You're going to freak out, and then you're going to cry, then you'll feel okay, then you'll freak out again, then you'll cry again, and then you'll be happy. I think.

Chapter 7

Months passed and Kai’s language skills remained poor. Kris did some research and determined his speech to be that of a three year old at best. Sehun got children’s books from the library and read them with Kai, pointing to the words and trying to get him to read along, but Kai barely opened his mouth. Sehun thought he was more bored with the books than anything, if the expression on his face was anything to go by.

Speech therapy was almost out of the question. There was no one on the island willing to take Kai on, not with the amount of work it would take and for what the insurance would pay for. It was frustrating for everyone, even Sehun who knew so little about insurance. He wound up secretly glad for the interference though, because after a few weeks Kris started to take an interest in helping Kai talk and helped Sehun teach him. It was a good bonding exercise for the three of them, and Sehun was grateful to his older brother for making an effort to reach out to Kai.

Sehun was disappointed to think that he would be going back to school in the fall. He had no idea what would happen to Kai, Kris said they’d need to wait for the school board to decide. So far, they had said nothing. In the meantime, Sehun planned to make the best of the time he had with Kai.

They played outside all the time, and one of Kai’s favorite games was hide and seek. He was so good at moving quickly and silently that it could take Sehun up to an hour to find him.

In the second week of July, there was a warning for a big storm heading towards the island. It wasn’t a hurricane or even a tropical storm, but there was a flash-flood warning in effect. Even so, Kai kept pulling on Sehun’s arm, tugging him towards the front door in the way he did when he wanted to play.

“We can’t,” Sehun insisted. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Please,” Kai begged, “Please, Sehun.”

Sehun caved quickly. “Alright, but only for a little while.”

Sehun hid first, and Kai found him quickly. Then it was Sehun’s turn to seek. When he couldn’t find Kai after 20 minutes, Sehun wasn’t too worried. They still had a lot of time. When an hour passed and Sehun had started to call Kai’s name only to get no response, he started to worry. When it had been an hour and a half since he’d last seen Kai, he outright panicked.

Sehun ran back into the house, shaking and crying. He screamed, “Grandma, Kai’s gone!”

She was sitting in the living room, and she looked up in shock. “What do you mean?”

“We were playing,” Sehun cried, “And now I can’t find him! I looked everywhere, I’ve been calling and calling and he’s not answering! I don’t know where he is!”

Grandma looked outside, eyeing the black storm cloud that was approaching. She looked back at Sehun. “Are you sure he’s not just hiding?” She asked calmly.

“I’m positive,” Sehun insisted frantically. “He’s gone!” And then he started to cry even harder.

Sehun vaguely registered his grandmother talking on the phone, and after a few minutes he heard the crunch of gravel outside. When Sehun looked up he saw a few police officers at the door. Detective Manuwai was there, he came in and asked Sehun what happened. Sehun managed to explain that they were playing hide and seek and now he didn’t know where Kai was. He told them that he’d gone at least fifty feet into the woods to look and hadn’t found him at all.

Kris came back at that moment, all in a panic from seeing the police cars parked outside. Grandma explained the situation while Kris tried to comfort Sehun, who was still crying. The police said that they needed to organize a search effort right away, because once the storm hit the conditions would be too dangerous to search the woods. Sehun didn’t hear anymore after that, because Kris carried him upstairs. Sehun fought him the entire way.

“I have to help!” he yelled, squirming in Kris’ arms. “I have to find Kai, let me go!”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Kris said firmly, depositing Sehun in his room. “You’re going to stay right here and—Ow!”

Sehun had bitten him. “You let me go right now!” He screamed, aiming a kick at Kris shin (he dodged). “Kai’s all alone out there and…and the storm is coming…” Sehun began to cry even harder. “Kris he’s going to die!” He wailed, sinking to his knees. “Kai’s going to die just like mom and dad!” And then he broke off, doubling over with sobs.

Kris knelt and gathered Sehun in his arms. “Listen to me baby, Kai is going to be fine. We’ll find him before the storm hits. Now I’m going to go out and look for him, and you are going to stay right here, do you understand?”

Sehun shook his head. “Take me with you!”

“No,” Kris almost shouted. “It’s raining and the wind is picking up, I can’t keep an eye on you and Kai at the same time. Now stay put and stop crying, nobody is going to die today.”

And then he kissed Sehun’s forehead and walked out of the room, ignoring the pillow that was thrown at his back.

Kris grabbed one of the police officers and pulled him aside. “I think I know where the kid is,” he said quietly, “But I’m not sure, so I don’t want everyone to go there on the chance that I’m wrong. Can I have someone come with me to check it out?”

