One by one they all left the screening area. The smaller children cheered about whatever the reset was, and the older ones smiled gently at their cheers.
As Kai was about to get up from her very comfortable spot, she happened to glance at Enoch, the mysterious and extremely handsome Dead-Riser.
In that quick glance, he mouthed stay here.
She nodded subtly, sinking back into the leathery couch beneath her.
"Kai? Enoch?" Miss Peregrine called from the front door. "Are you coming?"
"Be there in a minute!" Enoch shouted, making eye contact with Kai. He looked nervous, almost.
It was silent for a moment. What does she do? Does she talk to him? Does she stay in silence, waiting for him to speak?
That second option seemed the wrong option, judging on how incredibly focused he was. Like he could stare at her all day long, if he really wanted.
"Hi," Kai breathed at last. Her lungs burned from holding her breath so long.
She could herself controlling her breathing. Slower than normal, so she didn't seem anxious. She was anxious, no doubt, but he couldn't tell.
Enoch sat forward then with a slight frown. His forearms rested on his thighs as he cautiously asked, "You have nightmares?"
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Kai's eyes widened at his sudden change of tone.
He didn't snap at her, much to her surprise. His voice was soft, reminding Kai of a comforting shower after a long day.
Enoch's facial features genuinely held concern to them. His lips pulled downward slightly and his eyebrows furrowed together.
His eyes, however, they still held the sharp glare, almost like he was too afraid to allow every bit of emotion through.
They softened when he saw Kai's reaction. She was taken aback from his question. And even worse, she seemed... scared of him, yet neither of them could pinpoint why. He wasn't threatening, not to her, at least.
But his rude tone with Jake; the hard and murderous glare that made Jake pale in fear...how could he look at her that way? She was simply caught up in this confusing mess.
Thrown into a world and taken from her own...
Enoch's tone with Kai was softer, more nurturing... it confused her.
"Yes," She responded. "They said it was a symptom of-" she stopped herself. She cringed as she realized she didn't filter out her condition. That had never happened before. She was always careful, she always knew when to stop talking.
What was different this time?
He furrowed his eyebrows again.
"Symptom of what?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me," He stood up.
Kai flinched back into the sofa from his sudden action.
Enoch sat next to her, their thighs bare full touching. "We're not leaving until you tell me," he said, firmer this time.
"But we'll get in trouble..." she whispered.
"Then you better start talking," he smiled sarcastically.
Kai internally screamed at the close proximity. His face was so close to hers... she was a small animal, compared to him. He was like a wolf, cunning and strategic. And she the terrified rabbit, timid and unknowing.
She realized he wasn't going to let it go.
Besides, would he really judge her? The guy brought inanimate objects to life. He had organs in jars. Surely he'd heard of worse than a recently diagnosed schizophrenic teenager.
Because of that, he didn't have to persuade Kai any longer before she murmured, "A symptom of- of schizophrenia."
He hummed, not knowing what to say.
Kai finally turned to face him, and she saw that his face held concern.
She gasped loudly as she looked beyond his face to the small area behind him.
He whirled around but saw nothing. Just the regular decorations of the screening room.
Kai's pupils dilated on the hallucination, pulling every ounce of focus to make it go away.
But it didn't.
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When Enoch turned back around, Kai's eyes were set on the space directly behind him.
Blood trickled down her nose... Enoch had the sudden and strong urge to wipe it away. What? No, come on...
"What is it?" He asked, ignoring his thoughts. No way he could be... impossible.
She shook her head.
It was a... girl, but the girl seemed to be levitating and her skin was ghastly pale. She had a white glow to her, almost shiny with death.
Her top half of her hair was pinned back with a bow, leaving the bottom to fall onto her back. Her hair, dark and long, curled slightly.
What shocked Kai most was the girl's eyes. They were like black holes, no eyeballs in the sockets. Blood seemed to drip from the pits, but she wasn't sure if it was blood or tears.
She whimpered as she stared at this... girl.
"Kai!" Enoch shook her from her trance. His fingers on her bare arms... it made her shiver away. His hands were very cold, like a corpse. He noticed and quickly took his hands away. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What do you see?"
She refused to look away from the hallucination when she whispered, "Myself."
