A Tale of the Other Kind Read online

  ‘Don’t worry. She’s small, trusting, and don’t know how to get out of her situation yet, but I can tell you, that chick won’t let a guy like James hurt her again,’ he replied.

  ‘I hope you’re right,’ Kai said, giving Daniel one last look.

  Neither of them said much more on their way back home. Both were deep in thought and concentrating hard on the road. The weather had picked up and a thick layer of snow covered the ground, along with heavy winds pushing intensely at the vehicle. Finally, they made it to Kai's house. When he got out of the car, he noticed that the front room's light was still on. It was two o'clock in the morning, and he knew that his mother was probably still waiting up for him. He fought his way through the stormy weather towards the house and slowly opened the front door, hoping that his mother might have already fallen asleep.

  'Kai?' he heard a voice coming from the front room.

  'Yes, it’s me.'

  'Come here for a second,' his mother replied. He entered the front room where his mother was sitting next to the fire watching television.

  'You should have called,' she said, looking straight at him.

  'Sorry, I didn't think that you would wait up.'

  'Of course I’d wait up Kai, you are still my teenage son, even if you don't look anything of the sort,' she said huffily.

  'Sorry ma.'

  'Well, just remember to call next time.' She got up from her chair and walked towards the stairs.

  'Night my boy,' she said, before heading upstairs to bed.

  Kai stumbled to his room, and felt a cold draft coming in through an open window. He headed over to the window and closed it firmly. He stared out into the darkened night thinking of the pale-blonde girl Astrid. She was ravishing. Perhaps she was just what he needed to forget about Sienna, but he was pretty certain he would never see her again.

  ****

  That night Kai was haunted by his dreams. He was trapped in darkness, crawling forward on his knees. He had to spread out his hands, grabbing the air when the floor gave underneath him. Fear overwhelmed him when his surroundings started to change and he found himself in unfamiliar territory. Pain shot through his whole body when his hands started to change shape. He looked around desperately to pinpoint where he was, but nothing looked familiar. Grotesque nails extended from his usually neat, short nails. The nails were almost sharp, catlike claws, but thicker, more ferocious. He could feel his insides move and his bones snapping. He moaned with pain and fear, trying to remind himself that it was only a dream. But it all felt so real. He tried to move, but his legs were numb, refusing to move. Another voice echoed through the darkness – a voice he knew well.

  ‘Sienna!’ he called, between pangs of pain.

  ‘Help me, please,’ she screamed sounding frightened.

  ‘Kai, Kai, where are you?’ The voices echoed out to him. He called back but she couldn’t hear him and he was unable to move.

  ‘Help me, Kai. Help me! Don't leave me,’ she pleaded, desperate.

  The pain was eating at his insides while he scratched at the consuming darkness. Without warning, the ground beneath him gave way and started to swallow him. His legs entwined in vines and trees spread out in front of him, enclosing him. The forest was so thick that he couldn’t see past it.

  ‘Kai, help me!’ Sienna cried.

  He tried to pull himself free from the vines intertwining his legs. Light started flowing through the bushes, setting him free from the imprisonment of the trees, releasing him. Slowly his body returned to normal and all the pain and fear left him. He opened his eyes, staring into the sharp rays of the sun when he realised that he was on the rugby field. Sienna was sitting on the bleachers yelling his name.

  ‘Kai,’ Sienna cried.

  Why is she crying? Everything is fine. Everything is beautiful, he thought.

  ‘You are a monster,’ she shrieked. ‘What is happening to you?’

  ‘Go away Sienna, just go away!’ he yelled at her as he looked down at himself. Mirrors surrounded him, revealing a shocking truth.

  ‘I’m a monster,’ he whispered, horrified. He tried to control himself, but anger was burning deep inside of him. Without warning, his legs gave way, and he fell in a heap to the floor. Clusters of mirrors showed the face of the man he knew, but his eyes were not the same anymore. The scene changed again and suddenly he was in the forest, but this time Astrid was standing in front of him. ‘You are beautiful, so beautiful, but you must die,’ she said. Her eyes now seemed black with a red line around her pupils instead of the silver lining she had earlier. She moved in on him quicker than he could think and bit into his flesh, and he let out a final cry of pain.

