Devil in Disguise (Kai Parker)

Chapter Eight: How everything went to Hell

11.17 PM, May 9th, 1994

The girl had grown well under the care of the Parker family. She was now twenty-two, had her magic under control because of that boy, Malachai, and was having the most fun she had ever had. He tried not to take too much of her magic, and she revered him for it. It was tiring, having too much emotion at times; by letting her keep a little of her power, she didn’t have to deal with things like sentiment or attachment. Malachai – Kai – hated it when she felt that.

She was outside, waiting for Kai. It was dark, the moonlight barely making a dent in the obscuring shadows. Truthfully, she wasn’t meant to be there. Joshua Parker – Kai’s father – didn’t like his charges going out at night. Especially Kai. Ever since he’d found out about his son’s… abnormality, Joshua had been revolted by his son, and scared of what he might do to the witch community. Sneaking out at night was out of the question.

But she was still there. Kai had told her to meet him there, but she’d no idea why. Her eyes went immediately to her watch; it was 11.17 PM. He was supposed to be here ages ago. Where the hell was he?

Almost answering her question, a scream pierced the night from the direction of the house.

She scrambled to her feet, magic crackling in anticipation. Kai hadn’t taken any for a while – he’d been weirdly distracted for weeks – and it was bubbling dangerously close to the brim. She hoped she hadn’t accidentally strangled someone while she had been waiting.            

The door blew open as she approached it. She walked in unflinchingly, scanning the hallway for anything suspicious. "Jo?" she called for Kai’s twin sister. "Josette?"

There was a whimper ahead, and the girl jogged forward cautiously, noting the trails of blood on the floor, black and tarry in the dim light. Her emotions were on the fritz again, so even when she saw Jo, she didn’t cringe.

She was sprawled on the floor, a knife sticking out of her stomach. Her dark hair was dishevelled, coated with blood that was drying into a crust around her head. Tears glistened on her blotchy red cheeks, and her pale eyes were bloodshot when they turned to look at the girl.

"Meg…" she rasped.

"Look, Jo; this is probably going to hurt, OK?" the girl said practically, striding forward and grasping the handle of the hunting knife. For a moment Jo’s eyes widened in fear, then became steely as determination set in. Gritting her teeth, she nodded.

The girl pulled the knife out slowly at first, before realising this probably hurt more. Jo’s organs were soft under the knife; if she pulled it out quickly, there was less chance of hitting another artery. With one great pull, she dragged the blade out of Jo’s flesh and Jo writhed on the floor, letting out a soundless scream. The girl waited until she was done, dropping the knife to the floor absent-mindedly.

Jo breathed heavily, breath hoarse in her throat. Clutching her stomach tightly, she fumbled to get to her feet. Blood spurted grotesquely in all directions, like a water gun, but she ignored it. Pushing past the girl, she peered in the nearest door.

"Jo? What’s going on?! the girl followed, careful not to step in the tepid, metallic scarlet stains.

"Kai." she hissed shortly, a sob rising in her throat. "He’s gone mad. He… he found out how our parents kept having children, in the hope of getting another pair of twins. He found out they never intended him to be leader."

In the Gemini Coven, the leader was always a twin. It was tradition for the twins to merge their strength until one of them overpowers the other, killing them. The one that lives will have to dictate the coven. Kai never shut up about it.