Devil in Disguise (Kai Parker)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Liv

Kai managed to make his entrance impressive without even trying. Rock music blasted from speakers and he walked slowly over the hardwood floor, towards the bar at the far end of the room. The floorboards creaked slightly as he put his foot down, and the very few people who were in there looked up. He smirked, sliding into a chair right by the bar.

Meg leaned against the back wall, face obscured by the shadows. They had both agreed that Kai should be the first to approach her. Despite everything, they were siblings, and it was more likely she should recognise Kai. Meg had never really gotten to know the younger set of twins – their parents scared them away from her with their tales of unstable magic and crazy personalities.

There was a blonde woman working the bar. She looked around twenty-one, with wildly curly blonde hair and dark makeup. Olivia was all grown up. It was no the wonder Meg hadn’t recognised her when she had been here before. ‘How can I help you?’ she asked as she glanced at Kai, barely looking up from the glasses she was putting away.

Meg laughed slowly from where she was. So much for her recognising him.

Kai’s face fell for a moment, then he regained his composure. ‘One Zima, please.’

Olivia snorted, not amused. ‘Hilarious.’

He didn’t respond; he just narrowed his eyes, tilting his head this way and that, as if she might recognise him in the right light. Though he seemed unaffected by it, awkwardness settled on Olivia’s features. ‘Are you going to order something?’ she asked slowly, dragging out each word in a way that severely insulted Kai’s intelligence. ‘Or are you just gonna stare?’

‘OK,’ Kai gave up for now, peering at the drinks board. ‘Erm… I’ll have a soda.’ He looked at her name tag, and a smile tugged at his lips. ‘Liv.’

Liv threw him a look, and Meg could hear the clink of glasses being knocked together as the blonde left. ‘Liv…’ she muttered. It was weird, seeing her as Olivia the toddler one moment and then as Liv the sulky barmaid the next. This was the Liv she had been watching for ages, the one that had done the spell to bring people back to life, and also the Olivia she had helped change the diapers of.

‘Liv. Ironic.’ Kai laughed quietly.

The final notes of the song reverberated throughout the room. 

***

Hours had passed, and Meg was still leaning against the back wall. She’d cast an invisibility spell over herself after the first pushy waitress has accused her of loitering. That same waitress had gone home suddenly under mysterious circumstances. Now, she was just playing with the drunks lolling about the bar, making their drinks dry up at a faster rate, making their hair comb itself into bizarre designs, making their chairs snap in half…

And Kai was just on his phone, like he had been for two hours, thirteen minutes.

‘You on Twitter?’ he asked Liv, eyes still glued to his phone. ‘I just signed up, you should follow me. CobraKai1972.’ he said with a flourish.

Liv didn’t answer and just kept sorting the glasses. Meg snorted; he was dropping so many hints, and Liv hadn’t picked up on any of them. ‘C’mon, like Karate Kid?’ Kai complained, taking his new drink from her and downing it in one.

‘D’you know you can follow celebrities?’ he went on, like an excited child, ‘Man… Twitter… the stupidest things…’ he laughed, ‘It’s hilarious.’

‘You know, it’s kinda dead – I think I’m gonna close up.’ Liv changed the subject, eyes flicking around the truly empty room. There was the sound of more glasses clinking as she shuffled them throughout a cabinet.