Page 21 of I Married Kayog
“Although it is a member of the UPO, Daelynn isn’t the most advanced planet. Their doctors may not have been best suited to deal with a Temern infant,” I said carefully.
“The first thing they did was contact a Temern. Apparently, that didn’t go too well, and they decided to pursue different avenues.”
Something in the way he said this raised many red flags. What had the Temern seen or said that would make them not want to further retain the services from one of ours?
“Eventually, a couple took me in. They kept me until I was old enough to leave.”
“That’s wonderful!” I exclaimed. “How did they solve your problem?”
He stared at me for a few seconds. I couldn’t tell if he was looking for the proper way to word it or whether to answer me at all.
“They placed me inside an isolated bunker two hundred meters away from the main house. It had its own bathroom, bedroom, and a small office space. They brought me food and anything else I needed,” he said, matter-of-factly.
“WHAT?!” I shouted, jumping to my feet, horror and outrage coursing through me. “Why and for how long?!”
“Please, Linsea, sit down. It’s okay,” he said in a soothing voice.
Embarrassed by my outburst, I settled back down on the bench, my mind reeling, and my blood boiling with anger that he should have been subjected to such abuse.
“I remained there from the age of three until I was fifteen,” he said calmly.
“What the actual fuck?!” I hissed. “How did you get free?”
To my shock, a glimmer of amusement sparked in his eyes.
“I applied for my first master’s,” he said in a mischievous tone, then burst out laughing at my stunned expression. “I had nothing else to do in that bunker, so I studied.”
“And then what happened?” I asked, stunned by how nonchalant and unfazed he seemed to be about the whole situation.
“As a part of the process, I had to do an in-person interview and evaluation. Unfortunately, while waiting to enter the meeting room, I had a major panic attack in public,” he said grimly.
“No shit!” I exclaimed. “You’ve been trapped in solitary confinement for twelve fucking years! It’s a miracle that you haven’t gone insane. Of course, you would have a mental breakdown after suddenly finding yourself surrounded by so many people.”
Suddenly, his distaste for crowds totally made sense. What other trauma was he still carrying from those dreadful days?
“The truth about my living situation came out, and things got ugly,” Kayog continued.
“I hope they got arrested!” I growled.
His hesitation had me on the verge of losing my shit again.
“It’s complicated,” he said carefully.
“In what way?” I exclaimed in a self-evident tone. “They locked you up and abused you for more than a decade. They deserve a one-way ticket to Molvi!”
He snorted and shook his head. Molvi was not something you wished upon anyone except the foulest of people. The prison planet was the harshest punishment one could get. Being sent there pretty much equated to a death sentence.
“I know how it seems, but they didn’t mistreat me. Growing up there helped me cope with my condition,” he said softly as I stared at him in disbelief. “As shocking as this may sound to you, I don’t hate them. In truth, I am grateful. They didn’t love me, but they also didn’t wish me harm. The entire time I lived with them, I wanted for nothing. Anything I needed or asked for, they provided.”
“Why am I getting the feeling they didn’t face justice?” I asked, struggling to reconcile what he was saying with the fact that they caged him for his entire youth.
“They were indicted, but I challenged the charges against them,” Kayog said. “Due to my condition and how what they did genuinely helped me survive a difficult youth, the courts agreed to drop the charges. However, I received a huge settlement as they deemed that the Child Protective Services failed me.”
My eyes widened in sudden understanding. “You hinted about being financially comfortable. Is that the source of your wealth?”
He nodded. “Mainly, yes. But where school is concerned, I received substantial scholarships, so the settlement credits remain almost entirely untouched.”
“That’s great!” I said, pleased that he still got something good out of this whole ordeal. “Do you still talk with your foster parents?”
