Chapter Text
The ride was relatively silent. Kate would almost find it soothing, if not for the fact that she had no idea where Victoria was taking them. She lazily moved her gaze to the passenger side mirror to make sure that Chloe’s truck was still behind them — luckily it was, she even chanced a small smile.
Nothing has happened yet. Most of the radio stations stuck to their regular programming; only a couple had even bothered to issue a warning to stay indoors, specifically in the Bay Area.
Anyone would think that nothing major had happened. Kate’s thoughts, however, reverted to this morning at this hospital. How she and Victoria had escaped, the gaggle of people, much like Miss Kimberly, stumbled and shuffling their way out of the hospital entrance. They didn't seem fast; however, that could only be a matter of time before they wandered to a more populated area.
The thought sent a chill down Kate’s spine.
“Hard to believe it’s only been an hour,” Victoria said, breaking the silence. “We’re almost there, just another turn on this road,” she vaguely gestured with the hand on the steering wheel. “And then down a dirt path for about a mile.”
“We’re going off-road,” Kate asked, feeling intrigued by what Victoria said despite the raw quality of her voice. “I’m assuming it’s safe then?”
“It’s best not to be surrounded by people, right? Like big groups of people,” Victoria said, shrugging her right shoulder, the movement itself causing Kate to turn and acknowledge her. “Well, with the survivalist mumbo jumbo you were spouting as we were making our break to the Bay, I figured a cabin would probably be our best shot.” Kate watched as Victoria’s fingers flexed around the steering wheel, “It should be fully stocked and has generators to last us a few years, granted I haven’t been there in a month, so maybe not one hundred percent on the stocked part.”
“Is it a cabin that belongs to your family?” Kate couldn’t stop the question, but it came out, revealing her curiosity when it came to Victoria.
“No,” Victoria answered, a tad dry. “It’s Nathan’s, actually, or well, it belongs to his parents, but they never use it. Some of the Vortex Club kids would crash there on weekends to party. Sometimes it was nice to have a change of scenery.”
“Oh.” Kate felt her heart clench, and her skin prickled at the mere mention of his name. While he had only drugged her, she still felt fear claw its way through her ribs, desperately trying to find its way out. “I see,” she said a moment later, looking away from Victoria as she turned onto the dirt road. “At least you had somewhere in mind for us to take refuge in.”
Silence had taken over once again. Kate, for her part, watched the trees from the passenger side window come and go from view. She reminded herself that it had been nearly two weeks since the events that led her to the hospital had happened. That Nathan, despite his part in what happened to her, was a constant close presence for Victoria. For her to mention him, even now, was not to hurt Kate.
Her thoughts came to a halt as she felt Victoria take her hand into her own, intertwining their fingers and giving Kate’s hand a faint squeeze.
Kate had liked to believe then that it was Victoria’s way of apologizing.
The mile had nearly stretched on longer than Kate had anticipated, the trees all but blurred in together. The only constant, reassuring presence was Victoria’s hold of her hand. She wasn’t sure what to make of the contact, or of Victoria being there with her. This moment had stretched on and on. She tilted her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes then.
The noise of the engine had lulled Kate into a state of tranquility. The feeling of Victoria’s hand in her own was enough of a balm to soothe over the mere mention of Nathan’s name. There was hurt there, and would be hurt there for some time. The dead they saw stumbling out of the hospital would not be enough of a distraction to hold any sway over how Kate felt.
Perhaps that was how it was supposed to be. Which was hard for Kate to say. Everything was still raw, the truth only being out for two weeks, Kate in the hospital for half of that. The dead walking around? Merely a new reality amongst the one she had walked for nearly seventeen years. She felt Victoria’s thumb gently rub the side of her hand. The sensation it brought her, the comfort? That was another thing entirely.
She had opened her eyes then, once she felt Victoria’s car come to a halt, awareness seeping its way back into her when she looked out the windshield to gaze at a rather large gate that was surrounded by high fences that had stretched on from the view of either side.
“Well, if you can count on anything,” Kate began, voice a touch dry. “It's that the Prescotts won’t do anything halfway.”
She felt Victoria give her hand another squeeze before pulling away. “You’re correct,” she said, flashing Kate a tight smile. “Mr. Prescott is a paranoid bastard. You’ll see that once we make it to the cabin.”
