Peter and Sophie led Katherine into the office and closed the door after them. Katherine sat in one of the chairs, silent, wondering what was going on. Sophie sat on the edge of the desk and Peter started to pace, but Sophie stopped him. He rubbed his chin and looked like he was thinking about what he was going to say. Peter stood in front of her and suddenly Kat knew what he was going to say.
"Katherine, there's no easy way to say this. Your parents, they were on one of those planes. It was a flight from Boston to Los Angeles. It was the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center," Peter said softly.
"No, it couldn't have been them! Why would they be in Boston? We don't know anyone in Boston!"
"Visiting your great-aunt and uncle."
"Why were they there? How do you know they were on that flight? They could have gotten on another flight!"
"Parents are required to call and tell us about trips they go on, in case something happens to one of you, we'll know where to reach them. Your great-aunt was having surgery and your dad said she really wanted him there for it. The surgery was last week and they stayed until she was settled back at home."
"But how do you know they were on that flight?"
"We called the airline and they confirmed your parents boarded the flight."
Katherine stared straight ahead, looking past Peter, not showing any emotion.
Sophie sat on the edge of the chair and put an arm around her.
"I don't believe you. I want proof."
"I can't give you proof, Katherine," he said gently. He knelt down in front of her. "I have never lied to you, Katherine, about anything. I wouldn't lie about this. I know you're shocked; the whole world is. But denying it won't make it any easier. Talk to me, Kat. What do you feel?"
Kat's eyes started to water and a few tears escaped down her cheek. "Nothing. I don't feel anything!" she jumped up and ran out of the office, out of the lodge, and to the dorm. She stopped short when she entered the dorm and looked around, panting. Nobody was there. She threw herself on her bed and buried her face in her pillow.
A few minutes later, she heard someone come in, and she quickly wiped her eyes and pulled a random book off her desk and sat up on her bed, pretending to be doing some work out of it.
It was Juliette. She saw Kat and ran over to her, and sat down next to her.
"Kat, what happened? I saw you run out of the lodge." she asked. Kat didn't answer. She kept her head down and turned a few pages in her book. "Kat, come on, you can tell me." She put a hand on her shoulder. Kat stopped going through her book and her whole body started to shake. A few tears dropped on her book, and she covered her face with a hand. She looked up at Juliette and saw worry all over her face.
"Oh, Jules - my parents were on one of the planes!" she choked out. She burst into tears. Juliette put her arms around her, her own eyes filling with tears. For a long time she sat there with Kat, not saying anything, only offering comfort.
Daisy came in a little later, and Juliette was still sitting with Katherine.
"What's wrong with her?" Daisy asked.
"Her parents were on one of the planes," Juliette whispered.
Daisy came over and sat next to her. "Kat, I'm sorry," she finally said. Kat sat up and nodded a thanks. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Only if you can rewind time and stop my parents from getting on the plane."
"If I could do that I would."
"Maybe you should have read it in your stupid cards!" Kat said, starting to get angry.
"Kat-" Juliette began.
"No, Jules. She's angry. If she has to blame me to feel better, I can deal with it."
"No, Dais, I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
She started to cry again. Juliette put her arms around her again.
Shelby walked in then. "Hey, Kat, I'm so sorry, I just heard." She sat on the bed next to Daisy. "Peter's brought the TV in. He thought you might want to see what happened."
"Want to see what happened?! Why would I want to see the plane my parents were on, flying into a skyscraper? Why would I want to see it when imagining it is terrifying enough!"
"If you aren't ready, its okay. It'll probably be on the news for days," Daisy said. "Just give yourself time."
Kat was quiet for a few minutes. "I need some time to myself," she whispered. Juliette gave her a final hug before they left.