A Tale of the Other Kind

  'Hey Dan, stop working so hard and try to enjoy yourself,' Kai laughed.

  'Doing what? Any suggestions?' Daniel said, somewhat miserably.

  'Find dinner,' Kai smiled.

  'I brought packed biltong.'

  'And how long do you suppose that’s going to last you?'

  'At least a few days. It's filling enough.'

  'Okay,’ he sighed. ‘No problem, but then we go out and hunt tomorrow. Find something nice and juicy.'

  ‘Urgh. Just remember, I’m not skinning the thing, whatever you catch.'

  'Leave it up to me,' Kai replied as he walked over towards Daniel and sat down next to the fire on a blanket.

  Before long, the sun was setting over the hilltop and Kai had drifted off into a deep sleep. Daniel, on the other hand, was unable to sleep all night. Every sound and creek in the forest made him jump. Kai felt bad for him, and two days later, he decided they should pack up and head back home.

  Kai thought fondly of those days and remembered how they spent the rest of the holiday hanging out at home, eventually breaking the porch chair to build an aeroplane that couldn’t fly.

  Bethany made them rebuild the chair from their pocket money to replace the one they’d broken. It kept them busy and Bethany was even more proud of the new wooden bench they’d built.

  Kai was brought back to the present when he walked up to the house and saw Sienna sitting on that very bench, waiting for him to return from school.

  He hesitantly moved towards her. 'What are you doing here?' he asked, surprised.

  'I came to see you,' Sienna replied, staring at him and shifting uncomfortably.

  'You shouldn't have come,' he said.

  ‘I needed to,' she said, blocking his way to the front door.

  'Sienna, don’t.'

  'No Kai, we need to talk.'

  'No, we don't. We’ve already said what we had to. I’m sorry I interfered. I’ll stay out of your business from now on. Now please, let me get on with it,' Kai said sadly.

  ‘No, you don’t understand Kai, we need to talk, please don’t avoid me; I hate it when you’re angry with me. What happened yesterday...' she said, breathing deeply.

  'I’m not angry with you Sienna, I’m just frustrated at the situation and what happened yesterday is, well, I was stupid. I should have stayed out of your business, but it angers me so much that you can’t see what scum James is,’ he replied, irritated. ‘My intention was not to hurt you in the process, I only wanted to protect you,’ he said, looking into her eyes. All he wanted to do was talk to her. But he felt restless around her. Unnerved. In her eyes he could see that she was confused and didn’t want to leave. A small tear formed in her eye. She looked so beautiful - too beautiful. The wind lifted her hair off her shoulders as she stood there, staring at him. Kai felt a sense of confusion swallowing him, and he didn’t know what to say to her. He so desperately wanted to hold her, to tell her how much he cared for her and that everything was going to be fine, but he wasn't sure how to.

  He felt like screaming. Like his heart was being torn from his chest. He couldn’t tell her how he felt. That would just confuse things.

  ‘Please go,’ he said, suddenly.

  ‘What?’ she replied startled and confused. Why?’ He didn’t answer and tried to give her the steeliest look he could conjure. It tore him up inside to push her away, but he felt he had no choice.

  'Please Sienna, just leave,' he said icily.

  'Kai, don't do this. Please, we can talk about it,’ she pleaded.

  ‘Haven't I done enough? I beat up your boyfriend. Even if I think he’s a complete asshole and that that he’s completely wrong for you,' he tried to convince her as much as himself.

  Her lingering tear dropped to the ground.

  ‘Look, Sienna, your relationship with that guy is dumbfounding, but I can’t be the guy who saves you, only to see you go back to him for more abuse,’ he explained.

  'Don't say that. I don’t need anybody to save me,' she replied, shaking her head.

  'Well, it's the truth. I care for you, so much,’ he said, touching her cheek, ‘but I can’t do this.’

  His arm fell to his side and he turned around and headed into the house, leaving Sienna on the terrace with no explanation. He leaned back against the door and closed his eyes, trying to push her hurt expression out of his mind. He pulled at his hair and grabbed a lamp from the table next to the door and threw it against a wall. The lamp exploded into pieces and scattered across the living room floor. His head was throbbing again, and he felt out of control, as if something was taking him over.

