Chapter 9
As Kate felt her mind clearing she had a vision. It wasn't a psychedelic druggie type of trip. It was an informative kind. Kate saw Jack being busted again for one of her own mistakes. She saw him suffering for HER mistakes. Her whole mind raced and all she could think of now was Jack getting hurt and never wanting to talk to her again. She shook her head and let the thoughts disappear.
"You OK?" Racetrack leaned against the wall beside Kate just as she hopped away from the wall.
"Fine," she replied. She started for her house. She turned back around and stated, "I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry."
Racetrack got up. "Yeah, sure, but ain't ya comin' back in? Da party ain't even started really…"
"No, I really need to be getting some rest." She started off again. She stopped and turned to face Racetrack one last time. "Oh, and tell Jack it's not his fault." She quickly dashed to her house, climbing in one of the windows that she found wasn't locked. She couldn't stay anymore. Running away was the only solution. Her parents were dead. Her friend was dying of her misery. And she was killing herself with all of her stupidity. Nothing was going right. Her things were already packed and there was a note on her bed:
"Eviction MUST Be Complete, By Order Of John R. Lansdale, By The Date Below: January 1st, 1900, Happy New Year. Please leave your house IMMEDIATELY." It was still only early December.
Kate shrugged and was happy she didn't have to do any packing. She thought for a moment though and remembered what her butler had said. He told her that her Mother's friend was expecting her somehow, sometime, someplace in New Mexico. Grabbing a sheet of paper from her bag and a pen, Kate scribbled a note to whomever might come in, explaining her departure from the house and not to expect her in New Mexico. She rushed down the stairs with her bags and suddenly stopped. This was her house. She had lived most of her life here. And she was suddenly going to leave it without a good bye of any sort.
Kate dropped her bags beside the door and slowly walked through all of the half-empty rooms. Her Mother's furniture was given to friends and relatives, which was what her Mother's friends and relatives thought was best. Kate wanted to pick a fight with them all. When Kate got to the third floor steps she stopped. She had barely ever been on the third floor and wondered what might be there. As she walked through each room she felt her eyes come across a carved out rectangle in the ceiling, a string hanging from it. "The attic," she whispered. She pulled at the almost invisible string and climbed up the wooden stairs, watching to keep her dress clean.
The attic was dark and Kate climbed back down to get a candle from the first floor. When she climbed back up she was dismal. There was nothing of interest. As she began climbing back down she realized that there WAS something in the room. She climbed back up, weary from all the climbing, and crawled over to a large chest. She fiddled with it for a bit and finally got it open. She was astonished. Inside of it, there were pictures of her Father. There were pictures of her Mother. There were pictures of her. And there were pictures of all of them all together. Underneath the pictures, there were drawings that were signed by Kate. After glancing through a few, she came across one in particular:
"MOM, I sory fer beig bad sumtims. I hop u hav a god MOTHERS DAY. Luv, Kate."
The words "MOM" and "MOTHERS DAY" were in different letters, obviously a teachers writing. Kate felt her throat get stuck and saw the tears coming down her face. She wiped the tears away quickly and realized that she couldn't leave the chest for the new owners to take and destroy. She couldn't possibly take the chest with her, but she could at least take what was inside. She climbed BACK down, grabbing a large trash bag that she found in the kitchen, and raced BACK to the third floor, climbing BACK up to the attic. Then she carefully placed all of the precious memories into the bag and tied it up tightly.
Now she was ready. She slowly walked down the steep stairs and picked up her suitcases, ready for her new life.
Suddenly, the door flew open. And guess who was standing there?
"Jack?" Kate whispered, "What are you doing here?"
"Where ya goin' Kate?" Jack eyed the suitcases.
"What did Racetrack say?"
"Are you gonna keep answerin' my questions wit more questions?" Jack scowled.
"Are you?" Kate cracked a smile and dropped her bags. She gave Jack a big hug.
After a few moments, Jack pulled away. "Where was ya plannin' on goin'?" he inquired.
Kate shrugged and replied, "Somewhere."
"Ya know, I wanna talk ta youse about ya drug and al…"
"No Jack." Kate put her hand up, but Jack went on.
"… cohol problems. You could really hurt yaself. And I ain't just sayin' dis fa my health. I mean, a lot'a people have died from overdosin' and people get runned ova' by drunks and… I don't want dat ta happen to ya. Wit ya Mudda' away, it's prolly even harder. But ya gotta fight it. Ya gotta. Dat's just da way tings go."
Kate chuckled, "The way things go? It's not as easy as it seems Jack. Life itself is not as easy as it seems, or should be. And my Mother being away does make it harder," she sniffed, her eyes beginning to fill with tears again, "And I just wish I never had started in the first place. But I did. And…" She buried her face in Jack's shoulder.
"I ain't gonna comfort ya all da time. With mistakes der's always consequences. Ya friends could really give you some consequences." He cracked a smile and wiped the tears from Kate's cheeks. He took a deep breath and slowly let it come back out. "I don't wanna be goin' to ya funeral soon," he whispered.
Kate was shocked. She hugged Jack again. "You won't Jack. I promise."
READ ON TO THE LAST CHAPTER! FINALLY! *GRINS*
~*~*~*~
AUTHORS NOTE: This chapter is kinda messy. I wasn't rushing, but I was… I donno. But I hope it's OK anyway! Thanks EVERYONE for all of your reviews. I REALLY appreciate any kind of feedback. I also wasn't sure whether they used PENS back then… and I'm too lazy today to check into it. Just a thought, I might have to change the pen and paper part… Also, I wasn't sure if I used EVICTION in the right terms. Anyone care to comment? Lol *grins* Thanks again all! MUAH!