Kate hummed, watching Victoria exit her car and approach the gate to — what appeared to be a keypad and press in a code. The gate came to life then, moving open, and Victoria whirled around, walking back to the car.
Upon her reentering, she had the car in motion, passing the gate. “Nathan would often be embarrassed, but his father wasn’t much of a person who enjoyed nature. As you’re about to see, their cabin can easily hold everyone from the dorm we live in, and that’s just from the above-ground area.”
“Above-ground area?” Kate asked, choosing to ignore that feeling in her ribs – more intrigued by how Mr. Prescott operated. “Are you saying there's more underground?”
She watched as Victoria fidgeted, doing her best, at least to Kate, to focus on the path ahead. “Well, I suppose, anyway, your father wasn’t the only one who held paranoid end-of-the-world beliefs. This place and nearly half of the Bay Area have their fallout shelters. In case of the like-said event occurring.”
“I don’t see how knowing how to survive and being paranoid enough to build fallout shelters around most of the Bay Area go hand in hand,” Kate muttered, annoyed at the genius that was Mr. Prescott. A part of her did not want to admit it for what it was.
“They’re merely two sides of the same coin,” Victoria laughed, causing Kate to miss the building coming into view, to stare at her fully. She looked tense — tired even, but the humor behind her words was enough to ease Kate and allow her to take it all in. “Mr. Prescott just has the money and the means to make it happen. I’m sure there are fallout shelters at the school, even. From all the funding he poured into it.”
Silence filled the car as it came to a halt. “I just wasn’t chancing us being caught up, stuck in the dorm, not knowing who was sick or not,” Victoria said as she put the car in park and turned it off. “Anyways, we’re here. The gate should have closed as soon as Price passed through the gate. To further fuel the paranoia that is Mr. Prescott, it’s an electrical fence that’s connected to solar panels that we’ll have to tend to and keep free of debris.”
“Seems like he thought of everything then,” Kate lamented once she noticed Chloe’s truck come to a halt and stop. As she was reaching for her seatbelt, she chanced a look at Victoria, “I’m assuming since it’s all state-of-the-art and high tech, there's a TV inside?”
“Yes, there are several. I think there’s even some in the bathrooms, why?” Victoria asked as she, herself, was removing her seatbelt and turned to reach for one of her bags in the backseat.
“That’s…excessive,” Kate said, making a face at the proclamation. “Especially to have TVs in the bathrooms.”
“That’s the Prescotts for you,” Victoria said with a laugh before pulling her bag onto her lap. “I’m assuming you want to check the news for anything on what could be going on with…with the undead walking around, no?”
“I just want to see if it’s happening anywhere else,” Kate stated, noticing how Victoria fidgeted with the strap of her bag. “I don’t know what we’re dealing with. If it is widespread or just here, and if it’s just here, then how long before the government catches on and does something about Arcadia Bay and the surrounding areas?”
“Honestly, they’d probably level this place and kill everyone in it. Including the surrounding areas,” Victoria muttered as she sighed, moving her hand to pop the trunk of her car. It took a moment, the silence already deciding to blanket itself around Kate and Victoria. It would have stayed there even if Victoria hadn’t huffed out an annoyed breath. “We'd better head inside before the others grow restless and attempt to do something stupid.”
Kate could only nod as she reached for the door, her mind set on the fact that Victoria could be right. Her father would often mention that more often than not, if a situation was otherwise contained in an area outside of the major populous, the government would cut its losses and fabricate a story to maintain the truth of the matter.
She shoved the thought away once she stepped out of Victoria’s car, nearly colliding with a familiar cage that Max had been holding. For the first time that day, a true smile bloomed across her face. “You brought Alice for me?”
“I couldn’t leave her behind,” Max admitted, maneuvering Alice’s cage to keep her leveled. “She was in my room, and I knew you had missed her.”
“Thank you, Max,” Kate said, her voice wavering a little as she looked at her friend. “I’m glad you thought of her. I’ve been a bad mama.”
“Hey, hey, no.” Max shook her head, shifting closer into Kate’s space. “Today’s been eventful for all of us – especially for you, Victoria, and Chloe. Me grabbing Alice for you was the very least I could do.”
There was a response on the tip of Kate’s tongue, or what would have been a response if not for one Victoria Chase. “Are you two coming or what?” Victoria called out, drawing Kate and Max’s attention to her. Kate noticed Victoria holding the screen door to the porch open with Chloe and Rachel visibly looking uncomfortable at the bottom of the stairs. “It’s far safer and warmer to have your moment inside, so let’s get a move on.”