  He held his head with both his hands, his body shaking, ‘What the hell is going on with me?’

  CHAPTER 4

  As night fell, Kai headed back to town towards the bookstore. His headache was gone for the first time since the fight with James.

  An icy chill prickled his nose and ears once he stepped out of the house into the cold. He pulled his leather jacket closer around his body as the cold bit into his skin. Sienna was all he could think of as he rode down the darkening street. The picture of her standing in front of him, seeking answers, overwhelmed his mind and the thought of the hurt he’d seen in her eyes felt like a sharp knife stabbing into his chest.

  Before reaching the edge of town, it started snowing again and it was difficult to see the road ahead. He cleared the ice from his helmet and opened the throttle as the snow and wind became stronger.

  He sighed with relief when he finally saw the small porch light hanging in front of the bookstore through the back alleyway he usually used as a shortcut. He headed into the bookstore and closed the door behind him.

  Inside, the heater was glowing, creating a cosy atmosphere in the quaint bookstore, its shelves filled with old books from the bottom all the way to the roof designed in Victorian finishes. The manager, Jenna Buck, was behind the counter, packing up her things.

  'Hey Kai, I thought you got lost out there or something,' she said, smiling.

  'Yeah, sorry, I lost track of time,' he replied apologetically.

  ‘Do you think we should even keep the store open tonight? I’m not sure whether anybody will be coming out in this weather,' she asked, pulling her arms through her thick faux fur coat.

  'It's all right. I’ll keep the store open as long as I can. I want to catch up on some reading anyway,' said Kai.

  'Okay, but rather catch a taxi when you leave. This weather is horrible and that motorbike of yours is a death trap on ice.'

  'Don't worry Jen, I’ll be fine,' he smiled back at her as he headed towards the back of the store to make himself a hot cup of chocolate.

  'Alright then, have a good night,' she said as she headed outside towards her small yellow car parked in front of the shop.

  Kai headed to the oversized old wooden table next to a worn leather couch. He switched on the small portable television, but the weather was playing havoc with the signal and there was nothing but a snowy reception. He played around with the aerial but only found a barely visible cartoon channel.

  He finally gave up on the television and made his way over to the till counter and turned on an old computer and started adding new books to the database. Once he finished, he threw himself down onto the old leather couch and started reading a book he’d been trying to finish for weeks. Before long, he could feel himself drifting off to sleep, struggling to keep his eyes open. Outside, only a few streetlights were working, barely lighting up the snow-covered streets and walkways.

  When he opened his eyes, a tall man with long dark hair and black eyes was staring at him.

  'Sorry sir, I, I didn't hear you come in,' he stumbled.

  He jumped off the couch while the man silently stared back at him with a grin.

  'Umm, can I help you with anything specific, sir?' Kai asked, feeling awkward at the silence. 'We have a wide range of new and old books. We have books on our town, if you would like to see some of the, umm, tourist sites,' he said to the man.

>   ‘Kai, right?' the man asked, with the hint of an unfamiliar accent. He tilted his head, staring at the range of books on the shelves and slowly ran his fingers across the spines. He smiled slightly and gave a soft sigh.

  Kai felt a strange sensation crawl up his back, as if someone was tickling him. He rubbed his head, and ruffled his hair, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling.

  ‘Things could be easy for you Kai. You should refrain from being seduced by that which you are so eager to indulge in,' the dark stranger said absentmindedly. 'Umm, what?' Kai asked, with a furrowed brow, confused by what the stranger was saying.

  The man placed his finger to his cheek showing abnormally long fingernails. ‘It is forbidden Kai,’ he said.

  In one swift movement the stranger was standing right beside Kai, breathing into his neck. Kai tried to take a step back, but he had little room to manoeuvre, pressed up against a bookcase.

  ‘Listen man, I don’t know who you are, but you are kind of overstepping my boundaries here,’ Kai said, swiping the man’s hand away from his face.

  The man grinned at Kai’s obvious displeasure. ‘You are still young and you will still learn that things are not what they seem. If you don’t listen to my words dear boy, you will have to learn the hard way,’ the man said, making no attempt to move away from Kai.

