KAI KISHIMOTO
"Kai, seriously stop," Emmaline giggled as I reached out to tickle her hips when she got a few steps ahead smiling at the sound of her laugh.
"Are you seriously not coming to the academy today?" I tilted my head as she got out her house keys.
"No," she sighed, fiddling with the keys and turned to me, "I have tons of homework."
"Who cares?" I frowned, "I'm going to be bored."
She gave me a look, "we don't even have time to talk there, Kai. And you'll be fine, it's just three hours."
"You're heartless," I nodded and crossed my arms, looking away "I hope you enjoy your homework."
She was quiet for a moment before I heard her chuckle, a hand coming to my forearm, tugging on it as I leaned down a fraction, "I'll be thinking about you. I promise."
I didn't fight the smile that crossed my face as I leaned down giving her a quick kiss that turned into two, then three until she leaned back with a smile and waved at me as I watched her turn and get inside, shutting the door lightly behind her. I sighed and turned around, my smile dropping on instinct, seeing Zade with his jaw nearly hitting the floor, a bag in his hand falling to the ground. Oh, well.
His expression turned from shocked to angry as he walked towards me, "hey, Zade. I—"
"Shut up," he cut me off grabbing me by my shirt, pulling me with him to my house, the door already opened a crack as he pushed it wider.
"What are you doing back, didn't you go to—" Dad asked from the couch and looked back stopping when he saw what's happening, "what are you doing?"
"Going to have a talk with your son," was all Zade said as he dragged me upstairs to my room, pushing me in and slamming the door behind us, crossing his arms, "what the hell, bro?"
"I thought you knew," I shrugged defensively, "I thought Emmaline told you—"
"I don't care about Emma!" He snapped before shaking his head when my eyebrows rose, "no. That came out wrong, I care about her but— you know what I mean! How could you not tell me? What?"
"Aren't you supposed to be her cousin?" I asked, "plus, how did you not know? Everyone knows."
"Everyone?!" Zade broke, "dude, you know how angry Jett will be at you?"
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, "well... Jett kind of already knows? She's the reason how this happened."
"What?" He widened his eyes, "how could you do that to me? I thought we were something."
"Something?"
"Bro," he shook his head, "did you ever think about telling me? I thought we were— you know what, whatever. I don't even care."
"Yeah, obviously," I nodded and sighed whej his expression didn't waver, "I'm sorry, okay? I thought you knew."
"Well... you need to make it up to me."
"I'm not doing your math homework," I fired back with a shake of my head.
"Don't worry, smart guy," he rolled his eyes, "I want something else."
"What?"
"Eo um, you know, this girl in your class... her name's Amelia?"
"...yeah?" I gave him a confused expression, Amelia?
"Well, is she, I mean does she—"
"Zade, do you like Amelia?"
"No," he scoffed, "I don't like her, I don't even know her, but well... she seemed really nice when I talked to her, and she's, like, gorgeous. And she knew me."
"You're not talking to Amelia," I shook my head, "no way."
"Why, bro?"
"Because I know you," I threw myself on the bed, "you flirt with everyone."
"I don't!" He sat next to me, "they flirt with me."
"And you don't turn it down," I arched a brow, watching him death stare me.
"Why would I? It feels nice," he shrugged then shook his head, "but I'm serious, does Amelia have a boyfriend? Is she talking to someone?"
"Not that I know of," I finally answered and scoffed in disbelief, "Zade, are you serious? Zade. You. Emmaline says you're known for your flirtatious attitude with every single girl in your grade."
"It's not my fault, alright?" He leaned against the headboard, staying quiet for a second before he huffed, looking at me again, "dude, first you hide your relationship with Emma—"
"I didn't hide—"
"And you also hide your friends from us, like, man, how have I never seen her before? She's so pretty, are you kidding me? How did you not introduce us?"
"I can't believe my eyes right now," I smiled, "but word of advice, Amelia can be weird so watch out."
"Weird how?" He frowned.