Kate didn’t miss the expression on Victoria’s face, the way her scowl seemed to have hidden something else, but she simply shook her head. She looked at Max, who was looking back at her with a sheepish grin. “You go on ahead with Alice,” Kate said, giving Max a soft smile. “I’ll grab my bags and catch up in a second.”
“Alright, Kate,” Max said, smiling gratefully in turn before it tugged down to a concerned frown as she looked back toward the porch. “I should go check on Chloe and Rachel, and see if Chloe packed anything to wear, so she can shower. I,” she trailed off a moment, Kate noticed her gaze was solely fixated on Chloe. “I’m sure she wants to wash off the blood.”
“Tell Chloe that I feel for her,” Kate murmured. “I, uh, it was unsettling to have witnessed something like that,” Kate lied, feeling guilty and ashamed, but ultimately, she did not want Max to pester Victoria about her lying to her friends for her. “I could only…imagine what Chloe must be going through.”
“I’ll tell her, Kate, thank you.”
“Hey, we don’t have all day!” Victoria shouted, seeming to sound as annoyed as she looked. “Get your asses into gear.”
Kate watched Max roll her eyes before she headed off to the group with Alice in tow. Victoria seemed like her normal self now, rude and bossy. Kate wanted to find it for what it should have been, a relief. A normalcy that had been something Kate could follow. However, the contrast was there within her acts, the gentleness she held. From the handholding to her apology — their moment in the bathroom, her lying to the others about Kate killing Miss Kimberly.
Victoria Chase was many layers, and Kate wasn’t sure if the apocalypse – or whatever this was – would help unravel her.
“Kate, come on!”
Kate shook her head. Victoria and the others were waiting for her so that they could all head inside. Without wasting any more time on pondering the complexities of humans and the inner workings of their relationships, Kate headed for the trunk that Victoria had thankfully left open for her. She retrieved her bag and a small suitcase, both light.
After she gently shut the trunk, she took a moment, despite Victoria’s urgency for her to hurry, to look back on the path they had taken to get here. The gate was a good distance from where they parked. There was no need to rush despite Victoria’s efforts to get them inside. They were fortified for Pete’s sake.
Honestly, the nerve to even be shouting was baffling to Kate.
Still, a chill hadn’t stopped itself from creeping up Kate’s spine at the finality of their reality. They were here after all, at the Prescott cabin that looked much more like a mini mansion. Enclosed porch and all. Enclosed, even still, by a tall electrical fence for however many fucking miles.
Fucking rich people, Kate thought miserably after the chill caused her to shiver. It also didn’t help that they were smack in the middle of October.
“Kate,” Victoria said, her voice up close and startling — it caused Kate to jump, ripping her from her thoughts. “Shit, fuck,” Victoria swore, hand gently helping settle her, going so far as to even reach for one of her bags, “fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, I just need a buffer so I don’t strangle the golden fucking trio.”
“S-sorry,” Kate stammered, giving Victoria a tight smile. “I got lost in my head for a moment.” Although inwardly she was blown by the notion that Victoria apologized for startling her.
“Look, I know this is all brand new,” Victoria started. Kate watched as her tongue swept over her lips. She swallowed down the confusion as Victoria opened her mouth again. “You getting lost in your head would be totally fine once we’re inside, okay? It’s cold out here, let’s head inside where it’s warm and safe.”
The gentleness was back, the way her words softly blanketed over her. The fatigue was ever-present. The day felt longer than it truly was, despite it being close to noon. “Okay,” Kate agreed, allowing Victoria to take hold of her suitcase as she let out a breath of relief.
“We’re bunking together also if that’s chill with you.” Victoria gruffly said, adjusting her hold of Kate’s suitcase. Kate noticed the way her hand gripped tightly at the handle.
“That’s fine with me,” Kate smiled softly as she noticed the way Victoria’s fingers loosened around the handle, chancing a look at her face to see the way a blush had made itself known. “I haven't shared a room with anyone since I last been home. My sisters would often spend their time in my room with me.”
“That’s cool,” Victoria said, sounding genuine. “Taylor and Courtney would usually bunk in mine. Usually, after some party, if none of us got lucky.”
