Blink 4
Kate was weirdly upset. She wasn't expecting to be surrounded by people.
Kate and Griff were on the bus surrounded by Zach, Ella and Liam.
Griff looked at them with wide eyes, he seemed shrunken. It wrenched at her soul.
"Should we be talking about this?" Ella asked.
"No, but we're going to anyway." Kate said, stroking Griff's hair absently.
"What's happening?" Griff asked.
"You know exactly what." She said.
Ella's brow rose. "You told your baby brother?"
"I'm not a baby." Griff complained.
"Of course not." Ella said passively.
"He was there." Liam said smiling at Griff and giving just the strangest of thumbs up Kate had ever seen. "If anyone would understand, it would be him."
"Yeah." Griff said. "Wait. You showed them the 1s and 0s of that day? You have the 1s and 0s?" Griff asked.
"Yeah, I asked mom." Kate said, "Anyway. I want my revenge."
"Okay whatever."
"Not whatever, are you all game? Yes or no."
"I dunno. It sounds like we could get in trouble."
"We won't. I promise we won't." Kate said.
They just looked at her funny, the doubt clear. She rolled eyes.
"Do you know how we won't get in trouble guys?" Kate asked, throwing out a fishing line.
"How?" Liam asked biting.
"The OZs? It's governmental. That door? It's a government exit and we managed to use it. Do you know why? Because I literally can't tell you why without you guys going missing. Think about that for a minute."
The bus stopped and Griff got up, and to Kate's surprise the others got up too.
"What's happening?" Kate asked.
"We gonna do this? Yes or no?" Zach asked. "Because if we gonna do this, you have to win us over. And you haven't."
They looked to each other, nodding to confirm some conversation that had clearly been had without Kate.
Griff was first to move. Kate's hand on Griff's, they rushed out. It was a brow raiser. She just didn't know if it really was. Potentially. It may have been normal for him to need to stay close, would have been so terrible if not true.
The last thing on her mind was Griff struggling to split from her at the worst time.
Outside the bus they were met by a dozen men with walking bots holding bricks. The bots looked like a combination of a wheelbarrow and German shepherd preparing to jump, at its feet were round wheels like tennis balls.
They were fixing the damaged main wall, Kate could see through where more men were carving up a tree with a chainsaw.
She opened her screen.
Ping Search Mother.
10M
You have Notifications.
Open.
Young Striker.
"We need to talk. Don't be boring!"
She lingered on that last sentence, not wanting to let such a challenge go by as if she were scared of something but, hesitating, a list of emotions lined up inside her gut. Putting the phone away became a priority.
She pocketed it.
They passed a massive metal gate which had opened, the others just behind.
"Nice, looks like you're doing well." Ella said.
"It's complicated." Kate said with a hand wave.
"It's really not, either you have money or you don't" Ella said.
Griff and Liam chuckled.
Kate fought to keep from rolling her eyes out of her head because, of course, (she just knew it would be like that, she just knew it!) Mother was in short silk floral pants and shirt onsie. Kate was grateful it wasn't a body suit but its loose silk was just as embarrassing.
Kate turned to the boys who stared at the infinite divinity that was Mother.
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Next Time:
Kate's house isn't just a home—it's a stage. And today, Mother is putting on a show. With charm weaponized and secrets hidden in plain sight, Kate watches her new friends walk straight into the storm. Meal plans become interrogations. Compliments twist like knives. And through it all, Kate tries not to flinch. Because Mother always gets what she wants—and today, that just might include them. Welcome to the kitchen. Try not to blink.