The officer nodded and called over one of the younger detectives, Officer Mark. Kris quickly told him his idea, and Marks told Kris to get in his car.

“I know the place you’re talking about,” He said as they started off. “It’s overgrown, we’ll have to walk to get to the house.”

Kris felt his stomach start to churn. He hated driving in the rain, even in light showers. “Have you been there since the fire?” He asked nervously.

Officer Marks nodded. “Once, to look for a lost dog. There’s almost nothing left.”

Kris thought as much. If the article he’d read was anything to go by, there shouldn’t have been anything left at all. The fire all but destroyed everything in its path.

It was a fifteen minute drive, by which point the rain had started to fall harder. The walk to the house was another ten minutes of climbing over wet logs and avoiding pricker bushes, but finally the ruins of the house came into view.

“Kai!” Kris yelled, “Are you here? Can you hear me? Kai!”

Officer Marks took out a flashlight and started calling too. “Kai! Can you answer us?”

Kris reached the house first. The floor was only half intact, along with two walls. Most of the place was overgrown with bushes and small trees, but after a quick scan Kris was assured that Kai wasn’t in the house itself. Kris shivered, telling himself it was from the rain dripping down his back and not the eeriness of the forest.

“Kai!” He screamed. “Answer me!” He strained his ears and heard a weak sound from behind him.

“Over here!” Officer Marks called, bent down and shining his flashlight under the porch. “I’ve got him!”

Kris ran over and took the light from officer Marks. When he bent down he saw Kai curled up under the foundation. He was visibly shaking and he kept his head down, and he was too far back for Kris to reach.

Kris reached his hand out. “Come on Kai,” he said gently, “Come here, I’ll take you back home.”

Kai shied away and whimpered fearfully. He was clutching something to his chest. Kris swallowed nervously and took a leap. “Jongin, come on.” Kai looked up in shock. “Jongin,” Kris repeated. “That’s your real name, right? This is your home.” Kai started to cry, but he managed to nod.

Kris shifted closer. “It’s okay,” he soothed. “I know you miss your family, but they’re still watching over you. The ones we love never really leave us, my grandma taught me that. I know it’s scary to leave home, and I know we can’t replace your family, but we love you just as much they did.”

Kai wiped his eyes and moved a little closer. “I…stay with you?” He asked. “Forever?”

Kris nodded. “Yes, you can stay with us. We won’t make you leave, I promise.”

Kai crawled out from under the house and Kris scooped him up. He saw that Kai was holding a small stuffed dog and half melted piece of tile. These must have been the only things he’d saved from his ruined home.

Kris and Officer Marks raced back to the car as fast as they could, the storm now barreling down on them. Kai was shivering with cold and he was still crying, and Kris did his best to calm him. Officer Marks radioed his boss to tell him that they had Kai, and the man asked back if Sehun was with them. Kris felt his blood run cold as Officer Marks eyed him.

“No,” Marks answered. “Isn’t he at the house?” When the answer came back negative, Kris had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming in fear. When they made it back to the house, they saw an ambulance parked in the driveway. Kris ran out, still clutching Kai to his chest.

“What happened?” He hollered at the surrounding people. “Where is my brother?!” Kai started to squirm and Kris quickly put him down.

“We realized he was gone about twenty minutes ago,” a uniformed woman called. “We thought he was with you, we’ve started to search the woods.”

Kris felt like his heart had dropped to his feet. “The storm is almost on top of us!” He screamed. “It’s too late!” He was in a panic, he whirled around towards the woods. “Sehun! Sehun answer me!” He screamed, running towards the trees. He skidded to a halt, dripping wet and shaking with fear. “Sehun, please!” He turned in all directions, feeling tears start to sting his eyes. He looked up towards the sky just as lightning flashed overhead.

Kris closed his eyes. “Not my brother,” he whispered, feeling a few tears slip down his face. “Please God, not my brother.” He felt a tug on his hand and almost jumped out of his skin. He looked down and saw Kai pulling on his hand.

“This way!” Kai yelled, pulling harder. “Hurry, it’s Sehun!”

Kris followed, allowing Kai to pull him along. He lead Kris behind the house, a few yards into the woods. Sehun was collapsed on the ground, bleeding from his head. Kris had a brief moment of relief before he realized that his baby brother was on the ground bleeding.

“I NEED A DOCTOR OVER HERE!”

The storm raged outside, but the hospital was sturdy and had survived worse. Sehun was laid out on a bed, hooked up to an IV. He was still unconscious, but Doctor Manuwai assured Kris that he would wake up soon. The injury wasn’t serious, and Sehun had probably fainted out of shock or stress.

