Questions of the Past

The eyes followed her as she crossed the road tossing her fiery hair
to one side. Its gaze hardened as she wrapped her arms around Drew's
shoulders and tenderly kissed him. Smiling and talking, the two walked
down the busy High Street, hand in hand; the eyes set off in pursuit
carefully picking a way through the convulsing masses. They turned into
the college and the pace quickened. Breathing hard the eyes rounded the
corner and stood, looking. A steady stream of students walked in and
out of the Victorian building. They eyes darted from person to person,
filtering through, searching for a flash of red hair or the gleam of
white teeth. But they were gone; the eyes fell to the floor feeling
defeated.
"SHIT!"

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Kathryn Taylor sat forlornly through the 'Ethics and Society' lecture,
fidgeting in the plastic chair. She lowered her ice-blue eyes to her
page of so-called notes: 'I &;#61610; Drew Richards' scribbled
randomly on the plain paper. She sighed and began filling in the
hearts, humming her favourite song. She was deep in contemplation of
her future with Drew when a sharp jab to her left shoulder caught her
attention. Drawing in breath rapidly she turned to the face of Shelly -
her best friend since childhood. Grinning she whispered,
"Shit Shelly, don't do that too me!"
"Sorry," Shelly replied in her Southern drawl, "I thought you might
need waking up seeing as it's the end of Crapsville and you don't
appear to be moving very far."
"The end? What, already?"
"Yeah," her friend say shaking her head, "you are obsessed aren't
you?"
Kat blushed and looked at the floor.
"Honestly, you've been with the guy two weeks and you're getting
married in your head! You know I still think you'd be better off with
Quinn from the caf??"
"Oh, yeah? And why is that?"
"Well&;#8230;he's just more your type, you know? And he's cute and
mysterious and&;#8230;"
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard enough," Kat butted in, "now come on, do you
wanna leave here today or what?"
Gathering her books Kat marched out of the lecture hall with Shelly in
tow. The two girls got into Shelly's car and headed for the mall.
"I hate work," Kat grumbled as they pulled up.
Shelly grinned back at her friend, "yeah, I know how you feel. Still,
at least you get to work with Quinn," Shelly sighed and looked lovingly
into the darkness.
"He's a freak," Kat snapped, "his hair is too black, his eyes are too
green, he never says a word and he has a weird kind of psycho
smile."
"Don't you find that sexy though?"
Kat rolled her eyes and got out of the car, "c'mon Juliet, we gotta
go."

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Kat just managed to squeeze through the door before her boss sacked
her. Apologising profusely she made her way to the staff room saying
'Hi' to everyone on the way through. She dumped her bag and looked
around the room.
"Oh, hi Quinn, I didn't notice you there."
Quinn looked up at her and smiled briefly but the smile didn't reach
his emerald eyes, "this came for you," he said in his elemental voice
as he held up an envelope.
"Really? It was delivered here?" She approached him cautiously with a
confused look. Suspiciously she sat beside him and took the
envelope.
"It wasn't posted," he stated almost too obviously and turned his
intense gaze to her, "no stamp, see?" He tapped the right-hand corner
of the envelope and raised his eyebrows.
She tore her eyes away from his and opened the letter. The crumpled
paper was folded with meticulous neatness. Frowning she glanced at
Quinn, who was still staring at her, and began to unfold the paper. The
words swam before her eyes as her hands shook. She strained to read the
words as a wave of nausea swept over her.
'A GOLDEN CASKET FOR A GOLDEN CHILD' read the letters, and a picture
of her head in a grave was at the bottom of the page. Still shaking she
dropped the letter, ran to the bathroom and was sick.

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Kat rolled over in bed to answer the phone, "Hello?" She moaned.
"Kat? Hi, it's Drew."
"Drew? Its 3am, what are you phoning for," she asked with a warm fuzzy
feeling in her stomach.
"I just got home from work and Shell had left a message on my phone. I
was just so worried-how are you baby?"
"Oh, I'm okay now thanks-I was a bit sick earlier though."
"Did you manage to find the letter?"
"No," she sighed, "I looked everywhere, Quinn helped too but he didn't
find anything."
"Quinn, huh?"
"Mmm-hmm, why?"
"Just something I heard, nothing to worry your pretty face about,
baby."
"No, come on, tell me&;#8230;"
"Look I have to go it's late," he interrupted, "I will tell you
tomorrow, okay baby? Sweet dreams-I gotta go."
"I lov&;#8230;"
Click.
Kat pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the receiver. Stunned
and confused she shrugged and went back to a peaceful sleep. Her dreams
were less than sweet.

