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Kai's POV:
The Mechanic
I stare out the window of the sports car I'm riding to school. At first, I try counting cars, just for something to do, a distraction. But the task is too mundane, and I quickly lose interest.
Glancing towards the driver's seat in front of me, I consider trying to make conversation with the chauffer. Nah, he'd probably just pretend he didn't hear me. His job is to drive me and my dad around, not to provide entertainment as well.
I sigh and go back to staring out the window, barely registering the tall apartments and squat shops that slide across my vision. This is a prosperous, healthy town, and my father has worked hard to keep it that way. He's been a bit of a guardian angel to this place. The only difference is that angels are immortal. And my dad most definitely is not. A fact that's become increasingly clear with his sudden illness.
Dad's been sick for about a week now, and the scary part is, no one can tell what is wrong with him. His body's functioning just fine physically, and there's no evidence that the illness is killing him. But the doctors did find an anomaly in his blood sample. They had to call a scientific research team from another country over to study it since they had no idea what it was.
The main thing the illness seems to be affecting is Dad's mind. He just stumbles from room to room randomly, bumping into staff and government officials. He's needed help with pretty much everything: getting dressed, eating, drinking, washing, brushing his teeth, the staff have even had to push his eyelids down for him so that he will sleep! It's almost like he's sleepwalking or something. Whenever he sees me, he stares at me for a few seconds before saying in this weird, dreamy voice: "Hello Kai." Every time he stares at me, I get the awful feeling that he's trying to remember who I am. But the weirdest effect the illness seems to have on him has to do with his eyes: they're completely black; no whites, no irises, just shiny black orbs set into his head.
The doctors have assured me countless times that the illness isn't physically harming him in any way, that he'll be fine, that I'm overreacting. And every time I believe them less.
The car stops and I realise that we've arrived. I get out and thank the driver, before shutting the door and heading into the school.
Once inside, everyone smiles at me, jokes, calls out various greetings, and raises their hands for high-fives. I smile back, I laugh at their jokes, I greet them back and I deliver high-fives, but inside I feel as though I'm dying. My father is sick. I might never get him back. And yet here I am, faking happiness to my peers because I'm not ready for their condolences yet. That would mean he really is gone.
I catch sight of Wolf standing by his locker, rummaging inside for something or other.
I quicken my pace as I make my way over to him. Most of the kids here think of Wolf as just "that emotionless kid with the scars and weird eyes", but I think he's just hiding. I mean, no one can be truly emotionless, that's impossible! No, I'm sure Wolf still feels things just as strongly as the rest of us, maybe even stronger, and acting like he doesn't is just his way of hiding it, just like I'm hiding my grief behind fake smiles and laughter. And that small thing we have in common now has made me even more desperate to get to befriend him. Because Wolf would understand. Though so far, I'm not having much luck.
I put on my most approachable smile and force my voice to sound cheerful as I say, "Hey Wolf."
He turns to me, and I force my smile to not falter under his bright green gaze. Dang, those eyes are intense. How is that shade of green even possible?
"You said you had no plans for this weekend, right?"
"Yes."
"And you're sure you don't want to come to Thorne's party? It could be fun."
"Yes."
"Well then, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come to my place. You know, to hang out"
Actually I want Wolf to come over so I could show him what I'm going through. I don't know if it's the scars or his reclusive nature, but I feel like he's a person who'd understand pain. Which is why it's all the more disappointing when he replies: "No."
Well, so much for that.
"Okay then." I say, trying to recover, "What do you think of the new girl, Scarlet?"
He shrugs.
"Thorne said you were her partner for some sort of Shakespeare reading task in English. You guys must have talked then, right?"
"A bit."
"Speaking of Thorne, he probably tried flirting with her, huh?"
"Yes."
"Please tell me she didn't swoon over him. The last thing this school needs is another ex-girlfriend of Thorne."
I really mean that to. I swear, at least half of the girls here have dated Thorne at some point (which has partially contributed to his gigantic head).
I tiny glint of emotion enters Wolf's eyes, followed immediately by his fists clenching. I guess I'm starting to annoy him.
"No." He replies and I breathe a sigh of relief. At least one thing's going right.
My first class for the day is Maths. I arrive five minutes early and head straight to my seat. Once I'm sitting, I grab a random textbook from the assortment I have with me and open it up, pretending to study. This is my other, less exhausting method of hiding: pretend to be busy.
I try to subtly observe the students as they trickle into the class. As the minutes tick by, I slowly give up on being secretive and just openly study my classmates. I'm looking for someone. The only other person besides Wolf who I feel I can talk to about my problems.
The bell rings and I feel my heart sink with disappointment. They must have stayed home today. Maybe they're sick?
I construct my face into my "Paying Attention" expression as the teacher arrives and starts calling out the roll.
About halfway through the list, the door suddenly flies open with a deafening bang and another student rushes inside, crying, "Sorry I'm late! I overslept!"
The teacher scowls at her but doesn't make a comment. Meanwhile, I break out in my first real smile all day. Finally, Cinder's here.
