Kat awoke with a start the next morning. She heard someone walking around outside her door, so she kreeped slowly to it, got on her hands and knees and looked under the little crack between the door and floor, and saw a pair of feet outside her door.
"He has really big feet." She whispered as she looked out.
Bert smirked, he knew she was right there, his new friend was very inquisitive. He grabbed his bandanna off the table and tied it around his neck like he usually did, grabbed his brushes and set off, he was going to have a busy day today, what with the cold front moving in.
Kat stood up, and shrieked when she saw her reflection. "God!" She said as she tried to catch her breath and put a hand on her chest, and her heart was beating like crazy.
"I hope they have showers, cause, I need one." She said as she looked at her now coal black hair.
She walked in the bathroom and saw the soap and a shower, it was something she wasn't used to, so it took her over 20 minutes to figure out how to turn on the shower head.
After figuring that out, she took a shower, making sure she got the soot all off her, when she had finished, she climbed out and wrapped a towel around her head, then her body. She was glad she didn't look like a raccoon anymore as she walked by the mirror in her room, then she realized something, she had no clothes!
"Beautiful, just beautiful, what am I going to do? Run around like a streaker with a helmet over me head, oh wait, they don't 'ave those yet." Kat covered her mouth quickly. She had just sounded like Bert, on accident, and not purpose.
Kat shook her head and then decided that she would have to find something to wear. She walked into Bert's room and went through her closet, finding a pair of trousers, that were kind of baggy on her, but oh well, that was about all she could find that actually didn't slide down the entire time.
Then she found a black shirt that might fit if she put her touch on it some, so for the next hour, she turned a man's outfit, into a tomboy style outfit, for her to wear.
She turned around many times and did a few funny poses in the mirror like a supermodel and decided she did a very good job.
"Fit for the Queen Victoria." She smiled.
She walked out of her room, and to her surprise, Bert was sitting downstairs. She rushed back to her room quickly and fluffed her hair quickly and then walked downstairs.
"Yo, Bert, sup man?" She asked in a goofy manner.
"Are you all right Laura Michelle?" He asked as he turned and looked at her.
"Oh yeah." She said as she jumped the last step and then sat next to him on the couch.
"Wot did you do to my clothes?" He asked annoyed. She had turned his clothes into a weird woman's apparel, without his permission, who did she really think she was?
"Oh, just ya know, tweaked them a lil'." She said poking his arm.
"Why didn't you ask for my permission?" He asked.
"I don't think Greenwhich, England, would've wanted to have seen me looking for you, with my birthday clothes on." She laughed.
"Oh, well thank you for that." He said as he looked ahead, staring at the wall.
Kat rolled her eyes and poked him again. "Hey Bert, did you ever find that uh, friend you were looking for?" She asked.
"I 'aven't, wait, 'ow did you know about that?" He asked.
"Uhh, very good guesser." She replied quickly.
"Ah, well I'm sure your parents are very proud that they 'ave you." He smiled with his crooked smile.
Kat smiled back and stood up, she crossed over to the door and looked out the small window. It looked rather nasty out, but she wanted to go and find Mary again, she needed to talk to her, Kat then looked at her reflection, there wasn't one.
"WAH!" She shouted as she jumped back and tripped over something that was behind her.
"Are you all right?!" Bert asked as he rushed to her side.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just, nothing." She said as she jumped to her feet and dusted her shoulders off. What was going on? Last night, her hand faded in and out, then, she had no reflection, what was happening?
Kat walked out the door slowly. She racked in her brain what might be happening. Was she a ghost trapped in time? Was she being told that her time was beginning to run out? She wasn't sure. While she was thinking, she didn't hear someone call her.
"Laura Michelle!" Michael called.
Kat then was snapped out of her thoughts, when he touched her shoulder. She grabbed his hand and flipped him over her shoulder, like she had learned in Karate class, she gasped when she saw his face.
"Are you all right?" She asked as she kneeled down beside him.
"I think I'm in Heaven, because I am looking up at an angel." He smiled. Kat rolled her eyes.
"No, you're hallucinating, now come on, I'll help you up." She said as she grabbed his hand and got him to his feet.
"I don't think I am hallucinating, you really do look like an angel." He said as he rubbed his thumb across her cheek.
Kat raised one eyebrow and tried not to look into his blue eyes, they were haunting almost.
"Michael, you can't love me, I am sorry, you just wouldn't understand." She said as she backed up, and then manuvered around him swiftly.
"What do you mean I won't understand?" He asked stepping in stride next to her.
"Go away! That's what I bloody mean! You wouldn't understand what I am going through, no one will, hell, I don't even know what I am going through!" She yelled.
"Are you mental?" He asked.
"No! Just, ugh!" She said as she walked faster, almost jogging.
"Laura Michelle!" Michael called, but Kat wouldn't turn around and answer, she just kept going.
Kat finally stopped when she reached Uncle Albert's door. She rang the bell and her breathing was heavy, she had broken into a run about three blocks back, and it had tired her out.
Uncle Albert answered, and he looked down and saw Kat, who had bent over, put her hands on her knees, and was gasping for breath.
"Oh my dear, what happened?" He asked as she put his hand on her back.
