The biting cold air sunk through the layers of Kay's coat and clothing. It
was as if she could feel her bones begin to freeze over, but the searing
burn from the cold night would not hinder her from getting as far away as
she could from the people in that house. There was nothing that could stop
Kay Bennett from continuing her travels.
Nothing.
************************************************************************
"Where am I?"
Kay asked the question to no one in particular as she pulled her coat and scarf closer to her body. She'd been walking in the snow for what seemed like hours, but she could not tell which direction she was heading. The night's visibility was barely a few feet, and the fact that she was almost frozen over didn't help but add to her frustration.
A hundred feet ago, she passed what seemed to be the façade of a building, but Kay was not positive as to which building she had brushed her hand up against. All she knew was that it was made of brick, but almost every building in Harmony was made of brick, so the knowledge of the structure's material helped little. She continued on her journey, not sure where she was going or if she was getting anywhere. If fate had had its way with Kay, she would have walked completely full circle, and end up standing on her front porch, but Kay Bennett wouldn't allow fate to take a hold of her life anymore. She was making her own destiny.
Screw fate.
She didn't believe in it, not anymore at least. If someone would have asked her if she believed in the dreaded 'fate' a couple months ago, she would have been as eager to answer "yes" as Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald would, but not anymore. No. Kay Bennett was through with all things that had to do with fate, destiny, and love.
She didn't have anyone now. No one there, but her own self.
And her child.
Her child.
Not Miguel's.
No. The child that she carried in her womb belonged solely to Kay. Though this child was conceived from two people, its only true parent would be her. The only one who would raise it, feed it, clothe it, care for it, love it, would be her. The moment she stepped foot outside the door of her childhood home, Kay knew that she was no longer a member of that family, no longer a daughter, no longer a sister, no longer a friend. She and her child were going to have to make a life for themselves, together. 'Just you and me, baby.' Kay thought as she placed a hand on her belly.
************************************************************************
"Grace?"
"Aunt Grace?"
"Mom?"
She heard the voices but could not, did not respond. The only thing that occupied her thoughts was the face of her eldest daughter. Grace Bennett placed her hands in her head and shed tears of agony.
"It's all my fault." She whispered between sobs, "everything. It's all my fault."
"No, Aunt Grace," Charity stood and walked toward her Aunt to comfort her, "you musn't blame yourself. It's no one's fault."
"No," Grace looked into the eyes of her niece, "it IS my fault."
Sam Bennett stared out the window of his home and watched as the blizzard raged outside. His mind was racing since he had found out that his little girl had run out into the same storm he was watching. He had rushed to the phone, as soon as he had gotten over the initial shock, to let his men know that his daughter was missing. If it weren't for the three feet of snow outside, Sam would have climbed into his truck and plowed through the snow to find his daughter, but in the last half-hour all the roads were closed and the pathway to his driveway was blocked by snow, as was his front door.
He was trapped. Trapped without a way to get to his little girl.
His wife's words echoed in his mind as he recalled the argument Kay and Grace had earlier that evening. Sam cringed when his memory recalled his wife's eyes burn with rage at their eldest daughter, and Kay's eyes widen as her mother's hand made contact with her cheek. Sam cursed himself for not putting a stop to this before it got to be that serious. His daughter felt threatened in her own home, and his wife had resorted to using her hand to physically punish her own child. He didn't pretend to comfort his wife when she had blamed herself, for part of Sam wanted to put the blame on Grace as well. But, he couldn't help but feel partly to blame. He hadn't done anything when he saw the pain in his daughter's eyes. He had dismissed it all as some petty teenage problem, nothing more than a love-sick girl. But, Sam wanted to hit himself for being so naïve, for not listening to his paternal instincts. He turned to watch as Charity tried to console his weeping wife, and his eyes turned toward a figure that was huddled in the corner of his living room. Part of Sam Bennett wanted to rush over to that figure and throw him up against the wall, pummeling him into a pulp, but another part of the father wanted to reassure his daughter's childhood friend that Kay would be alright. Sam watched as the man in the corner lifted his head with pain in his eyes.
************************************************************************
'God?' Miguel lifted his eyes toward the heavens as his heart cried out for his friend, 'please don't take her from me!'
Miguel ran a hand through his hair and rested his head back against the wall behind him. So much had happened that evening. So much had taken place that shouldn't have. So many regrets filled his mind as he sat there in agony. He thought back to his conversation with Kay earlier that night, and he grimaced with guilt as he recalled his words to her.
"Not right now, Kay." Miguel coldly spoke, "Can't you see that I'm trying to talk to Charity? Why can't you leave me alone?"
STUPID.
Utterly stupid.
That was how Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald felt as the memory of that night flooded his mind. How could he be so cold, so callous toward her? It wasn't like Miguel to push Kay aside.
Was it?
Miguel sunk into the hard corner with a groan. In all the years he's known Kay Bennett, Miguel never would have imagined her leaving her home, her family, but most of all, leaving him. No, this couldn't be happening, it couldn't.
