Lucas closed his tired lids, tearing an invisible, gaping hole in Kalani's heart.
He swore to reject all people, but maybe he was just fooling himself. This young man undid the seal Kalani had placed around himself and, without Kalani's knowledge, made a place for himself there. The tears became harder to control as Kalani realized it too late.
The only friend he had was gone... leaving him behind alone in the darkness.
Any noise was reduced to a whisper other than the slow, heavy thumps of his heart. The constricting sensation tightened further in his chest, making Kalani forget to breathe.
Looking up, his bloodshot eyes trailed the spectators, whose laughing faces seemed to mock him in his misery. A sardonic grin shifted onto Kalani's face.
"IS IT FUNNY?!"
The arena with all its clamor turned deathly quiet. Many eyes bored into the boy, who sluggishly rose from his kneeling position.
But Kalani never flinched, asking the question he had locked away inside for five years. "ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN?!"
The stadium sat in utter silence that even a pin drop would be heard.
Out of the corner of everyone's eyes, the cloaked people hurried out of the stage's side doors. Though before they could prevent him from saying more, the boy threw back his head as he laughed with an expression of torment, "HAHAH—AH, YOU ARE NOT!"
One finally tackled Kalani and hastily wrapped a gag over his mouth, ending the boy's rant. However, the damage had been done.
As the rest of the cloaked employees approached Lucas's body, Kalani abruptly snapped, clawing and kicking the people holding him down. The thought of these disgusting people touching his friend and throwing his body out somewhere to rot detested him to the core. Nevertheless, the employees had probably surmised that he would resist as he was promptly knocked out and dragged out of the silent arena.
…
Adelaide opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the worried faces of her parents.
"Mom?..." she spoke before flinching at the hoarse voice she could barely recognize as hers. It was then when the dryness of her throat made her plead for water.
After gulping it down, her muddled mind began to clear. "I—I saw..." she said before stopping with rigid shakes of her head as her lids squeezed shut tightly.
"Dear! Dear!" Adelaide heard her parents utter aloud frantically, their hands trying to hold her extreme trembling. Her mother was in tears while her dad looked more distraught by the minute as he urged for a doctor to be called.
The few minutes of pure terror felt like hours to the girl, who was constantly embraced by her parents to protect her from accidentally hurting herself. Finally, Adelaide fainted, letting her slip into a rare moment of peace.
Just a few feet away, Sofia watched this all unfold in front of her, her hazelnut irises gazing with eerie calmness. Once the doctor arrived, she turned around without anyone taking due notice. Her clack of the heels resounded quietly on the floor as she exited the room.
...
Dragging her legs through the barred door, Nyx walked several more meters before sitting down— or what most likely appeared to be her legs giving way. The rattles of the key echoed throughout the prison when the guards twisted it in the locks of the thick chains wrapping around the iron bars.
Glancing around, she observed some children clutched their stomachs as hunger clawed their insides out while others had walked shakily as far as their legs could go. Lowering her lashes, she stared at the rocky surface of the ground she sat on with misted eyes.
Then after a while, Nyx looked towards Kal's abode, which was — to her disappointment — still empty. Nyx curled her lips wryly.
'Would this feeling be considered loneliness?' she mused as she massaged her stiff hands. Picking herself up, the girl stepped toward the abode yet was abruptly approached midway by Emma. Behind Emma, a group of emaciated teens and kids alike stood awkwardly.
"Nyx... I was wondering," Emma bit her lips as if in shame, "if you could share some of your bread with my friends? They weren't able to eat this morning." With a cursory look, Nyx examined the group, which after her survey was definitely more than she could provide for.
Nyx shook her head helplessly and replied, "Emma, I do not have enough bread for all of them..."
"But isn't there more bread in there?" Emma pointed toward the abode, behind Nyx. "You can at least 'borrow' some from the other basket, right?" Emma pleaded, her worry evident on her face. Nyx's brow knitted before she shook her head once again.
"Emma, that's not my portion. Ask Kal if you need some of his food." Turning her waist back toward the abode, Nyx used the darkness to cover the disappointment on her face.
"You can just take one or two loaves! He won't mind!" By now, Emma had grabbed Nyx's arm firmly, preventing Nyx from walking away. "Please... you are my best friend." Emma gazed at Nyx with tears at the verge of spilling, as if hoping to curry her sympathy.
