by Jenna Aileen
“What did she say to that?” I asked, running my hands through my hair. Ryan cocked his head to the side and gave me a half smile.
“She'd laugh and tell him that boys were smelly anyway.”
“Ah.” I nodded my head and chuckled. I could just imagine her six year old self saying that defiantly with her arms crossed and her lips pursed to the side, a face she often made when she was angry. “Ryan was she…was she kind of tensed up and shaking a lot when she hugged you?” I asked.
He nodded his head slowly. “Well, I’m sure she’s been through a lot in these past couple weeks…” he said softly.
“I want to kill every single one of those monsters that hurt her…so help me, if I ever see any of them again—”
“Get in line.” Ryan chuckled, pushing past me and walking out the door. I decided to take a shower and wash all of the dirt and werewolf blood off of me.
I was exhausted from the battle, and fell right in bed after my shower.
*~*~*
The next morning I woke up with the towel still wrapped around my waist, and my stomach growling. I stumbled out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. Remembering that Kathryn was now back with us, I groggily pulled on a pair of sweatpants before heading to the kitchen to get some breakfast.
Kathryn sat at the counter with a mug of steaming coffee, her chin resting on her crossed forearms. She jumped and looked a little startled when she saw me. Then she shook her head and gave me a small, sad smile. I was excited to catch her alone so we could talk, but then her dad walked in right at that moment and I felt awkward saying anything while he was there, so I decided to wait for a better time.
“We’ll leave for home later this afternoon, is that alright Kathryn?” Aidan asked, after taking a sip of his coffee.
“Hm, what? Oh…okay. I’m going to come live with you now…right?” she asked, sounding worried.
“Of course.”
“I don’t have to go back and live with mom and George?”
“No. Not if you don’t want to.”
“You couldn’t pay me to do that.” Kathryn snorted.
“But…you should probably call and tell them you’re alive.”
“Do I have to? I really don’t think they’d give a sh—” She stopped herself and shook her head. “Fine I’ll call,” she grumbled, laying her head back down on her arms.
“I can call if you want.” Aidan offered.
“No…I’ve been waiting for this day, I have a few choice words for George. And some for him to pass on to Stephanie for me, since I can’t do it in person. Wonder who he’ll slap around now that I’m gone?” she asked bitterly, not really talking to anyone. Aidan froze and we looked at each other.
“What do you mean slap around?” Aidan asked. It was Kathryn’s turn to freeze now and slowly look up at us. She just shrugged and shook her head.
“Nothing, I didn’t mean to say that,” she whispered. Aidan glanced over at me again, then slowly walked over to her. He placed his hand on her arm and she jumped and pulled back.
“Sorry,” she apologized, her eyebrows knitting together in a frustrated look. I had never seen her like this before. This was not like her at all.
Oh Kathryn, what did they do to you?
“Did he hit you?” Aidan asked in a low voice, the sadness and anger showing in his eyes.
“Sometimes.” Kathryn shrugged casually, refusing to look at me or her father.
“Did you know about this?” Aidan snapped at me.
“Well—”
“You knew about this and did nothing?!”
“No! I mean—yes—I mean I found out right before she had kidnapped. I was planning on talking to George about it when they got back from their vacation.”
“It’s not a big deal, it’s over now and I never have to see that bastard again.” Kathy said, stepping between Aidan and I.
“It’s not alright, you should have told someone.” Aidan said angrily. Fear flashed in her eyes and she stepped away before turned her back to us and started shivering. Aidan’s shoulders slumped and his face softened. “I’m sorry Kathryn….”
“I didn’t have anyone to tell. And it’s not like you were there to be my father and to stick up for me and protect me like you should’ve.”
“Kathryn…” A look of guilt crossed Aidan’s face, and he sighed. Kathryn closed her eyes, and rubbed her forehead, looking regretful.
