Where is Kit? Why is this house so big? Eleven rooms, each member with their own space—it is so hard to find certain people sometimes.
Kit... Kit, um...
Finally, I heard the familiar spinning of wheels and knew that Kit was near. I entered the kitchen and spotted him washing his plate.
Did he have my favorite cereal, Choconuts?
When he finally finished with the dish, he looked up in my direction.
We ended up sitting on his bed after I helped him maneuver up. For someone who spent his time in a wheelchair, he had a surprisingly good, active build.
What should I talk about? The silence was deafening. Finally, after a long beat, he uttered his first words.
"So, what do you want to talk about, Erebus?"
Wow, very helpful question to carry the conversation. Never thought of that one.
I wanted to say that out loud with dripping sarcasm, but obviously, I couldn't.
"I actually don't know. I just wanted to get to know you better, but I didn't really think about what I wanted to ask."
Being painfully honest is apparently the only thing I am good at.
His face remained cold and emotionless. I had only ever seen him smile once, and that was around Miss Mary.
"Okay. Then think of your questions faster."
Wow, very unfriendly. But guess what? I was the exact opposite.
"I was thinking you could just tell me about yourself, Kit."
"Fine," he said in a gloomy voice.
"Name: Kit. No middle or last name.
Age: 15.
Pets: None.
Hobbies: Eating, stealing, and then eating again.
Eyes: 2.
Hands: 2.
Legs: Working—0. Non-working—2.
Friends: Erebus Vanguard."
I had asked him to tell me about himself, and he had literally handed me a job resume.
My eyes gleamed at the very last entry. "Are we friends?"
He stared at me blankly. "You kept my secret well. At the very least, you are a comrade."
I thought back to the other information he had casually listed off. "You have a bad hobby, Kit."
"Oh, you mean eating? No, I only eat once in a while."
"No, not eating—stealing! It's a bad habit."
I leaned in. "Have you stolen anything from around here?"
His face twisted into an expression of pure disgust, as if I had touched a nerve best left alone.
"I never steal from those who give to me."
"What do we give you?"
He hesitated to answer, but I suppose my intense staring finally broke his defenses.
"Um... food, I guess. I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want.
I didn't quite know how to feel about that answer. I could sense that Kit came from a background where food was scarce. Should I try to comfort him, or completely avoid the topic?
Deciding on a whim, I slid off the bed and started walking toward the door.
Kit looked thoroughly puzzled by my sudden departure. "Hey, where are you going?"
"Wait here. I want to show you something."
I went straight to my room and lifted my pillow.
When I re-entered Kit's room, he was staring blankly out the window.
"Hey!" Kit flinched at my sudden greeting, just like I had planned.
"Where did you even go?" His voice sounded much more relaxed now than it had when we first walked in.
"I kept a secret of yours. Now, in the same fashion, you have to keep a secret of mine."
Suddenly, he straightened up, squaring his shoulders and puffing out his chest. He placed his left hand flat over his heart.
"Rest assured, you can trust me with all of your heart's secrets. I shall respect our pact and protect it with my life on the line!"
The dramatic oath paired with his deadpan seriousness somehow made him look cool—like a real knight taking a solemn vow.
The oath was massive, but the secret itself was tiny. Brienne had given me a box of cookies before we departed. I had originally planned to stuff my face with all of them by myself at night, but sometimes treats made the best tools for chasing away someone else's gloom.
I pulled out the box, which I had carefully hidden under my sweater, and slowly popped the lid open.
Big, round cookies with a heavenly aroma filled the room. Dark chocolate dusted the surface, and when you took a bite, rainbow-colored whipped cream oozed out like sweet lava.
I felt a swell of pride seeing the sheer awe wash over Kit's face.
He looked at me with wide, hungry eyes. "Why are you giving me this treasure, Lord Erebus?"
I couldn't help the grin spreading across my face. He was leaning into the role completely.
"Because we are sworn friends, Sir Kit. And friends share their treasures."
"I shall never forget this act of generosity, Lord Erebus! I will someday repay you with my life."
We both burst out laughing at our own overdramatic roleplay.
It took us all of three minutes to demolish the eight cookies.
"Ugh! Those cookies were so good. We probably should have shared them with the others."
"I shared them with you, Kit. Next time I'll share with one more person, then another, until finally, no one can call me greedy."
Zap.
A blinding flash of light erupted out of nowhere, completely robbing me of my vision for a terrifying second.
"What was that, Kit? Where did the light come from?"
As my sight slowly returned, I saw Kit bury his head deep beneath his pillows, curling into a tight ball.
"Run, Erebus! It's happening again, please just run!"
What was he talking about? And what on earth was that light a second ago? I knew the only way to get answers was through the boy currently trying to suffocate himself under two pillows.
I scrambled to the side of the bed and gently grabbed his shoulders.
"Please, just show me or tell me what happened, Kit. I promise I can help."
"You can't! Go away, please just go away!"
Why am I always so stubborn? Ignoring his warnings, I reached down, grabbed his hands, and tried to pull them away from his face.
I finally got my answer to every single question I had been carrying.
The light hadn't come from the room. It had come straight from Kit's eyes as they flared brilliantly once more, shooting a blinding bolt directly into mine.