“So kind of the same for us,” Kate breathed out, sounding a bit unsure. “I mean,” she huffed out at the implication of none of them getting lucky. “It’s not the same, but we shared rooms with other people before.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it.” Victoria agreed once they made it inside. Kate hadn’t realized they were walking at all. “Amber, since you’re sitting there, can you shut and lock the porch, and then the door once you’re back inside?”
Rachel looked up at them, baring her teeth in a flashy smile. “Since you asked so nicely, Icky Vicky,” she hummed out, her smile taking a dazzling effect as she stood. “I think I will. Max is helping Chloe in the bathroom, so it’s occupied for now if you two need to go.”
“Joke's on you, Amber, there's definitely more than one bathroom,” Victoria said, snidely. “And I don’t care about what Caulfield and Price are doing — I got enough of my own concerns to worry about for the time being.”
“Whatever, Victoria,” Rachel chuckled, then looked directly at Kate…with a devious sort of interest. Her smile morphed into a smirk as she did a slow once-over, before turning her gaze over to Victoria, who Kate felt bristle. “At least this one looks sweet and innocent enough.”
Kate finally took her gaze away from Rachel — from her mischief and gal to annoy Victoria at a time like this, to look at Victoria. She noted the way the scowl set into her jaw, the way it clenched and unclenched. How the venom seeping out from her narrowed eyes was aimed at Rachel. Now this, this was unlike the Victoria she had been around. Not the gentle soul that spoke to her, nor the usual bitchy harshness from the large and in charge persona she often portrayed.
This was an entirely different person, one who caused Kate’s throat to tighten. It was almost as if she were looking at her mother. Her stomach rolled at the thought, and she dismissed it.
Kate inhaled softly before finding her voice, knowing it was time to intervene before anything could be said or potentially done between the two. “Victoria,” she said softly, not wanting to further the taller girl’s annoyance. “Show me to our room, please?”
“Yes, fine, of course. This way.” Victoria huffed out, scowl still in place as she kept her gaze on Rachel a moment longer. “Eat shit, Amber.” And with that Victoria made her way out of the living room, not waiting to see if Kate was following behind her.
Kate watched her go, her retreating form fading into the shadow of the hallway. She then remembered that she wasn’t alone and looked back at Rachel, who was letting out a laugh over the situation.
“It’s so fun to rile her up sometimes,” Rachel said with a broad smile on her face. “I forgot how much I missed doing that.” Kate felt herself flush at the way Rachel was staring at her, giving her another once over — her smiling morphing to something along the lines of softer. It disarmed Kate, causing her to feel a bit uneasy in her presence. “You must be Kate. Max and Chloe told me a bit about you.”
“I am,” Kate admitted, not understanding her hesitance under Rachel’s steady regard of her state of being. “We shared most of our classes since Freshman year, you slept in most of them.”
“Oh. That’s why I barely remember you.” Rachel said, looking sheepish. “It probably would have helped if we talked some too. You seem so lovely.”
Kate gave her a tight smile, adjusting her bag as she glanced at the hallway.
“You best not keep Vicky waiting,” Rachel said, her voice losing some of its teasing quality. “It was nice finally getting to put a face to the name. I’m gonna go lock up now.”
“Okay, see you in a bit, Rachel.”
“See you.”
Kate made her way down the dark hallway without incident, a part of her figuring that Victoria had them occupy the master bedroom. While that assumption only stemmed from her ‘I only accept the best’ attitude, Kate wished she wouldn’t judge Victoria on that, but parts of her weren’t ready to be accepting just yet.
“Kate, you’re about to walk into a hallway closet door,” Victoria said from behind her, causing her to jump for a second time. “Fuck, okay. I’m sorry, again.” Victoria laughed, her hand gently resting on Kate’s bicep, softly turning her towards the room with the light on. “I didn’t mean to give you a heart attack. Our room is right here. Alice is already in there, too. I’m guessing Ma–Caulfield must have put her in here for you.”
“It’s fine,” Kate began, ignoring the way her heart stammered. “I was just walking, not necessarily paying attention to my surroundings.” The added shock of a second verbal apology for surprising her yet again added an almost giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was mildly alarmed by it, even more so by how it wasn’t necessarily bothering her either. I’m tired, Kate thought simply as she shook her head.