However, Nyx did the opposite of Emma's expectations. Shaking off the other girl's hands, Nyx took a step back while responding firmly, "As I said before Emma, that is not my portion."
Mouth slightly agape, Emma stared with disbelief as the tears blurred her vision. "Then are we not friends anymore?" she asked softly as tears finally streamed down her smudged cheeks.
Trying to not frown, Nyx explained gently, "Our friendship isn't related to someone else's food."
Once everyone recognized Nyx was dead set on her decision, Emma's teary face changed abruptly. Wiping her tears away, the girl now gave off a sense of stubbornness and annoyance.
"Well, if you don't want to give it to us, then we just have to get it ourselves," Emma remarked coldly.
Hearing this, Nyx, her face grim, stood in their way with arms outstretched from her sides, blocking the entrance into the abode. Just as Nyx was contemplating on whether to use her wind magic to deter them, a voice called out sharply.
"Emma, don't go any further!"
They all were diverted by the new speaker— Nelson. Several kids, including Dave from earlier, stood beside him.
"Fuck off, Nelson," Emma hissed, "We are starving!"
"Do you not think we are hungry too?... Even then, have you seen us steal from others?" By now, Nelson had sidled alongside Nyx, displaying a protective stance. The teenagers behind Nelson did the same: some even carrying various mining tools with them.
Dave patted Nyx on the back. "Our boss will take care of this," the boy whispered to her. Nyx, on the other hand, felt the sting of betrayal, and her face struggled to process it. Kal's words had become true.
With an ugly face, Emma glared at Nelson, "What's the big deal with taking some bread from a dirty prostitute? Did you all not see how chummy he is with the female warden? Or are you guys all blind to that fact?..."
Their noisy argument turned heads as everyone in the cavern heard her words.
"That's a conjecture— not a fact, Emma... and you know it," Nelson answered calmly. With his arms crossed, he gazed back unflinchingly at the larger group of people before him.
After moments of rare silence, Emma twirled around to face the rest of the slaves present. "Do you think it is right for Kal to hog all the good bread to himself? When I asked him before, he didn't just politely decline. He actually sneered and kicked me roughly!"
Murmurings filled the cave. Many were very displeased at what they heard, so they condemned Kal for his actions aloud.
With creased brows, Nelson rebutted, "The reason he kicked you is because you kept clinging onto him. Even then, he didn't injure you badly enough."
Emma squinted her eyes in rage at Nelson, "I didn't cling onto him!"
The murmurings somewhat ceased since some were now bewildered. Who was telling the truth?
"You may not have thought you were clinging, but I witnessed how annoying you were back then too," a girl next to Nelson spoke out.
"You are lying! You are just saying that because you are with Nelson," Emma snapped at the girl, who bit her lips in frustration.
By the second, the atmosphere grew so intense that it felt palpable, leaving many shifting uncomfortably.
"No matter what, we need to eat, so don't stand in our way, Nelson!" Emma appeared to stand by her decision. On cue, her group snatched any tools available on the ground, evidently preparing for a brawl.
"Are you seriously going to do this?" Nelson inquired through gritted teeth. "I'm warning you to step away before Kalani comes..."
Emma and the rest scoffed amongst themselves. "What? Are you trying to threaten us with one person? No matter how you frame him as invincible as in the rumors, aren't rumors just an exaggeration?" she remarked with scorn.
"It's for your own good!" Nelson exclaimed in exasperation while his friends prepared for the worst as they gripped their tools just in case one decided to charge.
Raising her voice, Emma proclaimed a tempting offer, "Everyone! If you help me seize the rations, I'll make sure to reserve a piece for you!"
Though many teens and kids knew this was morally wrong, the temptation of better food won them over. As they joined the ranks of Emma's group, the more bleak it became for Nelson's side.
However, there were some who stuck to their morals while others just didn't want to injure themselves in the ensuing scuffle. Yet there was one thing almost everyone agreed on: this wouldn't end well for Nelson.
"ENOUGH!" Nyx's thunderous voice reached their ears, "Whatever Kalani did to obtain food, it is only because of his hard work." She stared daggers at Emma as she stepped forward. "You people have no right to steal it away from him!"
"Hah, the strong preys on the weak here. I thought even a naive girl like you would have known that by now," Emma responded with a smirk.