The little girl cowered under that table as the grown-ups shouted. They
shouted, threw things, hit her and her brothers and sister. But tonight
was different. Tonight they couldn't find her, she had made sure of
that. She smiled inside when she thought of it. She was under the
table, under a blanket, surrounded by chairs. They would never think of
looking there-it was too much trouble. Everything was too much trouble
for them: taking her to the park, reading her stories, making her
dinner. She felt the hate starting to surface again as a vase crashed
above her head. She stifled a cry as tears ran down her cheeks.
Suddenly the door opened and there was her brother. She wanted to run
to him, he would make it all right, he always did. But she was scared.
She was scared to move. She was so scared. He was shouting now,
shouting as loud as the grown-ups, shouting at the grown-ups. He was
crying too, just like she was and he was holding something, something
big, it was very big and shiny too, it was something
shiny&;#8230;

Kat sat bolt upright in bed, soaking wet with sweat and unable to
breathe. When air finally entered her lungs she gasped for it, liking
its vacant taste more than ever.
"What the hell was that about?" She said aloud as she calmed down,
"whoa, I'm glad I didn't have to go through that." She looked at her
watch and sighed, "time to get up anyway."

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Down stairs she was met with the friendly smile of Abigail Taylor, the
only mother she had known.
"Morning sweetheart," chirped Abi, "want some toast?"
"Uh, yeah go on then, thanks," Kat replied giving Abi a big hug.
"How are you feeling today?"
Kat nodded, "a lot better thanks, it was probably just a sick joke
anyway."
Abi smiled, "of course it was honey. What are your plans for
today?"
"Me and Drew are meeting Shelly at the library. Have to research some
social ethics for next Monday," Kat rolled her eyes, "boring
really."
"Boring but essential, " Abi reminded her as the doorbell rang,
"that'll be Drew will it?" Abi smiled as Kat raced to the door.
They heavy oak door swung open to reveal the soft green eyes and
tousled brown hair of Drew Richards. He grinned from behind the twelve
red roses as Kat laughed.
"You are so pathetic, you know that don't you?" She pulled him through
the door as she took the roses to the kitchen.
"Abi, look! Aren't they beautiful?"
"They certainly are, you'd best put them in some water. In fact, let
me do it for you; you two get going now," she ordered as she ushered
them out of the door.
"Hey, Shell!" Kat yelled as she and Drew neared the library. Shelly
spun round to greet her friends with a smile. Shaking her blond curls
she yelled back,
"Heya, Lovebirds! You're late and guess who I just saw going in
there?"
"The Pope?"
"No, silly, he's in Rome," she rolled her eyes.
"John Lennon?"
"Nope. Give up? Quinn!" She squealed.
Kat shook her head, "and you say I'm obsessed!"

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Sitting in the library staring at what she had written, Kat felt a
chill snake down her spine. Snapping her head up she was faced with the
intense green of Quinn's stare. He gave the weird kind of half-smile he
had and looked at the floor, flustered.
"H-h-hey guys, I, I think we should go now. I mean we have been here a
good three hours," she said nervously.
Shelly looked up and sighed, "Yeah, I guess you are right, there is
nothing more we're gonna do today. Just please, please please can we go
out via Quinn?"
Kat laughed, gathered her things and stood up, "yeah, sure."
On the way past Kat peered at what was on Quinn's table. The newspaper
was old - at least fourteen years - and it bore a large picture of
three children: an innocent looking, curly haired girl and two older
smiling boys holding a baby. The caption underneath read - 'Orphaned:
Killer Unknown.'
Kat stopped sharply and Drew bumped into her.
"Whoa, what did you stop for baby?"
"Huh? Oh, umm nothing, I dunno, sorry." She put her head down and
walked out of the library, her head spinning but still not knowing
quite why.
When Kat and Drew arrived at Kat's house she turned to him and
sighed.
"Well, what a useful day it has been!"
Drew laughed and smiled slyly; "well I enjoyed every second because I
was with you."
She smiled and kissed him, "the roses were lovely."
"Glad you liked them baby, see you tomorrow at college?"
"You sure will," she grinned and kissed him goodnight.
"Sweet dreams," he whispered and walked sown the drive.
Kat left herself into the empty house and went straight to her
bedroom. She opened the door and smiled at the roses as she flopped on
the bed. Sighing, she rolled over and sleep came like a tidal
wave.

