Tale of the Other Kind: A Therian Novel by Leandi Cameron

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A TALE OF THE

OTHER KIND

A Therian Novel Volume 1

LEANDI CAMERON

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Published in 2012 by House of LeaVik - Writing, Publishing & Design Division.

All rights reserved. Apart from any use permitted under the RSA and international copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form, or by any means with prior permission in writing from the publishers or in the case of reprographic production in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency and may not be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Editors: Shannon de Ryhove, Linda Rostoll Layout & Design: House of LeaVik

Images by Bigstock Photo

Copyright © 2012 Leandi Cameron All rights reserved.

ISBN 10: 0620525991 ISBN-13: 978-0620525992 ISBN- Ebook: 978-0-620-52658-6

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DEDICATION

To dad, my musical angel staring down at me from heaven, and to all the other angels on earth that have helped me make this book a reality. Thank you for your love and support.

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REVIEWER SNIPPETS

From Amazon Reviewers

“ I loved all the characters and how well

they were developed. ”

“ Every line and page of this book will

have you spellbound. ”

“ The combination of these amazingly rich

characters and the unique lore all within

this amazing backdrop of Sabie made this

tale spellbinding. ”

LEANDI CAMERON

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LEANDI CAMERON

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CHAPTER 1

Winter was always Kai’s favourite time of

the year; however, on this particular mor-

ning, he had no desire to get up as early as

he normally did. He pulled the thick

thermal blanket tightly around his neck as

a cold shiver ran down his exposed arms.

He was running a temperature, sweat

was trickling down his forehead, and his

bones felt as if they were being torn from

his insides. The temperature dropped to a

chilling low during the night and a gust of

wind blew the shutters open, killing the last

flicker of flame in the fireplace. All he could

think of was Sienna, and how his behaviour

had gotten the better of him the day before.

He frowned as the events unfolded in his

waking mind, and the thought of Sienna’s

horrified face made him feel sick to his

stomach. A sinking feeling consumed his

chest as he realised that he had to get up

and face her. But now, on top of all that

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had happened, he had come down with the

flu as well. The red alarm clock on the oak

bedside table started ringing. He tried to

push the screeching sound out of his mind

by pulling the bed covers over his head. His

chest felt suffocated and tight as if a heavy

block of steel was forcing him down into his

pillow. A smell of fried bacon filled the

room, and the aroma of brewing coffee

tickled his nose from under the blanket,

tempting him to leave the comfort of his

bed.

He breathed a deep-throated sigh and

pulled away the blanket, lifting his arms out

from the warmth that was begging him to

stay. Eventually, after considering the idea

of whether to stay in and sleep off his rising

body temperature and throbbing pain that

was pulsing through his body, he realised

that he had to gather his courage and get

up to face the day. Slowly, he flung his bare

muscular legs over the side of the bed; a

soft moan escaped his throat as pain

radiated through his calves.

He switched off the beeping alarm clock

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while drowsily sliding across the room

towards the bathroom he shared with his

mother on the second floor of the house. He

got into the shower, trying to drown the

overwhelming feelings of guilt and confu–

sion that were plaguing his thoughts. He

felt lightheaded, an aftermath of the fury

and anger sparked by seeing James hurting

Sienna the day before. He could still

remember the menacing look in James’s

face and the anger he poured out over

Sienna who was defenseless to his attacks.

She was kind—too kind for someone like

James who ran with the wrong kind of

crowds. Kai knew that she was getting in

over her head when he first saw her moving

towards a relationship with James, but he

was powerless.

She was just too trusting and, perhaps,

a little naïve in thinking that she could

tame a beast of his kind. Kai sighed as the

warm water trickled slowly out of the

showerhead through the frozen pipes, but

soon a smooth stream of water catapulted

from the hose, making the unbearable cold


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weather somewhat tolerable. Kai stood

silently underneath the water as it washed

over his face and shivering body. Steam

slowly filled the small bathroom, keeping

the warmth created by the water locked

inside while he wrapped a large white bath

towel around his waist. He leaned over the

basin to wipe away the vapour built up on

the mirror with the palm of his hand.

He barely recognised himself as he

squinted to see through his bruised eye.

Wincing, he touched the cut on his cheek

that was already beginning to heal.

