The 10

22

Christopher looks at Kate, her head down, obviously upset about reflecting the day her family was ruined forever. Christopher holds his hands out and, during her weak moment, she takes them, and he pulls her to the bed. She sits next to him, and he wraps his arms around her, gently swaying her back and forth, trying to take the pain from her. Kate wrestles free and sits back in her chair.

"Sorry, I'm just swarmed with homework," she says, moving her hair off her shoulder. "As it is, I might not sleep tonight."
"If it's alright, I'd like to spend the night." Christopher treads.
"Sure, but my mom will be checking in soon, so hide in the closet until she does." she flips the page in her textbook, typing a few notes.
"Sounds good." Christopher stands and follows Kate's orders.

                                                                                              ❥

A few hours later, Christopher hears Kate's mother come in. She spends what feels like forever talking to Kate, but finally, she leaves. Christopher pokes his head from her closet.
"All good?" he whispers.
Kate never looks up at him, typing away on her computer, slowly nodding. Christopher sulks his way back to Kate's bed and sits facing her. Kate's brow is furrowed, moving her gaze between her laptop and textbook. Leaning back in her chair, stretching and moving her hair from her face, letting out a groan. Christopher watches her, studies her even. Sitting upright in her chair again, she closes her textbook and opens another folder. He looks at her alarm clock to his right, 12:44 AM. Turning his attention back to Kate, he watches her yawn and finds her blinking more so than usual.
    Kate feels her eyes getting heavy but pushes them aside, determined to finish all of her assignments, or at least put a dent in them. Standing, she walks out of her room, closing the door behind her. She walks to the coffee pot and starts a pot. A few minutes later, the rich smell of coffee perks her up. Pouring herself a mug full, she adds her milk and sugar before heading up to her room. Returning to her desk, she notices Christopher's gone. Checking her bathroom and closet, he's really gone. How did he sneak by me in the kitchen?
   After getting back to her work, her mother comes barging in. Thinking it's Christopher, she doesn't bother to turn around. Her mother walks up to her and nudges her shoulder. Turning, she finds her mother white as a ghost.
"What? What is it?" Kate's voice is laced with worry.
"I called the cops- I did-"
"Called the cops? Why?"
"The convict." she pauses, looking out the window. "I saw him."
"Are you sure?" Kate's heart begins beating out of her chest. "I mean, it is dark outside."
"He looked right at me, Kate." she never blinks. "He looked right at me."
      Fifteen minutes later, there's a fierce knocking on Kate's door. Looking at her mother, she releases her hand from hers and heads to the door. Detective Sherman barges in, gun raised, along with several deputies.
"You have such great timing." Kate huffs, rolling her eyes.
"We got here as soon as we could." Detective Sherman replies just as rudely.
"Enough, both of you." Laura stands.
"How long ago did you see him?" Sherman holsters his gun.
"Twenty minutes, maybe?"
"Where?"
"The backyard." Laura points, and Sherman nods, the deputies heading out.
"What was he wearing?"
"It was dark, but jeans and a hoodie? I think, I mean, he looked at me and I panicked, I froze."
"It's okay." Sherman puts a hand on her shoulder. "You did the right thing calling. At least we know a hundred percent he's here." he turns to Kate. "Did you know he was here?"
"Of course not." Kate yawns. "I've been upstairs doing my homework."
Sherman looks at her, Kate shuffling nervously. "Right. Well, I'm going to have no chance to have a patrol car outside until he's caught officially."
"Whatever you have to do." Laura shakes, chills running through her. "I never realized how scary he is. His mugshot made him look like a decent human being."
"He knew you saw him, so he had to scare you- make sure you knew something, I suppose," Sherman states, looking up at his deputies when they return inside.
    Kate watches them huddle, whispering something unclear back and forth. She watches as the deputies nod, obviously intimated by Sherman. Sherman waves his hands around. Again the deputies only nod. Sherman curses and turns, seeing Kate watching. He storms past her and returns to her mother. Kate huffs, staring at the deputies. Seeing Sherman's back is to her, she approaches the deputies.
