Alright, my bad. I missed parts of this chapter.
Hope this is better
(Kari's POV)
I had Gotten dressed and was sitting against the wall in the living room.
It was 11:00 p.m.
It had been 3 hours since I killed dad and spoken to Karakin.
I had been staring at the wall for about an hour now. I was wearing a loose, black, wool sweater and a pair of jeans. I hadn't showered, the smell of blood still clung to me.
My senses had heightened since the incident. I heard, saw, and smelled everything at a different level. I heard a pair of footsteps coming closer to the door a moment before, so I wasn't startled when Tai came through the door.
He hung his coat up and when he saw me, walked over ad knelt down.
"Hey Kari, what's the matter?" He asked me. I didn't look at him, I didn't answer him, I just stared at the wall opposite me.
"Kari?" he asked again.
I still didn't answer. He looked around, noticing something was off. The sofa was a little out of place and a vase had fallen to the ground. Tai looked back at me.
"Kari, what happened?" He asked quickly, sensing that something had occurred in his absence.
I blinked, but didn't look at or answer him.
"Is dad back yet?" He asked, getting up. He still thought something had happened and I knew he'd pursue it.
He walked around a bit and went down the hall.
I didn't move or show emotion when I heard a sudden cry from the back of the apartment.
Tai ran out a moment later in a panic.
"Kari! What happened to dad?! Quick, we need to call an ambulance!" he shouted and ran to the phone.
He picked it up and dialed the number. He stayed for a moment and he looked at the phone after a second. He had just realized that the line was cut. Karakin had taken the liberty to cut off the phone line to prevent any future mishaps. I didn't understand what she meant, but I let her do it.
Tai put down the phone and looked at me slowly. From the corner of my eye, I could see a hint of fear in his eyes.
He came back and knelt in front of me this time and looked me in the face. I was concentrating on staring ahead of me, but I looked him in the eye after a moment.
"Kari, tell me what happened? Please?" He asked softly.
"It wasn't my fault." I said, almost silently.
"What wasn't your fault?" he asked.
"Mr. Kasai started it, then dad came home." I started to break. "I tried to stop them, it was so hard." I let a tear fall. My face didn't change, but I'm sure my tears told Tai most of the story.
"Mr. Kasai? Who's that? ...Is that T.K.'s lawyer? Did he come here?" Tai questioned further.
I nodded slightly.
"He did this?" he stood up again.
I looked up at him.
"We have to call the police. Do you know where he went?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Alright. My cell phone is almost dead; I'll go to a neighbor and use their phone. Stay here, okay? Don't worry, everything'll be alright." He said and ran out of the house.
"He thinks Mr. Kasai shot dad." I said.
"It's best he thinks that." said Karakin, who was sitting next to me.
I nodded my head and continued staring at the wall.
"Remember what I said, Kari."
I was silent.
"Don't trust any of them."
"Right." I answered.
There was no other sound except for my breathing. Karakin suddenly wasn't there.
Several long moments had passed and Tai came back with our neighbors.
Our neighbors from two doors over were friends of my dad's. Mr. Samuel Bradley was the Manager of the Epi Center downtown. He loves fun and opened the Epi Center not only for his own pleasure, but for a family 'get together' kind of place. His wife, Mrs. Victoria Bradley was a 'stay home' mom. Her son was a member of the High School band and a friend of mine and T.K.'s.
They went to the back of the apartment and I heard gasping from the two.
"What happened here?" I heard Samuel demand.
"I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't here, but Kari seems pretty shaken up." Said Tai. I heard footsteps and saw Victoria out of the corner of my eye. She came up to me and kneeled.
"Kari honey, I need to know what happened." She said. I chose to stare ahead.
"Kari?" she said.
Tai and Sam came out of the back room and Tai came over to me as well.
"I don't think she doesn't to talk right now." He said. Victoria nodded and smiled at me. I still didn't look at either of them.
"Now then, dear, how about I get you to my house and I can fix you something nice, hmm? Would you like that?" she asked nicely. I blinked, still looking at the wall.
"Yes, I think she would. Kari, why don't you go with Victoria while we get things sorted out, okay?" suggested Tai. I nodded and stood slowly. For some reason, It was very painful to move.
They noticed this and Tai took my arm.
I jerked it back and stepped away from him, not looking at him.
"Kari?"
"She's still scared, the poor dear. Come on Kari. Let's go to my apartment and we can have some tea." Said Victoria and gently took my wrist. I winced at the pain from the bruise left there, but didn't say anything.
I let Victoria lead me out while Tai and Sam waited for the police and ambulance.
We entered the house and a wall of scents hit me. The scent of cakes, cookies, and other pastries entered my senses, making me feel sick.
"I'm sure you'll want a shower after all that, won't you honey? It'll make you feel much better." Victoria smiled sweetly.
I looked up at her for the first time that night. She looked me in the eyes and her smile disappeared. Victoria was known for reading people by their looks.
"You poor dear. I'll show you where the bathroom is." She said.
She led me down the hallway on the left to a white tiled bathroom. She walked in and turned on the light, blinding me momentarily.
"Now, I think you can find your way around." Victoria laughed.