Carefully, he dabbed antibacterial cream on

the wound before brushing his teeth. He

grabbed two painkillers and flung them

down his throat with a glass of water. A

sharp pain shot through his joints as he

dressed. He leaned back against the closet

door when the room started spinning; his

eyes unable to focus. He slowly found his

feet as the dizzy-spell evaporated, and he

tried to gain his composure by breathing

deeply. On his way out of the house he

hoped his mother wouldn’t notice him, but

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his luck was turned against him.

“Kai, where are you going?” she called to

him from the kitchen when he opened the

front door.

“Ma, I’m late for school,” he said,

without turning around.

“Rubbish, you have plenty of time. You

can’t go to school without breakfast.”

With a grunt, he turned around and

headed back towards the kitchen. Bethany

Emery greeted him with a glowing smile,

which quickly turned into a questioning

frown.

“What happened?” she asked concerned

over her shoulder as she walked towards

the washbasin, placing dirty dishes in the

soapy water. Her eyes grew at the sight of

his bruises.

Bethany was neatly dressed in the all-

black ensemble that she usually wore for

work at the fashion boutique she managed.

She dipped her hands into the luke-warm,

foamy water, but distractedly started

scrubbing at the dirty pots and pans from

the previous night’s supper.


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Kai shook his head, “Nothing.”

“Did you get into a fight?” she

questioned, concerned.

“You could say that,” he replied, pulling

his lips into a thin line.

Her eyes narrowed. “This is not like you

Kai. What happened?”

“Don’t worry about it; it’s nothing I can’t

handle.”

“Do I need to call a parent?” She asked,

worried before turning her focus on his

scars, “Did you put something on that cut?

It might need stitches.”

“Please ma, stop fussing. I’m fine. Like I

said, you don’t have to worry.”

With a sigh she looked at him for a long

second, “You didn’t eat last night,” she said,

“I’ll put your food in the fridge if you want to

eat it for lunch after school.” She blew at a

lock of blonde hair that fell into her face.

“Thanks mom,” he forced a smile back

at her and took a seat at the wooden

kitchen table. Toast and on assortment of

jams were sprawled across the surface of

the table, with boiled eggs and the bacon

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placed neatly in a plate for his breakfast.

“Damn, but it’s cold this morning. I

mean, winter gets cold, but my toes feel like

they’re about to fall off,” he said, rubbing

his cold hands together.

“It’s snowing honey,” Bethany smiled.

She still had a questioning look on her face

as she dried her hands on a towel and

walked across the room towards the kitchen

table. She leaned across the table and

pulled at the blinds that were shielding the

outside world from their cosy cabin,

revealing a blanket of white snow covering

the tree tops and the now, unrecognisable

landscape surrounding their house.

He flinched as the bright winter sun

stung his eyes. He gasped slightly, “Wow!

It’s amazing. Unusual, but so beautiful.”

“The Drakensberg snows must be

moving further north this year,” she replied,

still looking at him curiously. She gave him

a once over. “Are you running a fever?” she

asked, placing a hand on his forehead, and

wiping away a small drop of sweat.

“It’s nothing; I have a headache.”


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“I see,” she replied, unconvinced at his

bravery. “At least try and get some food in

your stomach,” she gestured towards his

untouched plate of food. She sat down at

the chair opposite Kai and started nibbling

at a piece of toast while opening a copy of

the Lowvelder newspaper.

“Looking for extra work again?” he asked

as he noticed her scanning the classifieds.

She lifted her head and smiled at him,

ignoring his question. She placed the

newspaper on the table beside her and took

a sip of her tea.

“You know I’m old enough to help you

with all this stuff. I could get another job.”

“If I need your help, I will ask; promise.

Besides, my job at the boutique is getting

us by just fine.”

“I’m just checking.” Bethany smiled at

him. “You sometimes remind me so much of

your father—always worried.”

“Yeah, you always say that. It’s a pity

that he left, maybe I would have gotten to

know him a little better,” he sighed, with a

slight hint of sarcasm.

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“Sorry I missed your rugby game last

night. Stocktaking took much longer than I

anticipated,” she said with a guilty smile.

“It doesn’t matter; rugby hasn’t been

going too well this year anyway. You really

didn’t miss a thing,” he lied, again. How

could he tell her how badly things had

turned out after the rugby game where he’d

discovered James hurting Sienna, and his

odd experience at how he found them? A

moment of silence passed between them

until the wild clanging of tea being stirred

filled the air.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bethany

asked looking at him worried.

