Empie: Hello, I’m BACK!! Finally. I’m soooooooo sorry for the long wait, but my school has invented something to torture their students……a testweek *shivers*, which basically means I have to use all my free time to study, yuck!

Kai: Oh no, No, NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Empie: Ooh please, stop making a fuss out of things. The testweek is almost over, it’s not such a big deal, anymore.

Kai: No you moron, YOU writing again, THAT’S the big deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Empie: Still a little ticked of about how this story’s going I see.

Kai: *shoots famous death glare at empie* A LITTLE!!!!! After you wrote the last chapter you’re thinking I’m a LITTLE ticked of!!??

Empie: Sheesh, okay, maybe a lot. But still-

Kai: *cuts her short by lunging at her*

Empie: *dodges while shouting at readers* Kisses and hugs to those who reviewed and have fun with chapter three!

Kai’s POV

“Wake up…Kai!..........WAKE UP!!!!!”

I grunted and rolled onto my back. “What…w-who?” I stuttered a little while suppressing a yawn.

“Yo Kai, get up it’s past eleven in the morning.”

“Kala?” The confusion I felt clearly showed in my voice, why was he waking me up?....Wait a minute, past eleven in the morning!!! I never slept in, ever??!!

My eyes shot open and I found myself looking into two worried(?) brown eyes, Kala’s. I glanced at my bedside clock and saw he was right, it was ten past eleven. How the hell did I sleep this long???????

“Hey buddy, are you feeling alright? You never really sleep long, and now it’s nearly noon!?” I guess I had been right about the worry in his eyes, it was now showing in his voice as well.

“No, don’t worry Kala, I’m fine, just tired I guess.” My voice sounded a little groggy seeing I had just woken up and the corners of my mouth twisted up in a little smile.

“Okay, anyway. Mum wants you down for breakfast, a family breakfast.” I heard the sarcasm in his voice and chuckled a little, me and my brother both thought family breakfasts were quite annoying, most of the time.

“Sooo, be down in five. And please don’t go back to sleep.” A crooked smile stood on his face as I nodded and he opened my bedroom door while leaving.

As soon as he left and closed the door behind him I let my head fall back onto my pillow a small smile forming on my face. I took a deep breath, and immediately felt something was wrong. My chest was aching, my arms shot up in response and started burning. I lifted my head back up to take a look at my arms and chest and saw…a blanket? Didn’t I fell asleep on top of my blanket? Oh no right, I woke up in the middle of the night, washed, changed into my pyjamas and laid back down underneath my blankets trying to sleep. I hadn’t really gotten any sleep (which is why I had slept in) as I kept waking up because of my nightmares. Most of them involved a crazy Jack, a scared Kala and loads of hitting for me.

I pushed myself up and winced a little as my aching muscles were set into motion, again. I climbed out of my bed and gasped when I saw my reflection in the mirror.

My bare chest was a sea of little black and blue spots, there were two big bruises on my stomach and my arms were even worse. The front of both my upper arms were totally blue as they had served as a shield to protect my chest and had therefore taken the full blow of the kicks. As I looked closer I could even make out some bruises on my throat where he had grabbed me. As soon as I thought of Jack I shivered, yesterday evening still very fresh in my mind.

Wait, Jack, mum, breakfast. Alarm bells were going of in my head. I couldn’t tell mum, no one could ever find out. I didn’t want them to know how weak I was, destroy mum’s happiness or…well I just didn’t want to find out what Jack would do to anyone who knew.

“KAI!!!!” Kala’s voice came from downstairs and sounded a little annoyed. I opened my door and yelled a reply.

“Coming!!”

I went back into my room and opened my closet. While going through my cloths I fished out a white top with no sleeves and a high collar too cover the bruises on my throat, (I usually wear black but in summer I make an exception because of the heat) underwear, a wide pair of black pants and my arm guards with sleeves to cover up my arms. I was for the first time very grateful for the fact I usually always wore those arms guards as now people won’t be asking questions as to why I was wearing them in the middle of the summer.

I grabbed a pair of socks and my usual shoes, put them on and ran downstairs. When I reached the kitchen the table had already been set and my mum and Kala were waiting for me. I sat down while Kala rolled his eyes in a finally-I-get-to-eat way. I smiled apologetic while I took a look at what was on the table. Mum apparently still felt guilty for leaving me alone yesterday; she bought my favourite bread, white (she had also put some in the toaster), and everything I liked on it. I looked up at my mum and saw her smiling at me, I smiled back and grabbed some toast and the cheese.

“I see mister sleepy is finally up.”

