A/N; This was supposed to be an anthology.. A year has passed and I still only have this one piece finished, the first out of eight stories. I've been thinking lately to stop writing for the fandom, it sounds like a good idea since I kinda run out of ideas. But this story kept calling my name, demanding to be published. There might be an addition, in the future, though I doubt it... Um, this is rated M due to violance, so if you are not into that staff, don't read it. Okay, I hope you'll like it.
Sleeping Beauty
"You know, I always believed that...when you have a younger sibling it's much like having a child."
Kendall leaned forward on the table, his fingers tapping against the metal. He eyed the cigar packet across from him, and then his green eyes rose questioningly to the man sitting on the other side of the table. The man gave him a nod, and Kendall reached the packet with a small, pleased, smile.
"What was I saying? Oh, yeah, about siblings." He took a cigarette out, and waited for the officer to lit it for him "It's like having a child; you take care of them, you worry about them; whether they've eaten, if they are happy, if they feel cold. You help them study." Kendall took a long drag, holding the smoke in for a while before exhaling "It's even worse when your parents are dead. You're all they have." Kendall shook his head, running a hand through his hair "The look in their eyes, when they look at you...They idolize you."
Kendall rubbed his hands together, the cigar in his mouth. He inspected his nails, frowning when he noticed his dirty fingers. He averted his gaze, his head hanging. He could hear someone screaming in the distance; shutting his eyes, he convinced himself it was just in his head. When he looked up again, his eyes were red and tired.
"Tell me officer, what would you do if someone did what he did, to your child?"
"Katie, I'm home!" Kendall yelled, shutting the door behind his back. He let his duffel bag fall to the floor, rolling his neck. He rubbed over the dent the strap had carved cross his shoulder and grimaced, as he heard the footsteps coming his way and soon enough a pair of arms was wrapped around his neck. He smiled, and looping his own arms around her waist, he lifted her off her feet, making Katie yelp.
"You're crazy," she said, when he let her down, her hand smacking his chest and her eyes wide. Kendall smirked cheekily.
"I missed you too little sis." He said pinching her nose. Katie rolled her eyes.
"You hungry? I made pasta." She said starting towards the kitchen.
"You know it."
"We had an away game that weekend, and I had begged her to come with." Kendal brought his thumb to his mouth, his teeth chewing on the skin, his lips forming a smile behind the digit "She said she was old enough to take care of herself, she didn't need a babysitter." The smile quickly fell away, as he turned to the man listening to his story "She was fifteen, still a child. I didn't want to leave her alone, but I couldn't do anything else." He shrugged a little "We didn't have any family, and there was no money for a babysitter." Kendall chuckled "Not that Katie would've allowed me to hire a babysitter."
"Did you guys win?" Katie asked putting the plate in front of him. Kendall picked up his fork.
"We nailed them." Katie sat on the chair to his left, her legs folded underneath her body "Mhm, this is actually edible," Kendall teased, after swallowing a mouthful. He pulled back just in time to avoid her fist coming straight to his shoulder. A smug smile twisted the corners of his lips upwards, and Katie narrowed her eyes at him warningly.
"Have you talked to the guys lately?" she asked after a while cautiously. Kendall avoided her eyes, pretending he hadn't heard her. "Kendall?" she prompted, her patience running thin.
"Ugh, I talked to Logan the other day." He said indifferently, shrugging, while his gaze remained pinned on the half empty dish in front of him.
"And?"Katie pushed. Kendall bit on the inside of his cheek and counted to five before responding in a more or less neutral tone,
"School is giving him a hard time, but he's doing okay." He could practically feel Katie studying his face. He dared a glimpse to her face and she looked much more pensive than he'd ever seen her before.
"And James?" Kendall took a hold of his glass, gulping down water to gain some time.
"James...James is in Hollywood, living his dream life. You know that."
"No, I mean, have you talked to him?" Kendall bit on his tongue, and shook his head "Maybe you should-"
"Katie!" Kendall's hand smacked against the table, making her jump. He shut his eyes and drew a deep breath ; he hadn't meant to snap at her. "I'm sorry," he apologised.
"You can't keep pushing everyone away." Katie said gently. She got up and left the kitchen.
"She has-"Kendall cut himself sort. He inhaled sharply, and then tried to swallow past the bile rising in his throat. "She had," he corrected himself "This need to play shrink, especially when it came to me and my friends. We all knew each other since we were in diapers. Katie couldn't accept that we'd grown up." He stopped and rubbed his hand over his chin "She believed that after our mother's death I started pushing them away. That's not the truth; we just didn't notice that while growing up, we'd grown apart too. We had different dreams, and we all chased after them. Katie couldn't accept it."
Katie was bobbing her head along to the music, her hand flying across the page, her eyes glimpsing from time to time to the book resting open to her left, directly under the light. She heard the knock on her door but she didn't say anything.
Kendall rested his head against the wood, sighing to himself. He knew that snapping at her wasn't his best move, but he'd always had a hard time controlling his anger. He needed to apologize, but how could he do that if she didn't even let him in her room? Kendall knocked again.
Katie dropped the pen, and spun around in her chair. The constant knocking wasn't making it easy to concentrate and she had to finish that essay. Crossing her arms over her chest, she eyed the door; she knew Kendall was not going to leave until she let him in. So for the greater good, and for the sake of her academic future, she gave in.
"Come in." The door creaked open, and Kendall stepped inside hesitantly. Katie fixed him with a stern look, and he stood awkwardly in the threshold "I've got an essay for tomorrow."
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"You already said that." Katie reminded him. Kendall's shoulders fell and he huffed, not knowing what else to say. The girl sighed, leaning forward, her elbows resting against her knees "I don't want you to be alone."
Kendall's teeth chewed on his lower, already chapped, lip and he shook his head lightly. Here he was trying to apologize for his behaviour and Katie had already forgiven him. At her inquisitive look he walked further into the room, stopping only when he'd reached her chair. Kendall knelt down, his hands coming to her knees, touching her elbows.
"As long as I have you, I'll never be alone," he said sternly. Katie brought a hand up to cup his face, her thumb stroking his cheekbone.
"Kendall," Katie murmured in a small voice "You know that's not what I mean."
"You'll understand, someday," he said "People grow up, and sometimes...sometimes you're just too busy to keep in touch."
"But the guys-"
"The guys have their own lives, and we have ours."
"Logan came out here the minute he heard about it on the news." Kendall said, his eyes stuck on the burnt out cigarette in the ashtray "I told him he didn't have to, but-"Kendall chuckled to himself "Logan never really listened to me. James told me he'll come over as soon as he's done with his new movie and Carlos...Carlos has been here since the beginning."
Kendall paused, and ruffled with his hair. He closed his eyes, but instead of the familiar blackness, all he could see behind his closed lids was red. A crimson, thick, shade of red. Kendall screwed his eyes, pressing them shut harder, trying to make the redness disappear, but he couldn't. He scratched his thumb over his eyelid, his head lolling on the side.
"No I don't think that I would've done anything different, if their presence in my life was more prominent." Kendall said. "It's true; they ground me, but no one would've been able to stop me." His eyes opened, and he leaned forward, resting his weight on the table "No one."
Kendall was already in the kitchen, when Katie walked in. She bypassed the made table and went straight to the coffee pot, pouring some for herself. She leaned against one of the counters, a content smile spreading across her face, as the strong aroma filled her nostrils.
"Morning," Kendall bid her from the table, munching on his French toast.
"Mmm, good morning."
"Won't you have breakfast with me?" Kendall asked kinking an eyebrow. Katie shook her head.
"No, I gotta go," she said, her fingers pushing a lock of her light brown hair behind her ear. Kendall frowned, his eyes falling on his wrist.
"But it's still early," he said looking up from his watch. If he didn't know his sister any better, he'd think she'd just blushed. Katie let her head fall forward, the mug still clenched in her hands.