“Maybe I should have told someone, but I didn’t and it’s done so…let’s just be done with it.” Her voice trembled and she hugged herself tightly. Aidan walked over and gently touched her shoulder. She flinched, but didn’t jerk away like last time.
“I love you,” he said quietly to her.
Kathryn turned around, tears streaming down her face and just broke down.
“Then why did you just let mom leave and never talk to us? Huh? If you really loved me then why did you let me live ten years with a horrid, abusive stepfather? Why did you let mom take us…without a real goodbye?”
He wrapped his arms around her and she pulled away from him.
“Is all of this stuff true? What Vladimir said about you being a werewolf hunter and working for the government and killing a bunch of wolves?” Aidan slowly nodded his head, and she back away from him.
“Kathryn, listen—”
“No I just, I just need to be alone right now, okay? I just want to be alone.” She pushed passed us and ran down the hallway. Aidan sighed and sat down on the counter, placing his head in his hands.
Not knowing what else to do, I went back to my room and sat on my bed. My heart ached for Kathryn, and I all I wanted was to be with her. But she was so fragile right now, I didn’t want to hurt her or do anything stupid.
I hated those werewolves. Hated them with a burning passion. I have no idea what they did to make her like this, but my anger would not be satisfied until I saw every last one of them cold and dead on the ground.
*~*~*
Just as Aidan said, we started the drive home later that afternoon. Kathryn and I sat in the back, listening to Aidan and Ryan quietly debating about whose turn it was to drive. Despite his complaints about numb legs, Aidan remained at the wheel for most of the trip. Kathryn just gazed out the window, looking completely lost in thought. I reached over and grabbed her hand. She flinched a little and turned to me. I smiled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Her mouth twitched into a small smile, but then flicked back to her almost sad, contemplative look.
“You okay?” I asked quietly. She nodded her head and smiled a little bigger. “You’re safe now.” I mouthed to her.
She nodded and squeezed my hand. She glanced up at her dad, then quietly unbuckled and scooted closer to me. At the sound of the middle belt-buckle clicking, her dad glanced back.
“Kathy, baby, what are you doing?”
“Stretching my legs,” she said. I saw the naughty gleam in her eyes as she turned her back to me and kicked her legs up on the other seat. This was a lot more like the Kathryn I knew. Aidan sighed and gave me a suspicious look, then turned his eyes back on the road.
Chapter Thirty-Seven, Kathryn
Everything felt so surreal once we left the base. It had been so long since I was really out in the real world. I had almost forgotten what the hum of a car engine sounded like, or how it felt to be safe. Although I still didn’t feel safe just yet. That would probably take a little while.
It was a twelve hour drive back to dad’s house, and he refused to stop somewhere and stay the night, so we drove straight through, making minimal stops. Ryan drove for a few hours so dad could get some sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Vladimir’s darkened animal eyes, and my heart ached. The further I got away from him, the more I remembered of our childhood together. As I remembered, I grew frustrated as to how much I had forgotten and wondered why I had forgotten it. It was something I wanted to ask my mother, but I never conjured up the courage to give her the call. In the end, I asked dad to cal
l for me and ask her to mail my stuff to his house.
He ended up calling while Ryan stopped to get gas. I was glad Ry was driving when he made the call. He and mom got into it, and then I think George took the phone from her and then he and dad got into it. Dad's face got all red as he was spewing profanities. I started crying, and then Ryan finally grabbed the phone and hung up. He and dad argued for a moment before dad stormed off. My vision was blurred by my tears. Abel came over and put his arm around me.
“It's okay Kathryn, it’s okay,” he comforted, gently rubbing my back as I turned and cried into his shirt. *~*~*
After everyone had calmed down we piled back in the car and continued on our way. It felt like the longest car ride ever.
But before I knew it, Dad pulled in the driveway. Everything looked exactly the same as the day I had left. Well, the trees maybe a little taller, but he hadn’t changed anything about the old stone farmhouse I had grown up in.