“Hey,” Victoria started, causing Kate to refocus and look at her. Although she mostly saw Victoria’s silhouette by the light from the room that wrapped around her, hiding her face in the darkness. She felt Victoria’s concern in her gaze, causing her heart to thud into the side of her rib cage. “Amber wasn’t rude to you, was she? If she was, I’ll give her a verbal lashing to remember.”
“Youdontneedto,” Kate said, her words coming out in a rushed jumble. Her face felt hot all of a sudden. “You don’t need to,” she said again, clearer. “She was very sweet to me, actually, and thought it was funny to rile you up. She, uh.” Kate paused, ahmming to clear her throat. “She said she missed doing that.”
“Typical Amber,” Victoria grumbled out. She moved then — stepping to the side, her hand finding its way to the small of Kate’s back as she began to lead them into the bedroom that they were sharing. “She makes you feel special, like you’re the only one in the room with her when she talks to you.” She paused, letting out a short laugh. “It will feel like that for however long her interest aligns with you. So I’ve heard, at least.”
Kate, finally able to see Victoria’s face, noted how her eyes looked sad before a sigh escaped Victoria’s lips, stopping any further thought. Victoria was looking at her with a soft reassurance. “I’m going to the main lounge area, that wide-open room by the front door,” Victoria said, smiling softly at her. “I’ll check the news for us, and you can make yourself comfortable. If you want to, that is.” She let out a soft breath, moving her hand back to Kate’s arm. “If anything major is announced — like the dead walking around, I’ll come to tell you if you want to stay in here.”
“Okay,” Kate said, giving Victoria a soft, small smile. Victoria looked at her a moment longer, as if she wanted to say something else. However, the moment passed with nothing but a light, reassuring squeeze, and Victoria let her go so that she could turn and head to the living room.
Once she was out of sight, Kate replayed the moment in the living room. How tense Victoria seemed to be around Rachel, how she seemed more on edge — more annoyed than Kate had ever seen her by the other girl’s presence. It contrasted how she treated Kate, the recent turn of events that led her to believe Victoria was trying to change. Although it was hard to say, given that it had only been a week since Kate stood atop the roof of their dormitory.
Whatever it was seemed personal , Kate mused as she placed her bag next to her suitcase at the foot of the queen-sized bed. I wonder if she and Rachel — probably not. It’s silly of me to even think about this .
Kate shook her head, unknowingly shaking her hair loose. It had been in a messy bun since this morning, but she had been shaking her head far too often today. The locks of her hair bounced free, cascading down her sweatshirt. Kate made no move to fix it; the desire to do much of anything at the moment dwindled the longer she stood there.
While sleep seemed tempting, Kate knew she wouldn’t be able to. Not yet, at least, the not knowing was keeping her awake, and while Alice was quietly existing in her cage, it was not enough to keep Kate in her now shared room with Victoria. She let out a shaky breath as she looked over at Alice. “I’ll be back soon,” she said, knowing that it was silly to say, but not caring at all in the same way.
She exited the room a moment later, walking down the hallway to the living room. It felt eerily quiet, or it had seemed that way until Kate heard the faint noise from the television.
Kate brought her focus into view. She couldn’t see the images that played out on the screen. Not since Victoria, Rachel, and Chloe — the blue-haired girl was freshly cleaned and changed, blocked the view. The closer Kate got towards them, the more she seemed to notice them, instead of the screen.
Rachel had her arms wrapped around herself. Kate only noticed when she saw Rachel’s hand gripping the sides of her shirt. Chloe was shaking her head, her short hair swaying with the movement — Kate’s attention drifting towards Max, who was seated on the loveseat, she was next to Chloe, holding onto her arm. Her head was down, hair swaying subtly. As if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Finally, Kate moved her gaze to lock onto Victoria. Her posture was rigid, shoulders tensed to a degree that looked almost uncomfortable, her arms shaking at her side — fingers clenched tightly into a fist. Kate felt compelled to move from her spot, wanting nothing more than to reach out to her, feeling the twitch in her body to do so, until the reporter’s voice broke through to Kate.
“I repeat,” the anchorman said loudly. “California has gone dark. There has been no word from anyone within the Sunshine State. Parts of Washington State have gone dark as well. The incident seemed to have started in Seattle. Cities and towns within the surrounding area have also gone dark.” The anchorman paused, his face stoic and unreadable as he’s eyes moved. It would appear that he was reading the next part, shifting only slightly in his seat as he opened his mouth again. “It would seem these incidents are also happening in the surrounding states. The states are Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. We do not know the cause of this commotion, but we advise that it is not safe to venture outdoors. Please stay inside until help arrives and directs you to the nearest safe zone. I repea—”
The TV cuts off then. The black screen seemed to break the hold it had on her.