"Um, yeah. I'm going to meet up with Jennifer before school; she wants to talk about something." Katie lied through her teeth hoping she sounded convincing enough. Kendall narrowed his eyes, a sly smirk playing on his lips.
"Could that talk about 'something', be about a boy?" he questioned. Katie's head snapped up, a look of a deer caught in the headlights drawn all over her face. Kendall with great difficulty suppressed a huge, amused grin, from taking over his face.
"N-no." She muttered shaking her head. Kendall chuckled.
"Kate, it's okay. It's normal for you girls to talk about guys," he said reassuringly "Now, about dating them, you're still too young..." Katie lowered her head again "I'm kidding!" he said quickly. Katie looked at him doubtfully. "Katie, I'm your big brother, I love you, and I want you to be able to talk to me about whatever you want. Understood?"
Katie turned the mug in her hands, her eyes searching his face for something. Kendall wasn't used to this silence that his sister was projecting. She took a sip of her coffee, and slowly nodded her head yes.
"And if there's any boy in your life-"
"No! No, boy."
He entwined his fingers, his green eyes falling on the table. He brought them closer to his body, a sigh leaving his mouth. His tongue darted out to lick his lips, his eyes screwed shut as the painful cries from outside the room grew louder. This time he couldn't convince himself that the screams were only in his mind. He leaned his head forward, his face hiding in his hands, grabbing a fistful of his hair.
"Whoever says that raising a child is a piece of cake, is a fucking liar. I'm not complaining," he said hastily "I'm not, but raising a child is a difficult job. We had it easy; Katie never asked for much, the money I got from the job at the mini-market was more than enough. And we had some money in the bank, as a fall-back; my father before he died...h-he'd opened an account in my name."
Kendall smiled to himself, his fingers scratching his lips. He belatedly remembered that they hadn't allowed him to wash his hands, and he forcefully removed his fingers from his mouth, turning his head to the left to spit.
"Sorry about that," he apologized with a refuel smile."Following my dream wouldn't have been so easy if Katie wasn't the kid she was. Playing hockey for a college team is a lot of work. A lot of unpaid work. There were days she spent completely alone in the house. I'd come back way after mid-night and I'd find her sleeping on the couch, waiting for me. But she never complained that I didn't pay attention to her. Katie wasn't one to complain." A wry smile twisted his lips upwards "No, her favourite pastime activity was worrying. Worrying about me. But I was fine. We were fine. Until he happened in our lives."
Katie shut the door, her eyes darting to the window to make sure Kendall wasn't spying on her. When her paranoia was placated, she let out a shaky breath, her shoulders relaxing. She started down the street, waving at some of her schoolmates she happened to walk by, her schoolbag hitting against her thigh.
She reached the narrow alley, and halted for a long second. She looked around the empty road, the windows with the drawn drapes, and finally towards her own silent house, before rushing in the alleyway. She slipped through the passenger door of the black car, making herself comfortable in the seat.
"You're late." Katie jumped a little at the sudden sound of his voice.
"I'm sorry, Kendall came back last night, and he wanted to talk," Katie was fast to explain her tardiness. She turned her head on the side to look at him, smiling when his blue eyes locked with hers.
"You still haven't told him about us?" Katie sighed running her fingers through her hair.
"It's still too soon-"
"Too soon? We've been together for a month Katie! What are you waiting for, our first year anniversary?" He snapped. Deciding to overlook his angry words and raised voice, since she knew he didn't mean to yell at her, Katie grinned widely.
"You think we'll be together in a year?" she asked.
"Don't avoid the question, Katie," he said with a groan, his head falling back on the seat "Is it me? Are you ashamed of me? Of my job?" he questioned, his eyes shut. Katie looked at him taken aback.
"What? No, of course not!" she refused. He didn't look at her.
Katie again ran a hand through her hair; it was a habit she'd inherited from her mother. She took her messenger bag off her shoulder, and crawled in his lap. His hands almost instinctively came around her waist, and she smiled; at least he wasn't mad at her. She framed his face, and leaned forward to press a kiss on his lips.
"Dak," she called softly, and his eyes opened "I would never be ashamed of you." She pressed another kiss on his mouth, her thumb stroking his cheek.
"Yeah, but my job-"
"It's just your job. I don't care about it, and I'm sure that Kendall won't mind."
"Then why haven't you-"
"Give me a little time, ok? I promise I'll tell Kendall. I just need a little more time." Katie said pinning in his eyes. Dak nodded.
"Okay," Katie grinned, and he couldn't keep the smile from reaching his lips "Now, we have almost..." he checked his wristwatch "Thirty minutes until you gotta be to school. What should we do?" he asked, his hands travelling up and down her back.
"Mmm, I don't know," Katie said biting on her lip. Dak raised an eyebrow, and then his fingers dag in her ribs. Katie started laughing loudly, squirming to get away from him.
"I know what you're going to say; yes Mr. Knight, you, and your family were wronged, but you had no right to take the law in your hands." Kendall tilted his head on the side, his eyes on the officer across from him "And I know you are right. But I also know that when someone hurts a police officer or his family, your people tend to take the law in their own hands."
Kendall smiled a little when he saw the man squirming ever so slightly; it wasn't his intention, but it was quiet the satisfaction to know he'd hit a nerve.
"You see, Carlos' father is a cop and five years ago Tony, that's Carlos' older brother, got beaten up and mugged. They apprehended the crook, and even though they weren't as extreme as I was, when he appeared in the court his ribs were broken and he had a black eye." Kendall lowered his head and chuckled "He said he'd fallen off his bed in his cell; that's how he'd gotten the extreme make over in his face," Kendall laughed "See, even though the law is supposed to be dealt with only in the court, we all seem to forget that sometimes."
Kendall pushed the door of the precinct open and waltzed in. He went straight to the third door on the left, along the long hallway, and knocked with his knuckles a couple of times before pushing it open. Carlos was sitting on the leather chair, stapling some documents.
"Litos, still treating you like a newbie, I see." he said hopping on to the desk. Carlos put the papers in a blue folder, and after dropping it on an ever growing pile of folders by the side of his desk, he leaned back on his chair.
"I am still a newbie," he reminded his friend. Kendall rolled his eyes.
"Dude, your father is Deputy Chief-"
"Yeah, my father, not me," Carlos cut him off "I don't want to slack off, or be treated any different because I'm my father's son. I want to be recognised for who I am." Kendall just blinked at him; Carlos was too fair for his own good. "So, how was the game?"
"Nailed them." Kendall said with a proud smile. He raised his fist, and Carlos bumped his own against it, a smile spreading over his face.
"Awesome, man. That's like your fourth win in a row?" he asked crossing his arms over his chair. Kendall picked up the stapler, snapping it at the air a couple of times.
"Actually fifth," he said and Carlos whistled.
"Dude, respect. So you're going for State cup?" he asked hooking an eyebrow. Kendall bobbed his head, rolling the stapler between his hands.
"Definitely. Might even get ourselves a spot in the National league." Carlos' eyes widened and he sat up straight.
"That's huge!" he exclaimed, making his friend chuckle.
"I know." Kendall ran a hand though his dirty blond hair "You shouldn't have left man. The team misses you." Carlos smirked slyly.
"You mean you miss me." Kendall scoffed.
"As if." Kendall was too preoccupied with his stapler, trying to see if he could actually staple his thumb, to notice the worried look taking over Carlos' face, and the way the other man shifted his weight on the chair.
"Have you talked to-"
"Logan," Kendall responded, already knowing how Carlos' sentence was going to end; he was even worse than his sister. "He called last week, said that school is more difficult than he expected, but that's why he loves it so much," Kendall smiled despite himself.
"Logan always liked anything that seemed remotely difficult to him," Carlos said with a fond smile and Kendall nodded in agreement.
"Something's worthy of my time, only if I have to use my mind to make sense of it." Kendall quoted, and chuckled softly. He ran a hand through his hair, and tilted his head to look at Carlos. "Have you talked to James?"
"It's been fifteen days or so," Carlos said, rolling a pen between his fingers. Kendall frowned.
