Malakai

Kai was drawn to the distant cry behind him.

He had barely reached the car when he heard the commotion. It was coming from the greenhouse, he suspected, and he halted as his hand let go of the car handle, his head tilted.

"Get in, Kai!" Seb yelled. Him and Hyemi were already settled into the backseat, ushering him to slide in, but he couldn't help but turn around. Ingrid was staring, too, and she shook the keys in her hand.

"That's Rosalyn," Ingrid said.

And Kai booked it back to the greenhouse.

And this was what happened when Kai heard a cry of distress; life with Benedict had created this habit, and Kai couldn't help it. His mind was transfixed by the sound, and his body had to move, to help. This was also why Seb and Hyemi didn't stop him, because they simply wouldn't be able to. He followed the cries because he wanted to stop them. Sometimes he could hardly bear the noise, especially when it was the subjects, his friends. Plus, he had never heard a startled cry like this from Rosalyn. It was high-pitched, bubbling up from her throat, urgent.

He ignored the riot of protests behind him, all from Ingrid, as he ran. Once he reached the greenhouse, he hid his back against the outside wall, and carefully, he turned his head and looked through the open door.

It was Rosalyn and Serenity Bonavich, her mother. They were caught in an embrace. Kai paused as confusion swept through his mind. Was Rosalyn not coming? He cocked his head as their hug grew longer, and as Rosalyn had tried to end it a few times. It wasn't until her mother reached for something in her pocket that Kai knew this wasn't normal.

"You have to stay," Serenity Bonavich said, and he squinted his eyes as he saw her lift something.

A syringe.

Rosalyn shrieked at the sight, but her mother did not stop. She lowered the syringe to her neck, and Kai stepped inside. For a moment, he regretted walking in. He knew whatever was happening was not planned, but he also did not want to cause harm to Rosalyn's mother. He'd wonder if Rosalyn would ever forgive him for that. Nonetheless, his appearance made Serenity pause for a split-second, and Kai used the precious time to raise his palm toward her.

Her mother fell limp, and Rosalyn guided her to the ground as her eyes raised at the syringe before averting her stare to Kai. Fear spiked as Kai ran over, resting a hand on Rosalyn's shoulder. Luckily, the needle hadn't pinched her skin.

"Are you alright?" he asked, still looking for any sort of injuries. The only thing he saw was fingernail marks in her skin where her mother had held her.

Rosalyn nodded, but she looked frightened. Her breathing grew harder as she looked down at her mother.

Nerves settled into Kai's veins as he realized what he had done. Of course he wouldn't allow Rosalyn to be sedated, but the sight of her holding her mother gently made him wince at what he had done. "She'll be okay. She won't pass out."

Her mother's eyes were narrowed, but she was awake. Kai could control his powers well; he knew its strength and was careful when using it on Rosalyn's mother. Still, he could see the worry in Rosalyn.

"I'm sorry," Kai began. "I thought, I didn't know—"

"It's okay." Rosalyn looked at him, giving him a reassuring nod. He exhaled a breath he'd been holding. For a moment, he was worried that she was mad at him. Then again, he tended to overthink everything. His mind buzzed with overflowing anxieties as he stared back at her.

He second-guessed once again. "You can stay, if you want. Please, if you want to, then stay."

Rosalyn grabbed the syringe from her mother's limp hand and put it in her pocket. With glossed over eyes, she stood up. "I'm going."

"Okay," Kai said. The decision was made. "I've caused a commotion. We should go."

Rosalyn nodded as she shared one last look at her mother. She was breathing steadily, but exhaustion overflowed through her body. It didn't hurt as much as what Kai could do, but it was enough to stop her from hurting Rosalyn, and for standing up on her own for at least a few minutes. Benedict had trained Kai to use different levels of his powers. He was thankful he was able to lightly use his power to cause only slight discomfort. But Benedict gave him a high range of what he could do.

