If anything sounds kind of vague or weirdly written it's 'cause I'm watching XXXHolic while I'm doing this.


The Files of Kazdan Kalinkas

Book Two: After the Storm

Chapter Nine: Interlude – Peyton


"A good friend is a connection to life—a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world." –Lois Wyse


Didn't I always say "expect the unexpected?"

Yeah, I'm sure I did.

And I sure didn't expect what happened to Kaz.

Not in a million years could I have expected that.

But then…

Expect the unexpected, right?

Porting back to the OverWorld to check on Kaz was like riding a rollar coaster for the first time. I was scared for him even though Garv had promised that Kaz'd be alright, I was happy that he'd be back to normal, excited to be able to see him going home, but anxious about what the end result would be.

No parent hates their child.

Well, that's what I was taught and I think it's true.

But I still worried about Kazzer; he was a delicate guy.

Hm, guess that kinda came out a little wrong.

What I meant was that he gets hurt easily. Probably more than usual because of what he's been through.

I haven't said to anyone but I hate Chaor. And I don't hate anyone. But that guy stepped over a line and I hate him for it.

Right.

Back to Kaz at Garv's.

Dude.

It was early morning when we left Chaotic and arrived in Perim. Tom looked like he would rather still be asleep in bed but Sarah was wide awake. As for me, I was half way. To anxious about Kaz to want to sleep but not quite all the way awake.

Garv was waiting in the main room, smoking a long ivory pipe. The room smelled like heavy spice and apples.

"Ah, H'earring said you would come back." Garv murmured, setting the pipe aside and standing up.

"So where's H'earring?" Sarah asked, brushing her hair out her face.

"Sleeping; he kept vigil at your friend's side all night since the armor was removed." Garv answered, standing up and leaning against the stool he'd been sitting on.

"What did you do with the armor?" I asked hesitantly. I knew Kaz hated the armor and we all realized it was something too dangerous to exist in Perim. To exist anywhere.

"Destroyed it." Gar answered in a heavy voice, "It should never have been created in the first place. What Ulmar and Chaor have done crosses all lines set by the natural balance of Perim. Come, I will take you to Kaz." He beckoned us to follow him and we did so, "We have rules in Perim. Since you humans started showing up, there was a silent agreement among the tribes that you humans were not to be deeply involved in our affairs. We could interact with you, help you if you helped us in return, but we were not to cause you permanent harm." Garv stopped outside a wooden door with his hand resting on the knob, "Chaor has broken that agreement and so has shattered the balance of power among the tribes. He took too big of a step in his struggle for ruling power."

"Whatever happens to Chaor because he broke the rules isn't our problem." Tom said in a low voice, "We're here because our friend was hurt. We're here because of Kaz."

"I know that." Garv opened the door, "You need to be quiet. He's sleeping."

I peered over Tom's shoulder as we walked into the dimly lit room. Candles were lit on a stand across the room from a wide bed. And there was the man himself—sleeping of course—with a thick red blanket pulled up to his chin like he was tucked in for a good nights rest on Christmas Eve.

We stepped closer to the bed and looked down at him. Kazzer sure looked peaceful. I tried to think about what it had been like before he'd been kidnapped and messed around with and found that…I couldn't.

I remembered that it used to be fun.

I remembered that it used to be happy.

I remembered that it used to be just us, together, in our world.

In our happy, carefree world.

I felt stupid.

How could we have been so blinded by Chaotic—by our silly little game—to not realize how dangerous Perim could be!?

Whoa! I suddenly become conscious of what I was thinking, Getting a little to far into the dark side, aren't we? Let's not go there!

"There are after effects." I jumped. I hadn't known that Garv had followed us into the room. He move past Sarah and around the side of the bed. Reaching out a hand, he carefully pulled the covers back so as not to disturb Kaz.

Sarah gasped and I felt my jaw drop. Tom shouted a swear word I'd never heard him use before.

I couldn't believe it.

But, yet, I could.

All those horrible things that had happened to Kaz.

Now there would be no way for him to forget them.

Not now.

Not ever.

I felt a lump in my throat and wished it would go away.

I couldn't cry.

The world didn't work like that.

Peyton's never cried.

So I sat there in silence with my friends, waiting for Kaz to wake up.

Waiting.

I hated waiting.


Short, I know, and I'm sorry but I have a hard time writing Peyton. I almost changed the Interlude to someone else but I really, really wanted to write Peyton. Kaz may be my favorite but Peyton, well, he's special. I see him as the sort of chain that holds the group together. If you've read Nice To Be Loved, you'll know what I mean.

Well, next chapter of the Files…Kaz'll be in his boxers again! Mwahahahahahaha!