Keeper of the Lost Cities Story; The Lost Secret

Chapter 11

Kai couldn't sleep, which was not unusual. 

But tonight it was. Something felt off. It felt like someone was watching her. She couldn't think. She wasn't calm. 

Kai wasn't even sure if her mother was home, she could have been asleep when she came in or maybe she didn't hear her.

After a lot of silent debating with herself, Kai gets out of bed and quickly sprints to her mother's bedroom. Kai would never do this on a normal basis. She usually tried to avoid her mom at all costs, but something put her over the edge. Something was happening. 

It took a minute for Kai's eyes to adjust to the darkness as she approached her mother's bedroom door. Kai hadn't been in that room in over a year. It flooded her mind with horrible memories. Most had her dad, of course, those memories weren't horrible, they were just sad to think about now. 

Kai looked towards the bed. It was still made. No one had touched that bed all day. 

"What?" Kai whispered to herself. 

Her mom didn't come home. Kai is actually very surprised despite everything. Her mother always prioritized "rest and rehab" especially with her busy job. 

Kai felt very uneasy. Something was wrong. She hasn't seen her mom since this morning. It isn't normal. Kai couldn't breathe. 

She feels all the same feelings as when her dad never came home from work. The feelings from watching her mother franticly call everyone Dad knew. 

Kai can't feel her fingertips, she can't feel her legs. She gripped her chest, which was exploding. Kai couldn't breathe. 

She feels when the man came to tell them the unthinkable.

"I'm going to die."

She feels when she was told her dad would never come home again. 

"I'm going to die."

She feels when she saw his tree grow in the Wanderling Forest. 

"I'm going to die."

She isn't sure if she says the words, or if she thinks them. But she knows they're true. 

"Kai?" Someone says from the doorway. 

Kai can't see who it is, but the voice sounds familiar. 

"Kai, just breathe. Okay just breathe with me. Deep breaths." The voice soothes some of the pain in her chest and Kai takes a deep breath with the mystery person. 

"Good good," They say. "Don't worry, okay? Your mom is staying late at work, but she'll be back tomorrow." 

They take Kai's shaking hands into theirs. Kai barely registers the motion. She keeps sucking in desperate breaths. The person's large green eyes seemed to stare into Kai's soul. 

"Eden," Kai rasps. She's barely even able to make out the word between her own breathing.

"Yes, keep taking deep breaths." 

Kai and Eden sit there for a few more minutes while Kai takes deep breaths to calm down. Her hands still shake, but she's able to see clearly and feel her fingers. 

"Thank you, Eden," Kai tells the sweet little gnome once her breathing returns to a more normal pace. 

Eden nods. "Of course. Now let's get you back to bed," 

Eden leads Kai back to her bed and helps her get settled. 

"Now make sure to visit Elwin this morning, I want you to tell him what happened," Eden says before walking out. 

Eden doesn't know that Elwin is hiding two of the strongest elves in his secret back office. 

                                                                      ...

"Kai?" 

"Kai, you alive?" 

"HEY KAI!" 

Kai feels a cold blast on her face and snaps towards Zayne. She expects him to laugh at this, but his face is grim.  

"Kai, are you okay?" He asks. Kai looks around the lunch table. All of her friends are there, they all look worried. 

"Yeah I'm fine," Kai says. 

She is definitely not fine. 

"Are you sure," Amaria asks, taking her hand. Kai pulled away. 

"Yes I'm sure," She snaps. 

She is not fine. She can't admit it. Before they can ask more questions Kai gets up and leaves the room as fast as she can. She doesn't look back and soon breaks into a run down the empty halls. 

"Kai?" Someone asks. 

Kai tries not to scream and stops suddenly. She turns towards the voice, hiding the tears that threaten to flow down her face any second. 

Dex Dizznee stands there. His arm is still in the sling that he had gotten the day Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker went missing. 

"Oh hi Dex," Kai says awkwardly. She isn't sure why he's talking to her, but she's grateful when he doesn't questions about the state she's in. 

"Umm so I know that you saw Sophie in the Healing Center," Dex says quietly. "She wants to talk to you. It's about your family, she has some theories about something." 

When Kai doesn't answer, Dex continues. 

"She won't tell me what, of course," He grumbles, "but she does want to talk to you," 

Kai is almost ready to burst into tears. She does not want to talk to Sophie Foster right now, especially not about her family. The panic is still too fresh in Kai's mind. 

"I really don't want to talk about my father right now," Kai whispers. 

She squeezes her eyes closed, causing a tear to fall. When she opened her eyes again, Dex was still there. He looked sympathetic but also uncomfortable. 

Kai is sure it would be weird to watch a girl you barely knew cry in front of you. 

"But I-I'll go," Kai says unsteadily. Dex grins, making his dimples show. 

"Thank you... Sophie is having a really rough time so this means a lot," 

Making the Moonlark happy isn't high on Kai's list of things to do, but she has to admit that she is interested. She wondered what Sophie had to say.