Kai followed closely as they approached the car. Rosalyn jumped into the passenger seat as Kai opened the car to the back. Hyemi scooted over to the middle seat as Kai hopped in.

"Let's kick it!" Seb shouted, and Ingrid started to drive a ways until they arrived at the large gate. Two soldiers guarded it, and Kai awaited for a signal to use his power again. Surely he would be using it on multiple soldiers, but his eyebrows furrowed as he only saw two. There had to be more, right?

As they approached the gate, the soldiers began to walk towards the vehicle. With the dark tinted windows, they may have assumed it was any other person in the Capitol. As they approached, Rosalyn turned her head casually.

"Can you get these two?"

"Yeah," Kai replied. He turned to Seb, who was on the other side. "Can you roll the window down?"

As the soldiers stood by the vehicle, both the boys rolled their windows down, and the soldiers tensed. It gave enough time for Kai to open his palms and stretch them towards the soldiers.

As the soldier by Rosalyn began to fall, she reached for something and the gates started to open.

Ingrid stepped on the pedal and skidded through, and the windows were rolled up again. Kai winced at the pain that seared through his body, but he was distracted by the reality of it all. Had they—escaped?

Seb soaked it in. "So, that wasn't too hard."

Hyemi scoffed before turning to Kai. The three of them were shoulder to shoulder in the backseat. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, though the pain still ached in his body. It wasn't as bad as taking pain from others, but using his power drained his body immensely. He felt heavy, drugged, almost. But he was oddly used to the feeling—Benedict had made sure of that. He still sat rigid, his eyes glancing behind him, but nobody followed.

Ingrid was not careful with her turns as she drove. She eyed Rosalyn. "What happened back there?"

"My mother—" she paused. Kai thought he heard a small sob in her throat. "She didn't want me to go."

Seb whistled as she pulled out the syringe. "Oh damn! What's in that thing?"

Rosalyn tucked the syringe in the front glove box, shrugging. It was some sort of sedative, but nobody knew how strong it was. The thought of a parent doing this to their child was insane, and Kai could not imagine what Rosalyn was feeling. Luckily, she was distracted. For now.

"Everyone have their eyes peeled. Someone could be following us any minute." Ingrid warned. She glanced back at Kai. "Put on your seatbelt, honey."

He muttered an apology as he clicked his seatbelt. From the look on Seb's face, he found it comical. They shared a smile as Hyemi used Kai's shoulder to turn her body, looking behind her. "What's the plan if we're chased?"

"Great question," Ingrid said, keeping her eyes on the road. "My plan is to drive fast and see what happens."

"I like that," Seb said. "Laid-back. Flexible. This is good practice for you, Hyemi."

Hyemi pressed further down on Kai's shoulder as she pulled herself higher. Kai flinched at the pressure but Hyemi was too focused to notice. "This is not the time to be practicing, Kritz."

Kai cut off their bickering. "Do you see anything, Hyemi?"

She exhaled as her eyes moved back and forth. "I don't think—wait."

Rosalyn turned around, her bright brown eyes staring behind. "Two cars, Ingrid."

Ingrid nodded as she stepped further on the pedal, and Kai was pulled back into his seat as they increased speed. His turned around, seeing two black cars following closely behind.

"Did you happen to have a plan B?" Seb asked. "Not that I'm still not laid-backed or anything."

The car only went faster, and Kai felt claustrophobic in the vehicle; people surrounding him, cars chasing them, and freedom so close. Kai's eyes scanned the people in the car. He ended his look on Rosalyn, who looked deep in thought. Not even she knew what to do. Kai needed to think.

Freedom was close, and Kai would not let it slip from his grasp. Three years of captivity was despicable, and him and the other subjects did not deserve another day as a victim. He'd do just about anything to not have that happen again.

Ingrid merged onto the freeway, driving in the middle lane, and the two cars sped up on either side. They were going to bring this car down, no matter the cost.

Kai inhaled a silent breath. "Ingrid, slow down. I think I can reach them."

"Excuse me, what did you just say?" Ingrid exclaimed, her eyes trying to glance back at him.

