IN TOO DEEP || Liam Dunbar [3]

TWENTY NINE

Everything went to shit in five minutes.

Five fucking minutes.

She ended her conversation with Mason. Gave Liam a hug. Set up Die Hard.

Five minutes into the movie her phone rings again, and it's a call she never wanted to receive in her life.

Armed hunters had attacked the McCall house, and everyone had been injured. Scott and Malia were both fine thanks to their fast healing. Melissa, Mason and Lydia, on the other hand, were all rushed into surgery. They would be okay, but there was a lot of healing for them to do.

A lot of work for them to do, as well.

Scott and Malia went to search for allies; Katherine's first suggestion had been Peter. Scott agreed, and planned to speak to Deucalion as well. Her Dad brought Monroe in for an interrogation, and after calming himself down, Liam went to speak to Nolan.

The peace likely wouldn't last long, but the gesture still counted.

While they went their separate ways, Katherine stayed home. She got her meals sorted out in the morning so she wouldn't get lazy, got dressed into a tank top and pyjama shorts, and went out to her small backyard with her bat.

The first thing she did was stretches.

Her neck and back. Her legs. Her arms.

She jogged the perimeter of the yard for a few minutes to get herself ready. She hated running but since she seemed to be doing a lot of it, she figured the practice wouldn't hurt.

When her heart was hammering and it was hard to breathe, she began practicing all the defensive moves she had learned. First her blocks, then all the safe ways to duck out of the way. Rolls, dodges, dives.

Mainly, to protect her head.

For hours, she moved her body in ways that would be agonizing the next morning. The sun was blazing near afternoon when she decided to switch her role.

Now she practiced for offensive. Every part of her hurt, but she carried on anyway.

Punches.

Kicks.

As the techniques became more difficult, a lump formed in her throat. Focus, Katherine told herself. You're supposed to focus.

She couldn't.

It was hard to focus when she could hear Allison's voice in her head, telling her what to do. A lot of the time she couldn't remember what she sounded like because it had been so long. But these phrases played like an audio track.

You're going to kick your leg out...okay not quite like — yes! Just like that, good.

Remember to protect your face as you punch.

It's okay to be scared and panic but you have to remember that you know what you're doing.

It didn't take long for her to start crying. Choked sounds tore their way out of her as she practiced her offensive moves and after just a few short minutes, she was on her knees in the grass, sobbing. She was so absorbed in her feelings she didn't hear the pair of footsteps until they were right behind her.

She didn't have to turn around to know one of them belonged to Scott. "Kat," was the first thing he murmured.

There were a lot of things she wanted to say. All she could manage was, "I hate him."

"I know," he responded quietly.

It didn't take a mind reader to know she meant Gerard.

Katherine sniffed harshly and wiped her eyes with the heels of her palms. "What's going on?" She then asked, rising to her feet.