Morning arose and so did the people of the village. They had successfully adjusted to the snowy weather. In their snow boots and thick fur coat.
By the time Lithia woke up, the two bodies had already been cleaned and disposed of.
That doesn't mean she couldn't see the blood stains that were left and the remnants of the fight.
It was like this for the past few weeks. She hears noises that woke her up from her sleep but she couldn't simply leave Claude alone and vulnerable.
So she waited and it had always settled down in less than an hour. It couldn't be that they had given up so easily. And it couldn't be Luar who was sleeping in the room.
During the hour, questionable noises could be heard. Sounds of bricks and rocks being broken, yells and pleas for help. But they had always ended in silence.
It could be her neighbors solving the problem but they had never told her about it. Not even once.
All the evidence soon points to the guest in the furthest room away from them.
Lithia didn't say anything. She didn't know why. It wasn't like her to keep silent about such important pending matters.
He used to come out of his room often for the first 2 weeks. But it seemed like he had given up on pursuing his purpose and locked himself in the room and only came out to do the chores.
Kai was like an invisible helping hand to Lithia though he didn't need to be.
After Lithia had finished her dinner, she wanted to make a visit into Kai's room. It was time to deal with those matters.
"Grandma, where are you going?" Claude asked, grabbing onto her hand with a fork in his mouth.
"Finish your meal properly okay? I'm going to check up on Kai." Lithia ruffled her grandson's hair playfully.
Claude gripped her hand tighter. "Why is it always him? For the past few weeks he's been here you're always talking about him! What about me?" He yelled, his eyes getting red.
"Claude, I care about you most. You know that right?" Lithia's voice got softer as she slowly leaned down to her grandson's height.
"Then show it. I hate this. I hate him. Where did he even come from? And you're just treating him as if he's family!" Claude expressed his anger to the fullest. He didn't hold back.
"Claude." Lithia said, in a more strict tone now.
"I HATE YOU!" Claude screamed at the top of his lungs. He let go of her hand and slammed his fist on the table.
Kai had already stepped out of the room to see what the commotion was about. He didn't say anything. Just by the dialogue and sight in front of him, he already knew.
"I'm sorry." He apologized.
Claude saw Kai getting down on his knees and bowing his head low. He grabbed his plate and threw it. It broke and cracked into glass fragments.
Lithia raised her hand and slapped Claude across his face. She was mad. She didn't raise her grandson to be like this. Where had she gone wrong? What happened to the sweet child that couldn't harm a fly?
In utter shock, Claude stood there. Not being able to comprehend the situation. Did..she really hit him? She had never done this before. No matter how much he threw a fuss.
"I hate you. I hate YOU ALL! You all are so naive. So idiotic. How could you choose someone over me? Why are you ignoring me? Please..pay attention to me." Claude said. Taking a break after each sentence. His eyes were out of focus while he stared at the picture frame on the wall.
Lithia watched as Claude started crying and yelling unintelligible phrases. She watched as her grandson drove himself to the edge of insanity.
White silvery mist flew in the air like dust, surrounding Claude. His actions got less abrupt and sharp as his head fell onto the table and his body went limp.
"Take him inside the room." Luar said, it's eyes glowing.
"Luar..thank you." Lithia said, crying and sobbing. If Luar wasn't here, what would have happened? She couldn't dare stop her grandson on her own. Not while he's in that state of grief.
Kai stood up with the right side of his face bleeding. "I'll carry him." He said, looking at Lithia's expression. Even if she wanted to use magic to carry Claude, she didn't seem to be in such a calm mental state to do so.
After Kai had placed Claude on the bed. He covered him with a blanket. He wanted to hate the person but he couldn't.
In fact, he felt a little sense of admiration. The kid could put his feelings into words for people to understand. It was something he couldn't do in a million years.
Kai could understand what emotions those words held fully. He could resonate with Claude. He glanced back again and saw Claude'a face scrunching into an expression of pain and terror.
And then he left and closed the door to see another heartbreaking sight in front of him. He was the cause of all these problems, wasn't he?
"I'm sorry."
Lithia and Luar looked at him and shook their heads.
"It isn't your fault." Lithia said. "It's mine. I should've been more considerate of Claude's feelings. Thank you for being understanding."
Kai stood there and looked down at the floor. "Is it better if I leave?"
"I can't do that to someone who has nowhere else to go home to. It'll be too cruel of me." Lithia cleaned up the glass. "Maybe I can ask Mr Walton to take you in for a while. Not for free but maybe for some Labor. Are you fine with that?" She proceeded cautiously.
Kai nodded. "I'll be glad to. How long will it take for you to ask him for permission?"
"Not long. Come with me after I clean this up. Please.. take your belongings with you and you can take my books if they're to your liking." It sounded as if Kai was leaving forever.
Kai went inside the guest room and cleared the little possessions he had. The gift he received. Clothes and books. It was time to leave, yet again.