My Story, Her Story
Chapter Four: Unexpected Happenings
Peter Branch rushed through the door of his family's small cabin as soon as he heard his wife, Jenny, scream. What he saw frightened and infuriated him. "Trout, what are you doing here?" he asked through gritted teeth when he saw the unwelcome guest.
"Katherine came by here the other night, didn't she Pete?" Trout asked.
"With every right, after what you did to Sam and the school house. If I were her I would leave Green Lake too."
"Oh, this isn't about what happened that night. This is about what happened yesterday. Your pretty little sister-in-law shot the sheriff."
Peter took a step back in shock. "Katherine?"
Trout nodded, "Now where is she, Pete?"
"I don't know," he cast a wary glance around the room, "Where's Jenny."
The other man smiled a little and then whistled. Jenny walked out of their newborn son's room followed by two men. No doubt Trout Walker's thugs.
"What do you want from us?" Peter asked as the child in the other room began to cry.
"Where's Katherine?"
"We don't know," Jenny said as tears ran down her face.
"Come now, Jennifer, you're the only person she would tell." Trout nearly cooed.
Peter tensed even more and tried again. "We don't know, all she told us was that she needed a place to sleep."
In one quick move Trout pulled his gun and aimed it at Peter. "I don't believe you, Mr. Branch."
Peter didn't move. He wasn't lieing so there was nothing he could do. If he did make something up and they took him at his word they would be back as soon as they realized what he had done. Noticing that Peter didn't move or reply Trout let another smile cross his face. He looked at Jenny, turning to point the gun at her.
"Trout," Peter hissed. "Leave Jenny alone."
"Just tell me where Kate is!" He screamed, causing the baby to cry all the louder.
"We don't know!"
"Fine!" Trout replied, and then pulled the trigger.
Peter rushed over to his wife and felt the blood spill onto his hands as he held her.
"You never were very smart, Peter." And with that Trout Walker left.
Tears streamed down Peter's face as he looked Jenny over, however she did not reply to any of his questions. Finally he checked for breath, not wanting to believe his findings. His young, beautiful wife was dead. He felt as if he couldn't breathe, couldn't move. It was only his son's crying that pulled his from his shock. Slowly he got up and took the water pitcher, pouring the contents over his hands and watching as the water and blood mixed, forming a pool on the floor. Then he went to comfort his little boy, working on getting him to sleep as soon as possible. It did not take long to relax the child and get him to lie down. After this was done Peter took a shovel and left the cabin, setting out to dig Jenny's grave.
~~~
Three more days passed after news of Kate's father had come. During that time she had nearly disappeared except for her occasional appearance in the wreck room and her walks out on the lake at night. In spite of himself Stanley missed her presence when the water truck came, her always sarcastic remarks, and her bantering sessions with Squid. Zero told him that he wasn't the only one that felt Kate's absence, the other boys did too. For Camp Green Lake Kate had become a way of life, her wits often providing humor for the boys after the long days of digging.
"You sure, we're not the only one's who notice?" Stanley asked on the way back to camp.
"Yeah, trust me." Zero told him. Stanley just shrugged and followed Zero into the wreck room. Surprisingly Kate was sitting on the floor, head against the wall.
"You're back," Stanley commented.
For the first time since her talk with Pendanski she smiled a little. "Yeah, I figured you guys would miss me too much."
Squid laughed from his place at the pool table, "Snob."
"Shut up, you hick!" Kate retorted, ready for a squall.
The boy set his que on the table, "Why you..."
Armpit stopped Squids advance, "Man, quit."
"Did you hear what she just called me?" Squid asked.
"Yeah, now cool down." He then cast his gaze toward Kate, "And you keep your mouth shut."
Kate rolled her eyes and looked at Stanley again, "Told you they missed me." From a corner she, Stanley, and Zero all heard a laugh. Turning, Kate saw Zigzag and waved, "Hey, Zig."
He only nodded and moved to sit in front of the TV. It was the only other place in the room that he would occupy besides the corner.
Just then she heard her name called and looked over toward the pool table where Squid and X-Ray still stood. "Yeah?"
"You wanna' play?" X asked.
Shrugging she stood "Sure."
Squid smirked a little and said under his breath, "I thought you couldn't stand her."
"Maybe, but she plays better than you do."
This time Stanley laughed, getting a glare from Squid. As Kate made her way toward the table one of the boys from A tent stepped in front of her, "How you doing?" He asked.
"Fine, not that it's any of your business."
"Oh come on, I see you standing alone on the lake at night. You need somebody." He went for her arm.
"Back off, Trip! I told you already, stay away from me."
"Kate, come on, you know you're lonely."
By now the two had the rooms attention, even Zigzag had turned away from the TV and everyone noticed the arrogance in Trip's voice.
