The city streets blurred around Kai, his footsteps echoing on the empty sidewalks. He hadn't been to school since… since Ethan. The thought alone sent a fresh wave of grief washing over him. School was a place of memories, of laughter, now tainted with loss. He couldn't face it. Not yet.
A text from Kara had broke' through his self-imposed isolation. Hey, Kai. We're working on that history project Mr. Thompson assigned. Wanna meet up at the playground later? Maybe catch up on what you've missed?
The playground. It was a neutral space, a familiar space. But it was also… their space. The last time he'd seen Ethan there…
He pushed the thought away, focusing on the rhythm of his footsteps. He knew Kara was worried. She'd been trying to reach him since… since. He appreciated her concern, but he just wanted to be alone. To process. To understand… the whisper. The strange, altered world he'd sensed since that single word had echoed in his mind.
The playground came into view, the swings groaning in the wind like skeletal figures. It was deserted, save for a few pigeons pecking at the dusty ground. He sat down on a swing, the cool metal biting into his skin. Children's laughter, bright and carefree, echoed from a distance. He watched them, a bittersweet ache in his chest. They reminded him of… him and Ethan. Tears welled in his eyes, blurring the scene. As a tear fell, he instinctively caught it with his small, child's hand. "C'mon, let's go," a voice said. Ethan. He was sitting on the swing beside him, just like old times.
Blink. Ethan was being shoved, his face contorted in pain. Kai, a little older now, his features more defined, lunged forward, a fist connecting. Thud. They were at the police station, the air thick with tension. A man's voice, stern and accusatory, echoed... you never learn.
Blink. The basketball court, the squeak of sneakers. Ethan, laughing. "We're better than this. We will be better, together." A basketball rolled against Kai's leg. He picked it up, his hand slightly larger now, more mature, and as he bent down, reaching for it, he saw Ethan falling. He let go of the ball, his hand outstretched, reaching… but not far enough.
Thud. Flicker. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting long, dancing shadows across the sterile white walls. Beep…beep…beep… The rhythmic beeping of machines filled the air, a relentless, mechanical pulse that mirrored the frantic beating of his own heart. He was in the hospital, the smell of antiseptic thick in his nostrils, the chilling air conditioning raising goosebumps on his skin. Ethan lay motionless in the bed, his face pale, his chest rising and falling with shallow, labored breaths. Beep…beep…beep… Each beep was a hammer blow to Kai's soul, a constant reminder of the fragility of life, of the promise he had made and broken. He reached out, his hand trembling, and touched Ethan's arm. It was cold, lifeless. "Ethan, don't die," he whispered, his voice choked with tears. "I've broken my promise. Don't die on me…" He felt his chest tightening, no air was passing in his dry his throat, a dizzying sense of helplessness and despair. Why? Why? Why? The questions echoed in his mind, a chaotic chorus of guilt and confusion. He wanted to scream, to rage against the unfairness of it all, but all he could manage was a choked sob. He felt lost, adrift in a sea of grief, the beeping of the machines a constant, mocking reminder of his failure.
A child's voice, right In front of him. "Another chance?" Kai looked down. It was a younger version of himself, a child again, eyes shining with hope. "I can save him… we can save him." Kai wiped his tears, a small, involuntary smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah… as if we can…"
He looked again. Now it was the older version of himself, weary, his face etched with regret. "Maybe not him," the older Kai said, "but we can prevent it from happening to others." Kai scoffed.
The older Kai's eyes met his, a silent question hanging in the air. "Your choice," he said, the words heavy with implication.
Kai stiffened, then slowly relaxed, a forced smile playing on his lips. He leaned back on the swing… And suddenly, he was falling. He was falling, just like Ethan, down, down, down, the auditorium blurring around him.
Thud. Black. He saw himself, broken. Black. A whisper, close to his ear: "Your choice, Kai…"
"Kai! Kai!"
He opened his eyes. Kara's face, upside down, was inches from his. He was on the playground, sprawled on the dusty ground, having fallen from the swing.
For a fleeting moment, the lines between dream and reality blurred. He blinked, disoriented, the echoes of the falling dream still clinging to him. Without thinking, he reached out and pinched Kara's cheek, his fingers gently squeezing the soft skin.
"Ow!" Kara yelped, pulling back with a startled laugh. "What was that for?" Her cheeks flushed slightly, a mix of surprise and a hint of embarrassment.
He stared at her, his eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and relief. "Just making sure," he mumbled, the reality of the situation slowly sinking in. "Had a weird dream."
Kara rubbed her cheek, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "Well, I can assure you, I'm very real," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "And you definitely need to lay off the spicy noodles before bed."
He managed a weak smile, the tension slowly easing from his shoulders. "Yeah, maybe," he said, finally sitting up. He looked around, the familiar playground coming into focus. The swings, the slide, the dusty ground – all were reassuringly real.
"Are you okay?" Kara asked, her voice softening as she saw the lingering confusion in his eyes. "Still going through Ethan?"
He looked away, the memory of the dream, of Ethan falling, of the older Kai's words, still fresh in his mind. "I'm okay, Kara," he said, the words sounding hollow even to himself.
"C'mon," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Let's go grab some lunch. You look like you could use a good meal and some sunshine."
"Not today," Kai said, shaking his head. "Got some things to do."
Kara's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Okay," she said, her voice laced with concern. "But promise me you won't do anything crazy, okay?" She paused, then added, "If you need someone to talk to, you know, Dennis and I are always a text away."
He nodded, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Kara."
Kara playfully nudged him again. "Or maybe you're just trying to find an excuse to avoid Lisa?" she teased, a hint of playful jealousy in her voice. "Seriously, Kai…"
He shrugged, a faint blush creeping up his neck. "Just got things to do," he mumbled, avoiding her gaze.
Kara chuckled, but her eyes remained serious. "Alright, alright," she said. "But be careful, okay?"
He nodded, and then turned and walked away. As he walked, his mind wasn't on the dream itself, not yet. Instead, he was replaying the events of the day, Ethan's laughter on the swing, the conversation with Kara, the familiar ache of loss. He knew he needed to be alone for a while, to process everything, to figure out what he was going to do next. He just didn't know where to begin.