Katrina Unplugged

25.0 (Part Two) | Friends, Enemies, and Everything In Between

// Dedicated to all of you cuties reading this. //

Author's Note:

I bet you never thought you'd see an update again ;) At least it's long hehe. Enjoy, and I'll explain at the end as usual :) Since it's been a while, here's a quick recap of Part One of 25.0.

Recap:

A.C. had been eerily quiet, and it had been weeks since Katrina got a note. She hadn't been sleeping will, and her tolling exhaustion raised questions from Sierra, which she quickly shot down. Jace invited her to have lunch with him in the courtyard, and they enjoyed a meal of Chick-Fil-A. Afterward, they took a walk in the school gardens, and Jace showed her a beautiful flower in the abandoned greenhouse. However, a terrifying twist may unveil that A.C. is someone Katrina never would have suspected: Jace himself.

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

One of the cloaked figures stepped forward. "We knew it. You wouldn't have reacted this way if you didn't at least slightly expect this." Sierra.

I remained quiet, letting my arms fall to my sides.

"What's going on, Kat?" Another one of the cloaked figures spoke up, stepping forward. "We want to help you--but first you need to tell us what's going on." Cameron.

The rest of the cloaked figures stepped forward, standing in line with the first two. Simultaneously, the figures pulled back their hoods, revealing their faces.

Sierra, Cameron, K.C., Lacey, Kai, Jace, Seth, Mandy, Peyton, Nolan, Rin, Cassidy, Day, Zoey, Lauren, Grace, Adelaide, Alyssa, Aeryn, Nicole, Brooke, and Shelby all stood before me.

I felt the expectant gazes of my friends on me, waiting for some kind of answer.

"I, um." I began, dropping my gaze to the ground. "I just need a second."

Everyone exchanged a glance before Sierra and Cameron nodded.

I made my way toward the door with shaky steps. Once I was out, I shut the door behind me with a soft ka-chunk. I sunk down to the floor with my knees touching but my legs splayed out at my to different sides.

I stared at my hands as I wrung them slowly before dropping them into my lap. I had to make a decision--tell them or run. It wasn't a hard decision, per se. All I knew was that I had to do what was best for everyone.

Run.

Standing up, I walked on my toes toward the windows, being as silent and stealthy as possible. I hoisted myself up onto the worktop and flipped the latch to open the window. Cool air billowed into the greenhouse as I clambered out.

I dangled from the window, only my grip on the windows keeping my from a six foot drop. I looked down, but instantly regret my decision as I feel myself begin to sway from side to side. I squeezed my eyes shut and gathered my bearings, preparing to jump.

"Come on Kat, it's six feet. Just tuck and roll." I told myself.

Before I could convince myself that I was being irrational, I let go of the window, tucking into a fetal position. My shoulder his the ground first, making me wince from the impact. I stood up and brushed myself off before running to the front of the greenhouse to retrieve my shoes. I slipped them on, before I heard voices floating out of the window.

"Cam, go check on her, It's been too long." I heard Sierra say.

I regarded that as my cue to take off into the forest. I weaved in and out of the trees, hurdling over the thick underbrush and ducking under low-hanging branches, never straying more than twenty feet from the path.