"Why are you only saying so now?" he asked confused. Carlos bit on his lip, and glimpsed at his friend.
"I didn't know how you were going to react," he said, going for honesty and hoping for the best result.
"Litos," Kendall sighed "Look, I know I've been...unfair towards both of them, I know that now. But that doesn't have to change your relationship with them."
"Well, we are the two that were left behind," Carlos muttered, lowering his gaze.
"By choice," Kendall pointed out "Nobody forced us to stay here."
"That's not true," Carlos shook his head "You only stayed here because of Katie. If your mother hadn't-" Carlos stopped, cursing himself internally; he was always very careful not to mention Mrs Knight passing, knowing how much it upset Kendall.
"Yes, if my mother was still alive, I would've probably accepted the scholarship I was offered for Michigan U," Kendall surprised him by not changing the subject "But she isn't, and I didn't. I still play hockey. I still have a chance to be a professional hockey player."
"Wow, you're singing a whole different tune." Carlos said impressed. It hadn't been more than three weeks, when Kendall had given him one of the largest rants in history about how Logan and James had betrayed them by moving away.
"I'm just being real; James has always wanted to be a star, Logan is too smart to stay in Duluth forever. They did what they had to do," Kendall said, trying hard not to let his true feelings show. It's not like everything had magically resolved by itself, but Kendall was done whining about it.
"So," Carlos started tentatively "We're all good?" Kendall smiled.
"We are good, we are just not the way we used to be."
"I'm sorry, I'm going to get off topic, but I need to ask; do you think I'm weird? Or wrong?" Kendall questioned, his eyes pinning on the man on the other side of the table, searching in them for an answer "I mean, how can it all be the way it used to? They left! And yeah, I'm not holding a grudge, but they left. They're my friends, I love them, but it's not the same. And not just because they weren't there when he-"
Kendall had to stop as he felt the bile rising in his throat once more. He pressed his lips together, and swallowed down, forcing the nausea away. His hands clenched into fists, his nails digging in his skin. Even thinking about him made his body react.
"No, it's more the principle of it," he started again, when he was sure that his stomach had settled down. "When you spent your lives apart, when days go by without a call or even a text, when things happen and you just don't feel like letting the other person know, then...how can you say that everything is the same?" Kendall wondered loudly, his eyes questioning. The man opposite him remained silent. "I know, that this is all probably boring to you. You just want a confession, right?" he asked, a small scoff leaving his mouth. "You'll get one, in time."
"You missed Steph's party." Carlos said after a while. Kendall raised an eyebrow, disregarding the stapler on the desktop.
"Steph's? As in, Stephanie's King?" he asked, looking up. Carlos nodded. "This thing between you two is still going on?" he asked making Carlos squirm a little.
"We are only friends," he said, his voice getting pitch under Kendall's inquisitive glance. The blonde leaned more against the desk, giving him a nod.
"Aha, alright," Kendall muttered condescendingly. "Sorry I missed the party; it would've been fun to watch you two being friendly with each other." Carlos gulped audibly.
"Jo was there." Kendall's jaw tensed, but when he spoke his voice was neutral.
"So?"
"She was alone, and I think she was looking for someone...but she couldn't find him." Kendall wanted to roll his eyes; Carlos was as subtle as a flying brick.
"Too bad for her," Kendall said, trying to sound as disinterested as possible. In fact he was anything but; he still had feelings for Jo, but acting on them was out of the question. He now had to take care of Katie, and focus on hockey, everything else was irrelevant. "I gotta to go," Kendall said, sliding off the desk "My shift starts in a few."
"'Kay dude," Carlos nodded. "Hey, wait a sec," he said, his face screwed, as if he was trying to remember something. Kendall had almost walked out of the office, when Carlos stopped him.
"What is it?"
"I think Katie was there with someone?" Carlos said, sounding uncertain.
"Katie? In Stephanie's party?" Kendall asked doubtfully.
"Yeah...I'd completely forgotten about it, but...Jo went to talk to her at some point, probably to ask about you. I remembered just now, because I remembered something Stephanie said, about how Jo is trying to get you back-"
"Carlos," Kendall spoke over him; he was really not in the mood "Who was my sister with?" Carlos frowned.
"I don't know him. Never seen him before. He looked like a cool guy, pretty too. And I think a bit older than her. Maybe around our age?" Carlos again didn't sound certain.
"But she said there are no boys in her life," Kendall mumbled to himself.
"Well, maybe she met him at the party?" Carlos offered.
"She told me so today, Carlos!" Kendall snapped "Katie has never lied to me."
"Look, before you drive yourself crazy, just talk to her, alright? Katie is a good kid."
"Yeah, I'll do that...I gotta go. Catch you later."
"Katie had never lied to me before," Kendall repeated, stopping his narration once again "She never lied, period. She thought it was pointless. Katie always chose the hard truth over a white lie, she didn't care if she was going to hurt anyone, she always said it as it was," Kendall said, a warm smile spreading over his face.
He sniffed when he noticed the moist gathering in his eyes. He ducked his head, letting his fingers ran through his hair, pulling only slightly at it. He only looked back up when the officer cleared his throat. Kendall quickly brushed the back of his palm over his eyes, and cleared his throat.
"Sorry," he mumbled, not quite sure why he was apologizing "Thinking about her is hard, after..." he couldn't finish his sentence, so he let it trail off. The officer gave him an understanding smile "I wanted to wait up for her that night, but I was wiped."
Katie pushed the door open grimacing, when the hinges creaked. She slipped in the house, and shut it silently as she could behind her back. She let her bag on the floor, and kicked off her shoes, not wanting to make any sound. She wasn't surprised to find the light on in the living room. Sure enough Kendall was lying sprawled on the couch, his mouth hanging open, snoring loudly. Katie smiled amused, looking at him, and then she grabbed one of the blankets they kept by the fireplace, and laid it on top of him.
Kendall stirred in his sleep, and she winced. She hadn't meant to wake him up. She threw a quick glance on her watch, swearing internally when she saw how late it was. She'd surely get an earful for not calling.
"Hey, baby sister," Kendall said groggily, and she did her best to smile at him.
"Hey big brother," she said back, taking a seat on the coffee table next to him. Kendall popped on his elbows, his eyes moving over to the grandfather clock on the side of the living room. He frowned when he noticed that it was a little after three o'clock in the morning.
"Did you get back just now?" he asked, his voice serious. Katie bit on her lower lip, and nodded not seeing the point in lying. Kendall let a frustrated sigh, and sat up "Katie-"
"Look, I know I should've called," Katie started, before he had a chance to. "And I know I should've come back earlier, considering it's a school night," she sighed herself, her shoulders slumming a little "But I was having a good time, and I guess I just..." Katie trailed off, shrugging a little. There was silence for a while and then,
"What's his name?" Kendall asked, and Katie's eyes snapped at him.
"Whose name?" she answered with a question, her poker face in place. Kendall narrowed his eyes, pinning in hers.
"You know; the guy you were with at Stephanie's party," he said, and he saw her left hand twitching a little, a telltale sign that she had been busted. Oh yeah, she knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Oh him?" she asked, feigning indifference "It was just a friend from school," she waved her hand dismissively. Kendall cocked an eyebrow, never taking his eyes from her.
"Really? Because Carlos said he looked older than you."
Crap.
"Well, Carlos was drank off his ass," Katie said, which was not really a lie; Carlos did get wasted, but that was way after she and Dak had left the party. She'd only heard of how much of a fool he'd made himself, the next day at school. Apparently Carlos had gone skinny dipping almost an hour after she'd left. The only problem was; the pool had been dried out for the winter. Katie shook her head, to clear away the irrelevant thoughts, and looked at Kendall. "I wouldn't really trust his assessment. You know how Carlos gets after he has a little more alcohol in his system than he can handle."
