Lock It Away Who: Kenzie and Lance Where: Home When: Late morning
Kenzie had been released from the hospital that morning, and was escorted back home with Lance. She had been fed and given water, her minor injuries treated. She was feeling better, at least physically. Mentally she felt… numb, maybe. Being so close to death twice, and then being set on fire... well, it fucked up a person’s psyche, for sure. More so when the fire did nothing but burn her clothes. Because Kenzie hadn’t felt a thing. Hadn’t burned to death. There was no sign of burns on her body, no agonizing pain. She hadn’t told the doctors that part. Despite the knowledge of werewolves and vampires, Kenzie wasn’t sure they would have believed her. She hadn’t told Lance either, because she hadn’t wanted anyone to overhear them in her hospital room.
Once they were home, Kenzie curled up on the couch, a blanket draped over her and her lighter in her hand, her thumb idly flicking it, watching the tiny flame spark and then die away. She was still feeling a little out of it, trying to distract her mind from Bobby and Ainsley and Anne Marie. From being bitten, a strangled and nearly drowned. Maybe she was part-cat and had nine lives to spare. Well, six now.
Lance wasn't in much better shape. He was mostly injury-free, a few cuts and bruises from getting Kenzie out of the worst of it, but more than anything he was exhausted. He was running on less blood than he should, a downfall of a dating a vampire, almost no sleep, and even less to eat. He'd tried to eat at the hospital, but that had gone slow and even now he was digging around for bread to make them toast before heading back towards her. "Remember the time my dad set the couch on fire because he was drunk and fuck and kept trying to light that shitty cigar?" he asked her before sitting with her, lifting her head so it was in his lap. "Idiot was lucky he didn't burn the trailer down." And he'd berrated Lance afterward for not being there fast enough to save the couch.
Kenzie's lips twitched a little at the memory, one she had nearly forgotten. But then she imagined the couch catching the rest of the trailer on fire... would she have burned to death then? Was it just Delphi that was full of weird creatures and... maybe magic? She didn't know. "Your dad was stupid," Kenzie murmured, clutching her hand around the lighter and resting it against the couch. The smile faded on her lips and she shifted on the couch so her head was still in his lap, but she could look up at him. "If I tell you something... swear you won't tell anyone."
"I think he was yeah," Lance said, though for different reasons than just almost setting himself on fire. He looked down at her when she moved, curiosity spreading across his features. "Who would I tell?"
Kenzie lifted a brow briefly. "Your girlfriend." She had no idea if Lance would tell Zania what Kenzie said, but he had already told her she worked at the brothel. Kenzie just didn't want anyone to know but Lance, and she just wanted to know what she could trust him.
"Don't have a girlfriend. But no. I won't tell her or anyone." Lance rolled his eyes a little but his tone was serious. He wouldn't share her secret.
Kenzie believed him. But it was still difficult to say it, which was a rare thing for Kenzie. She generally had no trouble saying anything. Maybe it was because saying it out loud reminded her yet again that it really happened. Not that she could really forget. It was that terrifying moment where she thought she was going to die by burning alive. Kenzie didn't think she could ever put into words how horrifying that feeling was. She chewed on her lip for a second before bringing her gaze back to his face. "That girl... you know she thought I was a witch. Me and the other girls..." Kenzie had already told him that much, when she was in the hospital. "I already told you she tried to kill me, because she thought it would... awaken my magic, or whatever bullshit term she used." Kenzie twitched her lips to the side briefly. "She set me on fire."
Lance saw that, the way she was still hesitating and he wondered if it was him, because she didn't trust him anymore. He kept his fingers in her hair, trying to be soothing, but didn't say anything until she started speaking. "I still think you're too pretty to be a witch," he murmured, but the rest left him frowning. "But you weren't burned," he said, looking curious and confused.
"I know... but my clothes were, remember?" Kenzie licked her lips and lifted her lighter up. She flicked it up and then held her other palm over the flame. She didn't feel any pain, and her hand remained unmarked by burns and blisters. "See? Anna Marie set me on fire... my clothes burned, but I didn't... she thought that's what woke up my power."
"Well yeah, but..." Lance trailed off as he watched the trick, his own hand going to stop her, to pull her hand away to keep her from burning herself, but nothing happened. "Not at all?" he asked, clearly amazed.
"No." Kenzie frowned and set her lighter down before sitting up. She could feel her heart starting to pump harder in her body and Kenzie focused on breathing to keep from hyperventilating. "She set me on fire," she said again, looking over at Lance with mild panic in her eyes. "Like it was nothing...like it was just another experiment like strangling and drowning me was."
He saw that look and reached for her, holding on to her shoulders and trying to be soothing even if it freaked him the hell out too. "She was nuts. Like nuttier than our family nuts. And I hate that she did that but whatever the hell that happened that kept you here with me? It's worth it. It's fine. She's gone now. You're safe."
Kenzie knew he was right. It would be stupid to think about what could have happened if Anne Marie had just been insanely crazy and Kenzie hadn't actually had anything special about her. But there was something about being so close to death multiple times... Kenzie was a bit surprised she hadn't been committed when they were all found and taken to the hospital. "I know," she said before leaning against Lance and drawing her knees up as her panic start to quell some. Lance seemed to be the only person in her life capable of talking her down when she thought she might lose it. "Thank you for finding me," she murmured.
Lance put his arm around her, trying to be protective. He wasn't sure how to process everything that happened to her, but he could move on from it. Lock it away with all the other horrible shit in their past and move onward. "Of course. I'm always going to come looking for you. We've got to stick together right?"
She nodded a little, falling silent again. It would probably be easiest to bury it all down and try to forget about it. Kenzie had no idea how to handle trauma other than to pretend, for the most part, that it had never happened in the first place. But being immune to the effects of fire... that was something she needed to find out more about. And she wanted to know more about Clementine, and the other blonde... they were special too, apparently. Closing her eyes, Kenzie turned her face against Lance's shoulder, feeling as if she could sleep for the next eighteen hours. She hadn't slept much in Bobby's basement, or in that cage, or even the hospital, with the nurses and doctors coming in and out to poke at her and ask questions. Here she felt safe enough to sleep. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" she muttered, not wanting to wake up to an empty house.
Lance was relieved they weren't talking more. He wasn't sure what to say after what he'd already said. The fire thing was weird, but maybe it was just a freak thing. Only she could still do it. Maybe it was something else. Either way, he wasn't going to think on it too much. "Okay. I'll be right here."