, not a thought about it.
So she saw no point in asking him.

"I will," she said again into his chest.

After a moment, she pulled away, straightened her dress, and wiped her face free of any tears.
"We should probably get going now," she said. "You need to be there at the right time, and not a second after.."

Walking again, Verona could feel Ezekiel's eyes boring their way into her back, but she cared very little about that now.

Ezekiel was thoroughly surprised by how defiant she was in her choice for actions. A shiver ran down his back as he imagined the consequences of her running away. The blame would most likely be put on him and she may not have a single voice in the matter.

He followed her now, watching her every movement with a tinge of annoyance. It couldn't last long as they drew closer to Aldous' shop. He was outside of course and he handed him the bag before slipping back inside.

Ezekiel had not been very shocked but assumed that Verona could easily explain to Aldous the letters situation.

"Just to the border," he reminded. "Then you have to return and run fast."

Taking up Ezekiel's hand, she smiled a bit,"I'm not very athletic if you haven't noticed."

She would tell Aldous about the letters later, right now, all that was important was walking with Ezekiel.
"I mean, I'll try my best, but I don't know how far I could possibly get, especially in this dress."

Though she was wearing flats, this outfit was certainly not fit for physical activity, just like Verona wasn't.

It didn't seem like long at all before they arrived at the small border between their world, and the town next to it, which led to wherever.

Stopping, she looked down. This was the end she'd been dreading the whole time. The bittersweet goodbye that she didn't want to make.

Ezekiel was slightly calmed when his hand was taken and he listened attentively. He knew that she wouldn't be able to run as fast as he wished she could.

As they approached the border he started to feel nervous and when they stopped he could feel his heart pounding. He turned to look at Verona but couldn't bear it and looked away for a moment.

"I guess," he began. "This is it."

He wasn't sure what else he could say. He turned suddenly and wrapped his arms around her as if he would never let go. He could smell her from this angle and she smelled wonderful. Her hair was soft, like silk, and she seemed delicate.

Gripping onto Ezekiel tightly as well, Verona felt an overwhelming sadness passing over her body.

"You have to come back," she whispered while looking up to him. She soaked up every inch of his face as she could. "And, I'll be waiting until you come back."

Stepping onto her tiptoes, she kissed him. She knew that this could possibly be the last time she would ever kiss him, so she made this one count. It was probably the most passionate kiss she'd ever given anyone.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, helping her body to stay up to his.

This is the last time...

(I am so sorry about the shortness.)

((it's fine))

Ezekiel wrapped his arms around her waist so she'd have to work less to stay up at his height when she kissed him. When they separated he brushed a strand of hair away from her face, touching her cheek for a moment.

His eyes looked wistful as he looked into hers. He stepped away from her a moment later and crossed the line. He knew that if he spoke he wouldn't be able to prevent himself from crying. All he needed to say was already said and it wouldn't do any use to repeat it over and over again.

The road ahead seemed lonely and a bit dismal. There would be some country road he'd be on for a while so he'd see some things he'd never seen before. Then again there was the fact that electricity seemed to diminish the further you went away from nucleus of the city.

Turning around slowly, she stared at the stones beneath her feet. Verona's face was covered in tears as she began to ran, kicking her shoes off midway, and leaving her shawl behind as well.

Her breaths became jagged as she ran her fastest through the streets of the city, people staring at her, and whispering, wondering what could have pushed her into something as such.

Her headband eventually fell out as she found herself in the town square, where the masses listened to Winslow's lies.
He must have seen her pushing through the crowds, because he stopped mid-word, and everyone began watching her run away.

As she began to near Aldous's shop, her body was slammed into the brick wall of a nearby store.
Her head hit the bricks hard as she gasped for the air that was stolen from her. Verona sank down to the ground, staring up at Mayhen's pained face.
"What," she cried at him. "What do you want Mayhen!?"

He simply shook his head, "I saw you two.."

And that was all he needed to say to her. Verona knew what he'd seen, and she didn't care at this point what he saw.
"I thought you were better than him Verona."
"I care about him Mayhen! I enjoy his company!"
"Do you love him?"
"Why should you care Mayhen," she screamed back.
"Do you love him...?"

