FAILURES AND VICTORIES
The realness of the embrace haunted him. Goose bumps rose on his flesh every time he thought of it. The way the figure had spoken to him was exactly the same as the person behind the hand of darkness, calling him: 'dear one' and 'my dear.' He cringed at the words. Why did it say that? Why did it plague his sleep and want him so? The questions were pushed aside as Zeo entered the parlor, holding a tray of tea.
It had been three days and Kai still hadn't eaten the food Zeo offered to him. Again he refused Zeo. The boy became worried.
"You have to eat sometime. I know you're hungry. I can hear your stomach growling from upstairs. The food isn't going to hurt you. It hasn't done anything but help me live since I've been here." Zeo sat next to Kai on the velveteen sofa and placed the tray on the table in front of him.
Before Kai could say anything, his stomach roared loudly and Zeo burst out laughing.
"See what'd I tell you. Come on, have something to eat."
Regarding the food with a distasteful look, Kai slowly poured himself some tea. He looked at the dark liquid in the cup, but could not motivate himself to drink it. Why he did not wish to eat was something he could not explain. It was as if the food was giving off bad aura, as if something had been put in it, something lethal. Kai set the tea back down and placed a hand on his torso, commanding his hunger to subside.
"Kai..."
A deadly glare Kai gave the boy immediately made Zeo stuff his mouth with more food to keep from saying anything else. Kai rose from the couch and paced up and down the parlor, lost in deep thought. Zeo's eyes secretly followed his every move and the feeling of being watched agitated him, but he chose not to say anything. The boy would only whimper and probably start crying again. Pathetic.
Kai stopped in front of the parlor window and rested his arms against the blanketed sill. Not even looking at Zeo, who was trying to sneak into the room unnoticed, he asked, "How long have you been here exactly?"
Having been caught, Zeo froze in mid-step. "Why do you ask?"
Snapping his head in the boy's direction, Kai spoke with a hint of venom. "You know how I feel about repeating myself and having my questions unanswered."
The boy seemed to shrink and wither under Kai's fiery, displeased gaze and quickly sat down. He scratched his chin in thought. "Well, let's see. It's so hard to tell time here, really. Um. I'd have to say about...eight years."
Upon hearing this, Kai slammed his fists onto the sill, reducing the marble to crumbling pieces. Zeo yelped at the sound and as Kai shook with rage. "There is no way I am staying here eight years." He hissed through clenched teeth. Pointing a bloody finger at Zeo, he spat, "Especially not with you!"
The boy dashed out of the room, wailing, pounding his feet on the stairs as he made his way up. Zeo slammed his bedroom behind him, but Kai did not hear it. Lost within his own internal torment, Kai was filled with more determination, now than ever, to find his way back home. Nothing mattered except getting out of this strange world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting upon his bed, Kai pondered over many plans concocting in his mind, trying to eliminate all the dubious ones to be left with the plan most effective. Finally, after many hours of deliberation, he was at last left with one remaining plan, one that he would put into effect as soon as he confirmed something.
Quietly, he left his room and went to the front door. Knowing he took a large risk, he stepped outside. The rich light of the planet's two white suns embraced him in its warmth, warmth that hardly melted the ice encasing his heart. Squinting at the blinding sands, he waited patiently on the nonexistent doorstep leading to Zeo's invisible house. Sweat poured down his brow and his skin pinked with sunburn as he stood in the seemingly endless desert. Leaving the door open a crack, Kai decided to have one final test. He walked forward, making sure to keep the door in sight and waited for an additional fifteen minutes. Smiling, he returned to the house, closing the door after him.
The 'creeping evil,' as Zeo likes to call it, must not be too fond of the heat of this world's suns. Kai looked at his reddened skin and smirked. Not that I would blame it. The sands beneath the surface are much cooler, and if it needs sun for chlorophyll it can raise a tentacle or two above the ground. Ingenious. As a result, I may have found my way home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two suns were high in the sky when Kai set off on his mission to find the illusive well he had fallen out of. The entire desert looked the same from every angle, therefore trying to find the exact spot he had woke up in would be difficult. However, it would be much easier than spending another day trapped in the same house with Zeo.
When he believed he had found the mangled cactus he had seen the first night, he stared up. Not one cloud laced the emerald sky, so finding the well should be easy. Yet, he could not find it in the endless expanse above, now darkening as the suns were beginning to set. Kicking up the sand, he cursed the world around him and headed back to the house.
