Red Blooded

Chapter 21 - Smiles that stab you

Not edited, Sorry. But my laptop broke and if I don't upload what I have now then I probably won't be able to do it for a good few weeks. 

She was telling the truth, there was no denying it. Her resemblance to me, to my brother was too uncanny to be a coincidence. I struggled to think back to when I was in Wolfeboro; I knew Jessica and Connor had children, but all I remembered was seeing three blond boys.

I exhaled loudly through my mouth and took a step closer to the girl.

"Where...I mean..." My thoughts were not coherent. So many thoughts ran through my head that assimilating a sentence together was proving hard. "I didn't see you at the luau. Where were you?"

The girl bowed her head instantly, as if remembering something she would rather forget.

"I was upstairs in my room. I didn't want to come out." She replied sadly. It was her sadness that made me feel helpless. It set something off in me and I wasn't too sure what it was. It resonated with the same feeling I got when I was being over protective of Hilary. Call it maternal.

The girl packed away her books and her IPod, and stood up to stand before me. My frame towered over her, my shadow over lapping hers. A pang of hurt ran through me.

After everything that's gone on in the past, Jessica and Connor can't look after their children.
"What's your name?" I asked, realising suddenly that perhaps calling her 'the girl' wasn't really appropriate for an aunt to call her niece. I still couldn't believe that Connor and Jessica could produce something so beautiful.

She sniffed, smiling a little, as if my question pleased her somehow. "Catherine Emma Reynolds. But you can call me Kate, not Katie, but Kate."

My lips pursed and I struggled to keep myself from rolling my eyes. They gave her my name. For what? Because they felt bad? I tilted my head in confusion.

"Why not Katie?"

"Because that's the name of my bully." She mumbled.

I nodded my head, taking all the information in and processing what I would do next.

I came up with nothing. No. That was a lie.

I would call Hayden. He would know what to do.

I stepped back from Kate and proceeded to fish for my keys, open my front door, and usher her inside. "In you go."

Kate took no more prompting and quickly gathered her belongings to rush through the open door. She walked ahead of me, seemingly knowing exactly where to go through my lobby into my living room. I followed her slowly after slamming the door shut. She was already sitting on my couch when I got there. Her bag was neatly placed on the floor besides her feet, and her hands lay on her lap, fidgeting.

It seemed so out of place. My only experiences with children were that of when I was younger, and of Paige and Adam. But it was different with Paige and Adam. Crick was like a father to me; I was there when the twins were born, and I was there when they grew up. My relationship with the twins felt different – it was different.

I was unsure of how to proceed with Kate, but there was a more pressing question that I needed to ask.

"How did you find me?" I sat on the armchair opposite her, legs crossed at the feet, hands on lap.

"I overheard Pops talking with Alan Pop—"

"Alan Pop?" A quizzical brown rose at the name.

Kate shrugged. "Kyle, Rob, John and me call him Alan Pop because he's like another Pops. And if we call him Pops...well...one time we all got confused." She explained.