Dedicating Every Day to You

Chapter Twenty-Two

"They're coming for me, Kathryn." Theo's face is streaked with tears as she looks out at me. There's blood dripping down her forehead, and she's scared.

"No!" My own voice is wobbling. "Theo, I can't lose you."

She reaches out and takes my hand. "I'll see you again on the other side...wherever that is." Her hands shake in mine.

"I won't let them take you away from me!" My voice rises to a scream.

A dagger flies through the air, just missing her head. A second follows, and this one hits its mark. Theo screams and collapses, blood pouring faster and covering her face. She holds my hand tighter. "Kathryn, before this ends, I need to tell you something."

"Anything, Theo, anything!"

She pulls me close to her, lifting my chin with one bloody hand so that our eyes meet. "I'm the one who killed your mother." Then her eyes close, and she falls backwards.

"Cut! That's a wrap!" Harriet closes the video camera. "Good job, you guys. Sorry for missing with the first dagger- plastic is slippery."

Theo sits up and grabs a washcloth off my bed. She wipes the fake blood off of her face. "That was fun!"

"Speak for yourself. I've got a blood beard now." I steal the washcloth. "Will that be enough for your class, Harriet?"

"Mr. Hoffman only said we had to film a death scene. Thank you for helping me." She flops on the floor.

"Any time, my dear." I join her on the floor, my ear pressed against the hardwood. I can hear John and Alex downstairs, and if I listen carefully, I can hear what they're saying.

"-deserves to know, Alex!" There's John.

"I don't know, what if-" Alex is cut off by a rustle as Theo sits on Harriet.

"She would have told us."

"No, she wouldn't. Kids usually don't. I just want to-" Another rustle, this time from Theo falling off.

"I know, honey. I know."

"I guess you're right."

I sit up when I hear feet on the stairs. Alex opens the door and pokes his head in. "Hey, Kathryn. I'm going to drive your friends home a little early, alright?"

"Do you have to? We're having a lot of fun." I look up at him with the sad-dog eyes, which always work.

"I'm sorry, honey, but your father and I have something important to talk to you about."

I stand up, then pull Theo to her feet. She helps Harriet up, and we collect the various tubes of fake blood and plastic daggers. They all go into Harriet's red-spangled backpack, and that goes on her back. Then, everyone walks outside, and we drive them home.

********

Back home, I finish cleaning up our carnage that we created in my room for a set, sponge fake blood off of the floor, and change out of my stained shirt.

"Kathryn?" I can hear John calling out to me from their room. "Can you come in here, please?"

I finish doing up the buttons on my shirt, tuck a curl behind my ear, and then walk into their room. Alex and John are both sitting on the end of their bed, and they look very serious. I bite my lip nervously.

"I tried to bring up my math grade, I did extra credit and everything-"

"What are you talking about?" Alex frowns a little.

"I thought my progress report came in with a bad grade. I haven't been doing very well in geometry class lately."

"We'll definitely have to talk about that later. That's not what we're talking about now, though."