THE SECRET OF REJECTION

CHAPTER 19.

The secret of Rejection.

I walked around the faded floorboards of my room, with deep unspoken words, as I inhaled the night breeze.

From the look on Kaiden's face, I could tell that he was deeply terrified to the core.

He didn't say goodbye, neither did he look at me.

The way he left at that moment was okay by me. It was just as if he was running away from something.

With each second that passed, I could hear the constant echo of his footsteps. Maybe it was just a figment of my emotions. With all that was happening lately, I knew for sure that I really needed to do more.

“What could Kaiden be hiding from me?” I asked myself in utter confusion, as I ran my fingers through my hair. 

Even though it seemed like my world was clouded with evilness, my only form of solitude was looking at the oak tree outside my house, which was already engulfed by shadows.

Another place that was like a sanctuary to me, was Miller's vine grove. It served as a resting place for me, amid all the chaos that surrounded me.

But as I stood here tonight, it felt more like a sanctuary of doom for me.

The sound of my phone ringing on the desk made me jolt back to reality. With great anticipation, I hurriedly picked up the phone to answer. However, my jaws dropped as a result of the next thing I saw at that moment.

It was a message.

A message in its words resembled a nightmare. I was kind of puzzled as a result. It read, "Meet me at the old abandoned warehouse near the oak tree. Make sure to go alone."

At that moment, I suddenly lost my breath.

Immediately, I recognized the possible situation that might have engulfed Kaiden, before he sent that message.

What if he was in trouble?

What if he needed my help?

At that moment, I felt a surge of emotions engulf me.

“Oh Rory! " You have to think fast,” I whispered to myself, as I glanced at the clock. The time was past 11:45 p.m. 

I had fifteen minutes to prepare for whatever it was. 

As the time slowly tickled down, so did the beatings of my heart. At that instant, I was already overwhelmed with emotions.

What if it was a trap, or some kind of set-up? 

What if I was going to get into big trouble?

Even though I was skeptical, I ignored the worries of my heart, picked up my jacket and immediately slipped my phone into my pocket.

Immediately when I stepped outside, I was first greeted by the presence of the breeze that hit my nostrils. However, I was just too overwhelmed by panic and agitation, to even notice.

As I walked down to the old abandoned warehouse in silence, the path seemed very familiar to me.

The moment I got close to the oak tree, I could see the silhouette of a figure standing at the back of the tree.

Immediately, a shiver ran down my spine. However, I was relieved when I discovered who it was.

It was him.

“Kaiden?” I called out to him, still in fear and uncertainty.

Immediately, he stepped forward, and I saw him.

However, I noticed that something was off about him.

Kaiden looked totally different tonight. He looked more rugged, darker and had a strong magnetic aura that was lurking around him.

At that moment, our eyes locked, and I felt a surge of energy between us.

“Oh Rory!,” he heaved a long sigh, as he ran his hand across his scattered hair. "I'm glad you came.”

“Of course... " I was definitely going to come,” I replied with a soft sigh, as I glanced through the environment. “I'm not going to lie, the way you disappeared made me scared to my bone marrow." What’s going on? Did anything happen? You said you had something important to tell me... What could it be?

Kaiden didn't respond to me immediately. He hesitated for a while, while looking at me from hair to the toe like he was searching for something. 

“Rory, the truth is I've been watching you for a long time, and I know what caused you to be rejected."

Immediately he said that, my heart sank in fear and panic.

“What exactly do you mean? If you truly know the cause, then how did you find out?"

"Well, it's complex,” he said with a firm voice and, needless to be told, he had a lot going through his mind.

“Rory, there are a lot of stories that you don't even know about yet. Can you remember the stories about the old oak? The stories about the spirits...?"

I slowly nodded my head in affirmation. 

Truth be told, as a child, I always felt like the stories were folktales and, as such, I never paid attention to them.

“Kaiden, are you talking about ghosts?"

However, a sad smile suddenly appeared on his lips. 

“Not just about them, but also about their influence. Rory, the cause of your rejection wasn't even personal... " It was as a result of a darker reason..." He mumbled.

