Chapter Nine

I cracked my door open and saw that Kai was leaning his head against the wall with a sour grimace. He didn't notice me at all. "How do you know my name?" I scowled at him. He shifted his gaze to mine and sighed.

"I told you. We are not strangers—"

"Uh-uh." I snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I don't want to hear any nonsense from you. However, I want answers."

"What I speak of is not illogical." He pouted. "I don't know how else I am to give you an answer if you will not listen."

He was right. And I felt that deep down he wasn't lying to me. Of course, he trashed my apartment. I don't have to forgive him for that. I only have to hear what he has to say and I best hope that he will leave me alone.

"Fine, come in," I grumbled and swung my door open. "You have 5 minutes to explain to me who exactly you are, how you found my apartment, and how you know my name."

Kai nodded and stepped back into my apartment with a cheery grin. "I've told you before, my name is Kai, and I am of Royal blood to the Kingdom of Elvanor."

"Yeah, yeah, continue." I waved my hand nonchalantly, disregarding his words.

"The story of how I'm able to locate you is... very detailed and strenuous to hear."

"Well you have 5 minutes so start yapping."

"Many years ago when we met, I took a lock of your hair." He reached for my braids and I slapped his hand away. "Your hair was used to create a serum so that I was able to find you by your scent."

"That's very disturbing to hear." I scrunched my nose in disgust. "So, you're comparing yourself to a dog? You have a super sense of smell?"

"I do not know what a dog is. However, I am of dragon descent."

I chortled and threw my head back. "A dragon? So, you can slither around and hiss like a snake? Can do also blow fire through your nose?"

"Have you ever encountered a dragon before?" He raised his brow at me in confusion.

"They don't exist, dummy!" I snickered. "Dragons are creatures in fairy tales."

"A fairy tale?"

"Stories." I placed a hand on my hip. "You know, the books you get from the child section in the Library."

"That may be of here since I can't understand your terms. But in the world I am from, dragons are real, and are connected to the royal family. My bloodline. So I am able to see, hear, smell, and do things your people are unable to."

"Mhmm," I smirked and placed my index finger under my chin. "So which end does the fire come out of? Your mouth?" I motioned my hand at his face and then circled him. "Or this?" I pushed my hip to his butt and he jerked forward.

"Your words are very insulting to my kind." He spun and faced me with an angry look.

"All right, Rapunzel." I hummed. "Prove it."

"Prove what?"

"That you're a dragon. Do something cool."

"What?" He scoffed.

"I don't know. Fly or something. Spread your wings. Breathe fire."

"Just because I am of Dragon descent doesn't mean I can just 'breathe fire' by your command." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, don't be such a wuss! Show me."

"I won't." He shook his head.

"So you can't breathe fire?"

"Oh trust me, I have abilities, but I know it is not lawful for me to use them here." His eyes hovered over my apartment judgingly. "Therefore, I don't want to."

"Yeah, tell the truth and shame the devil pal. Admit you don't have any fire powers."

Kai's eyes suddenly changed color from dark brown to a glowing blue. He stepped forward menacingly and continued until he backed me up into the wall that divided my kitchen and living room.

"Wait!" I gasped. "Don't use them on me! KAI!" I screamed and watched as he threw his hand forward, but nothing happened. He blinked and the glow in his eyes went away.

"What in the name of—" Kai stumbled forward with a grunt. My body pushed closer against the wall as he held himself up over me. I felt my heart pounding and his heavy breathing was notably louder. "I... it's not working." He snapped his fingers again. Again, there was nothing. There was no fire, just the proven fact of me being right coming to my realization.

"Liar." I spat and pushed him away.

"I'm not a liar!" He replied aggressively. "My words I speak are the truth!"

"Whatever, just leave. Your 5 minutes are up."

"I am not able to. You must take me to the forest!"

"I must?"

"Your world and my world are different. Believe me, if I wanted to come for you, I would've carried you back to my quarters easily. But I came to protect my world as well as yours! It appears that my abilities have left me somehow, and I can not accomplish my purpose without them. You are the only person here whom I know, you must help me!"

"You keep talking about how our worlds are different. Just admit Elvanor isn't a real place—"

"Foolish woman, Elvanor is not here!" He stomped. "I am trying to protect you." He grabbed me by my shoulders and stared directly into my eyes. "All I am commanding is that you take me to the farthest forest. It is not the time for me to have a reunion with you, nor deal with your lack of memory of me. You hit me with your Parrottle, so it's only right for you to settle this fairly."

"If I take you to the forest, will you leave me be?"

"Somewhat, yes." He smiled.

"What do you mean by 'somewhat'?"

"Until it is time for us to reunite, then I will not disturb you." He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. The feeling was a little too familiar, but I ignored it. I was too flustered by his action to respond.

