Walter was arrested and charged with blackmail, threatening, fraud and attempted murder the same day Katie put the whole plan in motion; a few gang members and their leader, one of the FBI's most wanted were captured as well. It didn't hit the news until a week later and the media blew up about the whole thing. Controversies sprang up everywhere about the model behavior of some of the Network actors although Walter was just nuts. He was deemed unfit to stand trial and sent to a mental hospital to recuperate before hitting the stands to receive his sentence. The details about Katie never surfaced and Kendall kept it to himself.
He went straight to the studio to find her and congratulate her but the whole cast had been sent away after their interrogations and Katie was given a week at least to collect herself after the whole ordeal. The show was put on another indefinite hiatus with the threat of it being cancelled dangling very close above their heads. Kendall gave Katie her space and decided if she needed someone she would call him or whoever she wanted when she wanted them. He kept himself busy the rest of the day and prepared for a series of interviews tomorrow.
The guys arrived to their interview bright and early; they hung out in the green room to prepare for their short segment and performance later. It wasn't long until the room started buzzing about the news of Walter, Katie's cast mate. Needless to say the other guys were concerned about Katie and how she was taking it. Kendall knew most of the information but he wasn't about to let on that he knew, he had no idea how safe it was yet. This was a big thing and he hadn't heard from Katie yet at all, he figured he would let her chill out for a while and let this whole thing blow over.
The TV was on in the green room, already on the channel of the morning show they were on. After a few health and tech segments they moved onto consumer news then the regular stories of interest such as an invention or a viral video. Moving onto celebrity news, Walter's mug soon showed up on the screen, silencing the guys as they listened to the story. Kendall was surprised at how much the media new but still there was no connection to Katie.
"Our next story is also from Network TV. Kids Network actress, Katie Pryszweic, known for her lead role on TOSHS, has been deemed missing since last night when she failed to report to a meeting earlier in the day. Police declined to comment on the matter unsure if her disappearance was related to Walter's arrest earlier in the week. Katie was on a leave to recover from some injuries incurred on set while filming her show. As most fans know, there was a rift in the group of cast members over an invitation slip up a little over 1 year ago. Although the cast has been seen in public and appears to get along fine, it is unsure if any of this is related to Walter's arrest at this time." the news reporter said.
The guys stared at the screen, mouths agape at what they just heard. Kendall got up and walked out the door before Logan followed.
"Kendall where are you going?" Logan asked
"To find Katie!" Kendall replied
"You have no idea where she is!" Logan called after him.
"I have one idea. I'm not waiting to find out." he replied tossing on his jacket
"But our interview!" Logan motioned
"Forget our interview, Logan! Katie's more important than that, she's our friend man." Carlos pointed out.
He followed Kendall and Logan soon followed suit. James was lost at what was going on, stunned by the story and wasn't sure what to do. He soon chased after them and they all piled into their van, Kendall behind the wheel. He started the engine and peeled out of the lot as their roadies chased after them for a few yards before they threw their hands up in confusion and frustration. Kendall followed the traffic but sped up when he could.
"Kendall, where are you going?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, Katie's house is the other way." James pointed out
"Not anymore. When was the last time you guys were even over that way?!" Kendall said
"Its been a while. About a year or more." Carlos said softly, embarrassed at that fact.
"Its not exactly a good neighbor hood either." James added
"I don't have the time to explain everything but she doesn't live there anymore." Kendall said.
"When did she move?" Logan asked
"I don't know exactly when. But she hasn't lived there for a while, she found a new place that no one knows about; its secluded. She was forced out of her home and its since been destroyed so she cant go back anyway." Kendall explained
"What?!" the group responded.
"Hang on, it's about to get bumpy." Kendall warned
"What do you mean?" Logan asked
"Where are you-" Carlos began
"WHOA!" the guys screamed as Kendall took a sharp turn off the road and sped across the dusty, rocky desert.
Kendall hit the gas and pushed the van as fast as it would go. Its wheels spun at times and it was too lightweight and low to the ground to take all of the dips and bumps too well. After a few minutes of driving into nothing the car soon stalled and refused to start. Kendall hit the steering wheel in frustration and got out, urging the others to follow. They were confused and a bit scared at his sudden personality change but they followed him anyway, leaving the van smoking profusely. In a few minutes they reached the forest at the entrance of the trails in Hollywood mountain. After a mile, Kendall took them off the path and followed the river to the cliff's edge. Several times, one of the guys would ask Kendall where he was taking them but he either remained quiet or vague. Soon the river broke from the side of the cliff, giving some leeway to walk beside it.
"Down there. Follow me and be careful." he said before jumping off the cliff and sliding down the hill.
