All We Will Never Know

Chapter 7 - Kassidy

Kassidy bit her lip, her nerves on edge as she pulled an armful of clothes from her closet and threw them on the bed. She tossed the hangers on the floor and quickly began folding, determined to stuff every crevice of the suitcase possible. She didn't know exactly how much she needed or whether to pack for warm or cold temperatures. In all honesty, she didn't care. Her plan was to gather as much as she could, as quickly as possible, and disappear before anyone had the chance to notice.

She glanced at the time on her phone and felt her stomach drop. She was running out of time. If she didn't hurry, she would lose her chance. It would be too late. She had successfully stayed under the radar so far, and she didn't plan on changing that now. Kassidy cursed herself for wasting time. She spent far too long talking to Mia when she drove her home, but it was something she had to do. She had to make sure that the few who knew the truth were going to keep it to themselves.

In a rush, Kassidy forcefully pulled the top drawer out of her bureau and emptied it into a pile on her suitcase. She hurriedly stuffed the items into nooks and crannies in the bag. She didn't need to bring everything; just enough to get her somewhere. Anywhere, as long as it was far away from Everwood and Will Armstrong.

Her chest tightened at the thought of his name. She fell to the floor and put her head in her hands. What am I going to do? she thought to herself. She could run, but it was only a matter of time before people began to track her down. And when they did, she would have a lot harder time explaining that she was innocent. If she was innocent, why would she flee? If she had nothing to do with Bella's death and nothing to do with Will's incarceration, then why did she feel such an intense pang of guilt whenever their names were mentioned? It's all Macon's fault, she thought again. She slumped against the dresser and cursed his name under her breath. She should have listened to her mother; it was the one time in her entire teenage life that she had made an effort to parent her appropriately.

Kassidy clearly remembered the look in her mother's eyes, the instinctive shake of her head when she had mentioned being involved with Macon Barker. Her mother was blunt and incredibly callous; she always had been. Kassidy was almost surprised how much she acted like her mother, especially since she only saw her a few months out of the year. But the sternness in her voice on that day was much different. Her sharp words cut through Kassidy like a knife; jagged and filled with warning.

"Do not ever associate with that boy," she snapped.

Kassidy had almost flinched. Since when had her mother cared who she spent her time with? As long as she had a credit card in her wallet and a roof over her head, her mother could care less how she spent her time. Except, apparently, when it came to Macon.

"That family is nothing but trouble," she continued. She pointed a thin, shaking finger in Kassidy's face. "All they will do is use you, do you understand me? That boy will take what he wants from you and then leave you for dead. They are vultures, Kassidy. That's what they do."

Kassidy shuddered. Despite her mother's wishes, she clearly didn't listen. As if her mother was around long enough to notice...

Suddenly, she felt another pang of guilt.

Her parents.

Catherine Edwards was a high-end fashion marketing executive for some of the top retailers in the market. Her main office was in New York, but for some reason they had never officially left the quaint peacefulness of their North Carolina home. The distance, however, did not stop Catherine from working. For most of Kassidy's life, she was in-and-out of various cities, states, and countries to promote and establish her business worldwide. When she was younger, Catherine hired a nanny to watch her daughter while she was away. Kass loved Paulina, but she just wanted to keep her mother's attention for more than a millisecond. It was until a few years ago when Kassidy got her license that Catherine decided she was ready to fend for herself. While Kass was excited for freedom, the privilege soon transformed into loneliness.