"Indeed, the strong does reign over the weak," a hoarse voice reverberated throughout the cave. Everyone whipped their heads back toward the jail entrance.
Kalani was leaning against the bars for who knows how long. The blood stains from before were gone, but black powder resembling coal streaked across his face, hiding his current complexion.
Despite how tired he looked, some already felt their instincts telling them to run away.
"What...? Didn't expect me?" With his hand covering his mouth, Kalani grinned, but his smile was a bit strange, appearing almost forced. However, his hand hid the fact from most of the crowd; only the keener ones noticed that something seemed off.
"I didn't know I was that popular," he drawled with a hint of mirth. "What are you here for?" For some reason, a deep chill ran though their spines despite his casual tone.
Instinctively clenching her hands, Emma spoke up, "Kal, can you give us your food?" Yet, her bold tone was clearly indicating it was not a question.
"No can do," Kalani answered, his reply quick and concise.
Emma gritted her teeth as she spoke in a huff, "You don't really have a choice though." Emma's group surreptitiously closed in on Kalani, whose hollowed eyes followed their every move.
"It seems like I should refresh your memories..." the boy said under his breath.
Afterward, he threw a swift punch at the nearest lackey, making the slave clutch his stomach as he doubled over. Not even a groan escaped his lips before he fainted. Everyone was dumbstruck.
As the fastest to recover, Emma shouted an order to attack Kalani together. Nyx took a step forward in anger when a hand grabbed her arm.
"He will take care of it; trust me," Nelson whispered as he used his other hand to point toward the fight.
As she scrutinized where he was pointing, Nyx saw that although Kal was swamped by the crowd, the slaves around him dropped like flies, leaving a trail of collapsed bodies.
Despite this, Nyx could tell the beating was taking its toll on Kal in spite of his best attempts at blocking. Unable to hold it anymore, she faced Nelson with knotted brows, "I don't care if he can take care of it or not; just because he isn't crying doesn't mean he doesn't feel pain."
Nelson wanted to refute, but her darkened, chocolate eyes exuded an oppressive aura of fury, stuffing the words he wanted to say down his throat.
"Give me the shovel," she uttered firmly to a teenager nearby. In a daze, he handed it to her without much hesitation. After receiving it, she breathed in deeply and gripped the metal handle of the tool.
Standing with back straight, Nyx turned around to say one last thing to Nelson with a softer tone, "I cannot call myself his friend if I abandon him now." Stiffening slightly, Nelson lowered his eyes, as if with shame, as she passed him by.
"What should we do, boss?" Dave asked aloud. The others similarly looked at Nelson, who had now shut his eyes.
Nyx overheard their words, but it was only a passing thought. Instead, she looked ahead on the chaos, musing, 'If I hit their legs, I can take them down without much of a fight.'
Inwardly, Nyx knew she might get injured seriously, but the girl only gazed resolutely at the brawl, steeling her nerves for what was about to happen.
Emma and her closest friends observed from afar when several howls, a notch higher than the others, caught their attention.
Focusing on the one responsible, they realized a girl was knocking their comrades down with a damn shovel, effectively crippling their legs. Behind Nyx were many of their companions already strewn on the floor, unable to get up.
"Go take her down!" Emma commanded while glancing at her friends. They rushed toward Nyx, and one managed to strike her back with his tool.
Swallowing back the yelp that almost came from her throat, Nyx swiftly swung and struck her attacker. A burning sensation radiated from her spine, but she gritted her teeth and forced her body to charge at the surrounding teenagers.
However, unlike Kalani who had experience in fighting and dodging, Nyx was a total amateur and got cruelly smacked on her wings and legs, making her bite her lower lip till it bled. Yet even then, she endured and instead glanced at Kalani to see how he was faring.
…
Gasping heavily, Kalani could feel his whole body screaming at him for a break.
The numbness interfered with his reactions, which in turn gave others the chance to injure him more. At this rate, the bruises on his arms wouldn't even be countable, but he knew he couldn't give in; otherwise, that would just invite more trouble.
Amid his musing, a girl threw a punch Kalani, but he sidestepped and grabbed her shoulder before pivoting his heel and punching her in the gut unmercifully. Then, he used her body to collide into another teen, knocking them both clean out. However, no matter how many he took out, the swarm seemed endless.