Kate motions for them to follow her into the kitchen. Pouring the coffee, she asks, "What'd you find?"
"We're not allowed to answer that, ma'am." Deputy, Kate reads his badge, Monroe says, taking the coffee.
"An escaped convict was in my backyard, and I deserve to know what you found." Kate pushes.
"Sorry, ma'am. Sherman will have our asses if we tell you." Deputy Greggs says.
"Please," Kate begs. "My mother is scared out of her mind. I need to know for her sake."
Deputy Monroe and Greggs look at each other. Deputy Monroe nods his head. "Okay," he says. "We found boot prints and a necklace."
"A necklace?" she raises a brow.
Deputy Greggs pulls out a bag, sliding it to her. "Seems to have some sort of locket or something, we weren't allowed to touch."
"Maybe you could identify it?" Deputy Monroe asks. "You know, 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine?'"
Kate shifts the plastic of the bag, shifting the necklace inside. "It's mine," Kate whispers. "My grandmother gave me this locket for my sixteenth birthday."
"What's in the locket?"
"A picture of my dad, her son." Kate wipes a tear from her eye.
"Forgive me for asking," Deputy Greggs begins. "Has your father passed?"
"You've clearly never heard of William Winters."
"Oh shit." Deputy Monroe whispers. "He's your-?"
"Father." Kate finishes. "Yes."
"Well, we have to put this in evidence, and then once Samuels is back in custody, we'll personally return it to you."
"Okay."
"What the hell is going on here?" Sherman shouts, approaching.
Kate slides the necklace hastily past the counter, and Greggs slides it into his jacket. "I was just giving them coffee."
"Mhm." Sherman hums. "What were you talking about then?"
"Kate's father is William Winters." Monroe diverges the conversation.
Sherman's eyes open wide. "Really?"
"Yep," Kate says.
"I was the arresting officer at the store," Sherman reveals.
"I don't remember seeing you at the trial or testifying?"
"I gave my testimony on a recording. I had to go out of town and help another precinct."
"I see." Kate drops it. "How's my mother?"
"Shaken up, but she'll be fine. She'll be herself again when Samuels is back where he belongs."
"Can I ask y'all something?"
"Sure," Sherman says lightly, internally telling Kate not to push it.
"I know that when my dad escaped and was caught, he was put in solitary for the rest of his life. Is that going to happen to Christopher, too?"
Sherman raises his brow, walking closer to Kate. "Why do you care?"
"I just want to know if it'll be in the same situation." Kate raises her chin, telling him to back up.
"I'm not sure; it'll be up to a jury." Sherman pushes further. "You gonna be sitting behind him? Supporting him?"
"No," Kate assures. "But I will be at the trial."
Sherman laughs. "What for?"
"To answer my own question since you're too incompetent and have too much of an ego to answer it for me."
Sherman's face becomes red with anger, and he turns to the deputies. "Let's go. You two are officially placed on patrol duty."
Greggs and Monroe nod. Turning to Kate, they nod their heads at her. Kate walks them out and locks the door behind her. Looking at her mother, she watches her walk into the kitchen. Following her, she sits at the island where the deputies had just been sitting.
"Thank God, you made coffee." Laura laughs weakly.
"Are you okay?"
"I will when he's caught."
"Well, Deputy Monroe and Greggs are outside until he is," Kate assures.
"It's not enough," Laura says, sipping her coffee.
"Why's that?"
"What if he enters through the backyard?"
"What do you mean?"
"He was in the backyard when I saw him. He was probably going to break in until he saw me."
"If he did, he probably would have come in anyway."
"Don't say that." Laura harshly turns her head to her daughter. "We got lucky this time, do not jinx it."
Kate stares at her mother, speechless.
"I'm sorry," Laura sighs. "I'm just going to take my coffee and go to sleep."
Kate watches her mother double-check that the back doors and front door are locked up before heading up the stairs. When she's out of sight, she looks out the window, the deputies nod at her. Sighing, she checks that the windows are locked and closes the curtains. Shutting all the lights off, she walks up the stairs, her hand gliding the wooden railing.
Yawning, she closes her bedroom door behind her and decides to call it a night. When she goes to lay in her bed, she nearly screams when she turns and finds Christopher. Fearing she would scream, he put his hand over her mouth. Slapping it away, Kate sits up suddenly wide awake.
"What- How- When?"
