Kai

Chapter 11

Where, where am I? Looking around me, I didn't exactly recognize the room. It seemed familiar somehow but I know I'd never seen it before. I stood and walked around trying to find something that would give me intel as to where I was.
"Done looking through my stuff?" I jumped and turned to see Cal. He wasn't annoyed just asking a simple question. He watched me calmly as I silently panicked.
Cal was wearing his uniform from the labs and for some reason, it calmed me. I breathed a sigh of relief and he shook his head, "how did I know this would be the right, calming, thing to bring you to?"
Ryan and Michaela showed up too but they were in the same clothes they'd been in. Michaela had a white button down shirt and navy blue jeans on.
I felt a little sad looking at her now, she'd been sent to infiltrate another lab. She was going to be a nurse this time instead of a student.
Ryan was in pajama pants and no shirt, he looked comfy here, as though it were his home. "Could've given us a little more warning, man." Ryan said gruffly before stretching and looking around, "and why here?" He asked incredulously.
Cal shrugged, "I didn't make the dream, I sort of took over sleeping beauty's." He gestured to me as he spoke and I didn't answer, I just continued looking around.
Nothing really gave me any answers as to where I was, "you're in my room at the labs. Stop rifling," Cal said dejectedly and I paused my movements.
"Sit," he ordered pulling a chair out from the desk in the corner. When I complied he smiled, "thanks. I brought you guys here for a simple reason."
He looked around at the three of us meeting each of our eyes before moving to the next.
Finally, when his eyes landed on me I saw sadness there.
"Wh-" I said and he held his hand up. "I'm sorry Kai, I'll answer questions in a bit but I need you to listen. Ok?" His voice was serious but I felt that he was pleading with me.
I could feel the very essence of him as he begged for me to hear him out.
I nodded and he smiled softly, "Jerome's going to go after you." He spoke lowly and I felt as my stomach dropped and anxiety came in. Michaela gasped and Ryan made a face. "Dude, seriously," he asked quietly.
"Yea," Cal said flatly.
"He all but told me he was going to, he sees something in Kai he wants to control. He thinks he can- that he knows how- he just has to lure you in." His eyes rested on me and I couldn't help but shiver.
I remembered his eyes as he'd caged me in and the way his hand wrapped tightly around my throat. Not only that, but I thought of the sound that I'd let out.
I swallowed deeply and chewed my lip in thought, it wasn't until Michaela stepped forward. "Is there anything we can do to protect him," her voice was definitely worried but her demeanor was calm.
Cal groaned at that and kicked at the ground, he rubbed his arms as he thought. "Honestly?" He asked looking at her calmly, "I don't know, he knows how to get under your skin." His voice had dropped and he just sounded tired.
Michaela made a peep sound and when I looked at her she was looking translucent.
She made an irritated face before she completely dropped out and disappeared. "Wh-" I said but Ryan spoke cutting me off. "If Jerome wants Kai, there's no stopping him, you know that."
He and Cal shared a look that spoke volumes about the unsaid conversation between the two of them.
Cal sighed just as Ryan quirked a brow and looked at his neck.
I looked as well but didn't see anything, Ryan seemed to see something though because he scoffed and shook his head. "So you're going to sit here and say that he needs to be careful when you're not?"
His tone was clipped as he spoke and Cal made a noise but didn't actually answer. I cleared my throat and they both jumped, "shit-" Cal said startled, "Kai I know you're here, this meeting is for you, but I forgot you were here."
He and Ryan both rubbed the back of their necks in unison and I just stared not sure what to do. "Look, Kai, do as I say not as I do." Cal said calmly, while Ryan shook his head irritatedly. "I know it's an annoying phrase and I hate saying it but-" he paused, uncertain.
I felt someone shaking me, and I watched as Ryan and Cal faded.
They both wore identical looks of confusion and concern watching me. Cal opened his mouth and said something but I didn't catch it.
