"So who's ready to go to Nicky's?" Tyler Sims asked his friends Caleb Danvers, Pogue Parry, and Reid Garwin, otherwise known as the Covenant, but only to their family.
"Yeah, let's go," Reid agreed. He'd been ready to go since last night after he won ten rounds of pool.
"Ok, well I'll meet you there," Caleb told his friends.
"Where are you going?" Pogue asked.
"I have to go check up on my mom," Caleb answered.
"Alright, see ya there," Pogue told him. Pogue got onto his Ducati and started off towards the bar in town all the boys hung out at. Reid and Tyler got into Reid's truck and drove off. Caleb got into his mustang and drove off on a long deserted road through the woods towards the Danvers Manor. His mother, Evelyn Danvers, had become an alcoholic after his father, James Danvers, had become addicted to his powers and wasted away his body. James now resides at the old colony house in the middle of the woods living off of machines.
When Caleb arrived at the manor, he found Evelyn lying in her chair, where he had left her earlier that day, fast asleep. With a bottle of scotch on the table next to her. Caleb put a blanket over her to keep her warm and kissed her forehead.
"I love you," he told her. As much as he wished those words would help her change, they hadn't for the past few years. Caleb left the house and began driving back towards town on the dark road to meet his friends.
"Hey Nicky, can we get some sodas?" Tyler yelled at the man behind the counter. Nicky shook his head and handed him three canned sodas in exchange for some money Tyler handed him. He went over to Reid and Pogue, who were already at the pool table setting up. Tyler handed the guys their sodas and looked around to see who was there. He spotted a girl with a short black skirt, a faded blue short-sleeved Beetles shirt, brown hair down to the middle of her back, and brown eyes. Reid and Pogue saw her too.
"Black lace," Reid said putting a twenty on the pool table.
"White cotton," Tyler said also putting down a twenty.
"Green thong," Pogue said putting down cash. Just as Reid's eyes turned black to reveal the truth of her underwear, she had disappeared. Reid made his eyes change back, looking around for the girl.
"Actually, it's Black cotton boy briefs, so you all lose," a voice said behind them. It was the girl they'd just bet upon and she was smiling at them, while they stood there shocked they'd actually gotten caught.
"We…uh…I…umm…" Tyler tried to say, but couldn't seem to get anything out right. He'd never been very good with girls.
"Really? Prove it," Reid told her with a grin. Pogue and Tyler couldn't believe he'd actually told her that.
"Ok," she said and lifter her skirt just enough to prove she had on black cotton boy briefs. She put her skirt down and took the sixty dollars off the pool table. "Great doing business with you all," she said and turned to leave. The guys watched her as she put it into a giant bucket behind the bar labeled 'tip' and started taking peoples' orders. They'd just been outted twenty each, by the girl they were betting on!
"I can't believe we just got caught," Pogue let out. They'd never gotten caught before.
"I can't believe Reid asked her to prove it!" Tyler said. Reid was still watching the girl, who looked over at him and flashed him a quick smile. "Reid, earth to Reid," Tyler said waving his hand in front of Reid's face.
"What?" Reid asked coming back and smacking Tyler's hand out of his face.
"We gonna play or what?" Tyler replied.
"Oh, Kate's here, I'll see you all later," Pogue told them and went over to greet his girlfriend, Kate Tunney. Reid tried to keep playing pool, but he couldn't help keep looking over at the girl.
"Your turn to shoot," Tyler told him.
"Huh?" Reid asked.
"Dude are you ok? You seem kind of out of it," Tyler told him referring to his constant gaze and not concentrating on the game.
"Doesn't that girl remind you of someone?" Reid asked as he took his shot. Tyler looked over at her.
"Have you already hit on her?" Tyler asked thinking that's the only way Reid could find any girl familiar. Reid thought about it for a minute.
"Maybe, that's gotta be it," he responded. After a couple of more shots he looked up for the girl, she had disappeared again. He looked all over, but didn't see her.
"Looking for me?" a voice asked and he turned around. There she was, again. Tyler was paying attention to the game, but had noticed Reid's hesitation and let out a little chuckle at how he wasn't catching a break tonight with this girl.
"Do you like sneaking up behind me?" Reid asked her.
"That depends, do you like watching me while I'm working?" she answered. Reid was caught; she'd obviously seen him watching her.
"I wasn't watching you," Reid lied.
"So what do you call it when you stare at someone constantly?" she asked with raised eyebrows. Reid didn't have an answer for it. "Well, here's how I see it. You've been watching me, kind of annoying that guy over in the corner with the jocks all around him, who's been trying to feel me up all night," she told him and he looked over and saw Aaron Abbott, jackass of the year, 16 years in a row, "So I think you owe me."
"Owe you? For what?" Reid asked.
