Notes: I friend of mine was just murdered, and I've been having a hard time writing since. That's why it took so long for me to get this part out. I don't know how long the next part will take. This story will be written in memory of him, Dennis. He was a great guy and deserved it and so much more.
Kylee had gotten up early. It was Saturday, and there were no classes for the day. But there was much to be done. The main things were to get information from Katherine and to meet Sophie.
Breakfast wasn't much. Kylee breezed in and got a bowl of fruit and was out before anyone could really talk to her. It left the boys with many questions.
Scott nodded his head in the direction Kylee had left in. "What's she like?"
"She's . . . " Juliette trailed off, not finding the right word to describe the girl.
"She's psychotic." Daisy grinned a bit and ate a forkful of eggs.
Everyone was silent for a moment. The girls knew that Daisy was right, and the boys knew that if Daisy said someone was psychotic, there had to be something wrong with her.
Ezra lifted an eyebrow in amusement. "How so?"
Katherine spoke up. "She nearly took Shelby's head off for touching her toothpaste. Kylee actually threatened to kill her. -- "
"Are you serious?!" Auggie put down his orange juice, forgetting to even drink it. "Did she mean it, though? Or was she just trying to be tough?"
Shelby snarled softly. "Oh, she meant it."
There was a long silence and then Katherine began again. "And Peter's put me in charge of showing her around and stuff."
"Sounds like a death sentence." Scott played with his scrambled eggs, pushing them around the plate and mashing them with his fork.
"Thanks. . . . I appreciate your confidence."
Before the conversation could further, Peter walked up to the table and frowned. "I was hoping to find Kylee. Do any of you know where she is?" The group at the table gave mumbled answers. Peter frowned at it. "Is that a no?"
Katherine shrugged. "She left."
Peter nodded and left quickly, hoping to find Kylee in the girls' dorm.
Auggie shook his head. "But what's she really like? I mean, there has to be more to her than being psychotic."
Daisy's eyebrows rose a little in amusement. "She needs to be busy. And she's up to something."
"And she said that she was in trouble with the Feds," Juliette added.
Scott grinned a bit and looked up from his breakfast. "Sounds like she was pulling your chain."
Shelby pursed her lips into a grin. "I wouldn't put it past her, though. . . . "
"Put what past her?" Ezra hadn't met the girl, but he kind of liked her already.
"Being in trouble with the Feds. Or pulling our chain."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Peter entered the dorm. "Kylee?"
Kylee was sitting on her bed, her back reclining against a pillow. She seemed to be enthralled by some kind of book. She didn't even look up when she answered him. "Yes."
"I would like you to meet Sophie. She's . . . not exactly here right now. I'd like to take you there. There's a surprise waiting for you."
Ky scrunched her features up and, after a few moments, looked up at Peter. "Surprise?"
Peter nodded. "I think you'll appreciate it."
Kylee frowned a bit and folded the corner of the page she was on, closing the book. She had a fairly good idea what the surprise was. It wasn't that she wasn't happy; she just rather it not look like some effort had been put into her. "I suppose I have to go then." She stood up. "Lead the way, big guy."
Peter nodded. "This way. And I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that."
Kylee shrugged as she followed him out of the dorm. "And I'd appreciate you calling me Ky, not Kylee."
Peter looked at her warily but didn't argue. He had promised, after all. He led Kylee passed everything until they came to almost the front of the school. Before they reached the lodge, Peter went to another building with a garage door and opened its normal sized one. "After you." He smiled. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted." He held the door open for Ky and then closed it after she entered.
Kylee found herself in a simple room. There were shelves. Not too impressive. And a punching bag. She also found a blonde woman hovering over Kylee's bass and an amp. "Know how to play?"
Sophie straightened up and turned, surprised. She smiled and shook her head. "No, not really. Just trying to fix it up for you."
Kylee smiled in a mock appreciative way. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but . . . people putting their oilly hands on my bass doesn't thrill me."
Sophie raised an eyebrow. Kylee was going to be trouble. "Fine. Sometimes, though, help isn't a bad thing."
Kylee shrugged and advanced toward her bass. "Never said it wasn't."
Sophie watched Kylee sit down next to the amp and pick up her bass. Without even turning on the amp, she began to pluck the bass. Sophie sat down in front of the amplifier. "I guess you know I'm Sophie."
Kylee raised an eyebrow, keeping her eyes on her bass. "And I guess you know I'm Kylee."
Sophie watched Kylee play, not really knowing what to say. She decided to start with something she knew about. "Play any other instruments?"
"Yes." Kylee began to tune the bass, still not turning the amp on. It was the way she had originally learned to tune it.
Sophie nodded, realizing she wasn't going to get more out of the question. "Like what? What else can you play?"
Kylee was quiet for a moment, trying to find the right tone for a string. When she did, she answered, "Guitar and drums."
"Why not bring those instruments, too?"
Kylee frowned. She didn't even know this woman, and she kept shoving questions down Kylee's ears. "I don't have a set of my own drums. And I like the bass better than my guitar. Basses are more raw."
"Who taught you?"
Kylee gave a snarled frown. She was really beginning to get annoyed. "Taught myself."