As Kate felt her mind clearing she had a vision. It wasn't a psychedelic druggie type of trip. It was an informative kind. Kate saw Jack being busted again for one of her own mistakes. She saw him suffering for HER mistakes. Her whole mind raced and all she could think of now was Jack getting hurt and never wanting to talk to her again. She shook her head and let the thoughts disappear.
"You OK?" Racetrack leaned against the wall beside Kate just as she hopped away from the wall.
"Fine," she replied. She started for her house. She turned back around and stated, "I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry."
Racetrack got up. "Yeah, sure, but ain't ya comin' back in? Da party ain't even started really…"
"No, I really need to be getting some rest." She started off again. She stopped and turned to face Racetrack one last time. "Oh, and tell Jack it's not his fault." She quickly dashed to her house, climbing in one of the windows that she found wasn't locked. She couldn't stay anymore. Running away was the only solution. Her parents were dead. Her friend was dying of her misery. And she was killing herself with all of her stupidity. Nothing was going right. Her things were already packed and there was a note on her bed:
"Eviction MUST Be Complete, By Order Of John R. Lansdale, By The Date Below: January 1st, 1900, Happy New Year. Please leave your house IMMEDIATELY." It was still only early December.
Kate shrugged and was happy she didn't have to do any packing. She thought for a moment though and remembered what her butler had said. He told her that her Mother's friend was expecting her somehow, sometime, someplace in New Mexico. Grabbing a sheet of paper from her bag and a pen, Kate scribbled a note to whomever might come in, explaining her departure from the house and not to expect her in New Mexico. She rushed down the stairs with her bags and suddenly stopped. This was her house. She had lived most of her life here. And she was suddenly going to leave it without a good bye of any sort.
Kate dropped her bags beside the door and slowly walked through all of the half-empty rooms. Her Mother's furniture was given to friends and relatives, which was what her Mother's friends and relatives thought was best. Kate wanted to pick a fight with them all. When Kate got to the third floor steps she stopped. She had barely ever been on the third floor and wondered what might be there. As she walked through each room she felt her eyes come across a carved out rectangle in the ceiling, a string hanging from it. "The attic," she whispered. She pulled at the almost invisible string and climbed up the wooden stairs, watching to keep her dress clean.
The attic was dark and Kate climbed back down to get a candle from the first floor. When she climbed back up she was dismal. There was nothing of interest. As she began climbing back down she realized that there WAS something in the room. She climbed back up, weary from all the climbing, and crawled over to a large chest. She fiddled with it for a bit and finally got it open. She was astonished. Inside of it, there were pictures of her Father. There were pictures of her Mother. There were pictures of her. And there were pictures of all of them all together. Underneath the pictures, there were drawings that were signed by Kate. After glancing through a few, she came across one in particular:
"MOM, I sory fer beig bad sumtims. I hop u hav a god MOTHERS DAY. Luv, Kate."
The words "MOM" and "MOTHERS DAY" were in different letters, obviously a teachers writing. Kate felt her throat get stuck and saw the tears coming down her face. She wiped the tears away quickly and realized that she couldn't leave the chest for the new owners to take and destroy. She couldn't possibly take the chest with her, but she could at least take what was inside. She climbed BACK down, grabbing a large trash bag that she found in the kitchen, and raced BACK to the third floor, climbing BACK up to the attic. Then she carefully placed all of the precious memories into the bag and tied it up tightly.
Now she was ready. She slowly walked down the steep stairs and picked up her suitcases, ready for her new life.
Suddenly, the door flew open. And guess who was standing there?
"Jack?" Kate whispered, "What are you doing here?"
"Where ya goin' Kate?" Jack eyed the suitcases.
"What did Racetrack say?"
"Are you gonna keep answerin' my questions wit more questions?" Jack scowled.
"Are you?" Kate cracked a smile and dropped her bags. She gave Jack a big hug.
After a few moments, Jack pulled away. "Where was ya plannin' on goin'?" he inquired.
Kate shrugged and replied, "Somewhere."
"Ya know, I wanna talk ta youse about ya drug and al…"
"No Jack." Kate put her hand up, but Jack went on.
"… cohol problems. You could really hurt yaself. And I ain't just sayin' dis fa my health. I mean, a lot'a people have died from overdosin' and people get runned ova' by drunks and… I don't want dat ta happen to ya. Wit ya Mudda' away, it's prolly even harder. But ya gotta fight it. Ya gotta. Dat's just da way tings go."
Kate chuckled, "The way things go? It's not as easy as it seems Jack. Life itself is not as easy as it seems, or should be. And my Mother being away does make it harder," she sniffed, her eyes beginning to fill with tears again, "And I just wish I never had started in the first place. But I did. And…" She buried her face in Jack's shoulder.
"I ain't gonna comfort ya all da time. With mistakes der's always consequences. Ya friends could really give you some consequences." He cracked a smile and wiped the tears from Kate's cheeks. He took a deep breath and slowly let it come back out. "I don't wanna be goin' to ya funeral soon," he whispered.
Kate was shocked. She hugged Jack again. "You won't Jack. I promise."
READ ON TO THE LAST CHAPTER! FINALLY! *GRINS*
~*~*~*~
AUTHORS NOTE: This chapter is kinda messy. I wasn't rushing, but I was… I donno. But I hope it's OK anyway! Thanks EVERYONE for all of your reviews. I REALLY appreciate any kind of feedback. I also wasn't sure whether they used PENS back then… and I'm too lazy today to check into it. Just a thought, I might have to change the pen and paper part… Also, I wasn't sure if I used EVICTION in the right terms. Anyone care to comment? Lol *grins* Thanks again all! MUAH!