THE ARCANE: Birth of Revenge

Chapter 7

Back at home, after the fight at school, the house felt different. The silence was loud. Kael sat on the sofa, his elbows placed on his knees, as he stared at the floor.

Whitney stood near the television, arms folded tightly across her chest. Robert remained close to the dining area, watching them both, his face tense but unreadable.

Their eyes avoided each other, then met, then drifted away again. The living room felt smaller than usual, the air heavier. Finally, Whitney broke the silence.

“So?” she said. “You’re just gonna sit there? You’ve got nothing to say?” Her voice carried a slight edge, she was trying really hard to stay calm. Kael kept mute. His fingers tightened against his jeans.

“You’ve gotten into eight fights this period. Eight, Kael. What the hell is wrong with you? Huh?” Her words hit the room and stayed there.

“I’m... sorry,” Kael muttered innocently, still staring at the floor.

“Sorry?” Whitney repeated. Robert still hadn’t spoken. He just watched. “Sorry? You broke your friend’s nose.”

“He’s not my friend,” Kael said, slightly annoyed, finally lifting his chin up.

“Okay… cool, whatever. Your classmate,” she corrected herself with a frustrated wave of her hand. “The point still remains that we could be charged for assault. Do you know what that means?”

“No…”

Whitney stared at him, disbelief flashing across her face. “Of course you don’t. Are you f*****g kidding me?”

Robert shifted uncomfortably but still said nothing.

“He called me a freak,” Kael snapped suddenly. His voice cracked, anger mixing with hurt. “I’m not a freak. I just want to be normal.”

The room stilled, as though someone just threw a bomb.

“They have no idea what it means to carry a burden you can’t seem to forget…” he continued, his voice breaking as tears rolled down his cheek.

That right there caught both Whitney and Robert. The anger in the room dissolved instantly. What he said wasn’t just teenage frustration. It was something deeper. Something that cannot be erased easily. Whitney understood that kind of pain more than he knew.

“Hey… hey, hey,” she softened, glancing at Robert before they both stepped closer. Whitney knelt down to his height, in front of the sofa.

“Hey,” she said gently, tapping his hand. “You’re normal, okay? You’re not. A freak.”

“But why do they keep calling me that?” Kael whispered, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

“Because they’re bullies,” Whitney replied. “And you know what happens to bullies?”

"Karma..." Robert finally uttered a word. “They get karma, kiddo.”

Whitney gave Robert a small nod before looking back at Kael. “When next they call you a freak, you ignore them, okay? You’re special, Kael, and they have no idea what they’re saying.”

“Okay…” Kael said as he cleaned his tears.

Whitney stood up and gently touched his shoulder. “Now go to your room. Freshen up while I prepare something. Go on.”

Robert gave him a light nudge on the back as encouragement. Kael stood and slowly made his way up the stairs. The sound of his footsteps faded. Whitney and Robert were now the only ones left.

“Do I need to talk to the school principal?” Robert asked quietly.

“No need, Darling. I know what to do.”

He sighed. “I feel bad for him.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “He’s obviously still hurt by what happened to his real family.” Robert looked toward the stairs again.

“What he needs right now,” Whitney continued softly, “is genuine love.” She turned and walked slowly to the kitchen to prepare something, leaving Robert staring at the staircase where Kael had disappeared.

****

Upstairs, Kael entered his room and closed the door behind him. A dog barked somewhere in the neighborhood, the sound was sharp and insistent, almost as though it were right outside his window. He tossed his bag onto the bed, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto the mattress, staring at the ceiling as he tried to let the day drain from him, but the barking continued.

Then—Tap. Tap. Tap.

A sharp pecking against the glass window made him sit upright. His heart ticked a little faster as he turned toward the window, squinting through the light.

A small bird was there, perched resolutely on the sill, tapping against the closed glass with deliberate persistence. Its dark eyes met his, almost knowingly, as if it were sending a message Kael couldn’t yet understand. He rose slowly, approaching it, and murmured softly,

“Hey, little one.”

The bird c****d its head, as if acknowledging his presence. Kael’s fingers brushed the window latch. He felt a quiet, inexplicable bond with the tiny creature. Kael had always felt drawn to birds. He couldn’t explain it. There was something about them—their calmness, the way they fly unapologetically in the sky, the quiet intelligence in their eyes, that always made him feel less alone. And strangely, they never seemed afraid of him.

He lifted the window, letting air and the bird hop onto his finger with a light flutter of wings. Its tiny claws grazed his skin, warm and reassuring.

The dog barked again, louder this time, somewhere below, near the edge of the street. Kael’s eyes followed the sound, and that’s when he saw a man standing close to the dog, holding its leash. The figure was shrouded in a dark hoodie, motionless and rigid, his gaze fixed on Kael’s window.

Kael’s mind flickered, the man looked strangely familiar, and then it hit him. The school janitor.

But why is he here? What is he doing in his neighborhood staring at him? Kael thought to himself. Could it be a coincidence? He didn’t even live here, and he had never seen this man around before. Hesitantly, he waved, as if trying to say hi, but the man didn’t move. He just kept staring, his gaze cold and colder, and it scared the hell out of Kael. Something about it felt off, so slowly, Kael lowered his hand.

The bird shifted nervously on his other finger, it's wings brushing lightly against his hand. Kael’s heart skipped a beat. Slowly, the bird stretched its wings and with a quiet flutter, took off into the sky, leaving Kael staring after it for a split second.

In that instant, his gaze returned to the street below—and BOOM. The man was nowhere to be seen. He was gone.

Kael’s eyes widened. The street became quiet. Even the dog was gone. How was that even possible? Not even three seconds had passed since he’d looked away.

He closed the window quickly, locking it and drawing the curtains with trembling hands. Kael exhaled, took few steps backwards trying to steady his racing heart. Then, he turned toward the bathroom to freshen up as instructed, his chest still tightened as he tried to shake off the strange feeling that had settled over him.