The Event

16.

The flight went by faster than I'd thought it would, but it was just as awkward as I'd believed it would be from the start. KaRayna spent the whole time rattling off encryption codes to Kayne and he helped her out with what he could even though it didn't seem like he understood much more than Tommy or I did.

"It's done." She said proudly, finally crossing her arms and pushing the screen away and back into the dash of the ship when she was satisfied with her work.

"You're stellar." Kayne praised her and Tommy and me both made faces at each other then laughed. Kayne furrowed his brows and smiled like he was confused but didn't want to be left out. "I told you guys that she was the one we needed to find."

"Sure did." I replied in a monotone, not looking in his direction. "Lucky you guys are so close I guess."

When he didn't respond I chanced a glance up to the front. Kayne still had his head turned, but his forehead was wrinkled and his thick lips were pursed into a straight line. He shook it off and smiled at KaRayna who was looking at him with the same perplexed expression as the one Kayne usually has when he looks at me.

"Who are the inhabitants of your settlement?" She asked curiously.

Kayne looked over his shoulder again as he landed the ship, letting me take over.

I sighed thinking of them all. "Well, there's my brother, Jeremy. Tommy's brother, Will. Then Lisa, Kaylin, and Tony." I paused. "They're a family. The mother was with us for a while too, but she...the gas." I shook my head, getting the grotesque image of her out of my head. "Then there is a married couple, Dani and Matty. Plus the random tagalong, Fred" I gritted my teeth thinking of who was left. "Then finally we have the two assholes...Brent and Brock."

KaRayna turned to look at me, her cheeks flushed. "Excuse me?" She gasped. "Assholes?"

"Not nice people." Kayne explained but she still looked confused.

Finally she faced back to the front. "And how nice can a person be that refers to others as such a thing?"

I balled my hands in my lap. "Do you have a problem with me?" I snapped, feeling a little extra snippy today.

Tommy nudged me with his shoulder. "Chill." He urged.

KaRayna crossed her thin arms over her chest and kept her eyes trained forward, her mouth set in a firm line. I wanted to vomit when Kayne reached over, putting his hand on her leg gently, patting once before going back to powering down the controls. For someone who has never experienced emotions before, she sure was embracing the bitch feeling.

As the top lifted off of the craft, I couldn't scramble out fast enough. I set off into the direction of the motel, not waiting up for anyone. The harder I walked, the more I noticed a dull ache in my stomach.

Great. My period is coming.

It's the freaking end of the world, but I still have to deal with this shit? At least that explained a little why I was feeling so jumpy and ill, but I still didn't think my dislike of Miss Perfect in Every Damn Way KaRayna had anything to do with it.

We got back to the motel faster than I'd thought we would.

The lights in a few windows glowing out to meet us. I ran up the porch and was met with a gun in my face, a finger on the trigger, and Brent's face behind it.

"Woah, Brent, it's me." I held up both hands, Tommy catching up fast and yanking me back down the porch away from him.

Brent narrowed his eyes, almost like he was seriously considering whether or not to just go ahead and shoot me, but then he sighed. "Weren't expecting you back so soon." He shrugged, lowering the gun and pushing open the door to let us pass. I was hardly in the hallway before the door on the end busted open and Jer came running out.