If she had told him what he didn't want to hear, just maybe he would stop, and let her live her life the way she pleased.

"Yes," she cried, her face hiding under her shaggy, and now un-kept hair.

The words didn't come as hard as she thought they would, but somehow, she felt it wasn't quite there yet. She hadn't spent enough time with him to love him, but it wouldn't be hard.

Nodding, Mayhen left quietly, leaving Verona to sob into the dirt and stones. At least no one was there to see her..

(POWER-POST!)

The road became narrow as it slowly turned from cobblestone to dirt. His shoes were become dirty quite fast and the bags he was carrying seemed to weigh a ton.

He was overwhelmed with a flood of emotions he couldn't understand. Thoughts strayed mostly to Verona and how she'd looked before he left and then to the fear of the new place. He'd never really been outside of the city in his entire life and this frightened him.

As the landscape changed with roads he began to see more fields and less houses. There were fewer trees also but he could see the foot hills not to far off on the east side of the road. To the west it was flat and the sea was just beyond the horizon.

His smugness was beginning to return to him as he saw a few people pass by him that looked quite different than he expected. They looked at him in awe as if they'd just seen a god and skirted around the edge of the street when he passed them.

His pride was still there though it was hurt more than he thought it would be. He looked back at the people who he'd passed and they were whispering among themselves already about his presence. He bowed his head in shame almost immediately knowing that he no longer belonged in a specific place.

"What cruelties did you install upon me, brother?" he asked himself, though he faltered when he realized he had said brother instead of father. "If it is my brother, than a sin he has committed against my father and my mother. Such perilous dangers lie ahead that I seem blind to what this true feeling is. This ache that resides in and relentlessly punishes my heart. If it be my duty then let me suffer."

Verona heard, and spotted Aldous running towards her, his hands fully equipped with bandages.
"Miss Verona," he said with much concern. He helped her up, and patted her head. "He'll come back.."
"No he won't," she snapped back. "He could never come back!"
"Verona!" Aldous's voice sounded harsh, but it got her attention, making her listen to him now rather than sulk. "He will come back."

Verona didn't want to not believe Aldous, but she knew her chances were slim.
She wanted with all her heart to find him, and hold onto him forever if she could..
She didn't matter if she could or not, she would do it anyway.

"Verona, let's get you to the shop then," Aldous told her. "It's cold."

Looking down, she saw Ezekiel's jacket. She picked it up, and put t on instantly. It might not have been warm now, but it would soon; at least she had one good memory, right?

The grievances were becoming more than Ezekiel could take and his walk began to slow. He felt completely unaware of where he was going and when he stumbled and fell into the ditch he was even more confused.

He felt nauseated for some reason and the lights were confusing him. He could hear someone coming up the road but he didn't feel like calling for help at all.

It was only a moment later when he heard an old woman's voice beside him. When he open his eyes he saw the woman, she was wearing a long dress and a shawl that was wrapped securely around her shoulders. Her thick white hair was tied back into a bun and her topaz eyes seemed to stare down at him in confusion.

After being helped up he was also helped onto what seemed to be a small wagon. He wasn't aware of where his bags had gone but he assumed that they were with him.

The ride was short and when they arrived at the small hut he was gathering himself a little better and was more aware of his surroundings again, though they seemed alien like to him.

"Now, now, boy," the old woman said, sounding hoarse with age. "You'll be fine. I'll just patch you up a bit and you'll be fine."

"But she's back there," he mumbled incoherently. "My father... banished... lost cause?"

She tisked slightly before helping him down and into the house where she laid him on a cot that barely large enough for his tall figure.

Verona walked with Aldous now her hair whipping her face, from the wild winds howling about. They seemed to disagree as well with Ezekiel's banishment also.