I froze, my knife hovering above my toast, as Jack’s voice came form behind me. No one really seemed to notice as my brother said hi and went back to eating and my mum shared a very long kiss with him. When they were finally finished, he (fortunately) went to sit in between Kala and my mum.

“So honey, how was it last night?”

I froze, again, but quickly adjusted myself and thought of an answer I would have given if last night had been...normal.

“F-Fine, I guess.”

I managed a forced smile at her and turned my attention back at my toast, only to find my appetite had vanished nearly completely. I fiddled a little with my toast, eating it very slowly, and listened to the conversation, hearing who was talking but not listening to what they were saying.

I looked up feeling someone was looking at me (yes I have always been able to do that) and found myself looking at Jack. His blue eyes weren’t alcohol-possessed anymore and looked fully awake but, as I looked closer I could see something had changed.

They weren’t as friendly as the first time I had seen them, they had a spark of………something. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was but it only grew bigger as he looked at me which made me feel really uncomfortable. You wouldn’t be able to see it if you weren’t looking for it or knew it was there but, it was and he was again totally freaking me out. His gaze had something possessive in it and I found myself unable to break away from it.

When he finally broke away I immediately looked down and noticed my hands were trembling, forming fists to hide my panic I quickly made a plan.

Mum and Kala were going away tonight leaving me alone with Jack. I had no idea if he was going to repeat what he had done yesterday but I wasn’t going to take any changes. Mum has to work from six to eleven and thus should be home by half past eleven. If I could lay low ‘till then, nothing could happen. And, the easiest way to do that is by not being home and to do that I will have to ask Ray if I can stay with him.

Having made a plan I felt a little better (thinking always did this to me) and excused myself from the table. I felt like running as soon as I got up to my feet but controlled the urge and walked over to the door, al the time keeping my hands in fists to keep them from shaking.

When I had closed the door behind me things got to much and I started running. People were walking on the sidewalk and there were angry shouts from drivers stuck in traffic but, I couldn’t care less. I didn’t hear anything else than my own footsteps and the pounding of my heart, I bumped into at least two people but never really noticed.

I rounded another corner and nearly slipped, while staggering to stay on my feet things started to flood my mind. Yesterday evening kept on replaying itself, the nightmares in which Kala was hurt flashed trough my mind, Jack’s eyes from this morning kept staring at me full of lust or something.

I pushed myself to go faster, trying to escape my own mind, trying to forget. My legs were burning but it was nothing compared to the pain in my chest, my breaths were ragged and extremely fast and pain flashed through my chest with each breath and still, I didn’t slow down. I knew trying to run away would never work but, I had to try something.

My blood was pounding in my head and a headache made itself known banging away at the inside of my skull. Everything around me was a complete blur and sounds had come together becoming a buzz that was intensified because of my headache and –

-CRASH-

I had apparently run into someone as I fell forward onto something quite soft, another person. I was still breathing pretty fast and my headache had only intensified because of the crash. After a while I pushed myself up by using my arms and upon opening my eyes found myself staring into two liquid honey ones, which were looking up at me quite confused.

‘Uh oh’, was the only thing going through my mind.

Ray’s POV

I closed the door behind me and slipped the key into my pocket. My parents were out of town for a few days and had trusted me enough to stay home alone!!!! Of course the neighbours checked in every now and then but still, I was home…alone!!!!

Feeling rather proud of myself that my parents trusted me enough to leave me alone I walked out onto the street and turned right. Kai and me were going to meet at the mall and make up our minds on what to do today, there. Maybe we could go to the park and the cinema, I heard some really good mo-

-CRASH-

‘What the…’ Something…no, someone crashed into me with such force I was blown off of my feet only to land on my back quite painfully. My head connected with the streets and for a moment things were a bit of a blur. I blinked a few times trying to make out something, it was than I noticed that whoever had crashed into me was still lying on top of me. But before I could say anything the person moved, pushed himself up and opened his eyes.

I think that I was just as surprised as he was…Kai? I saw that his eyes clearly show some confusion, until that confusion made place for acknowledgement and finally his ‘normal’ expression of eternal boredom came up. This…surprised me, he had never used that expression around me, his friends or (as far as I know) his family. At school, yes, but not with me, not ever, so why start now???

“He Ray, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention as to where I was going. You okay?”

That tone!!!! It completely matched his expression of indifference, but…he never used that tone on me…ever!

“He, Ray……are you okay, Ray?”

I mentally relaxed, Kai had sounded worried. Not that I particularly like it when someone’s worried, especially Kai but, right now, anything’s better than his indifference act.

I noticed he was now really staring at me with worry filled eyes…Oh right, I hadn’t answered him yet. My over-confused brain finally completed the task of constructing a fitting answer.

