kill Kern, he will be unstoppable. A true immortal. We don’t want that for any demon, much less him.”
“Fine,” Adriana grumbled. “I wasn’t thinking it through.”
“Now,” Rico said as he brought the conversation full circle, “let’s figure out who’s doing all the possessing.”
“I swear, Rico, that it won’t be Donovan. He won’t do it,” Adriana whined.
“So it automatically goes to me?” Rico asked, offended.
Kate interrupted once more, annoyed with the pair of them. “Listen someone has to do it, okay? And, frankly, I’m tired of you two arguing. You can run around pointing fingers all day and all night. But I have a better plan. So listen.”
Rico and Adriana leaned in closely as Kate told them her plan. It would take a while, and they would have to be patient, but she knew it would work. She knew that it was the only way to finish this thing, once and for all. Now, all they had to do was wait until it was time to strike.
When Kate got home that evening, her mom was making a small dinner. “Where’s Dad?” Kate asked as she strolled into the dining room and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. She took a big swig of the ice cold water before turning to face her mom.
“He has to work late for the next couple of nights,” Blaire said with a shrug. “He said that he might just stay at the office if it gets too late.”
“He has a place to sleep there?” Kate knit her brows, concerned.
“Of course, baby. He wouldn’t stay if he didn’t have a place to sleep,” Blaire said. “Why are you so concerned about your father all of a sudden?”
“I was just curious,” Kate said honestly. She knew her mom was right, though. Whenever her father had a lot of work to do on a case, he would just stay at the office all night. Kate was used to it by now and remembered one time when he was working on a tough murder trial; he stayed at the office all the time. One time, he stayed for a whole week researching a single piece of evidence. He found what he needed, though, and ended up winning the trial.
“What are we eating for dinner, Mom?” Kate asked to change the subject. She didn’t really want to focus on murder trials when she was fighting for her mortal life.
Blaire tiled her head to the side, thinking. “I think that since it’s a girl’s night we could have grilled cheese and tomato soup. What do you think?”
Kate answered by rushing to the cabinet and pulling out the cheese crackers. She rummaged through the top drawer in the refrigerator and yanked out some pepperoni and shredded cheese. She collected her supplies and set them on the kitchen table. “I’d say I’m pretty excited,” she said, turning around. She smiled over at her mother, who was putting a pot on the stove.
“So, baby, how are your friends doing? I haven’t seen them around lately,” Blaire asked while she waited for the soup to heat up.
“They’re good. I really like it here, Mom. I love my new friends, and I think I could be happy here,” Kate added even though she knew that there was no chance that the family would remain in the small town indefinitely. Blaire’s job took her all over the world and the family would relocate at some point. Besides, there was no point thinking about staying in one place just to stay with Rico and Adriana; they would leave when Kern was killed or when Kern ran away after he successfully possessed or killed Kate. Either way, Kate was alone, but, for some reason, Dolphin Bay felt like home.
Blaire stirred the tomato soup. “I’m glad, honey. I think we’ll be here for a while. You might get to stay with your friends for a couple years, at the most.”
“Yeah,” Kate sighed. “At the most.”
“Now Kate, I apologize for putting you through this, but…” Blaire started.
Kate sighed before continuing. “Your work is super important for the ocean, for the environment, for life as we know it. I know, Mom. I’ve heard this before. But just once, I would love for you to put yourself in my shoes.”
“But you’ve loved moving,” Blaire stated.
“Mom, I’ve never had friends before!” Kate nearly shouted.
“What about the girls in Australia, Kate? They were your friends.”
“No they weren’t. You don’t know anything about my life, Mom. Dad was always the one that cared. He was the one to take off work or pick me up after a disastrous evening. You were too busy with work to care about my life.”
“That’s not true, Kate. I love you,” Blair interjected.
