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2012
I wasn't really prepared for when I walked in.
Things were in disarray and I found myself wondering if most of the damage was done before or after Kai was sent to the prison world.
Blood streaked all over the light walls in the house, but the most disturbing part was him.
Walking around, like everything was invisible to him... unimportant.
"Yeah, sorry about the blood streaking into the kitchen... I tried to not make much of a mess with Joey."
I said not a single thing, but he looked at me like he was reading the response in my eyes. Almost like... like he loved it. The way the scenery made me absolutely uncomfortable, but I cleared my throat and straightened myself up, taking a seat at the kitchen's island.
He left for a moment and I took the time to examine the area. Remember it. Just in case, I needed to make a run for it. I wasn't sure the total "immortality" thing worked on me here.
A book thudded in front of me, his hand reaching around me to flip through the page and onto the more complex spells in the book.
I could feel how warm he was... hear his heart beating against the cage in his chest. I struggled to compose myself, trying to not seem nervous with him behind me.
You're a vampire... why are you so scared? He has no magic, anyways.
I was fighting the comments being thrown back and forth across the field within my head.
He's immortal, no matter what. What do you got? A steak to the chest, ripping your heart out using your own magic.... I could go on.
"Amber?" he was in front of me now, snapping his fingers in my face.
"Yeah? Oh, yeah, sorry."
He smirked to himself, turning around towards the stove and twisted the knob.
"So... I'm supposed to do all the reading, while you make.." my eyes trailed to the box atop the counter, "fucking pancakes?"
"Yeah?" he barely looked my way, when he began pouring the mix onto the pan, "don't worry, i'll make you some... although we only gave chocolate chip mix, sorry."
"Not hungry," I'd rather actually rip his throat out and get full that way.
"Okay, it's you who's missing out," he turned fully in my direction, licking the mix off his thumb.
"Okay, gagging. Maybe now you made me actually lose my appetite."
I rolled my eyes, going back to the pages in front of me, but finding myself even more confused.
"There's nothing here that suggests a loophole, Kai... because there is none." I ruffled my hands through my hair in irritation.
He slid a plate in front of me, "eat." He went to the chair on the other side of the island, a sense of calmness in each step.
"Also," he brought the fork down onto the pancake roughly, looking back up to me, "there is. I mean, there has to be. My Dad probably hid it... hoping I'd never find it. Boy, would he be elated to see how we both turned out right now. Oh well, guess we'll have to wait until we finally get out of here and I kill him." He lifted the fork to his mouth, biting the pancake with no concern of our current predicament.
"First, there is no we. Second, when we get out, I will have nothing to do with you and your master plan," I shut him down, swiping the plate away from me and letting it clink against his.
I closed the book and walked outside, in desperate need of fresh air. The smell of copper was so strong in there that it was dizzying and I was frantic for just a taste.
I read as much as I could, but most of the pages I really needed were smudged... or ripped. Everything was just barely legible and I really couldn't piece much useful information together.
So far, all I had taken was scrabbled onto the spare page that was already in the book.
Kai's notes...
Missing pages... (hidden in prison world?)... bennett blood needed (unsure where I can access)
Then more on the back...
To-Do List When I Get Out • Kill dad + merge with Jo • Become coven leader
Was he dumb? Absolutely. Did he mean to let me see these random notes? Probably not, but the format they were in were hilarious.
After a minute or two, I was exhausted and decided to just explore the place for Kai's suggestion of "hidden" things.
The shed was the first place I went.
When I walked in... it looked different. Much, much different.
Shackles sat in one corner, an indent was imprinted in the dirt. A lamp was broken and shattered across the soil.
My mind flashed back to the first time I met him...
His dad... how cold he was towards Kai.
My heart almost felt something for the guy.
Almost. Until I remembered, he was himself.
He chose to be that way. To be the dog that bit, never to be loved.
I ignored the corner of the shed and began digging through the desk that sat there, dusty and obviously unused for a while.
Nothing really caught my eye, until I found a paper.
Attempt 391: Heartbeat Control Spell
What?
Josh's scrawled handwriting described details of his torture to Kai, presumably believing that a "near-death" experience would allow him to unleash his power fully.
This was... so upsetting. To think, he was that ashamed of Kai. I hated to admit it but... I stopped trying to defend the coven internally at that point.
It almost felt completely and utterly wrong.
"What are you doing?"
Fuck. I dropped the paper into the drawer and shoved it shut. "Nothing, just looking for anything hidden that could help us."
He took one step forward and I took one back. He tilted his head, prepared to fight me if anything and not really wanting to hear more of my explanation.
"What part of our plan invited you to go snooping without me around?" it almost looked as if he was uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable being here. In the shed.
"Sorry."
I really didn't want to fight about it, because I was exhausted and tired of it.
He grabbed my arm, causing me to lose breath.
He was taking my magic.
I gripped his arm in return, twisting it until I heard it break against resistance. He groaned, faltering for a moment before swiftly returning to backhand me.
"Fuck."
He held his arm up, sending a stream of pain over my body and causing me to drop to my knees.
"Sorry... not really though. It was fun to have company, while it lasted."
I forced my eyes open slightly, watching him swing a sharp wooden post in my direction.
It collided with my chest, a sharp sting breaking into my ribs and I let a tear of pain slip out, as I grasped the dirt below me.