But, it is.
************************************************************************
"Uncle, Hank?"
Jessica Bennett watched as her uncle, the one who's always been closest with her sister, sat on her family's sofa with a crease in his forehead.
"Uncle, Hank?" She inquired once more to her unresponsive uncle, "can I get you something? A drink? Something?"
"Jess, I don't want anything." His voice, low and soft, resounded in the silent room.
"Please," Jessica pleaded, "I need to do something. Someone, please give me something to do!"
In her anger and frustration, Jessica pounded her fist onto the wall, and was surprised to see that the force she exerted was strong enough to place a dent in the living room wall. Jessica jumped back in astonishment, though the others in the room did not even flinch at the sight.
"Jess, honey," Reese Durkee pushed his glasses higher onto his nose, and walked toward his girlfriend, "don't take it out on the wall."
"I can't help it, Reese," Jessica sighed as she sunk into his embrace, "why did she have to go? Why did she leave me?"
"I don't know, Jess," Reese tried desperately to calm her down, "I don't know."
************************************************************************
"I don't understand."
That phrase was repeated over and over by Kay's oldest brother. Ethan paced back and forth on his father's living room floor as he spoke once again.
"I don't understand."
Albeit, Ethan didn't understand a lot these days, but this topped the list. He knew that Kay had been distraught over her situation, what nineteen-year- old girl wouldn't be? But, how was it that she had gotten so upset, that she thought the best thing to do was to leave?
In the middle of a raging blizzard, nonetheless.
"I don't understand."
************************************************************************
Kay walked on into the night as she felt the chill run down her spine for the millionth time. She knew that it was getting late, or rather early into the morning hours, because the clock in her mother's hall had chimed in that it was midnight, just before Kay left the house.
Her eyes were growing weary, and her pace had slowed down quite considerably. The fatigue hadn't hit her until that moment, and as her eyelids fought to stay open, Kay Bennett's heart still urged her to soldier on. It wasn't until a few moments after, her thoughts began to slowly fade into a dark abyss, and she felt her knees, beneath her, grow weak. Her eyes could stay open no longer, and her head began to spin as did her surroundings. The last picture that flashed in her mind was that of the gray-stone fountain that sat in the center of Lighthouse Park. Kay felt her body and mind collapse with exhaustion, and seconds later there was nothing but the darkness.
************************************************************************
*A/N* I hope you guys liked this little add-on to the first chapter. This story was intended to be a "one-shot" kinda thing, but I had gotten so many reviews and e-mails asking for more, that I simply couldn't resist. So, here you are! Please r/r, feedback is what keeps me going! =) Thanks!
Nothing.
************************************************************************
"Where am I?"
Kay asked the question to no one in particular as she pulled her coat and scarf closer to her body. She'd been walking in the snow for what seemed like hours, but she could not tell which direction she was heading. The night's visibility was barely a few feet, and the fact that she was almost frozen over didn't help but add to her frustration.
A hundred feet ago, she passed what seemed to be the façade of a building, but Kay was not positive as to which building she had brushed her hand up against. All she knew was that it was made of brick, but almost every building in Harmony was made of brick, so the knowledge of the structure's material helped little. She continued on her journey, not sure where she was going or if she was getting anywhere. If fate had had its way with Kay, she would have walked completely full circle, and end up standing on her front porch, but Kay Bennett wouldn't allow fate to take a hold of her life anymore. She was making her own destiny.
Screw fate.
She didn't believe in it, not anymore at least. If someone would have asked her if she believed in the dreaded 'fate' a couple months ago, she would have been as eager to answer "yes" as Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald would, but not anymore. No. Kay Bennett was through with all things that had to do with fate, destiny, and love.
She didn't have anyone now. No one there, but her own self.
And her child.
Her child.
Not Miguel's.
No. The child that she carried in her womb belonged solely to Kay. Though this child was conceived from two people, its only true parent would be her. The only one who would raise it, feed it, clothe it, care for it, love it, would be her. The moment she stepped foot outside the door of her childhood home, Kay knew that she was no longer a member of that family, no longer a daughter, no longer a sister, no longer a friend. She and her child were going to have to make a life for themselves, together. 'Just you and me, baby.' Kay thought as she placed a hand on her belly.
************************************************************************
"Grace?"
"Aunt Grace?"
"Mom?"
She heard the voices but could not, did not respond. The only thing that occupied her thoughts was the face of her eldest daughter. Grace Bennett placed her hands in her head and shed tears of agony.
"It's all my fault." She whispered between sobs, "everything. It's all my fault."
"No, Aunt Grace," Charity stood and walked toward her Aunt to comfort her, "you musn't blame yourself. It's no one's fault."
"No," Grace looked into the eyes of her niece, "it IS my fault."
