Crazy

Chapter Six

A little over a half hour later the four of us were walking around the outside of the restaurant. The picture Kat had drawn was of the dumpster, oddly enough. We circled around to the back, but all that was there was the dumpster. Fear rose up in my throat, as I recognized a smell that wasn't rotted food. I slowly approached the over-sized waste basket, and threw open the lid. I choked on the smell of blood as probably the hundredth set of tear for the day forced their way out of my eyes. Hunter came over and peered inside with a flashlight. He grabbed me by my shoulders, pulling me into him yet again. He guided my blind, sobbing self over to the curb, where he sat me down. Then he walked away again, and as he walked, I could here him punch three numbers into his phone. A few minutes later he came back and sat next to me. He fidgeted with his fingers as I fidgeted with my pendant. He was sitting really close to me, so close even, that our legs were touching. Every part of my body wanted to run away from him in that moment, to disappear, to join Kat in the dumpster, because I knew without him telling me that that was her in there and that she was no longer with us. But yet, my heart wanted me to take his hand, to lean into him, to let him comfort me. I didn't know which one to follow, so we just sat there in awkward silence until the medics and the police showed up.

Crystal had gone inside to tell the restaurant manager what had happened right behind her building. At the current moment she was speaking to a police officer about how she didn't even know this had happened. Finally, the medic came up to Hunter and me, sitting on the curb. He sat down next to us, a grim look on his face.

"Did you tell her?" He asked Hunter, but I didn't need Hunter to tell me. I wasn't stupid.

"Kitty, your sister isn't the only one in that dumpster," Hunter choked out.

I looked at him, just now realizing that he had been crying. "Wh-What?" Was all I could manage to get out of my mouth.

Hunter took a deep, shaky, uneven breath, then let it out really slowly before looking back at me. "Kitty, your mom is in there too. And so is a man."

My head spun as I jumped to my feet. I almost fell as I tried to make my jelly legs run to the dumpster, now marked off by yellow caution tape. I didn't care, I ducked under it, dodging the officers telling me to back away. I had to see. I had to know. As I grabbed the rim of the dumpster I jumped, leaning over the edge, but not falling in. I saw them. All three of them. Mom. Kat. And him. I had only seen my father before in pictures, but even now, years later and all mangled up, I would never have mistaken him for another man. I should have known. I should have known. I let my feet hit the ground, and let the policemen guide me out of the taped off zone. They sat me down for an interview. I told them about him, about Kat's problems, about the "date" my mom was on with a "coworker". They thanked me for the information and dismissed my friends and myself.

"Kitty, you can stay with either one of us for the remainder of the school year, and until you get on your feet for college and everything," Crystal offered as she came up on my side.

"Thank you, but I think I would much rather stay in my own house. If CPS will allow it. I turn eighteen later this month. I'm sure there are plenty of kids in Saginaw that live on their own and go to high school. But I do appreciate the offer. And Crystal? It wasn't your fault. I was none of ours. Kat was going to do what she was going to do. No one could have stopped her. All we can do now is look to the future for hope," I stole a sideways glance at her.

Everything happens for a reason. Maybe, just maybe, one of these days I will understand why this had to happen. Why my life had to be turned completely upside-down, and why right now. I held on to my cross pendant as we walked to our vehicles, with one last question posed in my head. Why did she have my necklace in her room this morning? Obscurum per obscurius, ignotum per ignotius. The obscure by the more obscure, the unknown by the more unknown.