How... exactly, I mean, in what way did we know each other? Because this whole "reunite" thing was creeping me out. I knew he meant something deeper, something more meaningful. I started to wonder, where have I seen this behavior before? Was he an old classmate of mine? He couldn't be.

"Fine." I gave in. "But I can't take you to the forest now. I have to prepare to host an event for my job, so for the whole week, I'll be busy. Until then, you'll have to wait."

"Are you asking me to wait?" His lips perked up into a mischievous grin.

"I'm telling you to."

"What a fiery little Phoenix you are."

"Don't call me that!"

~

I knew I was going to regret my decision to let Kai stay in my home until I could take him away. I was thinking of calling an insane asylum, but then I remembered how he fought off all those nurses and doctors at the hospital. I wouldn't want him to do that to the staff anywhere else.

So to give me some satisfaction and to forget my horrible decisions, I forced him to clean up the entire mess he made in my apartment. Unfortunately, I had to buy a new couch and a whole new set of plates, glasses, bowls, and silverware. But Kai promised to repay me. I wasn't sure how.

"You missed a spot, Rapunzel." I tapped his shoulder and pointed to a shard from a broken plate by my fridge. He grumbled and swept it up into the dustpan. After making him clean my kitchen and living room, I gave him a little extra work to organize the supplies in my bathroom and bedroom.

After a day or two, my apartment was very spotless. It felt awesome to come back from work to see a clean apartment that shone when the sunlight hit it. But my excitement was short-lived when I saw Kai sprawled on my new couch with the duster hanging off the edge. He was in a deep sleep.

The poor guy was exhausted from cleaning so much. It served him right, but I still felt a little guilty because I did make him do extra work than needed. I placed my jacket on the coat hanger beside my door and quietly placed my bag on the chair next to the couch.

Then I went into my kitchen and looked inside my empty fridge. After realizing there were not enough ingredients for me to cook, I sighed and shut the door. "Alright. I guess I can order a pizza tonight." I opened up one of my food delivery apps and put in two orders of large pizzas and a 2-liter bottle of cola. I added a few extras and submitted my order.

25 minutes later, I heard a knock on my door, so I went to answer it. I gave the delivery man a tip and took the food. He nodded and left with a simple greeting. I placed all the food on the dining table inside my kitchen.

"Kai," I called out to him, but there was no response. "Kai!" I raised my voice, and soon after I heard the couch cushions behind me make a sound. He was awake. "Come here!"

"Must you be so noisy?" I heard him walk into the kitchen while mumbling. He rubbed his eyes and examined the food lazily. His eyes glossed over the pizza as he sat down.

"I bought some food."

"This is it?" He frowned and I placed my hands on my hips. I was annoyed that he had the nerve to ask me that after I spent my own money on him. Maybe he was playing his whole 'I come from another world' card.

"In our world, we say 'Thank you' to show our appreciation. It's all I can afford." I sat across from him and picked up a slice of pizza.

"It's not that I am not thankful for your kindness, Phoenix. But this isn't enough to satisfy my hunger. Elvanorian customs allow the Royal bloodline to have a vast feast—"

"Alright, enough! This isn't Elvanor, and I'm not some rich princess who can afford to have a feast, okay? Suck it up and eat. Or don't eat. I don't care." Kai closed his mouth and frowned. Then he reached over the pizza box to grab a breadstick.

"Not yet, you aren't." He mumbled softly and took a bite. I ignored him and we ate together in silence. He ate most of the food and I had to prevent him from finishing it. I wanted to save some for leftovers the next day. He groaned and started to complain, but I stopped it.

My phone started to ring and it made Kai jump out of his seat. The stance he took was odd, but it looked like he was ready to strike something. I picked up my phone from the table and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Casey? This is Staci Chance, just calling to get your address where the Spring Dinner will be held?"

"My address?" I placed my plate in the sink and rinsed it with water. Kai followed behind and observed me with suspicion in his eyes. "You need my address now?"

"Yes, so I can let everyone know in advance. The CEO is requesting it as well."

"Um. I'm still making preparations. Could you give me until tomorrow?" Kai reached for my cell phone and I whipped my head away from him. "Stop!" I whisper-muttered to him.

"I gave you a week's notice. You still need more time, Ms. Brown?" I heard Staci snort on the other end.

"I'm sure you would also need more time if you were only given a week to host a big event in your home, Mrs. Chance," I replied snarkily. "I'm only asking for one more day."

"Fine. I want an answer by tomorrow morning." She huffed and hung up before I could retort. I groaned and tossed my phone on the counter. That manager was going to be the end of me.

"Why do you speak through a small and thin box?" He picked up my phone and gazed at it.

I snatched it out of his hands. "It's a cell phone. You don't have a cell phone?"

"In my world, they don't exist."

"Yeah, okay." I laughed. But now that I thought of it. This man appeared in funny-looking clothes, a weird hairstyle, and worn-out shoes. My eyes went up and down as they studied his appearance. "When was the last time you bathed?"