"Wow. That must have been hard." Sophie had always wondered about people who could teach themselves stuff such as playing an instrument. It took so much patience. But patience didn't seem to be a virtue Kylee had. "What kept you from giving up?"
"I had nothing else to do. I was young. Too young to go out and get hammered. Or I would've."
"How young were you?"
Kylee was quiet for a moment. "Started when I was about 5." There was a finality to the answer, as if it were a signal that questioning further than that on the subject was not allowed.
Sophie nodded. "Do you write your own music?"
"Sometimes." Kylee was silent for a long moment. "You're like a humming bird."
Sophie was fairly sure she wasn't going to like the reasoning. "A humming bird?"
"Yeah. A humming bird. . . . You hover around where you're not wanted. I can see it already. I saw it the moment I came into this room. You're a humming bird." Before Sophie could even respond, Kylee turned on the amp and let out a loud note.
Sophie covered her ears in pain and then hurridly turned the amp off. "What's wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with you?" Kylee's eyes were fixed on Sophie's.
"Excuse me?! You could have hurt me!"
Kylee laughed. "If I was going to hurt you, I would have. Period. And I'll ask again, what's wrong with you?"
Sophie looked at Kylee incredulously. "What do you mean?"
"Push, push, push. It's amazing you work here. Anybody ever offed themselves because you pushed just a little too far? I'd be obliged to be your first, but I think I won't just to spite you."
"I'm not trying to push you." Sophie frowned as she rubbed her ears.
"Could've fooled me. I was beginning to feel cornered. My past was coming back to me. I could envision my nightmares. Relief, the kind only death can solve, crept into my mind. Now how can you tell me you weren't being pushy?" Even as she gave her little speech, Ky was smiling.
"Suicide is not a joke, Kylee."
"It's Ky, please."
"Ky. Alright, Ky. Suicide is not a joke."
Kylee snorted softly. "Did you hear my laugh?"
Sophie studied Kylee for a long moment. "Some jokes just aren't funny, though."
Ky smiled at Sophie. "So you're saying suicide is a joke?"
"No! I never said that!"
"It seemed to be implied, though."
Sophie closed her eyes momentarily, trying to clear her head. She really didn't want to lose it. She was fairly sure that was what Ky was trying to do: push Sophie to the edge to see how far she could go in the future. Sophie opened her eyes; Kylee was standing and disconnecting her bass from the amp. "Sorry, but I'd rather play in privacy, even if that means my bass won't be plugged in."
Sophie stood up. "I could leave -- "
"Yes, you could." Kylee smiled. "But then what would you do for a living?"
Sophie was quiet for a moment. "Your bass and amp are privileges. Don't abuse them; they can be taken away."
Kylee's jaw went rigid, and she leaned her bass against the amp. "Did you just threaten me?"
"No, I warned you."
Ky shook her head slowly. "No. No, you threatened me."
Sophie studied Kylee. The girl looked like she would attack if necessary. "I did not intend to threaten you. If it sounded like I had, I'm sorry, but that's not what I was trying to do."
Ky's green eyes flashed in anger. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you did threaten me. No one threatens me."
"Ky, I did NOT threaten you. -- "
"You did, no matter what you say." Ky picked up her bass again. "I'm going before I do something you'll regret." She forcefully pushed passed Sophie with her shoulder and hurridly left the room.
It took several moments before Sophie decided to follow Kylee. Kylee was almost running, though, and Sophie didn't catch up to her until Ky stopped and was inside her dorm. Sophie stopped before entering, catching her breath a bit.
Sophie opened the door and walked in. Ky watched the woman walk to her bed with cold conviction. "Sophie." The name rolled off Kylee's tongue slowly and deliberately.
Sophie frowned and sat down at the foot of Ky's bed. "I think we got off on the wrong foot."
Ky studied the woman for a minute and nodded to herself. "I think YOU got off on the wrong foot."
Sophie lifted an eyebrow, but decided to go for something else. "I don't want our relationship strained. -- "
"Too late for that. You should have thought of that before."
Sophie clenched her jaw impatiently and calmed herself. "This is over a guitar. -- "
"My bass."
"Okay. Right. This is over your bass. An object. -- "
"Our bodies are objects. Are you going to tell me that objects shouldn't be important?"
Sophie shook her head in disbelief. "All I'm trying to say is -- "
"I don't care what you have to say. I should be paid to listen to fluffs like you. You make me sick."
Sophie stood up, obviously angry. "Fine. I'll leave. But before I do, Peter is going to take you to town tomorrow to get your hair cut." She left the room briskly, angry at herself for letting the last part out. She had said it out of pure anger. Sophie knew she should have let Peter break the news to Kylee.
Kylee sighed a bit, letting some of her anger dissolve. For the first time since she entered her room, she noticed that she wasn't alone. The other girls had seen everything.
Daisy shook her head. "They're going to cut your hair. . . . Saw that one coming. Surprised it didn't happen yesterday."
Kylee smiled a bit and ran her fingers up through her dirty blonde hair, making it even spikier. "Cutting my hair's a bad thing, if they cut it the way I want. And since it's my hair, . . . I think I can persuade them to do it. Heh." She then tuned the other girls out, strumming her bass in a rhythmic manner. She could get information out of Katherine another day. Saturday had just begun but so much had already happened in it.