Sacrilege (Theo Raeken) [2]

canaan

"He's going to kill me! I can't stay here with you traipsing around a ghost town!" Kai urges.

"I need you to look after my mom," I say, arms crossed tightly over my chest. I run a hand through my hair, clearly frustrated with Kai's indifference.

"Well, I can't do that if I'm dead now can I?" he retorts. "Anyway, your mom doesn't need a babysitter, you do."

"He's right, Arden," my mom says. She cocks an eyebrow. "I was here long before you were and seen things you haven't."

"You died," I point out.

"That was when Lucien's pack was at its height," she says, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. "You killed his pack — remember?"

"Look, I'm going to Canaan because I need to help out Scott's pack," I say to Kai. "And what will you be doing?"

"Helping out Scott's pack, too," he says.

My mom cocks an eyebrow. "I can take care of myself," she says. "Kai can go with you."

"Why, though?"

"Well, if I'm being completely honest, I could use a day without you youngsters wreaking havoc around the house and Beacon Hills."

"But we're not the ones wreaking havoc. The bad guys are," I say matter-of-factly.

"That's why you're both going to Canaan to stop the bad guys," she reasons.

I sigh, tired of the debating. "So, Kai, what time do you wanna leave?"

***

"You know, I've been thinking," Kai says. He sits right beside me in the car filled otherwise with Lydia, Scott and Malia. After vigorously trying to convince them that Kai wasn't as bad as his puns were, they finally agreed to let him tag along. He flicks through a celebrity magazine propped up on his lap. "I can totally find a way to meet Kim Kardashian using magic. God, I love her. Woman crush Wednesday."

There's a collective groan from the car. "Why, Kai?" I ask. "Why are you focussed on meeting Kim Kardashian when we're literally on the way to a ghost town?"

He whips out his phone. "I've been taking selfie tips from her, Arden, wanna see?" He snaps a picture, his teeth bared in a wide grin. My mouth is opened slightly in unprepared surprise. Wow, nice one. I open my mouth to say something but he cuts in. "Pull over in about two hundred metres, Scotty."

"What?" he asks.

"There's a roadside diner," he says. "Whoop, there it is. Pull over."

"We need to get to Canaan," I point out.

"Oh, my god!" he hollers. "Don't you people stop and eat ever? Obviously not, judging from your worn out expressions and abrasive personalities."

"Why did you invite this dude, again, Arden?" Malia pipes up.

"Pull over," Kai repeats. Hesitantly, Scott pulls over. "What's half an hour gonna do anyway?" the witch continues. "Nothing."

"I don't know, Malia," I mutter, cocking an eyebrow at Kai all but leaping out of the car to the diner.

As I shuffle out after Kai, he says, "Because we're besties obviously. You know BFFLs."

"Kai, nobody says that anymore except ten year old girls," I sigh.

He throws an arm around me. "We are, though. So, your shout?"

Since Kai has been a not-so-great-but-great sidekick, I decide to agree. After all, what's the worst that can happen? I soon realise that Kai is perhaps the most extravagant eater I've ever been acquainted with.