Caught in Time

Chapter 32. An Arse and A Bitch

-Cara- 

The next day Keegan and Cara were walking down the road in the direction of the village. They walked in silence but she didn't really mind. It was nice being just the two of them and not surrounded by his family, and the conflicts that often came with their company. 

Ever since last night, Keegan had been the main target for low-blows coming from every which way by his family members. They hadn't gone easy on him for the accidental punching of Cara. He had finally had enough and left to hunt and Cara sensed that he needed some time alone to try and deal with his guilt over almost fracturing her nose. While he was out all night, she got to sit with his parents, listening to their bickering over what he had done and how his father blamed Miriam for manipulating Keegan. That had escalated into a loud verbal fight until Georg had put his fist down to mark the end of it. Miriam had then walked straight into their bedroom and slammed the door behind her, leaving Cara in the kitchen with Georg for the rest of the night.

Orla and Flynn had returned home before their older brother and then Cara was in for another ride on a roller coaster she would have rather just skipped when they heard what had happened. It was hard to stay mad at Keegan when his family was coming down so hard on him for something that had been an accident, the rest that had happened, was just as much his mother's fault as it was his. 

The only sound she could hear now, was the sound of the dirt underneath their feet, little rocks rolling over as they walked. A faint but soothing wind caressed the fields around them. They hadn't said a word since they had left the house and yet, she didn't mind. She felt so at ease walking with him like this. There was just something so calming and pleasant about being around Keegan that even in complete silence, she enjoyed his presence. 

She glanced quickly at Keegan when he wasn't looking; His gaze was fixed on the road, then moving quickly up to the sky and then back to the road again. There was something bothering him... he wasn't his usual self. He looked like he was overwhelmed with guilt. The calmness he normally exuded, was buried beneath the slightly saddened eyes, the concerned lines in his forehead and the occasional clenching of his jaws. 

Cara felt bad for him. The blow had been a complete and utter accident but she still felt a little cranky about the witch thing so she didn't say anything to make him feel better. She felt torn on the inside, struggling with feeling bad for him in one second, and wanting to slap him across his face in the next. 

"Is something wrong?" Keegan asked when he suddenly looked at her, noticing that her eyes were fixed on him. 

Shit! Fuck! She thought but maintained a calm expression even though she had been made. 

"Where are we going?" She asked and looked around them. And why are we going alone? She wondered cheekily and mentally pouted her lips at him.

"The lake." Keegan answered her and she narrowed her eyes when she didn't recognize the word. He smiled faintly when he saw the confusion in her face. "You will see." He said and looked away. 

"Is it far?" She asked. 

"It is outside village." Keegan answered and nodded ahead. "But no, it is not that far."

Cara pressed her lips together. In lack of anymore questions to ask him in order to keep the conversation alive, she decided to just stay silent. 

-Keegan-

Cara stopped talking to him just as they reached the village square. He hoped she wasn't still upset with him for the whole witch thing... He had asked her if she'd want to come with him and to his own surprise, she had accepted his invitation. She wouldn't have said yes if she was still upset... Would she? He pondered but figured that she couldn't be fuming mad at him if she agreed to come, perhaps she was just a little cross. Cara had looked very surprised when they had left the house and made aware that it was just going to be the two of them. Still she came... He tried to comfort himself and his nerves.