Asylum

Beneath the Surface

Ren Walker

I find Kya exactly where I figured she would be: her watchtower, which took a little digging to find. It's a bit frigid outside, and being a fire wielder, I'm a little extra sensitive to the cold. Grudgingly, I climb the ladder. The closer I get to Kya, the more my body is telling me to turn the other way. Nevertheless, I'm curious about the moon girl. She tells everyone to look beneath the surface, and to me, that's a cry for help that she's hurting inside, or a warning to others that she isn't who she says she is.

As I reach the top portion of the ladder, Kya peers down at me, pale eyes startling in the darkness. Her dark hair halos around her face, and for a second I almost think her stunning. "Ren?" she asks, unsure if it's actually me.

"Your powers of deduction are mind blowing."

The actual top of the watchtower is a main chair atop a circular metal platform. I pull myself up and sit next to the chair Kya sits in. "Oh, Kya," I sigh, starting a flame and holding it close. "Kya, Kya, Kya. You are one heck of a Sherlock Homes."

Kya stares at my fire with a fury I can relate to. But is she angry with me or my display of my ability? "I don't follow," she says with cool eyes that search mine for clarification.

"You leave breadcrumbs for your friends that lead to your past and you don't even know it. 'Look beneath the surface?'" I quote. "Kya, that's like saying, 'I'm a murderer, can't you see?' without actually saying it."

Kya looks from me to the horizon. Around Asylum, there's brush and thick trees. Not a building or light is in sight. Nothing stirs outside these walls and it's rather eerie. A part of me wants to fling a fireball out there and light up the world. "You came up here to tell me that?"

"Of course not," I quickly deny. "I came up here to tell you what you were doing before it caught up to you. Because Leo and Sarah don't know you've killed before, and they're going to find out if you keep dropping indirect hints." Kya flinches when I say that, but she covers it up by pretending she's cold.

"I still don't know why you've graced me with your presence," she collectively admits with hidden sarcasm.

"I wanted to prove a point. I know people, and unlike you think, I can see beneath the surface. Today I learned that you're a thief who steals for others but not yourself. Why is that?"

The wind picks up and I intensify the flame in my hand. "Why would I tell you?"

"Because we need each other. I need you for an escape plan, and you need me to get over the fear of yourself." In reality, I need Kya for more than an escape plan. There's an underlying reason I hate this girl and I should confront it before it confronts me. But I'm not ready to do that. Not yet.

"An escape plan?"

"Yep. You, me, Leo, and Sarah are getting out of here. We need someone on the inside, and you're the closest to the inside we've got."

Kya shakes her head and looks down at her hands. "I don't know. This place has been really good to me, Ren."

"No, you think it restricts you from other people. You're afraid you'll hurt them." Personally, I know that feeling. Whenever I explode on someone, I'm usually afraid I might hurt them. But it's hard for them to know that when all they see is a monster. And it's hard for me to stop spewing toxicity when all I'm acting like is a monster. But I'm not scared of myself...

"I don't need my power. It's not me."

"It is you, Kya. Don't be ridiculous. It's a part of you. It's literally in your DNA."