GET KATIE AND KAT OUT those were the only words running through my head. I breathed in more smoke as I entered their room. An ignited beam fell behind me. I reached into Kat's crib and propped her onto my hip and went over to Katie's bed. She was crying her little eyes out. I took her hand and we ran out of the room. Flames took it over as we did. We ran outside and sat on the cool, damp grass. Coughing and crying, hoping our parents got out too.
"Cali?" Katie said, tears streaming down her face. I cuddled her with my free arm and moved farther away from the building as the fire trucks came.
"What Katie?" I said turning her so her back was to the fire and she was looking at me.
"Where's mommy and daddy?" What was I suppose to tell her? They could be in the fire? They could be dead? I didn't know.
I felt a tear slide down my cheek as I thought of what to say to her. I shifted Kat to my other hip and responded "Katie, we're safe, that's all that matters. As long as we're together and you, me, and little Kat here are safe we'll be okay." It was the best thing I could think of.
"Cali? You okay?" Kat's voice said nervously, she knew what I thought of when I held that picture, the one of our family back before. My parents dying, us loosing everything, moving to this hell-hole called Denver. None of that mattered now, today was my eighteenth birthday. The day I was free from child services and adoption. My sisters were too.
I looked at my eleven year old sister, how much she had grown since that day and smiled. Kat had light blonde hair like me and Katie but she was still noticeably younger. Her face was rounder. She was shorter too. I was tall and thin, slightly paler then the two of them, and the mother figure. "Yeah. Yeah I am. Lets go." I grabbed my bag and dragged it downstairs by the rest of them. We had been placed here for nine long years. I couldn't wait to leave. Sure Max and Kenny, our foster parents, were nice and all but I just wanted to get away with my sisters, back to Tulsa.
"Katie get your skinny little but down here I called up the steps and waited for her. My fourteen year old sister had recently become more 'teenage like' and had about a pound of eyeliner on and a shirt that really showed off her curves-in all places-she just discovered what curves boys liked the most. She was pretty though. You could tell from a mile away. She had long blonde hair and deep blue eyes, that were mostly hidden from the eyeliner, she was super-model tall, and she did her best to keep skinny.
"I'm coming!" She said dragging five bags of clothes behind her. She was defiantly coming into her own.
"Well hurry, I want to leave before sundown." I said laughing, Kat joined in with me.
I heard some laughter from behind me. "I sure am going to miss you girls." Max said sadly I hugged her.
"It'll be all right, we'll call. All of us." I said with a smile. I moved to Kenny and hugged him. He had been so nice to us. "Don't think we'll forget you." I grinned, trying to hide my sadness. The whole thing was so bittersweet. I held back tears and said "I'll put the stuff in my car." I took the bags and walked outside. It was cool and the sky darkened above me. Apparently we wouldn't be leaving before night. I stuffed everything in the trunk and went back inside. Kat was being hugged and tears were streaming down her face. She was the one who took things to heart, Kat, every time.
"Come on Kitty Cat we have to get going." I said taking her hand. "Bye." We all gave one last hug and walked out the door. "Katie in front, Kat in back." I stated and got in the drivers side and started the car. "In." With that they got in. Kat curled up in back and Katie flipped on the radio. I turned it down so Kat could sleep.
"I'm hungry." Katie said, breaking the silence.
"I'm sure you are." I mumbled and turned onto the interstate.
Finally Katie fell asleep like her sister and there was peace in the car. I wasn't tired at all, driving kept me up, even though the sunrise was poking up. I continued to drive until I saw the sign burned into my mind, Welcome to Tulsa. I sighed and smiled. I was home again. I drove to my new house, there wasn't much, well anything, in it yet but I just wanted to look around.
I quietly slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. It was the living room I walked into first. Behind it was the kitchen. The two bedroom doors were on the side wall, in the middle was the bathroom. There was a little crevice that contained the doors. I walked into the girls bedroom. I looked at where the twin beds would be, separated by the desk along the back wall. We agreed to paint the walls lime green. I walked over to my room it was the right one and was much smaller because it would only occupy me. I would put my bed along the side wall. I wasn't painting it anything until I was absolutely sure I could afford it. I only had five thousand dollars and I start my job on Wednesday at the furniture store, I got a discount for working there. Until then its Super 8. I locked the house and started driving again. I arrived at the motel in a matter of minutes.
"Katie." I whispered. "Katie." I shook her lightly.
"Hmm?"
