Dead Girl Walking

Chapter 25-Khol

I assume they're taking me to the cell blocks. They're still dragging me, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Khol's dead. Shot by his own family. I hope that knife did some serious damage to Jeremy. Khol the very same person who made me feel welcome when I first moved in. The same person that I was falling inevitably in love with. My partner. My second in command. My best friend.

One year ago

I'm in my room pulling my hair up so that I can go work out. There's a light knock on my door.
"Come in" I say. Whoever it is hesitates then opens the door. Khol walks in dressed in work out clothes.
"I uh thought maybe you could use a workout buddy" he says running his hand through his blonde hair.
"Yeah sure" I say and smile "what did you have in mind?" I ask as I grab my water bottle.
"Do you know how to wrestle?" He asks me.
"Uh no" I laugh.
"Would you like me to teach you?" He asks, his cheeks flush with color.
"Sure" I say smiling at his red cheeks.

He starts off showing me different holds and how to pin someone. I try to do some moves on him and fail miserably. I end up just forgetting the moves and just trying to overpower him. I'm drenched in sweat and he has me pinned for the 10th time.
"I don't like this sport" I say between deep breaths. Khol laughs.
"You just don't like to lose"
"Ding ding ding" I say in a high pitched voice. He laughs again. I like the sound of his laugh, it's almost carefree. Almost but not quite. We're laying on our backs on the mats. I'm breathing heavily but I don't know if he's even broken a sweat.
"Are you even tired?" I huff.
"Slightly" he grins. I look up at the high ceiling.
"How did you get here? What's your story?" I ask without looking at him. Now he's looking at the ceiling.
"My family like yours worked for the agency. They left too. But no one came to me and said I was gonna die. It just happened, the Laveath came for my family too. They killed my parents and my brothers. Even my little brother he was only three. Even my dog. They kept me alive so that I would remember what happens when you cross them. I didn't get away unscathed though" he pulls up his shirt and traces his finger across a long thin scar that mars his chiseled abs. "The agency came, found me bleeding and my whole family dead" a tear slides from his eye and splatters on the mat. I reach over and squeeze his hand, he squeezes my hand back and then let's go.
"I'm sorry, I can't even imagine that" I say looking over at him. He won't look me in the face.
"I joined the agency to get my revenge but now it's more than that. It's about helping helpless people, just like I was. I don't want anyone to go through what any of us here have gone through. It's a horrible way to grow up"
"I guess I had it easy. I grew with parents that loved me and a brother that looked after me" I say sighing.
"But they lied to you" Khol states "don't you think you deserved to know?" He asks.
"Maybe" I say. I hadn't really thought about it that way. They had hidden a very big part of their lives from me. A part that almost got me killed. Them killed too.
"Yeah I guess I deserved to know" a single tear slips out of my eye, I wipe it away before it hits the mat. This time he's the one that reaches over and squeezes my hand this time. We stay like this for what felt like hours, just talking. About nothing and everything. What sports we like. What food we like to eat. Relationships. Finally I stand up and extend my hand to Khol and pull him up.
"I'm going to shower, I smell terrible" I tell him and scrunch up my nose.
"Okay" he laughs. He really is adorable when he laughs.
"Derek is making dinner tonight, you should join us" he says "he makes the best chilli you'll ever taste. Dinner's at 7" he says. His dimples showing when he smiles
"Alright, I'll see you at dinner then" I say and head for my room. I smile to myself. I'm starting to like it here.