A couple of seconds ticked by before he

noticed that he was staring straight at her

while drifting off in thought. Kai finally

placed the teaspoon down and took a big

sip from his cup. He tried to relax his

furrowed forehead, which was contributing

to his thumping headache. “It’s fine ma; I’m

just worried about a test. That's all,” he

said, trying to summon an encouraging

smile.


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Bethany tilted her head sideways and he

knew she wasn’t completely convinced.

“Well, okay then. You should probably get

going,” she replied, pointing at the snow-

covered landscape through the window,

noting that it was going to take a while to

get to school. At that moment, however, the

test was the least of his fears. He sighed,

closing his eyes, hoping that seeing Sienna

wouldn’t be as hard as he thought it would

be. He took a deep breath and rose from the

table to give his mother a kiss on the cheek,

before heading out into the cold winter

snow. Once outside, Kai realised that his

usual walk to school would be impossible

with the thick layer of snow, and he decided

to use his motorcycle instead. He usually

enjoyed the brisk walk to school; it gave

him the freedom to enjoy the weak, wintery

sun and the vast mountain grassland and

pockets of Afromontane-mistbelt forest,

fragmented by the plantations of exotic pine

and eucalyptus trees.

But, today, the usually colourful

grasslands and treetops were covered in a

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blanket of white, and large icicles hung

from the trees like Christmas decorations.

Maintenance workers were already busy

struggling to clear up the thick layer of

snow covering the roads, unaccustomed to

snowfall extending this far north on the

Drakensberg mountain range.

The distraction that nature usually

provided only held Kai’s attention for a

fraction of a second and, as he neared the

edge of Sabie, the uneasy feeling he woke

with that morning came rushing back. He

could feel his eyes burn and his skin tingle

as his pulse rate began to rise. His

breathing became deeper and quicker as he

neared town. He slowed the motorbike to a

snail's pace while he contemplated flaking

out and turning back home, to climb back

into bed where no one could bother him. He

came to a stop in front of the large iron

gates enclosing the old stone school

building, which was surrounded by an

equally old stone wall, some of which had to

be restored over the years because of

degradation.


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He hung his head when the large gates

slowly opened, knowing that there was no

way that he would be able to hide from his

feelings or from the girl that made his heart

skip a beat. Sienna would be there, and he

would have to face his fears, even as he

wished that this day would simply end. Old

Mr Steward, the grumpy geometry teacher,

was on post at the gate, looking furious at

having to wait for latecomers in the freezing

wind. His thinning grey hair, which was

usually neatly combed over his head to hide

his bald patch, was fluttering around

furiously, triggering a snicker from Kai as

he entered the gate.

Steward displayed a death-stare in an

attempt to illustrate his dissatisfaction at

Kai’s tardiness, and folded his arms across

his chest, annoyed.

“You are late young man, you should be

glad that I’m even letting you in,” he said

sarcastically, nodding his head unwillingly.

“Good morning Mr Steward. I’m sorry for

being late. It's the snow, you know, it was

really unexpected,” Kai said, as he parked

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his motorbike in the parking space closest

to the main gate. He removed his helmet

and hung it over his arm.

“Well you better hurry Emery, or else

you’ll miss your first class.”

“Yes, sir,” Kai replied, sliding past Mr

Steward, grinning guiltily.

The parking lot was already deserted

and he could see the students moving

towards the main building from the school

grounds. He sighed with relief that he didn’t

have to stand around waiting for classes to

start. His feet felt heavy and his back

strained as he walked up the stairs towards

the school entrance. He shook his arms,

attempting to dissolve the nagging joint

pain that refused to subside. He took a deep

breath to ease the panic that was crushing

his chest, but not even that could cure his

racing heartbeat. Sweat started to form on

his forehead, even though the cold bit deep

into his cheeks. He wasn’t ready to face

Sienna’s resentment for interfering in her

spat with James, but he’d been unable to

stop himself from punching him. The large


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hallway was stacked with lockers alongside

the double-volume walls. The roof was

decorated with wooden-carved sculptures of

the illustrious big-five in their most

ferocious forms. The heels of Kai’s shoes

bounced off the cold, concrete floors, and

the soft sounds of voices coming from

teachers and students radiated from behind

the closed classroom doors. Drifting in

thought, he barely noticed when his

classroom door opened up.

