Ch.2- Protect

“Bay, I need some flour.” Her mother came up behind her, wiping her flour powdered hands on her worn apron. A wisp of blonde hair had escaped from her bun, and she reached up to tuck it away. “Can you please go to the market for me?”

“Sure mama.” Bay closed her notebook and rose from the floor. She was keeping her mother company while she baked some bread in their tiny kitchen. 

“Be quick too, the guards will be out soon to make sure everyone is in their homes.” She knew how strict the guards could be. If anyone was caught outside past curfew, terrible things would happen. 

The trip to the market proved to be a bit challenging. She’d made it to the bake shop, only to find there was no flour on the shelf. She knew that the baker kept some smaller bags hidden away in his small bread cub bard. With some bartering, Bay was able to snag one small bag that barely weighed a pound. Better than nothing she supposed.

Some days were like this, coming back home with less than what her mother asked for. She hated these days.

But she made do, turning the flour into small mounds of bread. She called them bread rolls. She even broke off a piece for Bay to eat.

The day went by fairly slow, with not much to do. Bay wished she could go to work with her father, but he didn't want his daughter laboring such dangerous work. He liked his daughter by her mother’s side, helping her throughout the day when she needed it.

The last half of the day slipped away like a whisper, the sun moving across the sky towards the horizon.

Bay slipped out of the house, and headed towards the woods. She traipsed into the woodland, weaving around trees and stepping over rotting logs. Ribbons of light snaked through the trees, dotting the ground with tiny lights.  The sprinkle of small lights looked like a crystal. Bay had only seen such a thing inside her mother’s jewelry box, the only item she could find after the war had taken just about everything else. It had been her grandmother’s.

She sat down on the soft earth, reaching for a nearby rock. She threw it up in the air, catching it with her mind. It floated happily in the air, rotating calmly.

Out of nowhere, there was a jarring, loud snap.

Bay jumped violently, the rock falling to the ground with a thud.

Standing in front of her, panting and frightened, was a boy.

She didn’t hear him running through the woods, and there certainly wasn’t anyone within a five mile radius within herself. 

Where did he come from?

Bay scrambled to her feet, glaring at him. The boy’s eyes were wide with a fear that set her on edge. He was breathing as though he’d been running for miles. Gashes were drawn across his skin, blood seeping from them. His face and arms were smothered in what looked like soot. 

He wavered, looking as though he was about to collapse.

“Please help me.” he whispered, his voice low and barely audible. 

He stumbled toward Bay, the terror in his eyes not faltering one single degree. She reached out and grabbed the boy’s arms, afraid he was going to fall. He was taller than her, and it was hard to keep him steady. His dark eyes kept darting in every direction, fright seeming to control them. The boy kept murmuring things that Bay couldn’t quite understand. 

“Are you alright?” She didn’t know what to do, and she certainly wasn’t strong enough to hold this boy up.

“Fire.” The boy kept mumbling. “He had fire.”

“What?” She tried to steady the boy, who’s eyes kept darting from side to side as if making sure no one was there.

His cheek bore a burn mark, and another darkened his arm. As if he’d been in a fire of some sort.

She draped the boy’s arm over her shoulders, guiding him to her home. Her mother would know what to do.

He kept stammering about a man with fire, the rest of his words coming out in gibberish. 

The boy was very heavy, and Bay was about to topple over when they burst through the door. He weighed down on Bay, and she knew that in any second this boy was going to faint.

“Mom!” her call came out a bit more frantic then she intended, but she was beginning to feel weak in the knees from this boy’s weight.

Her mother came rushing into the kitchen, her calm features stricken with panic when she laid eyes on Bay and the boy.

“Oh my god.” she rushed over to Bay, lifting the boy from Bay’s grasp. She was always much stronger than her.

Her mother laid the boy on the ground, hoping that this would help bring back his slipping conscious. Bay could only guess that whatever trauma this boy had been put through was getting the best of him.

“Are you alright?” her mother asked. The boy didn’t reply, his eyes beginning to glaze over. He wasn’t even mumbling anymore. He was slipping.

“I think he’s going into shock.” she said, and Bay stood back as her mother tried to calm the boy down. 

It took a few moments, but the boy finally started to calm down and his eyes began to clear. He gazed at them both, first at Bay then at her mother. He still looked scared, and then it dawned on Bay that it was them he was afraid of. As if they were going to hurt him.