"Back off already," Kate told him once more as she tried to walk around him. This time he did manage to grab her arm, causing pain to shoot through the limb as his hand made contact with her bruise. However, she reacted quickly to the touch, wrenching her arm from his grasp and putting her fist in his face, before landing a kick into his stomach. Everyone watched as Trip fell back and crashed into the pool table. "Stay away from me." she told him and then walked out the door after blowing him a mocking kiss. The was game was forgotten and the lake was calling her.
Squid watched as the boys from A tent helped their fallen bunkmate to his feet. Squid had to laugh; he had always thought Kate too quiet, to gentle, of a person to pull something like that. But, no matter, she had proven she could stand up for herself. Without a word he slipped out of the room, grabbed his towel from the tent and headed for the showers. There was no use being inside when the Warden broke up the party. She would want to know what had happened, who had done it, and why. How surprised would she be to hear that stuck up, little Katherine had busted Trip up. He laughed at the thought. Reaching the shower he threw his towel over the side and undid his jumpsuit as far down as his waist. It was then that he saw Kate, standing out among the holes. She was close enough to camp that he could tell she was watching something. He stared for a moment then shrugged, sometimes that girl seemed as crazy as Zigzag. He then climbed into the shower, finished undressing, and began his "minute-and-a-half privilege". The experience ended too soon for him, most of the grime still remained on his body. Glancing around a bit he grabbed his jumpsuit from the bar and dug into its pocket. There he found a token that he had won in last night's poker game. He quickly slipped it into the coin slot and the water started again. He smiled, even cold it felt good. He closed his eyes, letting the dirt slide off, abruptly the cascade stopped: his time was up. Sighing he dried and dressed, deciding to call it a night. However, on his was back to the tent he noticed Kate still standing out there. It looked as if she hadn't moved at all. In curiosity he walked in her direction, wanting to know what was out there. As he drew nearer her face looked completely blank, almost dead. The only sign of actual life were the tears running down her cheeks. "That's the closest thing to rain we've ever seen around here," he thought with irony. By now he was standing right next to her but she didn't seem to notice. Finally he asked, "What on earth are you looking at?"
"The lake."
"Why? I mean, it's just miles of sand."
"No, not to me. To me it's still there...I'm part of it."
Squid gave a nervous laugh, Kate was being downright creepy. "Do you know how crazy you sound?"
"You would have to hear the story to understand." She said, looking at him. For a moment they stared at each other. Her deep green eyes looked glazed, distant, like they knew every horror that Green Lake had ever seen. Moving quickly he turned back toward the tent, "Yeah, well, you'll have to explain the whole story thing sometime. See you tomorrow." He got no response; she was in her own world, seeing things that no one else could. On the way back to D tent Squid couldn't shake the feeling that her look had given him. There was definantly something more to that girl than anyone knew.
~~~
Kate slipped into Lou's cabin as quietly as possible, avoiding every floorboard that had ever squeaked. Unfortunately her stealth didn't pay off. Lou was on the couch with a book, waiting for her.
"Have fun with the boys tonight?" she asked.
Kate drew in a sharp breath, not sure what to say. Finally she managed a, "What?"
"In the wreck room, did you enjoy your time there tonight?"
She knew what Lou was driving at, "If you're talking about the fight with Trip it really wasn't a fight. He asked for it."
And that was all it took. Lou nearly jumped off the couch in anger, "Don't you realize that whatever you do reflects on me, you little brat? Every time you mess up around here those boys see my reflection. And at the moment you are losing me their respect, not to mention the counselor's."
"You mean it actually matters what they think? That's a new one. It never mattered before, you always just ran everybody over." By now both were yelling and neither was even close to calming down.
"I said respect, not opinion, not that I expect you to figure out the difference."
"The closer they are to realizing what you're doing the better! You don't give a flip about their character, their lives, or their well-being. I know what you think of everyone here, you'd just as soon bury them as you would feed them!"
"I'd bury you too if I had the chance!"
"I believe it. You never cared Jack about me, or dad. All you've ever lived for is that stupid treasure. You're such a witch!" Kate could have kicked herself for that last one. While Lou may not care what she thought, the Warden wouldn't put up with degradation.
"Get out of my house!" She screamed grabbing Kate's arm and hauling her toward the door. Kate turned, pulling herself free of Lou's grasp, which left four lines of blood behind. Kate glanced at the wound her step- mother's nails had made, giving the older woman enough time to push Kate out of the door and down the front steps where she landed on her hands. Standing Kate looked up at the Warden who picked up a shovel that was lying on the porch. Before Katherine could move or speak Lou laughed and said, "I hope you like digging." Then she threw the shovel and watched as the blade hit the girl in the shoulder. Without a word Kate picked up the tool and walked away, doing her best to hide the blood and the pain that came with it.
