Renaissance of Chaos

XV

"Hey! Pass over some of that chicken!" Fabian whispered, reaching out to Luke to grab some of the food.

"You idiots brought chicken at the show?!" Kai shouted, reaching over Monica to smack them.

Unfortunately, the boys were faster and crouched down in time, Fabian nearly falling from his seat, mouth stuffed full of the delicious chicken. Luke had his hands latched firmly on the box that contained the snack, its spicy scent escaping and filling the area around them with each hasty movement.

"It's (Y/N)'s special spicy chicken! Of freaking course we're gonna bring it!" Fabian argued, just to duck another slap.

"You idiots! You're stinking up the whole place!" Kai screamed but was quickly chastised by someone sitting nearby.

"We're in the back rows, on the balcony. Nobody's gonna care." Luke countered, motioning around them.

Indeed, the balcony of the auditorium was considerably empty, compared to the first floor which was packed full of curious people, come to enjoy the show. The first few rows and seats around them were completely empty, giving the gang more than enough space to relax and goof around.

"Too bad, (Y/N) couldn't tag along." Monica said, drawing everyone's attention.

Silence fell over the group, each one's thoughts revolving around one person, the one who wasn't with them, guilt taking over some of them. Guilt at not being by her side, but here, enjoying this show, and acting like everything was alright.

Kai slumped in her chair, a strange headache beginning to make itself known. She couldn't get the way her friend acted that morning out of her mind. The two of them had known themselves for almost 11 years and had been through so much together. They had laughed, cried and supported each other in tough times. They had been the perfect partners in crime, never leaving each other behind. They could tell when the other was sad, happy, or something was eating away at her, as if their hearts were synchronized. Whenever something bad was happening, the two girls had always confined in each other. Kai's strained relationship with her mother, (Y/N)'s ex-abusive great-grandmother. Nothing had been too grave, too shameful or heavy for the other not to carry. They had no secrets. Truly, a greater friendship could not exist. Until now.

Lately, something had changed with (Y/N). Kai couldn't exactly put her finger on what, but she could feel her friend slowly drifting away and wasn't allowing the others to follow. Kai felt... hopeless. Betrayed... almost. She wanted to be by her friend's side, to listen to her, bang their heads together and get to the bottom of this like a team, like they always did. (Y/N) had always helped her. When things got ugly at home and she could no longer stand her mother and her delusions of her perfect daughter, (Y/N) had her sleep and eat at her house. She gave her time and a place to heal and shed tears in peace. When she got in trouble at school, when she got into fights, she could count on her friend to have her back and rescue her. (Y/N) sucked at fighting, but that didn't stop her from getting involved, if not with her fists, then with her wits, with traps and plans so that they could come out victorious.

And she was so much stronger than she appeared to be.

(Y/N)'s disappearance from 10 years ago was common knowledge in the village. Few were the ones who did not know of those horrible events, the fear that gripped them all when the news broke and spread like wildfire during summer. Some rushed to give aid the moment they heard what happened, while others looked in fear at the forest which had swallowed another soul. Kai had been among them, staring at the photo of children and young people pinned on her grandfather's walls, all of them having met their end in the forest, while in the next room, her mother screamed about how she was going to move away before it was too late. Before whatever was lurking within those woods took her daughter away too.