In his haste, Kai realized he had left no trail, thus did not know in which direction the house lay. Since it was invisible, he could not see its location. The suns disappeared behind the horizon and night settled in. A scream echoed across the desert, as ear splitting as it had been the first night. Before him, the large 'creeping evil' rose from the ground, writhing and flailing its tentacles about. A few of its appendages reached out to him and before he could even think, had him by the ankles, knocked him to the ground and pulled him towards its awaiting mouth.
Its razor sharp beak snapped open and shut as he was brought closer. Kai struggled to break free from its strong grip, but the harder he tried the tighter its grasp became. Losing breathe and less than a foot away from its jaws, he watched a purplish-blue tongue covered with daggers extend from its mouth and slowly lick him. He gasped in pain as his whole entire back felt as if a fiery liquid was consuming him in its deadly flames. Apparently pleased by his taste, it reeled him in farther and just as the hand of Death reached out to him, an angel of light shoved the hand away and led him out of the pool of decay he lied in.
The sand stung his wounds like a horde of irritated bees, and the pain was overwhelming. As the world began to turn as black as night, the angel lingered in his view and with a smile on his lips, he let the darkness consume him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When at last his eyes opened, Kai found himself staring up at ceiling of dueling worlds, light versus dark. Sitting up in his bed, he winced in pain as flames licked his back again. He fell back down on the mattress and heard someone enter the room, saying, "Oh no, don't move. That wouldn't be good for your recovery."
Zeo held in his hands a wad of bandages to replace the ones that were strapped around Kai's torso. Gently he removed them and grimaced at the sight. As he looked over his shoulder, Kai observed his face and curiously asked, "Is it really that bad?"
Nodding, Zeo put some salve in his hands and rubbed it on the wounds. Kai was surprised when he felt no pain, nothing but the boy's cool, soothing hands upon his back. Carefully, the boy wrapped fresh bandages around him and tossed the soiled ones away. Zeo sat on a chair he had pulled into the room and kept his eyes downcast.
"I'm sorry for touching you, I know you don't like it...or me...but all things considered, I didn't really have a choice. Until you get better, I'll have to change your bandages and apply salves, unless you don't want to get better. So try to deal with it for now, okay? After you get better, I won't ever do it again. So until then, forgive me."
Kai sighed. The boy wanted his approval and friendship so desperately it was sickening. Glancing over at the pitiful boy, he muttered, "I guess thanks are in order for saving me. So thank you." He rolled his eyes as Zeo's happiness shone brightly like sunshine throughout the room.
Zeo grinned as he pulled his chair closer to Kai's bedside. "Your welcome. It wasn't like I hadn't done it before. What were you doing out there anyway? You know it's dangerous out there, and I don't think you knew how to get back to safety. So why were you out there?"
"I was trying to get away from you." Kai snapped automatically. The happiness disappeared and a cloud of gloom hovered above Zeo's head. Sighing exasperatingly, Kai threw up one of his hands. "Don't you dare start crying or I'll hit you."
"Were you looking for a way out?"
"Yes."
Zeo took in deep breaths to stop the tears. "You really want to leave, don't you?"
"Yes."
"You don't like me much, do you?"
Kai remained silent.
"You think I'm annoying and weird and stupid and freaky and odd and you hate me, don't you? If you had found a way out, you'd leave me here to die. You'd like me to die, wouldn't you? You hate me! Why is that? I haven't done anything to make you not like me. What did I do wrong? Why don't you like me, Kai?" Zeo hadn't shed a tear but each of his words trickled down his cheeks in sadness. "Why?"
Kai looked away and at the curtains concealing the window. "I'm not a person who's very fond of social contact. I'm a loner and that's all there is to it."
A ray of hope gleamed in the boy's eyes and he asked, "Couldn't you at least try to like me? Just a little?"
Kai scoffed and closed his eyes. "Whatever," he mumbled and Zeo assumed it as a confirmation.
"Goodnight, Kai. Rest up. If you need anything just ring that bell on your nightstand. Sleep well." Zeo quietly exited the room, once again having switched from grieving to glad in an instance.
He is so weird, Kai thought and gradually fell asleep as the suns peeked through the curves of the curtains, lighting his calm face while he slept.
