Chapter 8 – Never Again
“I refuse to babysit your sister in the future,” I told Kai as he entered the office. “Never again.”
One of the reasons I got a job in the first place was to escape the children at home. While endless practice with my six siblings made me quite good at it, I hated it. I didn’t want to get saddled with the same sort responsibilities at work.
Besides, my skirt was still uncomfortably damp and my arms and legs stung with burns.
“It was a once-off thing. I’m taking her home now. Want to come with?”
“I thought I’m supposed to stay here,” I said, peeved.
“Oh, okay then...If you’d prefer staying here, at the office, doing nothing to a short trip, who am I to argue?”
I narrowed my eyes. His sarcasm was the last thing that I needed.
“Not that it matters anyway. I have the bike here, and it can’t exactly take the extra weight.”
“Excuse me,” that comment flared my simmering anger. He seemed to realise what he inadvertently implied and backtracked quickly.
“What I mean is, it’s only built to take a maximum of two people. There isn’t exactly enough space on a motorbike for someone else extra, you know. I know! We can, um, walk. It’s not that far. That is, if you really still want to come along.”
Judging by his response, I figured that he already learnt the hard way that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I let the rage fizzle out. I was interested to see where he stayed, and I wanted Anna out of the way as soon as possible.
“Fine. Anything to get out of this place. It’s depressing; you need to do something about the decor.”
“Because I really have time to waste on decor,” he answered.
I rolled my eyes as we walked out of the office. I was definitely quitting at the end of the day and taking the filing job with my mom instead. That would give me more peace.
***
I was surprised by the modest apartment on the second floor of a building. We crossed the parking lot to a simple, brick staircase cutting into the off-white facade. Anna held Kairo’s hand in the same way a scared child would cling to a parent. I followed behind them.
I shivered as the building blocked out the sunlight. The dampness of my clothes gave me a chill.
“This is where you stay?” I asked, as Kairo threaded a key off a chain.
“Most of the time,” he answered, heaving the door open.
Anna ran inside, flicking on all the light switches and yanking the curtains open to their fullest before he had a chance to intercept her.
“Where do you stay other times?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
My response was a shrug.
I shielded my eyes with my hand, glancing around the apartment. An arch revealed a small, neat kitchen with a table and chairs. The space we entered was sparsely furnished. A couch, a side table, a phone. The only thing that marked it out as unique was a small niche set into the wall. It contained a few framed photographs and a candle. I ambled over to examine it closer, while he settled Anna. The biggest photo was a black and white snapshot of a wedding couple, looking at each other lovingly.
“These your parents?” I picked up the frame. The man in the picture looked a lot like Kairo.
“They were.”
“Were?”
He nodded, but didn’t elaborate.
“How did they - ?”
“They’re dead,” he cut me off in a tone that was bitter and made it clear that I shouldn’t press further questions. I raised my eyebrows and replaced the frame. Anna sat in front of the windows, staring out of them and tapping the glass.
“What is she doing?”I asked.
“She does that when her medication kicks in. Don’t worry about it. Would you like me to find you something else to wear? I’m sure Anna has something that will fit.”
I examined my skirt, with its singed hem and damp fabric. As reluctant as I felt about it, I had little choice.
“Yeah, thanks,” I answered. “But will she mind?”
“I don’t think she cares. Besides, she owes you.”
“I guess.”
It was Anna’s fault that my clothes were ruined, but I couldn’t really blame her. It would be like getting angry at a small child for accidentally wiping dirty hands on me.
It was disconcerting watching Anna look out of the window so desolately. It was almost as if all the life was drained out of her. Sad, even. I sat next to her, as Kairo disappeared into one of the rooms, and tried to determine if her tapping had any sort of rhythm to it. It didn’t. He returned, carrying a white bundle.
“You can change in my room, since Anna’s is a little...crowded.”
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The Raven Conspiracy
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