"I don't know," I shrugged, "she sometimes just stares at me and says nothing before she leaves, sometimes she laughs and giggles out of nowhere. Yesterday she told Rio to get her something that she accidentally threw on the tree, don't even ask how, and then left him hanging on a tree to go talk to Emmaline."
"That's cute," he tilted his head and I gave him a look, "what? It is, Emma technically does the same stuff."
"Emmaline is nothing like Amelia, don't ruin my life please," I held my palm up, "what are you doing here anyway? And why weren't you at school?"
"I did feel like going, so Jett and I decided to come spend some time with Kenji before going to annoy James— oh my god, wait!"
"What?"
"Janes," he sat straight, "he doesn't seem normal lately."
"When does he seem normal?" I lowered my eyebrows.
"He's not our normal James. I need to know what happened, come with Jett and me."
"What are you talking about?"
"He's been down lately, I don't know what happened, but Jett says she could feel something."
"Feel something?"
"Yeah, I don't understand it either, but she swore she could just feel that it has somehow to do with his... ex girlfriend?"
"What?" It was my turn to snap now, straightening my back, "the one who broke up with him, like, three years ago?"
"Who else?" He shrugged, "I told her she's overreacting because she likes dramatic relationships, but she just told me that she's serious."
"How can she just feel it?"
"I don't know man, she doesn't either. She told me not to tell anyone though, but I had to let it out. She'll be mad, but she'll get over it. So, want to come with us?"
If Jett is right, which I actually have no doubt in because this girl knows everything, this can be a serious problem. When Evelyn, James's ex girlfriend, broke up with him three years ago, he was a wreck. It was around the same I got my powers, so I can vividly remember how he acted then. He tried to seem fine in front of us, but we all knew he wasn't, he wasn't good at hiding it at all. But by time, he seemed to have moved on. What was she doing back in his life?
"Okay," I finally, "I'll come with you."
x-x-x-x-x-x
"You sure you don't have anything to say to me?" Jett asked from the counter as James prepared some pasta, "nothing?"
"Like what?" He frowned putting the wooden spoon down, taking three from the shelves.
"I don't know," she tapped her fingers on the flat surface, "we haven't hung out in ages."
"Two days?"
"That's a lot considering you're the cool uncle," Zade pointed out, "are you saying nothing is going on in your life right now?"
"Yup."
"Damn, so underneath this 'cool funny young uncle' persona is just a boring college graduate with nothing to do with his life?" I asked, trying to get a rise out of him.
James looked up then, eyes darting between the three of us, taking the wooden spoon pointing it at us, "what are you three gangsters doing?"
"Nothing," we all said in union.
"Why don't I believe you?"
"Maybe you have trust issues," I wiggled an eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes.
"But no need to feel that way with us," Zade said, "you're like, our younger brother."
"Exactly," Jett shrugged even when James glared at Zade after the word younger came out of his mouth, "plus, we tell you everything, I'll be kind of hurt knowing you're not willing to do the same."
James's eyes snapped to Jett and stayed there, not breaking eye contact as the room fell silent. I saw her jaw clench as she straightened her back, Zade doing the same. I looked between the three of them, my chest tightening a fraction. James was their uncle. Their real one, not half uncle like with Emmaline, and not just a family friend like with me, he was their family. I don't know why, I know James views me just as he does Jett and ZadeC, but I felt like I was interrupting something that wasn't mine. As if I wasn't supposed to be here.
I shoved the thoughts away, looking back at James, and just when I thought he was going to say something, he only shook his head slightly, looking down and putting pasta in each plate, "you? Jett? Hurt because of me? A man? Please."
Jett sighed loudly and rolled her eyes as James moved the plates towards the three of us, and I frowned, "you're not eating?"
"I already ate," James replied after a moment, "I'll go to the bathroom real quick, alright?"
"He's lying," Jett said once Janes was out of sight, playing with the fork through the pasta, "he didn't eat."
"How do you know?" I asked, grabbing my own fork.
"I don't know," she shrugged, "I just do."
