Page 23 of I Married Kayog
My heart sank when he didn’t instantly say yes.
“No, but for me, yes,” he said, his face closed off and all warmth fading from his eyes.
“No? Then what is it? Are these drugs? Do you suffer from addiction? Is that why you say you’re crazy?” I blurted out, anger seeping into my voice.
I hadn’t meant to bombard him with so many questions nor to come at him in such an aggressive manner. But the disappointment that he might in fact share some of the big flaws often linked to performing artists’ lifestyle hit me hard.
“No, I’m not a drug addict,” he said in a clipped tone, his face hardening.
Yeah, right. That’s exactly what a junkie would say.
Although I kept that less-than-charitable thought to myself, I didn’t let go.
“What is it then? And why are you taking it?” I challenged.
He clicked his beak with annoyance and cast an almost murderous glance towards the university. What the fuck was his problem with the school? None of his behavior made sense, and my own aggravation at him refusing to give me clear answers kept growing.
“What is it?” I repeated more forcefully.
Kayog snapped his head back towards me, this time, an angry expression settled on his face. To my shock, his sclera appeared to be bloodshot. He didn’t say a word, his gaze leveled on me, his hands fisted as if he was struggling to rein himself in.
I took a deep breath, berating myself for handling this whole thing so poorly. Antagonizing someone struggling with substance abuse was the best way to drive them away.
“Please, just talk to me, Kayog,” I said in a soft and appeasing tone.
“I should go,” he said sharply, putting the empty wrappers from his meal back into the bag.
“No, wait!” I exclaimed, panicked. “Look, there’s no shame in dealing with addiction, especially considering the rough upbringing you had. There are plenty of programs that—”
“I’M NOT A FUCKING ADDICT!” he shouted.
I recoiled and stared at him in shock. Despite his visible anger, I didn’t fear he would harm me, but my heart broke that he should be in such denial. You couldn’t help someone who refused to acknowledge they had a problem to begin with.
He snorted and gave me a disgusted look that cut deep.
“You know, Linsea, you’re cute, but you’re pretty fucking judgmental. You don’t know me.”
“I don’t, but I’m trying to,” I said in a soft voice.
“It seems clear now that you shouldn’t,” he snarled.
“But—”
“ENOUGH!!” Kayog yelled, slamming his fist so hard on the wooden surface of the table that it cracked.
I gasped, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest. This sudden violence hadn’t been aimed at me. Kayog was staring at the school with murder in his eyes. My blood turned to ice when they appeared to glow. A Temern’s eyes should never glow. Then, with an angry growl, he jumped onto the bench before taking flight.
I sat there, frozen in shock as he dashed away like a vengeful god on a mission. Then suddenly snapping out of my daze, I absentmindedly grabbed our empty bags and flew after Kayog to figure out what might have prompted this irrational reaction. He appeared to have been infuriated by something or someone. But we were much too far from anyone for him to have perceived their emotions, let alone for them to anger him this much.
At a glance, I hadn’t noticed any earbuds or other communication devices from which he could have received some sort of message. Although he likely had a translation implant—like most people part of an advanced species—those devicescouldn’t be used for remote communication. So what in the world just happened?
He did say that he was crazy...
Was Kayog hearing voices? Could he be having some sort of psychotic episode? There were a great number of non-medicinal or natural substances that were known to help people dealing with mental issues caused by chemical imbalances. Kayog claimed the pill he popped wasn’t medicine, but that for him, it acted as such. Could that be it?
Any further speculation faded from my mind when Kayog didn’t go for the main entrance but darted instead towards a secluded part of the gardens lining one of the eastern buildings of the campus. A few people noticed him. Their emotions loudly broadcast their curiosity as they started moving in the direction he was heading. I could only presume that his facial expression alerted them to the fact that something fishy was happening.
To my dismay, the students’ confused curiosity quickly shifted to a mix of anger from some, and morbid excitement for others. Whatever the cause, it couldn’t be good. Sadly, from this angle, I couldn’t see whatever lay around the corner of the large building. Kayog vanished behind the wall as he swerved right, and a loud, angry shout reached me, but I couldn’t make out the words.
