The paper blue jay
Kai woke with a start. His head was throbbing and blood smeared his hands. Looking around, he saw only darkness with the occasional bit of brown wall. Trying to stand up, Kai nearly fell over again. He reached out to lean on the wall, only to have it move away from him. His headache was distorting distances. Sitting down again, Kai realized he was on steps. Only a few inches away from him was flat ground. Maybe he was in a dungeon somewhere in the depths of the Academy. But why? Had he done something wrong? Was this payback for what he had done to Dominic? Hopefully it wasn't, and it was all just a big misunderstanding.
Beside him, a groan startled the fifth-former. He wasn't alone. Tentatively, he called out, "Who's there?"
"Brown?" Said a somewhat familiar voice. Jacob Tilpin's brown eyes stared at him from across the room. Kai gave a little start. Why was Jacob Tilpin in a place like this? Was he trying to turn Kai over to their side?
But as Jacob crawled over to where Kai was, Kai's quickly adjusting eyes could see that the boy had bruises on his face and blood matting his hair. Jacob looked frightened, and Kai immediately took pitied on the fellow, "Jacob. Do you know how we got here?"
Shuffling so he could recline against the wall, Jacob shook his head. He coughed a little, holding his gut in pain, "I don't remember anything. I was kind of hoping you could tell me ... the last thing I remember is going to bed on Thursday night. Now I'm sitting here, bloody, in my pyjamas." And indeed he was. Kai could make out little golden swirls on black fabric.
Looking down at himself, Kai realized he was still wearing his green cape. He reached up to unfasten it and felt blood on his neck. It was dripping down from his hair. The brown-haired boy cringed as he took off his cape and put it down. Shaking his head, he remarked, "I must have forgotten to take off my clothes, I was so tired. I just fell right asleep. Didn't hear a thing."
"...We're from different departments..." Jacob said slowly, "So we sleep in different dorms. On different floors..."
An idea came into Kai's mind. He slowly lifted himself up off to the floor to sit beside Jacob. Slumping against the wall, Kai gave the impression of being drowsy and in pain, but his eyes were calculating every movement. He still wasn't sure if he could trust Jacob, but the boy looked pretty badly beat up, "Do you know this place, Jacob? Have you ever been here before? Like, with Patrick or Dom?"
Jacob began to shake his head, and then stopped. Biting his lip thoughtfully, he said slowly, "I might have been here once... Last year... With Patrick. He needed to show me something..."
"What was it?" Kai asked, curious despite himself. For a moment, he actually believed that Jacob was going to tell him.
Jacob closed up immediately and looked into the darkness on his other side. Kai followed his gaze and manage to pick out a barely discernable outline of a door. It didn't seem too far away, but he couldn't really judge distances in the dark. Finally, Jacob spoke, "I can't tell you, alright. Let's just concentrate on getting out of here."
"Can you walk?" Kai asked rudely. The bond formed between the two boys was ruptured as their loyalties divided them once more. He got up slowly and hetitantly reached for Jacob's hand. The door seemed to be getting farther away. But there was light behind it, so the outline would remain visible.
Jacob nodded, "Yeah...". But he took Kai's hand nonetheless. With Jacob limping, the two boys made their way to the door.
Kai grabbed for the doorknob, holding the cold metal in his hand. He turned it slowly and the two boys were blinded by the light. They stepped into a room with a mirror, two chests and a few boxes of dusty costumes. A flickering lamp hung from the ceiling. A door with peeling paint stood to their right. The walls of the room were bare.
Letting out a sigh and running his hands through his hair, Jacob muttered, "We must be in an unused drama room. When Patrick took me down to a dungeon near here, we had to go through a whole maze. There are tons of tunnels under the Academy. I would have gotten lost if it weren't for Pat."
Kai gripped Jacob's arm and pulled him to the mirror. The two boys could examine their cuts for the first time.
Kai had a gash running across his forehead and blood matting his har. Blood, covered by dust, came down from his ear to his neck and seeped into his grey shirt. Bruises were across his neck and left cheek. His shirt was ripped in two locations, and when Kai pulled it up, his lean frame had shallow cuts running across it. He pulled down his pants and boxers slightly to see a gash cutting into his thigh. When he opened his mouth he found blood coating his left canine. Turning around, Kai could see that his back was criss-crossed with cuts.
Jacob had barely fared better. Bruises covered his whole face, and his messy hair was sticky with blood. Blood coated his arms, and it seemed to be coming from matching cuts on his shoulder. Bruises were on his back and fragile chest. The third-former almost cried when he saw the oozing wound on his calf.
"We got beat up pretty bad, huh?" Kai said. Jacob didn't reply. He just put his clothes back on and headed towards the door.
