The Liar (ON HOLD)

Chapter 15

Kai

Kai woke up about six in the morning. It was quite earlier than usual which gave him a lot of time to himself and a quiet house. The mornings were the nicest part of the day for him. Kai walked out of his room and tiptoed to the kitchen. Every morning he'd sneak into the kitchen and steal something to eat, which is how he'd stayed alive so long, theoretically speaking. Sometimes he even snuck some snacks to his room. He had to limit the amount of food he ate for the sake of Mrs. Shina finding out his theft, but so far, he'd had a clear streak.

He quickly slipped into the fridge and found some leftover chicken from the previous night. Kai couldn't risk heating it in the oven, so he took his chances and willed his hand to catch fire. He held the chicken as he rolled the chicken onto its cold sides. Once he was done, he quickly downed the food. Kai wanted to eat more but he knew that if he did, he was risking his skin. He'd already lost dinner privileges for two weeks; he couldn't afford to lose more. 

Kai went back to his room and changed. It was still dark out, but the sun would rise any minute, so he decided to go for a walk. It would calm him. The early sun was a pretty sight. It wasn't often that he was able to see it. 

Kai opened his window and jumped out without making a sound. He tiptoed through the streets, walking for about five minutes. Finally, Kai stopped. The hill next to the cemetery was the perfect spot for watching the sunrise and sunset. It was a popular spot, and many people came here. He sat down on the bench and stared out over the lake. There was a forest beyond the resting point of the water. Further back there were mountains edging the outline of the skies. That was where he wished he could be. In the woods, in a cabin, sitting by the fire at night with friends he didn't have. Everything was so simple for everyone else. Why couldn't he just have an easy life like everyone else?

Kai sighed and leaned back; the sun started peeking out from behind the mountains. Kai stared wistfully as the sun slowly reached halfway above the summit. It was beautiful Kai had to admit. The sky turned from black to blue to pink and then to orange. The trees lit up and seemed to get taller as they absorbed the sunlight. The water turned pink and glittered in the new light that had enlightened upon them. 

"Wow." Kai muttered in wonder. It was a marvelous sight and one that he was glad he was seeing. It took his breath away.

Kai seemed to zone out as his mind wandered to Cole's invitation. Did they really want him as their friend? Looking at himself, Kai would've thought that they'd hate him like everyone else did. "Welp, I guess I really don't have a choice. Cole was pretty clear that he'd be waiting for me." Kai stated aloud as he stood up. 

The sun was now hovering above the summit of the peaks and the sky and water had returned to their normal color. Kai started heading home to pack some swim trunks and other things he might need. Kai glanced over at his sketchbook and sighed; it'd be best if he didn't bring it with. "Agh Fuck it." Kai cursed as he stuffed the sketchbook into his backpack. 

Kai really hoped Cole wouldn't mind him being four hours early. He seriously wanted out of his house, and for some reason Cole had piqued his interest. Cole had always stood out to Kai as a celebrity and had assumed that he was stuck up from all the attention, but Cole ended up as quite the opposite. Cole hated the attention; Kai could tell just by one look at him when he was in a crowd. That in itself intrigued Kai, and it was obvious Cole was a nice guy. 

Kai soon arrived at the mansion, or so he thought it was. All the lights were off, and Kai chuckled. He should've realized that they'd all be asleep. It was Saturday after all. Kai thought about turning back but shook his head. "Yeah, I'm not going back home." Kai stated as he walked up to the front porch. He wanted to knock but thought that'd be stupid since Cole and his father would probably be sleeping. Kai put aside his doubts and knocked. He cringed when the knock seemed to echo through the neighborhood. 

Kai stood there for what felt like hours when in reality it was only a few minutes. Finally, Kai heard the lock click and he saw Mr. Brookstone open the door. 

"Oh hi..." Kai greeted with a nervous expression. He had really hoped that Cole would've opened the door. 

"Who are you?" Lou asked with a glare.

Kai gulped and shuffled his feet. He started sweating. "I'm one of Cole's friends. I was wondering if he was awake. We had plans to hang out today." Kai blurted; it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. 

Lou's glare was intense as if he didn't believe a word Kai said. "I'm sorry mister. But I don't recall Cole mentioning you much less him going out today, so if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Lou stated as he began to close the door. 

"Wait! Ask Cole, he'll vouch for me. I swear I'm not lying." Kai cried as he put his foot in the way of the door. 

Lou seemed to consider it for a moment but then shook his head. "If you're really his friend you can come back when he's awake. Seven is quite early so I suggest you go home and wait till nine." Lou answered. Lou pushed Kai's foot away and shut the door. 

"Man, Cole has one shitty dad." Kai muttered as he turned around and walked away. Then he got an idea. 

Kai ran around the house and quickly located what he thought was Cole's room. He had to admit the framework of the house was so steep and edged that no one but a ninja would be able to scale that wall...and lucky for Kai, he happened to be one. Kai strapped his backpack around his waist so it wouldn't fall if it slipped off his shoulders, then he backed up and jumped, latching onto the edge of a window and pulling himself up. Kai stood on the windowsill noticing how he was about ten feet up already. Kai chuckled, "Man, Sensei Wu really knew what he was doing when he told me I needed to learn how to scale walls." Kai muttered. He turned and jumped to the next window which put him about five feet higher. Then he reached Cole's porch. He grabbed onto the rail and hopped over. 

"Easy." Kai stated. Then he walked over to the door and found it unlocked. "Huh." Kai muttered. He opened the door and walked inside, gently shutting it behind him. Kai stared at the form that was snoring in the bed and Kai cracked a smile. It was funny seeing someone sleep. Kai crept to Cole's desk and sat down in the chair; it was quite comfortable. Kai pulled out his sketchbook and started drawing. It'd be a while before Cole woke up. 

About fifteen minutes later, Kai dropped his pencil onto the floor, but instead of picking it up he began to snore peacefully. His head rested against the desk with his arms folded underneath his head while his sketchbook sat beside him.