Chapter 6
Normal POV
The three teenage boys sat in silence. Ten minutes ago the adults had left, and no one had yet to say a single word.
Mr. Dickinson had apologized to the boys for them dropping in so suddenly but as the could see, Kai was difficult to make sit down and listen. Though Tyson personally believed that they had cornered Kai and that hadn't been fair on the captain. Mr. Dickinson had also said that they were all invited in town for a day, sponsored by the Hiwatari's. This made Ray think that they were trying to buy them and didn't like the idea to much. Max had similar thoughts and wondered how they expected them to get Kai there; it was probably easier to move mountains.
The three boys mused over the sudden developments and contemplated what their next move would be? Confront Kai? Leave him alone? Contact the Demolitions Boys? Leave without informing the three adults?
"I'm hungry", mumbled Tyson, as his stomach grumbled, a low moaning noise everyone was set to get accustomed to.
"Is that all you can think of? Your stomach", said Max.
"No but I don't know what else to do".
"Tyson has a point. We should eat, it would probably help" said Ray, who got up, headed for the kitchen to prepare some food.
"Do...do you think Kai is hungry?" asked Tyson.
"Go ask him".
Tyson didn't complain but hesitated before he headed up to the bedrooms. He stood in front of Kai's door, his hand inches away from knocking. He wondered if Kai would notice anything was out of order, he wondered if Kai was even in there still or had escaped somehow.
His knuckles finally came in contact with the door and after a few seconds of no answer he knocked again, still no sound. As he was about to knock once more when the door opened slowly.
Kai was dressed casually, loose grey pants and a black t-shirt. His hair was even tied up in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. Tyson had not noticed Kai's hair was that long.
"Uh" no sound came out of Tyson's mouth and his mind was suddenly blank.
Kai raised an eyebrow, his lips pursed, waiting for the teen to speak.
"We were wondering if you wanted something to eat, I think Ray's going to make some stir-fry" Tyson finally said, his mouth suddenly felt dry and the words seemed to speed out of his mouth at full throttle.
"No" came a raspy answer and the door began to close.
Tyson grabbed hold onto the door handle and resisted it closing, stopping Kai who opened it fully, and cooking his head to one side, curious as to what the world champion was doing.
"Are you sure…that you're not hungry or anything", Tyson asked, his emphasis on the word implied he meant something else, something he wasn't going to be asking outright.
Kai shook his head and closed the door before Tyson could stop him a second time.
Tyson stood in front of the door, he heard it lock and some shuffling from inside the room. Tyson leaned forward and pressed his ear against the door. He could hear Kai speaking, it must have been Russian but it was very indistinct so he could even be sure of that.
Tyson sighed and headed back downstairs.
"We found some interesting things in Kai's room while you went out to find him"
Ray looked up from the grated vegetables at Max who sat at the kitchen island, he was looking around absentmindedly.
Ray looked back at the vegetables, and asked what they found.
Max shrugged, "Most of it was in Russian. Formal documents all neatly ordered with pencil marks all over. We found some English ones too but they were all formal as well. Hard to understand. I think they were the papers, the 'letters' that were mentioned earlier".
Ray nodded, he didn't want to look at Max, he didn't want the youngest member to see his face, didn't want him to see the grief and hardship. Ray knew Kai the best out of all of them and Kai had not even mentioned his family. Why had he never asked? He should never have assumed that they were dead.
"We found this weird flash drive. It had loads of photographs and pdf and all sorts of stuff. Like real personal stuff".
"What kind of photographs?" asked Ray as he searched for the wok.
Max twitched his nose and ran a hand through his hair.
"His family I guess. Most were scans. And of the Demolition Boys, when they were younger".
Ray was about to respond when he spotted Tyson coming down the stairs.
"No luck?" Ray didn't really have to ask, he say the answer clear as day on Tyson's face. Kai was coming downstairs.
Tyson took a seat next to Max.
"Why won't he accept our help?" he asked.
No one answered, for they all knew the answer deep in their hearts already.
Ray POV
Everyone had gone off to do their own thing after we ate and cleared up. Tyson and Max were outside, making a snowman. I had watched them for some time before heading inside to make some hot chocolate. Everything had turned cold suddenly. It was cold inside and out.
I filled the kettle and waited for it to boil, as I watched I noticed that someone was looking at me, glancing over I saw Kai, he was standing at the wall, where the kitchen began in this open planned house.
He was staring at me, but his eyes looked red and lips were pursed together.
"A watched kettle will never boil" he said, his mouth had barely moved and his voice was hoarse.
I nodded, there was so much that I wanted to ask him, about his family, about his mother and where he grew up, about the papers and what was going on.
Instead, I asked if he wanted some hot chocolate.
He nodded a yes, and watched as I prepared the mugs, I found some baby marshmallows and the sugar; I mixed the chocolate powder with some milk to make a paste before I poured in the water. I put the sugar and three marshmallows are the mugs. As I handed one to Kai he thanked me under his breath.