Pulling the knob, Jacob found that it was open. Kai came up behind him and they stepped out into the hall. Passageways branched off in three directions. They all seemed to lead into darkness. Jacob groaned, "We're never getting out of here..."
"Yeah, we will..." Kai said, without much hope in his voice, "Let's see. Inie mini minie mo. Let's go left..."
"That won't work," Jacob told him, "We'd get lost. This is our starting point. Maybe I can remember the route Patrick and I took..."
The boys stood there for a good few minutes, unsure of what to do. Finally there were just about to give up and start arguing over which endowments would come in handy here when a voice said, "Psst. I can help you out of here."
Kai, startled, looked around, but he saw no one. A knock came from the wall and Kai walked over to it. While Jacob watched with wide eyes, Kai knocked back. The voice sounded oddly familiar, but he couldn't place it, "You know your way around this place?"
"I've been in here for about a week," Said The Voice, "I know all of the tunnels and how to get into the walls."
"So how do we get out?" Asked Jacob quietly. Apparently he had a thing about talking walls.
The Voice sounded sure of itself, "Follow me. I'll knock every once in awhile. I'll lead you out."
Kai and Jacob looked at each other, and the boys slowly nodded. So following a stranger through a maze of dark tunnels rather stupidly, Kai and Jacob started walking.
--
"Have you seen Kai!? Edward. Edward! Kai, have you seen him? I haven't seen him. At all. Please tell me you've seen him. Edwarddd!" Caitlyn went from yelling to whining. Her mocha curls were in complete disarray. Her brown eyes were frantic with worry and she was grabbing Ed's arm as he tried to get up.
They were sitting outside on a tree stump, just the two of them. Edward had come outside hoping to show off the dye that he had put in his hair, turning his roots an icy blue. Audrey had fawned over it, but he knew she wasn't serious. Audrey liked Kai. Kai, who was missing.
Caitlyn had also told him that Jacob Tilpin hadn't shown up for drama. Ed was intrigued by this. After cracking a 'you think they eloped?' joke, he began to think. An idea came to him rapidly, and as soon as Caitlyn had finished with her rant, Ed said, "You know, they both have the same thing in common. They both infuriate Audrey. Kai because he doesn't like her back, and Jacob because he has this ... control over her."
Caitlyn blanched. She opened her mouth and stuttered a bit before muttering something comprehensible, "You think that ... that bitch ... did something to them?"
"I was only suggesting..." Edward said hurridly, as he knew that he'd worried her, "I'm sure that's not it."
"Edward," Her voice was iron cold. She turned to look at him, "Spy on her
A large paper blue jay flew by on the wind. It circled around and around until it landed on Edward's head, where it disappeared. Edward's jaw dropped, "I don't know if that'll work. Nice illusion, by the way."
Caitlyn just shook her head at him, "Do it."
"In front of you?" Edward pleaded, somewhat reluctant to do what she asked. He shifted from side to side nervously, "Do I really have to?"
"Would you rather hide behind a bush?" Caitlyn asked sarcastically. She thwaped him lightly on the shoulder and passed him a piece of paper and a pen.
Ed looked at her doubtfully but took the paper. He held the pen carefully in his hand and began to draw. Slowly the realistic shape of a blue jay began to take place. With the blue pen, Edward coloured in the areas that needed colour. The eyes were so lifelike he felt like he should have been in Art. The wings receieved their form, being textured perfectly. Soon it seemed that the blue jay was three-dimensional, just waiting to take flight. When Edward was sure the other details had been done, he took a grey pencil crayon from his pocket and lightly traced veins inside the bird's head, connecting the brain to the eyes and the ears and the muscles and ligaments. He put the paper down on the stump and blew. Edward pufed his cheeks and blew. Slowly, the blue jay began to peel off of the paper. It took to the sky and Edward felt a piece of his heart go with it.
"Find Audrey," He whispered and closed his eyes.
Immediately his viewpoint switched to that of the birds. He was flying over the Academy. On the ground, he dimly recognized the shapes of Gemma and Liam walking over to him and Caitlyn. Caitlyn moved up to tell them what he was doing. Just as Edward was beginning to enjoy the rush of green and grey below, the bird suddenly dived. It nearly flew into a window, but stopped just in time. Perching on the window, it allowed Ed to look in. He saw Audrey and Cameron sitting together in a room he hadn't been aware of.
The room had walls made from polished black cherry wood, and the floor was also wood. It was smooth and looked like walnut. A large table with sat in the middle. Tapestries hung from the walls and cast gloomy shadows onto the floor. A set of drawers stood in one corner. Blackwood chairs were set around the table, but none were occupied. Audrey sat in a velvet blue chair by a crackling fire off to the side of the room. Sitting in a pristine grey velvet chair, Cameron lounged back against the headrest. Then Audrey leaned forward to say something to him.
