The Happiness Of Tragedy

Chapter 9

Run. Kat just RUN.

'No' I thought to myself, this can't be happening. Why here? Why now?

I was running as fast as I could through the trees in the backyard of my house. I was running away from my own house and I would never be seen again. I can see it now, my parents crying along beside Ali who can't seem to stop shaking and staring at my face as I lay there. Dead in a casket. All because I've been chased down and killed by this same rapist.

  "You can't run from me forever love" there he goes, I thought. I was sitting down leaning against a tree trying to catch my breath, then my mind was all of a sudden tooken back to where this all started. I was in my kitchen washing dishes when I saw someone out the corner of my eye standing in my backyard. My parents had left to pick up my little siblings from school, Ali and her boyfriend were out on a date, and Ali's parents, well their rarely home. Weird right? On the day I so happen to step outside to find the guy I was almost raped by in highschool hanging out in my backyard waiting for me, nobody's home.

I heard his foot steps get closer as he walked over the path of leaves on the ground. I got up and continued to jog knowing he would be close by now. I stopped and looked down and saw a path When I was running a mile back I didn't see anything but leaves on the ground and suddenly there's a clear path.

"There you are" he said. The sound of his voice made me freeze in shock. 'Don't turn around Kat, just run' I thought. But what's the point, it's too late now. I turned around slowly, ready to do what ever I can to get away from him. I pushed him as hard as I could to throw him off balance while I ran but it was no use, he didn't flinch and he grabbed my arms so fast.

  "You thought I wouldn't be able to find you again huh? Ms. Katerina"

  "Leave me alone" I told him, "HELP!!" I started to scream. I could still see my house and maybe be lucky enough for someone to come help me.

He picked me up by the neck and put me up against a tree. I couldn't breath and started to punch, kick, an move around all I could. I closed my eyes, filled with tears.

"Stop. Katerina" he said angrily.
"No!"

"Katerina stop, please"

"Let go of me!"

"Kat!" My mom yelled.

I woke up and sat up in my bed, shaking and sweating a little and noticed my mom had been trying to wake me up. She was sitting on the edge of my bed looking at me like a had two heads. 'It was just a dream Kat, it was just a dream'.

"Baby are you feeling okay this morning? You look like you've seen a ghost and I've been trying to wake you up for like ten minutes but you kept fighting me" she explained to me.

  "Yeah mom, I'm okay. Just a little nightmare that's all" I told her.

"Okay" she patted my leg, "Now get up, Ali's been texting you all morning. I didn't look at your phone but I know it's her because when you don't read her text, she keeps on texting you until you do"

I picked up the phone off my nightstand as my mom stood up and walked to the door.

" Yup, that's her alright" I laughed looking at my mom which made her laugh too.

   "Well if you girls have plans today I don't mind, just don't forget to say hi to your dad before you go. He's in his office" she said. I smile an okay as she turned around to leave my room opening the door.

"Oh! Hey mom?" I called which made her poke her head back in the door before she closed it, "Thanks for my gifts" 

  "Oh your welcome honey" she said before closing the door.

I got up out of my bed and went to my bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My mom was right I did look like I'd seen a ghost, but that's because my nightmare seemed so real, I don't know what I would've done if it was. I brushed my teeth and rinsed my face off and looking at the mirror, I noticed my bathroom window open just a crack. I immediately went over to the window to shut it, looking out in my backyard which made me think about my dream.

  Leaving the bathroom, I went to my bed and sat down on the edge and picked up my phone. Ali had sent me like a hundred messages wondering where I was? Why I'm not answering back? And have I told my parents about what happened at school on graduation night? Nope, I haven't told them yet. I know I need too but I just haven't gotten around to it. I need some time to think and I know that if or when I do tell them they might flip.

I called Ali.

  "Hey Al-" she didn't even let me finish. She started yelling at me about the not texting back situation.

"I'm fine. No. I just over slept. Okay, but I need to talk to you" I answered her questions. I told her I need to talk to her about the whole nightmare and telling my parents situation so we decided if would be a good idea to get some breakfast at IHOP. Then she insisted on going for a walk on the beach afterwards and I told her it would be a cool idea. Hanging up the phone, I went to my closet to see if I could find something to wear.

~•~•~

Dressed and ready, I headed downstairs, phone in one hand, wallet in the other and into the kitchen where my mom was making coffee.

"Mom, me and Ali are going out to eat breakfast" I told her.

" Okay, did you say hi to your dad?"

"No, I'm going right now" I answered.
"Okay, can you take him this cup of coffee please?"

"Yeah" I took the cup, stuffed my phone in my shorts pocket and headed towards his office. Knocking on the door, I walked in while he was on the phone. I smiled and he waved me over toward him.

"Hold on" he told someone on the phone, "hey darling" he kissed my head.

  "Bad timing?" He took the cup from my hands and set it on his desk.

  "No, I always have time for you" he said to me, making me smile.

"Me and Ali are going out to eat so I'll see you later"

"Okay, just be careful" he said, as I walked towards the door to leave. "Love you"

"Love you too" I called.

I grabbed my keys off the key rack and yelled, "see ya mom"
  "Be careful baby" she said. I closed my front door and walked over to Ali's house. I knocked on the door and the door swung open to an well dressed Ali.

"I could kill you Kat, you know that?"

"Yes, I do. And I'm sorry for not texting you back" I said to her. She gave me a hug before locking her front door and grabbing my hand, while we walked to the car. "So what's the big drama? Did that hot guy from the party call you?"

"Seriously Ali, no. He doesn't even have my number and I have no clue who he is or what he looks like" I explained, and it was true. I had no clue who he was although I wish I did. All I know is that he was the one who helped and also welled on my attacker.

  " Your right. But if he did, you guys could totally hit it off" she said.

"Anyway, it's about the nightmare I had last night" we stopped walking and looked at each other.

   "Is it about what happened with that rapist guy?" She asked, unsure how to go about what happened. She looked kinda sad, but I told her a thousand time that it's totally fine now because I'm alright.

"Yes, but first... Who's driving?" I asked her, trying to lighten the mood.