The Parker Boys

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**Cole's POV**

Kat has been gone since after breakfast, Cody said she had gone out. Where would she go? It's been hours and she hasn't even come back. I'm starting to worry that something has come up. As my thoughts start to protrude I hear the front door open, expecting it to be Kat I jump out of bed and head downstairs.

When I get down the sight I see shocks me, my parents along with Cameron and Chance are making their way inside. What are they doing home so early, they still had another week. As I thought this my mother's worried face catches mine, I wonder what's worrying her. "Can you get your brothers downstairs please,Cole" she asks me softly. I nod, not sure how to respond.

I quickly run upstairs and fetch my older brothers warning them that mom is home early and that she didn't look so well. They make their way downstairs in a hurry. No matter how often our mom is gone and how little we get to see her, we still all care and love her dearly. We are momma's boys, sad to admit.

Our mom tells us we are to have dinner first so we all set the table as she finishes our meal. What is on her mind? She comes in with dinner and places the food down, I notice the color drain from her face. "Where's Kat?" she nearly screeches out. This causes my heart to beat in overdrive, she's worried about Kat?

"She went somewhere for a bit, she said she would be back in a bit." Cody replies calmly as if our mother isn't panicking.

Caden seems to pick up on it as well as I have, "Mom, What's wrong?" She simply shakes her head and dismisses the question. Now I'm even more worried, What does she know that we don't?

After dinner we quickly clean up eager to hear the news of why our mother is acting so strange and why our parents are home this early. We all make our way and sit in the living room, we notice the sun has gone down and Kat isn't home yet. This, with my mother worrying, causes me to panic.

Mom sits down next to our dad who seems grim in the face. "We have to tell you something. We can't tell you all of it because I made a promise, and it's not my story to tell. What I can tell you is that Kat moved here because she had no one to look out for her. Kat's mother died when she was young and recently her father was sent to prison and Kat is not allowed to see him.

I feel crushed inside when I heard that Kat's mom died when she was young. I could never imagine the pain she must have went through without a mother, I don't know what I would do without my own mother. When I heard that Kat's father was in prison it made me wonder what he did to end up there and why wasn't Kat allowed to see him.

I became concerned as to where Kat was and as to how she would handle the news of what my parents have yet to tell us. We all froze when we heard the front door open and the light steps of Kat coming in. She must have heard us as she made her way straight to the living room.

Kat stood there with confusion on her face as she looked at all of us. “What are you guys doing home early?”

Our mom looked over at Kat and spoke softly, “Honey, we have to tell you something” At her words Kat seemed to tense up and looked like she was waiting for the worst news she could possibly hear.

This time our father spoke up, “You’re father has escaped from prison.”  His words made me freeze. Escaped? He must have done something bad if it made him want to escape for it. I looked over at Kat and what I saw made my blood run ice cold. There was nothing but petrified fear in her eyes.

Kat looked like a small child that was scared of monsters again cowering in fear. What had her father done to make Kat fear him so much? I wanted to reach out to her in that moment but I was to late, Kat had turned and run.