Hiding under the blanket the little girl peered out and saw her brother
standing in the doorway. He was shouting at the grown-ups to stop
shouting and hitting and throwing and hitting and shouting. Tears were
streaming down the girl's face but she dare not make a sound. She was
so scared. Her brother moved forward and the shiny thing gleamed - the
grown-ups laughed and shouted. One of them hit her brother and he
screamed and ran towards them. They were on the floor now and she wants
to scream, she doesn't want to see but she can't look away. She sees
the knife go up, she sees it come down, she sees it go up and down, up
and down, up and down: she is screaming now, there is blood everywhere,
on the walls, floor, table, knife, on her brother. They are both
screaming now, loud, loud, loud&;#8230;

Lying on her bed staring at the ceiling Kat could fell the sweat
running down her cheek; the thick air jammed her windpipe as she
breathed deeply trying to calm down. Slowly, she sat up and looked into
the darkness. A breeze blew across her ankles as she went down stairs
to get a drink.
Once in the kitchen she turned on the light and stared at the window.
Puzzled, she slowly made her way across the room and ran her fingers
over the velvet petals of the roses Drew had bought her.
"What are they doing here?" She asked, thinking aloud, "and what's
this?" She lowered her hands to the card leaning on the ornate china
vase. She slowly opened the envelope, shaking like a leaf.
'Roses are red
Violets are blue
I killed Mother
And what did you do?'
Her eyes focused on the third line as the dream played before her eyes
and the lights went out. Screaming, she dropped the card and spun round
and was met by strong hands restraining her arms. She heard his
breathing through the silence and slowly raised her eyes scouring his
body as she went. She saw his watch on his wrist, his coat, his shirt,
and the pendent round his neck.
"Don't say a word," the elemental voice came as a whisper as she
shivered in his wake.
"Quinn?" She whimpered, "please don't hurt me."
"I'm not here to hurt you," he whispered, releasing his grip slightly,
"don't you know who I am?"
She shook her head as the tears ran down her cheeks, "no, no, no, I
have no idea."
He gently raised her head so her blue eyes met his intense emerald
gems, "you do, you just have to remember, that's all." He smiled that
funny smile of his as the front door crashed open,
"KAT!" Shouted Drew, "Kat, where are you?"
"Don't tell him, don't tell him Kat."
Kat screamed to Drew, "in the kitchen, Drew, help me please!"
Drew ran into the kitchen and tackled Quinn to the floor. He got up
and stood next to Kat,
"You okay, baby?"
Kat nodded.
Quinn kneeled up in the corner, "Kat, don't let him fool you. He sent
you that letter, he's the one scaring you."
"You're a psycho," sneered Drew, "he doesn't know what he's talking
about, Kat, don't listen to him."
Kat looked between Drew and Quinn, her mind racing.
"Drew&;#8230;"
"Ask him," growled Drew, "why he was the one that gave you that letter
then he couldn't find it again."
"It wasn't me Drew," Quinn whispered from the floor as he stood up,
"it wasn't me."
"Well it sure as hell wasn't me," Drew shot back.
"Then who was it?" Whispered Kat, flitting between the boys.
A silence followed while everyone stood looking nervously at each
other. Suddenly a small manic laugh broke the atmosphere. Kat snapped
her head round to the back door to see the silhouette of a
person.
"I really had you all going didn't I?" It snarled as it stepped into
the kitchen and flicked on the lights, "it was me."
Kat sobbed as she looked at Shelly.
"Why?" She cried through the floods of tears.
"Oh, don't cry, Kat," whimpered Shelly looking pitiful, "I never meant
to hurt you, you were just a thing to use. I really only wanted to get
back at him," she said jabbing the knife in Drew's direction.
Kat looked at Drew, "but why?"
"You don't remember? Oh, well you were only a baby I suppose. You see,
you, me, Quinn and Mr Psycho there," she scowled, "are related. We all
have the same mother. Only she used to beat us up, she drank a lot you
see but she did her best. Then one day lovely, perfect Drew took things
into his own hands and fucking killed our parents," she screamed, her
eyes wide.
Quinn had joined Kat and Drew on the other side of the kitchen now and
all three were breathing heavily. Drew was looking at the floor,
ashamed.
"Yeah, that's right," said Shelly, "you didn't think anyone saw you
did you? Well, I did and now you're going to be punished," with that
she lunged at Drew wielding the knife.
Kat screamed as Drew pushed her out of the way and a gunshot rang
throughout the house. As the smoke cleared Kat looked around Quinn,
Drew, and Shelly. She swallowed hard; she could see the blood seeping
from the wound in her chest. She looked up at the doorway; Abi was
standing, holding a shot gun, with tears running down her ivory cheeks.
She turned to Kat,
"I am so sorry," she whispered.
Kat closed her eyes and let the tears fall freely. It was over.

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