"Wake up your sister and help me with the bags, were at the motel." I said and popped the trunk. She followed me out of the car along with her sister. "Take a bag and follow me." I said, when all the bags were out I closed up the car and went into the motel. We checked into our rooms and the girls dropped dead onto the beds.
I sat in the chair watching them, to excited to sleep. They slept a few more hours then woke up for good.
"Bout time, you girls slept the day away." I said putting the book I was reading down. "Lets get changed and get the house painted. We can only stay here a few more days." I said opening up and digging through my bag. I tossed the girls their clothes bag and they dug through looking for an outfit.
When we were completely ready we headed to the paint shop. We got the coolest lime green paint and three brushes. The girls were jumpy on the way to our house. They had never seen it before after all. I hoped they would like it. When we pulled in the drive Katie got out an whistled, we all laughed at nodded and smiled.
"So do you like the place?" I said dragging the paint into the room. Kat nodded as she looked around. "Okay, you guys can stay here and paint right? I'm gonna go get your beds and stuff."
"Yeah, we know, we know don't open the door for strangers, and don't get paint on the carpet." Kat said swiping the brush along the wall putting a line of color over the boring tan. It sure was bright.
"Yeah, well see you in a few." I said leaving the house and going on my way to my new workplace. They had a truck with the stuff I ordered and paid for around back. All I did was switch cars. I drove it back to my house and went inside. The girls had an entire wall done. "Good work, time for the hard stuff, I got an hour to have this thing so lets put all the stuff in the main room until this rooms done." I led them out to the truck and Kat led out a long whistle.
"Just help me move the couches." I grasped the edge of the couch and they grabbed the other end. Slowly, we moved it against the back wall that separated the kitchen and the main room. We went back for the other one and set it against the right wall so they looked like an L. Kat set the end table between them in the corner. We set the coffee table in the center and set the bed frames and mattresses' against the wall. I went in and helped them paint. It was so fun just to be a kid again, if only for a while. We got another wall done before I drove back the truck. They were done when I got back.
"Well that's pretty good for one day. Lets go get some lunch." I said looking around the room.
"You mean dinner…?" Katie said with her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, I'm starving as…" Kat caught my glair and changed her word in mind "heck, starving as heck." I laughed.
"Okay lets go, when we get back we can…" They had that 'kill me now' look "head over to the movies" that I couldn't afford.
"Yes!" They said in unison and hugged me. "We should take showers first." Katie said looking at her paint covered hands. We went back to the hotel and cleaned up. After changing into our good shorts and T-Shirts we headed over to the diner I saw. The…Dingo?
I drove towards the neon sign and parked. When we got in it was empty, well almost empty, there were three boys in the back booth we went to one of the big corner booths.
"What can I get you?" A girl asked. She looked bored with the job and slouched as she stood over us.
"3 burgers, a side of fries with each, and 3 cokes." I announced, already knowing what would be ordered. She walked away and I looked at my two little sisters. "What?" I said after there gaze got uncomfortable.
"I like it here." Kat said with a smile.
"Me too!" Katie chirped in.
"I thought you would, you haven't been here in over nine years." I grinned. The food came and we shut up and enjoyed the burgers. I hadn't had a Tulsa burger in forever. I couldn't wait to have my second, cause that would mean I staid. We finished up and paid the bill. "I'm beat, how bout you guys?"
"Beat? We still got a movie to go to!" Kat said, her grin was visible even in the dark. Katie nodded.
"Right." I said, hoping the ticket prices didn't go up too much. We walked over to the drive in. I wanted to sneak in the back, like I used to when I was a kid, but I doubted reliving a childhood memory was worth going to jail. I just paid the money and we went over to the bleachers. The movie just started when some boys came in.
"Cali? Cali Maryll?" I heard a voice ask from behind and turned around at the sound of my name. No way!
"Darry Curtis?" I said jumping out of my seat and hugging him. "I haven't seen you since forever!" I said, a giant smile across my face.
"Where've you been?"
"Denver, just moved down here with the punks." I said sticking my thumb in their directions. That was our nickname for them. They weren't bad, that's just what we called 'em.
"Great! You remember the kids right?" He said nodding his chin towards a couple of boys, Soda-Pop and Ponyboy. I sure have missed them. Everyone had someone to hang out with. Me and Darry were 18. Katie and Soda were 13, and Kat and Pony were 11. This would be fun. Great to be back home in Tulsa.