Get Out If You Can

One Year Ago

"What's this for?" Caitlyn narrowed her eyes as she examined the paper in Lana's hand.

"God, it's some game sort of thing. You just have to write this," she said, showing Caitlyn a piece of paper. "When you're done leave it on the table. Look, they asked me, and I, um, needed you to write this – we're playing some sort of game – I really don't know why, but could you? Ah, thanks," she said, smiling as Caitlyn wrote. When she was done, she left the red marker and the note on the table. She'd come to try her luck – again. Luck really wasn't her thing, she was slowly realizing.

Caitlyn reached deep into her pocket, till her fingers closed around something solid and cold. She clicked a button – she hoped it was the right one – and walked forward, towards a huddle of people in a corner.

"And then he said – oh, look."

Caitlyn almost retched at Derek's voice. She refused to meet his eye. Today wasn't meant to turn out like last week – she wouldn't allow herself to be struck unconscious. Not now.

"Hey!" Derek waved, mocking her. "Managed to stay out of trouble today?"

Caitlyn's fingers tightened around the little recorder. It was all she could do to contain herself. She just hoped the device didn't give way.

Caitlyn's eyes moved to Adrian's curly crop of ginger hair. He shrugged, smirking at her.

"Of course she didn't," Adrian said, but his response didn't bother her. She and Adrian had something of an agreement, and she was lucky that they did. She'd never known a better actor.

"She can't," Adrian continued. "What are you here for?"

"I – um," she hesitated, finally deciding that saying nothing was the best thing to do, for now. When she ceased to speak, she swore she saw Adrian's jaw relax.

Then she decided it was now or never. She clicked the button on the keychain of her car keys and positioned the tip of it so that it faced Derek. Or so she hoped.

She took a deep breath. If there was anything, she would know – now. People aren't good at hiding stuff when they're taken by surprise.

"Kari Tejada," she said, almost carelessly. She watched Derek's eyes like a hawk watching its prey.

And there it was. His muscles tensed and his eyebrows furrowed, almost a bit too much. She took him by surprise and he fulfilled her purpose.

He was guilty. And she had proof – sort of, at least.

Before Derek could open his mouth once more, she spoke.

"What did you do to Enrique Torrez?"

She watched as his face convulsed painfully. She loved the feeling – the one in which thanks to you, people get their due.

"Who?" Derek croaked. "Did she say Enrique Torrez?"

Adrian simply nodded, his eyes trained on the keychain grasped tightly in her palm. Caitlyn was surprised Derek hadn't noticed yet – the keychain hardly looked like one. It was rectangular, black and pretty large to be taken for a keychain.

But she wasn't complaining. She nodded, imperceptibly, at Adrian.

He spoke. "Crazy kids. Bitch, get out of here."

Caitlyn almost laughed. Adrian couldn't swear for the life of him. She stayed put.

"She's not going," Derek said, smiling so much it could make a dog puke. "Guess we gotta make her."

"You can try," Caitlyn said, fingering the bottle of pepper spray somewhere deeper in her pocket. She wouldn't go down to him, not again. The previous time she'd come unarmed.