LIFE - BLOOD

Episode 3

"Kaius, baby, you're going to be late for school!" his mom screamed, urgency etched in her voice.

Kaius trotted downstairs, his messy hair sticking out in every direction, his backpack unzipped and flapping open.

His mother sighed, exasperation written across her face. "Sometimes, I wonder if you'll ever be able to take care of yourself,"she said, trying to tidy him up.

Kaius kissed her cheek reassuringly. "I'll get the hang of it, eventually."

Grabbing his lunch, he called out, "love you, mom,"before racing out the door and onto the waiting school bus.

"Love you too, son!" his mom called after him.

As he settled into his seat, Kaius turned to Dax and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Ewww, you look disgusting."

Dax yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Is it that bad? I couldn't get enough sleep."

Kaius raised an eyebrow. "Between those dark circles under your eyes and your pale face, you tell me. Why didn't you sleep last night?"

Dax sighed. "Point of correction, no one could sleep in my house - or even the neighborhood - because our dogs wouldn't stop barking."

Kaius smirked. "Well, they are dogs. You should expect nothing less."

He gently tapped his shoulder. "What?" Dax mumbled.

"Get some rest. The driver still has a lot of students to pick up, so get some shut-eye. I'll wake you up when we get to school."

Dax nodded gratefully and leaned his head against Kaius's shoulder, eyes drifting shut as the bus rumbled on.

•••••

Lunchtime excitement filled the air. Dax and Kaius sat at their table, unpacking their meals.

"Oh yes!" Kaius shouted, holding up a container of noodles.

"What?" Dax asked.

"Momma packed me some noddles!" Kaius sniffed, closing his eyes. "Ahhhh, delightful."

As they ate, their cheeks bulged, rendering them speechless.

Dax nudged Kaius, mouth half-full. "It's her."

Kaius looked up to see Isla opening a bowl of unappetizing, mushy food.

"Isla?" Kaius asked.

Dax replied, "Yes! How do you not recognize her? She's been in our class since January."

Kaius sniffed. "Oh, I remember her. More than I want to."

Dax's brows furrowed. "That's weird."

Kaius explained, "Ever since she came, things changed. My rankings dropped, and Dad won't shut up about it."

Kaius sighed, dropping his fork. "I want to blame her, hate her. But she's not at fault. She's trying her best, just like us.

It's just...my best is not enough!"

Dax's eyes welled up. "Aww."

Kaius studied Isla, who was on a video call.

"But isn't it weird," Kaius asked.

Dax replied, "what is?"

"How she's been here almost a year with no friends?"Kaius added.