"If they roll their window down, I could do it," Kai said. After no response, Kai grew desperate. "Come on, let me try. We can't lose them without doing something about it."

Rosalyn looked back, past Kai and at the approaching vehicles. Finally, she looked at Kai as she nudged Ingrid. "Slow down."

"My gosh, you kids." Ingrid tentatively let off the gas, and Kai moved swiftly.

He rolled the window all the way down and slid out until the entire top half of his body was out the window. He felt a strong grip on his legs as Hyemi shrieked, but his focus was on the upcoming cars and the chaotic wind throwing off his balance. He was exposed, but he could only pray he was too vital to the Capitol to get shot.

And his theory was proved correct. He watched as one of the cars sped up and drove side by side. Kai stared at the tinted windows, waiting as the wind threatened his body back. Hyemi kept a firm grip, and Ingrid drove as steady as she could.

Kai waited, even when the car honked over and over. Finally, their window rolled down, only a little. He could hear shouting but couldn't make out the words over the deadly wind. Kai held onto the roof of the car with one hand as he readied his other hand.

He hated the wait, and his muscles strained as he did, but if he used his power on one car only, the other would retreat. More than likely they would keep their distance but still follow them. Kai knew he couldn't have that happen. He was too close to freedom to let that happen.

The other car pulled up on the other side, and Kai glanced back and forth. The timing needed to be perfect, but he knew that was wishing thinking.

The car next to him rolled their drivers window down all the way, revealing a soldier in a mask ushering them off the road. Kai kept his patience, although the wind smacked his body and Hyemi was starting to panic as she tightened her grip. The wind was ghastly; tugging his body every which way, and he gasped as a surge of wind nearly tossed him out the window. He felt another pair of hands, Seb's, wrapped around his shins.

After a few moments, the car on the other side rolled their window completely down, and Kai made his move.

He was careful with his power; he truly didn't want to cause them to crash, but he also didn't want them to keep chasing them down. At the same time, Kai lifted his palms, trying his best to balance himself, as he hit both of the drivers.

Tires screeched as both the drivers were struck with pain. Kai watched as the vehicles swerved, and eventually, drove into the ditch with speed. The cars did not roll, but they looked damaged enough to not move on. Kai sucked in a desperate breath as he was tugged back inside.

"Stupid, Kai!" Heymi shouted. "Stupid, stupid!"

Stupid but effective, he wanted to reply, but he was overwhelmed by the heaviness in his body. Kai heard a swirl of different voices, but his body gave out on him. He slumped into the seat as his energy drained, and his eyes threatened to close. He forced them to stay open as the voices buzzed in his ears. They were trying to keep him awake, too.

He felt a rim of plastic around his lips, and he welcomed it, feeling the cool water run down his throat. His throat was awfully dry, thanks to the wind. He coughed some of it back up, but managed to drink half the bottle. Small hands, Hyemi's small hands, were placed on his shoulder and chest, steadying him as best she could.

Ingrid increased the speed as they drove, but the chasers were gone. More would likely come later, but for now, Kai rested. He imagined home, freedom, and he couldn't help but tug his lips into a slight smile. He couldn't imagine a life like that, but he dreamed of what it could be. As more time passed by, he realized his dream was slowly beginning to form.

The trip to freedom would be long, nearly impossible, but Kai realized he would do whatever it takes.

•••

Chapter song: Whatever It Takes // Imagine Dragons (inspired by the last line of the chapter lol)

What up! Happy Friday my dudes.

Another day, another chapter. This one was wack. Sorry about some of the fluff, and unfortunately I feel like fluff will appear in the future. Apparently writing action isn't my forte (and OOPS the book is pretty much all "action" so—oh well). I'll try my best to still make it interesting!

Are y'all excited for a road trip with this crazy group of five? I'm kind of excited to have all of them together—they are all so different and I think that's hilarious.

Vote, comment, you do you !

Until Next Time,
Grace