Seven Minutes in Hell

Chapter 3 ~ Troublemaker

She gave her reflection one look down, not exactly confident in the way she appeared, but believed it to be somewhat decent. Her oversized red-checkered flannel was cut at the end of her mid thigh, while her netted tights revealed themselves through the rips in her black jeans. As for her russet hair, it laid straight upon her shoulders, untouched. 

Katherine jogged down the steps, entering into the kitchen, spotting her mother in the midst of cooking breakfast. "Hey, Kat," she beamed, her radiant blue eyes observing her daughter's presence for any noticeable changes. "What a surprise. I thought you'd be staying the night at Alex's-" 

She gave a curt response following, "Well, I didn't."

Her mother was easily shut down, downhearted with her failed attempt at trying to have a 'normal' conversation with her daughter like they used to. Instead, she slid the scrambled eggs onto a plate and plopped a piece of toast next to them. "Are you hungry too?" she inquired. "If I would've known you would be here-"

"I'm fine," she concluded hastily, planting a seat at the dinner table across from her younger brother, Trevor. He violently kicked his feet underneath, the tips of his shoes shaking the furniture. The young eight year old could barely sit still for a second.

Alice placed the plate down in front of him while he aggressively went at it as if he hadn't eaten in days. She sat at the head of the table leaning forward, palms of her hands supporting her head. "Tell me Kat, how's it going?" She eagerly smiled, waiting for answers.

Katherine rolled her eyes, pushing the chair out behind her. "I'm leaving now."

Alice collapsed further back into her chair watching as Kat started towards the front door. Her words coming out cracked, "You have fifteen minutes," she replied. "Kat, I miss you."

She stood in the doorway for a long moment, a part of her really wanting to make her mom feel better, reassuring her that she was loved, but she couldn't bring the softness in her voice to show. She was vexed at the fact that her mother would say that she misses her, when in reality, Katherine really knew what it was like to miss someone.

Leisurely, she turned around facing her mom. "What?" she inquired bitterly.

Her mother sighed, a grin revealing itself. "I just want you to be happy. I love you."

Katherine rolled her eyes at the simple 'I love you,' because it proved to be a waste of time.Her mother and her never acted the same, never could see eye to eye, at least not anymore. 

They would hardly be considered to be related if it wasn't for they similar cerulean hued eyes. Or their straight locks of dead ends, as well as their albino pale skin. Other than that, their face structure had no similarity. Alice had a rounder face, and eyebrows that seemed to always shoot up with a smile that remained plastered on at times where a smile wasn't called for. Trevor wasn't too far from that either, although his brunette hair was thicker. He got that from their father.

Katherine advanced to the door for the second time, now being successful. Jogging out to her car, slipping into the driver's seat, closing her eyes. She wasn't always like this and what her mom didn't know, was that she wasn't the only one who wanted the old Katherine Kennings back.

While she drove down the similar roads, the suburban houses passing by in a drift of wind, she remembered back to these good times that her mother held onto.

"Good morning!" he sang happily, jogging down the steps, holding her hand as she followed. Smiling from ear to ear, leading the way. "How was your night, Alice?" 

Alice spun on her heel, "It was great," she chuckled. "How about yours?" she eyed the two of them suspiciously. "You guys didn't stay up too late did you?"