  CHAPTER 5

  Kai woke in a state of anxiety, sweating and frantically searching the room around him. Clothes from the night before lay scattered across the floor, and his desk was cluttered and messy. Breathing heavily with sweat running down his face, drenching his shirt, his heartbeat slowly calmed down as he realised where he was. The dream disturbed him terribly. It was so vivid and clear. Surreal. As he lay back against his pillow, inhaling deeply, he could see the branches and leaves on the tree outside his window fiercely dancing as the howling winds swept through the streets.

  The sun had already made its way into the room, breaking through the thick clusters of snow on the treetops and making its friendly welcome by throwing narrow, sunny beams onto the duvet that was half hanging on the floor. After composing himself, he rose from his bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen where he poured himself a glass of water. He slowly leaned against the wall next to the basin and slid down, finally sitting on the dark-wood floor. The haunting nightmare was clear and engrained in his thoughts, making it impossible to get away from the darkness that was tapping at his mind. The dream ran a loop in his head, over and over again, making him feel queasy. Realising that his mother was about to enter the kitchen, he got up, and headed back to his room. He grabbed clothes from his closet and left the house without saying a word. He had to see Sienna. He needed to know that she was alright. Standing in front of the large iron gates enclosing her magnificent home, he fought the fear he was feeling. With a hard swallow, he moved towards the gate and tried to pry it open, but it wouldn’t move. No bells or ringers were visible, but he had to see her. He needed to see her. He went around the side of the palisade fence and found a large rock, which he used as a step. He swiftly threw his body over the fence and planted his feet firmly on a blooming flower.

  ‘Oops.’

  With a deep breath, he moved towards her window, hoping that she wouldn’t find him strange for being there. He didn’t want to wake her parents, and opted to keep their meeting private. He effortlessly climbed a tree adjacent to her window, and hoped to reach it without falling. He peeped through the window and could see her sleeping. Sound asleep. Her long beautiful hair curled over her shoulder. Peaceful. For a while, he sat in the tree quietly, watching her sleep, wondering what she was dreaming and, of whom she was dreaming. Carefully, he climbed through the window, trying not to disturb her sweet slumber.

  He climbed through the window and knelt next to her bed, brushing a strand of hair from her delicate face. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Startled, a soft, short breath escaped her throat. She came to her senses when she realised who he was.

  ‘I … I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I shouldn’t have come. This was stupid,’ Kai stuttered.

  ‘No, wait Kai! Stay. How did you get in here?’ she asked, surprised, softly wiping at her eyes.

  ‘I, um, climbed the tree,’ he said with a guilty grin.

  ‘Well, that’s one way of doing it,’ she smiled.

  Looking down at her arm, he gently touched the bruise and wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t been there to find James hurting her. Things could have been worse, he thought moodily. She sat up, and looked him in the eye.

  ‘Why are you here?’ she asked perplexed.

  ‘I just had to check on you. Make sure th
at you were okay. I should rather go,’ he replied quietly.

  ‘No, wait. I can sense that you came here to tell me something. What is it?’ she asked, now exposing her bare arms and the light white nightgown she was wearing. In an attempt not to look, Kai turned his head the other way.

  ‘Kai, please don’t go,’ she said, pulling the blanket closer to shield herself from the cold.

  He thought about what he wanted to say and sat down.

  He looked at her, questioningly. ‘Why do you let him do this to you?’

  She looked down, reluctant. ‘Sometimes things just happen.’ ‘You don’t have to stay with him. You’re better than that. He’s rubbish and you deserve better,’ Kai said, anger filling him.

  ‘It's not as simple as it seems,’ she admitted, sitting up against the headboard of her bed.

  Kai looked at her sympathetically.

  ‘Things have just become so overwhelming. I am still trying to figure it out,’ she said, playing with her thumbs.

