Morning sunlight slipped through Kai's curtains, dragging him unwillingly out of sleep.
He had woken up later than usual, yet somehow he still felt exhausted.
Kai groaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow for a few more seconds before finally forcing himself to sit up and drag himself out of bed.
His body felt heavy.
The visions from yesterday still lingered in his mind like a nightmare refusing to fade.
The torn sky.
The monsters.
Nyx.
Especially Nyx.
Kai sighed and headed to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and taking a shower, he got dressed and finally made his way downstairs.
The house was already alive with quiet morning sounds—the clinking of plates, the smell of breakfast drifting through the air, and the low hum of the television coming from the living room.
His dad stood near the kitchen counter adjusting his tie while his stepmother placed breakfast onto plates.
"Morning," Kai mumbled tiredly.
"Morning," his dad replied.
His stepmother smiled warmly.
"You're finally awake."
"But I don't feel awake. I barely slept."
Kai dropped into one of the chairs at the table and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
His father glanced at him briefly.
"You've seemed distracted lately. Is something bothering you?"
Kai immediately looked away.
"I'm fine."
His dad studied him for a moment before speaking again.
"I heard you were out with friends yesterday. It's nice seeing you bonding with people again."
He smiled faintly, clearly happy that Kai was slowly returning to normal.
Kai simply nodded while staring blankly at the table.
Then—
Knock knock.
The sound echoed through the house.
All three of them looked toward the front door.
"Who could that be?" his stepmother wondered, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Kai, go check who it is," his dad said, gesturing toward the door.
"Yes, sir," Kai replied lazily.
He stood up slowly, muttering something under his breath as he shuffled toward the entrance.
The moment he opened the door—
He froze.
"…I must be hallucinating."
He rubbed a hand over his face.
Nyx stood outside.
She was balancing awkwardly on one foot while trying to shake a piece of toilet paper off the sole of her shoe. In her other hand, she carried a dish carefully covered with foil.
At the sound of the door opening, she looked up brightly.
"Oh! Hi, Kai!"
Kai stared at her blankly.
Then without hesitation—
SLAM.
He shut the door directly in her face.
Kai calmly turned around and walked back toward the kitchen table.
"Who was it?" his dad asked.
"No one."
Kai shrugged and took a bite of his scrambled eggs.
Outside, Nyx's muffled voice echoed through the door.
"Kai! I think you accidentally shut the door on me!"
His parents exchanged confused looks.
Kai smirked slightly.
"I'm pretty sure I didn't accidentally do it."
His dad raised an eyebrow.
"Kai."
Meanwhile, his stepmother shook her head with disapproval written all over her face.
"Go attend to your guest," she said, pointing toward the door.
"She's not my guest," Kai muttered.
"Kai."
"Whatever."
Kai rolled his eyes dramatically, dropped his spoon onto the plate, and groaned before dragging himself back toward the door.
Kai sighed deeply and reopened the door.
Nyx stood there smiling like nothing had happened.
Kai gave her the deadliest glare he could manage.
"What."
His voice was completely flat, making it very clear that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.
Nyx happily lifted the dish in her hands.
"My mom made pie! She wanted me to bring some over as the start of a new neighbor friendship." She grinned brightly. "Like us."
Kai stared suspiciously at the pie.
Nyx continued talking before he could respond.
"I told her not to make peach pie since that's what she normally makes because you're allergic to peaches, so she made pecan instead!"
Kai had barely been listening to her rambling.
But two words immediately caught his attention.
Peaches.
Allergic.
His expression shifted slightly.
"…What do you mean allergic?" he asked slowly.
Nyx tilted her head innocently.
"Aren't you allergic to peaches?"
The way she said it didn't sound like a question.
It sounded like a fact.
Kai frowned.
"How do you know I'm allergic to peaches?"
For the first time since meeting her—
Nyx actually looked confused.
Like she had said something completely normal before suddenly realizing she wasn't supposed to know it.
A brief flicker of uncertainty crossed her face.
But it disappeared almost instantly.
Nyx smiled casually again.
"Noah told me!" she said quickly.
Too quickly.
Kai's expression didn't change.
Because he knew for a fact Noah had never told her that.
Mostly because Kai himself had never told Noah.
He was absolutely sure of it.
A strange silence settled between them.
Kai's thoughts raced.
How could she possibly know that?
The uneasy feeling in his chest only deepened.
This is even more reason to be wary of her, he thought quietly.
Then Nyx held the pie a little farther toward him.
"So… are you taking it, or should I come in and place it on the table myself?"
Kai slowly took the dish from her hands. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at her like she had lost her mind.
"I'm just kidding," she laughed, waving her hands in front of him as though he might actually attack her.
"…Tell your mom thanks," Kai said flatly.
Then he shut the door in her face again.
He stood there silently for a moment, staring at the wooden door like he was reconsidering every life decision that had led him here.
Inside, his stepmother stared at him in disbelief.
"Kai!"
"What? I thanked her." He walked to the kitchen counter and placed the dish down.
"She seems sweet," his dad said, already seated and eating his breakfast.
"She's insane," Kai replied immediately.
His dad only laughed.
"That was rude," his stepmother added.
Before Kai could stop her, she walked back to the door and opened it again.
Nyx was still standing there.
Smiling.
Like she had expected the door to close on her again.
"I'm so sorry about him," Kai's stepmother said apologetically. "Please thank your parents for the pie."
"I will!" Nyx replied cheerfully.
Kai's stepmother smiled warmly. "What's your name, dear?"
"My name is Nyx." Her tone was calm, almost detached, as though she wanted nothing more to do with his parents—only him. Her expression briefly darkened.
"That's a really beautiful name," his mother said with a bright smile.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Nyx smiled brightly again. "I need to go now, Kai's mom. My parents are waiting for me."
"Bye, Kai," she added enthusiastically.
Kai didn't respond. He didn't know why, but a sudden chill ran through him when she spoke to his mother.
"I don't like her one bit" he whispered after she left.
His mother closed the door and walked back inside, still commenting on how sweet and beautiful Nyx was.