The realness of the embrace haunted him. Goose bumps rose on his flesh every time he thought of it. The way the figure had spoken to him was exactly the same as the person behind the hand of darkness, calling him: 'dear one' and 'my dear.' He cringed at the words. Why did it say that? Why did it plague his sleep and want him so? The questions were pushed aside as Zeo entered the parlor, holding a tray of tea.
It had been three days and Kai still hadn't eaten the food Zeo offered to him. Again he refused Zeo. The boy became worried.
"You have to eat sometime. I know you're hungry. I can hear your stomach growling from upstairs. The food isn't going to hurt you. It hasn't done anything but help me live since I've been here." Zeo sat next to Kai on the velveteen sofa and placed the tray on the table in front of him.
Before Kai could say anything, his stomach roared loudly and Zeo burst out laughing.
"See what'd I tell you. Come on, have something to eat."
Regarding the food with a distasteful look, Kai slowly poured himself some tea. He looked at the dark liquid in the cup, but could not motivate himself to drink it. Why he did not wish to eat was something he could not explain. It was as if the food was giving off bad aura, as if something had been put in it, something lethal. Kai set the tea back down and placed a hand on his torso, commanding his hunger to subside.
"Kai..."
A deadly glare Kai gave the boy immediately made Zeo stuff his mouth with more food to keep from saying anything else. Kai rose from the couch and paced up and down the parlor, lost in deep thought. Zeo's eyes secretly followed his every move and the feeling of being watched agitated him, but he chose not to say anything. The boy would only whimper and probably start crying again. Pathetic.
Kai stopped in front of the parlor window and rested his arms against the blanketed sill. Not even looking at Zeo, who was trying to sneak into the room unnoticed, he asked, "How long have you been here exactly?"
Having been caught, Zeo froze in mid-step. "Why do you ask?"
Snapping his head in the boy's direction, Kai spoke with a hint of venom. "You know how I feel about repeating myself and having my questions unanswered."
The boy seemed to shrink and wither under Kai's fiery, displeased gaze and quickly sat down. He scratched his chin in thought. "Well, let's see. It's so hard to tell time here, really. Um. I'd have to say about...eight years."
Upon hearing this, Kai slammed his fists onto the sill, reducing the marble to crumbling pieces. Zeo yelped at the sound and as Kai shook with rage. "There is no way I am staying here eight years." He hissed through clenched teeth. Pointing a bloody finger at Zeo, he spat, "Especially not with you!"
The boy dashed out of the room, wailing, pounding his feet on the stairs as he made his way up. Zeo slammed his bedroom behind him, but Kai did not hear it. Lost within his own internal torment, Kai was filled with more determination, now than ever, to find his way back home. Nothing mattered except getting out of this strange world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting upon his bed, Kai pondered over many plans concocting in his mind, trying to eliminate all the dubious ones to be left with the plan most effective. Finally, after many hours of deliberation, he was at last left with one remaining plan, one that he would put into effect as soon as he confirmed something.
Quietly, he left his room and went to the front door. Knowing he took a large risk, he stepped outside. The rich light of the planet's two white suns embraced him in its warmth, warmth that hardly melted the ice encasing his heart. Squinting at the blinding sands, he waited patiently on the nonexistent doorstep leading to Zeo's invisible house. Sweat poured down his brow and his skin pinked with sunburn as he stood in the seemingly endless desert. Leaving the door open a crack, Kai decided to have one final test. He walked forward, making sure to keep the door in sight and waited for an additional fifteen minutes. Smiling, he returned to the house, closing the door after him.
The 'creeping evil,' as Zeo likes to call it, must not be too fond of the heat of this world's suns. Kai looked at his reddened skin and smirked. Not that I would blame it. The sands beneath the surface are much cooler, and if it needs sun for chlorophyll it can raise a tentacle or two above the ground. Ingenious. As a result, I may have found my way home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two suns were high in the sky when Kai set off on his mission to find the illusive well he had fallen out of. The entire desert looked the same from every angle, therefore trying to find the exact spot he had woke up in would be difficult. However, it would be much easier than spending another day trapped in the same house with Zeo.
When he believed he had found the mangled cactus he had seen the first night, he stared up. Not one cloud laced the emerald sky, so finding the well should be easy. Yet, he could not find it in the endless expanse above, now darkening as the suns were beginning to set. Kicking up the sand, he cursed the world around him and headed back to the house.