Kris was slumped down in a chair next to Sehun’s bed, and Kai was curled up in his lap. Kris was absent-mindedly playing with Kai’s hair, the same way he would Sehun’s when Sehun would sit with him. He smiled to himself when he realized that this was the closest he and Kai had been in the three months since Sehun had found him.

Kris looked down and found Kai already looking up at him. “Are you hungry?” Kris asked. Kai shook his head. Kris pushed himself upright and shifted Kai around in his lap. Kai adjusted and laid his head on Kris’ chest, cuddling closer.

“So,” Kris said lightly, “Are you Kai or Jongin now?” Kai shrugged. Kris resumed petting his hair.  “I can’t imagine how scared you must have been,” he said softly. “How did you get out?” He wasn’t expecting an answer, but he got one.

“Mama telled me to run,” Kai whispered. “Didn’t see her, I heard her.”

Kris closed his eyes, fighting down images of Kai running out of a burning home, forced to watch while everything he knew was destroyed, including his family. He must have been holding the stuffed puppy when he ran out, and later gone back to look for something and found the tile. Kris had read that the bodies recovered from the house had been so badly burned they were unrecognizable, and the one child who lived there was presumed dead—burned to ashes. Kai would have been six years old at the time. When Kris opened his eyes again, Kai was crying. Kris grabbed a tissue off the nearby table and helped Kai wipe the tears away.

“If you want, you can be part of our family now,” Kris said softly. “My grandmother is adopting you, and we would all love to have you with us. Even me,” he assured. “I know I wasn’t as welcoming as Sehun was, and I’m sorry for that. But I promise I’ll take care of you and love you like I love Sehun.”

Kai sniffed and huddled closer. “I stay?”

Kris ruffled his hair. “Yeah, you can stay.”

“Then I stay,” Kai said quickly.

After a few more minutes Sehun started to stir. He opened his eyes, blinking at the ceiling. Kris lurched forward, almost knocking Kai off his lap.

“Sehun? Sweetie, can you hear me?” Kris asked, heart hammering in his chest.

“I can hear you,” he mumbled crossly. “Where’s Kai?”

Kai scrambled out of Kris’ arms and onto the bed. Sehun brightened immediately. “You’re okay!” He cried, sitting up and  throwing his arms around Kai’s shoulders. Kris gasped and leaned forward to keep Sehun from pulling too much on his IV.

Kai squirmed back and whacked Sehun on the arm. “Bad Sehun!” He scolded tearfully. “Bad, bad, bad! Sehun made Kris and me worried!”

Sehun whacked Kai back. “You made me worried! Where did you go?!”

Kris intervened, sitting between them. “He went home,” Kris explained gently.

Sehun’s eyes widened. “His home is with us,” he protested.

“I know,” Kris said, “But…Sehun, you were right. Kai’s family is dead, they died in a fire. Kai escaped, he’s been living alone for three years.”

Sehun looked utterly floored. “How do you know?”

“I found an old newspaper article on it,” Kris explained. “He was never declared a missing child because they thought he was dead.”

Sehun started to cry. “Poor Kai!” He sobbed, latching onto Kai’s shoulders. “Are you alright? Oh I’m so sorry! Nobody should have to lose their family!” Sehun looked up at Kris. “He can stay with us, right? He can be part of our family?”

Kris managed a smile, choking back tears of his own. “Of course,” he assured. “I’ll call the lawyer tomorrow. Grandma is adopting him, but I’m going to have her put down that eventually I’ll have custody of him as well as you. He’ll never be without a home, neither of you will.”

Sehun cried even harder and Kris pulled him and Kai into a hug. “I love you so much, Sehun,” he whispered. “I thought…I came so close to losing you, both of you, and I never want that to happen again. I promise that you’ll always have me.”

“You’re the best brother ever,” Sehun hiccupped. “I love you to the moon.”

Kris laughed, remembering the lines from Sehun’s favorite story. “I love you to the moon and back,” He answered, “And I want you to remember that when you’re grounded.”

“For what?” Sehun cried, pulling back to look up incredulously.

“For sneaking out of the house when I specifically told you not to and giving me a heart attack, you little brat!” Kris yelled, startling both kids. “You’re grounded until school starts, mister! No TV, no beach and in bed by nine thirty every night, don’t argue because you’re getting off lightly!”

Sehun rolled his eyes and sighed. “Now you have to deal with this too,” He warned Kai.

Kai giggled and patted Kris’ arm. “Is I in trouble?”

“Oh yeah, you’re grounded too,” Kris assured. “You snuck off and scared us half to death. So, you’re both grounded.”

Sehun grinned. “Grounded together? You really want that?”

“I’ll take my chances,” Kris laughed, hugging them tightly. They stayed that way for a long time.

Did you cry?

Next up is the epilogue!!!