The Protectors: Book 1: Reunion

Chapter 10: Something's Off About Him

"Hey Kev, you up yet?" Kameron asked, gently knocking on Keviar's bedroom door with the back of her hand.

"Yeah, come in," he answered. His voice was dazed and unfocused, as he returned to frantically tossing his bedsheets up into the air looking for something.

"Whoa um, am I interrupting something?" She asked, walking into the room.

The morning sun pierced through the window striking her flawless brown skin. Her frizz less hair swung over her shoulder as she cautiously stepped further and further into the room tip-toeing over pillows and books as they aimlessly flew across the room landing on the floor with a big thud.

"What...are you doing?" She asked again, looking around at the mess.

"I'm looking for this one book I had last week, but I can't find it now," he said, as his eyes scanned the bookshelf beside his bed.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" She asked, looking at the sunken bags under his eyes. "The sun's barely up and you had a long night."

"Mhm," he said casually, pulling the books out of their slots to briefly read the cover before he threw it away.

"Kev, did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yeah, I could run a marathon," he said, smiling at her.

"Kev, are you sure you're alright?" She asked again, more worried than before.

"Yes Kam, I'm fine," he replied, turning his head back to the shelf. "I just need to find this book."

"What book?"

"Spiritual Legends and umm," he said, ducking under the bed as he tried to remember the name."I can't remember the name but it has a solid black cover and the writing is golden."

"Oh, Spiritual Legends and Theories, I just saw it in the library yesterday," she said.

"Wait what?!" He asked, bonging up as he slapped his head against the hardwood bedframe.

"Yeah, it's been there for like two days now," she continued.

"To the library!" He yelped, speeding towards the door.

"Wait wait wait, not so fast sir," she said, grabbing his collar as he whizzed past her.

"Clean up this room before Yohan sees it and has a mental breakdown," she said, chuckling. "And brush your hair."

As he looked over at the vanity towards the 10-foot mirror mounted to the wall, he finally saw what she was so worried about. The bags under his eyes were dark like the void, sunken enough to hold buckets of water. The dried drool on the side of his cheek stained clear, along with the rat's nest on his head, and eye crust spilling out of his eyes it was made perfectly clear that she had a point.

"Oh, uh maybe you're right," he said, chuckling.

"You can go clean this mess, and yourself up, I'll let Dad know you're alright, and tell the cooks to start breakfast," she said, walking towards the door.

"What about the book?"

"We'll go after breakfast, I gotta choose a new book to read while we're there anyways."

"Okay fine," he said, turning back to pick up the books scattered across the floor.

"Alrighty," she said, closing the door as she merrily walked down the hallway.

That book was the only thing that could explain what was going on with this sudden feeling of something approaching. The unsettling nagging sense that something was on its way. He didn't know if it was good or bad, but the closer it got the more he could sense it pulling at him, like a missing member, aching at the memory of a complete picture.