  ‘Are you drunk or something?’ Kai asked, as he became irritated with the traveller’s bizarre behaviour. Up close he could almost see through the traveller’s pale skin. It seemed as if he had no blood in him at all.

  The traveller laughed loudly, ‘Don’t taunt me dear boy. This will be your only warning,’ he said, as his expression became angry. ‘Stay away from the things that you are so eager to pursue, or you will pay the consequences.’

  Maddened by the stranger’s absurd behaviour, Kai pushed him ever so slightly to create a space between them and getting ready to throw him out of the shop.

  'You should probably leave,' Kai said calmly.

  Unflustered by Kai’s apparent annoyance, the man smiled, tossing his long dark hair over his shoulder.

  ‘Remember my words Kai,’ he said. Without giving him a chance to respond, the traveller disappeared as quickly and as quietly as he appeared.

  Kai looked out of the window, but the traveller was gone and no trace of him was left on the sidewalk or in the street. He shrugged it off as a weird old man trying to fluster him and switched off the computer. Unnerved by the strange man, Kai decided to close the shop and headed over to the club where Daniel’s band was playing.

  He locked up and headed down the dark snowy road towards The Mystic. The wind made a whistling sound as he walked down a dark path between the tall buildings towards the club. He pulled his jacket closer around his body to keep the icy weather at bay. The deepening layer of snow made walking slow but he eventually reached the front door of the club. The streets were deserted, showing no signs of partygoers, except for the loud thumping music coming from inside.

  He pushed open the large steel door, and headed into the darkness, occasionally filled with flashes of light synchronised to the beat of the music. Pushing through the crowd, he finally reached the neon-lit bar. He took a seat and ordered a drink from a man with long blonde dreadlocks and Rasta beads around his neck.

  Kai turned around and licked his dry lips as he scanned the crowd. He saw a few familiar faces from school. He was surprised at a few of them, not seeming the type to hang out in this club, but then, he wasn’t exactly the type who hung out in these places either. A short, blocky man with a stubble beard walked onto the stage as the music went quiet. He rubbed at his bald head and announced that Dead Fish was on next. As unfortunate as the name might have sounded, the crowd cheered as Daniel’s band came onto the stage. Kai smiled to himself when Daniel walked up to the microphone and tried to pump up the crowd.

  The club was filled with enthusiastic patrons who started clapping their hands in anticipation. Daniel spotted Kai and gave him two thumbs up before he blasted into the first song. The crowd was entranced and the songs obviously caught their attention. After a hearty set, the band finished with an encore after which Daniel left the stage to join Kai at the bar.

  'Hey man, I’m so glad you made it. What made you change your mind?' he asked.

  'It was quiet at the bookstore, so I closed up shop. You guys were great up there.'

  ‘Thanks. I think they liked us,' said Daniel proudly.

  'That’s a bit of an understatement. I think they loved you guys!'

  'Well, hopefully this will be the start of success. Hey man, I need to go pack up and finish up quickly. Will you wait out here ‘till I’m finished, then I can give you a ride back home? You shouldn't be getting on your bike in this weather.'

  'Sure thing,' he replied as Daniel headed off through a door leading to the back of the stage.

  As Kai turned back to his drink, he saw a girl with pale blonde hair standing right beside him, staring directly at him. ‘Hi,’ she said smiling.

  'Oh, hi,' he replied mesmerised by her beauty. Her eyes were as dark as the night, with a glowing silver lining. Her straight hair hung loosely over her shoulders. She was wearing a black leather dress that left little to the imagination.

  'I’ve been watching you,' she said moving closer.

  'You have?' he replied nervously.

  'Yip,' she said. Her eyes were inviting and seemed to be playing tricks with his mind. 'My name’s Astrid, by the way - if you were wondering.'

  'My apologies, I’m Kai.’ He cleaned his throat. ‘Emery.'

  'I know who you are, Emery,' she smirked.

  'You do?'

