A Tale of the Other Kind: A Therian Novel (2 page)

A couple of seconds ticked by before he noticed that he was staring straight at her while drifting off in thought. Kai finally placed the teaspoon down and took a big sip from his cup. He tried to relax his furrowed forehead, which was contributing to his thumping headache. ‘It’s fine ma; I’m just worried about a test. That's all,' he said, trying to summon an encouraging smile. 

Bethany tilted her head sideways and he knew she wasn’t completely convinced. 'Well, okay then. You should probably get going,’ she replied, pointing at the snow-covered landscape through the window, noting that it was going to take a while to get to school. At that moment, however, the test was the least of his fears. He sighed, closing his eyes, hoping that seeing Sienna wouldn’t be as hard as he thought it would be. He took a deep breath and rose from the table to give his mother a kiss on the cheek, before heading out into the cold winter snow. Once outside, Kai realised that his usual walk to school would be impossible with the thick layer of snow, and he decided to use his motorcycle instead. He usually enjoyed the brisk walk to school; it gave him the freedom to enjoy the weak, wintery sun and the vast mountain grassland and pockets of Afromontane-mistbelt forest, fragmented by the plantations of exotic pine and eucalyptus trees. 

But, today, the usually colourful grasslands and treetops were covered in a blanket of white, and large icicles hung from the trees like Christmas decorations. Maintenance workers were already busy struggling to clear up the thick layer of snow covering the roads, unaccustomed to snowfall extending this far north on the Drakensberg mountain range. 

The distraction that nature usually provided only held Kai’s attention for a fraction of a second and, as he neared the edge of Sabie, the uneasy feeling he woke with that morning came rushing back. He could feel his eyes burn and his skin tingle as his pulse rate began to rise. His breathing became deeper and quicker as he neared town. He slowed the motorbike to a snail's pace while he contemplated flaking out and turning back home, to climb back into bed where no one could bother him. He came to a stop in front of the large iron gates enclosing the old stone school building, which was surrounded by an equally old stone wall, some of which had to be restored over the years because of degradation. He hung his head when the large gates slowly opened, knowing that there was no way that he would be able to hide from his feelings or from the girl that made his heart skip a beat. Sienna would be there, and he would have to face his fears, even as he wished that this day would simply end. Old Mr Steward, the grumpy geometry teacher, was on post at the gate, looking furious at having to wait for latecomers in the freezing wind. His thinning grey hair, which was usually neatly combed over his head to hide his bald patch, was fluttering around furiously, triggering a snicker from Kai as he entered the gate. 

Steward displayed a death-stare in an attempt to illustrate his dissatisfaction at Kai’s tardiness, and folded his arms across his chest, annoyed.   

‘You are late young man, you should be glad that I’m even letting you in,' he said sarcastically, nodding his head unwillingly. 

'Good morning Mr Steward. I’m sorry for being late. It's the snow, you know, it was really unexpected,' Kai said, as he parked his motorbike in the parking space closest to the main gate. He removed his helmet and hung it over his arm. 

'Well you better hurry Emery, or else you’ll miss your first class.' 

‘Yes, sir,’ Kai replied, sliding past Mr Steward, grinning guiltily. The parking lot was already deserted and he could see the students moving towards the main building from the school grounds. He sighed with relief that he didn’t have to stand around waiting for classes to start. His feet felt heavy and his back strained as he walked up the stairs towards the school entrance. He shook his arms, attempting to dissolve the nagging joint pain that refused to subside. He took a deep breath to ease the panic that was crushing his chest, but not even that could cure his racing heartbeat. Sweat started to form on his forehead, even though the cold bit deep into his cheeks. He wasn’t ready to face Sienna’s resentment for interfering in her spat with James, but he’d been unable to stop himself from punching him. The large hallway was stacked with lockers alongside the double-volume walls. The roof was decorated with wooden-carved sculptures of the illustrious big-five in their most ferocious forms. The heels of Kai’s shoes bounced off the cold, concrete floors, and the soft sounds of voices coming from teachers and students radiated from behind the closed classroom doors. Drifting in thought, he barely noticed when his classroom door opened up. 

‘Kai,’ Sienna said, with a look of shock, as she stepped into the hallway, ‘I thought you wouldn’t be here today.’ 