Immediately he said that. I couldn't help but stare at him in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked him with a puzzled tone, as I tried to think about what his reasons could be. “What dark reasons are you talking about?”

As he walked towards me, I could see the shadows of unspoken words right inside his eyes. At that instant, I realized that there were still a lot of secrets that were yet to be unveiled.

“He didn't just reject you because of love, he also rejected you to protect you. Rory, there are a lot of forces at play in this situation that you might not even believe..."

“Stop trying to confuse me, Kaiden!” I almost yelled at him in annoyance. “Just go straight to the point, and tell me what you mean."

“Rory!" he called out my name in a low voice. “The truth is, you were rejected to keep you safe from something evil that is capable of destroying you. However, those evil forces are coming for you at all costs. They want to destroy you."

“Who are they? " What forces are you talking about?” I asked him with so much uneasiness in my stomach. I felt like I was in the middle of an ocean that was on the verge of drowning me. At that moment, each passing second looked like an eternity to me.

“Rory... " Believe me, you have to trust me” he insisted in a serious tone. "However, you must be very careful in this area. Very, very careful. " There are a lot of people who're willing to destroy you.”

“If that is the case, then you'd have to tell me the truth! What did I do wrong to warrant all of these tribulations? " Why can’t you just tell me?”

“Because I can’t... " I can't tell you, Rory,” he said softly, as he bent down his head as a result of the weight of his own thoughts. “This isn't the time to tell you. You're not ready. However, there's no need to fear because I'm here to protect you, no matter what it'd cost me. Even if I'd have to reveal the secret at all costs."

At that moment, my already crumbled world was now completely shattered into atoms. I was terrified of the unknown.

“Kaiden, what are you protecting me from? Just let me know. Tell me!”

Suddenly, he walked towards me, as he closed the distance that separated us. He raised my head with his firm hand, and I sent an electrifying feeling down my spine.

 “Rory, you have to understand that you're an embodiment of a mystery, and the part of you is a secret, and will always remain. However, the rumors of your rejection, which have escalated throughout the town, are all connected to the deep secrets."

“Connected? " What do you mean?” I asked in further confusion. "Connected to what?”

Just then, at the peak of our discussion, a soft rustle interrupted our conversation.

We both turned at the same time, drawing closer in the process.

At that moment, my heart flew away, as dark figures began to emerge from the shadows. I knew at that moment that I was in big trouble.

They moved in unison like they were spirits.

With the sudden shift in the atmosphere, I knew that something was wrong. “Kaiden...”

“Rory, run... " Run for your life!” With that, he shoved me towards the path that I came from with a look of urgency in his eyes. “I’ll hold them back!"

“No! " I would never leave you behind!” I said in a firm voice, as I wasn't ready to let go.

“Rory, just go... " Find your way, now!” he commanded with a fierce tone, as I froze in shock.

My heart skipped in fear, as my feet were immediately pinned to the ground. At that moment, I felt a change in the atmosphere.

Immediately, I could see Kaiden begin to shift, his own way of protecting himself from the evilness of the night.

At that moment, I could notice that the figures were so close. They marched towards our direction with evil fire in their eyes.

“Kaiden!” I called out to him in fear, as I didn't want him to be harmed by them.

However, he didn't even look away. “Rory, run... You should trust me."

As he pleaded with me, I couldn't help but watch as the atmosphere had suddenly changed to something else.

Just behind, I could hear the tears of struggle, but unfortunately, I couldn't do anything to help.

As I made my way through the thick forest path, I kept asking myself a lot of questions.

What did Kaiden mean by the layers of evilness?

What truth was he hiding from me?

Just then, a scary message appeared on my phone screen, and it made my heart drop in fear. "No matter how far you run, you can never escape what you are, Rory!"

I stumbled upon a stone or something, and I suddenly felt a dark cloud covering my entire existence.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the woods, I heard my name being called out. “Rory…”

The shadows beckoned for me to come, and I was torn apart between going or not, as I didn't know if it was Kaiden, or a familiar spirit.

“Rory…” The voice called out again.

As I turned to know where the voice was coming from, I met the worst...