Home. I was home at last. I slowly walked around the house as my dad, Ryan, and Abel unloaded the car. I went back to my old room. Everything was the same as the day my mom took us and left. It was dusty, but not as dusty as I would have thought.
It was still painted the same color green, with my blue Looney Toons blanket still on my little twin bed. My knickknacks were still on my dresser along with my green frog clock. I hadn’t realized how little we had taken with us until now.
Franklin, my big brown teddy-bear was still sitting on the cherry-stained rocking my grandpa had given me as a child. I ran over and grabbed him, giving him a huge hug. I couldn’t sleep without him when I was little, and cried myself to sleep for weeks when mom left and I didn’t have him with me.
“As you can see, I left everything just the way it was, hoping you’d come back home someday,” Dad said as he stood in the doorway, as if waiting for me to give him permission to come in. I turned and tried to smile at him. He walked over and gave me a big hug, his huge feet clunking on the old hardwood floors, making them creak. This time, I wasn’t as tense when he wrapped his strong arms around me. I guess because I was expecting it.
“I’m so sorry Kathryn. I’m sorry I never came to visit or anything. I was just so afraid of them finding you…I should have known it would happen anyway.” His voice grew soft and I could tell he was crying again.
“I don’t blame you for anything dad. Yes, for years I’ve been angry…I didn’t understand…but all is forgiven.”
“I promise I won’t ever let him take you again,” he whispered. That’s when I lost it and started to cry again.
“I’m just so afraid—”
“Don’t be afraid baby. You’re home now. You’re safe. You’ve got me and Ryan and Abel to protect you. Don’t you worry, it’ll all be fine.”
“Are you sure we’re going to be safe here? I mean…isn’t this where it all happened with him? I remember some of it. The night he came, asking you for help—”
“That’s all you remember?”
“Yeah. Mom ever tell you I have amnesia?”
Dad raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
“I got a concussion this one time we were in a car accident. I think that’s why I don’t remember things very well. I don’t know though, it was supposed to only be short term.”
Dad just nodded. I tried to catch his eye but he was too busy staring at the window.
*~*~*
A few days after we got back I was feeling well enough to take a trek out to the mall to get me some clothes. I really was getting quite sick of wearing nothing but my dad's sweatpants shorts and oversized t-shirts. It still felt weird to not have Conan by my side after all the time we had spent together in the past few months.
I found myself turning to say something to him only to find my dad or Ryan standing in his place. I even found myself calling his name more than once. My family would then give me a sad look and gently remind me that he wasn’t there.
We hadn’t been shopping for an hour before I started to get really anxious and panicky. I was waiting for my dad outside one of the men’s dressing rooms when I got a text from Abel telling me that he was right outside the mall. My hands shaking, I managed to text back which store we were in. It felt like an eternity, waiting for him to find us. When I finally saw him walk in, my heart skipped a beat. However, my excitement to see him was soon drowned out by my anxiety.
“Hello, darling, how are you feeling today?” he asked, flashing me a gorgeous smile.
“Abel, I need to go home,” I whispered, ignoring his question and glancing around the store.
“Kathryn, what’s wrong?”
“I feel sick,” I murmured, my vision going blurry for a second. My heart skipped a beat when I thought I saw Vladimir walking towards me. But it was just a stranger. Still, I was rattled. My knees buckled and I thought I was going to puke.
“Whoa, Kathryn!” Abel caught me right before I hit the ground. His brown eyes were all I saw, and for a brief moment, everything else seemed to disappear. “Are you alright?” he asked, pulling me to my feet.
“No.” I whimpered, my lip quivering.
“C’mon, I’ll take you home,” he said, leading me out of the store and toward the door. Abel kept me close to his side, resting his hand on my lower back as he led me into the parking lot. I hardly noticed the tenderness or intimacy of his touch. I was too busy fighting back the panicky feeling in my chest.
