Make Your Move Katherine

Where Are You?

Kat didn’t know if she was being too forward or if she was well within her rights because of the marriage when she said, “Well I am your new daughter now- so I’ll go with you,” she avoided Oscar’s face, “tomorrow is good.”

“How was breakfast,” Oni asked her when she exited the room almost half an hour later and Kat responded with, “The butter is tasteless but everything was fine.” Kat thought everything was great but lacked salt or tasted to boiled but figured it was a healthier way to eat. That had always been an issue with her- food and snacks. Kat could never say no to butter so this was actually good for her body. ‘My shin will be glowing soon.’

Oni beamed at her which made Kat want to confide in her but she remembered Oscar’s words that nobody was to be trusted enough to confide in.

“The former King is joining me- or me rather is joining him to the garden tomorrow for your king says he’s too weak?” Kat informed the girl who had waited on her alone outside the breakfast hall and waited for the info she was about to receive. Oni nodded and smiled. “King Drago Julian has not been healthy lately, so this is good,” Oni nodded as she tilted her head a bit at Kat.

The teenager blushed when they passed another handsome guard who greeted them, continuing on his way but that didn’t halt her flow of words. “King Drago was so sick, we almost lost him and Julian was so young but he came home to take over and rule the kingdom.”

Oh, that’s why he’d left? To come back and be crowned king?

Nothing else was offered but the new queen knew better than to push further.

“We’re just waiting for him,” another girl told Oni the next day but Kat already knew the castle proceedings and knew the former King’s men were by the door on the other side of the room when she reached the hallway that would take her to the garden.

The elder man used the back as it was closer to his quarters, Oni had said to her minutes before…only she said the former king.

A few minutes later Kat walked into the huge sweet flower smelling outdoors and realized it was actually a pond, not an aquarium- she had allowed her imagination to run wild. It was a huge pond however with lots of beautiful and colorful fish.

“The pond is beautiful, you like fishes?”

“Who doesn’t?” Kat loved the aquariums back home. There was even a ‘mermaid’ in one and her mind went back to when she was at the glassed walls of the huge tanks. The woman’s costume looked so real that even twelve-year-old kids looked as if they believed she was indeed a live half-fish that had been captured.

“This tree here was my wife’s favorite,” Drago explained as he sat on the swing that hung from the thick branch by chains. “She used to sit here with Oscar and Alsie, sometimes hours at an end.”

Kat sat next to him on the wide wooden boarded seat and gave a gentle rock. The old man smiled and closed his eyes. “We were so happy then- now Oscar is alone.”

Katherine remained silent for this was peculiar for him to say about his son who’d just tied the knot. Sure enough, he went on, “I know the marriage is not what you wanted but I hope that you both can lean on each other.”

What a beautiful way of saying he knows what his son had done to get her here. Cold words left her lips but still, she hoped it didn’t sound as bad as she felt for she needed to be cautious, “Oscar has you.”

“Does he? I had a country to run and the country always comes first. I could hardly make time to hug my boy. His face just- I saw him and saw my dead child and wife. I didn’t blame him obviously but he shared the same face as them.”

“I’m sure it was tough on you both,” she patted the man’s leg, trying to give him some comfort despite how confusing his words were to her.

“I’m not making excuses. I could have been a better father. But I wasn’t. Oscar grieved alone. He grew up alone,” the fragile man’s voice shook with his speech.

“He wasn’t alone, Drago- the castle is full of people.”

“Well yes but a boy needs his father. Instead, I sent him away to another country. To forget. But how could he when his sister had the same face? Avoid mirrors is basically what I was saying to him. Forget they existed.”

His words puzzled her more but at least she gathered why Oscar had joined the private school where she attended. And since she had never seen this man, she was guessing that the man she had assumed was his father all along was his guardian. A butler perhaps. Poor Oscar.

That night her phone was returned to her but after Anthony had told her they had to take a drive. She was getting a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach until she saw Oni waiting by the elevator, to accompany them. Oscar was already in the black limousine waiting as the three of them joined him on the castle’s ground floor.

He hadn’t spoken a word to her- in fact, nobody spoke to each other. Oni was silent as she hung her head with her hands clasped in front of her which had Kat’s earlier feeling of dread returning. Was she going to be killed now? Would Oni be killed too?

‘Why would Oni be killed?’

‘As collateral damage- duh…’

‘You watch too many movies, Kat.’

‘Yea? How do you explain the Phoenix thing? Or the vanishing thing? Is my life now a supernatural movie?’

‘Huh- you might be right.’

Kat’s face almost caved in with her argumentative thoughts, until Oscar handed her the phone, telling her to switch it on. She looked at him in surprise as the car came to a halt. The front door was heard as the driver got out and opened the door to their compartment. Anthony and Oni got out and the door was closed leaving them alone.

Her phone was immediately flooded with all sorts of sounds as messages came in. Kat looked up at Oscar’s irritated face and pressed the silent button afraid that he would take it back. She dared not open even one.

Two minutes later the cell’s vibrations finally ceased.

Oscar nodded his head from his seat in front of her as she dialed her father. He picked up within the first ring and Kat felt the tears in her eyes. “Speaker,” Oscar instructed her.