“I-I’m fine.”

Oh great, I stuttered. I could see he wasn’t believing me so I quickly decided to ask him a question before he could ask me another one.

“Kai, could you, perhaps, move. I’m not planning on lying here all day.”

I could see a little grin on his face as he pushed himself to his feet. I could also see he relaxed as he heard me speak, he really had been worried about me. This thought created a smile on my face as I too got to my feet.

The smile, however, was shortly lived as I immediately started swaying on my feet while feeling extremely lightheaded. Colours swam across my vision and my right hand flew to the back of my head, it was throbbing pretty painfully. I think I hit the street a little harder than I first anticipated.

Just as I felt like I was going to go crashing towards the ground again, two hands placed themselves on my shoulders firmly, steadying me. I leaned into their grip and waited for the pain in my head to subside, my vision to clear and the muscles in my legs to start functioning normally again.

“Yeah, you’re just feeling great Ray, that’s why you nearly fainted.”

I smiled a little as I could hear the sarcasm in his voice, this was the Kai I knew, the I-will-only-talk-to-you-and-care-about-you-if-I-know-you-and-if-I-don’t-know-you-you-won’t-even-notice-me Kai. By now my vision had cleared and I looked at him.

“No, that would have to do with the fact I was just hit by a beautiful enraged buffalo.”

A beautifulenraged buffalo??? Where the heck did that come form. I hated buffalo’s, especially when they’re mad, so, what did I mean by that. I couldn’t actually think Kai was beautiful……could I?

I could see he was thinking the exact same thing because he was looking at me as if I had just declared I was a three-headed duck, completely stunned, confused and a tat worried.

“Yeah, whatever you say Ray, let’s just get you home. You should lie down.”

He was gently pushing me into the direction I had come from and I was still a little too dizzy and utterly confused to be complaining. He was walking next to me with his hands still on my shoulders while never taking his eyes off of me for more than two seconds.

I was still holding my head and it felt like a little electric shock course through it with every step adding themselves to my dizziness. But still, what just happened back there. Did I really think of Kai as … beautiful?? I mean, he was a friend, one of my best. There was absolutely no way I could like him in that way. Right?

“Ray…………Ray!!”

I was snapped out of my oh so confusing thoughts by Kai.

“We’re here, and I don’t have any keys since this is your house.”

I smiled, maybe a little sheepishly, and took the keys out of my pocket before I opened the door. Kai, while still holding me, led me towards my bedroom and told me to rest.

At first I wanted to argue but thought better of it. My head was still pounding away happily and a very drained felling made itself known. I laid down, faintly noticing Kai closing the curtains in my bedroom and turning off the light before my mind slip into the dream-world.

Kai’s POV

Great, great, great, great, great!!!!!!!!!! This was just fucking GREAT! First, I, quite literally, run into Ray causing him to hit his head and the street. Then, because of that, he starts talking nonsense and I have to bring him home where he crashes into his bed, which by the way, was seven hours ago!!! And that all because of me………me, ME, ME, ME, ME!!!!!

“AAAAAAAAARGH”

I slapped my hands over my mouth realizing I had been screaming out loud with Ray lying next door. I tip-toed over to his room and opened the door a little. I let out the breath I had been holding when I saw he was still asleep. I was about to close the door when I heard a groan come from inside the room.

I immediately reopened the door fully and saw Ray sitting up in his bed squinting his eyes against the sudden burst of light.

“What the…Kai? What are you doing here? What happened, oh wait, scratch that, that I can remember. What time is it?”

I sighed, Ray would never change. “Too answer your questions in order; I’ve been waiting for you to wake up to see if you were okay since you did hit your head pretty hard, and it’s……half past seven.

Ray’s eyes widened at that last bit of information.

“Half past seven???!! I’ve been asleep for almost the entire day?!!”

I couldn’t help but smile at his shocked expression, it just looked so, well, Ray-ish.

“Shit! I’m supposed to be at the Smith’s at seven. They’re gonna kill me if I’m late!”

Ray immediately jumped out of bed and started fussing over his incredibly long hair while cussing softly under his breath. He than put on his shoes and ran past me towards the kitchen.

After a few seconds of astonishment over the fact he had done all that in less than a minute I ran after him still a little worried.

“Ray, you shouldn’t be running around. You hit your head…hard, and now you need to rest.”

Trying to make Ray see sense is impossible, I know, that doesn’t mean I won’t try.

“No, I need to go. You should probably go to. Oh man, I’m so late!”

He rushed over to the door while eating a sandwich and held it open for me, knowing he was right about going home I walked outside. The second I was out, so was he slamming the door shut and grabbing his bike.

