The Bite That Binds [Kaylor] ON HOLD

[ jet in a stolen car ]

Okay so official last rapid update because classes for real start back tomorrow and I need my sleep from now on.  But here we go with the drama and hysteria.  You didn't really think Karlie could keep a secret like this from Taylor forever, did you?  But how will Taylor react?  That's the question...

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I know she gets angry when I don’t empty out the dishwasher but I didn’t think it would make her this mad.

It was a thought bred entirely in hysteria, but Taylor couldn’t help it.  Karlie was taking these backroads at nearly 90 miles per hour, and Taylor knew from her teenage years growing up outside of Nashville how unsafe they were, especially in winter.  They wound past farmland, roads beaten down by livestock and tractors.  The tires of Karlie's car rumbled and bumped in protest at the speed over the rough terrain, and it made the singer cringe.

“What the hell is going on, Karlie?” Taylor asked.  She was trembling, scared at her girlfriend’s reckless behavior.  Scared...but also extremely angry.  This was crossing about 17 lines, and Taylor felt like someone had cast her in an action film on fast forward.  She wanted out but apparently she'd already signed and initialed the contract.

Her fingers were hooked around the lip of the cupholder, knuckles white, nerve endings throbbing with the strength of her grasp.  Her eyes flickered over to the woman in the driver’s seat, and in the near-darkness, there was a glint in Karlie’s eyes that didn’t feel exactly normal.  Something was wrong, but she couldn't place it.  Taylor nearly shuddered, starting to demand answers once more, when Karlie spoke, “Don’t ask questions right now.  I’ll explain everything in the morning.”

“No!  That’s not acceptable.  We’re going like…3 times the speed limit, you’re being reckless, and you’re scaring me.  You expect me to just…go along with it?” Taylor asked, voice sharp, loud in the radio-free silence.  Usually, she would have felt guilty for losing control of her tone.  But she figured this was a more than acceptable situation for it.

Karlie bit her lip, shook her head, and murmured, “Not telling you will keep you safe, okay?  There are water bottles and snacks under the back seat.  Blankets too.  When I stop, you’re going to lock the doors.  And Taylor, no matter what you see or hear out there, you’re not going to leave this vehicle.  Do you hear me?”

“You’re insane.  I’m dating a lunatic,” Taylor mumbled, crossing her arms to protect herself and hide the nervous shivers clawing in her limbs.  Karlie reached over to squeeze her knee.  It should have been a comforting gesture.  Taylor yanked her leg away as hard as she could.

What was Karlie even afraid of her seeing, anyway?  All of this was so outlandish that Taylor couldn't even begin to come up with an explanation.  Was she part of a cult?  What the hell was going on?  Taylor thought she could feel a panic attack rising.  She felt like she was drowning in her own lungs, her chest tight, breath hitching.

Karlie took yet another turn way too fast, sending rocks skittering.  She glanced up through the windshield, looking at the sky, "Shit.  Not enough time."  Obviously the words were more Karlie thinking out loud than a conversation with Taylor, but the older girl still heard them.

"Not enough time for what?  What the fuck is going on?" Taylor was nearly shouting now.  She was shaking with anger and fear and ...

God what if she's going to murder me?  What if she's going to frame me for murder?  What if I'm going to be kidnapped and held for ransom?

Karlie released the wheel with one hand, scratching at the opposite forearm so hard she tore skin, blood bubbling in the new wounds.  Taylor stared in shock, and Karlie let out a helpless whimper, "The full moon."