The Secret (Book 1 of the Secret Series)

Chapter 36.

KATARA

Max held my hand as we walked around the airport. I was trying to get up the nerve to get on the plane, that would be leaving in half an hour. I hated air planes. I'd never personally been on one, but one of the few friends that I had, got on one once, and the plane crashed. Then again, it had been hijacked, and run into the ground.

I breathed shakily, and stopped. I looked down at the ground and closed my eyes as Max looked back at me. He turned to me fully and pulled me close.

"What is it Katara?" he asked quietly. He took my chin in his fingers and I opened my eyes. "Is this about the unexplained healing?" I pulled away and turned around. Sure, that was part of the problem, but I was more worried about my fear of getting into that plane right now. I could worry more about me healing too quickly later.

Sure, I was glad that I wasn't hurting anymore, but I didn't like the unknown explanation part. It was scary that I had healed in three days. What am I? Some sort of vampire? When you look at it, I was stronger than most people my age, most of the time...

I shivered at the thought of Taylor holding my down like he had.

I sighed and swallowed the images away. I kept thinking about other things.

I was quiet as a mouse and could get through things, undetected. I'd run long enough to do that, but Sammie had said that I had always been good at that. That was how I almost drowned when I was four. I was a lot faster than others, even the boys sometimes. I learned very quickly- though I don't know how that has anything to do with vampires- and was able to tell you every word from something someone says.

What was the point of this? I wasn't a vampire. There was no such things as vampires. Besides. Vampires didn't walk in the sun. I did it all the time...

"Katara?" Max touched my shoulder and I looked over my shoulder at him. "We'll figure it out, okay?" I just looked at him and then turned away again. "Katara, talk to me please, you are really starting to scare me. They told me what happens before an episode, I don't-"

"I'm not trying to scare you Max." I whispered and turned to him. "I'm just scared to get on a plane." he looked at me and then started to laugh. "Max, it's not funny." he stopped, or at least he tried to stop laughing for my sake, and that just made me start to laugh. This made him laugh harder. "Max." I whined and he pulled me into his arms. He lowered his lips to mine, and then looked at me.

"You will be okay Katara." he said, taking my face in his hands. "Plane is probably the safest way to go-"

"I'm going to need more than a 'probably' before I feel any better about this." I shook my head, but he held my face firmly and he looked into my eyes. "Max-"

"Katara." he said, his smile fading. "Close your eyes." he said softly. I scowled. "Close your eyes." he repeated. Slowly, I did. "Take a deep breath." I did. "Good, now let it out and do it a few more times, in, out, in again, and out. Good." he still held my face in his hands and he was running his thumbs over my cheeks and I was finding it hard to breathe normally.

"Now, keep doing that, and start to let go of all your fears. Imagine big card board box, do you see that box?" I nodded. "Alright, keep that box in sight. Now, take all of the things that scare you, take them one by one, and put them in that box. Look at them, face them, as you put them into that box."

I breathed shakily, as I looked at Taylor's face as he stared down at me with his green eyes. His hands around my neck. I was so scared that I could actually feel it.

I started gasping and I fell to my knees.

"Katara!" he knelt in front of me and grabbed my shoulders as I leaned over, my hands clawing at my neck, trying to breathe. "Katara." Max tried again. "Katara, breathe in." I tried, but I was gasping and starting to cough. "In through your nose. Breathe deep breaths through your nose and let it out through your mouth." I tried to do what he said. Slowly, I was able to get my breathing back to normal.