"Yes and good shower is just what you need. After that I'll fix you something to-" she stopped when she noticed I had slid down the wall with my knees pulled close to my body.
"Kari? Are you alright?" She bent over and lightly took my arm to help me up. The loose sleeve fell away, revealing my bruised wrist.
She gasped and examined it.
"Oh Dear! What did he do to you?!" she tried to keep her voice down.
She checked my other writs and arms for other marks.
"How something like this happen to such a sweet girl like you?" she muttered. She smiled and let me go. Turning to the tub, Victoria turned on the bathwater and adjusted the temperature.
"You can start undressing. I'll leave as soon as the water's warm enough." She said over her shoulder. I hesitantly pulled the shirt over my head and uneasily pulled off the pants.
I was sore and hurting badly. I found it hard to make any movements.
"I'll take your clothes for you. Make yourself comfortable and get washed up. I'll be back in a little while." Victoria said and left the bathroom, latching the door on her way out. I stayed there a minute, listening to the water run. It made my heart turn.
I slowly walked over and turned off the water as it reached the light watering in the tub and gingerly stepped in the tub. The water made my body tingle and it sent chills up my back. I submerged myself and leaned against the wall.
I relaxed into the feel of the water and closed my eyes. There was absolute silence.
Suddenly, I heard rustling. I strained my ears. It was coming from the apartment next to us. There the sound of a cat yawning, a T.V. going, somebody walking through the kitchen, and then I heard more. There was a sound beyond that. IT was talking, it sounded like Tai, Sam, and Victoria. I listened closely.
"What is it honey? Is Kari okay?" asked Sam.
"I'm afraid not. She has cuts and bruises all over her and she was covered in specks of blood." Said Victoria. I heard someone growling, probably Tai.
"Please, stay calm, Tai. We'll catch the guy." Said Sam.
"Yeah, but the police better get to him first, or he's dead!" Tai shouted. There was the sound of a fist slamming against a wall. In the next apartment, I heard the cat cry out in fright and run across the room. The person in the kitchen jumped and sighed.
I sighed as well and blocked everything out. There was utter silence once more.
After a few minutes, I had my eyes still closed and I was close to sleep. I felt a sudden presence nearby.
"They're nice." I said.
"They seem nice." said Karakin, who was leaning in the bathwater across from me.
"They've been good to me and Tai." I said, my eyes still closed.
"So was you father." I felt her move and the water broke from its stillness. Her legs brushed up against mine briefly, and then settled. I cracked an eye open. She was leaning back with her hands locked behind her head.
I sighed.
"Victoria might have an idea what really happened." I said.
"Did you tell her?"
"No. She's just one of those people."
"That may be bad." said Karakin.
I nodded, closing my eye again.
"You better clean up rather than just sitting there. You don't want to miss out on Tea, do you?" She said lightly, and then her presence was gone. I opened my eyes, looking up at the ceiling.
I sat up and began to wash my long hair. I hadn't realized how long it had gotten since the seventh grade when it was cropped short. Now it had reached my waist and felt much thicker than before.
After I'd washed and drained the water, I dried myself off slowly with the fluffy white towel. There was a knock on the door shortly followed by it cracking open slightly.
"Are you ready? I have clothes for you." said Victoria.
I walked over and took them from her and began to dress.
She'd given me a large, woolen, beige colored sweater that hung on my shoulders a little and a pair of jeans.
When I finished, I walked out of the room into the kitchen to find Tai sitting at the island counter with his head in his hands. I blinked and went up to him. He was shaking a little when I approached and he didn't seem to notice me. I wanted to hug him and say that it was okay and things would be better, but I felt Karakin's hand holding me back.
Instead I walked around the counter and leaned against the wall a distance from the other two people. Victoria turned around and smiled at me. She brought over a cup of green tea and handed it to me. I took it and stared into the murky water. She took a cup to Tai who looked up with tired eyes.
He took the tea gratefully and began to drink it. He saw me and stood to come to me.
I flinched when he approached. He stopped, then walked more carefully to me. I didn't look at him.
I nodded. He pulled me into a hug, in which I almost began to panic, but held my composure and let him embrace me.
I saw Victoria smile at us and leave the room. I heard sirens and faintly saw the red and blue lights of the police and ambulance cars. They would be up soon.
I leaned into Tai's embrace and sighed. I felt the tears coming and tried to hold them back, but I couldn't. They fell down my cheeks and onto my hair and clothes.
Tai rocked me back and forth comfortingly. I almost smiled at his kindness.
Almost.
I remembered what Karakin had said, Dad was always good to me, then he did what he did. I pulled back quickly. The suddenness made me lose my footing somewhat and I hit my knees with my back turned to him.
"Kari." Tai started and made a move to me, but I cringed away.
He looked hurt, but I knew he understood. I was scared, I had been beaten and almost raped. I couldn't trust men again for a long time. That's what was going through his mind.
That was true, I was trying to detach myself, lest the same thing happened.
Hell, Dad and Kasai tried, why not Tai, Right?
And why not anyone else either? Maybe Matt, or Davis, or Ken or Cody.
Or T.K….
I saddened even more at the thought.