Walking through Aldous's doors, Verona collapsed on a nearby chair. "Verona," Aldous said. Looking up to him, she could feel the sorrow burrowing its way through her heart. It wouldn't stop. It was determined to rip apart her life, her very foundation would it put to ruin.
Aldous never finished what he'd wanted to say to her, maybe it was because he knew deep down just how much she was hurting.
"He will write to me," Verona stated in a blunt tone. "He will send the letters here, so you are to tell me as soon as you get one."

Aldous nodded, and began to rummage for things that she could not see. What he was looking for was behind the counter, and possibly important, but most likely not.

Verona stuffed her hands in the pockets of Ezekiel's jacket. Her right hand emerged with a paper..

I do not know how to tell you about this problem that I have. It's been in the family so long that it's hard to believe that no one really knows about it. The curse has been in my family for at least ten generations and only two have fallen out of it. If it were possible to know how it occurred, I would try my hardest, for you, to end it.

The curse makes it so I cannot feel certain emotions. If I become too excited or too happy I change. My animal is a large spotted cat that is a creamy white color while my father's is a bear, and my sister's a finch. We don't know how our animals match up to us but they do. I apologize though. If you want to forget me than you may but remember you will always be in my memory.

It didn't seem very current (obviously), and it appeared to be placed there before the lunch date.
But it was his elegant looking scroll across the paper, and it was a sign that this twisted dream was her reality.

There was something cool against his forehead and he wasn't sure what it was. All he really wanted to do was write to her now to let her know what had happened, though he wasn't quite sure himself.

"You took a nasty fall back there," the old woman said. "It seems you're pretty bruised up on this side but not so much the other."

Ezekiel winced slightly when she touched the bruise from being thrown by his father. He ached still and it was a painful reminder to why he was here. His eyes looked lifeless, as if his soul had been sucked out of his body.

"What's your name?" he managed to ask.

"My name?" the old woman said with a laugh. "You know my name but its been a long time since we met. My name is Helen. You are Ezekiel."

He looked perplexed when he heard her speak his name but then he just rested since he was exhausted. She wouldn't know why he was out here, she couldn't know. It had barely been announced and he assumed that the speech was about to be finished or had already finished.

The words of the letter seemed to stick to her like glue as she sat in the warm reserve of the store.
The speech must have neared its end as hoards of people strode by the door.
Alot of men and women were talking, and lots of young girls around Verona's age seemed to be a tad let down.

Verona jumped to her feet, and stepped out the door.
The sudden buzz of voices felt overwhelming as people pushed their way past her, not caring if they hit her or not.

"Excuse me," she called to a man around Ezekiel's age.
He smiled politely and made his way to her, "Yes?"
"What did he say," she question.
"Oh, you must be that Verona girl that everyone's been talking about, huh? Well, they explained to us that your boyfriend tried to kill not only Winslow, but his son, daughter, and wife. He's a nut I tell ya!"
"They..?" Verona blinked.
"Yeah, his son Eric."

Just dandy.

"I sent someone to hear that blasted speech your father made in town today," Helen said as she used some sort of foul smelling cream on one of his worse scars. "Poor boy should be back in a few hours. Poor Sebastian nearly died of devastation when he found he was cursed."

Ezekiel was nearly out of it at this point but when he heard curse he was extremely perplexed. He seemed to have recalled Veronica speaking of having a brother named Sebastian at one point. It was mostly likely thought to be a rumor due to the fact that he'd never shown his face before.

It was at this same moment that Sebastian had stepped aside from the group that was coming from the square. He was about the same height as Ezekiel was and had similar features due to how they were related. His hair was blond though, neatly combed, and cropped short.

He noticed Verona though he did not stop to speak to her. Instead he brushed past her gently and went into Aldous' shop. He hadn't seen his sister at the square and it was a disappointment.

"Aldous," he called after a moment. "Winslow wasn't looking to great in the square today. It seems that there was something wrong, well besides the alleged attempt at murder. I think he was lying."

There was a pause in his speech and Sebastian seemed to be trying to remember something. He shifted his weight to the other leg as he pondered what he needed for a moment.

"Oh yes and we'll need some of that stuff you make for the Singston family," he said. "I think we might have a guest."