He landed with a thud, although this time more prepared for the impact. The others followed suit, curious to where they were going, James landed perfectly, Carlos slide down fairly well until he lost his balance and fell the rest of the way down. Logan tumbled most of the way down and landed in the river. The river wasn't that deep but it was powerful so Kendall reached in and grabbed him before he was pulled down river to the waterfall. He lead them down the river a few more yards where there were stepping stones and they hopped across with ease. When Kendall reached the edge of the falls, the others assumed they reached a dead end. Before they could say anything, he jumped off the falls edge. They yelled for him and rushed to the edge to see him just a few feet down on a large rock ledge.
"Come on, guys, this way." he said before continuing on.
The others looked at each other but eventually followed Kendall on whatever quest he was taking them on. Kendall got a bit lost a few times as he looked around for landmarks, he found his way to the cavern and then to the path that would lead them all to the right place. He soon found the bushes and crawled right under disappearing from the other's view. They got on their hands and knees to see a big hole and one by one, followed him in. They were amazed at the sight they were met with, the natural beauty was surreal. They soon saw a tent and Katie's belongings and their hearts sank as they realized the truth; this was where Katie had been living the past year of her life. But the question still remained as to why?
Shadow came charging to them after hearing their intrusion but soon settled slightly at the familiar scents. He got a tad antsy and walked away from them, looking back every now and then and turning in a circle before moving forward. Kendall followed him as the others looked at Shadow confused. Shadow ran from Kendall and Kendall stopped not sure what to do. Shadow soon came back and barked this time, nudging Kendall before running off again.
"I think he wants us to follow him." Carlos said cautiously. Kendall took the lead and the others followed as Shadow lead them to a lumpy mound in the tall grass near the lake bed.
"Oh no…" Kendall sighed before running to it. It was Katie, she was cold, and still, laying in an awkward position and area to say the least. The others came up and looked away, fighting the tears and asking questions. Logan began to look her over and James surmised that she had fallen from the ledge. Kendall looked up and followed the ledge; it was the other entrance, the main one to this whole cavern.
"Guys! She's still alive!" Logan called out. "She's got a weak pulse but she's still fighting!" he tried to see if she would respond but she didn't. With the help of Kendall they began to lift her but Logan noticed her unnatural movements and called it off; she had broken bones and not knowing how severe it was best to keep her as still as possible. James rummaged through Katie's tent for the sleeping bag and unzipped it so it was a full blanket. Using all four of them, they slowly and carefully picked her up and slid her onto the blanket which they carried up the ledge.
It was tough getting up there with the rocks and carrying her but it was doable. Shadow followed them and when they started down the hill he barked at them. They stopped to look and he was trying to get their attention. He kept running to a bush and pawed at the ground. They wanted to ignore him and tried but he just howled and ran around them, herding them back. James took over for Carlos who went to grab Shadow; Shadow jumped away and lead Carlos to the bush. Carlos lunged for Shadow and ran into the bush with a loud thud and he recoiled in pain.
"DAMMIT! What the hell?!" he said cradling his head. He tapped the bush to hear a metallic sound. Shadow yelped and dug at the ground and Carlos dug through the bush which were just leaves and branches to reveal her car. The keys were in the ignition and within minutes, the guys loaded up Katie, Shadow in the back and took off down the path to town, following her tracks all the way down.
Once at the hospital, Katie was rushed behind the guarded doors as a team of medical professionals took them from her and left them standing alone. They tried waiting patiently but it was a long wait. They called everybody they could and spent an hour on the phone with not only Katie's staff but their own staff who were bitching them out for ditching their interview without warning. They explained the situation and although some of their staff was understanding, there was still a big problem that needed to be sorted out. The hospital was soon swarmed with agents, managers, and other staff as well as local police who blocked off the main entrance to the ER to deter any media that might show up when word got out that their were celebrities at the hospital.
After several hours they could see Katie who had surgery to mend a broken pelvis. She was malnourished, dehydrated and pretty banged up but in a week she'd be stronger and after about a month of strict bed rest there in the hospital, she could go home to finish recuperating. Katie slept for the remainder of the day and well into the next. She woke up alone and groggy; her heart began to race and the strange surroundings and the pain she was feeling. A nurse came in at the sound of her monitor going up and administered some morphine to lessen the pain and calm her nerves. In 40 minutes she conked off again, coming in and out of consciousness randomly.
There was strict access to Katie's room, unbeknown to her so she had very few visitors other than her own private medical team. She got lonely throughout the day and wanted someone to talk to but it was best if she got her rest and not move so she stayed in bed, watching TV. She saw the stories of Walter and kept up with the trial updates. He was found to be mentally fit the entire time and was sentenced to life in prison. The leader of the gang Walter hired was also sentenced after revealing the names of all his members who were also caught within a few weeks. The streets of LA were safe to Katie and Kendall once again. How was Kendall? She hadn't seen him in weeks; the last she saw him was the day they were threatened. She figured that was the end of their friendship and cried to herself before drifting to sleep.