In his haste, Kai realized he had left no trail, thus did not know in which direction the house lay. Since it was invisible, he could not see its location. The suns disappeared behind the horizon and night settled in. A scream echoed across the desert, as ear splitting as it had been the first night. Before him, the large 'creeping evil' rose from the ground, writhing and flailing its tentacles about. A few of its appendages reached out to him and before he could even think, had him by the ankles, knocked him to the ground and pulled him towards its awaiting mouth.
Its razor sharp beak snapped open and shut as he was brought closer. Kai struggled to break free from its strong grip, but the harder he tried the tighter its grasp became. Losing breathe and less than a foot away from its jaws, he watched a purplish-blue tongue covered with daggers extend from its mouth and slowly lick him. He gasped in pain as his whole entire back felt as if a fiery liquid was consuming him in its deadly flames. Apparently pleased by his taste, it reeled him in farther and just as the hand of Death reached out to him, an angel of light shoved the hand away and led him out of the pool of decay he lied in.
The sand stung his wounds like a horde of irritated bees, and the pain was overwhelming. As the world began to turn as black as night, the angel lingered in his view and with a smile on his lips, he let the darkness consume him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When at last his eyes opened, Kai found himself staring up at ceiling of dueling worlds, light versus dark. Sitting up in his bed, he winced in pain as flames licked his back again. He fell back down on the mattress and heard someone enter the room, saying, "Oh no, don't move. That wouldn't be good for your recovery."
Zeo held in his hands a wad of bandages to replace the ones that were strapped around Kai's torso. Gently he removed them and grimaced at the sight. As he looked over his shoulder, Kai observed his face and curiously asked, "Is it really that bad?"
Nodding, Zeo put some salve in his hands and rubbed it on the wounds. Kai was surprised when he felt no pain, nothing but the boy's cool, soothing hands upon his back. Carefully, the boy wrapped fresh bandages around him and tossed the soiled ones away. Zeo sat on a chair he had pulled into the room and kept his eyes downcast.
"I'm sorry for touching you, I know you don't like it...or me...but all things considered, I didn't really have a choice. Until you get better, I'll have to change your bandages and apply salves, unless you don't want to get better. So try to deal with it for now, okay? After you get better, I won't ever do it again. So until then, forgive me."
Kai sighed. The boy wanted his approval and friendship so desperately it was sickening. Glancing over at the pitiful boy, he muttered, "I guess thanks are in order for saving me. So thank you." He rolled his eyes as Zeo's happiness shone brightly like sunshine throughout the room.
Zeo grinned as he pulled his chair closer to Kai's bedside. "Your welcome. It wasn't like I hadn't done it before. What were you doing out there anyway? You know it's dangerous out there, and I don't think you knew how to get back to safety. So why were you out there?"
"I was trying to get away from you." Kai snapped automatically. The happiness disappeared and a cloud of gloom hovered above Zeo's head. Sighing exasperatingly, Kai threw up one of his hands. "Don't you dare start crying or I'll hit you."
"Were you looking for a way out?"
"Yes."
Zeo took in deep breaths to stop the tears. "You really want to leave, don't you?"
"Yes."
"You don't like me much, do you?"
Kai remained silent.
"You think I'm annoying and weird and stupid and freaky and odd and you hate me, don't you? If you had found a way out, you'd leave me here to die. You'd like me to die, wouldn't you? You hate me! Why is that? I haven't done anything to make you not like me. What did I do wrong? Why don't you like me, Kai?" Zeo hadn't shed a tear but each of his words trickled down his cheeks in sadness. "Why?"
Kai looked away and at the curtains concealing the window. "I'm not a person who's very fond of social contact. I'm a loner and that's all there is to it."
A ray of hope gleamed in the boy's eyes and he asked, "Couldn't you at least try to like me? Just a little?"
Kai scoffed and closed his eyes. "Whatever," he mumbled and Zeo assumed it as a confirmation.
"Goodnight, Kai. Rest up. If you need anything just ring that bell on your nightstand. Sleep well." Zeo quietly exited the room, once again having switched from grieving to glad in an instance.
He is so weird, Kai thought and gradually fell asleep as the suns peeked through the curves of the curtains, lighting his calm face while he slept.