Part IV - Exit, Kitty
"Thank you." I said to Jubilee as she handed me a cup of tea.
"This will make you feel a little better, well, at least warmer." She smiled and went back to the kitchen.
I glanced around the apartment. It was very small, and obviously decorated by a teenager. Posters covered the wall of the studio. The coach was bright red, and the closest chair to the fireplace was a beanbag.
She returned a moment later with some food. "So, you're looking for Pryde."
'Was that a statement, or a question?' Oh well, "Yes, do you know where she is?" I asked.
"Ha, does anybody?" She shook her head. "Believe me, if I knew where she was I wouldn't be here right now."
"O.K.., well do you have any ideas? Did she say anything the last time you saw her? When was the last time you saw her? And.." She cut me off.
"Hang on a sec, one question at a time. Gosh, you talk as fast as you run."
"Hm! I take that as a compliment!" I quipped back.
"Anyway, the last time I saw her was, lets see...I saw her about two weeks ago."
"Two weeks?" Wow, that was even more recent than Todd. He had seen her about a month ago. "Did she say anything about where she was off to?"
"Well, now let me think..she didn't say too much. Personally, I don't even think that she was looking for me when I ran into her. Let me tell you what happened..."
//Flashback//
My shift was just ending at the restaurant. I was on my way to the kitchen, to get my stuff and leave, then I saw her. She was sitting in the dining area of the restaurant, but not my section. She always sits in my section, so that was weird.
"Kitty!" I yelled, running over to where she sat. I had not seen her for a long time. "How are you? Where have you been? Its so good to see you." I hugged her, but she seemed distant.
"Oh, Jubilee, hey. I'm fine. It was good seeing you too." Kitty sat there, a little restless. It seemed like she was waiting to meet someone, but she then changed her mind.
"Jubilee..I have to get going, but it was good to see you." She got up and started towards the exit.
"Wait! Kitty, when will I see you again? How can I get a hold of you?" I was curious why she didn't really want to talk to me, I mean, we had been best friends.
"Oh, right. Actually, I am going on vacation. I won't be back for a while." She smiled, but she didn't seem all that excited.
"That's nice, where are you going?" Though I wasn't buying any of it, I wanted to sound sincere. I knew that something big had been going on since her parents and Pete's death.
Kitty looked down at her feet, as if deciding whether or not to tell me. Me, her best friend! "I'm going back to my childhood. The vacations I took when I was a little girl." Her eyes seemed to tear up a little at the thought of her childhood.
Before I could say anything else, she turned and left.
"Ok..bye." I said, my voice trailed off with her. I wondered if I would ever see her again...
//Flashback//
"...and that was the last time I saw her." Jubilee looked at the floor as she finished her story. It saddened her to think that not even she could get to Kitty again.
"I'm sorry.." I said, almost under my breath. What comfort could I give? I was meeting all of Kitty's friends, and none of them were very happy anymore. She really left an impact on their lives..
"I don't know if I have been much of a help to you..that's all I can remember her saying. I know that a lot of people are after her, I thought you were one of them." She shrugged.
"How do you know that a bunch of people are after her?" I asked. I knew that there were people after her, but how did Jubilee?
"Well, after Kitty left the restaurant that evening, I saw some guy get there. I heard him asking about her. He was there to 'meet her'. Or at least that's what he said. I didn't like the looks of him anyway. I thought he looked like a criminal. So I followed him. When he left the restaurant, he walked down about a block to a parked limo. Then he started saying something. I wanted to hear, so I casually and slowly walked by him. The last part I caught was him saying "Don't worry, she won't get away next time." I knew that he was talking about Kitty. That kind of explained why she seemed so nervous when I saw her. She must have known that he was after her."
I sat silent for a moment, taking in all the information that Jubilee had given me. I believed that she was telling the truth. Suddenly things were starting to make more sense. I set down my plate and got up.
"Thanks for everything J-Lee. I have to be leaving now." I smiled at her, and she blushed.
"It was nothing, I'm just sorry about burning you, this was the least I could do." Then she looked serious. "Just please be careful, and keep my Kitty safe."
"I will." I promised, I just hoped that I could get to her soon. Now more than ever I saw that her time was running out, she needed help, my help. I walked to the door, about to leave.
"Where will you go now?" Jubilee asked with sincere concern.
I turned to her with my cocky expression, "I have to go back to her childhood."