Ed/bird tested the window and found that it was open. It hopped inside curiously and fluttered to the mantel, landing above Audrey's chair and behind a large golden mirror, and stopped moving. Edward found that he could see and hear perfectly.
"What about Tristan?" Cameron snapped, eyes half-closed but Ed could see that they were completely alert.
Audrey rolled her eyes, "What about him? Him and the flyer are completely under control. It's not like she knows, anyways."
Cam obviously didn't like her rude tone, "What if she knows!? Auntie was telling me that the last time, they managed to do the same thing. Somehow they learned about it. It can happen again."
"These are different circumstances," Audrey said bitterly, "Completely different."
"Yeah, sure," Cameron said, "They sit in the same chair. Manfred hasn't even replaced the chairs, but if he did they would sit in the same place. And the flyer, well, what if one of us who know about her turns to their side, tells them. This is crazy, Audrey. I don't know why Pat and Manfred thought you could help."
"I drown people, Cam. I'm a hell of a lot more useful than you," Audrey said matter-o-factly. She reclined in her chair and brought her legs up over the side.
"Then drown them! That's why we put them there! Can you make up your mind? Us or them!?" Cameron spazzed, leaping to his feet. He was clearly angry now, and his fists were clenched, trembling.
A horrible expression came onto Audrey's face for a second, but it vanished in a second. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Cameron defiantly, "I'm not going to. They were put there to keep them out of my way. Not to kill them."
The door on the other side of the room glided open smoothly without even the hint of a creak. A wheelchair rolled in. It's habitant was tiny, with a skinny frame and sunken eyes. The flesh on his face was mottled with age spots and wrinkly. Only one stringy strand of hair hung down from his scalp. Bones stuck out at all angles, as there was no fat left on his flesh. When Ezekiel Bloor opened his small mouth, it could be seen that he had no 'teef'.
He rasped, "...Loom... leave the room. This is matters for the endowed. It does not concern you."
"Just because I'm not endowed-" Cameron started angrily, but Ezekiel gave him such a look that he froze, nodded and left the room.
Audrey, who wasn't exactly used to being alone in rooms with weird old men, gave a little start and Ed could see a shiver run down her spine. Softly, Audrey said, "What do you want, Ezekiel?"
Ezekiel gave her a toothless grin, "Why... M'dear... I need you to drown some people..."
Audrey started and opened her mouth to protest but Ezekiel foresaw her argument. He hastily added, "Not Tilpin and Brown. I know you like Brown too much to drown him. I only had Patrick and Dom put them there so they didn't distract you. Dom did the rough-housing, and Patrick kept them sleeping..."
"How did Patrick keep them sleeping?" Audrey asked, curious despite herself.
Raising his eyebrows, Ezekiel leered at her, "He put fire in their heads. Only temporary of course, but it stopped their senses for a few hours."
Horrified, Audrey brought her hands to her mouth in shock. Ezekiel knew he had had an effect on her, and he smirked while waiting for her to return to her sense. There was a long silence.
"..." Audrey began, "So who do you want me to drown?"
Then a sharp pain cut through Edward's forehead and he opened his eyes to see a blank piece of paper in front of him. Somewhere in the high towers, a new blue jay zoomed around, free. Looking to see what caused the pain, he saw Liam looking down at him, angry, "You idiot! The horn sounded. We had to hit you - it was enjoyable, trust me - until you woke up. What did you learn?"
"Bone! Gunn! Sage! Torsson! Get to your classes!" Patrick's voice cut across the field. Edward blanched as he looked towards him.
Caitlyn grabbed Ed's arm, "Are you alright? You look like you just remember something awful..."
"Patrick," Whispered Edward so low that the other three had to strain to hear him, "He took Kai and Jacob somewhere to get them out of Audrey's way... He put fire in their heads so they couldn't wake up. Ezekiel wants Audrey to drown somebody. Be careful Caitlyn, I think she dislikes you because of Kai..."
Liam and Gemma gasped in unison and went, "Fire? In their heads? Oh my god..."
Caitlyn, however, had only heard the second part of Edward's whisper. Well, she had only payed attention to the second part, "I am not dating Kai! Why is she jealous of me? There's definately nothing between us. Just because all the girls like him - you have to admit, he's hot - doesn't mean I do. Much! Ugh. He frustrates me so much!"
"Anything else?" Gemma asked quietly. After hearing about the mysterious 'flyer' she was desperate to find any evidence that would connect her Emma Tolly.
Ed frowned, "Something about the flyer and Tristan sitting in the same seat... It was really confusing... And that last time, we managed to do the same thing. Something they fear we'll do to Tristan."
