ꗃ ⋆ ࣪ . 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 - 🖇️ 𖥻

💬 𝟬𝟱┃𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 ✰

⋮ ❛ Soundtrack: Kill Bill by SZA ❜ ⋮

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"I know who it is."

"Who's—!"

Kai swiftly holds a shushing finger against the girl's lips, leaning closer to whisper against the shell of her ear.

"My ex." He places his hands on her shoulders, silently guiding her upstairs. "Her friend is here."

"W-What?" Aloisa's widened eyes pin the door. "She's stalking you?"

A creak resounds from the door as soon as the pair reaches the stairway.

"No— Well, yes but," mind spinning until it feels fragmented, Kai only wishes to save explanations for later. "I... don't know."

His own questions echo relentlessly in his mind with no answers accompanying them. Tears sting his eyes, threatening to spill as he remembers eleven, unforgettable words:

"You can't give me what I want or need. I'm sorry."

The wounds of betrayal refuse to heal, their pain a constant reminder of the deep betrayal he had endured.

It hurts.

It really, really hurts.

But Aloisa's soft palm presses against his knuckles, pulling him out of his thoughts.

She speaks to him, but without a sound, her lips shaping words instead.

"What do we do?" she mouths, and the weight of the situation sinks Kai's heart.

This kind stranger took him in despite his questionable abilities. He never asked her to — he couldn't. Yet, she still did, and here they are together.

She unwittingly put herself in danger. No— He put her in danger. Unintentionally, yes, but he did nonetheless. This is his fault. He berates himself internally at the thought.

Swiveling his head around, pink sparks can be spotted bouncing across the downstairs floor.

"Go," he frantically whispers, trying to descend the staircase without a second thought.

Something grabs hold of his sleeve, and he turns to find Aloisa with eyes colored by sheer panic.

With a quivering lip, she asks him, "What about you?"

His own dread grips him like a vice as footsteps draw near. He tries to free himself from the raven-haired girl's hold, but she yanks him toward her in protest.

"Don't worry about me," he pleads, urging her upstairs. "Please just... hide and—!"

"There you are," a voice growls from behind him. "Damn fucker."

Shit.

Whipping around again, he positions himself between Aloisa and the girl standing at the foot of the staircase.

"Already with another girl?" The intruder sneers, twirling her ombré hair with a narcissistic air. "No wonder Jane left you."

Kai's blood boils at the witch's words, jaw creaking in protest when he grits his teeth.

Thick eyeliner paints the woman's eyelids, her tan skin smeared with foundation a shade too dark. Dead, straw-like curls are pinned and tied into a tangled bun, split ends reaching the mid of her plump forearms.