Shattered

Chapter 26 Kristin

"We could have been happy. I know that, and it is perhaps the hardest thing to know."Ally Condie

Curtis and Conner returned home from dropping Sean off at Caroline's cousins' house across town. Curtis told them there was some drama with the older children and while tempers were at their highest, they didn't want Sean in the house to witness the drama. Caroline's cousin and husband had a son a year older than Sean and were more than happy to help out for a while.

Curtis and Conner helped Caroline upstairs and put her straight to bed without muttering a word to Kristin or even looking in her direction. She had never seen her mother so drunk and upset before and Kristin's own guilt consumed her to her very core.

She eyed the half empty bottle of red wine and open pack of cigarettes and decided to drown her own guilt and sorrow, just as her mother had done. Kristin walked out of the confines of the screened in porch, across the stone patio. She turned the hot tub timer and slowly removed her cropped sweatpants before settling on the side, her legs dangling in the hot water below.

Kristin held a cigarette to her lips and after a few moments of deliberation decided to light it. She immediately coughed, her mouth tasting dirty, her insides feeling dingy, her stomach nauseated. She held the wine bottle to her lips, took a swig and then another puff on the cigarette. Within a minute, her head felt light and she wanted so badly to sink into the hot water below. The last thing she wanted was to go back in the house to change and possibly run into her father or brother. She thought of Bradley, jumping in the water in her underwear and Kristin decided to take the plunge without proper swimwear as some sort of tribute to her older sister. She pulled off her t-shirt and inched her way in the hot water in her black cotton boy shorts and matching bralette. Her friend Julia loved bralettes, that's all she ever wore.

Kristin grabbed the bottle again wishing Katy and Julia were there with her. Had she really lost her best friends for good or was this just a temporary punishment? What would happen when Kristin went to boarding school? They would surely move on without her. She took another swig of wine not wanting to imagine her life without her best friends.

Suddenly, the heat from the water became too much and she climbed out to cool off in the pool. Before she had both feet in the water, she noticed a figure walking out of the tree house and immediately froze. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. He smiled and waved and Kristin continued to ponder where she knew him from. He was tall, really tall, and pretty good looking, but there was something worrisome about him. Something didn't feel right.

"Hey," he smiled, sitting down at the end of the closest lounge chair. Kristin looked at him curiously, in his Carolina panthers black mesh shorts and matching black t-shirt. He pointed to the wine bottle and cigarettes next to the hot tub. "Rough night?" he grinned.

Suddenly, his grin became familiar and Kristin began to relax. He was one of Phil's friends, she knew that much. "What are you doing here?"

He extended his legs and crossed his ankles together, his jaw hardened, the friendliness from his face suddenly gone. "I thought we had an agreement," he eyed her. "And, it seems as though you didn't hold up your end of the deal."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kristin stepped out of the water, continuing to hold the railing for support. The wine was definitely making things fuzzy.

"I was supposed to help you get rid of Emma and you were going to help me get rid of Mark," his jaw ticked and Kristin could see the anger in his face.

Kristin pursed her lips and pondered his words for a quick second before dismissing them entirely. She didn't have the faintest idea what he was talking about. "Leave," she demanded.

"We're not done," he spat, standing up and taking several steps towards her until he towered over her.

"You must have confused me with someone else," she challenged. "I don't ever remember having a conversation with you other than exchanging a few measly words. I hardly know you."

He held his hand to his mouth, contemplating. "Are you actually telling the truth?" Kristin frowned, not understanding. "I mean I heard that you didn't remember that night but I had no idea...I just assumed you were lying."

Kristin's stomach suddenly twisted in knots and she felt queasy. "I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered running a few steps to the grass. She pretended to dry heave hoping he would retreat but to her dismay he stood behind her, his feet planted right where she left him. She finally stood up. "I guess it passed," she lied.

He straightened his posture, placing his hands on his hips and arched his back. He was not only tall, but strong, as well. The kitchen light turned on and Conner opened the refrigerator. He noticed Conner as well and grabbed Kristin's arm. "You were supposed to help me," he firmly stated.

"With what?" she asked, irritated. "What would I have possibly helped you with?"

"I did everything! I planned it all! I took care of everything and you just had to do two small things!"

Kristin searched her brain in a panic for any memory of what he was talking about, but there was nothing, not a clue, not a hint, not a shred of a memory. "I don't..."

"Just stop," he spat, grabbing her arm again. "I got Emma to the boathouse, didn't I?"

Kristin stopped breathing. "You?" she squeaked. "You set Phil up?"

"Fuck Phil!"

"Why do you hate him so much?" she needed to know.

"He demands worship and gives nothing back to anyone except for his three best friends," he sighed. "But, let's be honest here, Phil's just a means to an end. Mark is the target."

"Why?" she muttered.

Kristin's heart beat faster as the kitchen light turned off and Conner walked into the family room planting himself back in front of the television, unaware that she was outside, unaware that she needed help. All Kristin could think about was running to the safety of her house. If she could get around the pool, she could clear the yard and lock herself inside.

"Why did you have to ruin it all?"

"Wait...what?" she questioned. "I didn't do anything. I'm not part of this sick game you're playing."

"I gave you Emma's phone and the ketamine so you could plant them in Mark's car when you left the party. That's all you had to do! Nobody was supposed to get hurt. You blew it and I had to improvise!"

"You...you drugged us?" Kristin couldn't believe he was confessing.

"You wanted Emma away from Phil just as much as I wanted Mark to suffer," he confessed. "The funny thing is, Brody told me that Bradley believes it was you that drugged her and you that threw her in the lake." Kristin suddenly couldn't breathe. How could Bradley think that Kristin would try to murder anyone, let alone her own sister? "Awe, don't be offended little bitch, apparently ketamine can cause severe disorientation and hallucinations. Killing her was a last minute decision meant to hurt Mark forever. But, of course boy wonder ended up saving her instead."

Kristin swallowed hard trying to discreetly inch her way closer to the house. "Why do you hate Mark so much?"

"Don't fucking move another inch," he demanded. She immediately froze. "His sister stole a great deal of cash from my cousin."

"So what," Kristin spat, unable to control herself. "Mark didn't steal the money. Why go after him?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm trying to understand how I got dragged into something that has nothing to do with me."

He looked down for a moment and Kristin suddenly darted for the house. She rounded the edge of the pool and then quickened her pace. Conner turned on the kitchen light again and opened the refrigerator. "CONNER!" she screamed. He turned his head as he held the Gatorade bottle to his lips and Kristin saw his cell phone pressed to his ear. "CONNER!" she screamed again. She was getting closer, just fifty more feet but before she knew what was happening she was yanked backwards, a large hand covering her mouth.

"Why did you have to ruin it all?" he whispered again before dragging the knife across her neck.