Kendall's serious gaze didn't waver, nor did Katie's poker face. True, Kendall knew how his best friend could get after a couple of beers, and yeah Carlos' description wasn't as detailed as he'd like it to be. Still there was something that bugged Kendall, only he couldn't pinpoint it.
"He needs to learn when to stop," he said with a small chuckle; it was late, he was half asleep and Katie was raising a very good argument. So he was going to lay off, at least for the time being.
"He really does, if he wants this thing with Stephanie to work out," Katie agreed.
"So you've noticed too?" Kendall questioned, and Katie scoffed.
"Please, I doubt there's a person in Duluth who hasn't!" she said, making him laugh. She chuckled as well, but it got interrupted by a yawn.
"Okay, bedtime for you, young lady." Kendall said, slipping into big brother mode with ease. Katie rubbed her eyes, as she stood up. She stretched her arms over her head, yawning again.
"Yeah, I'm not even gonna protest," she mumbled, running a hand through her hair. She leaned forward, and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Night big brother."
"Good night baby sister," Kendall said smiling at her. Katie walked towards the staircase, and Kendall lied back on the couch, too tired to make himself walk all the way to his bedroom. He dragged the blanket over his body, and in less than five minutes, he was out cold.
"So...How do I look?" Katie asked, once she'd build up the nerve to open her mouth. She was standing at the entrance of Kendall's room, twisting nervously a lock between her fingers.
Kendall looked up from the book he was reading, his eyebrows reaching his hairline when he saw his sister wearing a knee-length, blue dress. She had make up on, and she even wore a pair of black high-heels. Well it was more like kitten-heels, but still. Katie didn't like dresses, or any kind of shoes that wasn't snickers.
"Whoa," Kendall breathed out, and Katie walked further into the room.
"Could you be a tiny bit more specific?" she asked, her patience wearing thin. She was too nervous to put up with her brother right now. "Is it a good 'whoa' or a bad one?" she demanded.
"Ugh, good one, definitely." Kendall said, standing up. "Don't tell me you are going out with your friends again," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Kendall," Katie whined, shutting her eyes, and pressing a hand over her forehead.
"What? We agreed to talk about everything." Kendall pushed.
Katie sighed. She knew she'd have to talk to him about Dak, sooner rather than later, but she still didn't feel ready. And there wasn't a chance she was going to say anything now, when she could practically feel her stomach churning.
Katie had a very good reason to be anxious. Today would probably the day she and Dak would take their relationship on the next level, if she'd interpreted his little hints correctly. And by next level, she meant the final level; the level Katie had never reached in any of her previous relationships. Just thinking about it, made her weak on her knees.
"We'll talk about it, when I'm ready, ok?" she pleaded with him. Kendall gave her a stern look, but then he sighed, and she smiled triumphantly. He knew that pressuring her to open up to him wasn't the right thing to do, even though he was extremely curious about the guy who'd managed to make his sister put on a dress.
"Fine. Just, be ready sometime during this millennia, okay?" he taunted, and she chuckled, throwing her arms around him.
"I will," she promised, dropping a kiss on his cheek "Shoot, I'm gonna be late!" she exclaimed when she got a glimpse of her watch. She pulled away from him, and practically ran down the stairs.
"Don't be too late!" Kendall yelled after her, just as he heard the door banging close.
"I was nine when Katie was born," Kendall said, leaning his head on the palm of his hands "I'd been asking for a sibling since I was five, and I was so excited when mom said I was finally going to get one. You should've seen me the first time dad got me to see her in the hospital; I was ecstatic," Kendall chuckled."I couldn't shut up about how she was the most beautiful baby ever, and how I was going to be the best big brother ever."
Kendall felt like screaming. He'd failed her. He'd failed her, like he'd failed everyone else, and now Katie was...she was... Kendall shook his head, and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"When dad died, I had to step up; be the man of the family. I never complained. Mom had a solid job at the pharmacy, and spending a few hours at the super-market every evening after school, for the extra cash, wasn't that awful. Katie was only five, she could barely remember our dad, so I had to be it for her. And I tried," Kendall said, biting the inside of his cheek. "Mom said I did a good job." He let a heavy sigh out. "She was an awesome mom, up until the end. It was six years ago, when she got sick, but we only found out five years ago. Lung cancer, stage four; the doctors said there was nothing they could do," Kendall rubbed, tiredly, a hand over his eyes "Logan took it hard, sometimes I think harder than I did. He'd lost both his parents to cancer, and finding the cure for it was the reason he'd decided to study medicine. He phoned mom's doctor daily to talk about her state, he even suggested some alternative treatment methods, but," Kendall shook his head "Nothing worked."
He would always love Logan for what he did when his mom got sick. He'd been in college for only a semester, and the second he heard about Mrs Knight's condition, he'd dropped everything and went back to Duluth to be there for them. It was Kendall's mom who had made him move back out; she knew that Logan wanted to help, but being his legal guardian ever since his parents' death, she wanted nothing more for him than to fulfil his dream.
Kendall could still remember how dejected Logan had looked when he'd found his suitcases, packed and ready for the trip back to New York, only a week after he'd been in Duluth. He'd gone out with Kendall over to the ice-rink, in an attempt for the both of them to feel better, and when they got back his suitcases were right next to the door.
"Logan wanted to stay, but mom said it wouldn't help any. He fought with her, but he gave in, eventually," Kendall paused to clear his throat "She died two months later, and I think Logan is still kicking himself over not being there, when she passed. After that, I was all that Katie had left. I tried to be a mother and a father for her, putting myself and my needs on the backburner," Kendall eyed the man opposite him. "I didn't really care; as long as she was happy, I was happy. And everything was perfect, or as perfect as they could be. Until that night."
"Kendall has figured it out," Katie said, the minute she got in Dak's car. Her boyfriend looked at her with an almost relieved smile.
"That's a good thing, right?" he asked, and Katie averted her gaze. Dak scooted closer to her, and after placing his fingers on her chin, he turned her head so he'd be able to see her eyes "What did you tell him?"
"Nothing," Katie muttered, and the smile instantly fell from Dak's face. He sighed.
"Right."
"Hey, it has nothing to do with you, or with your job." Katie said, taking a hold of his hand and squeezing it. She knew how weird Dak could get about his job, though she couldn't really understand why.
"What then? The age difference?" Dak questioned, his blue eyes returning to hers. Katie frowned.
"What age difference?" she asked. In her mind, seven years was nothing. Sure Dak was older than her, but the age gap wasn't that terrible.
Her boyfriend chuckled, leaning over his seat to put his arms around her. Katie hid her face on the side of his neck, pressing a kiss over his pulse point. His arms tightened around her, and Katie felt him tense.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, pulling away, and cupping his face in her hands. Dak dipped his head, brushing his lips against hers.
"I really want you, Katie," he whispered his lips brushing against hers and Katie felt her stomach doing a somersault.
"Me too," she said back and Dak smiled. He tucked a lock behind her ear, making her shiver as his fingers brushed over her neck.
"I wanna take you somewhere, do you trust me?" he asked, and Katie frowned slightly.
"Why do you ask?" she inquired, and Dak pecked her lips.
"Just answer my question." Katie swallowed, nodding. Dak grinned, and after another brief kiss, he pulled away.
He turned the key in the ignition, and the car hummed as it came to life. Katie pulled on her seatbelt, touching her head against the window, and looking at him as he drove. There was an uneasy feeling at the pit of her stomach, but she shoved it down, when Dak turned and flashed her a smile. This was going to be alright.
Katie had to tell herself to not freak out, when Dak stopped the car in a half-lit street. It looked like the kind of place that Carlos always warned her to stay away from, and a small voice in the back of her head, screamed at her to get the hell out of there. But Dak was smiling up at her, one of his perfect smiles, and she could do nothing but return it.
"C'mon," He said, throwing his door open, and getting out first. He walked around the car, and opened Katie's door. Taking her smaller hand in his, he gently pulled her out, his other hand coming to rest on her waist.