I awoke to darkness around me and I blinked the grogginess out of my eyes. I turned and that's when a hand wrapped around my throat.
I felt body weight sitting on my chest and felt a hand slap over my mouth.
I was pinned to the bed, I couldn't move. I couldn't call out, I couldn't even fight if I wanted too.
"Shhh," a voice came out gruffly, "I need you quiet. Can you do that?" They stayed silent and I nodded against their hand, I felt their amusement as they felt me submit to them and that's when it hit me.
I can shut down their emotions! I took a deep breath and focused on them, but something wasn't right.
I couldn't get a good grasp on them, that's when I heard a laugh. "I know how your power works, son," the voice rasped in irritation. My breathing was steady but I felt it slowly picking up.
"Don't try that shit on me, you do that again and it's end game-got it?"
I felt as something cold pressed against my throat and felt as the blood welled up.
It ran down my neck and my eyes widened in shock, how the hell did this guy get in here? How did no one see him- is this a test?
"You were brought here because you're 'special," he spat the word and I groaned as the weight in the blade against my throat intensified.
"You're weak. You're nothing more than a child," he growled out and there was something about his voice that was familiar. I couldn't place it, I knew I knew it but I- I didn't.
"We wanted you here to get rid of you and get you out of the hands of the enemy. You're too strong to have as an opponent."
I felt as my eyes watered when I finally realized what was happening.
I'm going to die. My heart stuttered at that but I didn't feel any tension in my chest or anything of the like. I felt calm. This man came here to kill me, and he was probably sent here.
They gave me one night of freedom and that was it. I choked out a sob and the man laughed at me, I felt a crack against my face and a stinging pain stayed in the right cheek.
"You think they're going to come save you?" His voice was in my ear now, I felt as his body weight shifted and groaned at the pain in my side. "No one's coming for you. You're worthless. Expendable. Nobody wants you, nobody loves you."
His voice croaked out and I felt another sob that bubbled in my chest and went to my throat. He scoffed, "nobody's here for the tears, boy." He spat, "not one person's going to help you. Not a soul wants you, not me, not your mom." I moved at that, looking at him in confusion, and his blade went deeper into my throat, more blood welled and spilled.
The sting was bad now but I tried to fight him off, he growled at me and just as he reared back to stab me, there was a loud banging sound.
He would have succeeded in murdering me, had the door not been kicked open.
Blinding light shone in the room, two shots rang out and I felt wetness hit my face. I heard screaming and then silence, I stared blindly ahead of me.
Voices filled the room as people came flooding in and I just sat there.
"Kai, Kai!" A voice called and I turned blankly to them. Hands were on either side of my face and when I focused, I saw Ryan.
"Cal!" Someone called, "help me get him out of here, he's bleeding- shit!" I was yanked out of bed now and drug from the room.
Before leaving the room I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder and pat it but I didn't know who it was.
I was walked through the halls to the bathroom that felt like it was miles away.
Everything was too loud, too bright, and too much. I cowered into Ryan as he guided me out of the bedroom and held a hand on my neck. "I know, Kai, I know. Just keep it together," he muttered and I stumbled forward not sure what to do to help. "Here, I got gauze!" Cal called handing the bandages to Ryan.
"Where's Doris," Ryan questioned but Cal didn't answer. When we made it to the bathroom, Ryan sat me down on the counter but frowned. "Toilet, now."
He said pointing to it, I slid off the counter without a word and sat staring blankly ahead of me. My head was swimming and voices seemed to be louder to me.
He worked in silence as he cleaned my neck, he grabbed my hand and pushed it to my throat applying pressure. When he finally got the bleeding under control, he leaned back and blew out a breath.
"Here," he said and handed me headphones. I took them numbly and put them in my ears not sure what to expect. It was like heaven in my ears, utter and complete silence.
They were noise cancelling headphones. Immediately, everything was muffled and I felt my breathing even out.
