Kellan's POV.

Rainfall and the hot summer sun that came afterwards were the only good things left on the Pristine island.

I was born on the island but I never quite liked Pristine Hill.

The ocean water was crystal blue, the houses were clean and massive and everyone drove expensive cars. The place felt like some fairytale, it made life seem too easy and affordable.

Life was everything but easy.

I was back home for senior year of high school but I knew my return was for that purpose and that purpose only, daddy dearest would never let me walk another second on the Island after my graduation, that much I was aware of.

Weirdly, I was okay with the idea of being tossed away to yet another foreign country but I went back home for a reason, two reasons, actually, and I wasn't going anywhere until those two reasons were ticked off my to do list.

Reason number one had to commence on Sunday morning.

After that stupid Saturday Lunch thing, I spent the rest of my day in Pristine Grove, a place where I felt like nature balanced itself.

Pristine Grove was nothing like Pristine Hill, it was a darker neighborhood but to me? That's what made it so special.

In order for reason number one to go according to plan, I had to get to my brother cause he was the only person who our father would never say no to.

And I was in desperate need for a yes.

I watched the sunrise on my balcony just like before, it was pretty but it didn't feel the same, something was missing.

I headed to my brother's room but as soon as I stepped into the hall, I expected to hear my mother's shouting voice, calling my name, scolding me because I got up so late.

The silence that pricked my skin was so uncanny.

That was the third time I had expected to hear her voice, I knew it was getting ridiculous but I felt like I had left her home.

I shook the voices from my head and made it to my brother's room.

He was already up, laying on his bed in nothing but shorts and a book in hand.

When he noticed my presence, he looked at me like I was a leech glued to his skin.

It was a look of both fear and disgust.

"Can we talk?" I asked nicely as I leaned against his bedroom door.

"I'm not helping you sabotage our father's campaign." He pressed the open book to his chest.

"I don't have time to do stupid shit like that." I shoved my hands in my pockets.

"I'm not helping you become best friends with Kayla again, she's good without you." He rolled his eyes and lifted the book from his chest to continue reading.

"How about you stop guessing?" I said.

He huffed really loudly before sitting up and giving me his full attention.

"Okay, what do you want?" He asked, I was guessing it was so he would get rid of me sooner.

"I want you to help me convince our father to let me go to Pristine high instead of the a academy." I told him without wasting time, he laughed.

"You do know that Pristine high is in Grove, right?" He asked as though I were stupid or something.

"Yeah, I'm well aware." I responded.

"Then why would you want to drive there everyday? The place is a shit hole." He mumbled the last part.

I immediately realized that my brother was slowly becoming our father, it wasn't a good look on him but who was I to judge?

"I didn't know you gave a shit about me." I showed him a fake smile.

"No, I just don't want the newspapers to drag our father when you literally get murdered there for being his son." He said.

Something told me he meant those words.

"That's not gonna happen, will you or will you not help?" I felt annoyed by our back and forth chatter.

"Kellan, what's wrong with you going to the academy?" He sighed.

"Nothing, dear brother, I just wanna drive for an hour every morning." I lied.

"Our father is never letting you go to that school, get down from whatever ladder you've climbed, you'll have a nasty fall if you're not careful." He said, I glared at him.

He was trying to get smart with me. I was being nice to him and he was acting like a smart ass.

I got rid of the nice act and was about to lay it down for him straight but then his bathroom door opened behind him and she walked out.

Her eyes landed on me and she froze.

"That took forever, I almost peed myself." Marcus got up from his bed and hurried to his bathroom.

She sauntered further into the room in that tiny towel without looking at me again.

I shamelessly stared as she untangled the towel from her hair and ran her fingers through her curls.

It was such a simple movement and yet I wanted to see her do it again.

She sat on the edge of Marcus's bed and kept her head down, her hair fell to the sides of her face and hid her expression from me.

I let my feet drag me towards her at a slow pace, I hovered over her and waited for her to look up.

"What?" The words came out as a whisper as she finally looked up at me with an annoyed expression.

She was trying her best to look fierce but I saw right through her act. I could tell how nervous she was through body language.

She was tapping her foot on the wooden floor, her gaze drifted to the wall behind me to break eye contact, I saw her lips quiver for a slight second and her fingers were fingering the hem of her towel.

She was a nervous wreck, but still as pretty as I remembered.

Mik's eyes were a dark green with hazel shade, her skin was light brown with a Pristine Island body that would be displayed on the cover of any magazine and she looked five foot nothing.

I took my time and let my eyes roam down her body, she was always worth staring at but unlike before, I wasn't a kid in love with his best friend, I was just a guy appreciating the sight of something pretty.

My brother walked back into the room and she snapped her head in his direction, mouthing, "Help."

"Leave her alone, man," Said my brother in a bored tone.

"I will, if you do what I want." I kept my eyes on her.

"You're threatening me, now?" He asked, sounding shocked.

"No. I'm informing you." I twisted my neck to look at him.

"I don't have to do shit, Kayla can protect herself." He said.

"Can she?" I tilted my head to the side, eyeing her up.

They both snapped their eyes to each other and exchanged some kind of eye contact conversation then she shook her head at him.

"Okay, fine, I'll do it." He trudged towards the door, I stole one last glance from Mik before following him out.

"It is because of her?" He asked as we both walked to our father's office where we knew he'd be at 8AM on a Sunday morning.

"What is?"

"The whole Grove thing, do you want to go there because Kayla goes to the academy?" He ran a hand through his blond hair.

"Thought I told you to stop guessing." We reached the office door and he grasped the doorknob, opening the door without knocking.

Our father was sitting on his leather chair like a king on his throne and his whore was standing beside him, showing him something on her tablet.

"Hey! Good morning!" She piped when she saw us walk in.

"Morning, Margot!" My brother responded with the same energy, ambling towards the woman to kiss both her cheeks. She then looked at me expectantly and when I didn't greet her, she greeted me.

"Good morning, Kellan, how'd you sleep?" She asked with a bright smile on her face.

"Fine." I moved to take a seat in front of my father's desk.

"Sweetheart, excuse us." He said to his... Whatever she was.

"Sure, honey." She playfully pinched Marcus's cheek before scurrying off.

"Can I help you boys with something?" He turned the tablet screen down.

"We were just curious, when does Kellan start school?" Marcus took the seat next to me.

"Tomorrow, of course, Vanessa will have your uniform delivered by noon." He told me.

"Right." Marcus nodded in understanding, I narrowed my eyes at him and he cleared his throat and continued talking, "So we were thinking, maybe it would be good for the campaign if Kellan went to Pristine high school in Grove so the people there don't just think of you as a man who only cares about Hill." He gave the dumbest excuse ever.

I literally face palmed.

"Is that a serious suggestion that you both came up with?" He was now looking at us like we were stupid.

"No, I don't give two shits about your campaign, I wanna go to Grove because Mum went there." I half lied.

"Well, I'm sorry but it's not going to happen, the place is too dangerous and everyone there hates me." He said, I sighed, looking to my side.

"Why are you fucking making it about you?" I snapped.

"Watch your tone, boy, I'm sixty seconds away from sending you to another boarding school in Russia, don't test me." He gritted through clenched teeth, "I expect you both to be at the establisher's party tonight and don't forget to dress for the occasion." He raised to his feet, picked up the tablet and left the room.

"Well, that went smoothly." Marcus remarked sarcastically.