"Where are we?" Katie asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice, as her eyes darted up and down the road. A foul smell reached her nose and could she hear the noise of a siren coming from somewhere to her left. She involuntarily shivered. Dak pushed her against the car, his lips coming down at hers. Katie allowed him to kiss her for a while, before pushing him back "Are you gonna tell me?"
"You'll see." He kissed her again, and then placing his hand on the small of her back, he led her towards a building.
Katie was scared, there was no mistaking the way her stomach tightened as they walked further into the darkness. She didn't like the feeling, and she couldn't explain it. Sure the street was badly lit, and smelly, but she was with Dak, and he'd never let anything happen to her. Katie pushed the nasty feeling aside, and tried to smile when Dak's eyes found hers.
They stopped in front of a door, and he took out a key chain. He jammed one of the keys in the lock, and after applying some pressure, the door gave in his push. He stepped into the room first, and beckoned for Katie to follow him. She did so, after taking a deep shaky breath. Dak shut the door behind them, and Katie was in the process of calming herself down, when he flipped on the switch, and the light above them turned on.
She nearly screamed. She had to bite on her tongue to keep herself silent. The room all around her was filled with coffins. Katie's breathing picked up, as her eyes moved around the place. An uneasy sensation filled her throughout, and she instinctively backed away, crashing on Dak.
"Is this some not funny, practical joke?" Katie asked, allowing herself to hope. Dak leaned his head on her shoulder, and she could feel his breath crashing on her skin.
"No." He whispered. Katie span around, ready to bolt.
"Let's get out of here!" she didn't have the chance to take more than two steps, before Dak grabbed her wrist, and dragged her towards him.
His arm wrapped around her body, and his lips came down at hers aggressively. He'd never kissed her like that before, using his teeth and tongue so much, and Katie definitely didn't like it. She tried to break free, but his hold on her was too strong.
Kendall shot up in his bed, cold sweat covering his face, and his upper body. He let a huge sigh, his right hand running through his hair. He was breathing fast and hard, and he could barely remember what woke him up. He just had a really bad feeling...
Without thinking much about it, Kendall slid his legs off the bed, and got up. He rushed out of his room, and down the hallway, stopping outside Katie's. He knocked a couple of times and when he got no answer, he pushed the door open, minding to not be too loud in case his sister was sleeping. But her bedroom was empty.
Kendall made his way down the stairs, without turning on the lights. He went to the kitchen where he'd left his mobile, and he picked it up. He noticed that it was well past two, before dialling in Katie's number, and pressing the device against his ear. It ringed, and it ringed, but she never picked up. Kendall pulled the phone away from his ear, and tossed on the table. He wrecked both his hands through his hair, gripping at it tightly. He had half the mind to get dressed, get in his car, and start looking for her, but he somehow convinced himself not to.
"Don't be so tensed up, Knight," he scolded himself, as he walked to the living room. He dropped himself on the couch, and rubbed his face with his hands "She'll probably be back any minute now," he said reassuringly "Just wait for her."
He fell asleep on the couch ten minutes later, but Katie never made it home that night.
Kendall barged through the precinct, not really caring for the looks he received. He marched straight into Carlos' office, opening the door without knocking. Carlos was in the middle of informing his supervisor about a shoplifting case he'd worked the previous night, when the blond rushed inside his office.
"Katie didn't come home last night." Kendall spoke over his friend's words. The officer standing in front of Carlos' desk gave him a glare, but Kendall couldn't care less. Carlos smiled apologetically, pushing his chair back, and standing up.
"Maybe she slept at one of her friends?" Carlos said, walking up to his friend. Kendall shook his head.
"No, he'd tell me about it," he said, but Carlos simply looked at him. "This is Katie we are talking about Carlos, she'd tell me!" he snapped.
"Right, you are right." His friend muttered. Kendall looked at him, as his friend's eyes scanned his face; he knew he was a sight nobody wanted to see first thing in the morning, what with his bloodshot eyes and rugged clothes, and his hair all dishevelled, but he honestly couldn't care less.
"Well? Are you going to send someone look for her?" Kendall asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He was too worked up to stand still.
"Has it been over forty-eight hours?" the other officer asked.
"No," Kendall shook his head, and the man shrugged.
"Well then, we can't do anything about it."
"What?" Kendall yelled, making Carlos flinch. "Tell me he's kidding."
"I'm not sir; teenagers are known to run away from their houses, or spent the night to a friend without calling to let their parents know. We can't do anything unless she's been missing for forty-eight hours."
Carlos had to hold Kendall back from jumping his superior. He pushed his best friend back, giving him a stern look. Kendall stumbled backwards, and caught himself before crashing on the wall. He looked at Carlos, almost deflating at the thought that they weren't going to do anything.
"I know that there's something wrong. My sister wouldn't do something like that. Carlos, this is Katie! You can't expect me to wait that long!" Kendall practically screamed in the verge of a breakdown.
Carlos put a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to keep himself collected. He was really worried over Katie not calling and spending the night out; it didn't sound like something she'd do. Officially they couldn't do anything; Katie wasn't a missing person, unless she was gone for over forty-eight hours. But Kendall was right, they couldn't wait that long.
"Sir, could you tell my father that I need to take the rest of the day off?" Carlos asked, turning around to face the other man.
"Officer Garcia, no matter what you have in your mind-"
"I'm gonna leave my badge, and gun here, ok?" Carlos cut him off, grabbing his gun from its holster and letting it on top of the desk. He did the same with his police badge. "I'm going out, as a civilian, just inform my father, Sir."
"Okay, Officer."
Carlos turned to Kendall who looked like he was about to start crying any minute now. Carlos shook his shoulder, making the blond look up at him.
"C'mon," he said, slipping his arm around Kendall's shoulders. "Let's go find your sister."
"We searched her for hours," Kendall said, his eyes landing on the cigarette pack once again "Would you mind?" he asked, and the officer motioned for him to go along. Kendall took one out, placed it between his lips, and waited for the officer to light it. He drew in a long drag, and fell the smoke travel down his throat, and out his nostrils."We searched every alley, every park. We looked at all the hospitals," he shrugged his shoulders. "She was nowhere." He took the cigarette between his fingers, and rubbed his chin "When Carlos' father knocked on my door two days later, with Carlos standing behind him, eyes red from crying, I knew." He looked at the officer, bringing the cigarette back to his lips "I just knew."
Kendall had done his best not to faint, when they'd told him he needed to recognise a body. He sucked it up, and put one foot in front of the other, walking up to the car, and letting them drive him to the hospital. Carlos was right next to him soon as they arrived, holding his hand as they walked through the corridors, and towards the morgue.
Kendall knew it was going to be her. He knew it before they pulled back the sheet, before he came face to face with her pale, lifeless body. He felt the tears running down his cheeks, but he made no move to wipe them away. He wanted to scream, and even though he opened his mouth to do just that, no voice came out.
There was this hole in his heart, this black hole and it dragged everything in it; every good memory, every loving kiss, every funny joke. All the moments he'd spent with his sister; from the first time she'd wrapped her little fingers around his thumb, to the last time she'd thrown her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
Kendall touched her face, allowing his fingers to run down her cheek. He leaned forward to place a wet, sloppy kiss on her forehead, and he felt his heart breaking, as his lips met her cold skin. A pair of hands on his shoulders pulled him away, and Kendall only fought them for a second, before leaning against his best friend, and allowing him to get him out of the room.
Once the door to the morgue swung shut, Kendall's legs gave in, and he almost crumpled to the ground. Carlos' arms kept him from hitting the floor. Carlos eased the both of them on the floor, pulling Kendall in a tight hug, as the blond man allowed his sorrow to claim him. A heartbreaking sob escaped his mouth, as he clung on to Carlos, fisting his shirt in his hands. Carlos was crying as well, rocking himself and Kendall back and forth, in a futile attempt to sooth both of them.