“No, Mom. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I would say that you should ask Dad, but he wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings. He loves you too much to tell you the truth about me.” With that, Kate stood up and left the room. She couldn’t sit there and argue with her mother about something that would never be fixed. She knew that they couldn’t fix something that Blaire didn’t think was broken, and realizing that made everything much worse, because Kate wanted it fixed; she desperately wanted it fixed. Kate turned around one last time when she reached the bottom of the steps, glancing over at her mom who worked quietly as she finished cooking their dinner. Kate couldn’t eat right now, so she trudged up the stairs, keeping her tears behind her eyes until she was safe in her bedroom.
That night, Kate had no dreams and was able to wake up the next day well rested. When she finally forced herself to get out of bed, she ran down the stairs, hoping to catch her mother before she left.
That didn’t happen. Kate bit her cheek as a surge of guilt rushed through her veins. She should have gone downstairs to eat with her mom, but instead, she left her all alone. Kate did plan on apologizing this morning, hoping that it would fix the fragile relationship that they had. Even though she was angry, she knew that it was better than not having a relationship at all. Her friends had no parent, no one to guide them, and Kate realized that she was lucky to have two people that loved and cared for her well-being and safety. She was prepared to do whatever it took to keep some semblance of a relationship with her mother.
She would just have to apologize later on.
Instead of going out to hang with her friends, Kate spent the rest of the day alone, cleaning her bedroom and bathroom, picking up the things she threw on the floor the night that Adriana tried to push her and Rico together. She stopped when she picked up the copy of Pride and Prejudice that Rico had been reading the night before. There was a bookmark that held his place, but there was also another spot that was marked with a turned down corner. Kate opened the book and searched for what it was that Rico must have liked enough to save.
A single line was underlined. It was the part where Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth were arguing about first impressions. The line that was underlined was where Darcy confessed his undying and unyielding love to Elizabeth. It was the part where she refused him.
Kate sat down, an overwhelming feeling taking over her entire body. She looked at the book again, noticing that Rico had scrawled a quote at the very bottom of the page as well. His handwriting was an elegant script, a reminder of his true age. It said: “I love you fully, eternally, and forever. I love you, body and soul.”
Kate pressed her palm against her heart. It beat slowly, calmly. She shut the book, placing it on her bookshelf once more, and stood up. Kate stripped her pajamas off and found a rose tank top that she tucked into white lace shorts. She slipped on her wedges and picked up her father’s fedora before rushing downstairs. This was it. It was time to tell Rico that she was falling in love with him, and after the quotes she found upstairs, there was no way that she wasn’t falling for him now. She knew that this was the only time that she could muster up the courage, knowing that it would eventually be too late to confess one’s love. It wasn’t as romantic as it appeared to confess your love right before your imminent death – or possible death, in Kate’s case.
When Kate opened the front door, she ran straight into her father. “I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Aaron said as he chuckled.
“Dad! You’re home,” Kate said, relieved that he was safe. She pu
lled him into a firm hug and held on to him while he patted her back.
“Honey, I’ve been gone for one night. You can’t tell me that you’ve missed me that much,” he said. “Then again, I am your favorite old man, right?” He laughed again, a sound Kate loved to hear.
Kate just smiled up at her dad. They both knew he was the best dad Kate could have ever asked for. She didn’t have to answer his question. She would never have to tell him how much he meant to her or how much she loved him.
Aaron pulled away from Kate’s arms and nodded his head at his old fedora. “Taking my hat out on a date, Kate?” he asked, surveying her outfit. “Rico will think you’re beautiful,” he said seriously. Then, as any dad would, he added a wink, just for Kate.
Kate blushed at the thought that Rico would think she was beautiful. She hated to admit it, but she would love to hear him call her just that. “Thank you, Daddy. I appreciate it,” Kate said truthfully.
Aaron squeezed Kate’s shoulder. “Don’t stand here and stare at me now; you should go, honey. I wouldn’t want you to be late. Besides, I’m just here to shower. Afterwards, I’m going to be heading out again. I probably won’t be home tonight so don’t wait up for me, okay? This case will be finished soon, though, so don’t worry.” Aaron moved, pulling Kate into another quick hug before he slid past her and into the hall