Gabriel's Charge

chapter 26

Big finale next I think... Enjoy!!!!

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Chapter 26:

Katherine

She arrived at school a half hour before the bell rang. Immediately Katherine began searching for her friend. She found her walking up the stairs to the main entrance after her third time circling the school.

Katherine ran after her and tugged on her arm, bringing her back down the stairs.

“Hi.” Katherine said quietly, suddenly shy and remembering the fight they’d had the day before.

Emilie shifted on her feet “Hi.”

They stood there, awkward as strangers. Katherine stared at the ground, not really sure what to say. How could she explain what was happening?  She had kept it from her for so long! It was time she gave her the truth...the truth about everything. Taking a deep breath she motioned with her head for Emilie to follow her “Come on, there’s a lot I still haven’t told you.”

Her friend looked up in surprise but nodded and followed along behind her silently. They didn’t say a word to each other while they walked. Katherine thought it would be better that way, plus she had no idea what to say to her friend. They’d been friends for years but now it was like they were new friends and didn’t have a thing in common with each other. Which was about as far from the truth as you could get! Still, Katherine led a very different life from Emilie and it was all starting to pile up.

Katherine stopped around the corner of the school where a group of picnic benches sat and a tree gave them shade from the hot summer sun. It was only seven thirty and already Katherine was starting to sweat from the heat.

They sat at one of the benches and Emilie stared at her expectantly.

“Okay, so you remember when you got really sick? Like terminally ill a few years back.” Katherine started with. She Emilie would remember, how could you not remember when you were really sick?

Her friend nodded looking confused by what that had to do with anything, “The doctor’s told me it was a miracle I recovered. It was just there one day and then next... Well there was absolutely no sign of it at all.”

Katherine sat there looking grim. A miracle all right; a miracle that was going to get her ass thrown in Hell. Even with that bitter thought, she knew that everything she had done had been worth it. Her best friend would was safe and she’d gotten more years with her than if she hadn’t done what she did.

“It wasn’t exactly a miracle Em.”

Emilie looked up at her quickly “What do you mean?” Katherine couldn’t answer; her throat was starting to cut off her air. She felt hot tears prick her eyes. “Katie, speak to me! What do you mean?”

“I had to Em! You were dying and I didn’t want to consider life without you!” She finally choked out; she still wasn’t able to look her friend in the eye. Katherine put her fist up to her face and pulled her knees closer to her chest. She was trying to disappear... And it wasn’t working.

Her friend grabbed her arm and looked at her with urgency in her eyes “What did you do Katie? Tell me right now. What did you do?”

Katherine looked up into her friends broken face, her eyes were silently pleading with her. But what she was pleading for even Emilie didn’t know. She had no idea the bomb that was about to be dropped on her. For the first time since she’d done it, Katherine regretted her choice. Then again, she had never thought it would come to this. She never thought she’d have to tell Emilie what she’d done. Slowly, testing out the words she told her, “I sold my soul.”