“Kat? Where are you? I was so worried. Are you okay?”

“Daddy! Yes I’m fine just-“

“God Thank goodness. Your stepmother and I were so worried,” Kat admired her father for not forcing her to call his new wife or even mention his new wife as ‘your mother’ to her- although she did like the woman, she was not and never would be her mother. “-and your friend Simon-“

Kat knew Oscar could hear him and cut him off at the mention of Simon, “I was just so busy, I lost track of time. How are you?”

A notification came in, cutting off two seconds of her father's voice, “- but we’re good honey, just was about to lose my mind here. What’s wrong with your phone?”

“Happy birthday daddy,” she managed to say as the tears sprung out running down her cheeks and she saw Oscar’s surprised expression.

“Oh sweetheart, thank you, it would have been better yesterday if you were here. I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll let Simon know. Can you call him? He said that there was blood on your floor-“ Kat’s eyes opened widely as she stared at Oscar in horror, not even processing he had said yesterday, "-and he checked the hospital but you weren’t there. Oh, honey, he called the police when he couldn’t find you.”

“Th- the police?” she stuttered and grabbed a fistful of her hair, the heart-wrenching sadness now replaced with a new kind of fear. The tears were forgotten. How could she tell her father the President kicked her out?

Another notification came in again.

“Well, he said it looked like the crime scene was cleaned for the blood was cleaned up when he returned with the police. The reception told him that you had called the police earlier about a break-in and you had visitors during the past-”

“What?” Kat broke him off when she saw the look on Oscar’s face. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to kiss the teenager now or if to strangle her for her smart move and concern and a frown worked her forehead. But not too revealing of the terror she was feeling.

“She said you seemed to not know the man. And he was seen taking you out of the building unconscious and bleeding. Now I wonder who that was.”

“Tell him,” Oscar whispered as he leaned forward clasping his hands together.

“What?” she whispered back just as another notification came in, vibrating the cell in her hand. Oscar furrowed his brows at the sound and deepened it as another two followed.

“Tell him you got married.”

“Are you alone? I hear someone,” her father's voice was heard through the speakers and she returned her attention to him.

“Dad, it was me. He’s my fiancé I mean.”

“What?” he cried out and Kat could picture him holding his chest and sitting down. She didn’t like where her thoughts were going. She had to ease his mind.

“I hurt myself in my apartment and my fiancé took me to his doctor-“

“What fiancé. You don’t have a fiancé,” she heard him calling his wife. “What about Simon? You didn’t tell Dominique, your best friend? Kat what is going on- tell me.”

“Well-“ Kat closed her eyes and blurted out, “Not anymore dad. I’m married now.”

“What?”

Oscar shook his head and held his hand out for the phone.

“Dad, I love you. I have to go."

“What? How can you drop a bombshell like that and then hang up Kat? Where are you?”

“Dad- trust me.”

“How can I when you do this? It’s so unlike you.”

“Dad I’ll call you-” Oscar shook his head no at her words, “-when I can. The reception is terrible here.”

“I love you too sweetheart. Are you sure you’re, okay?”

“Yes, dad. Happily married,” she lied as the tears returned and her phone vibrated again muting her father's words as it did with each vibration that happened. But she knew he said he loved her, for he always said that to her.

Oscar took the phone and switched it off and pulled out the battery before putting it inside his jacket pocket. “I’m sorry I didn’t know it was his birthday.”

“How would you?” Kat released a long breath as she closed her eyes.

“I would arrange everything tomorrow- the debt I mean- and er thanks for my dad today.”

“Sure, and thank you for mine.”

Oscar nodded and Kat felt like slapping him. She had to thank him for a phone call? What sort of up-to-date k********g was she living in? She turned to stare at the dark tinted glass of the door but she couldn’t see anything outside through it. Where exactly were they? Even with darkly tinted glass, you could see out from inside the vehicle…which meant that they were in an isolated place. So isolated that even streetlights couldn’t be seen.

“This doesn’t change anything-"

“Change what?”

“Do not interrupt me when I am speaking again. I am King. You are under me; I only take this now as we are alone.”

“Let’s leave,” she uttered and turned away from the window, leaning back on her seat and looking back at him, her insides trembling for every fiber of her knowing that what she did just could very well be her death. Calling her parent by force to confirm she was alive, is everything you see about kidn*ppings that led to deaths, forced p**********n, organs…Kat’s head swam.

She wanted to puke.

“Excuse me? Did you not hear my warning?” Oscar raised his voice and grabbed her by her arm and more tears rushed down her cheeks.

Kat was in a state of almost depression as she missed her family and friend- her job. What were people really thinking happened to her? That she had died? Or almost. Maybe kidn*pped? Simon was the only one to actually look for her and not the stupid receptionist. Wait- that wasn't entirely her fault though...that was management. But still, it was so very careless on their part- she should sue them when she returned.

'Could I even return? I was kicked out by the President after all.'

“What would you do? Huh? Take away my phone Master?” she mocked him through her tears. “What more could you possibly do to me?”

Kat would find out that he could do much worst in the upcoming weeks. This was Oscar being nice.,