Sam Bennett stared out the window of his home and watched as the blizzard raged outside. His mind was racing since he had found out that his little girl had run out into the same storm he was watching. He had rushed to the phone, as soon as he had gotten over the initial shock, to let his men know that his daughter was missing. If it weren't for the three feet of snow outside, Sam would have climbed into his truck and plowed through the snow to find his daughter, but in the last half-hour all the roads were closed and the pathway to his driveway was blocked by snow, as was his front door.
He was trapped. Trapped without a way to get to his little girl.
His wife's words echoed in his mind as he recalled the argument Kay and Grace had earlier that evening. Sam cringed when his memory recalled his wife's eyes burn with rage at their eldest daughter, and Kay's eyes widen as her mother's hand made contact with her cheek. Sam cursed himself for not putting a stop to this before it got to be that serious. His daughter felt threatened in her own home, and his wife had resorted to using her hand to physically punish her own child. He didn't pretend to comfort his wife when she had blamed herself, for part of Sam wanted to put the blame on Grace as well. But, he couldn't help but feel partly to blame. He hadn't done anything when he saw the pain in his daughter's eyes. He had dismissed it all as some petty teenage problem, nothing more than a love-sick girl. But, Sam wanted to hit himself for being so naïve, for not listening to his paternal instincts. He turned to watch as Charity tried to console his weeping wife, and his eyes turned toward a figure that was huddled in the corner of his living room. Part of Sam Bennett wanted to rush over to that figure and throw him up against the wall, pummeling him into a pulp, but another part of the father wanted to reassure his daughter's childhood friend that Kay would be alright. Sam watched as the man in the corner lifted his head with pain in his eyes.
************************************************************************
'God?' Miguel lifted his eyes toward the heavens as his heart cried out for his friend, 'please don't take her from me!'
Miguel ran a hand through his hair and rested his head back against the wall behind him. So much had happened that evening. So much had taken place that shouldn't have. So many regrets filled his mind as he sat there in agony. He thought back to his conversation with Kay earlier that night, and he grimaced with guilt as he recalled his words to her.
"Not right now, Kay." Miguel coldly spoke, "Can't you see that I'm trying to talk to Charity? Why can't you leave me alone?"
STUPID.
Utterly stupid.
That was how Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald felt as the memory of that night flooded his mind. How could he be so cold, so callous toward her? It wasn't like Miguel to push Kay aside.
Was it?
Miguel sunk into the hard corner with a groan. In all the years he's known Kay Bennett, Miguel never would have imagined her leaving her home, her family, but most of all, leaving him. No, this couldn't be happening, it couldn't.
But, it is.
************************************************************************
"Uncle, Hank?"
Jessica Bennett watched as her uncle, the one who's always been closest with her sister, sat on her family's sofa with a crease in his forehead.
"Uncle, Hank?" She inquired once more to her unresponsive uncle, "can I get you something? A drink? Something?"
"Jess, I don't want anything." His voice, low and soft, resounded in the silent room.
"Please," Jessica pleaded, "I need to do something. Someone, please give me something to do!"
In her anger and frustration, Jessica pounded her fist onto the wall, and was surprised to see that the force she exerted was strong enough to place a dent in the living room wall. Jessica jumped back in astonishment, though the others in the room did not even flinch at the sight.
"Jess, honey," Reese Durkee pushed his glasses higher onto his nose, and walked toward his girlfriend, "don't take it out on the wall."
"I can't help it, Reese," Jessica sighed as she sunk into his embrace, "why did she have to go? Why did she leave me?"
"I don't know, Jess," Reese tried desperately to calm her down, "I don't know."
************************************************************************
"I don't understand."
That phrase was repeated over and over by Kay's oldest brother. Ethan paced back and forth on his father's living room floor as he spoke once again.
"I don't understand."
Albeit, Ethan didn't understand a lot these days, but this topped the list. He knew that Kay had been distraught over her situation, what nineteen-year- old girl wouldn't be? But, how was it that she had gotten so upset, that she thought the best thing to do was to leave?
In the middle of a raging blizzard, nonetheless.
"I don't understand."
************************************************************************
Kay walked on into the night as she felt the chill run down her spine for the millionth time. She knew that it was getting late, or rather early into the morning hours, because the clock in her mother's hall had chimed in that it was midnight, just before Kay left the house.
Her eyes were growing weary, and her pace had slowed down quite considerably. The fatigue hadn't hit her until that moment, and as her eyelids fought to stay open, Kay Bennett's heart still urged her to soldier on. It wasn't until a few moments after, her thoughts began to slowly fade into a dark abyss, and she felt her knees, beneath her, grow weak. Her eyes could stay open no longer, and her head began to spin as did her surroundings. The last picture that flashed in her mind was that of the gray-stone fountain that sat in the center of Lighthouse Park. Kay felt her body and mind collapse with exhaustion, and seconds later there was nothing but the darkness.
************************************************************************
*A/N* I hope you guys liked this little add-on to the first chapter. This story was intended to be a "one-shot" kinda thing, but I had gotten so many reviews and e-mails asking for more, that I simply couldn't resist. So, here you are! Please r/r, feedback is what keeps me going! =) Thanks!