  'Oh yes, I do. Apparently you have quite a mean fist on you. Or so I’ve heard from some of your friends over there,' she replied, nodding towards a group of girls who were watching them. ‘They’re all pretty smitten with you, if you haven’t noticed.’

  'Don't believe everything you hear,' Kai said, icily.

  ‘Don’t worry. That bruiser on your eye says it all.’ She leaned towards Kai, barely centimetres away from his face. Her hand glided over his chest and slid through the curves of his muscular frame. He felt like she was draining his soul from him as her mouth lingered close to his neck.

  'I’d love to indulge myself in you,' she whispered.

  He felt his willpower to pull away diminish. Her uncanny energy dominated his every muscle, pulling him in closer. Unable to think properly, he felt uneasy, yet awkwardly pleased by her approach. She was an awesome and strikingly beautiful woman. He could smell the strawberry scent of her breath as she breathed into his ear, and quivered at her touch as her lips breezed over his neck. He was mesmerised by her, almost entranced.

  Slowly, he took hold of her shoulders and moved her away just far enough for him to get a hold of himself again. 'I … please don’t do that,' he said, confused by the girl’s confident approach.

  'Sssh, don't say anything,' she said, pulling again at all his senses. 'No … really, we can't,' he stammered. 'Afraid?' she grinned devilishly.

  'No, no, you are absolutely beautiful, but, I have to go.’ 'Stay. I’d love to try and change your mind,' she said as she ran her hand through his dark hair.

  'That sounds tempting, but I really have to go now,' he said as he motioned towards Daniel standing close by against a pillar, watching them with curiosity.

  'Alright then, but this won’t be the last you see of me Kai Emery. I can guarantee that,' she said, kissing his cheek, leaving a dark red lipstick mark.

  Kai stared after her as she left his side and disappeared into the crowd.

  'Geez dude, that was one heck of a babe. Where did she come from?' Daniel asked as he patted Kai on the back.

  'I really don't know,' he replied breathlessly.

  'She was all over you like a wrap,' enthused Daniel.

  'Yeah,' replied Kai, confused. 'You shouldn't have blown her off like that; she seemed like a feisty one.'

  'Yeah well, she's gone now. Let’s get going,' he repl
ied while picking up his jacket.

  ****

  Kai stared out over the dashboard of Daniel’s small car, his thoughts still consumed with Sienna. He could feel Daniel’s stare burn holes into the side of his skull, ‘What?’ he asked absentmindedly.

  ‘You’re thinking of her again, aren’t you,’ Daniel replied, referring to Sienna and shaking his head.

  ‘No, I’m not,’ he lied.

  ‘I’ve known you for a long time my friend, and I know how you feel about her. You don’t have to say anything. It’s pretty obvious.’

  Kai could feel his cheeks glow red with embarrassment. Was he that obvious? He thought.

  ‘Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone has noticed – yet,’ Daniel joked poking Kai in the ribs.

  ‘Stop it!’ Kai sighed. ‘I don’t think she’ll ever look my way. She’s out of my league - too good for a guy like me. Too good for most guys.’

  ‘Nonsense. You just need to tell her that you like her. It won’t help trying to hide it from the world, let alone yourself,’ explained Daniel.

  ‘I wish it was that simple,’ he said, shaking his head in protest, ‘No, it’s better I just let her be. It’s just too complicated and she doesn’t need me complicating her life even further.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Daniel, suddenly interested.

  ‘I can’t tell you.’

  ‘Oh come on, I’m supposed to be your best friend,’ Daniel encouraged pleadingly.

  Kai wasn’t too sure what he should do and whether he might have overstepped his boundaries by telling Daniel as much as he had, but he knew he had to share his frustrations with someone.

  ‘I think James is hurting her,’ he replied, ‘Physically, I mean. I don’t have all the details but I caught him hurting her and that’s why we got into that fight.’

  ‘That son-of-a-bitch - now it makes sense. We should beat that guy up and teach him a lesson,’ he replied smacking his fist into the palm of his hand.

  ‘No, no, no, we can’t. I’ve already overstepped my boundary.’

  ‘Well you can’t just leave it,’ Daniel replied. ‘I know,’ Kai said, feeling hopeless.