"Jett, I know you always say 'my intentions never lie to me' but this is way more than just that."
"Well, I don't know, alright?" She snapped, "maybe I'm making things up, maybe I'm overreacting because I don't like seeing James like this, I'm just telling you what I'm feeling."
We fell silent for a few minutes, the only sounds being our forks scratching against the plates, James not coming back yet until I said, "I'll try to check what's happening."
"What can you do that's more than we did now?" Zade asked.
"Can't hurt to try again," I shrugged, putting the empty plate in the sink, "I'll tell you what happened."
I walked to where James went, checking the bathroom and just like I expected, he wasn't there. Heading upstairs, I heard a phone ring in James's room, him cutting it off by picking up. I slowly walked towards the door and was about to knock when I didn't here him say anything until he whispered, "Eve?"
My fist stopped mid air, I should leave, it wasn't right to just eavesdrop on something that had nothing to do with me, and this was James, he trusted me. But I just couldn't move, "what do you want?...Eve, what?...wait, wait, stop. Cut it out, what do you—"
I shifted to one leg, making the wood underneath me make a sound, and James stopped talking mid sentence, "I really can't talk right now, Evelyn. We'll... talk later, whatever."
I stepped back when I heard footsteps coming my way until the door opened and I was met with James's blank expression. James and a blank expression in the same sentence was trouble, "hey."
"Hey... what are you doing up here?"
"Am I not allowed up here?" I tilted my head.
"No— I mean, yeah, of course you are," he smiled softly, "did you want something?"
"What's going on, James?" I cut to the chase, "I won't tell anyone. You talked to me when I was upset about Emmaline, so you can talk to me too."
He clenched his jaw and looked down, "I talked to you because this is what I'm supposed to do," he looked back up pointing at me, "kid," then pointed at himself, "adult who should keep an eye on said kid."
"Come on, Jay," the nickname slipped out without meaning, making the look in his eyes slightly shift, "we all know you're just like Zade said, younger brother."
"Kai—"
"Even if, you can still talk to us, we're not really kids anymore," I said, seeing his eyes roam around, thinking, "I promise it will stay between us."
He was quiet, not moving for a moment before he stepped back, opening the door wider as I walked in, sitting on the bed with him following, "so, what is it?"
"Do you... do you remember Evelyn? My uh.. my—"
"Your ex girlfriend?" I asked to make it easier for him, and he nodded.
"She called me three days ago, and the problem is, she's acting as if nothing happened," he ran a hand through his head, exhaling a breath.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she's saying she wants to see me, to hang out. She's not even explaining why, just that she feels like she wants to hang out with me again. I don't even know what that means. She wants to be friends? To get back with me? I... what is going on?"
I nodded slowly, processing, "she broke up with you three years ago, James. I don't think it took her this long to miss you. If she was going to feel that way, it was going to happen way earlier."
"Don't you think that's what I keep saying to myself?"
"Well, she literally broke up with you out of nowhere, just decided she wanted to leave and didn't give you any notice or a chance to say no. So, she definitely wants something. What? I don't know."
"I don't know what to do," he groaned, leaning against the headboard with his hands rubbing down his face.
"Tell her no," I shrugged, "she doesn't deserve for you to stress out like that. Look at how you are since she called you, she makes you sad, James."
"She doesn't make me sad," he sighed, "I was actually really happy with her, I don't we even fought. I just don't understand why she left, and... I'm worried that if I let her in my life again, it'll be a full cycle."
"If you really want to, you can meet with her," I soothed, "you can understand why she did it and see where you go from there. But my advice is to close this page and turn a new one. Trust me, there are a lot other than Evelyn that would like being with you."
He chuckled at my smile and I looked at the wall to the clock, "I have to go to the academy, but don't let this overwhelm you, I need the man-child back."
"Still here," he raised a hand before dropping it.
"Talk to Jett and Zade," I stood up, "they're worried."
"Okay," he smiled. Finally. That was intense.
