Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure (Part 2)

(123) TTotSS: Odd-Eye Investigation!

A knocking came to Kalim's door which was open right after that. Jamil entered with a tray of two steaming cups. "I brought your milk," he said.

Kalim smiled at him, taking the two mugs, "Thanks, Jamil." Jamil gave him a small nod before leaving the room because Kalim requested earlier to be alone to lessen Jonah's fear. He offered one to the boy who was sitting in front of him on the bed, a warm blanket draped over his head as he hugged Grim close to his chest like a teddy bear. The cat didn't seem to mind, in fact, he was leaning to his arm with his ears down and purring softly. Jonah looked surprised at the mug but accepted it nonetheless, shifting just a little to maintain his comfortable position for Grim. "Thanks," he said with a brief smile. He sighed through his nose. "Sorry. I didn't mean make a commotion."

"It's alright," Kalim said, shaking his head lightly. "Panic attack is never the most pleasant experience."

"You ever had it?"

Kalim paused. Glancing to the side, he saw Jamil was glancing at him worriedly. "Kinda." He took a sip from his milk, warming his stomach. "Remember when I mentioned that I'm the first son?" Jonah nodded and Kalim nodded back. "Essentially, I'll inherit everything my family has. And that brings problems."

"Like, sabotages?"

"Yeah," Kalim let out a weak chuckle. "And sometimes murder attempts and kidnappings."

"What?!"

"I mean..." Kalim rolled his hand, a sheepish smile for not knowing how to explain it well, especially with how Jonah's eye widened so big. He chuckled lightly. "Some of my family members don't take the news of me being the heir so well. I'm pretty sure some of my aunts tried to poison me before and their kids aren't the best younger siblings. But, there's this one particular kidnapping that just..."

Jonah lowered his mug to the bed. His brow furrowed worriedly. "You don't have to tell me."

Kalim shook his head again. "It's okay." He gave Jonah a warm smile. He took a deep breath before letting it out through his lips. "That kidnapping was...well..." He bit his lips, his index finger tracing the rim of the mug. "They didn't do anything to me. But they did keep me in the dark for a long time. It was scary. After I was rescued, let's just say that I could no longer sleep in the dark. And when I tried, it kept reminding me of that moment."

He remembered the days of staying up all night and curled up in his bed. Sometimes he would cry until he would doze out only to feel dizzy the next morning. Other times, when the night was bright, he would just sit underneath the open window with his blanket draped over his shoulders. "I got sick eventually because of lack of sleep. And the nightmare start."

"KALIM! WAKE UP!"

Jamil...That was Jamil, right?

Something touched his knee, even if it was gentle, it was enough to snap Kalim's head up. He must've looked horrible because Jamil was surprised. Wait. Was he? He couldn't see. Why is it so dark?

"I can't-I can't, please," he muttered, fingers clenching and unclenching like grabby hands which Jamil grabbed. "It's dark. Jamil, it's too dark, please..."

"Sh, sh..." Jamil cooed, didn't even winch when Kalim was holding his hand too hard. "You're not there. You're awake in your room. This is not a nightmare."

Kalim's mouth was open, panting for breath. Cold sweat matted his hair to his face. "It's dark, Jamil. I can't get out. I can't-"