Chapter Three

Kai woke up in a disarray. He felt prickly grains touching his skin, and his back being rubbed against harshly. His eyes were blinded by the sunlight, but then a shadow hovered over him. He heard a soft voice speaking to him.

"Excuse me, are you okay? Do you need a doctor? Mom! Help! This boy almost drowned!" The voice was faint, but he could hear. Kai squinted his eyes and rolled over. He saw a dark figure before his vision finally cleared.

Looking down at him was a young girl with dark skin and big eyes. Her hair was dark brown and it fell to her shoulders. Although she was dressed strangely, it did not stop him from being amazed at her appearance.

Women in Elvanor did not look like her.

The girl placed her hands on his face, and he leaned into her warmth. Her hands were soft. He loved the feeling. "Are you okay?" She spoke to him again.

Kai groaned and sat up, before coughing out water. The girl helped him by massaging his shoulders and studying to see if he was well.

"I..." Kai began to speak but stopped when he looked back at the girl and saw the pendant hanging from her neck. The jewel was carved into an image of a Phoenix.

He shifted his gaze back to her eyes and his heart began to beat faster. He felt his face grow warm. "Your beauty is greater than Thi's companion herself." He uttered.

The young girl blinked at him and narrowed her eyes. Then she placed her hand on his forehead. "Did the water do some brain damage or something? Mom!" She called out to her mother.

Kai on the other hand kept on thinking about the pendant she was wearing. His father had told him about a Phoenix that would serve him and partner with him to rule over Elvanor. Maybe she was the one his father spoke of.

"Marry me." He grabbed the girl's arm roughly and dragged her closer. "You will serve by my side once I bring you back to the palace."

"Ew!" The girl shook his hand away and pushed him. "You weirdo!" Then she pushed herself off the sand and began to walk away. Kai feared that she would leave out of his sight and began to crawl after her.

"Wait! Ugh!" He stood on his feet, but a throbbing pain shot up his foot and he fell back onto the sand. "AGH! Girl! Come back and serve me!" He commanded her.

The girl turned around and was about to say something snarky in return, but she noticed his injury. She rushed back over and tried to help him up, but he was heavier than her, and she was too weak to lift him.

The two ended up falling back on the sand, with the girl on top of Kai. Kai smiled at her, and she rolled her eyes in disgust before climbing off of him.

"You're Heavy!" She whined. "I'm going to get my mom so we can take you to the hospital."

"Are you from the village?" Kai asked.

"Village?"

"The one near the Palace," Kai answered her. "How come I haven't seen you before?"

"What village? This is Sandy Shore. It's a city." The girl groaned. "Why are you talking so funny?"

"I should be asking a young maiden like you the same question."

"Maiden?" The girl scoffed. "Stay here, don't move."

"But I want to go with you." He stopped her.

"I already told you I'm just gonna get my mother. She's going to help me lift you." She stood and tan a short distance away from Kai.

"Shite." He spat. "I let her get away!" But he stopped when he saw the young girl stop in front of an adult, a woman who looked like an older version of her turned around and looked directly at him.

His mouth tightened as the two began walking back toward him.

"I found this weird boy in the water. He hurt his leg."

"You poor thing! I wonder why the lifeguards didn't see you!" The girl's mother reached for Kai's foot and he quickly moved it away.

"Don't touch! It's against the law of Thi!" He scrambled away on all fours. The woman reached for him again, and this time grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up.

"Casey, grab onto his other side and help me get him to the car." Her mother ordered. "What is your name? Where are your parents? Are you alone?" She asked Kai.

Kai didn't want to answer the woman. He didn't have to. Women weren't supposed to ask questions, they only did as the men told them.

But he was surprised to find out the girl's name. Her name was Casey, and he liked it very much. It would be easier to have the guards bring her to him once he got to the palace.

But he noticed something quite odd about his environment. Where were the trees? Where was the forest? The buildings surrounding him were no longer huts, but large rectangular blocks.

The women were dressed differently, overexposed. So were the men.

The two lead him away from the beach and towards a street, and that's when he began to realize that they weren't taking him back to the palace. This place was completely different. This wasn't Elvanor at all.

"Where are you taking me!?" He began to squirm and panic.

"Calm down! We're taking you to a hospital. Then we will try to contact your parents when you tell us their phone number."

"A phone number?" Kai snorted. "What on Elvanor is that thing?"

"A number... that goes in your phone?" Casey raised a brow at him.

"Open the backdoor." Casey's mother took out keys from her pocket and pressed a button. The black car beeped and Casey opened the door, before guiding Kai inside.

"What is that? Don't push me! Wait!" He gasped when she shoved him in. "How DARE you?"

"We're trying to help you and you're being unreasonable." Casey stuck her tongue at him.

"Casey, don't be mean. The boy is hurt and probably stressed out."

"But mom!" She whined but quickly stopped when her mother gave her a grimace.

"You sit in the back with him. Make sure he doesn't move around too much. We don't wanna make his injury worse."

"I don't wanna sit with him!"

"Casey, get in the car." Her mother ordered firmly. "Don't give me lip. I'll call your father and tell him not to bring you to that sleepover tomorrow."

"Ugh!" Casey groaned.

"Excuse me?" Casey's mother narrowed her eyes at her.

"Nevermind." Casey crawled next to Kai and shut the door behind her. Kai was amazed that their interaction. How was it that she was able to control her so easily? The women of Elvanor were nothing like these dark-skinned ladies.

"Put your seatbelt on." Casey nudged him.

"A seatbelt?"

"Yes, the belt next to you." Casey pointed to his side of the car.

"The reigns?" Kai pointed to the belt in awe.

"Reigns?"

"It's what we use to guide our Parrottle's."

"Ugh! Do I have to do everything!?" Casey grumbled and reached over him. She thought he was speaking nonsense again.

Kai blushed when her hair brushed against his neck, but he quickly got distracted by her scent. She smelled like a flower, her hair smelled sweet like honey. He leaned in closer with a faint smile forming on his lips.

Casey on the other hand stopped when she noticed him getting closer. "What are you doing?!" She hissed at him. "Stop being weird!"

"Your hair, it's absolutely stunning." He reached up to touch a strand of it, but she slapped his hand away. She quickly bucked his seatbelt for him and slumped back in her own seat with a pout.

"I can't believe my day at the beach was ruined by a boy like you." She grumbled.