Kate's Demons- Chapter One

final chapter version one

Kate really did try, and her efforts did not go unrewarded. The next school day- a sunny but frosty morning- Kate sent her old best friend a message, asking to meet up at the usual place to walk to school. She was even carrying lunch, and she’d actually bothered with her hair. Her friend, Jess, had been standing awkwardly at the old oak tree for only five minutes when Kate made her appearance there. Tired but happy, she’d managed to eat breakfast and was restraining the urge to throw up and be done with it; she hoped it’d give her some colour before she went to see Jess. The reunion had not been dissimilar to other reunions; somewhat tense until the old memories return to the estranged friends. Kate and Jess had headed into school and had spent the day together; no one had objected because it was nice to see them back around school like the good old times. Yes, some had stared but there always was something to watch at their school, and they didn’t mind one bit. Parting at the end of the day, Kate felt exhilarated but also queasy…

She had told herself it wasn’t going to be easy; her stomach did not think that having food to fully digest was normal, causing Kate to throw up and have to call a taxi to get her that short distance home. But, she thought, it’ll get easier. I can do this, if not for myself for Dad. He’ll be so pleased with me for surviving this.

That was a while ago. Kate is getting there, she really is; she’s pulled her old friends back together, her boyfriend has come back to her (he actually hadn’t been with anyone since Kate became ill, but that she hadn’t known) and she’s eating. But it’s not a cake walk –she likes that saying, so has coined it as her own for a while- and there were many trips to the hospital. Still lying on her bedside cabinet is a note entitled “Just in Case”, but she doesn’t expect to have to keep it much longer. Her mum, if you’d like to know, is still distant, still designing and still trying to change Kate into someone else. She plans to move away as soon as she can because she knows that she’ll never even start to recover from losing her Dad, and her mother is less than useless. She loves her but… it’s hard. Her prom went brilliantly and she’s looking forward to starting the next part of her education, but it feels strange that school is actually over. She knows that she’s missed loads of the last year so she’s making the biggest effort ever (seriously, you’ve never seen someone make time so expertly) to catch up. It’s going to work out for her, and she knows it.                                                                                                                                                                             Nothing like a hard experience to bring you back fighting harder than ever.