“What’s your name?” her voice was soft and kind, and Bay knew the boy was starting to calm down.

He looked up at her with dark eyes, the fear in them starting to slip away. “Kai.”

Kai looked like a small animal, frightened and unsure. Bay wanted to tell him that there was nothing to be afraid of.

“You’re alright now Kai.” her mother said, reaching out to brush a kind finger across Kai’s soot-covered cheek. “I promise.”

The faintest smile pulled at Kai’s lips, as if he hadn’t heard such calming words in a while. He looked as though he’d been running for a very long time.

“Are you hungry, Kai?” She raised her eyebrows, looking him steadily in the eyes.

Kai nodded profusely, his brown hair falling into his eyes.

She rose from the ground, drifting into the kitchen. Bay bent down to help Kai up, leading him to the kitchen table. Kai gently brushed her hand away, but she stood by his side ready to catch him if he fell. Kai sat down gingerly at the table. His brown hair was a golden shade of chestnut, which fell into dark brown eyes. He was tall and thin, with long fingers and a firm jawline. He looked to be her age.

Kai didn’t say a word, but his eyes kept flitting to Bay. A look of awe stirring in his eyes. Then a look of happiness that reminded Bay of someone unearthing a photo of a loved one they haven’t seen in years. It was like Kai hadn’t seen another person his age in a long time.

Bay smiled, and to her surprise, Kai smiled back.

“What’s your name?” Kai asked quietly.

“Bay.” 

Bay carefully studied him, standing at a distance. Their eyes locked on each other, lingering for a moment longer. They were both drinking up the fact that their was someone else their age, getting drunk off of the realization.

She broke away her gaze, blue eyes falling to the floor.

Her mother found Kai some food, and he ate it gratefully while they moved around the house, doing various things so that he didn’t feel awkward with two strangers standing over him. Kai quickly finished eating, clearly not have been provided with a proper meal in quite a while. Kai tucked away his hands onto his lap, nailing his eyes to the floor and not saying a word. 

“Kai, come here sweetie.” Bay’s mother wrung out a wet cloth, turning to the boy. Kai went over to her, chewing on his lip. She brought the wet cloth to his arm, scrubbing carefully at his soot-coated skin. When she was done with both arms, she wiped his cheeks too until there wasn’t any soot left. All the while Kai kept his gaze to the floor, as if unsure how to react to motherly affection. Then she tended to his wounds, which were coated with drying blood. She gently scrubbed the angered marks, wiping away the blood from his skin. The only thing that remained on Kai’s skin was the burn mark on his cheek and the other on his arm. 

“There.” She smiled at him, draping the cloth over the sink. 

Kai couldn’t help but smile back. He didn’t look frightened anymore. He seemed to realize that they weren’t going to hurt him. Once the fear had been wiped clean of Kai’s face, along with the dirt and soot, he seemed like a very kind boy. 

A wave of exhaustion suddenly swept over him. Her mother saw this, and she turned to her daughter. “Let Kai sleep in your bed. You can sleep on the couch for the night.” 

Bay nodded, then lead Kai to her room. Once inside, he turned to her. 

“Thank you.” he said quietly. Bay nodded and gave him a reassuring smile, then left the room.

She returned to the kitchen, just as her father was entering the house. Bay stood to the side as her mother began to whisper to him about what had just happened. She hopped onto the kitchen counter, watching her father’s brow deepen as her mother told him about Kai.

“I think he should stay with us.” Bay said abruptly. Her parents turned to her, raising their eyebrows. “I mean, I don’t think he has anywhere to go.” It would be difficult, adding another mouth to feed to the family. It was hard enough feeding three.

“Bay’s right. I don’t feel comfortable letting him out.” Her mother said, turning back to her husband. “We don’t even know if he has anywhere to go.”

The wrinkle in his brow deepened as he was thinking about what his wife and daughter were saying. He knew they were right.

“Alright.” he said, and Bay couldn’t help but smile. “He can stay.”

Bay was very happy that Kai could stay, that he had a place to stay.

But something about Kai didn’t feel right at all. The feeling gnawed at Bay’s mind. She kept going over in her mind how he got there in the woods in the first place. She knew no one was there before. It was a spot deep in the woods that only Bay hid away in.

It was as though Kai had just materialized right there in front of her.