She's wearing a grey jacket over a black shirt and baggy cargo pants. Her lace up boots thump audibly against the classroom floor as she takes her seat next to mine. She'd been wearing what I've taken to calling her "signature gloves" when she walked in but takes them off as soon as she's seated and throws them on the desk before covering them with a disorganised pile of books.
I don't talk to her while the teacher is carrying out the lesson. My dad's drilled respect for other people so hard that I don't dare. But I do try (and fail) to catch her eye several times.
When we're finally given time to carry out the assigned task, I give her a quick tap on the shoulder, signalling that I want to talk.
"So, you overslept, huh?" I ask her with a grin.
"Hey, it's not my fault! I had to work double shifts at work last night! It was nearly midnight by the time I was allowed back home!"
"Well at least you managed to squeeze in a shower."
Cinder blinks at me in surprise and I allow myself a quiet chuckle.
"If you hadn't, you'd be covered in oil and grease stains right now."
Cinder turns away with a roll of her eyes, but not before I see the blush forming on her cheeks.
Cinder works as a mechanic in a car shop downtown, so seeing her without some sort of grime on her is a rare sight. Even now she has a smudge of grease on her forehead. I don't bother telling her though. It's kinda cute, in a Cinder sort of way.
Every time I have a car problem, I take it to Cinder's shop. Partially because she's the best mechanic in town. Heck, maybe even the country! I've yet to have a mechanical problem she couldn't fix. The only reason more people don't go to her is because the shop she works for is so small. I've asked her if she wanted me to spread the word, but she insisted she had enough work to do with the customers she had. I was kinda relieved to be honest. I like being one of the few people she serves.
Which brings me to the other, slightly bigger reason I always go to Cinder when I have a mechanical problem: I like her. A lot. I mean, how can I not? She's funny and smart and couldn't care less what people thought of her. She doesn't treat me any differently from other people just because I'm the mayor's son, unlike some other students I know, and doesn't hesitate to tell me I'm being an idiot (which, as it turns out, happens a lot more often than I'd like).
I feel comfortable around Cinder, like I could just tell her anything, give her any problem, and she'd just be able to snap her fingers and then it would be fixed. That's why I want to talk to her about my dad. I know she won't be able to make him better, she's a mechanic, not a doctor. But I just know that, somehow, she'll find a reason for me to hope.
An awkward silence passes between us for a few minutes. This usually happens when Cinder and I talk: we'd exchange a few sentences, then say nothing for several minutes.
I eventually break the silence with a question. "Are you going to Thorne's party this weekend?"
Cinder snorts. "And watch him hit on literally every single girl there? I'd rather drink motor oil."
I'm disappointed but hide it with a teasing grin.
"Guess you'll be hanging out with Wolf this weekend then. He's not going either."
"Well that's a given. That guy goes out even less than I do. Heck, even Cress gets out there even more than he does!"
I shrug. "That's just the way he is."
Cinder bites her lip and another awkward silence passes between us. This time, she's the one to break it.
"Doesn't he unsettle you?"
"Who?" I ask, though I'm pretty sure I know who she's talking about.
"Wolf. Doesn't he unsettle you at all?"
"No, why?"
Cinder gazes down at her notebook. I can't help but notice how uncomfortable she looks.
"It's just, don't you get the feeling that something's… off, about him? He never smiles, never laughs, never shouts-"
"He just doesn't like drawing attention to himself is all." I interrupt her. Despite barely knowing the guy, I feel the urge to defend him.
"And that's it! You've seen how many scars he has! Someone that reclusive doesn't just get that many injuries by accident."
I scowl down at my notebook. She has a point. I've never really given much thought to Wolf's many scars before, but it is strange that someone who seems to avoid social interaction at all costs would have them. I've always assumed that Wolf was hiding behind his emotionless demeanour, but what if he's hiding something dangerous? Even violent?
I shake these thoughts out of my head. I've been reading too much fiction. Any minute now I'm gonna start thinking that Wolf's secretly a dragon or something.
"I get why you don't want to go to Thorne's party," I say, changing the subject, "honestly if I didn't owe that guy I wouldn't be going either. But I would still really like you to come. Mostly so I'll have at least one person to talk to who isn't drunk."
Cinder sighs dramatically and studies me out of the corner of one of her brown eyes. I try to make my own copper eyes as pleading as possible.
Finally, she throws her head back and groans. "Fine, I'll go. But I can't promise I won't leave early!"
"Fine by me." I reply, grinning widely.
A/N: Finally, finally we meet Cinder! And we've got some Kaider dashed through this chapter as well! All in all, I'd say this instalment was a success!
Kai's father is sick, but with what? Is it fatal? Or maybe even worse?
We've learned a bit about what the other students think of Wolf, as well as why Kai is so determined to befriend him. But now he's realised just how unusual it is for someone who barely speaks to have a load of scars. Will Kai's realisation affect the way he treats Wolf? Will Cinder hate Thorne's party as much as she fears? And how much longer am I going to stall introducing the rest of the Rampion crew?
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