Chapter 4
Goodbyes
"Well, could Ellie go with your dad and you and Lex stay here?"
Catie looked at Matty, Matilda Andrews, and raised a sarcastic eyebrow at her best friend, before pretending to sink deep into thought.
"Hmm, could my father be convinced to go and live on the other side of the world of the planet, taking only the most irritating of his three children with him, whilst leaving the other two here to do, lets face it, exactly what they want, which in Alex's case would be to sleep until he couldn't use his limbs due to muscle wastage, only on the say so of Matty Andrews, international relations expert? Much as I want it to be true, I really think not!"
"Well, what about just Lex then?"
"Mattie! And I thought you loved me best!?"
"I do, but as a straight woman, I just don't find you have quite as much sex appeal as your brother does."
"Eww I totally don't want to think of my brother that way!"
The talk trailed off and her friend watched Catie sadly, of all those Catlin had to say goodbye to she knew Matty would be one of the hardest. Her oldest friend. The only one who had been in her life long enough to meet her her mother and steadfast enough to see her through the worst of her grief at her loss. How could she say goodbye?
"We'll have email and the phone and stuff and you could come and visit me some holidays and I could come and visit you others... Anyway I'm eighteen soon and then I can come straight back."
Even as she was saying it Cate wondered if her oldest friend could tell that she was lying, could see her fear that she would not live long enough after this move to reach eighteen, let alone get to the stage in her life, where, if she stayed true to her calling she could ever consider coming back.
Her brother Lex's attitude to leaving his friends was a great deal more relaxed, as if it could ever be anything else.
Observe: "My dad got a new job and we all have to move to California at the end of the week."
"Dude!"
"I know."
As for Ellie you could hear the response of her and hers to the news from several miles away. The level of weeping and screaming could be hear from so far away that Cate rolled her eyes, thinking that 'from the level of noise it was Ellie wandering off to her death on the other side of the planet, not me. Hmm' she mused 'there was a tempting but unforgivable thought.
At the hospital where he worked her father got a leaving party, with a cake, that had been specially made for the occasion with the logo from the television program 'ER' iced on to it. A very good job at very short notice he thought ruefully.
He watched Doctor Morris, Hannah, wistfully, she was another consultant from his department who he had always wanted to see more of, but, things had never been right. Either it had been too soon after the death of his beloved wife, to him not having the time because he had three teenage children to take care of, one of which, from the age of thirteen had gone out looking for things to kill to avenge her mothers death, which to his mind was more a case of 'new and interesting ways to get yourself killed'. And now that child had an official duty to go out and find things to kill, on the
ther side of the world, thus removing all chance of him ever getting around to asking Doctor Morris out for dinner. No moving on for Chris.
But for them all the hardest goodbye was yet to come. After school and work they stood by the grave each clutching a bunch of flowers, each with something to say.
"Bye Mum. I promise we'll be back eventually and even if we're not we'll never forget you. Ever. I really wish you were here." Catie started sadly.
"I miss you Mum." Ellie stated.
"Cya Mum" Alex said simply, but Catie could see the deep, true sadness pushed into that single short statement. They each placed their bunch of flowers on the grave.
Their father stood with his shoulders bowed. Catie took the silent hint and dragged her brother and sister away.
"We're leaving, Kara, for Catie to take your place as the Slayer and I'm afraid I can't help but be a little angry with you for that somehow. I do know it's not your fault though, but she's right, I do wish you were here to help her, to help us all. I know she'll be alright, because she learned from the best, love, she learned from you. I promise you I'll keep her as safe as I can for you. For us. I love you and I miss you. Every day I expect to find it's eased a bit and I miss you a little less, but it never seems to. We're not really leaving you, you know? I know you're with us every step of the way. I love you, then now and always."
He put his flowers down on the grave.
"To California then, my darling." he said softly.
They moved out of the house they had grown up in the next morning, each touching objects, that could not be moved as they left, as if contact with a work surface or a door frame would crystallize the memories attached to them, to this place. Their memories of growing up, of wins and losses, of births and deaths, of grief and joy and of her, their mother, his wife.
They all left the house, a home in limbo, no longer theirs but as yet unsold, with pain in their hearts and some excitement at the new start, at sunshine, at what was to come.
And Catie's last thought as the home she grew up in left her sight was rather grimmer than those of her siblings. It was 'Roll on the Hellmouth!'
