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Twenty-Four
Kitty
There was a bite to the air in upstate New York when we landed at the airport. With fall making its move, I knew that winter would soon be here along with the holidays. It would be Hailey’s first Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I couldn’t wait to make it memorable.
I missed her terribly. I had to stop myself several times from calling my mother just to check on my daughter. I wanted to so badly, but I never did. I knew that they were safe, and that was all that mattered. My reunion would have to wait.
Time was of the essence.
I was so close to finishing this.
I could taste it.
The drive from the airport was a beautiful one. I thought nothing would compare to the California coastline and splendor but seeing the beautiful colors of fall adorn the trees, all the greenery, and wildness of the area, I wasn’t so sure anymore. I never considered myself a country girl, being raised in the city my whole life, but something about this place was magical, there was something wild about the area. It called to me on some elemental level.
“Toxic texted,” my brother Savage said, breaking the silence in the car. “He said he would meet us at the Asylum.”
“I hate that word.”
“Asylum?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s just a word, Kitty. What would you rather they called the place, the Crazy House?”
“No,” I muttered. I didn’t think any place should be named after any ailment. For crying out loud. Why couldn’t they call it a rehabilitation center instead of Lyssa Asylum for the Criminally Insane? Fuck me sideways, didn’t they know that Lyssa was, in fact, the spirit of mad rage, frenzy, and rabies in animals. She was closely related to the Maniae, the spirits of madness and insanity.
Hell, maybe they did know, and that’s why they named it that.
I just hated the thought of my brother being in a place like that. Well, I hoped he was my brother. I still hadn’t found any evidence to support that, except that damn file. Somehow, we shared a date. My birthdate. What that date means to him, I don’t know. I’m just hoping that Toxic will be more forthcoming with his information than before because I don’t know where to look without it.
“Kitty?”
“Hmm.”
“How do you see this ending?”
I looked at my brother. The man I’d known my whole life. There wasn’t anything I didn’t know about Lucas. He was a good brother, kind and annoying all at the same time. Lucas wasn’t like other brothers who tormented their little sisters. Instead, he was caring, gentle, and always there to make sure I stayed safe. Yet looking at him now, I could tell he was worried about something. I was too. It was a valid question. I honestly didn’t know how it was going to end. I hoped it ended with Caroline dead and everyone I loved alive, but even I knew that was wishful thinking.
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do. Deep down, you must know. I’ve known you your whole life, and you’ve never done anything without thinking of every outcome. So, tell me, what odds did you give yourself?”
Grinning lightly shook my head before responding. “60/40.”
“Those aren’t the best odds, Kitty.”
“She wants me dead. More so than anyone else. She can’t let me live. I know that, and she will be prepared for anything. I just need to secure those I can before she makes her move.”
“Do you think she will do it herself?”
“No. Caroline does not like getting her hands dirty.”
“You knew before you started the club down this path that there was a chance of you not coming out alive, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I knew.”
“Fuck Katherine,” Lucas cursed, hitting the steering wheel.