“I’m really, really sorry Kai. I know I just totally ruined your day but I’ll make it up tomorrow, I promise. But now I really need to go, I’m sorry.”

I was really getting tired of hearing him apologize. I was the one who rah into him right, so that would make it my fault.

“You shouldn’t be sorry, it was my fault not yours.”

But he was already gone. His enormously long hair dancing behind him as he raced over the streets, the sunset giving his appearance something mysterious. Wait, what? Mysterious???? What the heck am I thinking about. I shook my head to rid my mind of such weird thoughts.

Still trying to figure out and forget my thoughts at the same time I began to walk home. Not noticing I was there until I was standing right in front of the door.

I looked at it and blinked a few times before I fully understood where I was, home.

………………………………………wait………home………as in h-o-m-e……………………………………??

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOME, or more importantly, JACK. I so totally forgot about him, damn! I was so captured in my panicked thoughts I didn’t notice someone opening the door until that someone started talking.

“Finally decided to show up did we.”

I froze. Jack………he didn’t sound drunk, but he did sound extremely mad and, more disturbingly, dangerous. I gulped and looked up, which I immediately wish I hadn’t done.

His eyes were harsh and cold. But now the spark of this morning could be clearly seen and identified………lust. I wanted to run, to scream, to cry, but I just stood there, not wanting to give him a reason.

He suddenly took my upper arm and yanked me inside before closing the door. He than held me so close to his face I could clearly see his pores.

“I suggest you go upstairs, eat the foot your mother made you and stay upstairs for the remainder of the evening, am I understood!”

At that last part his grip tightened, cutting of the blood flow to my arm. I bit my lip as to not make a sound and nodded. I wanted nothing else but to get away from him, to go to my room and wait for my mum to come home and than cry with her arms safely around me. That last part of course couldn’t happen, as I had to keep my mouth shut to protect Kala, but still, it sounded so tempting.

Jack than, finally, released his death grip on my arm and harshly pushed me in the direction of the stairs, making me stumble which in turn made him snicker. The sound sounded sickening and I ran upstairs, into my room, and closed the door.

For what felt like hours but turned out to be fifteen minutes I just stood there and looked at the door. Finally I had calmed down a bit and convinced myself he wasn’t coming up. I let out a long and shaky sigh and sunk down on my desk chair. I looked at my computer and suddenly felt the urge to talk to Couyu. He always made me feel better and was the only one I could talk to right now, without him noticing that is.

I turned on the computer, logged on and smiled when I found him, he, once again, didn’t hesitate to start a private conversation with me.

Couyu: HEEEEEY! How’re things going?? How’s the boyfriend ;)?

Ooh great, just the one thing I didn’t want to talk about. I should’ve known he would bring it up. Now what am I gonna say…the truth, NO. Okay, calm down Kai, breath in………and out, that’s it…calm down. Now, you’re not gonna tell him. He’ll just start worrying and that’s the last thing you want.

Couyu: Hello??? Anyone home???????

Right, he’s still expecting a reaction.

Trishark: Good, I guess. And you make it sound like he’s mine, which he’s definitely NOT, he’s my mums, and he’s fine.

Couyu: Eew, no, of course he’s not yours. But he’s fine, fhew, that means I don’t need to report a murder……right?

Ooh man, he’s never gonna let that go. Why does he keep on going on, I don’t wanna talk about him. Right, he doesn’t know, and I need to keep it that way…this could turn out to be a loooong night.

Trishark: No, he’s not dead. Happy?

Couyu: Yeah. Sheesh dude, chill, I was just teasing you a little.

Trishark: Whatever. Have you seen that new movie, G.I. Joe?? It’s supposed to be really good.

Couyu: No…I haven’t………. Are you okay, you’re ignoring the subject???

Damn, why did Couyu have to be so observing and right all the time. Come on Kai, make up a lie…fast!.............Got it!!

Trishark: I’m not ignoring, I’m changing. There’s a difference. I just don’t want to talk about Jack all the time, there are other, more interesting, things we can talk about.

As soon as I pressed ENTER I saw my mistake. SHIT, I called Jack by his name. Not good, not good, not good, not good, not good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT GOOD!!!!!

Couyu: ????????????????? uh, Tri…….What’s going on? You’ve never said his name, or any name for that matter, before???? Why start now?

I didn’t have that much time to think about what I was going to do to fix this. My bedroom door swung open and hit the wall with an enormous BANG, making me jump and turn around only to stare into two crazed blue eyes, Jack…

“What are you doing, boy.”

I cringed, I couldn’t help it, I was terrified of him. The way he spoke to me, like he owned me, and somehow didn’t like that. Within a second he stood right beside me grabbed me by my shoulders successfully lifting me off of my chair.