To the side, Kalani felt the presence of a person, but it was already too late to deflect the blow, so he braced for impact with his arm. But the punch never came as expected.
"Kal, don't do this ever again," a gasping, husky voice brought him out from his confusion. He turned his head to spot Nelson pummeling the guy, who tried to punch Kalani earlier. As Kalani took in his surroundings, he realized that it was not just Nelson, yet the others who didn't participate had also joined in suppressing the mob.
Stunned, he only snapped out of it once Nelson took another blow for him.
"Why are you helping me?" Kalani questioned with a low, rasping voice. His eyes squinted with suspicion.
"You should thank that girl of yours," Nelson replied. Then, he chuckled a little when he caught a glimpse of Kalani's bewildered face.
…
Once the last person was taken down, everyone left standing breathed a sigh of relief. On the other hand, Emma tried to slink away but was caught mid escaping by Kalani.
"Let me go!..." Emma's choked voice was unable to conceal the terror at seeing him. Staring down on her shaken figure, the disgust he had for her made him place his hand firmly on her neck.
"Ahh, he's trying to kill me! Help!... Wait! Please d-don't!" At this point, the girl was having a mental breakdown. However, not paying attention to her pleas, Kalani gripped her throat tighter.
Then, a slim hand touched his outstretched arm.
"Kal, don't..." Nyx whispered quietly. As he turned to bore into her deep, chocolate eyes, his breath lodged painfully in his chest. Her irises reminded him of Lucas's, opening the wound Kalani had tried so hard to ignore.
Loud hiccups interrupted his thoughts, and he glowered at Emma, who then directly passed out from fright.
Just when his fury had returned, Nyx covered her mouth with one hand and coughed lightly. He didn't know what came over him, but he instinctively glanced back, catching a glimpse of the familiar crimson on her palm. The boy grabbed the hand she tried to hide as the sinking feeling permeated his whole being.
"How are you feeling?..." he questioned hoarsely, raising his brow at her. His gaze was so suffocatingly dark that Nyx quivered.
"I'm fine," she responded shakily. Kalani crossed his arms, clearly not convinced.
Averting her guilty eyes from his, Nyx thought to herself, nibbling the inside of her lower lip, 'Damn it, even I wouldn't believe myself with this voice!...'
"You—" he lowered his voice to almost a pained whisper, "did you cough up blood?"
Nyx looked up at him and squeaked, "No!" This drew the attention of nearly everyone present, which now made her cough in embarrassment.
A few feet away, Nelson watched their interaction with a smile tugging at his lips. However, he inched backward, away from both of them.
On the other hand, Kalani couldn't erase the anxiety bothering him and grabbed Nyx's arm, pulling her back to his place. "Come with me," he ordered.
"Wait!" Nyx blurted out as she attempted to wriggle out of his grasp, but when she resisted, he let go abruptly.
"Ah!" she yelped and closed her eyes, waiting for her poor bum to connect with the hard floor.
"Hah, you look stupid," she heard Kalani's serious voice crack with a quiet chuckle. It was only then when she slowly opened her eyes with curiosity, only to discover— to her mortification— that Kalani was holding her bridal style in his arms.
Poof...!
Her face flushed a deep shade of red while an itch grew inside Kalani to make it more so. Wearing a naughty smirk, he bent his face closer to her ear before whispering, "Wow, a beetroot... Can I ea—"
However, using both hands, Nyx covered his mouth with a smack, effectively shutting him up.
Everyone flinched at how loud it sounded, including Nyx. As the closest person currently, the girl glanced up guiltily to notice different emotions being emanated by Kalani: amusement, confusion, and eventually a glimmer of fury. She sweated. The fury part she wasn't too keen on finding out...
With pleading eyes, she turned to look for Nelson close by, who was— to her dismay— now several meters away from them. Always the second betrayal hits harder than the first.
Right then, Kalani strode forward, and Nyx bit her bottom lip before pulling her hands away. "I'm sorry Kal. Forgive me..." she uttered urgently, but seeing he didn't slow, she used the next best option. "As punishment, I can sleep outside tonight."
The girl expected him to agree immediately, yet he simply let out a deep chuckle, sending shivers down her spine.
"It's all right," he responded with a sly grin. Her mouth formed an 'O'.
This— man!!!
...