Orphan (A Jack Gilinsky Fanfic)

2. Peaceful

KATHRYN'S POV

"Kathryn?" Mrs. Finnegan drags me out of my thoughts, walking towards me along the white bridge. It's my first time seeing her dressed in casual clothing; she must've gone and changed. She catches my eye and smiles sweetly, "Hi, honey. Here's some clean clothing for you and Jamie before we can get your car back." She hands me a pile of neatly folded garments. "They're nothing fancy. Just some old clothes."

After eyeing the tags still hanging on the "old clothing", I look at her with a sincere smile and choose not to be a brat and mention them. "Thank you, Mrs. Finnegan. Truly."

"Of course, darling. Feel free to use whatever appliances you want in there. The TV, shower, microwave, whatever you need." She gives a nonchalant wave of her hand.

I look into her warm eyes and feel the pit of my stomach twist in pain. I shake my head slightly and look down with my tail between my legs. "I-I'm so sorry for snapping at you back at the elementary school. I just...I hate feeling helpless."

She smiles and shakes her head slightly, "Don't worry about it, sweetie. I understand. I do." She nods her head towards the glistening lake, "Let me show you around the yard."

I carefully lay the clothes on the small wooden table by the door and follow Mrs. Finnegan off the bridge and into the grassy backyard. The grass is still moist from the rain the previous night and the residue seeps through my socks, soaking my toes. Mrs. Finnegan leads the way, "This lake was here before the house was built. David and I were just teenagers when we stumbled upon it." She looks over her shoulder and I quicken my pace to catch up with her. She stops a few feet from the murky water and turns to me, "He vowed to me that night he would become a millionaire one day and build me a house in this very spot."

I feel my throat tighten up. I suddenly feel like crying. I choke out a small, "He did it."

Nodding her head slightly, her lips curl at the sides. "He did it." She repeats.

I clench my jaw as I gaze straight forward at the serene lake. The sun glistens across the surface, making the greenish water look like it's adorned with thousands of tiny iridescent diamonds. Small geese families surround the vicinity of the lake, occasionally flapping in the water and grooming themselves. With the perfectly groomed trees surrounding the boundaries, the view is nothing less than breathtaking.

I feel Mrs. Finnegan staring at me. I turn to look at her and she examines my face closely. I don't know why I feel like she's seeing into my soul every time we make eye contact, even when it was just during a mandatory 1-on-1 session every student's required to attend each semester. I gulp once before she opens her mouth to speak quietly, like she's sharing a secret. "I assume you've filed a missing persons report."

I look away. "Yes."

"And?" I know she's still looking at me.

I shut my eyes and internally cringe. I've done everything in my power to avoid this conversation for the past 6 months. Pain etches my chest as I inhale deeply, "Nothing. They can't find them. Their phone numbers are disconnected and they cancelled all their credit cards. They have no paper trail." My eyes fill with tears as the words spill out of my mouth. I clench my jaw, attempting to resist the growing desires of weakness. "How is that even possible?" I ask to the clear blue sky, my voice cracking weakly.

I feel the warm liquid lingering on my eyelashes. I blink and they immediately fall, racing to reach the bottom of my face. I wipe them away hastily. An abrupt warmth encompasses the upper half of my body as Mrs. Finnegan wraps her arms around my shoulders and hugs me closely.

I keep my hands strictly to my sides. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Pity.

I grind my teeth together in my mouth and shut my eyes. You are not weak, Kat. Stop crying.