and rest my hands on my knees.
“Naomi, the authorities are well aware of my transgressions against humanity.” Katie says all of this with the ghost of a smile on her thin lips. I try to imagine what kind of person she might've turned into had her parents actually loved her. I can't even conjure an image up in my head. It's too far fetched, too distant from the person sitting before me. I feel bad for even thinking she was an enemy in all of this.
“Katie – ” She interrupts me, and I let her speak because I feel like it's the very least I can do.
“The authorities are aware of the crimes my parents committed against me. They know that I took vengeance into my own hands.” I swallow hard and curl my fingernails into my palms, drawing blood. I hate how badly I want this to happen. Does that make me the kind of person I've always hated? How selfish, how fucked up, how self-absorbed do I have to be to want this? You're just human, Naomi. You want a fresh start like everyone else. If Katie goes away, that little secret you've been carrying around won't matter anymore. You'll never be charged for murder. You can run off with Turner, have kids someday, let the pain of the abortion fade away with time. This is it. This, right here. As soon as you get Stephen out of the way, you'll have a life of your own for the very first time.
But then, I'm Naomi Isabelle Knox. I don't fuck over my friends and most especially I don't screw over one of the only people in my life that ever gave a shit about me. I have to tell the truth. I just fucking have to.
“No, Katie. We both know that's not what happened.”
Her blue eyes flash for a moment with fear before she leans across the table, looking not at me but through me. I want to hug her to my chest and tell her it'll all be okay, that I can erase the past and build a better future, but we'd both know it was bullshit.
“I killed them. I killed that dirty cop. I killed Eric.”
Katie leans back and sighs deeply, like those three harsh statements have brought her some small amount of pleasure. I grit my teeth and lean forward, feeling frustration bubble up in me.
“Katie, you could get the death penalty.”
“Not if I'm crazy,” she says, focusing her pupils on me. For the first time since she walked in here, it actually seems like she's looking at me. I sigh and slump back, rubbing my temples with my fingers. I close my eyes to get a hold of myself and try to figure out what to say. “Just tell me thank you, and walk away, Naomi Knox,” she says, like she can read my mind. “But first, I can tell you a story about Eric and Hayden. That's why you're here, isn't it?” My head snaps up, my eyes opening wide as I look at her and wonder how much she knows. “You know about Cassie, I take it?” I just stare at my sister and wait for her to continue. She sighs and adjusts her wrists, the handcuffs clinking menacingly together. I notice a few of the guards cast their attention our way. “Hayden and Eric were always into each other. You must've seen it?” I wrinkle my brow and think hard about the past. Knowing that Hayden's dead makes it seem so much more difficult to dig into the memories. How can she be dead? She's been a constant fixture in my life for-fucking-ever. Tears threaten again, and I dash them away angrily. I'm not going to cry for a woman who went out of her way to make my life miserable.
“I don't know,” I respond curtly, because I really don't. Eric was my first boyfriend, but it didn't really go anywhere. Maybe he really was into Hayden? Fuck if I know.
“After you left us,” Katie says, sending a hollow hurt blooming in my chest. After Turner and I fucked, after he left me pregnant, after I had the abortion. Seven years ago. Seven long years ago. “Hayden and Eric had a relationship.” Katie tells the story like she's an outsider looking in, like she wasn't … raped by her own brother. I keep expecting her to spit blood when she speaks that
“Naomi, the authorities are well aware of my transgressions against humanity.” Katie says all of this with the ghost of a smile on her thin lips. I try to imagine what kind of person she might've turned into had her parents actually loved her. I can't even conjure an image up in my head. It's too far fetched, too distant from the person sitting before me. I feel bad for even thinking she was an enemy in all of this.
“Katie – ” She interrupts me, and I let her speak because I feel like it's the very least I can do.
“The authorities are aware of the crimes my parents committed against me. They know that I took vengeance into my own hands.” I swallow hard and curl my fingernails into my palms, drawing blood. I hate how badly I want this to happen. Does that make me the kind of person I've always hated? How selfish, how fucked up, how self-absorbed do I have to be to want this? You're just human, Naomi. You want a fresh start like everyone else. If Katie goes away, that little secret you've been carrying around won't matter anymore. You'll never be charged for murder. You can run off with Turner, have kids someday, let the pain of the abortion fade away with time. This is it. This, right here. As soon as you get Stephen out of the way, you'll have a life of your own for the very first time.
But then, I'm Naomi Isabelle Knox. I don't fuck over my friends and most especially I don't screw over one of the only people in my life that ever gave a shit about me. I have to tell the truth. I just fucking have to.
“No, Katie. We both know that's not what happened.”
Her blue eyes flash for a moment with fear before she leans across the table, looking not at me but through me. I want to hug her to my chest and tell her it'll all be okay, that I can erase the past and build a better future, but we'd both know it was bullshit.
“I killed them. I killed that dirty cop. I killed Eric.”
Katie leans back and sighs deeply, like those three harsh statements have brought her some small amount of pleasure. I grit my teeth and lean forward, feeling frustration bubble up in me.
“Katie, you could get the death penalty.”
“Not if I'm crazy,” she says, focusing her pupils on me. For the first time since she walked in here, it actually seems like she's looking at me. I sigh and slump back, rubbing my temples with my fingers. I close my eyes to get a hold of myself and try to figure out what to say. “Just tell me thank you, and walk away, Naomi Knox,” she says, like she can read my mind. “But first, I can tell you a story about Eric and Hayden. That's why you're here, isn't it?” My head snaps up, my eyes opening wide as I look at her and wonder how much she knows. “You know about Cassie, I take it?” I just stare at my sister and wait for her to continue. She sighs and adjusts her wrists, the handcuffs clinking menacingly together. I notice a few of the guards cast their attention our way. “Hayden and Eric were always into each other. You must've seen it?” I wrinkle my brow and think hard about the past. Knowing that Hayden's dead makes it seem so much more difficult to dig into the memories. How can she be dead? She's been a constant fixture in my life for-fucking-ever. Tears threaten again, and I dash them away angrily. I'm not going to cry for a woman who went out of her way to make my life miserable.
“I don't know,” I respond curtly, because I really don't. Eric was my first boyfriend, but it didn't really go anywhere. Maybe he really was into Hayden? Fuck if I know.
“After you left us,” Katie says, sending a hollow hurt blooming in my chest. After Turner and I fucked, after he left me pregnant, after I had the abortion. Seven years ago. Seven long years ago. “Hayden and Eric had a relationship.” Katie tells the story like she's an outsider looking in, like she wasn't … raped by her own brother. I keep expecting her to spit blood when she speaks that
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