Kim looked around her room to see if she forgot to pack anything essential. She had found plain dresses that didn't need hoopskirts towards the back of her closet. She bought them for Monique so she'd have nicer dresses to wear than the ones her parents provided. She was going to give these to her dearest friend for the holidays, but Kim wouldn't be home then. She was leaving with Shego tonight. Besides, Monique hadn't been friendly with her for a while now, and Kim felt their friendship was deteriorating. The teen didn't understand what she had done to make Monique suddenly dislike her. Was it her need for adventure? Was she jealous of Shego? Did she simply not approve of Kim's actions as of late? If that were true, Kim felt Monique would have stopped speaking to her on friendly terms long ago when she discovered Kim went outside at night to run around and climb trees in nothing but her night clothes.
It was too confusing for Kim to figure out. Oh well, if Monique was going to give her the cold shoulder, then Kim didn't really feel bad about leaving in the middle of the night. She had written a note for Monique despite all of this; Kim felt it was only fair, and the other girl did mean a lot to her even if Monique didn't care much for Kim anymore.
Kim's new life was going to begin, and she couldn't wait! She clipped the bag closed and shoved it under her bed just in case someone was to walk in. Her mother had been checking on her every night over this past week. Kim hated how her mother would walk in unannounced, not say a word, and blow the candles out, which left Kim in a dark room. On cue, Ann Possible's footsteps could be heard down the hallway. Kim dove onto her bed and underneath the covers. She had to stop herself from giggling when her mother opened the door.
Ann held a candle in her hand to light the way as she walked around the house. She carefully blew out the one candle Kim had lit earlier in the evening. "Mother," Kim said to her own surprise before Ann left the room.
"Yes?" Ann's lips were pursed.
"I am sorry that I caused this family trouble," Kim sighed. She really was sorry about how her actions led to her family being borderline shamed. Kim knew her mother wasn't being invited to social events lately. "I just don't fit into the mold I was told I needed to fit into. I promise you, mother, that I will no longer cause this family any trouble."
Silence.
Kim pulled at her sheets nervously, bunching them into her hand.
Ann locked eyes with her daughter. Kim realized her mother was trying to get her to say more and admit she was wrong. Kim wasn't about to do that.
"I am sorry about the trouble I caused this family, but I am not sorry about what I did," Kim reiterated.
"I asked you to stay away from Miss Sheila Gordon, but you simply could not stay away from her, could you?" The disappointment in her tone was evident. Kim didn't feel sorry for her, though. She pitied her mother for choosing to crave the socialite lifestyle where everyone was fake and petty.
"Miss Sheila Gordon is my friend," Kim snapped. "And she is much more interesting than the people we usually associate with!"
"Kimberly, you will not be friends with someone so…so…" Ann was so angry that she couldn't form the rest of her sentence.
"Why do you believe the lies people spread about her? What if none of it is true? What then?" Kim queried. She sat up in bed, exposing the fact that she was fully clothed and hadn't changed into her night clothes. Ann seemed to ignore this for the moment because she was probably more concerned with Kim siding with the town black sheep.
"All of it is true," Ann stated in a calmer tone. She sat down on Kim's bed and let out a deep sigh. "She has slept around, she runs around with bare feet, she has no suitors willing to marry her, she is an alleged witch," Ann stated the last accusation slowly, as if she didn't want to tell Kim. The younger girl's eyes went wide; she had no idea Shego was accused of witchcraft! The idea of Shego standing over a cauldron mixing blood and chicken bones made Kim burst out laughing. Kim laughed so hard that her stomach started to hurt, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach to attempt to soothe it. She took in ragged breaths as she continued to laugh in hysterics. Kim felt tears falling down her cheeks. She laughed so hard that she cried! "I have heard her hands glow green." This only made Kim laugh harder at the absurd accusations. Hands that glow green? Why would her mother even believe such a strange, unbelievable accusation?
"Mother," Kim said when she was able to stop her laughter. "I see Miss Sheila more than you think, and not once have I seen her hands glow. I do believe no man here wants to marry her, but that's because she's different. People around here enjoy living boring lives without any notable achievements."
"Kimberly, I strongly advise you to stop whatever nonsense this is and be the person you know you should be," Ann said and took Kim's hands in her own.
Kim gently squeezed her mother's hands and replied, "I will never be the person I should be, but I will promise I will be the person I want to be. Did not you ever want to be something more than a mother and wife?"
Ann stood abruptly and went to leave the room. "We are women and there is nothing more to be," Ann stated as she left, shutting the door behind her.
Kim simply rolled her eyes. She knew her mother was wrong. There were opportunities out there that Kim couldn't wait to find. She wasn't sure what she wanted to be, but she knew she didn't want to be her mother. If she were to live her mother's life, then she'd be miserable until the day she died.
As she waited for the right time to leave, Kim wondered where she would be tomorrow. She really didn't know where she would be going with Shego, but anything was better than the middle of nowhere. Kim hoped they'd just take a train right up to the city where Shego had once lived. New York City seemed so promising with more opportunities and things available to women. Perhaps she'd go out west. Her younger cousin, Joss, and her uncle, Slim, travelled out west years ago. Kim never heard from them again. Maybe they'd meet up again when Kim travelled out there. Maybe she'd just travel around with Shego and not really have a home in one place. Perhaps she'd travel around the world and learn about different people and different cultures that were more exciting than this middle of nowhere town.
When it was time, Kim slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and hoped the rest of her family was asleep. As per usual, Kim didn't hear any footsteps, so she quickly went down the stairs. She slipped a note she wrote earlier in the day underneath Monique's door to her room. Unlike the majority of the slaves, Monique had her own room in the main house. Kim had faith that one day when she made something of herself, she'd buy Monique off of her parents, and the two could live together just like best friends should.
