BLACKOUT DAYS, fear street 1994, 1978, 1666

𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝖾. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴

𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝖾. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴
_____

When your best friend dies, you go to her funeral. You cry out to her mother and tell the rest of funeral attendants how great of a person she was. Sometimes you lie, sometimes you don't. You go to the family dinner and pray that her soul found its place, either in Heaven or Hell.

When your best friend is murdered by her co-worker ( who supposedly just snapped ) on the one night she decided to work the night shift, you start wondering. If you both knew the co-worker, the boy who you'd also known long before he ever took the job, then why would he snap like that and try to kill your best friend? Why would that night be the night he killed her. Why would Ryan, the good, good boy, kill Heather? That was the one question Kitty Boyd kept asking herself. Why did this happen?

Kat closed her diary and threw her pen across the room with as much force as an elephant had. She blew a bubble with her gum and thought about what she wrote in the notebook. A ping of sadness struck her before she was called downstairs by her sister, Marcelina, for breakfast. Kat jumped up from her slouching position on her bed and ran downstairs.

Just as Kat was making her way to the kitchen table, Celine started talking about Kat's friend, Heather, and Heather's little sister, which happened to be Celine's close friend.

"--and I told Mary I was going to meet her at the old tree, but she-" Celine paused, carrying a pile of dirty dishes to the sink, "I'm sorry, Kitty. I shouldn't be dropping this all on you. The funeral was only a couple days ago."

Kat plopped a small pile of butter on her toast and spread it while she mentally pictured how the next five minutes would go.

"No, C. It's fine, really. I'm coping. You have friends, too. Go on." The elder sister lied. She took a bite of her toast and a sip of her orange juice.

"Oh, well, in that case, you wouldn't mind it I told you what the entire Shadyside population is saying about Ryan. That is, if you're actually coping and not destroying property like you were put in juvie for." Celine walked back to the table and sat down in the seat opposite from Kat, "You can talk to me about it. I know you and Heather were close."

Kat scoffed, quiet enough that Celine wouldn't hear.

"Close?" She laughed, I loved her. "She was my best friend." I was in love with her. "We did everything together. We were never apart." We were planning on running away together.

"I know, Kat. I know. And, as your sister, I'm always going to be here for you." Celine raked a hand through her hair, giving a warm smile to Kat.

No you don't know. I saved a jar of money under my bed for months so that when we ran, we'd have enough to get by. Heather did the same. You don't know what I went through when I saw the news. When I got the call. When I saw her body. When I found out it was Ryan who murdered her. Maybe you'll be there for me, but you'll never understand.

"Yeah. Of course, sis."

Celine smiled bigger and took a bite of her own bland toast. She took a sip of her black coffee and picked up the news paper on the table. The top story was on Heather's death. It had been since the 'Mall Massacre', as everyone started calling it. Seven had died, or was it nine? Kat couldn't remember. She hadn't payed much attention the details. She didn't even know if anyone besides Heather died that night. She didn't really care about about anything else.

Celine had actually tried getting Kat into counceling the day after the massacre. Her mom didn't care. Her mom was barely ever at home. Kat and Celine took care of the house while their mom visited every couple weeks, leaving a note so that, if the cops did come to the door, which they wouldn't ( because this is Shadyside ), there would be proof that there was, in fact, a parental gaurdian.

Celine rambled on about different news on the paper for the longest time before Kat decided to take off. She was parked in front of her friend, Marcus Williams' house, waiting for him to make his grand way to Kat's old, beat up truck.

But, today, he seemed a bit buzzed. When he got into Kat's truck, he was jittery and nervous. Quieter than a knat.

"You good, Mars?" Kat asked, tapping her steering wheel to the silence. The radio had broke a week ago, and Kat was going to fix it, but she hadn't the time with the funeral and everything.

"Yeah, just worried." He said, wringing his hands and looking out the window.

"About what?"

"Simon." Mars confessed, "And the rest of the crew. Since the... you know, he's been getting higher, Celine's been over-active, Kate's been crying, and Deena's been stuck on Sam, trying to get over the break-up."

"Hmm." Kat hummed, "And how have you been holding up?"

"Well, I've learned that the trick to coping, is to ignore the problem altogether."

Kat raised an eyebrow, not saying anything. Mars continued.

"Look, I miss H. I really do. I just don't know how to approach the situation. I mean, if every day is going to be like the funeral, I don't think I'll make it the rest of the year."

Mars turned his head towards Kat slowly, hoping he didn't strike a nerve. Kat kept her eyes forward on the road, holding back her tears.

"I get it." Was all she said. Her nails dug into the wragged leather on the steering wheel, tearing into it. Yet, she'd shown no emotion to indicated that was Mars said did strike a nerve. Somewhere in her, she knew that Mars' way of getting over Heather was the smartest way to go about it. If Kat only ever thought about Heather and her death, she'd never live a normal life. Right then and there, staring at the road in front of her, Kat decided something.

Starting today, I'm Kat Boyd, and I have never known any girl named Heather.