"Carlos had gone to the morgue before me; he said there was no reason to bother me if they weren't sure. He already knew, when he'd knocked on my door," Kendall muttered, letting the smoke slowly out of his mouth "Sexual asphyxiation, that's how she died. At least, that's what they told me," he muttered. "I couldn't deal with it. I was alone, and I didn't know how to be alone. Katie had always been there, and then suddenly one day..." Kendall trailed off, and shrugged "You know, it's weird, because we hear about death every day. We all know that our time in this world is limited. And yet the death of a loved one, it's always a surprise when it happens. It's like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things...Wait," Kendall stopped; looking at the officer confused. "Did I just quoted Lemony Snicket?"He wondered to himself. He let a small chuckle "Logan had gotten me the whole series, as a present for some birthday. They're the only books that I ever read willingly, as a child."
The cigarette was almost burnt out, but Kendall sucked at it one more time. He held the smoke in, enjoying the way it burnt. His green eyes darted from the officer, to the window behind him; he smiled when he saw the faint sunbeams sneaking inside the room. He closed his eyes, and for a second he thought he heard James' voice, coming from the corridor outside. He shook his head, and continued his narration.
"I couldn't even bring myself to think about it the first couple of weeks. As I already told you, Logan flew in the second he heard about it on the news, but he only stayed for a couple of days; he couldn't stay longer, due to his classes," Kendall released a small, tired sigh. " After he was gone, Carlos moved himself to my place, to make sure that I ate, bathed, and slept. I was a shell of myself. Not that now I'm whole," he whispered the last part. "I only started obsessing over him when I found Katie's phone, stuck under her pillow. There was a video of them, just a video no photographs or texts or anything. That's when I started thinking of Katie's weird behaviour prior her...Prior her death. How jumpy she was, how she blushed when I asked if there was a guy in her life. I was fast to convince myself that he had something to do with her murder. I showed the video to Carlos, and he confirmed he was the guy he saw at Stephanie's party." Kendall's throat was starting to ache from all the talking. "We put an APB on him, the same day, but...Can you imagine how infuriating it is, to know that the person responsible for your sister's death is somewhere out there, but you have no means of finding him?" Kendall demanded, slamming his fist against the table in front of him "It had been three weeks, three weeks since we'd found that video on Katie's mobile, but we still had nothing. There were no records of him, no nothing. He'd never been apprehended in his life before. I was just about ready to lose it, when one day I miraculously ran into him."
"Dude, are you okay?"
No, he was definitely not okay. It was the first day Kendall had left his house, and that was only because he couldn't stand Carlos fussing over him anymore. He said he was going to the ice-rink, but he had no intention of doing so. He'd ended up wandering aimlessly around the streets, his feet taking him to all of Katie's favourites hang outs.
He'd just left the small park, two blocks away from Katie's high school, and he was walking east, towards the church Katie used to hide at, when she missed their mom, when it happened. He was about to cross the street, not really paying attention. The wind blew, forcing some locks to his eyes, and Kendall flipped his head, in an attempt to push it back. And that's when he caught a glimpse of him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Kendall couldn't bring himself to answer. He'd stopped in front of the car, right in the middle of the street, when he saw the man behind the wheel. Said man, had barely had the time to push the brake before he ran Kendall down. The tires screeched on the asphalt, as the vehicle came to an abrupt stop.
"Are you alright?" the man got out of his car, and walked up to Kendall, putting a hand on his back.
It was him. There was no doubt in Kendall's mind. This was the guy in the video with his sister. This was the guy who had put an end to his baby sister's life. Kendall felt his whole body trembling, as the urge to attack the man and beat him to a pulp rushed through him.
"You're shaking. We should get you to the hospital," the man said, his voice wary.
"No I'm okay," Kendall said once he found his voice. "I just got distracted," he lied, forcing a smile to his face. "Stupid me." The man patted his back.
"You're lucky I got good brakes." He joked, and Kendall nodded, trying to keep his facade on.
"Yeah, I should thank my lucky stars."
"To this day, I don't know how I held back. Once I recognised him, I saw red. All I wanted to do was paint my hands in his blood, but there was this small rational voice in the back of my mind, saying I shouldn't rush into anything," Kendall said, leaving out the fact that the voice sounded incredibly like Logan's. He taped his fingers against the table in a steady rhythm. "I wanted to get to know him. I wanted to make sure that I was right, that he was the one who'd killed Katie. I followed him that day, found out where he worked," Kendall scoffed at this. "He owned a fucking funeral home," He scoffed again, shaking his head. "I dropped by one day, of course I made it look like I was lost, and stopped to ask for directions. He realised I was the same person he'd nearly ran over, and asked me out for a coffee. I wasn't going to say yes, but I did. We started hanging out from that point on. I never told anything to Carlos; I knew he'd stop me if I did." Kendall paused, and took a deep breath. "At first I was disappointed; the guy was sweet, caring, and funny. He didn't look like a monster. But that's why reality is way worse than thrillers," Kendall said, fixing the officer with a serious gaze. "Monsters don't show their true colours, until it's too late for you to notice."
"You didn't even blink." Dak muttered, impressed, and he brought his glass up to his lips.
"I already knew about it," Kendall said, almost indifferently, rolling the cigarette between his fingers. Dak rose his eyebrows questioningly "The truck you were driving the day we met, remember? It said 'Funeral House' on the side," Kendall reminded him.
"Right," Dak dragged the word out. His eyes lingered on Kendall for a second longer, before moving across the bar, where a girl with bright auburn hair was looking at him, while giggling with her friends.
Kendall had noticed how Dak's gaze seemed to always linger. It was subtle, but it was there. Just like the way some times Dak's eyes darkened, while looking at him, or how he always seemed to touch him. And sickening as it was, Kendall thought that it was perfect; it would be the best way to get to know him, to finally figure out whether his instinct had been right or not. But he first had to know for sure that Dak was interested in him like that.
"Must be a tough job," he said, taking a long drag from his cigarette. Dak shrugged his shoulders, his blue eyes returning to Kendall.
"At first, maybe, but then you get used to it. You just learn how to tune out all the pain around you, and do your job, and then-"
"And then go back to your life," Kendall cut him off, and Dak smirked.
"Exactly."
"Which is?" Kendall asked, raising an eyebrow. Dak shook his head, taking a sip from his drink.
"Boring," he said quickly. He looked at Kendall and opened his mouth, but he quickly shut it, and took another sip of his drink.
"What?" Kendall asked, but Dak shook his head "Seriously, what?" he demanded again.
"Well, it was boring," Dak said, his eyes moving once again to find Kendall's. "Until now."
Jackpot.
"What about you?" Dak asked, after a couple of silent seconds. Kendall lowered his head, looking at him under his lashes.
"Broke up with my girlfriend almost half a year ago," he said, seeing how Dak's face fell, once he realised Kendall was straight. "Have been single ever since. Women bore me. I'm starting to think that a change might be good," Kendall said suggestively, throwing a flirtatious smile in, for good measure.
Kendall could feel his stomach turn, when Dak returned the smile. It wasn't the fact that he was flirting with a guy that bothered him, no he didn't even care about that. But this guy, this man was the number one suspect for his sister's murder, and Kendall was flirting with him.
I have to do it, Kendall said to himself.
For Katie.
"We should do that again." Kendall said as they walked down the street, towards his place.
"We've been going out for drinks for the past month," Dak noticed with a soft chuckle, and Kendall smiled at him.
"Yeah well, I'm having fun," he said, waggling his eyebrows. Dak's face turned serious.
"Really?" he questioned, and Kendall simply shrugged, walking ahead of him.
Dak quickly caught up with him, and grabbed his hand. Kendall was in the middle of shouting in surprise, when Dak turned him around, and attacked his lips. Kendall wasn't prepared for it, and he could feel the lunch that Carlos had shoved down his throat, coming up his oesophagus. Dak pulled away as Kendall was about to barf in his mouth.
"So?" Dak asked with a smirk "How was that for a change?"
