THE ROOT OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER TEN

Penelope handed Kira a hot cup of coffee as she wrapped her body with a towel. Seeing the poor girl shivering uncontrollably, she felt her heart break into two. 

“It must have been really frightening for you to see”. Penelope said as she watched Kira sip her coffee. 

“Is that the question you should be asking here?”. Caleb questioned. “Rather, you should be asking her what she was doing outside in the rain in the first place “

“Caleb!”. Penelope scolded. Kira had just seen something that she might never be able to forget for the rest of her life. The least she needed was people chastising her. 

“I hate to admit it Penelope, but he’s right”. Mr Alfred spoke up turning to face Kira. “What were you doing outside in the rain?”

Kira looked up from Caleb to Mr Alfred and then to miss Penelope before starting her story. 

“When I left the room after Caleb’s and I argument, I went to the rooftop”. She wasn’t lying though, that’s where she’d seen Katiana and Jensen.  

“It wasn’t until I’d gotten there that I’d realized I’d mistakenly taken Becky’s phone”. Kira continued as Caleb suddenly remembered that Becky was looking earnestly for it. 

“So why didn’t you return it back to her?”. Caleb chimed in impatient.  

“Can you be patient, Caleb?!” Miss Penelope shouted. She was already loosing her cool.

“I can’t”. Caleb replied curtly. “She’d made Becky interrupt my reading just because she was looking for her phone and I had to read doppler’s effect all over again”. He turned back to face Kira. “So answer me. Why didn’t you return it back to her?”

“Because it was then I got the call”. Kira responded.  

“What call?”

“A call from Sasha”. Kira said. “She, Bree and Monica had already come to the museum looking for us. They were stuck under the rain in the forest.”

“We were still on the call when I heard a loud scream from the other end of her side”. Kira continued. “So without thinking, I’d dashed out into the forest to save her”

“But why didn’t you inform any of us about this rather than going out there by yourself?”. Penelope

Questioned. “What if something had happened to you?”. 

Kira dipped her hands into her pocket. “I had on my pepper spray with me and I had to act fast. If I was a second late, I could only fear the worst”. 

Mr Alfred placed his hands over hers. “Thank you for coming back alive to us”. Kira nodded her head as she sipped more from her hot cup of coffee. 

“Does your story end there?”. Caleb chimed in. “I mean, you ran all the way here crying and screaming at the top of your lungs. Aren’t you going to explain that part?”

“Why aren’t you reading?”. Kira questioned clearly upset as Caleb shrugged. “I guess reading finally bore me”. 

Kira scoffed. “You are just suspicious of me aren’t you? Because you think I did something to Phil, right?”. Kira brought out her phone from her pocket as she extended it towards him. “Here. Take this and call him and when you’re done, fuck off!”

Caleb looked down at Kira’a phone in her hands. He knew just how bold she stuck with her decisions even though they weren’t true. 

The way she extended her phone towards him was just like the way she’d done so with the blood that day at the park.

But this time the results were going to be different. Do you know why?. Because this time he was going to grab that phone and infact put it on speaker so that everyone bear witness as he checks to clarify his doubt. 

Just as Caleb had moved his hands to grab the phone, Miss Penelope had retrieved it from Kira’s hands. 

“What do you think you are doing, Caleb?”. She questioned sternly. 

“I’m just trying to confirm my thoughts”. 

“So what now? You think Kira actually did something to Phil?”. 

“Aren’t you worried about him?!”

“Penelope just go ahead and call him”. Alfred says with a low voice. 

“Alfred, are you going along with his suggestion?!”. Penelope shouted offended.

“Caleb won’t rest until he sees that Phil is alright, so why not just call him?”. Alfred impeached as Penelope looked from him to Caleb before looking down at Kira’s phone and dialing his number. 

Just as the phone started ringing, it went off. 

“What happened?”. Caleb questioned eagerly. 

“The battery’s dead”

“So? Let’s charge it now”. No sooner had he said that had all the lights in the motel gone off as everywhere was covered in darkness. 

“You’ve got to be f*** kidding me” Caleb dragged out, frustrated. 

“I’ll go check what’s happening”. Alfred said as he moved away from them as Penelope turned to face Kira, helping her to her feet. “Come let me take you to your room.” She looked towards Caleb. “I don’t think the atmosphere would be comfortable if we stay here”

Agreeing with her with a nod of the head, Kira follwed her suite while Caleb looked outside the pouring night, lost in thoughts. 

With a strong determination, he made his way out of the room and up the stairs to the spare room where he’d left Derrick. 

As expected he found Derrick still splayed on ground with closed eyes and his headphone over his ears. 

Caleb tapped him once but he didn’t budge. He tapped him yet again as Derrick threw his eyes opened as he glared at him. 

“You hate it when others disturb you while reading so why are you disturbing me?”. Derrick snarled. 

“Let’s do it”. Said a determined Caleb. 

Derrick furrowed his brow. “Let’s do what?”

“What you said earlier about following Kira”. 

Now this piqued Derrick’s interest. “You didn’t forget that there’s no catch for this right?”

“Yes, I didn’t”

“Then why do you want to go ahead with it now?”

“I’m curious and I want to satisfy my curiosity. Do I need any other reason?”

Derrick rose to his feet as he flashed him his best smile, brushing his shoulders. “No. Infact that’s the only reason you need”