"Bye, Jay," I threw a pillow next to me at him, hearing his threats to come pick me up everyday behind me while I shook my head.
x-x-x-x-x-x
I stared at the clock on the wall in the training room as if this will make time move faster, but it only seemed to slow it down, making me groan. With Emmaline not here, I felt like time was frozen. Like I was stuck here. Before heading to the academy I went to a place Rio told me about when I asked about where to buy locks and bought two, then went to another store to make them carve each of our names on each one. So I was waiting for the moment I get out of here, so I could go with her.
I didn't tell her because I knew how much she liked surprises, and I smiled just thinking about her expression when I show her what I got. How she'll jump up and down, if she'll hug me or kiss me, what she will wish for.
"Kai!" The physical training coach yelled, snapping me out of my daydream, "I said your name, like, 5 times. Come on, you're up."
I glanced at the clock one last time and sighed, getting up and walking to him, "Ivan, up."
Oh, fuck no. I rolled my eyes as I watched him walk up to me. Ever since Emmaline and I started dating we went to the academy together once, and Ivan wasn't here then. The only time I did want him here, he decided not to attend. I wanted to shove it in his face that if Emmaline was already a red line, she was now three really bright highlighted red lines, and that if he even thought about crossing one of them, I'd actually rip his head off.
"One round," the coach started, "for 3 minutes, use your powers along with physically battling. Focus on blocking any hits coming your way rather than attacking, clear your head. Ready?"
"Yes," Ivan smiled with a tilt of his head.
"Ready," I said flatly, fixing my legs in place in order to be able to firmly run.
"Go!"
I ran first. Going around Ivan and hitting behind his knees, making him fall to the ground, but didn't have time to even step backwards before I was being tackled to the ground by my legs. Ivan's ability was that he was flexible, he could stretch his arms and legs to any extent he wanted, so if Ivan focused enough on where I was going to head when I run, he'll be able to block my movements.
We went back and forth, me running the opposite direction in a blur after straying him away and him blocking me when I wasn't focused enough, but it ended with him on the ground while I had my elbow on his neck just as the coach called it off.
I pushed off of Ivan, running a hand through my hair and trying to take my breath. It's been three years, but using my powers on full force in a short time span still made me exhausted, made me not able to breath properly.
"You sure you okay, Kai?" Ivan nodded as we walked to the benches.
"I beat your ass, didn't I?" I shot back, "I'm more than fine."
He scoffed and opened his mouth when my phone rang. I looked at it to find that it's not the first time he called, he called me... 7 times? What?
I grabbed it and moved to the end of the room as two other people stood up for their own round, picking up, "hello?"
"Where the hell have you been?!" I pulled the phone away from my ear at his harsh tone.
"What's wrong?" I asked calmly, "my phone wasn't—"
"Whatever, it doesn't matter, are you still at the academy?"
"Yeah?" I frowned. Dad never got mad like that easily, I don't I even heard this tone before in my life. "Did something happen?"
Was Emmaline okay? The question popped up in my head, but I didn't say anything, holding my breath until he replied.
"Get out of there right now."
"What? Why?"
"Kai, please, just get out," he rushed and I heard shuffled noises next to him, like he was moving, "listen to me. I need you to get yourself and everyone out of the academy right now."
"Dad, what's going on, you're freaking me out?" I could feel my heart hammering against my chest even more than it already was.
"There's... there's a bomb there," he hissed, "it was just reported now, I'm calling J after, but please get out of there. Right. Now."
A bomb? I felt my lungs closing in, refusing to do their jobs and just breathe. What?
"Kai? Kai, are you still there?!"
"Yes," I shook my head, "yes. I'll get out and call you."
"Okay," he sighed, "call me when you're safe."
"Okay, dad," I rushed going to my bag, "okay, just don't freak them out. Tell them I'm out and okay."
"Alright, goodbye."
"Bye," I hung up first because I had a feeling he would have kept this call forever. I checked seeing that my mum didn't call me, that meant only my dad knew at work. I ran towards the coach, going around the battle still going, "hey."
