Stranded In A Blinded Forest

(Chapter 1) Prologue

Kai POV:

I listen to music as I read my book on my phone, I sat in my mom's car as we waited for the Ferry, being in a stupidly long line... and it's not even here yet. I hear muffled sounds that make me look up, seeing my dad looking back at me with a raised eyebrow, I reach up to my earbuds and click the button to pause my music.

I take it out and ask, "Yeah?"

My dad then says, "We're going to go get lunch, come on." He opens his passenger door and gets out of the car.

I blink and look around as I start putting my stuff away, putting my earbuds in their case and my phone in my pocket, and see that everyone is already hopping out, "Ugh, couldn't they get something for me... a stretch would be nice though."

I unclip my seatbelt and open my door before stepping out, closing the door afterward. I follow my mom around the car as we follow dad and my brother to the building filled with small shops. None of us say anything as we weave through the several other vehicles in the line ups for the ferry that hasn't even arrived yet, I don't like the long wait for these things if you haven't noticed.

We enter the building and start looking around as dad asks, "So, what does everyone want?"

I keep looking around for a shop that I would like to eat from, but so far there are only jewelry and apparel shops, "Come on, I know there are small restaurants in here, where are there?"

"Kai?" I look at my dad, "What do you want?"

I reply, "I don't know... I don't remember what's here?"

My brother looks at me and says, "Really? We've been here so many times, how can you still not remember what's here?"

My eye twitches as I resist and scowl, "It' not on my priorities to remember."

He lifts an eyebrow, "Remembering what they serve here isn't worth remembering?"

I sigh, "I don't know... alright."

Mom then says, "Leave him alone." She looks to me, "There's a Burger King."

I immediately reply, "Chicken Burger with fries."

Dad rolls his eyes, "What a shock."

I say half-heartedly, "Shut up."

My brother snorts in amusement before adding, "Same."

We get to the Burger King stall and order our food, then we stand aside near the wall-sized window and wait for our food. I start to pull out my phone to start reading again, only for my stomach to feel heavy... and lower in my gut.

I sigh and put my phone away, "I'm going to be outside." I tell my family.

Mom replies, "Okay, we'll get our food and meet you outside." I nodded as I walked away.

Opening the doors, I walk away from the small group of people at the dining tables out here and headed to the grass, then began to 'fall into my head' as I put it, beginning to pace back and forth. I do this often, so often that I parents understand it's a habit that I just can't stop... not that I want to, but that's not the point! The point is that I do it a lot, and almost everyone I know is aware of it, and give me the space to do it when I need to. It happens when my imagination starts to get too active, I have a hard time focusing on tasks, I almost begin to ignore my surroundings as well, but I thankfully have enough awareness to be present enough for that at least.

Anyways, these moments are usually me just letting my imagination take me anywhere, like playing my own personal film in my head, it helps me with calming down from stressful situations or just to recharge my 'Social Battery.' But, on occasion, I just can't help myself and start doing it anyway, like right now as I pace back and forth along the grass.