“What have I told you about not answering me!!! I think you need another lesson in manners.”

I was frozen, I couldn’t move. The sound of his voice was sending shivers down my spine while I was already shaking uncontrollably out of fear. I didn’t have to wait long, after about three seconds he had thrown me on the floor and was, once again, attacking me unmercifully with kicks, everywhere. My chest (which I was trying to protect with my arms) my stomach, my legs, my back and at the end even my head.

That last kick left me quite dazed…but not dazed enough. I could feel my entire body scream (which is exactly what I did while receiving the kicks), not one part of my body had been spared. Well, he didn’t touch my face, probably ‘cause that’s hard to cover up.

“You little piece of shit! How dare you tell that kid my name!!!!”

That sentence gave me two more kicks to the stomach. I was trying to curl up in a ball, but my legs weren’t really responding. So I just lay there panting, hoping for it all to stop. But…………wait a minute, I told some kid his name?? Who the- Couyu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My eyes shot open and surely Jack was standing in front op my computer…typing? NO, not Couyu. What’s he telling him. Leave him alone!! I wanted to shout, tell him to stop, but my vocal cords couldn’t produce any other sound than a low grunt.

This made Jack look up while pushing on one more key, probably ENTER. He then walked over to me and grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking my head up so my dulled crimson red met with his crazed icy blue.

“Do you seriously think that…Couyu, is you’re friend. He’s probably a fifty year old guy who’s in need of attention. You don’t have any friends. Anyone who calls themselves your friend just feels sorry for you. They don’t really want to be your friend, the just feel sorry for you. But you know, you’re not even worth their pity, you’re not worth anything. You’re just a stupid kid with a stupid health who caused his own parents to get divorced. You ruined your own family, it’s all your fault. If you would die, things would only be better.”

With that he dropped my head and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

No way, he was lying. I-I have friends. They care about me. And my parents divorce wasn’t my fault, they told me that. I…I-I’m not worthless.

Really? Than where are your friends now?? Oh right, they’re on holiday, glad to be away from you. Just like Ray, he couldn’t wait to leave tonight, to get away from you. And your parents…of course it’s your fault. With that stupid health of yours, they probably played rock-paper-scissors to decide who had to keep you. You’re worthless, you’re pathetic, weak, alone. Nobody cares about you, no one cares about what happens to you, you deserve all of it. Nobody cares.

Nobody cares……

Nobody…

cares…….

I couldn’t stop the tears anymore. I clutched my head with both my hands and cried, the knowledge that Jack and that stupid voice were right grew with each tear.

Worthless…

Weak…

Pathetic…

Alone…

All your fault…

Nobody cares……

“Shut up, please……just shut up.”

Worthless…

Weak…

Pathetic…

Alone…

All your fault…

Nobody cares…

“No, please shut up……please.”

Worthless…

Weak…

Pathetic…

Alone…

All your fault…

Nobody cares…

“No…I…don’t, go away, go away, go away.”

WORTHLESS…

WEAK…

PATHETIC…

ALONE…

ALL YOUR FAULT…

NOBODY CARES…

I knew they were right, and I just couldn’t bring myself to fight them anymore. I just lay still and allowed myself to be engulfed by the voices, letting them engrave themselves into my soul. Allowing them to roam my dreams and give way to nightmares, knowing they were right……they were right……were right……right………

WORTHLESS!!!

“I’m worthless...”

WEAK!!!

“I’m weak...”

PATHETIC!!!

“I’m pathetic...”

ALONE!!!

“I’m alone...”

ALL YOUR FAULT!!!

“It’s all my fault...”

NOBODY CARES!!!

“Nobody cares about me...”

Empie: Wooooow, I can’t believe that just happened. I mean I actually finished the third chapter!!! YES!!!

Kai: You WHAT!!! You really don’t have a heart do you. What the heck did I do for you to hate me this much??!!

Empie: Ouch, of course I have a heart, that’s why I’ll fix everything, don’t worry. And I don’t hate you, I love you, you’re the coolest!!!! That’s why I’m writing this. *smiles at Kai really cutely*

Kai:*sweatdrops and looks distressed* You’re sick in your head, you know that.

Empie: No, I’m nicely crazed. And if you think this is bad *smiles evilly while eyes look crazed* wait ‘till you see the other story I’m working on.

Kai: *hacks into empie’s computer files and faints of shock when he has read the story*

Empie: Oops, maybe I should have waited a little longer before telling him that. Anyway, you can all see that button which says ‘REVIEW’. So, click on it and thaaaaaan, review!!! Please, please, please!!!