Played For A Fool

It's Always Calm Before The Storm

Glass crunched under Kai's feet as he walked across the room. His head was spinning with questions and felt slightly foggy with the scent of so much blood. The room was torn to literal shreds, and Kai hated to think of what probably went down.

When Kai had walked up to the house, his first thought had been to call the police, though that was stupid. The police had already come and investigated the house, and were probably trying to track the killer. But that didn't make him want to go inside the house any more than he had before.

Still, Kai had knocked on the door, and waited. When Cinder opened that door, a world of relief came tumbling down on him. Sure, he had called her, heard her voice, but seeing Cinder, calmed him down more than anything. He couldn't remember ever holding someone tighter than he had her.

He couldn't quite place his feelings for her, but he felt oddly connected with her. She matched up and empathized with him in a way that no other person ever had before. Yeah, he had kissed her, hugged her, but was that just friendship?

They had talked outside, the sight of everything making Kai feel queasy, or maybe that was just the blood. He was a bit weak stomached, especially for being a doctor's son.

When Cinder had begun telling her tale, Kai was a bit ashamed to admit that he had lost his cool. He knew that there was something more to the story than what Cinder was telling him, but he didn't quite know how to ask. He had found out more about Cinder's tragic past, and Kai's blood boiled at the thought of her step-family.

It's hard to watch someone you love suffer, especially when you don't love that many people. Kai had lots of friends at school, but his only real one was Cinder. They had both been there for each other through the worst, and it was rough to watch her suffer so, not trusting anyone anymore.

Shaking his head, Kai stepped back into the present. He needed to help Scarlet, that was his job. She had just lost her grandmother, and Kai knew that she was the only family member that Scarlet had left. Kai could definitely relate to that.

He had met Scarlet a few times. She was known for her fiery reputation at school, always picking fights with those who angered her, though Kai found her to be rather pleasant. They were in the same grade and had a few classes together. She had even been his desk partner in science the year before. He had also talked to her during his many trips to Rampion.

Though Kai had talked to her and stuff, he didn't know Scarlet too well. But from what he did know, she was as tough as nails, never showing fear. Never letting anyone see what she was thinking.

It was frightening to see her so upset. Scarlet was curled up in the corner, knees to chest, face in her hands. She was not crying, though Kai could tell that she had been. She was shaking violently, so much that it was worrisome.

Kai crouched down onto the floor, putting a hand on Scarlet's shoulder. She didn't even flinch as he sat down beside her, sweeping a few glass shards away. "Scarlet," Kai said, his voice strong. "I'm not going to tell you that everything is okay, because I know it's not. You know it's not." Kai inhaled deeply, preparing himself for whatever came next. "But, I do know that you are going to make it out of this, whatever the outcome is, alright? You're one of the fiercest, kindest, strongest, most compassionate people I've ever met. So don't lose hope. Don't give up."

There was a moment of silence where Kai froze, waiting for Scarlet to punch him or something. He couldn't tell if she had heard him or not and was debating on giving her another speech, when Scarlet moved.

Scarlet continued to shake, but she looked up at Kai. Her face was red and splotchy under her freckles, and her lashes were still wet. She smiled, but it was soft and sad. "Thank you." She said, then began to get up. Kai stood and offered her a hand, and pulled her off the glass covered ground.