Chapter 4

Normal POV

'What am I doing here?' Kai asked himself for the tenth time over the past two days. He was tired, the lack of sleep would do that to a person, and he couldn't eat either.

The teen lay on his bed, his arms raised with his hands holding his head as he stared up at the dark ceiling. He was sure time was moving slower than usual as he glanced at the red digits of the alarm clock on the bedside table.

Deciding that he wasn't going to be sleeping Kai got off the bed, turned on his bedside lamp and began to look through his suitcase.

He brought up an A3 sized envelope, it was thick with papers. Finding a pen, Kai sat down on his bed and opened the envelope, staring down at the papers in front of him. Taking the pen Kai began to make notes in the margins in his own developed short hand. Sighing he frowned and slumped back in defeat.

It was the loud crash that woke him, followed by the yelling and shouting and then finally a door slamming closed. Ray groaned and tried to pretend that he was able to fall back to sleep, but he knew already it was too late. Ray was wide awake.

Checking the time, Ray was surprised, it was already quite late in the morning and he had been asleep, he must have been exhausted last night.

Finally Ray got out of his bed, grabbing a jersey Ray found that it was cold out from under the covers and cursed under his breath. This was not the way he wanted to start his day.

Ray headed to the kitchen to find Tyson sulking, sitting the island fiddling with a spoon and Max who was busy cleaning up a mess off the floor, the mess appeared to me a mug which had some liquid in it.

"Morning Ray", said Max, a bit less cheerfully than usual, Tyson looked at the Chinese boy and then back down, staring at him reflection in the spoon.

"Morning, what exactly happened here?"

"Tyson and Kai had a bit of a disagreement", explained Max as he finished cleaning up the mess, he through the last pieces of the mug into the nearby dustbin.

"A disagreement about what?" asked Ray as he took a seat next to the sulking world champ.

"He said he had to leave early and I said he couldn't because we are a team and this is a team holiday", said Tyson, his eyes not leaving the spoon.

"Leaving? Where was he going to?"

Max pursed his lips, "He didn't say where. He just said he had to leave. Mumbled something about someone coming for him".

"Do you think it's Voltaire?"

"Voltaire's in jail. Maybe it's Boris? Did they lock him up?" said Tyson, turning his reflection up and down on the spoon.

"Where is he now?" asked Ray, suddenly concerned for their ever mysterious team captain.

Tyson shrugged, Max answered, "I think he went into the forest, needed some air".

Ray bit his lip, chewing it as he thought things through. It wasn't uncommon for Kai to leave for some air after a spat with Tyson, but it was cold out there, Ray remembered something about a forecasting of snow for the region.

Tyson suddenly lifted his head, sitting up straight, "That means his things are still here. Maybe we can find an answer to why he says he has to leave".

"Tyson, we can't go snooping in Kai's things, its private", said Max as he tried to reason with him.

Tyson shrugged it off, "No listen, we can finally find out what's eating him up. Then we can help him".

"We should go look for Kai, not go through his things" reasoned Ray.

Tyson sighed, "If you want to go out and look for Mr Sourpuss then do it. But Max and I are going to find out what's wrong, right Max?"

Max shrugged, once Tyson had an idea there was not much point in trying to argue with him.

Tyson nodded, getting off the chair he headed towards Kai's room, a spring now in his step.

"Uh Max, I just have one question"

"Yeah?"

"How did the mug end up crashing on the floor?"

"Oh, Kai tried to throw it at Tyson".

Ray nodded, that didn't seem to out of the ordinary.

Max POV

Ray left to find Kai, he was worried about him but so was Tyson, he just had a different way in wanting to help him.

Kai's things were neatly in order, it was as if he had already packed and was in fact ready to leave at any moment.

Tyson decided that he would go through Kai's suitcase while I was to look through his things still on the bedside table.

I found a small green hardcover book, opening the book the writing was all in Russian, I found that a page was turned in and turned to it, curious. This page was most read, that much I could see. While I was paging through something slipped out of the book and landed on the ground. Picking it up I saw that it was an old photograph, it was of a woman and small boy. Was this Kai and his mother?

Placing it back on the bedside table I opened the small drawer to find a flash-drive, turning to Tyson with it in my hands I found him looking at me, a wad of papers in his own hands.

Ray POV

I knew Kai was headed to the lake before I had left. It was typical of him, find the furthest, coldest and most desolate place to sulk.

And there he was, just as I had predicted.

I watched him for some time, he was just standing there, hands in his pockets watching the lake as it began to freeze over. It was then that I noticed that the snow had started to fall. Kai also seemed to notice and he looked up, taking a step back.

He then opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, trying to catch the snow. I didn't know what to make of this, besides that it was a bit strange.

It was then that I made my presence known to him.

"Kai, what are you doing here in the cold, its snowing for crying out loud".

Kai shrugged, "You know that answer Ray, otherwise you wouldn't be here".

I blushed slightly, it was a stupid question now that I think of it.

"Uh Kai-"

"Don't ask Ray, just don't".

"But Kai, we're your friends, you can tell us anything".

Kai looked straight at me, his mahogany eyes piercing me, I could see that he was thinking, I could see the cogs turning when something caught his attention.

A car, we could see was on the road, the road that took us to the cabin, it looked like Mr Dickinson's car actually.

"Shit, they're coming", cursed Kai under his breath.

"What, whose coming?"

But I never received an answer as Kai moved hastily back towards the cabin, almost running.

We reached the cabin as the car did, which in my opinion was miracle. I never want to move that fast in a forest again.

Kai stopped suddenly on the edge on the forest line, I stood next to him.

Mr Dickinson got out of the car, and then a middle-aged man and a woman, they were both dressed rather, classy and not for this kind of terrain.

"Kai who are they?" I whispered but I received no answer as Kai stepped forward to meet them, the front door opening at the same time to see Tyson and Max standing there, they must have noticed the car pulling up.

I ran to catch up and we all stood in silence, Kai was glaring at the man and the woman.

"It's nice to see you Kai", said the man, he smiled showing his perfect white teeth.

Mr Dickinson who seemed to notice the strained atmosphere smiled ad decided to introduce them to us.

"Boys I would like you to meet Mr and Mrs Hiwatari. Kai's parents".

I glanced at Tyson ad Max who both looked surprised, Max was frowning as well he seemed to have something he wanted to say.

"I thought Kai didn't have any parents", blurted Tyson.

"I don't" answered Kai, and we headed inside the cabin, today was going to be a long day.

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