"At some point I thought I should stop. I was playing with someone's heart, and if it turned out I was wrong, it could get messy," Kendall scratched the side of his neck "But I don't know, I was convinced, deep down that, I wasn't playing with someone who was innocent. I knew that Dak had hurt my sister, even if his behaviour contradicted everything I'd thought of him, up until meeting him." Kendall let a sigh, and licked his lips."I couldn't just back down. I owed to my sister. I had to get to the bottom of this."
After that kiss they said good night, not before making plans for Dak to stop by Kendall's house the next day for drinks. Kendall made it to the house, and he somehow succeeded not to wake Carlos up. He climbed up the stairs, and crawled into his bed without taking his clothes off.
He felt dirty. Dirty and sick on his stomach. He couldn't believe himself. He couldn't believe he was actually going through with it. Some part of him was scared by his ability to lie, and keep calm, when all he wanted was to tear off Dak's face.
He didn't even realise when he'd started crying. In the dark, he felt on his night-stand for the framed photograph, his fingers wrapping tightly around the edge when he caught it. He brought it close to his face, and even though he couldn't make out either Katie or himself in the photo, he smiled. They'd taken this one in his graduation, and Katie was smiling a huge, proud smile looking at him. Kendall traced his fingers over the photo, biting down a scream. He curled on himself, hugging the photo close to his chest, and cried himself to sleep.
Kicking Carlos out of the house for the night was tricky, but he pulled it off. He said that he needed some time on his own, and that Carlos could get back the next day. His best friend hesitated, but gave in when Kendall pointed out that he'd been better this past couple of weeks.
"If anything happens, you call me. Okay?" Carlos asked, pinning in his eyes. Kendall faked a smile, one that Carlos saw right through.
"Don't worry Carlitos, I'll be fine," he said reassuringly, leading him to the exit. Carlos lingered on his porch for about fifteen minutes, before getting into his car, and driving off.
Kendall had less than forty minutes to clean the house of any evidence of Katie and get dressed. He grabbed a box from the garage, and moved around the house, putting in photographs, post-it notes with the things he needed to buy and do that Katie loved to stick on several places around the house and that he never removed, and generally anything that was his sister's. By the time he was done, his face was marked with tear tracks.
He was standing in front of the mirror, tagging at his clothes, and feeling like the worst person alive, when he heard the bell ring. He looked at himself, drawing in a deep breath, and made his way down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.
"Hey," Dak greeted with a wide smile, and Kendall wanted nothing more than to smash his face against the door until there was no blood left in him.
"Hi, right on time," he said, pulling aside, and letting the other man inside.
"Yeah well, I wanted to be here on time," Dak said with a wink. Kendall's fists unconsciously clenched.
"Ugh, do you want a drink?" he asked, moving over to the end table, next to the fireplace. Dak thrust his hands in the pockets of his slacks, nodding.
"Sure," he muttered, looking around. "I like your place," he complimented, when Kendall went back to him, offering him a glass of scotch. "Hey, you remembered my favourite."
"As you said; we've been going out for drinks for almost four weeks now," Kendall said, clinging his glass against Dak's, who laughed "C'mon let's take a seat."
Dak started talking about his day, and Kendall pretended to listen, waiting for the right moment to act. And it came, when Dak let his glass on the coffee table and stretched. Kendall was quick to leave his own glass on the table, and he moved over the other man, pinning him against the couch. His hands moved dangerously close to Dak's neck, and he could almost feel the satisfaction of crashing the other man's pipes under his grip, but instead his pushed his lips over Dak's. He had to get an advantage on him, before trying anything violent.
"Someone's eager tonight," Dak chuckled, when Kendall started trailing a row of kisses down his jaw. Dak ran his hands down Kendall's back, letting his fingers slide under his shirt, but he tensed when he felt Kendall's hand brushing over his crotch "Kendall," He said warningly.
"C'mon, you know you want it," Kendall muttered, in between kisses, his hand palming Dak's crotch. Before he knew it, he was pushed to the other side of the couch, as Dak shot to his feet "What's wrong?" Kendall demanded, letting some of his anger seep in his voice.
"I-it's not your fault," Dak stuttered. Kendall raised his eyebrows.
"No?" Dak shook his head "Is it the house then?" Dak seemed to hesitate. Kendall crossed his arms "What's wrong with my house?"
"N-nothing's wrong, I just can't..." Dak let a frustrated groan "I can't explain this, you need to experience it to understand!" he snapped, and Kendall wondered for a second if getting a confession was worth it. But then Katie's face flashed though his mind, and he set his jaw.
"I gotta experience what?" he asked intrigued, and Dak worried his lip, pinning in his eyes.
"Wanna come with me?" he asked cautiously. Kendall tilted his head on the side; this was a definite change in his plan.
"Where to?"
"Do you trust me?" Dak asked, avoiding to answer his question. Kendall simply blinked at him "C'mon, you'll see."
"I couldn't help, but think whether he'd asked Katie the same thing. Now I know he did." Kendall said, and a small growl escaped his throat "She trusted him, and he took advantage of it! She was only fifteen!" Kendall slammed both his fists against the steel table, his rage getting the best out of him "She must've been so scared. So utterly scared when she walked in that room."
"You'll love this." Dak said excitedly, unlocking the door. He let Kendall walk in first, before joining him. They were standing in the darkness for a few seconds, before Dak switched on the light.
Coffins. There were so many coffins; they covered every inch of the room. Kendall felt light on the head. Is this were he'd taken Katie? Was it too soon to beat the daylights out of him? There was a pair of arms around his waist, and then Dak leaned into him.
"You didn't expect something like that, huh?" Dak's husky voice whispered in his ear, and Kendall shook his head. Dak chuckled. "Most people freak out by the mere sight of a coffin."
"He was sick," Kendall said, now each word coming out with a growl. "He was sick and twisted. I could almost hear Mr. Garcia's words in my mind 'Someone put a hand over her mouth, and nose, during intercourse, making it impossible for her to scream and breathe, or possibly fight back.'" Kendall's nails dug in his skin as he clenched his fists. "There was this shinny coffin in the middle of the room, on a podium. The light fell directly on it, like it was some sort of exhibit." Kendall shook his head, "I really, really don't regret doing it," he said, his eyes pinning on the officer across from him.
Kendall walked up to the coffin, letting his hands touch the lid. A wave of nausea hit him; strong enough to make him double over, but Kendall held himself up leaning against the coffin. He turned around, his eyes looking at Dak. From the corner of his eye he could see a hammer on the floor, next to another coffin.
"You like it too, don't you?" Dak asked, stalking over at him "I can see it in your eyes." Kendall swallowed down, hard.
"If you like it," Kendall started, surprising himself with how calm his voice sounded "Then I like it," he said and Dak pulled him in a tight embrace. Kendall shut his eyes, willing himself to stand still.
"I knew you'd understand! You'll see, it's gonna be awesome!" Dak said. He let go off him, and walked over to the coffin, raising the lid. Kendall darted towards the hammer, and just as Dak turned around, he let a loud, battle cry and brought it down on the man's head.
Dak fell on the floor unconscious with a thud. Kendall doubled over, elbows against his knees, and emptied his stomach contents on the floor. He wiped at his sweaty forehead, before searching around for some rope. When he found what he was looking for, he went back to Dak. After tying his hands behind his back, with the same rope that he immobilised his legs, he dragged him all the way to the coffin, and threw him in it.
"And then I waited," Kendall said, his eyes falling on the table. "Took him a while to wake up. He was disoriented as fuck, and then he started pleading with me and crying, when I told him who I was. I don't think I was being very coherent, I was rather emotional, as you can imagine..."
The moment Kendall realised Dak was stirring, he jumped to his feet, the hammer tightly held in his hand. Dak moved around in the coffin, and he yelped when he realised he could hardly move a muscle. Kendall towered over him, a predatory smile over his face.
"What's going on? Why am I tied up?" Dak demanded, and as if by magic, the dam inside Kendall's mind broke, and all his rage and grief was unleashed.
"Did you kill her?" he asked, his voice shaking. Dak frowned at him.
