Katie And The Reaper (A Post-Apocalyptic Romance)

Chapter 3 - Katie age 15

She'd passed out on the floor, unconscious.  The sound of voices woke her, forcing Katie into autopilot action to get out before they found what she had done.  She'd learned to hide her own life-glow, which made her invisible as long as a person wasn't looking directly at her.  Or as long as the person wasn't her Mom. The skill was enough to get her out of Medical and one of Reservation's secondary escape doors.  There were three of those, none of which she was supposed to know about, all of them casually patrolled so that they didn't garner extra attention.

Her own blood caking the front of her clothes, Katie snuck away to her favorite creek.  She washed as best she could, climbed her favorite big tree, and made herself comfortable on the little hidden platform she had made between the branches.  The exhaustion and headache of feeding a reaper had been riding her hard.  She'd never been so tired.  A deep sleep overtook her.

***

Marie O'Connor sat cuddled next to a wolf shifter named Allen Zorn, a high-ranking beta, with all the abilities of an alpha.  He just didn't want the responsibilities associated with that declaration.  He was handsome, but even ugly shifters had sex appeal, smelled like the forest, and Marie.  Her bed-choice from the night before.

Mom's hair was coming loose from her ponytail, framing her face with silky brown strands that never frizzed or curled awkwardly. Her pouty lips and low cut v-neck only interrupted the shifters attention when Katie walked in the door.

"And here she is," Allen said while standing.  He held Marie's hand in a comforting grip. 

Katie couldn't help her frown. 

Marie looked up with a cry of relief that swiftly turned to anger.  "You left the compound to go hunting again?  I told you no.  It's too dangerous.  There are zombies starving to death out there who would make a meal of you-not to mention-what are you thinking Katherine Rose?  Who do you think you are?   I'll tell you what miss-,"

Katie held up the rabbits.  Marie would have noticed her missing first thing in the morning and she'd brought the rabbits home to explain the day's long absence.  She wasn't sure they would work, but it was worth a shot.  "So, you want me to cook then?"

Allen's gold wolf eyes glinted as if caught in the light.  "This is serious.  You could have gotten yourself into trouble."

"Yeah.  Being a dumb kid and all.  Who are you anyway?"  She looked him up and down.  She knew exactly who he was. How long he'd lived.  When he would die.  Stamped like an expiration date on his head only she could see, seeing clear didn't happen with everyone, some people were just open.  "You're sleeping with her? You know Marie doesn't do relationships, right?  No need to think you have any say in my life or hers then, right?"

The gold eyes narrowed.  Her mother gasped.  Katie couldn't figure out why she'd be offended by the truth.

"Don't talk to your mother like that."  Allen said.

Katie shook her head.  "I wasn't talking to her.  I was asking you."

Marie flew at Katie, grabbing toward her shoulder.  Katie shifted to the side and her mother stumbled.  Wolf guy didn't like that, protective instincts kicking in to steady Marie.  Katie to tried to dart between them and get to the kitchen.  "If you think I am going to let you behave this way, you had better think again."  Her mother chased after her and Katie scrabbled ahead.

But Allen seemed to think he had a right to be involved in the mother daughter argument and blocked her way. 

"Katie, I'm going to talk to you and you are going to tell me why you think you can go where you want, skip school, behave rudely and act like a brat.  And I am going to explain to you that I am still your mother and you will do as I say, or I will ask the Declan for a guard to watch you day and night.  Do you hear me?"