Below the surface- YeonKai

Chapter 11- Don't blink

AUTHOR POV

It was raining, soft patters of water hitting the windows was all that could be heard through the house.

Everyone was home. There was no reason for it to be this quiet, it just always was.

There was hardly ever noise.

Kai sat alone in his bedroom, his small white laptop lying across his thighs as he typed away softly, the keys tapping in the deafening silence.

In reality, what Kai thought to have been a scary place could be surprisingly calm. Sure, the others here had weird auras, that feeling of discomfort and secrets surrounded them 24/7, but there's only so long that a feeling like that can put you on edge for and as for Kai, he had passed on it already.

Feeling settled and safe was all Kai could have asked for and by chance he had somehow done it but getting back into the swing of a normal life, well, not so much.

"What are you doing?" Taehyun asked, appearing in the doorway.

Kai jumped, his heart flying up his throat before resetting in his chest.

Taehyun, a frustrating boy by far. He always jumped out of nowhere. Sometimes it was as if he were a ghost, moving without sound.

"You need to stop doing that" Kai instructed, holding his rapidly beating heart.

Maybe his guard wasn't down. Not just yet.

"I'm really sorry" Taehyun apologised profusely.

Kai sighed. Taehyun would always apologise like his life depended on it. In a sense, quite literally, he could be.

"Taehyun it's alright" Kai assured, feeling bad for the slight outburst.

"No, I'm sorry, really, I really am" Taehyun rushed, the words flying off of his tongue as though they were natural, a well practised response.

"Taehyun really, it's okay," I replied calmly.

Taehyun stared silently. Taehyun's eyes were always wide and unblinking. Sometimes it looked as if he had become lost in his own little world. Maybe a flashback, maybe an absence.

For someone who 'fell in love with safety' he never acted as if he were safe.

"Oh Kai you need to get out of here" Taehyun whispered as though to sound sympathetic.

"What is it with you all and warning me to leave, this place has been fine. I'm still alive and well aren't I?" Kai asked, a small annoyance peeking through his voice.

"There's so much I want to say" Taehyun mumbled, shaking his head before holding it in his hands as he sat down.

Taehyun never came close. While he spoke to Kai, though it was little to nothing, he never went anywhere near him as if he were some sort of a virus.

"Can you not just say it then? Everyone here talks in metaphors and some cryptic language, don't you think just this once you can help me understand?" Kai asked, his temper frayed but his voice calm.

"It is not in my script" Taehyun responded, his eyes looking into Kai's and blinking once before looking away again.

"Not in your what?" Kai asked, suddenly more lost than when he started.

"You should enrol into a school you know" Taehyun suddenly blurted.

His speech felt out of place. Un-natural. One thing for sure was that it was undeniably uncomforting.

"I'm not sure about going back," Kai mumbled.

"You should though, you can enrol somewhere closer to here and start anew," Taehyun answered quickly.