I watched as Kai took a sip of it and he seemed to visibly relax, his shoulders suddenly falling back, his eyes closed briefly before flickering back at me.
"Tyson and Max were in my room earlier" he said, as he took a seat at the table, his fingers laced around the mug.
I sat down and stared at him slack jaw, how did he know? I thought they had said they had left everything how they had found it.
"They left my door open, I always close it when I leave", he said, as if reading my mind.
I frowned, "You're not angry?"
He shrugged and drank his hot chocolate.
"It's hard you know"
"What is?"
"Being angry, at them all the time…I know that their intentions are good. So it's hard, especially after…everything else".
We sat there; I didn't know what to say, what could I say?
Kai began to get up from his seat, holding on his mug, I opening my mouth to say something, he stopped and looked at me waiting, but my mouth closed. I had nothing to say. He tipped his mug towards me and headed back upstairs.
"You always make the best hot chocolate Ray"
Normal POV
Kai stood at his bedroom window, he was watching the others make the snowman, he saw as Max and Tyson were arguing over what their creation should wear while Ray tried to straighten out the lopsided snowman he seemed to be leaning against gravity.
He sipped at the hot chocolate, every sip made him relax a bit more, the sweet milky taste made his whole body slacken, as if ever muscle was unwinding slowly.
He smiled at them, they were just kids still. Never have seen what he has seen though each one still carried their own baggage, they carried it together.
He was remembering something, it had been such a long time he had played in the snow like that, so long since the snow was something more than cold ice.
Flashback
"Tala! Wait Tala I'm coming"
"Hurry up slowpoke!"
The two boys were running, down a cold and dark corridor lit with cheap florescent lights that flickered, they were heading towards the entrance of the corridor, a door which was closed.
They slammed into the door and looked at each other panting.
Kai who was a head smaller than his red hair cohort smiled as he had finally caught up with the older child whose ice blue eyes sparkled.
"Told you to hurry up, c'mon before they get rid of it all tomorrow"
They opened the door and walked into a courtyard, it was old and cold but they didn't care, what mattered was that it was covered in fresh snow, a lot of snow which had come in last night. They usually trained here but due to the weather it had been cancelled and a more theoretical lesson had been arranged. Neither boy wished to spend the day wasted in books and had snuck out of the lesson.
The courtyard was walled in, the walls were old and had ivy growing madly along the wall, something the abbey struggled to keep under control. Even in Kai's room you couldn't keep the plants out for there was a forest of moss growing in the corner which he nurtured dutifully.
The two boys burst out laughing in joy and excitement and promptly fell into the white substance.
They were throwing and hurling the snow at each other when another presence made its known.
"You shouldn't be here. Boris will punish you when he finds you out here".
The two turned and see Bryan standing by the door which was now closed, his arms crossed over his chest which was puffed out. He too was older than Kai though neither of them really cared about that.
"Who's going to tell him? You?" challenged Kai as he picked up some snow and began to make a ball.
"C'mon Bryan you wouldn't be a snitch. You're better than that" said Tala, who had known him longer.
Bryan didn't move.
"Why not join us. No one needs to know" continued Tala.
"We are not here to play games" answered Bryan
"You sound just like Boris. What are you, his lackey? C'mon Bryan it won't hurt I promise" Tala smiled.
But Bryan never had a chance to answer for in seconds his face was full of snow from Kai's snowball. The boy glared and charged after Kai, grabbing snow as he did so.
But Kai was too quick; he darted along and avoided Bryan's deathly grip laughing as he did so.
Bryan was clumsy in the snow and he tripped over his own feet, falling head first into the snow.
"Bryan are you ok?"
Bryan was lying on his back; he was staring up at Kai and Tala who were looking at him in concern.
Embarrassed the boy sat up and rubbed his head as he had hit it on something hard.
Kai knelt down and stared at Bryan, his bright eyes wide.
"Bryan, do you know the story of the Snow Maiden?"
Bryan nodded, "My ma used to tell me it when I was little, but I don't know the words, she only told me a couple of times".
"Well Kai here is a pro at story telling" said Tala as he patted Kai's back, grinning from ear to ear.
"You know the story? Word for word?" asked Bryan.
Kai nodded and placed a hand on Bryan's shoulder, "Word for word".
End Flashback
Kai took a sip of his beverage when he realized it was finished, sighing he put the mug down next to his bed.
They had been in a lot of trouble when Boris found what they had done that day. But they were used to the punishments, used to the cracks, flogging and cursing. The darkness and the wetness. Used to the abbey and they were ok, they had had each other. Except, Kai frowned, Tala had changed, he was colder not as joyful as when they were younger. He sighed, if only his father had known. But what would he have done?
Kai pushed the thought out of his head and turned his attention to the green book on his bedside table, he flipped through it, found the photograph he cherished so much and smiled. What would she want him to do? What his father wanted? Or what he wanted?
Kai closed the book and listened to the laughter coming from outside.
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