Katarina Rose

Chapter 2

"Mom! I would like to go to indiana!" I try to yell loudly, but not succeeding due to having not yelled since three years ago. I dont know who those kids were. I dont know whats in Avon or even where it really is. But she was like me, Maria was exactly like me.

"What?" Mother yells back. I tip toe lightly into the kitchen where I head her voice. "I said I wanna go to Avon Indiana." She looks at me funny. "Why would you wanna go there? Its a long way away, Katarina." I sigh and try to hide the grass stains on my white shoes. " I just, wanna go. I wanna get out of the house." I shrug my shoulders and tilt my head.

My mother smiles. "Ofcourse! Ofcourse we will go. Anything to make you happy again." She comes toward me with outstretched arms for a hug. But I turn around and sprint upstairs to my bedroom. I dont want to love her. She thinks that just because of what ive gone through, I should be treated like Im a precious baby. She wont let me go anywhere alone or do anything on my own. I get why shes scared. I was stolen the first time she ever let me out of her sight. But whats the chance of that happening again?

"Hey Katarina." I hear his voice, but I dont jump. Not many things scare me anymore. "Hello Blake." I whisper, sitting at the window. "Why are you talking so quietly?" Blake asks from his room. "Because the world is too loud." I nod my head and fix the daisy thats tucked behind my ear. He laughs, "Youre different. Arent you?"

"No. Just, not particularly normal."

~

"First day of school, first day of school..." I mumble as I braid my rainbow hair. Im already ready for school, even though it doesnt start for three hours. Ive eaten, showered, gotten dressed, and now I just sit cross-legged in front of our door, backpack in hand. I dont sleep much, only about four to five hours each night. Why? Two words: Its. Dark. I dont like the dark. When its dark, its easier to hurt us.

Two more hours.

One more hour

"Kat!" My brother Kale runs down the stairs yelling my name. "What?" I ask, not turning around. "Gosh, Katarina!" He comes over to me and grabs my arm. "You scared me! I was gonna wake you up for school, but you werent in bed..." "Ive been up for hours. Waiting to go to school." I explain, twisting one of my many rings around my finger. "Okay,well... Ill drive you there, just wait till im dressed." he turns back and goes up to his bedroom yelling "Koby! I found her!"

I love my brothers. They may be way overprotective of me, but theyre still pretty cool.

Kale is the oldest. Hes twenty and in college to become a doctor. Of all things; a doctor. And trust me when I say that he looks nothing like a doctor. With his piercings and mowkawk. But hes doing good in school, so, fine with me. He also has a beautiful fiance, whom I love. Stacy May is probably my favorite person ever. She smart, bubbly, outgoing, and... Four months pregnant. Yeah, I was suprised too, but, she will make a great mother, Kale will make a great father, and I cant wait to be an aunt.

Koby is only 43 seconds older than me, but no one wouldve ever guessed it. Hes a whole six feet tall! Thats ten inches taller than me! Which was always unfair when he used to tackle me. But he doesnt do that anymore, 'cause- like everyone else -he sees me like im a two year old. Always worried about me, checking on me, no longer randomly picking me up and threatening to stick my head in the toilet if I didnt give him a dollar. We used to be siblings, but now, they act like theyre my own, personal body guards.

About fifteen minutes later, Kale and Koby make their way to the door. "You ready?" Asks Koby. "Yes"

"Good luck you two... Koby, keep your eye on her." Kale says gesturing to me. I get out of the car in my ruby red Dorothy slippers and make my way to the double doors. My new school is two stories tall and is covered in red brick. The large building is surrounded by many trees. Good, the more trees, the less of a chance for people to find me. "Liking the trees?" Asks Koby as we walk up the sidewalk to our school. Ofcourse he knew what I was thinking, he knows me better than anyone. I nod my head and start to hum. He sings quietly along with me. Ive been singing that song for so long and so much that everyone that I spend alot of time with probably knows it too.

My mother asked the principal if mine and Kobys classes could always be the same... To make sure that im never left alone. So we walk into our first class (science) singing my song and laughing. Everyone automaticaly looks at us. Koby stops singing because hes not used to the attention. I, on the other hand, am used to it, so I sing it louder to make up for the loss of my brothers voice. We take two seats in the back of class right next to each other and wait for our teacher to start.

The four girls sitting in front of us look back at me for a couple seconds, then start to chatter in hushed voices. A few seconds of this chatter continues, then the short girl with dark skin and curly hair turns to me and asks "Is that your real eye color? Cause it looks like youre just wearing contacts." I glance at the other three girls before answering "Yes, I have gold eyes.... But they didnt used to be gold..." I trail off, not wanting them to know that the reason for my eyes, is the same reason behind the network of scars across my chest. "Well what color did they used to be? And why arent they that color anymore?" The girl stares at my expressionless face. "I wonder if everyone here likes to be involved in other peoples buisness?" I wonder to myself, thinking of Blake and his many questions.

So instead of answering, I continue my singing.

~

When lunch finaly comes around (after many, many questions from the other teens in this school), I tell Koby that he doesnt have to sit with me. He agrees to sit with some guys at the front of the cafeteria, and I go off looking for an empty table. Todays menu consists of some kind of soup and a variety of fruits. But since I dont typically eat lunch anyway, I push the tray of dull, mushy, food away from me and stare into space.

"Katarina... You wanna sit with us?" Asks the boy whom I met yesterday. I find where the voice came from and see a bunch people looking at me from the table next to mine. After a second of thinking Blakes offer over, I shake my head no. The kids at Blakes table stare at me with a funny look on their faces, probably because theyre the 'popular' ones and no one ever refuses their invitations.

Smileing slightly at their silly faces, I start to sing a different song under my breath.

"Kat, please?" Blake asks. I sigh and grab my tray. Blake and the boy he sits next to, move apart for me to squeeze in between, which isnt too hard considering how skinny I am. "Can I have that?" I point to the boy on my rights coke can. "Uh, sure." I grab it off of his tray and start biteing the rim of the can. Everyone at the table stares at me. But like I said before, im used to that. So I push the tray back and lay my head on the cold table and continue to chew on the can.

Incase youre wondering, im not intending to eat it. Its just one of my habits that I got into while I was on that mountain.

"What are you doing?" Asks the girl across from me. "Nothing." I answer simply, and return again to the can. "Where did you come from." Asks the boy who gave me the coke. "Chicago." He nods his head. "Im Jon.. By the way."

"Hi." I say and then get up to throw away my untouched food. I walk past Koby sitting at a table with seven other boys. Most of them look up at me on my way back. "Kat, are you okay?" Koby asks, grabbing my hand. "Yes. This school is very nice." He tilts his head and looks at me like im lieing. "So youre not, going to go hide somewhere and have a panic attack?" I shrug my shoulders and decide to tell him the truth. "No, I am."

Then I turn and leave.

Im not gonna go to the trees. That would be too obvious. Im going to the bench on the outside of the parking lot. It will be deserted by now and hidden behind the cars.

I cant control the attacks, but I can feel it when theyre coming. My breatheing feels heavy and pain shoots through my veins instead of my blood. Its coming... I run out the doors and swerve between the vehicles as fast as I can before I cant stand it and pass out.

Im not gonna make it. I start to fall and put my hands out in front of me, only for them to give under the weight of my body. My face hits the gravel and I can feel warmth running down my neck. I try to stand back up, to get into the grass. But I cant, the darkness surrounds me.

The last thing I remember before it starts, is the sound of my scream.