He swallowed hard at the sight of her, and in a desperate attempt, he pushed passed her, walking towards his class. He stopped mid-step and turned around to face her. Even though this was the moment he’d been dreading, the moment that had kept him awake the entire night, he knew he had to face reality. 

Kai remembered how his life had changed since Sienna had enrolled at Sabie High on the first day of his final year of high school. Mesmerised by her eloquent manner when she approached him, making his knees buckle at her striking beauty. He’d looked around, bemused, when she chose to talk to him while all the other seniors had been equally hoping for her attention. ‘Hi, I’m Sienna Fynn,’ she said with a soft voice. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight – a sharp contrast to her dark brown hair that seemed to go on forever, cascading down her back like a veil. Her presence made him shiver nervously. 

Realising that he had to say something, he’d responded awkwardly, ‘Kai Emery,’ and shook her hand furiously. 

‘Wow. Strong grip there,’ she smiled, revealing a deep dimple in her cheek. He’d felt his cheeks flush at his clumsy approach. ’I’m sorry to be bothering you, but I’m new and need some directions to Mrs Wolmans’ class. Can you perhaps point me in the right direction?' 

‘Umm, yes, sure,' he replied, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. 'Her class is on the second floor, third door to your left.' Her presence had made his heart jump and he’d shot her an embarrassed, shy smile. 

‘Thank you ... Kai,’ she said as she walked away, flashing him a smile that exposed her bright white teeth. 

It wasn’t long before she started dating James, however – renowned for being a jerk. This left him merely a friend – someone on the sideline, slowly watching her make a big mistake. Now, he has stupidly gotten involved in the middle of a fight between her and James, and he knew that they needed to talk. The vacant hallway left him nowhere to escape and he felt trapped by her lingering close by. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and her delicate ivory skin was decorated in light glittery sparkles. 

‘Oh my goodness,’ she gasped, when she saw his face. She reached up and touched it lightly. 

‘It’s fine,’ he said, uncomfortably, flinching slightly. 

‘Did you get this looked at?’ she asked concerned. 

‘No, I didn’t. It’s fine.’ A moment of silence passed between them as Kai looked down at Sienna, unable to form the words that were melting on his tongue. 

‘Why ... why did you have to react so fast Kai? It was a dumb thing to do. James is furious, and he could have hurt you so much worse,’ she said, shaking her head sadly. 

‘Do you really want me to answer that? I cannot even comprehend why you are still hanging around with James. How many times does things have to turn South between you two before you realise that he’s bad news?’ Kai asked crossly. 

Sienna shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the ground. ‘He wasn’t going to hurt me...’ she attempted. 

‘No, he was hurting you. Why do you let him get away with it?’ 

‘I...’ she stuttered, shaking her head. 

Kai looked at her tenderly, stepping forward, lifting her arm. Softly, he moved his finger across her hand, lifting the carefully placed bracelet that concealed the bruises on her wrist. ‘I wish you would think this through. You deserve better,’ he said, shaking his head in frustration. ‘You do realise that he’s part of a gang, Sienna?’ 

He took a deep breath, and softly released her hand, moving backwards to cover up his true emotions. He knew she was looking up at him, but he looked away and closed his eyes, trying to imagine that she wasn’t still there. He moved closer to her, once again, and whispered in her ear, ‘Just leave him Sienna. He’s no good for you.’ 

‘No, I can’t do it right now; I wish you would leave me to deal with my own…’ she started, visibly shaking, but he interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. 

‘What do you mean you can’t do it now? When do you suppose will be a good time? You are putting yourself in unnecessary danger and the next time he does something like this...who knows what he might do,' Kai said angrily, frowning. 

'I just can’t, not now, can’t you understand that?' Sienna said, frustrated, holding onto his arms. 'Please, just let it go, okay?' 

He stared down at her, shocked and turned around slowly, and walked into the classroom. He could hear echoes of her footsteps down the hallway, running away from him. 

For the duration of the day, he drifted from one classroom to the next, but everywhere he went, his argument with Sienna replayed over and over in his mind. At lunchtime, he sauntered into the parking lot and sat down behind a large statue. 

'What’s up, bro!' called his best friend, Daniel Adams. 

‘Hey,’ Kai replied. 

'Whoa, what happened to you?’ Daniel asked, concerned. 

‘Nothing.’ Daniel took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. 'What's going on bro?' he asked cautiously. 