"Not now, Kai," he said his eyes still on the two kids in front of him.
"No," I grabbed his arm, "my dad just called. We all need to get out of there right now. Listen, there's..." I lowered my voice, "there's a bomb here."
"A what?" His eyes widened and I nodded.
"Try and tell everyone they need to get out."
"Okay," he nodded quickly, "hey! Hey! Stop!"
He broke off the fight happening and motioned them to take a breath, "can everyone pay attention, please? Okay, I'm going to need everyone of you to head downstairs, out of the entire building right now."
Whispers broke as people looked at each other until he shut them up again, "I got word that there is a bomb here, so everyone out. Please try to head downstairs in pace, don't push or hit each other..."
People's voices overlapped his own, I couldn't even hear him even when I was standing next to him, but he just grabbed my arm, motioning for me to go. I swallowed as I walked towards the chaos that broke off between people, I hated crowds and messy scenes, but I had to stop thinking about that until I'm out.
"Aw!" I snapped my head to the soft voice to my right, seeing a girl slip and grab her leg in pain as people pushed her. I looked behind me to the stairs still empty, giving me an easy access to head down before everyone ran towards them then back at the girl trying to stand up as people shoved past her and gritted my teeth, using my powers to run to her, carrying her and running again towards the stairs, putting her down when I reached the exist, people running out.
"Thank you," the girl breathed, squeezing my hand before turning and following everyone. I looked behind me, seeing a lot facing the same trouble she faced and before I knew it, I was offering them the same help. Back and forth, I couldn't even breathe anymore. I could feel as if my heart was going to burst out of my chest, go right through it. I ran to the stairs, but stopped midway. Frowning at my powers cutting off, what? I shook my head and tried to use them again, and it worked. I just couldn't go full way, it stopped for a second every time.
After I helped the last person, I looked back and found nobody left, sighing and going to finally get out when Ivan came into sight.
"Kai," he said in a worried voice, his eyes scanning behind me, "have you seen Gia?"
"Who?" I whispered through a breath. I blinked slowly, trying to focus.
"Gia," he repeated. Gia. Oh, her. She was our mutual friend here at the academy, more of Ivan's friend anyway.
"No," I shook my head, "isn't she with you?"
"No," he rushed, "I can't find her. Kai, please. I know you don't like me, but please, you're the only one who could make it in and out in less than a second."
I looked behind me to the empty lobby then back to him. I didn't want to go there again, I was scared. I wanted to go home, I wanted to see Emmaline, I wanted to give her the gift I bought, but I said, "okay, I'll look for her."
I patted his shoulder when he thanked me and ran inside again, cupping my hands around my mouth and shouting, "Gia!"
I yelled out her name over and over, I went through the locker rooms, the third floor even when we didn't have training there today, but I found nothing, "Gia! Are you there?!"
Nobody was there. Nobody. I could hear a faint sound though, a beeping sound. Ding... ding... ding. It was the only thing that surrounded me until I snapped out of my frozen state, running downstairs without even using my powers because I couldn't anymore. I made it to the second floor and froze because something happened.
My ears rang from the utter silence around me. No sound. No one. No beeping noise.
Oh.
Suddenly I felt pure heat surrounding my body, then I was off of the ground. Hearing the explosion before it hit my body with a force. I could feel the air rush past me and shake me to my bones, until my back hit a wall, seeing the fire and brimstone from the blast, before my eyes shit close. My skin felt like it was burning and tearing apart in the fierce blaze of the explosion.
Wake up.
I'm trying.
Open your eyes.
I can't.
You still have to give Emmaline her gift.
I know.
You promised! She was holding you to it!
...
Wake up! You said you'd call your dad once you're safe. You need to call him!
...
Then even the voice in my head died.
——————
A/N:
Oh, y'all wanted a cozy chapter? My bad.
Anyway I'm on a field trip having the time of my life, how are you?🤭
I wrote this chapter on the bus so idk if it's written properly but wtvs.