Chapter Four: Unexpected Happenings
Peter Branch rushed through the door of his family's small cabin as soon as he heard his wife, Jenny, scream. What he saw frightened and infuriated him. "Trout, what are you doing here?" he asked through gritted teeth when he saw the unwelcome guest.
"Katherine came by here the other night, didn't she Pete?" Trout asked.
"With every right, after what you did to Sam and the school house. If I were her I would leave Green Lake too."
"Oh, this isn't about what happened that night. This is about what happened yesterday. Your pretty little sister-in-law shot the sheriff."
Peter took a step back in shock. "Katherine?"
Trout nodded, "Now where is she, Pete?"
"I don't know," he cast a wary glance around the room, "Where's Jenny."
The other man smiled a little and then whistled. Jenny walked out of their newborn son's room followed by two men. No doubt Trout Walker's thugs.
"What do you want from us?" Peter asked as the child in the other room began to cry.
"Where's Katherine?"
"We don't know," Jenny said as tears ran down her face.
"Come now, Jennifer, you're the only person she would tell." Trout nearly cooed.
Peter tensed even more and tried again. "We don't know, all she told us was that she needed a place to sleep."
In one quick move Trout pulled his gun and aimed it at Peter. "I don't believe you, Mr. Branch."
Peter didn't move. He wasn't lieing so there was nothing he could do. If he did make something up and they took him at his word they would be back as soon as they realized what he had done. Noticing that Peter didn't move or reply Trout let another smile cross his face. He looked at Jenny, turning to point the gun at her.
"Trout," Peter hissed. "Leave Jenny alone."
"Just tell me where Kate is!" He screamed, causing the baby to cry all the louder.
"We don't know!"
"Fine!" Trout replied, and then pulled the trigger.
Peter rushed over to his wife and felt the blood spill onto his hands as he held her.
"You never were very smart, Peter." And with that Trout Walker left.
Tears streamed down Peter's face as he looked Jenny over, however she did not reply to any of his questions. Finally he checked for breath, not wanting to believe his findings. His young, beautiful wife was dead. He felt as if he couldn't breathe, couldn't move. It was only his son's crying that pulled his from his shock. Slowly he got up and took the water pitcher, pouring the contents over his hands and watching as the water and blood mixed, forming a pool on the floor. Then he went to comfort his little boy, working on getting him to sleep as soon as possible. It did not take long to relax the child and get him to lie down. After this was done Peter took a shovel and left the cabin, setting out to dig Jenny's grave.
~~~
Three more days passed after news of Kate's father had come. During that time she had nearly disappeared except for her occasional appearance in the wreck room and her walks out on the lake at night. In spite of himself Stanley missed her presence when the water truck came, her always sarcastic remarks, and her bantering sessions with Squid. Zero told him that he wasn't the only one that felt Kate's absence, the other boys did too. For Camp Green Lake Kate had become a way of life, her wits often providing humor for the boys after the long days of digging.
"You sure, we're not the only one's who notice?" Stanley asked on the way back to camp.
"Yeah, trust me." Zero told him. Stanley just shrugged and followed Zero into the wreck room. Surprisingly Kate was sitting on the floor, head against the wall.
"You're back," Stanley commented.
For the first time since her talk with Pendanski she smiled a little. "Yeah, I figured you guys would miss me too much."
Squid laughed from his place at the pool table, "Snob."
"Shut up, you hick!" Kate retorted, ready for a squall.
The boy set his que on the table, "Why you..."
Armpit stopped Squids advance, "Man, quit."
"Did you hear what she just called me?" Squid asked.
"Yeah, now cool down." He then cast his gaze toward Kate, "And you keep your mouth shut."
Kate rolled her eyes and looked at Stanley again, "Told you they missed me." From a corner she, Stanley, and Zero all heard a laugh. Turning, Kate saw Zigzag and waved, "Hey, Zig."
He only nodded and moved to sit in front of the TV. It was the only other place in the room that he would occupy besides the corner.
Just then she heard her name called and looked over toward the pool table where Squid and X-Ray still stood. "Yeah?"
"You wanna' play?" X asked.
Shrugging she stood "Sure."
Squid smirked a little and said under his breath, "I thought you couldn't stand her."
"Maybe, but she plays better than you do."
This time Stanley laughed, getting a glare from Squid. As Kate made her way toward the table one of the boys from A tent stepped in front of her, "How you doing?" He asked.
"Fine, not that it's any of your business."
"Oh come on, I see you standing alone on the lake at night. You need somebody." He went for her arm.
"Back off, Trip! I told you already, stay away from me."
"Kate, come on, you know you're lonely."
By now the two had the rooms attention, even Zigzag had turned away from the TV and everyone noticed the arrogance in Trip's voice.