“Kai,” Sienna said, with a look of shock,

as she stepped into the hallway, “I thought

you wouldn’t be here today.”

He swallowed hard at the sight of her,

and in a desperate attempt, he pushed

passed her, walking towards his class. He

stopped mid-step and turned around to face

her. Even though this was the moment he’d

been dreading, the moment that had kept

him awake the entire night, he knew he had

to face reality.

Kai remembered how his life had

changed since Sienna had enrolled at Sabie

High on the first day of his final year of high

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school. Mesmerised by her eloquent manner

when she approached him, making his

knees buckle at her striking beauty. He’d

looked around, bemused, when she chose

to talk to him while all the other seniors

had been equally hoping for her attention.

“Hi, I’m Sienna Fynn,” she said with a

soft voice. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled

in the sunlight—a sharp contrast to her

dark brown hair that seemed to go on

forever, cascading down her back like a veil.

Her presence made him shiver nervously.

Realising that he had to say something,

he’d responded awkwardly, “Kai Emery,”

and shook her hand furiously.

“Wow. Strong grip there,” she smiled,

revealing a deep dimple in her cheek.

He’d felt his cheeks flush at his clumsy

approach. “I’m sorry to be bothering you,

but I’m new and need some directions to

Mrs Wolmans’ class. Can you perhaps point

me in the right direction?”

“Umm, yes, sure,” he replied, taking a

deep breath to calm his nerves. “Her class is

on the second floor, third door to your left.”


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Her presence had made his heart jump and

he’d shot her an embarrassed, shy smile.

“Thank you ... Kai,” she said as she

walked away, flashing him a smile that

exposed her bright white teeth.

It wasn’t long before she started dating

James, however—renowned for being a jerk.

This left him merely a friend—someone on

the sideline, slowly watching her make a big

mistake.

Now, he has stupidly gotten involved in

the middle of a fight between her and

James, and he knew that they needed to

talk. The vacant hallway left him nowhere to

escape and he felt trapped by her lingering

close by. Her long, dark hair was pulled

back into a loose ponytail and her delicate

ivory skin was decorated in light glittery

sparkles.

“Oh my goodness,” she gasped, when

she saw his face. She reached up and

touched it lightly.

“It’s fine,” he said, uncomfortably,

flinching slightly.

“Did you get this looked at?” she asked

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concerned.

“No, I didn’t. It’s fine.” A moment of

silence passed between them as Kai looked

down at Sienna, unable to form the words

that were melting on his tongue.

“Why ... why did you have to react so

fast Kai? It was a dumb thing to do. James

is furious, and he could have hurt you so

much worse,” she said, shaking her head

sadly.

“Do you really want me to answer that? I

cannot even comprehend why you are still

hanging around with James. How many

times does things have to turn South

between you two before you realise that he’s

bad news?” Kai asked crossly.

Sienna shifted uncomfortably and

looked down at the ground. “He wasn’t

going to hurt me...” she attempted.

“No, he was hurting you. Why do you let

him get away with it?”

“I...” she stuttered, shaking her head.

Kai looked at her tenderly, stepping

forward, lifting her arm. Softly, he moved

his finger across her hand, lifting the


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carefully placed bracelet that concealed the

bruises on her wrist. “I wish you would

think this through. You deserve better,” he

said, sha–king his head in frustration. “You

do realise that he’s part of a gang, Sienna?”

He took a deep breath, and softly

released her hand, moving backwards to

cover up his true emotions. He knew she

was looking up at him, but he looked away

and closed his eyes, trying to imagine that

she wasn’t still there. He moved closer to

her, once again, and whispered in her ear,

“Just leave him Sienna. He’s no good for

you.”

“No, I can’t do it right now; I wish you

would leave me to deal with my own…” she

started, visibly shaking, but he interrupted

her before she could finish her sentence.

“What do you mean you can’t do it now?

When do you suppose will be a good time?

You are putting yourself in unnecessary

danger and the next time he does

something like this ... who knows what he

might do,” Kai said angrily, frowning.

“I just can’t, not now, can’t you

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understand that?” Sienna said, frustrated,

holding onto his arms. “Please, just let it go,

okay?”

He stared down at her, shocked and

turned around slowly, and walked into the

classroom. He could hear echoes of her

footsteps down the hallway, running away

from him.

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Documents

Tale of the Other Kind: A Therian Novel by Leandi Cameron