Kat opened her eyes and saw that her boots were beginning to fade, not again. She snapped her head up and nearly scared Uncle Albert out of his wits.
"Nothing, where's Mary, I've got to see her, now!" She shouted.
"Upstairs, the second door on the left." He said as he pointed up and she rushed in and up the staircase.
She banged on the door, and Mary jumped with fright as Kat went in, without Mary saying anything.
"You! What is wrong with me?!" She shouted as she shook Mary's shoulders.
"Let go of me! And what do you mean what is wrong with you? You look fine to me." She said.
"Sorry." Kat said as she let her go and moved back quickly.
"Now what, is wrong with you?" Mary asked as she fixed her dress.
"Watch!" Kat yelled as she held up her hands, and they began to find in and out like an old tv screen.
"Oh my goodness." Mary said as she covered her mouth, her brown eyes filled with confusion.
"I was thinking a little more than that!" Kat said.
"Well, what happened?" She asked.
Kat's hands came back to normal and she ran her hands over her face. "THAT'S WHY I CAME HERE, FOR YOU TO HELP ME!" Kat shouted.
"I can't help you, for I don't know what is wrong." Mary said silently.
"Great. That's just great! What am I going to do now? Wait, I just had a thought, and I think I know why this is happening to me."Kat figured quickly that it was her own fault that this was happening, the reason being, she was pulling Mary and Bert apart, much like Guinivere tried to do with Mythicka and Chris in her favorite story that her friend would send her to read.
"Mary, can I tell you something?" Kat said as she sat down on the trunk in front of her bed.
"Does it have to do with what is happening to you?" She asked.
"Why yes, yes it does." Kat smiled, her eyes turned darker than usual, like she was planning something evil.
"Ok then, explain please." She replied.
"I want you to go out with Bert tonight! Just the two of you, because, even strangers know you two are like, in love." Kat said as she drew a heart in the air with her fingers.
"What?" Mary asked.
"You heard me, he doesn't like you, he is in flat out love with you." She smirked, she turned her head sideways, and looked up at Mary like a little kid, who was hyper.
"I think you have lost your mind, I don't even know you really, and you're telling me that Bert is in love with me? Ha!" Mary said, but Kat looked her straight in the eyes, the same eyes stared back at each other for a few minutes, Kat was reading her thoughts.
"Does he really? Amazing, I knew he liked me, but loves me? What am I feeling? My heart is racing, and I feel, strange." Mary thought.
"He loves you very much Mary, and I promise, when you tell him, you won't regret it." Kat smiled and Mary smiled back, as if they had heard one another.
"All right, I'll do it! I may not have long, but I will see him, do you know where he is?" Mary asked.
Kat nodded. "He's at his house, probably about to wish I'd never tripped into his life!" She laughed.
Mary rolled her eyes. "Well, I thank you for doing so, tell him I will meet him tonight, at our favorite spot, and Laura Michelle thank you." Mary said as she hugged her.
''Yeah, yeah, yeah, you just better hope that I make it there before I completely go bye-bye." Kat said as she pulled away and ran out.
She slid down the banister and out the door swiftly. She ran all the way back to Bert's house, and she slung the door open and ran inside.
Bert was in the kitchen when Kat rushed in. "Laura Michelle is that you?" He asked.
"Yes! Come 'ere, quick!" She said as she fell on the floor, clutching her side, it hurt from running the long distance.
"Are you all right?" He asked as he looked down at her.
"Mary Poppins, you, her, favorite spot, ring, night." She breathed.
"How does she know about the ring?" Bert thought to himself. "Can you repeat that? Or is this a riddle?" He asked.
"Mary Poppins wants you to meet her at your favorite spot tonight, there, I fixed your riddle for you." She said as she breathed easily.
"She wants to see me?" He asked.
"Ok that's it, I am tired of this. Look, everyone knows you are head over heels in love with her, ok? You can't hide it, and you know it." She said pointing up at him.
Bert tried not to smile, it wasn't working. Kat stood up slowly and she looked him right in the eye.
"Bert, listen to me, if you don't tell her that you love her tonight, and ask her to marry you, it will be too late, for not just you, but others as well." She said.
Bert's eyes averted and he was looking at the floor, taking in what she had just said. He nodded and went over to the desk and pulled out a ring.
"I'm gonna do it Laura, I really am." He said as he smiled at her.
Kat smiled weakly, she was still losing enrgy quickly, she looked at the clock, 5:30, just four hours, and she would be scot free. She then remembered something. When she thought of her birthday, and the exact date of today, she found a match.
"Ok, well we know how this is going to end." She thought as she folded her arms across her chest.
Bert laughed at how funny she looked. She made a funny face his way and put her hand up to him and began to trek up the stairs.
"Laura Michelle, wait." He said as he leaned on the nuelpost. Kat turned slowly and looked down at him.
"Yeeees?" She asked.
"I hope Mary says yes, and I 'ope we have a daughter, like you." He smiled.
"You have no idea." She said and she smiled and jogged the rest of the way up
, it was like 11:14 at night when I wrote this, and I hope you are beginning to see that Kat knows now what is causing her to disappear, I hope no one is confused! And btw, heads up on next chapter, it's gonna get all lovey dovey, and all that good stuff, and then one more chapter, then the epilogue! Bye!
Ash