"What? I killed who? Kendall, what the fuck is going on?" Kendall let a roar, and slammed the hammer on the side of the coffin, making it creak. Dak's eyes widened in fear.
"Did you fucking killer her?! Did you bring-did you b-bring...you fucking bastard!" Kendall screamed, and this time when he swung the mallet, it didn't hit to wood of the coffin, but the bones on Dak's left leg. Dak screamed in pain, twisting in the coffin "Tell me!" Kendall said angrily, banging the coffin once again.
"K-Ken, I have," Dak had to pause to swallow down his pain. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You bastard!" Kendall banged the hammer against the coffin again, and then he brought it over Dak's face "Just tell me! Tell me, you lying piece of shit, did you kill my sister?!" Kendall demanded, the hammer just a hair over Dak's forehead.
"I didn't do anything! I swear, I didn't! Kendall, I swear!" Dak yelled loudly, and Kendall roared again, raising his hammer higher.
"This is your choice!" he cried out, but as he was about to bring it down his head, Dak shrieked,
"No! No please! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!" Kendall noticed that there were tears coming down Dak's cheeks and that only served to make him angrier. He moved his hand lower over the man's body, and with as much as force as he could, he brought the hammer down Dak's other leg. Dak screamed in pain again.
"Tell me what happened," Kendall demanded, his voice getting hoarse. Dak was trying to reach his aching limps. "No use, you're all tied up. Now tell me, or I'll make you regret your silence."
"It was an accident," Dak's voice sounded almost broken "It was an accident, I didn't mean to...I didn't mean to..."
"Dak, please, could we go someplace else?" Katie asked, pushing him away "This place is giving me the creeps," she said, wrapping her arms around her torso.
"Oh c'mon, don't be a baby," Dak teased, walking up at her again. He leaned forward, his lips attaching to her neck, and nibbling on the soft skin there. Katie tried to relax in his embrace, but it was next to impossible. "C'mon," Dak said again, sensing how tense she was "I promise you'll like it. You'll love it, even. And then you'll only wanna do it in here, I promise," he whispered in her ear, placing a small kiss behind it.
Katie let him drag her farther inside the room, ignoring the voice in the back of her mind. Even if she wanted to make a beeline for it, she couldn't; his grasp on her wrist was too tight. Dak smiled at her, but this time she couldn't even fake it. She saw the coffin in the middle of the room, resting on the podium, and her feet stopped moving on their own accord.
"No, no Dak, c'mon," Katie started pulling at her hand, trying to free it. "Please, c'mon let's go. I'm freaking out, I don't wanna be in here!" she said, desperate to get away from this place. Tears sprang to her eyes, when she understood that Dak had no intentions of leaving.
"You will love this," Dak insisted. In one swift move, he'd lifted her off her feet. Katie saw the coffin getting closer as he carried her to it, bridal style. "We will defy death together, it's the ultimate high," Dak mused in her ear, sounding like a crazy person.
"No, no, no, please," Katie was crying by this point. Dak ignored her, and Katie thought she was going to faint, when he slowly placed her inside the coffin.
"No tears," Dak whispered, leaning over her, the pad of his thumbs drying her tears away, only there were more coming in her eyes.
"Please, please let me go," Katie could feel her breath catch in her throat, as she tried to fight her way out "Please Dak, please-"
"Shh, you look so beautiful," Dak mumbled, framing her face with his hands. He brushed his lips over her forehead, and Katie's whole body shook with a sob. "You look so beautiful, like sleeping beauty," he said smiling at her. "Come on baby, calm down," he whispered, his fingers playing with her hair. "I adore you...I only wanna be with you."
Katie was delirious with fear, not only because she was inside a coffin, but because Dak was too strong for her to overpower. She could do nothing, but lie there. The tears flooded her eyes, and she wished for Kendall to smash through the door and come to her rescue. Yes, it was a childish wish, but Katie needed her brother, and he'd never failed her before.
"I'm sorry," She whispered through her tears, thinking how sad and betrayed Kendall would feel once he figured out she'd lied to him. And now this, this was all her fault. And there was no light in the end of the tunnel. None of the two endings that this could have was a happy one. Katie sobbed, as she felt Dak moving over her.
"Shh, close your eyes," he whispered in her ear, probably not noticing how her eyes were already tightly shut. "I'm gonna do everything, you don't even have to move," he said, and Katie felt a hand on her chest. She instinctively tensed, her eyes flying open. "Close your eyes," Dak repeated, and Katie forced her eyes close. He kissed her lips, and he gingerly started kissing down her throat. Katie thought that maybe if she complied he would react better, so she brought her hands to his hair, her fingers mingling in it "I said, don't move!" Dak snapped at her.
"What do you want? For me to act like I'm dead?!" Katie screamed back at him. She saw the flash in his eyes, and her heartbeats picked up even more "Let me go! Just let me go and I won't say anything! Please!"
Katie started fighting against him once again, but Dak was too strong. She heard him unzip his jeans, and she squirmed around, thinking that maybe if they shook enough, the coffin would fall off the podium and topple over. She moved as much as she could, simultaneously screaming, in hopes someone would hear her.
"I said stay still!" Dak yelled, placing his palm over her mouth. Katie fought against it, as Dak lowered his pants and boxer briefs. He slid his hand under the hem of her dress, hooking a finger around the elastic of her panties, and dragging them down.
Katie couldn't focus her gaze anymore. He was putting too much force on his hand, closing off her air pipes. No oxygen came in her body. Her lungs started burning, and her vision was now splotchy. Her head felt light, and it was almost like that feeling before you fall asleep, this stage between the real word and dreamland. And dreaming sounded so nice right now. With one, last, flimsy attempt to throw him off, Katie surrender, giving herself to the world of shadows, and darkness.
"You threw her away like she was garbage!" Kendall screamed, as soon as the tears got the best out of Dak and forced him to choke on his words. Kendall roared like a wounded animal, bringing the hammer down over Dak's chest. The cracking sound that reached his ears made him smile "You wrapped her in a dirty old rug, and threw her on the side of the road! You took away her dignity, you took away her life!" Kendall brought the hammer down again, and Dak started coughing the front of his shirt getting dirty with blood "My sister! She was my sister, you sick fuck!"
"Please, it was just...just an accident," his words came out in soft whizzes, and Kendall was half certain that one of his blows had caused one of Dak's ribs to crack and pierce his lung. "I really didn't mean to kill her."
"I don't fucking care!" Kendall banged the hammer against the coffin "She's dead, and it's your fault. My sister is dead and it's your fucking FAULT!" Kendall screamed livid, banging the side of the coffin again. He brought his hand over Dak's head once more.
"No, no please. I'm gonna confess, I promise I will. Just please." Kendall lowered the hammer only a little, as he leaned over Dak.
"Did you listen, when she pleaded?" he asked, and Dak whimpered "You should've known this wasn't going to end any other way." Kendall said pulling away. Dak was whispering 'please' over and over under his breath.
This time Kendall didn't hit his chest. He didn't hit his legs, or the coffin. This time he brought the hammer down on Dak's head, eliciting a sickening crack from his skull. Blood started oozing out of the gush, but Kendall didn't care. He kept bringing the hammer down and over the other man's head, until his hands and shirt were red with blood, and the coffin was littered with bits and pieces of Dak's brain.
"And then I called the police," Kendall finished. "And you know the rest." This time Kendall was sure he could hear both James and Logan argue with someone outside. He smiled a small smile; Carlos had said he was going to call them, but Kendall hadn't expect them to actually show up. He had been wrong..."I don't care what you think of me, and I don't care what my punishment will be. I'm never gonna regret what I did." Kendall said eyeing the officer across from him "And be honest, wouldn't you do the same thing? If you were in my shoes?"
A/N;Kinda dark, huh? I think it was rushed towards the end...So yeah, the italized part is Kendall's confession to the police officer, if anyone was confused with that. Um, let me know what you think, whether you liked or hated it.