Hunted Predators✔️

Chapter Twenty-one

Katherine stands in her driveway. Her parents stand by the door. For a moment, they all just stare at each other. Katherine's face crumbles. "I'm sorry." Her parents run forward, wrapping her in a hug.

It's like a boulder had been lifted from her chest. Katherine pulls back, wiping her eyes. "You don't hate me?" Her mother stares at her with sorrowful eyes. "Oh, Katherine. Let's get you something to eat."

"As long as it's not us," her father jokes.
...

"Katherine? You almost ready?"

"Yes!" Katherine shouts back. "I'll be down in a minute!" Katherine turns back to the mirror. She takes a deep breath and smiles. "Gonna be great," she whispers.

Stares follow them as Katherine and her parents walk into church. Katherine catches the eyes of a girl, one of the girls she used to walk to school with, and waves. The girl takes a step back, and her father throws an arm around her, glaring at Katherine.

When Katherine takes a seat in the back, she and her family have the whole row to themselves.

"I thought today we could deviate from the usual," the preacher begins. "Talk about current events, since they're hitting close to home for many of us."

Katherine's parents exchange a glance. Katherine sits on her shaking hands.

"I'd like to inform the community of the church's stance on vampires."

Katherine stares straight ahead as people turn her way.

"Vampires are a peculiar subject. They look us. They act like us. Yet, they're not. When you take the judgement and morality out a person, they are what's left, and without those qualities, are they even human? What separates a vampire from an animal? And if a vampire is in an animal, then why aren't they being treated as such. If a dog attacks its owner, you put it down. If a vampire has killed a person, shouldn't then-"

"That's not your place!" Katherine's father exclaims.

"My place is making sure this community is safe," the preacher says calmly. "When the government fails to do so, when they dump-"

Katherine walks out of the church. Completely silent, the church attendees' eyes follow her as she steps out. The preacher clears his throat and continues with his speech: "When they dump a..."

As soon as she's out of the building, Katherine quickens to a run. She scans the parking lot, settling on the car in the end of the lot.

She grabs the door handle and yanks, but it's locked shut. "Shit," she whispers. "Shit, shit, shit." She stares at the handle in her hand, her face crumbling.

"Katherine!" It's an all too familiar voice. Katherine wipes her cheeks. Glaring, she turns around.

Valerie stops jogging, her strides slowing to a crawl. She twists her tank top, biting her cherry red lips as she approaches. "I'm glad your back."

Katherine glares at the ground.

"Can we talk?"

"No."

"Please, Katherine. There's-"

"Go away."

"I just want to explain myself."

"You have any more lies for me?"

"If you'd just give me-"

"Okay. You want to talk? Let's talk. In the past month, I've been bitten, shot, nearly tortured, nearly killed, nearly killed again, and again, but none of that matters because I'm going to be executed soon for saving an ungrateful prick's life. So how are you doing? Have you and your boyfriend been to third base yet?"

Valerie stares at Katherine, her cheeks turning brick red.

"Door," Katherine says.

"What?"

"Can you unlock the door?"

Valerie turns around. Katherine's parents are approaching. "Katherine, wait," Valerie says. "We really need to-" 

Katherine steps into the car, slamming the door behind her. 

"Talk," Valerie finishes softly.

Katherine stares straight ahead, her arms crossed over her chest as Valerie talks to her parents, gives them a hug, and walks back into the church. Her parents step into the car. "You didn't want to talk to Valerie?"

Katherine turns to stare out the window.

The car ride is silent. It's not until they hit the highway does someone speak. "Katherine-" her father starts, turning around to face his daughter.

"This isn't going to work," Katherine says.

"You've only given it a day."

"I'm going to leave before it gets worse."

"So you got a few stares."

"A few stares? The preacher practically called me the f*cking anti-Christ."

"Language!"

"I have to get out of here."

"We don't care what he thinks. The people who love you, they know-"

"You care! You guys have always cared! Your the ones who've made me care!"

"Katherine, he was wrong."

"How can you know for sure?"

They hesitaste.

Katherine scowls. "I'm going back to Mabry."

"What?" her mother screeches, slamming on the breaks.
...

Katherine and her mother stand on the side of the road, staring at the dent in their bumper as steam rises into the air. Her father is busy talking to a police officer.

"Is this a metaphor for the wreck that is my life?" Katherine wonder out loud. "Is this the universe itself making fun of me?"

"Oh, Katherine." Her mom puts her arm around Katherine's shoulder, kissing the top of Katherine's curls. "All right."

"All right?"

Her mother blinks, biting her lip. "I just... I don't know how to help you, Katherine."
...

Someone takes the seat next to Katherine. Katherine looks up from the magazine and sighs.

"Your mom called me," Valerie says quietly. "Said you were going back to Mabry."

Katherine turns to face the window, but Valerie grabs her by the shoulder, yanking her back. "Cut that sh*t out. I want to talk to you."

"Well we don't always get what we want." At Valerie's expression, Katherine exhales. "What were you expecting? That we'd hold hands and cry and sing Kumbaya?"

"And this is better?"

"Better than pretending."

"We've been best friends for ten years. You can't just-"

"And yet you picked the boyfriend you knew for less than a year."

"Stop it. You're just making things worse. You're not going to Mabry; you're running away, and it's not going to fix anything."

"We can't fix this, Valerie. If all that happened was the money thing, then maybe we could. But I got messed up. And it's not your fault, and it's not fair, it's just how it is."

Valerie's dangerously close to tears. "I just want to help you. Let me help you."

"Just go away, Valerie."

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