Some Things Aren't Just Your Imagination

Chapter 5

Maddie led the others back to the room they'd been sitting in before, slightly aware of how far apart they were trying to stand but sneaking glances when they thought she wasn't looking. Maddie walked into the room with a look of purpose and acknowledgment that showed she meant business. She went to the book, casually dropping into the chair. Katie worshiped that about her, she could do everything with the 'I know I'm doing this right, don't even try to correct me' style. Maddie slowly opened the book, with a little effort, she got the book to open. She turned to page 353 and skimmed the page until she found what she was looking for.
   Austin was surprised she went to this book first. None of the books had titles on the spines so you would assume that she would have gone to the one that looked as if it was made of skulls, graveyard like. Austin glanced at Katie, finding that she had a frighten look on her face. When she caught him looking at her, she quickly masked the look and forced confidence, that she didn't feel, to show. Katie was attracted to this book. She'd seen it before. She knew it. But where.
  "Mad, why'd you choose this book? Was this the first book you looked in?" Katie asked. Did Maddie feel the same way about the book?
   "Yah. It was the first book, I don't really know why I picked this book, it just seemed to glow and I was drawn to it. I guess that sounds really weird." Maddie relied, realizing how stupid it sounded. "Anyways, it says:
For thou must not be greedy. Nor shall they be naive. For once it began, it was to late to stop. Thy Xixa Graveyard War, was something no one could have prevented. But if thy wants to keep thus world connected, it mustn't be greedy. It mustn't be naive. It mustn't be pusillanimous. For history will surly repeat. Nothing can stop that, but just thy way it could be handled. That shall change. Thy descendent of thy Element Vrede, must always be humble, and open-minded, and brave. Or thy worst shall happen and it history shall repeat again.'"
   Maddie took deep breaths, shocked by how much effort it took to read that aloud. She leaned against the chair and started to analyze the writing.
Katie reached for a pen and paper and started to write everything that was coming to mind. As she wrote, it left her mind. She was able to focus. Then, she took another paper and started to write all of the facts she knew. Katie felt her heartbeat starting to raise and her pulse quickened. She forced her breathing to be as quite as possible. Katie felt her body start to shake and she had to get out of her head. Everything was screaming. Her father telling her that she wasn't good enough. All the clues and facts. Every kid in Russia that had ever made fun of her. Everything was screaming in her head. Her head was to loud. Her body started to shake. She had to calm down before she fainted. She closed her eyes and focused on one thing. One thought. Anything mundane. Katie started to think about how the rain fell back in America. The way that the thunder rumbled and echoed. Slowly, everything around her started to slow. She knew she was calming herself down. When Katie totally understood where she was and could comprehend what was going on, she found that she was sitting in the floor. Actually, she wasn't sitting on the floor, she was sitting on Austin's lap. She slowly realized that she was leaning hopelessly against his broad, muscular chest and wanted to kiss him badly. She squirmed slightly and reached up to stroke his cheek. He leaned down and whispered in her ear,
"What did I tell you about wiggling. Do you want me to have a problem? And Katie. You do know what Maddie. My twin sister,your best friend, is watching us and probably thinking I'm whispering something really dirty in your ear."
Katie jumped, causing a strange noise to come from behind her though she tried not to think much about it. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks and she looked around to see where they were.
"Now now now." Maddie said, sounding very surprised. "That wasn't very lady like. I think someone will have to be punished." Maddie was proud of the way she was embarrassing Katie until she saw the way she froze, all her muscles tightening, and fear encased her face.
"P- P- Pun- Punishment?" Katie studded out. It was obvious that she was scared to say the least.
"O- oh my. Oh my. I'm so sorry. That was very out of line. I-" Maddie tried to apologize, suddenly realizing her mistake. None of the words were being processed. Thoughts and flash backs were flying through her head. Since Katie was 9, she had been beaten. She'd been abused. She'd been treated as less then dirt.
   Katie didn't even realize that she was still sitting on Austin. She was shaking and it felt like she needed to squirm out of her own skin. She felt very distant, but also very very alert. Her eyes were locked on Maddie, as if expecting her to strike. But, she could only distantly feel Austin underneath her. She felt herself be lifted up, and then back down and forced to lay down. While, based on past experiences, she wanted to run, her eyes looked at Austin's for the first time. She suddenly felt calm. She felt herself relax under his strong frame above her.
   "I got you Angle. My Katie. My girl. My crush. My Angle. I got you. Nothing will hurt you. They'll have to get though me first. Katie. It's okay," Austin whispered close enough that Katie could feel his hot breath on her ear. Katie suddenly felt something lift off of her. She wasn't scared, or frighten. She felt safe. Austin sensed this and went to get up.
   Slowly he stood and as soon as his body wasn't covering hers, she felt bare and vulnerable. She tried to look brave and sit up but only manage to curl up into a tight ball of fear again.
   "Austin," Maddie mumbled. "Pick her up or hold her. She needs your touch. It calms her, it always has." Austin, without hesitation, bent over and swooped Katie into a bridal style. Katie, as if second-nature, nuzzled into Austin's neck and held on for dear life.

   Everyone sat in silence while Katie got control over herself. She had never been more humiliated before in her life, the two people that she cared about more than anything had just watched her have a panic attack. Worst, they saw her in fear. Her emotions slipped through, something that she had learned how to mask very well since her mother's passing. While Katie was thinking this over, something very random popped into her head: she has to be home by 8:30 or her father would be mad. Katie very quickly stood up and looked confused,

   "I'm sorry, but does anyone have the time, it has to be very late. We did have a nap earlier and all." Katie stood, walking toward the door, knowing that she was going to be in a horrendous amount of trouble when she got home. Both, Austin and Maddie, were shocked to hear Katie speak suddenly. She got all the way to the front of the cave  with all of her clothing before she heard footsteps behind her. Katie was already tugging on her long gloves before Austin and Maddie arrived beside her.

   While pulling off her gloves slowly, Austin said, "No need to run off yet. Time moves strange here. I still haven't cracked the code but it's somewhere around every hour in the cave is only like a minute and 38 seconds in the 'real world'."

   "38 seconds, who has time to figure out a minute and 38 seconds is equivalent to one hour in the bat cave. Wow. You really need a girlfriend or even just a life," Maddie sarcastically said to her twin. 

   Katie wondered if she could ever be Austin's girlfriend, but she new the answer wouldn't be something she would want to hear. She would be more of a pain than a pleasure to be in a relationship with. She knew this and she had learned to accept it. The only she was friends with Maddie was because once they became friends, Maddie didn't let her just leave her out of thin air. Katie, no matter how many times she told herself it was a lie, believed her father's words: "It's your fault that Bell is dead. You don't deserve anything good in  your life because of your actions. You are nothing and you never will be anything. You. Will. Always. Be. Nothing. K?"