Liam looked like he was about to say something, but another call from Patrick sent them all scurrying. As they were running into the Academy, Edward turned to Gemma and Caitlyn and mouthed, "I'll see you afterschool and tell you more."
--
Tired, dusty, dirty, weary, scratched, cold and hungry, two boys stood before a large door. Kai seemed afraid to turn the door handle, scared that it would lead them to yet another maze of tunnels that they would have to get out off. Jacob looked intimidated by the tall door and let Kai do the work.
"It won't bite you," said The Voice, and once again Kai felt the tugging in his heart that suggested he knew the speaker. Slowly, he opened the door too find bright light engulf them. Wind mussed up their hair and Kai let out a whoop of exultation. Jacob remained quiet, to tired to speak.
Turning to the wall, Kai said, "Why don't you come out with us? You know the way."
Somewhat shakily, The Voice replied, "It's safer down here."
--
"Let's go see if the buses are even close to coming!" Caitlyn, Gem, Ed and Liam had been standing around in a dusky corner outside the Academy waiting for the buses. Edward had explained everything he had heard, and the friends had planned to meet at the Pet's Café on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The cappucino-coloured girl nearly flew down the steps towards the buses when a yell of 'Hey! Caitlyn!' stopped her. She turned to see a tall, lithe boy coming towards her, hands in his pockets. Matching his messy brown hair, his chestnut eyes laughed and sparkled as he came closer. A few bruises still lingered on his face and neck, but all the blood had been washed off.
"Kai! You got out!" And with that, Caitlyn flung herself at him, earning a remark along the lines of 'I was only gone a day'.
Disentangling himself from Caitlyn, Kai peered at her, "How did you know that I was in the tunnels?"
Caitlyn, who wasn't very eager to let go of her crush, hugged his arm while she explained about Edward's little journey.
Panting and wheezing, Liam and Edward arrived beside them, closely followed by Gemma. Gemma hugged Kai quickly, so not to intrude on Caitlyn's territory. Liam laughed happily and clapped Kai on the shoulder. Edward grinned and nodded at them. It was a happy reunion for the most part.
"So how did you get out, then?" Caitlyn poked him.
"...Me and Jacob, we just wandered around for a bit..." Kai said slowly, like he was hiding something.
Ed looked like he was going to press Kai for more details, but a high-pitched voice interrupted them, "Kai!"
A girl with short blond hair came down to the base of the steps to meet them. She completely ignored the others, talking only to Kai. Edward recognized her as Lydia Lyson, who as responsible for helping Audrey at night. She was a fifth-former with sparkling blue eyes, pale skin and pearly white teeth. Kai looked up at her, surprised she was coming over.
Twirling her blue cape behind her, Lydia walked right up to Kai and tried to shy away at the last minute for more effect, "So what are you doing this weekend, Kai?"
"Uhm," Started Kai, not quite sure how to answer. His last girlfriend had been in spring of last year, and truthfully he was more interested in a certain fourth-former then Lydia Lyson, "Working at the Pet's Café mostly..."
"Oh, really? Well, do you mind if I come along sometime?" Lyda giggled and looked down at her pink painted nails.
"If you don't mind hanging out with my friends," Kai said, and Edward almost burst out laughing at the awkward look on Lydia's face. Kai seemd to realize his mistake and hastily added, "But I guess I could show you around the back a little..."
"Cool!" exclaimed Lydia, and she flounced off towards the blue bus which had arrived at last.
Exchanging looks, Liam and Edward headed off towards the blue bus while Caitlyn got on the Art bus with Gemma for their sleepover. 'Cause Kai definately wasn't the reason she was taking the green bus, Edward smirked as he sat down.
And they drove home.
x.x.x.x
Thanks for the reviews people :3
Thank you for the oneshot DotCiki! It was pwnsome. Amazing. People, go check it out D:
You're only starting to love CaitlynKai? xD j/k j/k
My thoughts on this chapter-
It is longer then usually by like 1000 words. It takes place of Friday and is the whole day. There is a bit of JacobKai slash that'll just remain fluff. I'm planning for Jacob to eventually switch sides just a little. I'm really proud of it.
To Win Extra Plushies-
Tell me who you think the voice inside the wall was. (For the person-in-the-wall Plushie)
Guess who Tristan's parents are. (For a Tristn Plushie)
Plushie Time-
DotCiki- For writing that lovely fic, you get a Caitlyn plushie. For reviewing, you get a Cameron plushie. For your villian collection.
Jelly- For you, a Lydia plushie for your shampoo commercials.
Red'n'Gold- A Jacob plushie that gives you toothy smiles.
This chapter is dedicated to DotCiki for all of her love
Till next time
Eagleh