"Back off already," Kate told him once more as she tried to walk around him. This time he did manage to grab her arm, causing pain to shoot through the limb as his hand made contact with her bruise. However, she reacted quickly to the touch, wrenching her arm from his grasp and putting her fist in his face, before landing a kick into his stomach. Everyone watched as Trip fell back and crashed into the pool table. "Stay away from me." she told him and then walked out the door after blowing him a mocking kiss. The was game was forgotten and the lake was calling her.
Squid watched as the boys from A tent helped their fallen bunkmate to his feet. Squid had to laugh; he had always thought Kate too quiet, to gentle, of a person to pull something like that. But, no matter, she had proven she could stand up for herself. Without a word he slipped out of the room, grabbed his towel from the tent and headed for the showers. There was no use being inside when the Warden broke up the party. She would want to know what had happened, who had done it, and why. How surprised would she be to hear that stuck up, little Katherine had busted Trip up. He laughed at the thought. Reaching the shower he threw his towel over the side and undid his jumpsuit as far down as his waist. It was then that he saw Kate, standing out among the holes. She was close enough to camp that he could tell she was watching something. He stared for a moment then shrugged, sometimes that girl seemed as crazy as Zigzag. He then climbed into the shower, finished undressing, and began his "minute-and-a-half privilege". The experience ended too soon for him, most of the grime still remained on his body. Glancing around a bit he grabbed his jumpsuit from the bar and dug into its pocket. There he found a token that he had won in last night's poker game. He quickly slipped it into the coin slot and the water started again. He smiled, even cold it felt good. He closed his eyes, letting the dirt slide off, abruptly the cascade stopped: his time was up. Sighing he dried and dressed, deciding to call it a night. However, on his was back to the tent he noticed Kate still standing out there. It looked as if she hadn't moved at all. In curiosity he walked in her direction, wanting to know what was out there. As he drew nearer her face looked completely blank, almost dead. The only sign of actual life were the tears running down her cheeks. "That's the closest thing to rain we've ever seen around here," he thought with irony. By now he was standing right next to her but she didn't seem to notice. Finally he asked, "What on earth are you looking at?"
"The lake."
"Why? I mean, it's just miles of sand."
"No, not to me. To me it's still there...I'm part of it."
Squid gave a nervous laugh, Kate was being downright creepy. "Do you know how crazy you sound?"
"You would have to hear the story to understand." She said, looking at him. For a moment they stared at each other. Her deep green eyes looked glazed, distant, like they knew every horror that Green Lake had ever seen. Moving quickly he turned back toward the tent, "Yeah, well, you'll have to explain the whole story thing sometime. See you tomorrow." He got no response; she was in her own world, seeing things that no one else could. On the way back to D tent Squid couldn't shake the feeling that her look had given him. There was definantly something more to that girl than anyone knew.
~~~
Kate slipped into Lou's cabin as quietly as possible, avoiding every floorboard that had ever squeaked. Unfortunately her stealth didn't pay off. Lou was on the couch with a book, waiting for her.
"Have fun with the boys tonight?" she asked.
Kate drew in a sharp breath, not sure what to say. Finally she managed a, "What?"
"In the wreck room, did you enjoy your time there tonight?"
She knew what Lou was driving at, "If you're talking about the fight with Trip it really wasn't a fight. He asked for it."
And that was all it took. Lou nearly jumped off the couch in anger, "Don't you realize that whatever you do reflects on me, you little brat? Every time you mess up around here those boys see my reflection. And at the moment you are losing me their respect, not to mention the counselor's."
"You mean it actually matters what they think? That's a new one. It never mattered before, you always just ran everybody over." By now both were yelling and neither was even close to calming down.
"I said respect, not opinion, not that I expect you to figure out the difference."
"The closer they are to realizing what you're doing the better! You don't give a flip about their character, their lives, or their well-being. I know what you think of everyone here, you'd just as soon bury them as you would feed them!"
"I'd bury you too if I had the chance!"
"I believe it. You never cared Jack about me, or dad. All you've ever lived for is that stupid treasure. You're such a witch!" Kate could have kicked herself for that last one. While Lou may not care what she thought, the Warden wouldn't put up with degradation.
"Get out of my house!" She screamed grabbing Kate's arm and hauling her toward the door. Kate turned, pulling herself free of Lou's grasp, which left four lines of blood behind. Kate glanced at the wound her step- mother's nails had made, giving the older woman enough time to push Kate out of the door and down the front steps where she landed on her hands. Standing Kate looked up at the Warden who picked up a shovel that was lying on the porch. Before Katherine could move or speak Lou laughed and said, "I hope you like digging." Then she threw the shovel and watched as the blade hit the girl in the shoulder. Without a word Kate picked up the tool and walked away, doing her best to hide the blood and the pain that came with it.