Kim's next stop was the library where Wade usually was late at night. Kim slowly entered the library so as not to startle him, but it was Kim who was startled when she saw her brothers reading books with Wade. The twins gasped; Tim whispered harshly for Kim to shut the door and she did. "What are you two doing here?" Kim asked in a low voice.
"What do you think?" Jim rolled his eyes.
"We're reading," Tim answered.
"With Wade?" Kim was confused.
"Yes, with Wade," the twins answered in unison. To Kim, the fact that they both would say the same thing at the same time spontaneously would always be unnerving.
"Just do not tell our parents," Jim pleaded.
"She knows I have been here," Wade answered for her. "Your sister has been nice to me and allowed me to come in here before you two found me in here."
"Why didn't you tell us?" the boys asked.
"Miss Kimberly…I mean Kim," Wade said getting a nod of approval from her, "has been in a lot of trouble lately."
"Yes she has," Tim grinned.
"More than us!" Jim's smile was wide.
"Which is why I am leaving tonight," Kim gestured to the bag in her arms. "I don't know where I am going, but what I do know is I can no longer live here."
"You can't just leave!" Tim exclaimed.
"It's something I have to do. I want to leave because there's nothing here for me anymore."
"You'll write, won't you?" Jim asked.
"She won't be gone enough to write," Tim folded his arms across his chest. Kim was speechless; she never saw her brothers as anything but one unit, yet seeing their distinct reactions to this situation, Kim was shocked. She didn't expect Jim to be close to tears and Tim to be angry with her. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. In fact, she wasn't supposed to even run into her brothers. She only wanted to inform Wade, which almost made Kim feel slightly guilty she was going to leave her little brothers without saying goodbye.
"I will be back someday," Kim promised. Her brothers didn't rush to hug her or wish her safe travels. Her answer was obviously not good enough for them because they were smart children and they saw right through her lie. Kim had no intentions of coming back any time soon. She doubted she'd ever come back. The boys suddenly bolted out of the room, sprinting as fast as they could up the stairs.
"Thanks for everything," Wade gave her a small smile. "If you ever need anything, well…"
"I will come back for you, or I will write for you to come stay with me. I believe our main goal is New York," Kim explained. "Once we are established, I will find you." And Kim meant it. Wade had no opportunities down south, but if Kim could grant him his freedom, Wade could take some of the opportunities given to him up north. He was just so smart; Kim didn't want to see him wasting his talents just like Kim felt she would be doing if she remained there.
"I better get out of here," Wade said. "You probably should, too, if you want to leave." Kim nodded. Wade didn't ask who she was going with, what she thought she was doing, and he wasn't angry or upset with her. She began to wonder if she even formed a friendship with the boy. He left with an extra quick step when footsteps were heard going down the stairs. Kim followed Wade and ushered him out of the house before her angry father could catch him in his home. His home. This was only ever his and never hers. Kim didn't have a home.
Kim stood by the front door and was thankful she couldn't see Wade anymore. The last thing she needed was her father to find out he was reading his books in his house. Kim rushed passed the stairs as her father was about to reach the bottom. She ran as fast as she could out the back door.
James Possible angrily shouted after her in just his night clothes. Kim didn't dare turn back to look at him. She knew he was running right behind her, just like he had done when she was nine years old. Her father ended up easily catching up to her and picked her up after she tripped on the ground. Now, Kim wasn't in a hoopskirt, she was fourteen years old, and had been working on her stamina. All she had to do was outlast him until he got too tired, similar to an animal outrunning its predator.
Kim didn't notice what James was yelling or whether or not her brothers were cheering for her or her father (probably her father since they had to ruin her quiet escape plan). She had no idea if her mother made it out of bed or not. Kim continued to run towards the peach trees, her heart pounding in her chest from being chased for so long. Kim wasn't tiring out, and she wasn't panting. Don't turn back. Kim repeated this to herself when she felt the need to turn around to check on her father. She recalled in a book she recently read that if she looked back, her speed would fall, her panic would rise, and she'd be caught. The book hadn't been published, but it was a handwritten journal left by her grandmother on her father's side. There were times Kim didn't know if it had been fiction or fact, but she had shoved it into her bag a while ago before she really started packing for her journey.
Kim wasn't going to look behind her because she didn't want to get caught. The dried grass seemed crunchier under her shoes than usual, the sounds of insects seemed louder, the blood pounding in her ears made it impossible to hear her father's words, but she was hyperaware of the steps he took until they started to fade and get quieter and quieter as she zigzagged through the tall cotton fields, taking the long way to her meeting spot.
When Kim finally reached the peach trees, she realized she no longer heard her father coming after her anymore. Instead, Shego jumped down from a tree and cackled at how disheveled Kim must have looked. Luckily, Kim's face was red from exertion, so Shego couldn't see that she was blushing from the soft glow from her lantern. "You didn't have to run," Shego shook her head with a smirk.
"My brother found out," Kim panted. "My father just chased me all the way out here."
"Well, you must have lost him a while ago because I didn't see anyone chasing you," Shego said. Kim dared to look behind her and found he wasn't there. She smiled broadly. She was free! Kim was finally free from her overbearing father, her perfectionist mother, and the trouble-maker twins. "Are you ready, or are you just going to stand there like a fool with that stupid grin on your face?"
Stupid grin and all, Kim turned towards Shego and nodded eagerly.
"Well then, let's go," Shego turned and started to walk away. Kim caught up to walk beside her and forgot to ask exactly where they were headed.
So sorry for the month long wait in updates. I was sick like all of November (a cold because I refused to take any time off of work). I'm feeling kind of better now, just tired because I don't rest most days like I should! Anyway, Kim is finally out of her house and is on the road with Shego! What'll happen to them? Hopefully I'll update before January :)