'
Nothing
. Why would something be going on?' Kai replied, slightly annoyed. 

'Um, I dunno. You just have this huge shiner. Isn’t that something enough? Or should I go on about the fact that you kind of look like crap today?' 

‘Got in a fight.’ Kai mumbled, omitting the fact that the reason he was feeling ill had nothing to do with the fight or Sienna for that matter. Something else was wrong and he couldn’t place his finger on it. 

‘I Figured. With who?’ 

‘James Duxbury.’ 

Shaking his head, Daniel frowned. ‘Why? You should be careful: that dude’s bad news.’ 

‘I know, but I don’t want to talk about it.’ 

‘Geez buddy, but we’re quite tense, hey?’ Daniel said sarcastically. 

Kai shot Daniel a snub look, hoping he would drop the subject. ‘Okay, okay,’ 

Daniel lifted his hands in submission. ‘I certainly hope Duxbury looks worse.’ 

Kai smiled, ‘He does.’ 

Daniel took a few deep puffs of his cigarette and flicked it across the statue. ‘Lunch?’ he said, running his fingers through his blonde hair. 

‘Umm, I dunno,’ Kai replied, shaking his head, ‘It might not be such a good idea.’ 

‘Don’t worry bud, I’ve got your back,’ Daniel said rubbing his fist in his hand. 

Kai smiled and followed Daniel into the lunchroom through large wooden doors. They fell in line behind a long row of students waiting for lunch. In the far corner of the room, he could see Sienna sitting quietly next to James and the rest of her friends. Kai could feel his anger rise again at the sight of James with his arm around her. 

He had to force himself to pry his eyes away and not submit to the overwhelming feeling to approach their table and punch him again, but he knew that Sienna had to make up her own mind about her future with him. 

‘Mash?' Daniel interrupted his thoughts as he reached the front of the line. He started dumping large blobs of potato into their trays. 

'Sure,' he replied, preoccupied, trying unsuccessfully to blend in behind other students; trying to avoid further confrontation. He could see that James had already spotted him and was glaring at him through his very own swollen eye. 

'Geez bro, are you sure the fight is over? Duxbury is definitely looking like he’s readying up for round two.’ 

‘Yeah, yeah, Kai said, narrowing his eyes, 'I'm sure.' 

'Okay. Well, I bet you forgot about my band’s gig tonight? I got you a ticket,’ Daniel said, handing him the ticket;  nodding excitedly, eagerly awaiting Kai’s response. 

Kai knew that Daniel’s band had been practising for their first performance, realising that he had indeed forgotten about the band’s first show. His heart fell into his stomach. 'Oh shit. Dan, you’re right, I did forget. Sorry man, I have been so preoccupied,' Kai said, turning his attention back to Daniel. ‘I have to work at the bookstore tonight. Allison has the flu and I have to stand in for her.' 

'Dude, you promised, man,' Daniel said, with disappointment written all over his freckled face. 

'I know, I know, but I’ll come to your next gig,' Kai promised. 

'Yes, alright.’ His eyes suddenly sparkled with an idea. 

‘Hey! Why don't you pop in after your shift at the bookstore?' Daniel pressed. 

Kai smiled. 'I’ll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything. So don't be mad if I don’t pitch up,' he explained. 

'No problem,' he grinned. They grabbed a couple of cold drinks from the dispenser and headed towards their regular lunch table. The extremely uncomfortable plastic picnic-styled tables were scattered around the noisy lunchroom, which was now filled with the students’ loud voices chatting about the upcoming weekend. 

An eighth-grader and her boyfriend were screaming at each other and a sandwich was launched at the obviously disgruntled boyfriend, narrowly missing Kai's head as he passed. The room went silent for a moment, everyone waiting for further action, accept for Sienna, who was staring out the window, picking at her food absentmindedly. The eight-grader and her boyfriend disappeared and the buzz of voices continued as if nothing had happened. 

Kai glanced at Sienna. She shifted uncomfortably as James placed his hand on her knee and, at that moment, Kai wished that he were a fly on the wall so he could hear what they were talking about. He moved quickly, passing some of the seniors who were at the rugby game the day before. They were all staring at him and giggling softly as he moved past them towards his table. After finding a seat in the far corner of the room, which was unavoidably close to where Sienna and James were sitting, Kai sat down and began picking at his overflowing plate of food.