CONFUSION RISES
Inhuman screams echoed throughout the house. Kai sat awake in his bed, trying to ignore the disturbing sounds. Yet no matter how hard he tried, the relentless cries of utter torment flowed freely into his ears and clutched his very being. Ignorance was not an option at the time.
The curtains in the room moved slightly. This was puzzling for there was no fan and he knew for a certainty that the window was not open. The air in the room was still like the calm waters of a virgin lake, untouched. The curtains swayed in an imaginary breeze. The hairs on the back of Kai's neck involuntarily rose, covering his body in goose flesh.
The chilling screams continued and Kai started to listen to them now, their affect having worn off. Rising from the bed, he went to his bedroom door and cracked it open. Silence washed over him gently, like a breaking wave after a terrible storm. If he listened carefully enough, he could hear faint whimpers and fervent pleading. In the hallway, he stood in front of every door, until he remembered that strange boy, Zeo, saying that he resided in the room at the end of the hall. Stealthily, he approached the last door. A wave of renewed cries blasted through the cracks in the doorframe. Kai placed a hand on the knob and slowly began to twist it. Not that he cared for the boy or was concerned or was interested in anyway of why the boy was screaming. No, Kai only wanted Zeo to be silenced.
Finding the door to be locked, he released the knob. The moment after, the screams ceased and Zeo's voice came from within. "Don't come in here! Whatever you do. Stay away! Go in the room across from yours and stay there. Don't come out till morning. Listen to me. Do what I say or you'll.you'll."
A sharp sound like a slap resonated in the hallway and Zeo whimpered.
"Shut up, you insignificant little brat." A deep voice commanded. A voice that definitely was not Zeo's. A voice that made even Kai a little uneasy. "Are you going to tell him everything? He shall find out in his own time." A smile lurked in the strange voice.
Kai stepped away as an unearthly laughter emitted from behind the door. A laughter that sounded very familiar and filled Kai with utmost dread. He followed Zeo's instruction without another thought and entered the correct room. When the door was shut behind him, silence enveloped him. It was more deafening than the city during rush hour. After a moment, familiarity came over him. He was used to being alone in silence. This was nothing different. Except that this room allowed sound no entry, whilst his previous one did.
How odd. Everything about this place is strange, Kai thought to himself. Standing before the window, the night was laid before him like a waiting lover. One he would gladly partake of, if only. Kai stared up at the blue moon hovering in the dark purple sky of early morning and sighed.
Strange place indeed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A knock came upon the door, waking Kai from a reasonably peaceful sleep. He found himself lying on the windowsill with sunlight streaming through the large windows and into his eyes. The knock came again and reluctantly he answered it for now he was unsure of who could be waiting behind the door.
Thankfully, it was only Zeo with a cheery smile on his face. "Good morning. I hope you slept well. Breakfast is waiting for us downstairs. I'm sure you must be hungry. I sure am. I could eat a whole cow myself." The boy giggled and bounded down the stairs.
In spite of himself, Kai did a double take. Hadn't Zeo just been screaming bloody murder just a few hours ago? Why was he so giddy? Moreover, who was the other person in the room with him, who probably was the cause of his pain?
"Kai! You're breakfast is going to get cold. If you don't come down here soon, I'm going to eat it for you." Zeo's voice sang up the staircase.
Kai grunted and slowly descended the spiraling stairs until he reached the bottom. Looking about, he tried to locate the dining room of the house himself. He need not for Zeo came running up to him from his right, his long, playful green hair trying to keep up with his speed. The boy skidded to a stop just a few inches from Kai, careful not to touch him in anyway.
"Breakfast is this way. Come on."
The dining room could scarcely be called such; except for the fact that it was a room in which they were to dine. The room sank deep into the floor, forming a pit in which the ashes from what was a large burning fire lay. Above the blackened hole, a spit rested on two stakes with something on it. Zeo sat on one side of the hole and held out a spit to him.
A scrutinizing glare was placed upon it. "What is it?"
Zeo shrugged. "Don't know. I just know it's the only edible thing in this place. I've been eating it since I got here, which was a long time ago. It just appears out of nowhere on my doorstep whenever I run out or get hungry. And it hasn't killed me yet and it doesn't taste bad. It's good really." The boy took a bite from one of the spits and chewed happily, still offering the other to Kai.