He opened the passenger side door for me, and helped me up into his truck.
“What’s wrong, Kathryn?” Abel asked again, as we pulled out of the parking lot. When I didn’t answer, he gently placed his hand on my arm and I flinched. “Please, talk to me,” he pleaded. I kept my head turned and looked out the window, not wanting him to see the tears in my eyes.
I couldn’t tell him all the things that were wrong with me. That would take a long, long time. There were so many emotions weighing my heart down. So many things that were wrong that I couldn’t fix. I felt so helpless.
“I’m sorry,” was the only thing that I could manage to whisper back.
“Kathy, you’re shaking. You know you can tell me any—”
“Look out!”
BAM.
The car jerked as Abel quickly slammed on the brakes. But the damage was already done.
“Are you alright?” he asked. I gave a quick nod, and he jumped out of the car to assess the damage. My hands were shaking so badly that I had a hard time unbuckling my seat belt. As soon as I opened the door, I heard a lot of cussing from the driver in front of us.
“Hey calm down, I’m really sorry. I didn’t see your brake lights and—” Abel tried to defend himself. But the man would have nothing of it.
“I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry! I don’t give a rip whether you’re sorry or not!” The man got all up in Abel’s face, and they both looked as if they were getting ready to throw a punch.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa guys, calm the heck down.” I rushed over and pushed myself between them.
“Kathryn, please just stay out of this.” Abel said, grabbing my arm and gently pulling me away.
“No, you guys need to calm down, I’m not going to let you kill each other.”
“Go wait in the car, I can settle this.”
“I’m not getting in the car, I am not going to just stand here and watch things get out of hand. I’ll calm him down myself if I have to.”
“Kathryn wait—”
“Excuse me, sir,” I approached the angry driver and tried to smile at him. “We’re really sorry about your car, but seeing as there is nothing we can do to undo the damage, let’s please just try and be civil about this.”
The man just stared at me with beady, swamp green eyes. There was something strange about him, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I told myself I was just paranoid and it was all in my head. I should have trusted my gut.
“Whatever you say, Miss McLeod.”
My stomach dropped, and I fearfully took a step away from the
man. He grabbed my arm and jerked me away from Abel.
“Get off of me,” I whispered, trying to wiggle away from him.
“Let her go.” I heard Abel say behind me. The man took off running, dragging me behind him. He was fast, too fast to be human.
Not again. I thought to myself, trying to keep it together. Abel chased after us, but he couldn’t run half as fast as the man who now held me hostage. The further we ran, the sicker I felt.
When I turned around and no longer saw Abel behind us, I thought I was going to pass out from fear.
The man pulled me off of the road and into thick brush. We stumbled through a small field and into a wooded area. I was too panicked to notice much. He shoved me to the ground and laughed a deep, sick laugh. It was clear that he took pleasure in my fear.
“Please,” I whimpered, pushing myself away from him. “What do you want from me?”
“I just wanted to say hi,” the man replied, slowly looking me up and down. His gaze was intense, and I felt as if he were undressing me with his eyes.
“Who are—”
“He was right, you are beautiful.”
My skin crawled as the man took a step closer and gently stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.
“Don’t,” I choked out, flinching away from him.
“Why not? Are you afraid of me?” he asked, a hint of humor in his voice.
“Yes.” I whispered, figuring that it would be pointless to lie.
“Good,” he chuckled, his eyes growing dark. “You should be.” He reached out to touch my face and I froze.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. Before he could answer, a gun shot rang out and he fell to the ground. A feral growl sprang from his throat, and in a flash he had transformed into a great black wolf. He bared his fangs, and snapped at my face, his teeth barely grazing my cheek. I heard another gun shot, and he took off running.
“Kathryn!” My legs gave out and I fell to my knees just as Abel reached me.
“I thought—I thought—”
“Shh, Kathryn it’s okay. You’re safe.”
“I thought you were going to let him take me.” I choked out.