After breakfast, Kevin invited Kai to drive with him to the nearest town to get groceries, and even though it was sure to be a long ride (60 kilometers one way), Kai agreed. He figured there was nothing better to do, and so the two of them set off in Kevin's offroad truck.

Kai made sure to bring his ipod along and settled in to listen to it, but Kevin seemed eager to talk, bringing up details about the countryside and random comments about how much Ka would like it here in England.  He halfway listened for a while, wishing that the man would just leave him in peace to his ipod, but he wouldn’t. 

Finally Kai simply rolled his eyes and put his ipod into his pocket to focus on Kevin fully. If he was going to have to talk, though, it would be about what HE wanted to talk about. "What's with the paintings?" He asked, and Kevin gave him a sideways look. 

"Paintings? In the house, you mean?"

No, the ones in the car, Kai thought sarcastically, and fought the urge to roll him eyes once more. "Yes. The one in my room... it's horrendous."

Kevin laughed, a deep, merry sound, his eyes fading to crescents as he did so. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize there was one in there!"

"Yeah, it's behind the door," Kai mumbled. 

"Interested place for a painting,” Kevin laughed with a shake of his head, and Kai nodded in agreement.

"I tried to take it down because it gives me the creeps, but it won't come off the wall." Kai told him, but this time Kevin didn't laugh. A frown creased between his eyes, his hands tight on the steering wheel as he seemed to try and think of something to say. 

"Kai... we... hmmm."

A heavy sigh. Kai had the feeling that he was about to be reprimanded for trying to remove the old family painting and he readied himself to fight back for his room, but what Kevin said next surprised him. "There is a family curse on those paintings. They cannot be removed. I'm sorry."

Kai paused in his mental preparation for the fight and let that sink in. A curse? Cursed paintings? That was ridiculous… but when he glanced sideways at Kevin he could see the tension in the man’s face. He obviously believed it, and, remembering the stubborn refusal of the painting, Kai found that he did, too. "Does my mom know about this?" He questioned quietly, and after a moment Kevin nodded. 

So they were just keeping it from him. Nice. "And when were you going to tell me that we live in a haunted house?" He could hear his voice rising in anger, and it only pissed him off more when Kevin laughed at him. 

"It's not a haunted house, Kai."

"You just said it was cursed."

"Yes, cursed. NOT haunted. No ghosts... that I know of."

Then what about the followed sensation? The watched feeling that he felt anytime he was in the house? Despite Kevin's protests, Kai wasn't so sure. A ghost would certainly fit that description. "Then what kind of curse?" He asked stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Kevin sighed as he flicked the turn signal on, slowing the vehicle down to make a turn at the upcoming intersection. "Well, I am not sure,” he finally said, glancing over to meet Kai’s eyes for a moment before turning back to the road. “Family legend has it that back in the early 1900's, one of my ancestors crossed paths with and then betrayed a witch. She cursed his home and family, but he was able to get the familial curse removed and the house curse transferred to the paintings, as long as they are never removed from their places. You'll also notice that they'll change every once in a while, but it's nothing to be scared of. The curse is confined to the paintings and doesn't affect anyone who lives there."

"Yeah... except creep me out," Kai grumbled, and Kevin shook his head in obvious amusement. 

“They can actually be kind of cool, you’ll see! The one in the kitchen is fascinating to try and keep track of all the changes.” The truck pulled in to a quaint little marketplace, and Kevin parked it in a space and turned to Kai with a smile. "Well, here we are! Grab your mom's shopping list and let's get this done!"

* It has been several years since someone actually touched one of the paintings. I keep finding myself drawn back to the one in the boy