Sneering, the phoenix refused. Instead of watching the other boy eat, he leaned against the dark walls of the room and meditated. How could he get out of this place? There had to be a way. An exit could always be found if there was an entrance. He'd just have to go looking for it. And if that gnarly plant got in his way, he'd bring it into a fiery world of torment that no creature could survive. Save one: a phoenix.
He could feel Zeo's light eyes upon him and deepened his frown. If the boy started crying again, he would just turn away. Kai had no sympathy. It was one of the many luxuries he could not afford; one he would never allow himself.
Not even glancing at the boy, he rose from the cold hearth and headed straight for the exit. With each step he felt Zeo's anxiousness surrounding him like a fog.
"Where are you going?" came the boy's feeble voice, barely above a whisper.
Kai made no attempt to answer him, nor did he intend to, but continued walking until he came upon the front parlor and the door. He reached for the handle and Zeo jumped in front of him, blocking his exit. Growling, Kai tried to shove him aside but despite the boy's weak appearance he was really quite strong.
"Let me pass!" Kai ordered.
"No!" Zeo replied, holding back sobs. "You can't! You can't!"
"Why not?"
"He won't let you!" Zeo paled to a ghostly color and stammered to correct a mistake he had made, "I-I mean I won't let you."
Ignoring the restatement, Kai asked, "Who's 'he'?"
"It was a slip of the tongue. I mean to say 'me.'"
Kai grabbed the boy by the shirtfront and shoved him into the door. "I'm not too fond of repeating myself. I'll ask you one last time: Who is 'he'?"
The boy remained silent and this filled Kai with rage. "Answer me!" He slammed him again then threw the boy down hard onto the mat in front of the door.
Zeo cried out in pain, clutching his arm. Slowly, he rose and said, "I am not allowed to answer that question. Go if you want but you are warned. If you leave, you will be killed."
Kai's eyes widened. The voice coming out of the boy's mouth was not his own. It sounded like the stranger's in his bedroom from the night before! Zeo's bright eyes were glazed over and dark, seemingly lifeless as they stared at him.
Then Zeo blinked and collapsed to the floor in a sobbing heap.
If that boy stared crying again, he would just turn away. And that's exactly what Kai did.
Inhuman screams echoed throughout the house. Kai sat awake in his bed, trying to ignore the disturbing sounds. Yet no matter how hard he tried, the relentless cries of utter torment flowed freely into his ears and clutched his very being. Ignorance was not an option at the time.
The curtains in the room moved slightly. This was puzzling for there was no fan and he knew for a certainty that the window was not open. The air in the room was still like the calm waters of a virgin lake, untouched. The curtains swayed in an imaginary breeze. The hairs on the back of Kai's neck involuntarily rose, covering his body in goose flesh.
The chilling screams continued and Kai started to listen to them now, their affect having worn off. Rising from the bed, he went to his bedroom door and cracked it open. Silence washed over him gently, like a breaking wave after a terrible storm. If he listened carefully enough, he could hear faint whimpers and fervent pleading. In the hallway, he stood in front of every door, until he remembered that strange boy, Zeo, saying that he resided in the room at the end of the hall. Stealthily, he approached the last door. A wave of renewed cries blasted through the cracks in the doorframe. Kai placed a hand on the knob and slowly began to twist it. Not that he cared for the boy or was concerned or was interested in anyway of why the boy was screaming. No, Kai only wanted Zeo to be silenced.
Finding the door to be locked, he released the knob. The moment after, the screams ceased and Zeo's voice came from within. "Don't come in here! Whatever you do. Stay away! Go in the room across from yours and stay there. Don't come out till morning. Listen to me. Do what I say or you'll.you'll."
A sharp sound like a slap resonated in the hallway and Zeo whimpered.
"Shut up, you insignificant little brat." A deep voice commanded. A voice that definitely was not Zeo's. A voice that made even Kai a little uneasy. "Are you going to tell him everything? He shall find out in his own time." A smile lurked in the strange voice.
Kai stepped away as an unearthly laughter emitted from behind the door. A laughter that sounded very familiar and filled Kai with utmost dread. He followed Zeo's instruction without another thought and entered the correct room. When the door was shut behind him, silence enveloped him. It was more deafening than the city during rush hour. After a moment, familiarity came over him. He was used to being alone in silence. This was nothing different. Except that this room allowed sound no entry, whilst his previous one did.