  ‘It’s the reason why we got in the last fight in the first place,’ she said, sighing. She looked at Kai and gave him a faint smile. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘What for?’ he asked.

  ‘For everything. Helping me with James and for listening. For caring about me,’ she said, hugging him unexpectedly.

  ‘It’s nothing,’ he smiled, hugging her back. ‘But we have to get you away from that maniac,’ he said looking at her. ‘I won’t let him hurt you again.’ He sighed and slowly got up to leave.

  ‘Don’t go,’ she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer. ‘I know there is something else on your mind.’ She cupped his face in her hands, bringing his face close to hers. He had to fight every urge in his body not to touch her, caress her, and bring her close to him. Every muscle in his body wanted her, wanted to be near to her. It was just too much. He could feel himself exploding inside. Her full rosy lips were inches away from his, begging to be kissed. Her hand moved through his thick black hair, brushing it away from his ear.

  She moved closer and whispered softly, ‘You can tell me.’ Her soft ivory skin, exposed, shivered in the cold. He couldn’t fight his feelings anymore, and pulled her closer gripping her waist. His lips touched hers, sending shivers down his spine. She was pleasantly surprised and moved closer. He could feel her leaning into him, moving closer, making the urge so much harder to resist. Her hands were on his neck, and she slowly moved them down towards his chest, pulling at his shirt, loosening his buttons. He couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop. His kisses became much more urgent, wanting her more. Her touch was irresistible; her kisses were overwhelming his willpower. He could feel her skin against his as his shirt fell to the floor. Her could see sparkles of blue sky dance in her eyes with lingering passion as she opened them to look at him. It seemed like she wanted him, just as much as he wanted her. This is the moment that he’d been dreaming of. The moment where he could hold the girl that he cared for in his embrace.

  She made no attempt to move away and pulled him closer onto the bed. He could feel the blood burn through his veins. A rich, warm sensation filled his chest and sent shivers through his body. She was more beautiful to him than he could ever have imagined and, she was here, in his arms. Her hands were moving between the lines of his muscles, carefully caressing his exposed body.

  ‘Kai,’ she whispered.

  He looked deep into her eyes, searching her soul. Suddenly he felt weak and unable to control his emotions. A spell of dizziness overcame him; sending waves of nausea through his core, making him pull back, leaving her breathless against the pillow. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, as he pulled away, shaking his head, trying to regain his composure.

  ‘No, don’t,’ she begged him not to go.

  ‘This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come.’ He released her hand from his waist, and moved out of her embrace.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ she whispered. Pulling his shirt back on, he moved closer and softly touched her face.

  ‘I don’t want to take advantage of you. You mean too much to me. I … I need to take time, give you space...’ he said, hovering near her. ‘Promise me that you’ll stay away from James.’

  ‘For goodness sake Kai, don’t you get it? I’m here, with you. When I tried to break up with him ... when he hurt me ... I told him that I didn’t love him anymore. I told him I cared for someone else.’

  A frown formed on his face. Thinking and digesting her words. ‘No Sienna, you don’t understand, I don’t want things to be like this between us. Not like this. I want you to get to know me first. Really get to know me. I don’t want to take advantage of you.’

  ‘I want to know you,’ she pleaded.

  He had her at arms length and fought off his hunger for her. The sudden feeling that overcame him made him certain that something was wrong and that he couldn’t give in to his urges. Now was not the time. He took her hand in his and softly planted a kiss on it.

  ‘You are so beautiful,’ he whispered.

  ‘Tomorrow.’ ‘Tomorrow what?’ she asked.

  ‘Tomorrow, I’ll fetch you, and I’ll take you somewhere. Somewhere we can talk. Just you and me.’

  ‘That sounds perfect,’ she smiled. He got up from the bed and moved over to the window, throwing one last glimpse at her as he left.

  CHAPTER 6

  After leaving Sienna’s house, Kai spent the rest of the night fighting dizziness and overwhelming nausea.