Cal came into the bathroom and gestured toward me and my face with a worried look but no one actually talked to me.
I leaned back and closed my eyes for a minute trying to sift through everything that had happened.
I heard muffled arguing and when I opened my eyes, I nearly jumped out of my seat. Two inches from my face was Jerome. His hair was more fluffy than the slicked back look he'd had not too long ago after dinner.
His shirt was rumpled and hung open over his bare chest and his pajama pants hung loosely on him when he stood up.
"You're ok," he said calmly. "Answer me," he said sternly and I nodded once.
He seemed to take that for what it was and didn't question it. We stared st each other for a moment before he leaned over me and grabbed something from behind.
"Don't worry," he said softly, "I'm just getting a towel to clean your face." His voice was soft as he spoke and he wet the towel before coming back to kneel in front of me.
"May I?" He asked holding the towel up and when I didn't answer he sighed. "You need this washed off of your fa-" he paused and gave me a stern look before tapping his ears.
It wasn't until then that I realized I'd been reading his lips. I hadn't taken the headphones out, I imagined his soft tone. He'd probably been barking orders at me, why'd I imagine that he was speaking softly?
I took them out slowly and realized the world was quieter again. I smiled sheepishly at him and he gave a soft smile in return. "Can I clean your face?" He asked and I nodded, "good, just sit still."
He worked quickly and efficiently wiping me down, the white towel became a reddish pink color from the blood.
When I looked down at the floor I saw all of the bloodied rags from Ryan and now this one from Jerome. That's when it hit me, "that man was shot," I commented blankly.
Jerome grunted a yes as he picked the rags up and tossed them in a bin. I swallowed, "who-" I started but stopped and Jerome stood straight. "I did," his voice was short and I flinched but he didn't seem to notice.
"We're going to discuss all of this, but first you need sleep." I made a face at that and he chuckled, "you're sleeping in my room. Trust me, you'll be safe, I won't leave either." For some reason I felt as I calmed at that.
He lead me past everyone watching us and as we went I caught Cal's eye. He and Ryan both looked concerned but neither of them said a thing. Once we got to the room closest to the stairs that lead to the roof, he stopped.
The door opened and closed behind us, I stood awkwardly in the edge of the room. I studied it as he moved around me. The furniture was dark, he had French doors that lead to a balcony and in the center of the room was a huge bed.
It was framed with dark wood and had dark bedding. The dresser had a tv on it and some personal items but other than that, the room was bare. No pictures on the wall, no decor really, just furniture and that was it.
Jerome walked around me and went to his dresser digging through before he finally made an "aha," noise.
He pulled some clothes out and handed them to me. "Change, you'll be comfier." When I didn't move, he sighed and sat me on the bed before helping me out of my shirt. I felt like a child, but I couldn't move. I was frozen.
As soon as the shirt was on, I felt safe- secure even. He leaned me back so I laid on the bed and quickly changed my jeans to shorts he'd grabbed from the dresser.
"There," he said and helped me get more into the bed. "Sleep. We'll go over this in the morning," I nodded and felt as he got up. As soon as he did, I sat up watching him.
He turned and gave me a stern look, "sleep." He said and I chewed my lip. I couldn't talk, something in me was just not allowing that. Jerome seemed to sense it though, I'll give him that much, he was patient.
He sighed and came back to the bed, moving me over and getting under the blanket.
"If you wanted to sleep with me," he said smugly, "you could've just said." With that, he turned the light on the bedside table off and the room got dark.
My heart beat loudly and sped up. I felt as my mind started playing tricks on me.
Shadows that weren't there moved across the ceiling and I felt myself shrinking into the bed. I heard him take a deep breath before reaching around and pulling me to him.
"Calm down," he said lowly, and started rubbing my back as I laid on him now. "I'm here. Not going anywhere. Sleep. I'll take care of you." I felt myself slipping back into sleep before he finished.
Tomorrows going to be a fun day.