Case Reopened

Leaving For College

Though you might think this is a Carter focused chapter, it is in fact a Kennedy focused chapter. You're welcome to those of you who asked for this.

***********************************

The wind sweeping over the tops of the buildings was warm with just a hint of autumn on the horizon. Kennedy let the breeze swirl around her, feeling the change it spoke of. Technically summer, but no longer the summer of vacation.

It was the in-between time when classes were around the corner but not reached yet. It was a limbo that Kennedy felt annoyed by. Either be here or not, the wavering in between like a hesitant freshman bugged her. She wished time would make up its mind on what it was.

With her arms crossed, Kennedy took in a deep breath and let it out with a huff. True, time was making up its mind since she was leaving on the flight to California in an hour. But still, it had taken too many days of the in-between to get to this day. And as much as she felt she was sprinting towards the departure it had also felt like an eternity.

The door to the roof opened and Kennedy kept her current position, not even bothering to look at who had found her in a secluded spot. Besides, she didn't have to look, she knew. He had the uncanny ability of knowing where she was most of the time.

Kennedy wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. Shouldn't there be some mystery in a relationship? Though that felt like a stupid thought since knowing each other from birth made it nearly impossible to have mystery.

Harrison joined Kennedy and claimed the seat next to her. Even though she felt him look at her, he said nothing. After a second, he turned his face to the view and slouched in his chair. His presence somehow soothed and ticked Kennedy off. Maybe it was the lack of saying anything. Harrison in that sense did feel like a mystery to her.

She knew that her parents had a weird telepathy where neither of them needed to speak to understand each other. She didn't have that with Harrison. Not to the extent of her parents. Sure, if Harrison made a face or looked at something in a certain way she knew what he was thinking, but she couldn't crawl into his mind and know all that lived there.

She had known him all her life and hadn't registered the fact that he was in love with her like she was in love with him. Maybe the telepathy came with time. Though maybe not, she watched Uncle Link and Aunt Maddy, though they were as close as her own parents, they didn't have the telepathy thing. Maybe it was some weird skill her parents developed from being in the FBI. Who knew. Her parents were strange.

Her mother was the strangest.

"What are you thinking?" Harrison asked, cutting into Kennedy's inner monologue.

"My Mom's really strange."

"And that's new to you?"

Kennedy smiled but shook her head. "No. Just a constant reality." She uncrossed one arm to wave her hand, not sure what she was gesturing to. "Take this week. I've been packing the entire week and she's been totally chill. She's helped me. Made plans. Bought boxes. Even packed the moving truck with the movers."

Harrison made a sound of disappointment and shook his head. "It's terrible how strange your mother is, helping you and everything. I mean what is this world coming to!"

Kennedy sent him a flat look and Harrison responded with a toothy grin.

"I'm talking about the fact that she seems totally calm about her only, dear child leaving her and moving to the other side of the country."

"Did you want her to freak out?"

"No, because I know she will lose it when we are at the airport. She pretends she's fine now but in an hour we'll be standing before security and she will become unrecognizable, turning into a crying emotional mess. I know it and I'm dreading it."