Kate was about to ask if the power had gone out, but knew it was unlikely since the lamps were still on. The heaviness of the situation, the realization of it all settling its way into the room. Kate, for the first time that day, felt the urge to say something — anything that could bring the others comfort. The words lay on her tongue, only to be swallowed away once Victoria turned away from the screen. Her eyes were puffy, no tears had spilled yet, but Kate knew without any doubt that she wanted them too.
Kate moved then, tentatively. She took a few steps forward, drawing Victoria’s attention to her. Her throat felt painfully tight, and she knew no words would come, and even if they did they would not be received with any kindness. So she did the only thing she could think of, she opened her arms up, offering herself up to Victoria as a solid and firm comfort as she had been for Kate in the washroom a few hours prior.
She could reject this, of course, Kate knew they weren’t close despite Victoria’s attempt at trying at the hospital, and those few moments when they were alone together. They hardly knew one another after all.
Even still, she felt her heart lurch when Victoria glared at her, her mouth twisted in disgust; yet nothing hateful came out, nor did she outright reject her, much to Kate’s surprise. Wordlessly, Victoria took the remaining steps towards Kate and pressed her face into the junction of her neck. The angle was awkward due to their height difference, but Kate did her best to maneuver her arms to reach Victoria’s back, bringing her into the embrace fully. She felt her heartache once she realized the dam broke and Victoria’s body shook into hers — her sobs muffled into her skin.
It had been weeks since Kate had prayed. Not with the way her life had been, the whirlwind of woes and aches and abandonment she felt in the wake of everything. What was there to say to a God that allowed her to be taken advantage of and used by a sick man with an even sicker perversion? Kate had thought there would be nothing to pray for, no forgiveness to ask, nothing to hope for.
Yet the dampness on her neck, her body shaking along with Victoria’s, had her holding on even tighter, her mind drifting in prayer.
If you can hear me, please don’t allow this pain to last for her. Kate prayed, her own eyes welling up with tears. Don’t abandon her as you did me.
Kate wasn’t sure if she had been heard; however, as the tears began to seep out, she made a vow. As she held onto Victoria with every ounce of her strength, she vowed that no matter the trials they would face, she would do her damnedest to keep them all safe.
It was some time later, after the emotions had all but drained everyone out. They all scattered to their respective rooms.
Part of Kate, in this instance, acknowledged this closeness that seemed to weave itself around her and Victoria. Its presence was hard to ignore in the position she was in now, with her hand holding onto Victoria's. The taller of the two was fast asleep in the bed they were sharing, which was not lost on Kate.
We experienced a lot in the span of a couple of hours, she tried to reason, tiredly. They escaped the hospital together, went back to school. Went back to some warped sense of normalcy until the knowledge that it was only a matter of time. Should they have stayed, it was a matter of when, not if. The thought left her as she heard Victoria let out a soft breath, still deep asleep.
Her fingers flexed instinctively, giving Victoria's hand a reassuring squeeze. Something she would do for her sisters, something she would have done for Stella or Alyssa if she were spending time with them, like this.
It was perplexing.
She hadn't been in the hospital long.
She hadn't been given time to process.
Her eyes landed on Victoria's face. A part of her hated, yes, hated, the softness of her features, but could not find it in herself to pull away. Not after the expression on her face in the living room. Not after willingly offering herself up as a pillar of comfort as the taller girl was trying to do for Kate.
The car ride to the cabin, these instances of what felt like a change from Victoria. A glimpse of her normal behavior, the behavior of how she reacted and interacted with Rachel Amber. All of it flashing in her mind.
Was it meant to be this complicated? Was it meant to feel divided? On wanting to believe that Victoria was trying to change, but still feeling this pit in her stomach over what had happened. What led her to the roof of their dorm building?
Kate's thoughts were pulled from her when she felt a faint squeeze in return, and her eyes fell shut. The exhaustion of it all was settling further within her bones. There will be time to work through this, as from this moment on, that's all they will have. Should they make it out of this situation hereafter alive.
Time.
What an endless, complicated concept.