"I have my ways," he smirks.
"This isn't funny," Kate warns. "There's deputies outside my house twenty-four-seven until you're caught. Detective Sherman is like a hundred percent sure I'm in on this. So, you being here and sneaking in and out of my house isn't helping."
"You're the one who keeps letting me in." he reminds her.
"Fine." Kate stands. "Then get out."
"I did. Then I came back, tonight actually, and you said I could spend the night." his smirk returns.
"Then why did you leave? Why did you look at my mother and scare her nearly to death?"
"Bad timing. I didn't mean to scare her."
"Right," Kate says, uninterested in continuing this conversation.
    Christopher watches Kate shift around the bed, turning so her back faces him. He contemplates what to say, unsure how to approach her any further. How could he make up for scaring her mother and then sneaking back in? How would he explain the nerve he had to ask to spend the night? How would he continue this without being spotted by the deputies less than twenty feet away? Christopher shifts, looking at her back. Shuffling closer to her, he reaches his arms toward her. Kate opens her eyes, rolling them, scooting away. Christopher ignores her movements, trying again to have a chance to explain himself and his actions tonight.
     Kate huffs, giving in to Christopher's embrace, realizing he would only be gone in the morning, which really wasn't too far away. Christopher continues thinking of how to explain himself, to make Kate realize his intentions weren't to hurt anyone, that he only wanted to see her and her mother accidentally spotted him, how he never meant to make Kate a suspect again. He hated that the cops were putting her through this basically every day. Christopher opens and closes his mouth, trying to form a sentence, more times than he could count.
"Kate," he begins, unsure if Kate's even awake. "I don't know if you can even hear me right now," he laughs lightly. "But I just want to make sure that you understand that I never meant to scare your mother. I wouldn't intentionally scare anyone, but especially not your mother. I didn't know she would see me, and I didn't intend for her to, either. I'm sorry I ended up getting you dragged into this.
To be honest, a part of me wishes that I hadn't escaped. I know, I just finished my sentence and wait to see you as an official free man. I don't know, because you see, another part of me is glad I escaped." he shrugs. "See, when you and your classmates had to come to visit and speak with us, I feel like you were the only one who took it seriously. Took me seriously. You listened, you observed, you cared.
I'm grateful, Kate. I'm grateful for you." he pauses, looking down at the sheet. "Goodnight, Kate."
    Unaware of Christopher's knowledge, Kate was awake. She heard every word. She closes her eyes as a tear treads down her cheek, sinking into her pillow.
   Kate wakes up to her alarm, hitting snooze. She blinks and checks the time. 5:50 AM. Groaning, she uses her ten minutes of snooze to her advantage. Rolling over and pulling the blankets over her head, she's almost immediately back to sleep. Seconds later, her mother barges in. Kate hears her approach, hearing her floor creak.
"You can go back to sleep, Kate." her mother whispers, lightly pulling the blanket. "After last night, I- I realized neither of us slept, so." she pauses. "So I'm going to call the school and say you're sick."
Kate removes the blanket and sits up in her bed. "I'm up. I can go." she shrugs.
Laura shakes her head. "No, I refuse to let you go."
Kate rolls her eyes. "Well, I'm up to either way so."
Laura looks at her daughter, sighing. "If you want to go, I won't stop you."
Kate contemplates. "No," she shakes her head, taking her mother's hand. "I'll stay with you today. You need me more than the school does."
Laura smiles, squeezing Kate's hand. "I appreciate you, Kate."
Kate's mind reflects on the words Christopher spoke only a few hours ago. "I love you, mom."
Laura smiles. "I love you, too, sweetheart."

                                                                                              ❥

Meanwhile, Isabella's roaming the halls, dialing Kate's phone.

"Hey, it's me." Isabella pauses. "Again." she huffs. "Look, we're taking a huge test in history today. And uh, you can't make it up without a doctor's note, so get your ass down here." Isabella hangs up, putting a hand on her hip, sighing.
"Everything alright?" A voice asks behind her.
Isabella turns around and drops her phone, the glass shattering.