It wasn't often that Christine found herself crying. By some miracle she always maintained a firm resolve, even when her mother broke down and screamed at her, or her sister beat on her, or the filth her mother brought into her house touched her— she always kept her composure, never betraying the emotions that she so expertly locked away.
She sat in the gray seat with the off-colour blanket provided by the flight attendants wrapped around her legs. Fat tears pooled in her green eyes, her earbuds obediently played the chords of her chosen song,
And she only sleeps when it's raining,
And she screams
And her voice is straining
And she says "Baby,
It's three a.m, I must be lonely."
As it came to and end she sat, bleary eyed an unaware of her surroundings.
~-~- Two days prior-~-~
"Kitty, god dammit!" June Felker screamed at the teenage girl sitting on her couch, spit flew, and curses streamed from her cherry painted lips.
"One fucking thing! One mother fucking thing I ask you to do! But god forbid you can't even do that?" Christine refused to look at the woman standing in front of her, guilt riddled her face but sadness was the only emotion present in her eyes. June's gaze softened, and she fell to her knees before her daughter, a single tear dripping down her face.
"Christine, baby, you have to start talking again. You—I—We cannot live like this anymore. Your grades are passing, sure, but 5 out of your 7 teachers have issues with you! Talking to me isn't enough. You know how proud of you I am, your progress has be absolutely amazing, b-but" Kitty finally looked up to her mother, desperation etched into her features. Her mother was struggling to form words,
"I-I need y-you to try... harder, babygirl, please."
June sighed, and sat next to her on the creme couch, gently easing an arm around her daughters shoulders, careful not to touch any of her exposed skin. "I guess we're just a pair of weirdos, huh?" June laughed humorlessly, and Kitty sighed.
Creme, Kitty hated that colour. Everything in the damn house was either creme or some mottled shade of forest green. She had once loved her house, filled with light blues and soft grays—always reminding her of the sky. But then he came, and her mother had to change everything about their life, even going so far as to tell Kitty what stuff she could have in her own bedroom.
"M-maybe you should go stay with your Uncle in Forks for a little while? Get you away from here, smaller school, less stress." As much as Kitty hated the idea of leaving her mother, she had little issue with staying with her Uncle Charlie. He was one of her absolute favourite people, and even she couldn't deny that living in Forks for a couple of months might be helpful.
Kitty couldn't shake the distinct feeling that her mother was sending her away because she couldn't handle her anymore. A soft ache began building in her chest, her hand clutching at the area where her heart thrummed against her rib-cage. Was June was giving up on her daughter, the child she had raised for the past 17 years?
Nonetheless, Kitty was willing to do anything to make the woman she called mom happy, even if that meant moving halfway across the country.
So there you have it, the whole situation that brought her to that dreary seat, staring blankly at the clouds through the small window to her left. She jerkily ran her hand down her face, ridding herself of tears, before relaxing into the cushions.
The man seated next to her shifted in his sleep, his hand brushing against her exposed arm. Light flashed behind the girls eyes as she ripped her arm away from him, breathing heavily. She re-situated, grabbing a notebook out of her backpack, beginning to hastily write.
February 17th 5:59 P.M, Plane, Somewhere over Minnesota.
I had another vision, car wreck in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
He has no idea, but he seems kind. His mind didn't seem too bad, maybe fate will decide to save him.
I don't think it would matter, either way. He's very sick, some form of bone cancer.
I wish I could help.
That's all for now, only about an hour, maybe a little more before Port Angeles. Then an hour in a cab, and Charlie will pick me up.
Kitty
Her eyes closed, as she sighed, the music playing seemed to wound her but she couldn't bring herself to change the song.
Soon the flight attendant was softly shaking her shoulder,
"Ma'am? We've arrived in Port Angeles." Kitty's eyes fluttered open, her mouth forming an 'o' in surprise. She smiled thankfully, before grabbing her pack and swiftly closing the notebook—shielding it from the woman's invasive eyes.
By the time Kitty had arrived at the cab she was exhausted.
"Hey there, sweetie. How was your flight?" Kitty smiled doggedly, sending the kind looking man two thumbs up.
He asked her a few more questions but received no answer, she simply sat uncomfortably—struggling to find an effective way to answer his questions without embarrassing herself. Something akin to a person voicing "oh!" flitted across his face through the rear view mirror and he nodded.
"I didn't talk for a while after I got back from Afghanistan. I was too afraid of what might come out. I hope one day you find your voice again." She looked at the man with surprise, suddenly feeling a strange attachment to the cabbie. She leaned forward and gently rested her hand on his shoulder; her thumb just brushing the skin at the base of his neck.
Her eyes glazed over momentarily, and he mistook it for tears, speedily attempting to apologize but she simply held a finger to her lips. He continued to chat with—or more realistically—to her while she wrote in her notebook for the second time that night.
February 17th 7:42 P.M, Cab, Halfway to Forks.
Long life. His death is peaceful. In his sleep, at 93.
I'm glad. He deserves it, more than most people.
Kitty
P.S- His name is Gerard.
Kitty looked up suddenly at the realization that the car had stopped, she had been staring at the words for quite some time. A police cruiser sat in the parking lot right near the cab.
The man, Gerard, she remembered, handed her a piece of paper with his number on it.
"Should you ever need someone to listen, or someone to listen to, I'm always available. Don't mind the hour." She smiled softly, before stepping out of the cab as Charlie paid him.
He picked her up in a hug, carefully avoiding her skin, before clearing his throat.
"I'm glad to see that you, uh, got here alright." His cheeks were flushed slightly, betraying his awkwardness as he looked down at his niece. They walked together, both silent but not too uncomfortable, and rode in the same fashion, shortly thereafter Charlie pulled up at the house.
It was the same as Kitty had remembered it, soft seeming with a strangely homey quality that made her lips quirk up in a secretive smile.
Kitty was almost knocked off her feet at the force of Bella hugging her, scrunching her face up slightly as the taller brunettes hair flopped against her nose.
"Kitty, Oh my god! Do you know how happy I am to see you!? It's been ages. Finally someone I can talk to at school!" This was the most energetic Charlie had ever seen his daughter, his expression made that fact blatantly obvious. Of course, Kitty did the only thing suitable in such a situation—she giggled.
"Come on, I'll show you to our room."
