Estranged [Completed]

Caught

Kalei woke up screaming. She kicked off a blanket and sat up. The room was entirely bare, aside from the cracks in the walls and the light streaming in through the window. Kalei found herself in the middle of the carpeted floor, a red comforter askew beside her. She recognized the Recovery Room; she had been here several times, dropping off out-of-control visitors. It was weird to realize she was one of them. Again.

She held up her hand and flexed her fingers as she watched the black swirls assume their places on her nails. She felt as though Xamic was still inside her. She felt tainted.

At the thought of Xamic, her stomach seized, and she rolled over to dry-heave as her gut tried to expel its nonexistent contents.

When she was done, she sat back down beside the blanket and wiped off a glob of spit from her lips. Still a bit dazed, she tried putting the pieces together ...

Fenn is a good guy... even after I told him what you are.

The memory hit Kalei like a fist to the stomach. She doubled over for a second time, only this time, she kept her jaw clenched shut. When she recovered, she headed straight for the door.

Kalei tore through the halls, yelling for Terin all the way. He didn't respond, but that didn't matter; she knew where his office was.

When she reached his office, she had enough presence of mind to use the door handle, but the door still slammed into the wall with enough violence that the doorknob left a hole.

Somewhere along the way, Kalei had picked up a vase. She couldn't remember grabbing it, the trip down the hall was one angry blur, but the vase was there in her hands. So when she saw Terin lounging behind his desk, playing with a fountain pen, she didn't hesitate to chuck the piece of pottery at him. 

He dodged it effortlessly, infuriating Kalei further. But she held her ground by the door as she demanded, "Where is my family!"

Terin leaned forward and set the pen delicately upon his worn, wooden desk. His face darkened as he propped his elbows on the table and interlocked his hands in front of his face, but he didn't answer. He didn't even look at her.

Kalei took another step into the office and continued, "Xamic knows where Fenn is. If he hasn't already, he's going to—"

"Xamic does not know where Fenn is." Terin's tone was flat. "I reviewed the recording from your ear cam. I can tell you for a fact that he is not going to kill your family. Xamic is messing with your emotions. You should forget about what he said."

"You weren't there! You didn't have him—" Kalei cringed and faltered at the memory of Xamic's hand around her neck. She clenched her fists. "He knows. And I need to stop him before he can lay a hand on those girls. Are you going to tell me where they are or not?"

He didn't answer as he continued to maintain his thousand-yard stare.

Kalei muffled a frustrated scream. "Fine! I don't need you. I'll find Fenn myself." She spun around and started toward the door.

Terin called after her, "I warned you before." Kalei stopped. She heard his chair drag against the short carpet as he stood up. "If you try to find Fenn, I'll have to kill you."

Kalei turned back with a snarl. "Go ahead and try."

Before Kalei could react, Terin had her by the neck, lifted her off the ground, and slammed her against the wall. Her elbow struck the side of his TV and it crashed into the floor with a dull crack.

"You want to know how to kill Estranged?" Kalei was surprised by his sudden attack, but she was even more surprised when she saw the tears in the corner of his eyes. The tears contrasted sharply against his rage. Terin's grip tightened around her throat. "I'll show you how to kill an Estranged."

His teeth clenched, the muscles in his jaw flexing, and he glared into her eyes. Kalei felt her heart race, her breaths came rapidly as she strained against the pressure on her windpipe. She could feel his nails sinking into her flesh as the weight of her body pressed against his hand. But Terin didn't move, and his darkness didn't advance.

After several more erratic heartbeats, Terin looked away. He loosened his hold and let her slide to the floor, keeping his fingers wrapped around her neck. Kalei heard him mutter, "I never wanted this for you."

Then he looked back at Kalei, steel in his eyes. He drew his arm back and slammed her skull into the wall, sending the room spinning into darkness.