"Well, you bet on what underwear I was wearing and can't stop staring, so you may as well dance with me," she told him smiling.
"And if I don't?"
"Well, if you don't, you don't. But keeping staring at my ass, and ya see that guy over there," she began and pointed over to a large bouncer working the bar-he didn't look very nice-Reid shook his head, "He'll kick your ass all the way to Timbuktu if I ask him to." Reid just stared from her to the big guy behind the bar. When Reid didn't give her an answer, she began walking away. "Ok, bye," she told him as she turned. Reid caught her arm as she was turning.
"What could one dance hurt other than Aaron's dignity?" Reid laughed and looked over at him in the corner glaring at them together. She smiled at Reid and they walked out onto the dance floor. A song had already started and they started dancing. "So what's your name?"
"Kaitlin," the girl answered.
"Just one name?"
"One more than you," Kaitlin smiled at him.
"Reid Garwin," he answered. "You have a last name?"
"Do last names really matter?" Kaitlin asked him. He gave her a weird look. "I mean all last names do is show who you're related to, no matter whether you like them or not," she explained, "Plus, just means you have more to write when you sign your name," she added with a laugh. Reid smiled at her. Kaitlin seemed really familiar, but he couldn't think of where he'd seen her before. He knew he hadn't made a move on her before, he definitely would have remembered.
"You make a good point there. So you're not gonna tell me what your last name is?" Reid asked as he turned her around. Kaitlin was definitely a different type of girl, which was for sure.
"Maybe I will," Kaitlin answered as she turned out, "Maybe I won't," she told him when she turned back in. They both started to laugh.
"Ok, I like to chase," Reid told her.
"Do you know him?" Kaitlin asked Reid and looked towards Aaron.
"Aaron? Unfortunately. Why?" Reid asked. Was she into Aaron over him? If she had wanted to piss Aaron off so badly, and been flirting with him, she couldn't be into him? Could she?
"He acts like he knows you really well and can't stand that you're dancing with me," Kaitlin told him.
"Yeah, we go to school together and don't really get along," Reid told her.
"Wanna make him really mad?" Kaitlin asked with an evil smile creeping across her face. Reid smiled right back.
"Always up for anything to piss Aaron off," Reid told her. Next thing he knew, she was making out with him. Pissing off Aaron, check, making out with a hot girl, check!
"Hey guys what's up?" Caleb joined Pogue, Tyler, and Kate at the table when he arrived.
"Nothing, you?" Pogue answered.
"Looks like Reid's having fun," Kate told the guys.
"What are you talking about?" Caleb asked confused.
"You see that girl he's making out with right now on the dance floor? Well earlier she caught us betting on her underwear and Reid's been eyeing her all night. Then she asked him to dance, and now they're making out," Tyler explained. They all looked over at the two of them, and Caleb noticed something. He knew that girl!
"Is she new?" Caleb asked making sure she wasn't someone else.
"I don't know, Reid thought she looked familiar, but doesn't remind me of anyone," Tyler answered. Pogue took a careful look.
"She does look sort of familiar, but I can't place where I've seen her before," Pogue replied.
"Well whoever she is, she and Reid seem to be getting along quite well," Kate laughed. Reid and Kaitlin had moved just enough for Caleb to see part of her face. He definitely knew her!
"No wonder she looks so familiar," Caleb told them with an angry look on his face.
"You know her?" Pogue asked.
"Yeah, she's my sister!" Caleb asked. Tyler and Pogue both went wide-eyed. They hadn't seen Kaitlin since she was 12; she'd definitely grown up since then!
"That's Kaitlin?" Pogue asked.
"Who? When did you get a sister?" Kate asked confused.
"Little Kaitlin?" Tyler asked in disbelief. Caleb didn't look happy. He got up to go break his baby sister and friend apart.
"Ok, this is over!" Caleb told them and pulled Reid away from her. They both looked at him.
"Crap," Kaitlin said recognizing her brother.
"What the hell Caleb?!" Reid yelled. He couldn't believe Caleb had just broken them apart! Didn't he know that when you're making out with a girl to not pull anyone apart?!
"Hello, Kaitlin," Caleb glared at her.
"Caleb! Hi! Long time no see!" Kaitlin pretended nothing had happened and forced a smile at her big brother, knowing she was caught in the act.
"Wait. You two know each other?" Reid asked lost.
"You could say that!" Caleb answered.
"Know is kind of a stretch. Just because we came from the same womb does not mean that we 'know' each other," Kaitlin responded. She and Caleb hadn't really spoke in the past three years. Reid looked wide-eyed at her. "What?" Kaitlin asked looking at Reid's expression.
"You're his sister? The Little Kaitlin that we use to torture?" Reid asked.
"Yeah, you seem so surprised," Kaitlin said sarcastically.
"So seeing as this little party is over, how about you come party with a real man?" a voice asked causing all three of them to turn and look. It was Aaron; he really didn't know when to quit.
