Twisted Magic

chapter 5

“I feel sluggish you didn’t tell me the fish would be battered” Kai groaned slumping against the door full of trans and saturated fats.

“When you hear fish and chips together the batter is implied, besides you didn’t have to eat it”.

“I would never turn down a piece of well cooked fish”.

“I’ll have to take you to England sometime and show you what real fish and chips taste like”.

“Sounds good to me”.

“Brilliant I can visit James then too”.

“Who is James”?

“Someone very special”. I was just getting the keys for my house out of my shorts pocket – thank God I wore tights as well – when I realised it wasn’t Kai who’d asked me that. Turning around to face the drive I saw Caleb with hands in his pockets and eyes downcast. Everything from this morning flared up in my mind and I realised how awful I’d been to him, I know that he wasn’t being honest with me about something but I couldn’t bring myself to care anymore I just wanted him to be happy again. “I’m sorry about this morning”. Caleb looked up seemingly surprised and rushed to me.

“Don’t apologise it wasn’t your fault”.

“Yes it was I accused you of lying and I –“.

“Shh, stop it it’s not your fault it’s mine but I’m going to clear it up for you right now if you’ll let me” Kai gave an all mighty hiss making me start in surprise.

“What’s the matter with you”?

“I told you it’s not time”.

“What if I want it to be”?

“You’re not ready Carly”!

“Don’t you want to know”? Caleb asked bringing my attention back to him.

“Yes I do, but... is it bad what you’re going to tell me”? I asked apprehensive Kai hasn’t led me astray yet maybe I don’t want to know right now.

“Depends on how you look at it I guess... some parts but in the end when you get used to it it’ll be fine” he promised.

“I’ll tell your Mother” I was just about to tell him how insensitive he was for bringing up my mother who he knew to be dead when I realised he was talking to Caleb.

“She has a right to know she needs to know Kai”.

“You can understand him”?

“Yeah I’ll explain everything but lets go inside and sit down”. I nodded and carried on trying to open the door having difficulty in my anxiety.

“Here let me do it” Caleb took the keys from my hands and unlocked the door with ease holding it open for me walking in himself and closing it.

“Where’s Kai”?

“Tattling, sit down come on” he took my hand and led me to the sitting room pulling me down onto the sofa with him.

“So uh, what is it I need to know”? This unbelievably awkward I feel like he’s about to drop a bombshell on my and stomach feels like it did that time I went to Alton Towers with James and the rollercoaster car was balancing precariously over the edge of a gigantic dip on the tracks leading to a loop.

“You know for years before you came I kept trying to picture how this conversation would go and I knew it would be difficult but I didn’t imagine I’d feel this scared” he admitted.