The Big Things

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"It was about three years ago... at a concert with her friend... Grace was kidnapped..."

Kay's eyes flashed open as she registered what she was hearing. Why was Jess telling Bianca about Grace?

"Oh my god. Jess, I never would have guessed-"

"I know, she hides it so well. She's tried to block out that part of her life, and I guess every time she ignored the thought it was just bottled up and now... she's let it all out."

Kay stood slowly, wincing as her feet made contact with the cold floorboards. Grace...

"Jessica, when I saw her in the corner, it was really scary... I didn't know what to do so I just brought her back."

"Yeah, that's what I would have done. She's still sleeping, so she's gotten some good rest."

Bianca sighed. "I just, I feel awful." Why? Kay quietly padded down the hallway, towards the kitchen. She stood at the edge of the hallway, listening.

"For what?"

"Just, everything. Our entire friendship has been built upon me trying to get her to try new things and travel out of her comfort zone, and now I know what's happened to her that made her like... this. I probably only made things worse."

"No, trust me-"

"Good morning!" Kay piped up. Bianca glanced over Jessica's shoulder and noticed Kayce standing there.

Kay frowned at Jess. "You told her."

Jessica sighed and stood up. "She would have had to find out one way or another. I'm sorry."

"But you told her. You swore you wouldn't tell anyone and you told her!" Kay didn't move from her spot in the hallway.

"Kayce, we think you had a panic attack last night. This is serious. I had to tell her what was going on, because the last time this happened was the day they announced her missing, and-"

"Can I just have some breakfast?"

Jess and Bianca exchanged a glance before Jess ran her hand through her hair and mumbled "yeah, go ahead. Help yourself." She gave her sister a small smile and then went to the bathroom.

Kay stood up on her tiptoes and reached into the cabinet for a porcelain cereal bowl. She found a carton of milk in the fridge and grabbed the box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch from the counter.

She really just wanted a blueberry muffin from Mimi's. When was the last time she'd been to Mimi's? Her whole life had just been turned upside down... What with going on a road trip... And what happened last night only ruined everything.

She made a feeble attempt to block the thought from her mind before heading over to the fridge to get some milk. She poured it slowly into the bowl, watching as the cereal floated to the top. It was almost calming, in a way. Grace...

She needed to forget. How did she do it before? She just ignored everyone named Grace? No... she had some sort of method. It was like she'd put up a dam, and Bianca had been slowly removing the wood with new diners and road trips, piece by piece, until there was nothing left. Then the water had surged through with all its rage at being held back and swept her away.Why couldn't she remember? She did such a good job of forgetting that she forgot how to forget.

Say that ten times fast.

Kayce sat quietly at the kitchen counter, eating her Cinnamon Toast Crunch when Bianca spoke up.

"Hey," she suggested, "you wanna talk?"

"Sure. When are we gonna pack to go to Ohio? I'm really excited!" Kayce smiled to herself- she was telling the truth. She was really excited to see her dads again. And she wanted to go home. Not New York home- home home.