Katie Bug

Some Time Alone

"Katie Bug!" The harsh whisper from her dad woke her. The light from the early morning sun blinded Kate as she tried to focus on her dad. "Katie?" "Yeah dad, I'm awake." She replied, voice cracking slightly. "Did you sleep all night out here alone with this boy?" He asked. He didn't sound angry, just concerned. Kate jerked up and looked around. "No, Naomi and Jenny were out here with us. Did they leave already?" She asked pulling the blanket up to her chattering chin. Her dad shook his head, "They are asleep on the couch inside, must have moved in when it got chilly." He shifted his glance over to Riley, asleep on a separate chaise lounge. "Dad." Kate scorned. His eyes moved from the sleeping boy to his daughter. "Why don't you go make some breakfast for everyone. I'll be home around one." She nodded sleepily then watched him walk out the back gate. "Way cooler then my folks." Riley's voice startled her. Light sleeper, noted for sure. "We're literally six feet apart from each other." She said annoyed. He helped gather the blankets and pillows up from the concrete patio and followed her back into the house. She grabbed one of the pillows from his hand and threw it hard into Jenny's face. "Thanks for leaving us outside. That was a fun conversation way to wake up."

Jenny's eye opened, she scrunched her face, "Alone with dreamy boy that bad?" She sneered. Riley shifted uncomfortably. "No with my dad inches from my hung over ass asking questions." Jenny shot up, "Does he know we were drinking?" Kate shook her head, "I dunno." Naomi opened her eyes and stretched, "Did he seem mad?" "More confused." "Sorry Kate it just got really cold." Jenny wined. Kate started off to the kitchen, "And you wanted to play in the pool last night." Jenny gave a wicked smile to Riley. "Well I figured skinny dipping would have broken the ice between you two." He quietly chuckled. Kate's mind was doing a marathon, she doubted she could over power him in the pool. Besides she didn't want it to look like an accident, she wanted to feel it.

Naomi's phone suddenly rang out making her jump. She squealed as she answered it. "Hey babe!" Jenny rolled her eyes and threw the pillow at her, "Take it out side!" As Naomi sauntered outside Jenny turned to Riley, "Naomi and her bae have been together since middle school and their phone conversations make me want to vomit. " He laughed.

The group tried to linger after breakfast but Kate had things to do. She needed to clean up after their little party last night, there were rules that were to be followed and dad like a clean house. In fact that was really the only thing he ever asked of her. But there was also a more pressing matter on her mind. Her original plan had been completely ruined by her friends and Riley's strange sudden obsession with her. Things were supposed to be discrete, now it was going to have to take another avenue and a lot more planning on her part.

As the dryer hummed on with the load of blankets inside, Kate sat on the floor beside it. There was a small window in the laundry room and in late morning it let in the most beautiful streak of gold. She sat inside it, feeling the condensed warmth from it. It helped her think, she spent many weekends here doing homework. Now she thought, she'd use it for a more enjoyable kind of brain work. She thought back on what could be done. It annoyed her that so many of her predecessors used poison. It was such a lazy way to do things; and now in this day and age traceable. Unless she made it herself they would have her figured out before the end of the autopsy. That is if they found him.

The conversation the night previous had given her much to chew on. Riley said they moved all the time, you don't need an excuse any better for a boy of his age to take off on his own. She didn't buy his story of his dad being a traveling salesman, like for real were they even a thing anymore? No there was definitely some deep dark secret that Riley was ashamed to tell his new friends. His clothes and shoes were nice, but worn. And he didn't bare any signs of abuse or neglect. They could be broke, or he could be a runaway already.

Back to the task at hand, she could figure Riley out later. She had time to do so. Poisoning, it was so impersonal to Kate. Other than having to be close enough to the person to have them ingest it, it was so hands off. Firearms were another option completely off the table for her. Aside for the fact that the only firearms she had access to were her fathers, they were loud and very traceable. She'd die before implicating her father in her own extracurricular activities. The thought of a knife really got the blood flowing, that was defiantly a personal way to do it. She would have to be very close to Riley, and he would know who was doing it. She also knew that she would have to be very careful. Knives were slippery and it was easy to cut yourself when you got carried away. Kate had found that out the hard way with the Halsey's German Sheppard last year when she hit a bone and the result was several stitches in the palm of her hand.