𝓢𝓮𝓮 𝓜𝓮

Chapter 62

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
𝕂𝕒𝕚 𝕂𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕠
»--•--«

The front door opened, and the familiar sound of my dad's boots on the tile filled the air. I shuffled inside, kicking off my too-tight shoes, and let out a big yawn. My head felt heavy, like it might fall right off my shoulders, and all I could think about was crawling into bed and never leaving.

Before I could even look up, I heard it—a gasp, high and loud and really familiar.

"Kai!"

Fast footsteps pounded against the floor, and suddenly, small arms wrapped around me, squeezing tight. I blinked, surprised, as Emmaline's brown hair smushed against my chest.

"I missed you!" she said, her voice muffled against my shirt.

I patted her back awkwardly, trying to fight back another yawn. "I missed you too," I mumbled. My words sounded sleepy even to me, but I meant it.

Dad chuckled from the door, shaking his head as he hung up his coat. "Alright, buddy," he said, grinning at me. "I'll make you some dinner before you head off to bed. You look like you've been through a whole day of battles."

Emmaline pulled back and frowned as Dad walked into the kitchen, leaving us alone. She tilted her head at me, her hands still holding onto my sleeves. Her big, curious eyes blinked at me a little too fast.

"What's school like?" she asked, her voice full of that bouncy energy she always had. "Do you have to sit at desks all day? Did you meet new kids? Is it scary?"

I blinked down at her, barely able to keep up with all her questions.

"You said school's like prison once," she added, her voice suddenly quieter, like it was a secret. Her eyes got big, round as saucers, and she squeezed my hand like I might run away. "Are they evil there? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

I shook my head quickly, trying to keep her from going off on one of her wild rants. "I'm fine, Emmaline. No one's evil. It's just... boring sometimes."

She smiled again, a big, relieved grin, but then her smile turned into a frown. "You always look messy after school," she said, raising her hand to brush my hair, like she could fix it. "Are you fighting a war?"

I couldn't help it—I smiled at that. "No, not a war."

I looked around then, making sure Dad wasn't watching. My hands felt a little sweaty, and my stomach squirmed, but I grabbed her hand anyway. "Come with me," I said, pulling her toward the stairs.

Her small hand stayed tight in mine as I led her up, squeezing harder the closer we got to my room. My heart thumped weirdly in my chest. It wasn't scary, exactly, but it wasn't normal either.