  When morning broke, he was relieved that he felt much better, and his illness was replaced with excitement as he stepped outside the house. The bright sun had started melting the snow, and the day couldn’t seem more perfect. Deep in thought, he wondered how his life had changed so quickly - yesterday, he could barely speak to Sienna without stuttering, and, today, well, today they were going on a date. Overjoyed, he started off towards her house, noticing his footsteps seemed lighter than the day before. It had stopped snowing, leaving a clean white blanket across the landscape. Clearing his throat, he came to a stop on Sienna’s doorstep. He gave a nervous knock, which was followed by a quick opening of the large oak door.

  ‘Umm, hi, good morning. Is Sienna home?’ Kai asked the maid, but before she could answer, Sienna came flying down the stairs, straight into his arms.

  ‘Whoa,’ he laughed, as she almost winded him.

  ‘Hi,’ she replied, blushing. ‘Ready?’ She reached up on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. ‘I could get used to this type of greeting,’ Kai teased.

  ‘Oh shush,’ she giggled. ‘So where are we going?’ ‘Mmm, well, that’s for me to know and you to still find out,’ he joked.

  ‘That’s not fair!’ She complained, smiling brightly.

  ‘No, maybe not, but if I told you, you would probably give me a big fat no!’

  ‘I wouldn’t,’ she replied mischievously, ‘anywhere we go will be fun. It will be perfect,’ she said shyly.

  ‘Hold onto your horses there little one, you don’t even know what I have in store for you yet.’

  ‘Well, let’s get going then, so that you can show me this secret place we’re going to,’ she replied.

  He took her by the hand and led her out into the garden and then looked back, ‘Ready?’

  ‘I’m ready,’ she said, laughing out loud.

  ****

  It didn’t take them long to walk to the edge of the forest. The shimmering sun had melted most of the snow away, while water dripping from the trees glistened and sparkled. Kai was used to taking the more strenuous journey into the forest, but decided that he didn’t want to scare Sienna off on her first trip and kept to the hikers’ trail.

  ‘Kai, are you sure we should go into the forest? I’ve heard many stories, and none of them are good,’ she said nervously as she climbed over tree trunks, trying to steer her way through the overgrown shrubbery.

  His mouth bent upwards slowly, ‘you don’t have to worry; I know this forest better than I know myself. You’ll be safe with me.’


  ‘Okay, just stay close. I honestly didn’t think this outfit through and if I fall, it will be on your head,’ she said, looking down at her jeans and wedged shoes.

  They strolled through the forest, engulfed by large ferns, beautiful light green Jelecote pine trees decorated in pear-shaped cones creating a canopy above them. Although still cold, a light spring breeze whistled through the treetops, replacing the winter chill. Birds were chirping in the trees, bringing life to the forest that had, just yesterday, been covered by a cold blanket of snow, making animals big and small seek shelter to keep warm. Watching Sienna, Kai could see that she was taking in all the beauty surrounding them, carefully studying her surroundings, finding pleasure from every sound and animal that crossed their path.

  ‘Look! A springbuck!’ She whispered excitedly, pulling Kai down to the ground, trying to hide from the baby buck so as not to frighten it away. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she breathed. ‘I cannot believe I’ve never been here, and have never experienced nature like this before,’ she marvelled.

  ‘I’m glad you like it. I come here often - to think, and to relax. I feel so comfortable here,’ Kai confided.

  Smiling at him, Sienna looked over to the small buck as it jumped away. ‘Magnificent,’ she breathed.

  The baby buck was nibbling on a short plant sprouting from the ground. Soon, it was joined by its mother who stood by protectively, rubbing her horns against a tree trunk.

  ‘Come on, let’s go. I’ve got so much more to show you,’ Kai prompted.

  They spent hours walking around the forest, occasionally coming across a pool flowing from the Ulusaba, known as the river of fear. Small mammals came out of their shelters, nibbling on the green grass peeking through the melting snow. Finally, they reached the Mac Mac waterfall, the one he always imagined taking her to, showing her its brilliant beauty. Surrounded by an overpoweringly large cliff, they were overcome by the beauty of the falls that stretched out in front of them, finally coming to a rest in a large pool at the base of the cliff.