How odd. Everything about this place is strange, Kai thought to himself. Standing before the window, the night was laid before him like a waiting lover. One he would gladly partake of, if only. Kai stared up at the blue moon hovering in the dark purple sky of early morning and sighed.
Strange place indeed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A knock came upon the door, waking Kai from a reasonably peaceful sleep. He found himself lying on the windowsill with sunlight streaming through the large windows and into his eyes. The knock came again and reluctantly he answered it for now he was unsure of who could be waiting behind the door.
Thankfully, it was only Zeo with a cheery smile on his face. "Good morning. I hope you slept well. Breakfast is waiting for us downstairs. I'm sure you must be hungry. I sure am. I could eat a whole cow myself." The boy giggled and bounded down the stairs.
In spite of himself, Kai did a double take. Hadn't Zeo just been screaming bloody murder just a few hours ago? Why was he so giddy? Moreover, who was the other person in the room with him, who probably was the cause of his pain?
"Kai! You're breakfast is going to get cold. If you don't come down here soon, I'm going to eat it for you." Zeo's voice sang up the staircase.
Kai grunted and slowly descended the spiraling stairs until he reached the bottom. Looking about, he tried to locate the dining room of the house himself. He need not for Zeo came running up to him from his right, his long, playful green hair trying to keep up with his speed. The boy skidded to a stop just a few inches from Kai, careful not to touch him in anyway.
"Breakfast is this way. Come on."
The dining room could scarcely be called such; except for the fact that it was a room in which they were to dine. The room sank deep into the floor, forming a pit in which the ashes from what was a large burning fire lay. Above the blackened hole, a spit rested on two stakes with something on it. Zeo sat on one side of the hole and held out a spit to him.
A scrutinizing glare was placed upon it. "What is it?"
Zeo shrugged. "Don't know. I just know it's the only edible thing in this place. I've been eating it since I got here, which was a long time ago. It just appears out of nowhere on my doorstep whenever I run out or get hungry. And it hasn't killed me yet and it doesn't taste bad. It's good really." The boy took a bite from one of the spits and chewed happily, still offering the other to Kai.
Sneering, the phoenix refused. Instead of watching the other boy eat, he leaned against the dark walls of the room and meditated. How could he get out of this place? There had to be a way. An exit could always be found if there was an entrance. He'd just have to go looking for it. And if that gnarly plant got in his way, he'd bring it into a fiery world of torment that no creature could survive. Save one: a phoenix.
He could feel Zeo's light eyes upon him and deepened his frown. If the boy started crying again, he would just turn away. Kai had no sympathy. It was one of the many luxuries he could not afford; one he would never allow himself.
Not even glancing at the boy, he rose from the cold hearth and headed straight for the exit. With each step he felt Zeo's anxiousness surrounding him like a fog.
"Where are you going?" came the boy's feeble voice, barely above a whisper.
Kai made no attempt to answer him, nor did he intend to, but continued walking until he came upon the front parlor and the door. He reached for the handle and Zeo jumped in front of him, blocking his exit. Growling, Kai tried to shove him aside but despite the boy's weak appearance he was really quite strong.
"Let me pass!" Kai ordered.
"No!" Zeo replied, holding back sobs. "You can't! You can't!"
"Why not?"
"He won't let you!" Zeo paled to a ghostly color and stammered to correct a mistake he had made, "I-I mean I won't let you."
Ignoring the restatement, Kai asked, "Who's 'he'?"
"It was a slip of the tongue. I mean to say 'me.'"
Kai grabbed the boy by the shirtfront and shoved him into the door. "I'm not too fond of repeating myself. I'll ask you one last time: Who is 'he'?"
The boy remained silent and this filled Kai with rage. "Answer me!" He slammed him again then threw the boy down hard onto the mat in front of the door.
Zeo cried out in pain, clutching his arm. Slowly, he rose and said, "I am not allowed to answer that question. Go if you want but you are warned. If you leave, you will be killed."
Kai's eyes widened. The voice coming out of the boy's mouth was not his own. It sounded like the stranger's in his bedroom from the night before! Zeo's bright eyes were glazed over and dark, seemingly lifeless as they stared at him.
Then Zeo blinked and collapsed to the floor in a sobbing heap.
If that boy stared crying again, he would just turn away. And that's exactly what Kai did.