You're My Everything

Chapter 31: When

*Kate's POV*

"Liz..." I pop into her room, breathless. She's positioned herself in the chair that she was in ever since Harry left, in that same curled position, bent in on herself. Except now she wasn't staring into space. Now she was reading. To escape reality. It's her pain killer. "We need to talk."

She looks up slowly, putting a book mark in. "Yeah?" her voice cracks from lack of use.

"We have to go after Perrie."

She turns her head mechanically as her eyes widen. "Perrie? What about the police?"

"The police are getting nowhere, let's both face it. It's been too long, with too little progress. All they have to go on is the license plate number of the stolen Nissan, but instead we've been sitting here, it's been too long. Anything can or could already have happened to her."

She nods, clearly in her head, debating with herself. "They're dangerous, you know." She says it like she was commenting on the weather or something. Businesslike, formal and very blank.

"Yeah. We both know that. But that just means Perrie's gone with them. The more dangerous they are, the worse it is for her."

She sits in silence for a while. "Okay." She sees the necessity of this, she sees our other options. And neither of us can allow those to happen.

I was expecting a larger argument than this.

"What do I have to lose?"

I scratch my head awkwardly. She's already lost her life, Harry. And I know she doesn't care about herself anymore. "We need to go. The sooner the better."

"Okay. Tonight, then." She doesn't seem worried or apprehensive, just empty. It's this that bothers me so much.

"W-what? Tonight?" I splutter.

" 'The sooner the better.' They're only gonna get farther and farther away. This is Perrie we're talking about here. How long can we make her wait? Anything can happen."

I sigh, distressed. "I-I," but I see her face: set, determined, hard. "Fine," my voice trembles in absolute terror.

*Later that evening, Liz's POV*

As I sit down to dinner by myself, I try not to drown in fear and hopelessness. I'd save Perrie at a moment's notice, but it's me I can't seem to save. No one can. I finish quickly, too nervous to eat very much.

I go lay down, and yet another tear falls down.

Do I have to do this?

Yes. I have to. No one else will.

Is there really anything I can do, though?

I hit myself for thinking that. I've been telling people all my life that there's always something you can do, to help others, to make life better.

I bend down beside my bed and reach under it. I feel around on the floor until my hands meet the lumpy substance. It crinkles softly under my touch. I pull it out quietly--I still find myself being silent, trying not to startle the boy who isn't here, the one who will never be here, the one who still walks about the house in my mind, the one who I see in everything.

It is my drawstring bag that contains two changes of clothes, some granola bars and other non-perishable foods (like dried fruits, nuts, etc), tooth brush, money, and other necessities. I reach in the crook of my dresser for my research notes about the revival of the dead. Not knowing why, I couldn't bear to leave that there. Too precious, too important. Quickly slipping it into my bag, I check the clock. 7:54 pm. We agreed to meet on her level at 1 am. Sighing, I sit down on my bed. These are going to be a long few hours.