There was a knock at the door and Victoria went to answer it. She opened the door to find a group of police officers.
"We had a call from this apartment, the caller said there was a body nearby." Said the officer in the front.
Victoria nodded.
"Yes. Two doors down that way." Said Victoria pointing down the hall to our apartment door.
Tai ran to the door and led the officers in.
I stayed where I was, shaking, feeling somewhat childish for acting the way I did to Tai.
Victoria left, then soon returned with a man in a white uniform.
"Kari, this man is going to take you to the hospital. They want to try and help you." She said.
I slowly stood and faced them. The man was in a white ambulance uniform and had a small smile on his face. I blinked and stepped back.
"Now, Kari was it? My name is Teagan Osawa. I work with the hospital. We'd like to take you to St. Mercy's and run a few tests." He said nicely.
I looked at him, feeling suspicious.
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, if you've been hurt, we want to be able to help." He answered.
"I'm fine." I said.
"Dear, they only want to help." I didn't answer. I just looked away from their eyes.
Karakin stood next to me, playing with a gold chain entangled in her hand.
"Go with them. This could be fun." She said and disappeared.
I looked back, hesitated, and nodded. Teagan Smiled and led me to the ambulance.
---
(T.K.'s POV)
"Hey T.K., Come on. We're going to the Hospital." Said Matt, shaking me awake.
"What? Why?" I asked groggily.
"It's Tai and Kari. Something's happened." He said.
I jolted upright in the bed, earning a sharp pain in my leg, but I didn't care.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I don't know. Let's go." He said and we both quickly left the apartment. I looked at the clock on the dashboard.
12:37.
I sighed. I knew that something was going to happen. I just hoped that Kari was alright. We arrived at St. Mercy's Hospital several minutes later and pulled into the parking lot.
Matt and I hurried through the doors. The smell of Hydrogen Peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and formaldehyde hit my nostrils as we entered.
Matt walked to the main desk to ask the lady for Tai. I stayed and looked around. I noticed people being pushed down the hallways in wheelchairs and felt grateful for the crutches that supported me. The rooms and halls were white tiled. Each room was visible with large glas windows in place of walls and blinds covered some of them. The feeling of the sick and the elderly was all around me. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Matt put his hand on my shoulder.
"This way." He said and led me down the halls to where Tai was. We reached the room and opened the door quietly.
We saw Tai slouched in a waiting chair in the corner of the room. There was a window on the far side of the room that let the moonlight shine through. A white nightstand, drawers, and other chairs were placed throughout the room. Sets of medical equipment were placed in the corner. On the side nearest the window/wall was the bed and upon it was Kari was sitting Indian style.
Her hair hung loosely from her shoulders and over her face, shadowing her eyes.
It was evident that Tai was asleep. Matt walked over to him to wake him. I slowly hobbled over to Kari's side. I sat and she flinched a little.
I was confused and tried to look her in the face.
"Kari? Are you alright?" I asked her. She slowly tilted her head up and showed me her eyes. They were sad and unsmiling.
"Yes." She said and lowered her head once more.
"What happened? What are you doing here?" I asked her.
There was along silence between us before she answered.
"Dad's dead." She said. I felt my heart skip a beat.
"Wh-what?"
"Mr. Kasai came to talk about your mother. He tried to rape me, but Dad stopped him." She said, keeping her eyes low. I clenched my fist and growled at the tiled floor.
"Damn Bastard." I muttered.
"He killed your dad?" I asked softly, trying to be careful with my wording.
She shook her head.
"no." she hesitated for a second and shifter her ead away slightly. She looked as though she were looking at something for support. I looked as well, but there nwas nothing there. Kari turned her head back and then looked up at me.
"I did." She said. Her face looked tired and her eyes were sad. I stiffened at what she said.
"You what?" I asked quietly.
"He came after me. I was defending myself." She tried to explain. She looked past me at Matt and Tai.
"They don't know, though."
"Kari, you have to tell them." I said, trying to sound calm.
"I can't. What would they say?" she looked at me desperately. When I didn't answer, she looked down again.
"I thought you'd understand." She said.
I felt my heart sink. I wanted to hold her tightly and take her sadness away right there, though I knew I couldn't.
"Kari, I do. More than anyone else. You know that." I said to her after a while. She lifted her head a little.
"You know what I had dealt with. I never defended myself, God knows why, but you acted on instinct. It's alright." I said, placing my hand on her shoulder.
She was trembling under my touch.
Her eyes shot up and looked past mine. I turned and saw Matt and Tai talking quietly amost themselves. Matt had a look of disgust on his face.
A nurse walked in and smiled at us.
"Kari needs her rest now. You can see her in the morning." Matt and Tai got up and began to leave.
I stood and looked at Kari again.
In the short glance I gave her, I felt my heart crumble and fall apart. Her sad and desperate eyes plead with mine, her hair was loose and tangled, her features were tired.
I gave her on final look in the eyes, trying to tell her it would be okay, then hobbled to the door. Before I shut the door, I glanced at her once more. I heard a voice as I did so.
'Don't tell anyone.'
I blinked, then left.
Here it is, the Revised version of chapter 13.
Please review