"Get lost asshole!" Reid told him.
"No problem. Come on baby," Aaron told Kaitlin and started to pull her away with him.
"Let go of me!" Kaitlin yelled at him and was able to loosen his grip on her wrist and pull away. Aaron grabbed her by both hands this time.
"Let go of her!" Caleb yelled.
"What, you hang out with this son of a bitch but not me?" Aaron asked Kaitlin referring to Reid.
"The only son of a bitch here is you!" Kaitlin responded and kneed him in the balls. Aaron fell to the ground. Reid started laughing. Aaron Abbott had just gotten beat up by a girl. Caleb still didn't look very happy. By now the group had started to cause a bit of a commotion in the bar. Nicky was coming over as well as the big guy from behind the bar.
"What's going on here?" Nicky yelled at the teens.
"She kicked me," Aaron told Nicky. Nicky looked at Kaitlin.
"This true?" he asked her.
"Absolutely," Kaitlin told him with a proud smile on her face.
"Good job," Nicky smiled at her.
"What?!" Aaron yelled. "You're telling her 'good job'?"
"Yeah, it's about time someone beat your ass," Nicky told him and everyone started laughing at him. Aaron got up and was face-to-face with Nicky.
"She's a bitch anyways," Aaron told him, knowing very well that it would piss off all four of the guys.
"Wow! I didn't know 'bitch' was in your vocabulary! I thought it ended with dick, you know seeing as it's your name," Kaitlin told him and again everyone was laughing at Aaron. Reid chuckled and Aaron glared at him.
"What are you laughing at Garwin?" Aaron yelled.
"Oh, I just find it really funny that she beat your ass," Reid laughed with a smirk. Aaron started towards him to punch him but Nicky grabbed him to keep him from starting a bar fight.
"This isn't over Garwin!" Aaron yelled.
"Get him outta here!" Nicky told the big guy and he started to pull Aaron out.
"Looking forward to next time!" Reid shouted after him. Caleb just glared at him. Everyone went back to what they were doing before all the commotion had started.
"So where we?" Kaitlin asked. Caleb glared and Reid laughed at him.
"Dude, get over it. We were just dancing," Reid told him wondering how much Caleb had actually seen.
"Really? That's what they call it now when your tongue is in my sister's mouth?" Caleb asked and they both looked like they may start a fight.
"Whoa!" Kaitlin said getting in-between them and was facing Caleb. "It's not like he was forcing himself on me!"
"He better not have," Caleb kept looking at Reid.
"I put my tongue in his mouth first," Kaitlin added causing Caleb's glare at Reid to go to a surprised look at her. Reid was just laughing and shaking his head in agreement.
"Why don't we go sit down?" Reid asked and led her to the table where Pogue, Kate, and Tyler had been watching. Caleb followed and sat down. Kaitlin was sitting next to Reid at first, but Caleb moved himself in-between them on purpose. Nobody said anything to him because they could tell he wasn't in a good mood anymore.
"So Little Kaitlin…you've really grown…umm…I mean you've really developed…" Tyler started but wasn't sure what to say and Caleb glaring at him wasn't helping that much. Kaitlin noticed he was looking at her chest, at least that's what it looked like to her.
"Boobs," she finished for him. Tyler started to blush and everyone was laughing except Caleb.
"Well, I would say you definitely aren't that little girl anymore," Pogue told her.
"Yeah, and you're not a kinda scrawny guy anymore," Kaitlin told him and he laughed. "I'm guessing you're Pogue's girlfriend, right?" Kaitlin addressed her attention towards Kate.
"Yeah, I'm Kate," Kate smiled at her.
"Kaitlin," she replied.
"Does Mom know you're back?" Caleb asked Kaitlin, she dodged the question and changed the subject.
"So what have you all been up to in the past three years?" Kaitlin asked.
"Well all us guys are on the swim team at Spenser," Reid told her. "Caleb is the only person I've ever met who can get his trunks in a bunch," Reid laughed referring to how Caleb can get really worked up sometimes.
"I heard that!" Caleb told him.
"I don't think I was trying to hide it," Reid told him. Kaitlin was laughing. Caleb shook off Reid's comment and went back to Kaitlin.
"Does Mom know?" Caleb asked again.
"So anyone up for a round of pool?" Kaitlin asked ignoring Caleb again.
"Kaitlin! Does Mom know or not?" Caleb asked raising his voice and slamming his hand on the table. This made Kaitlin and pretty much everyone at the table jump.
"No! Don't you think I would have went to the house?" Kaitlin answered.
"Why doesn't she know?" Caleb asked a little bit more calmly.
"Because I didn't tell her Einstein," Kaitlin told him. She may not have known every little detail about her brother, but she sure knew how to piss him off.