After 3 weeks of healing, Katie was stronger and in less pain so it was time to begin a little bit of therapy. She still had another week or 2 in the hospital so for now it would just be small exercises in bed. Later next week she could move slightly more and maybe even walk; it was going to take some getting used to walk again after being in bed for so long. Also the plates and rods in her back that held her pelvis together were going to need to be adjusted or maybe even removed partially. She'd have some sort of metal in her lower back and pelvis for the rest of her life but it wouldn't hinder her from leading a full physical life; she'd be able to run, jump, climb and do all her stunts on the show as well as bearing children in the future if she desired.
Soon enough it was time to start walking, her progress had been going well and she was scheduled to be released in 10 days, a little longer than originally planned but it was to be sure that she was ready. She had a great deal of difficulty walking, unable to move her legs above the knee joint. She was just stiff so some massage was ordered to work out the kinks. After daily sessions, she was sent to surgery to take out the plates on the joints to see if it would improve movement and it did but not too much; the rest of her movement would come back after a while but she was going to need some special care.
On the day she was scheduled to be released she signed all her paperwork and was wheeled out to the parking lot with all her supplies she would need. A limo pulled up and the doors opened to reveal 4 familiar faces. Katie squealed with delight at the sight of BTR and they hurried to accept her welcoming hug. She couldn't help but cry tears of joy as her things were loaded into the limo. She thought she was just going to be sent on a bus to the airport to go home or just dropped off nowhere where she would have to find her way back to the cavern.
Katie hobbled over slowly to the car and slid in carefully, her mobility issues still pretty severe but better than they had been. With the other band members having their own place, there was extra space at the Knight's residence and Katie would be bunking with them from now on, she was welcome to stay rent free for as long as she wanted, even after she was perfectly capable of caring for herself. She was grateful for the offer and was scared to take it but had no other option. Mrs. Knight was the sweetest to her and Kendall helped out a lot as did the other guys; they often stopped by with gifts and flowers to try to keep her in good spirits. Time flew by at the Knight residence and before she knew it, she was on her feet and capable of a steady fast walk. Jumping and climbing would take some time but at least she was making progress. She was grateful for all the hospitality but she felt like a nuisance and soon ordered herself a ticket home to recuperate in the comfort of her own home. It had been a while since she had been home and no doubt the media had caught wind of something and her parents would be asking several questions, plus she missed being home.
Her parents were glad she was home and happy to learn of the long break she was on. They heard about her co-stars arrest but she denied that she knew anything about it. They had heard about the argument between her and her costars almost 2 years ago now and wondered if that had anything to do with it but she played it off cool, telling them they got along fairly well. Katie returned to school, getting extra certifications and maybe even another degree in her time off. She also returned to work at the academy, her pup Shadow by her side. Shadow had been shipped home suddenly after Katie's accident since no one could care for him.
At the academy rumors had been buzzing about everything they had all heard so Katie ordered a meeting to settle everything once and for all. She swore them to secrecy, threatening their jobs if word got out, although she didn't plan on telling the entire truth. She explained all the events they had read, setting facts straight and hushing all the rumors. She gave a quick rundown of her adventures both good and bad and left it at that. Liam came to her office later, fully sorry for his attitude before she left but she wasn't mad at him at all and forgave him. She told him everything that had happened including her latest injury and the ordeal leading up to it, with all the abuse she received from Walter.
She told him about how she tried to return to her secret cavern to hide out but she was chased into the woods and tried to loose them. It was dark and she misjudged her step and fell off the ledge of the entrance to the cavern, falling 20+ft to the ground instead of the water. She was in a lot of pain and had blacked out and when she came too she was too weak and sore to move, she couldn't feel her legs and couldn't move even if she wanted to. She spent the week laying there with no food and very little water until she slipped into an unconscious state. When she woke up she was in a hospital room and learned that BTR had found her just in the nick of time too.
Liam was grateful that his friend was alive, he was worried about her since she left. She was becoming famous and he learnt to accept it but he still had feelings for her that he couldn't help, but he understood her feelings and why she didn't return them and he accepted it. They worked side by side as always for a few months, life returning to normal as she recovered, waiting for word to return to LA to shoot another season or begin talks of negotiation. Either way she would be returning to LA even if it wasn't for her own show; she had been promised and accepted a large part on BTR: Lifestyles. The kid show the guys did had come to an end last year but they still wanted to do a show so they were going to do a documentary type show instead; it'd be full of actual happenings of the band rather than following a well thought out script full of love and friendship drama. Although they had fun doing the previous version of the show, they were excited to move onto something bigger and more mature; they planned to have fun with it though and it wouldn't be too much different than the previous show in regards to high jinks.