FADE INTO YOU || Kai Parker

Fourteen

2012

Chills shocked me awake, bringing me up suddenly in desperation for air.

I couldn't really say anything but I grasped at my chest... it's gone?

"I didn't die..."

I was expecting myself to be somewhat pleased with that, but the stillness in the shed and my situation just made me realize I wanted to go back to the quietness.

It was nighttime now... and the lights within the Parker house were on, Kai's shadow moving from the bottom floor and within moments being at the very top floor.

The window in that room was open, and he was... angry. Not surprised.

I watched as he threw things around, breaking objects like habit. His yells were obviously muffled but they still shook the aura of the house.

Finally alone, away from his presence, I took the time to cry. Really cry.

I covered my mouth to shelter my sobs but they spilled throughout. I felt like... like a little girl.

This was one of those moments where I wished I had the mom whose shoulder you could cry on, while she patted your hair and told you, "everything will be okay."

I got up, feeling the breeze freeze over my tears and dry them onto my cheeks. Stumbling, I made way out onto the backyard and began running.

Running away.

I may be a vampire, but once I was a little girl. A little girl who wanted to eventually go to college, who planned her dorm room in her head, who wanted to fix things. I was.

Now I'm... not me, anymore, but some part of me still runs to her for safety.

Cries racked through my body, as I raced away and onto the driveway of the house towards the car.

"Amber!" Kai called out from behind me but I picked up my pace, quickly coming up to the car and pulling the handle.

I heard a jingle, "Looking for these?"

I slowly turned to finally face him, shuddering but I couldn't tell if it was the cold from the air or his glare.

"You killed me."

"And you killed me. Seriously, do you have dementia or something? It's like you're forgetting—"

"Shut up!" I screamed at him in fury.

His calm stare morphed into one of anger again, and he shoved the keys back into the pocket of his jeans.

"You didn't know I was gonna come back, don't act so innocent. So, stop with the tears. It's awkward, really."

I roughly wiped my face, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Because, Kai," I began with venom lacing my words, "You mess everything up. You just take, without caring. You kept me here, against my will. Stole my magic, then used it to kill me. Sorry if I seem a bit upset right now." I throw a bittersweet smile at him, and he scoffed at me.

"You can give up, you know?"

"Huh?" I couldn't really understand what was going through his dense head.

"Trying to get through to me. I don't really care, stuff happened, and guess what? I'm standing here and you're... somewhat here, probably not consciously but," He joked, even in the midst of arguing.

"In all seriousness," he pretended to be deep in thought, "You can stop. You're not gonna change me. I like me, just the way I am. A lot." He stood before me with so much pride, only yards away from where blood still displayed itself on walls.

"I don't understand you. I saw it, Kai. Whatever fucked up shit happened in the shed, I read it, Kai."

"Hmm, I really didn't want to have to do this, but guess I have to," then he muttered something, but I really couldn't catch it.

I felt tired, slipping to the ground in numbness.

-

I woke up... again, but this time I laid in a room in a bed.

I traced the wooden panels on the floor, following the single dresser... this is Kai's room.

Kai came in on cue, "Okay, ready to keep moving forward and get the hell out of here?"

My guess was that whatever I read was deep. Too deep for him to discuss with me or anyone for that matter. Still, I'm having a hard time grasping the fact that he resorted to stabbing me in the chest.

I said nothing, getting up from the bed and shoving myself past him.

"O-kay. Fine."

I heard his footsteps shuffle down the stairs and I made way to the bathroom.

I wanted to shower. To just have an hour of normalcy, and to forget about every moment that led me to here. Forget about me and ignore my reflection, as I passed the mirror. Look away from the reflection of someone, who is not me, that stared back from the shower head.

The shower hit me, smacking my thoughts away.

Maybe being here wasn't so bad, if I moved far away from Kai. Maybe if I went to the other side of the world and just stayed alone... I could leave myself to die. Leave that side of me, forever, and not depend on blood or revenge as fuel to keep me going.

Maybe I could just breathe, and take it all in.

Or I could sink myself with an anchor to the bottom of the pacific and let myself die over and over again.

It's what you deserve.

Yeah, it is.

A knock interrupted me, dragging me to my sad reality. "You know, you might be breaking records with how long you're taking. I've got all of our books downstairs."

He was all I really had, in terms of going back.

And I was all he really had.

We had no real advantage and we both really didn't care how this ended for the other.

"Coming."

-

"So, let me get this straight," I struggled to contain a scoff, "you think that there's Bennett blood calcified into a rock."

He nodded, like if he had just unleashed the greatest fun fact ever.

"Okay, hypothetically, if that's true then... where would it be? Because there's millions of rocks in this world, if you haven't forgetten."

"Well, I haven't really decided honestly. I was thinking either New Orleans or Mystic Falls," he tapped his index finger on his chin and shrugged at me.

"So, why in the hell are we here?"

"The ascendant," Kai perked an eyebrow up at me, relaxing his hands and going back to reach for yet another book.

"Kai."

He dropped the book down slightly, looking at me expectantly. I smiled, "Think. Where would your Dad put it? Where would he least expect you to return to?"

Now, he drew his full attention onto me and disregarded the book in his hand. "Wow, you're a genius, Amber," he reached for my hands, probably in an attempt to thank me, but I quickly swiped my hands away.

He understood, drawing back his own hands and leaving them at his sides.

We look at everything, but each other for a moment.

"Okay, let's go to the shed!" Kai invited me to follow behind him.