*********************************
"Thank you." I said to Jubilee as she handed me a cup of tea.
"This will make you feel a little better, well, at least warmer." She smiled and went back to the kitchen.
I glanced around the apartment. It was very small, and obviously decorated by a teenager. Posters covered the wall of the studio. The coach was bright red, and the closest chair to the fireplace was a beanbag.
She returned a moment later with some food. "So, you're looking for Pryde."
'Was that a statement, or a question?' Oh well, "Yes, do you know where she is?" I asked.
"Ha, does anybody?" She shook her head. "Believe me, if I knew where she was I wouldn't be here right now."
"O.K.., well do you have any ideas? Did she say anything the last time you saw her? When was the last time you saw her? And.." She cut me off.
"Hang on a sec, one question at a time. Gosh, you talk as fast as you run."
"Hm! I take that as a compliment!" I quipped back.
"Anyway, the last time I saw her was, lets see...I saw her about two weeks ago."
"Two weeks?" Wow, that was even more recent than Todd. He had seen her about a month ago. "Did she say anything about where she was off to?"
"Well, now let me think..she didn't say too much. Personally, I don't even think that she was looking for me when I ran into her. Let me tell you what happened..."
//Flashback//
My shift was just ending at the restaurant. I was on my way to the kitchen, to get my stuff and leave, then I saw her. She was sitting in the dining area of the restaurant, but not my section. She always sits in my section, so that was weird.
"Kitty!" I yelled, running over to where she sat. I had not seen her for a long time. "How are you? Where have you been? Its so good to see you." I hugged her, but she seemed distant.
"Oh, Jubilee, hey. I'm fine. It was good seeing you too." Kitty sat there, a little restless. It seemed like she was waiting to meet someone, but she then changed her mind.
"Jubilee..I have to get going, but it was good to see you." She got up and started towards the exit.
"Wait! Kitty, when will I see you again? How can I get a hold of you?" I was curious why she didn't really want to talk to me, I mean, we had been best friends.
"Oh, right. Actually, I am going on vacation. I won't be back for a while." She smiled, but she didn't seem all that excited.
"That's nice, where are you going?" Though I wasn't buying any of it, I wanted to sound sincere. I knew that something big had been going on since her parents and Pete's death.
Kitty looked down at her feet, as if deciding whether or not to tell me. Me, her best friend! "I'm going back to my childhood. The vacations I took when I was a little girl." Her eyes seemed to tear up a little at the thought of her childhood.
Before I could say anything else, she turned and left.
"Ok..bye." I said, my voice trailed off with her. I wondered if I would ever see her again...
//Flashback//
"...and that was the last time I saw her." Jubilee looked at the floor as she finished her story. It saddened her to think that not even she could get to Kitty again.
"I'm sorry.." I said, almost under my breath. What comfort could I give? I was meeting all of Kitty's friends, and none of them were very happy anymore. She really left an impact on their lives..
"I don't know if I have been much of a help to you..that's all I can remember her saying. I know that a lot of people are after her, I thought you were one of them." She shrugged.
"How do you know that a bunch of people are after her?" I asked. I knew that there were people after her, but how did Jubilee?
"Well, after Kitty left the restaurant that evening, I saw some guy get there. I heard him asking about her. He was there to 'meet her'. Or at least that's what he said. I didn't like the looks of him anyway. I thought he looked like a criminal. So I followed him. When he left the restaurant, he walked down about a block to a parked limo. Then he started saying something. I wanted to hear, so I casually and slowly walked by him. The last part I caught was him saying "Don't worry, she won't get away next time." I knew that he was talking about Kitty. That kind of explained why she seemed so nervous when I saw her. She must have known that he was after her."
I sat silent for a moment, taking in all the information that Jubilee had given me. I believed that she was telling the truth. Suddenly things were starting to make more sense. I set down my plate and got up.
"Thanks for everything J-Lee. I have to be leaving now." I smiled at her, and she blushed.
"It was nothing, I'm just sorry about burning you, this was the least I could do." Then she looked serious. "Just please be careful, and keep my Kitty safe."
"I will." I promised, I just hoped that I could get to her soon. Now more than ever I saw that her time was running out, she needed help, my help. I walked to the door, about to leave.
"Where will you go now?" Jubilee asked with sincere concern.
I turned to her with my cocky expression, "I have to go back to her childhood."
*********************************