"Why not?" Caleb asked.
"Because I didn't feel like it," Kaitlin answered like he should have known the answer to his own question. Caleb just glared.
"Why?" he repeated. His glare pierced her.
"Fine! My God!" Kaitlin surrendered.
"My God too," Tyler said and everyone looked at him. Caleb glared, Kaitlin smiled.
"I didn't tell Mom, because I knew she'd end up shipping me right back to Aunt Mindy's!" Kaitlin told her. She'd been away the past three years living with their aunt in Grover, Vermont. Evelyn didn't want Kaitlin growing up with Caleb and his powers, so she shipped her off to her sister's house the same day Caleb left for camp. He was thirteen and she was twelve, and they hadn't seen each other since.
"You ran away?" Caleb asked.
"No. Aunt Mindy said I was too much of a hassle for her and kicked me out, I came back here because I didn't know where else to go," Kaitlin told him. "Plus, this was the only place that had a cheap bus fare from Grover."
"How long have you been in town?" Kate asked her.
"About two weeks," Kaitlin answered.
"Wait! Two weeks? Aunt Mindy never called Mom, and why haven't you come home yet?" Caleb asked.
"I told you, I was too much of a hassle for her, that includes telling Mom, not like she'd care. And because I figured if Mom didn't care, why would you?" Kaitlin told him.
"I care because I'm your brother and Mom does care, she just…" Caleb started, but Kaitlin interrupted him.
"She just what? Doesn't care! She sent me away and the only communication she's had with me in the past three years is when she sends a check so Aunt Mindy doesn't have to pay for me. And as for you, you haven't even tried to talk to me in the past three years! So sorry if I didn't really feel that I had a home to go to!" Kaitlin yelled at him and got up to leave. Caleb got up and went after her, Reid followed.
"We gonna go?" Tyler asked Pogue and Kate.
"May as well, the entertainment just left with them," Pogue laughed. Kate just laughed at the two boys.
"Let's go," Tyler said as they all got up and followed the other three outside.
"Kaitlin! Kaitlin will you wait up!" Caleb yelled. Kaitlin was walking down the street really fast and Caleb was having trouble keeping up with her. When he finally caught up with her, he grabbed her arm to turn her around. "I'm sorry I haven't been keeping in touch, but it's been hard, with school and trying to take care of Mom. I'm sorry if you think I don't care about you because I do! Mom cares too, she just doesn't know how to show it sometimes." Kaitlin didn't seem amused.
"Ok, fine, you explained. See ya around," Kaitlin told him and tried to leave.
"Hold on," Caleb caught her. "Where have you been staying?"
"Around," Kaitlin answered.
"Where?!" Caleb started to raise his voice again. Kaitlin seemed like she was starting to get scared of him. "Well?"
"At this abandoned house on the road out of town," Kaitlin answered. "I got a job here so that I could have some extra cash."
"You're coming home with me," Caleb told her.
"What?! But Mom will…" Kaitlin started.
"She can stay with me," Reid offered, knowing it would piss Caleb off. He winked at Kaitlin and she rolled her eyes and laughed. Caleb wasn't amused however.
"I don't think so," Caleb told him. " You're coming home with me, end of discussion." Kaitlin didn't bother to fight with him anymore. Caleb, Kaitlin, and Reid started walking back towards the cars parked in front of Nicky's.
"So we'll see you tomorrow?" Pogue asked Caleb.
"Depends on how things go," Caleb answered and looked at Kaitlin.
"Thanks for that. Just remember if she kills me, you're the one who gets to clean up the blood and hide the body," Kaitlin told him. They all started to laugh. She turned to Kate, "It was nice to meet you."
"You too, maybe if your Mom doesn't kick your ass you and I can hang out sometime," Kate told her with a smile.
"Sounds good," Kaitlin smiled back.
"See ya all later," Pogue told them as he and Kate got onto his bike.
"Later," Tyler and Reid said as they got into his truck. As they were all pulling out, Reid and Kaitlin looked at each other and smiled. Kaitlin looked away for a second and looked back, Reid chuckled to himself and Kaitlin winked at him.
"What was that for?" Tyler asked when he noticed Reid laughing, but he didn't know at what.
"Huh? Oh, nothing," Reid replied and looked back at Kaitlin as they were pulling out. They smiled again, but this time Tyler caught it.
"I wouldn't recommend it Reid," Tyler told him.
"What are you talking about?" Reid asked.
"She's Caleb's sister! And based on the way he acted earlier when he broke you two up, I'd say if you tried anything again he'd kick your ass past Pluto!" Tyler laughed.
"1. I could kick Caleb's ass no problem, 2. It's Kaitlin's decision not his, and 3. Shut the hell up!" Reid told him. Tyler just laughed at him. Kaitlin had grown up nice, real nice, and Reid didn't hate it.