Katherine's Mist

Part 1

It took a little time for Katherine to realize how sharp knives can be. Here she was, strolling alone at night, chanting words to herself, trying to decipher their meaning. She wouldn't describe herself as edgy or serious, just plain sad. A chill ran down her spine as if something or someone was behind her. Ignoring the feeling, she decided to return to the foster home. Her parents weren't dead; she just never knew them. Part of her believed they didn't want her, so they left. Maybe they weren't ready."Come on, dinner's ready! I tried a new recipe! Don't complain about the food, Maratha," a voice called.Maratha, an 8-year-old, came down the stairs first. Katherine ruffled her hair. "I made pasta secretly. If you don't like the recipe, I'll give it to you," she whispered.

"Thanks," Maratha replied, "but you'll have to finish the food." Katherine smiled, knowing Maratha couldn't turn down the offer.She wondered if she had been like Maratha when Mabel was with her. Was she in Mabel's place now? She preferred not to dwell on this thought. Dinner wasn't bad. Katherine took a shower and went to bed. Just as she was about to turn off the lights, she saw a shadowy figure in the window. Ignoring it, she went to sleep, having normal, meaningless dreams.

At school, she longed for the familiarity of the orphanage school she once attended. She felt safer there, knowing the teachers were also her caretakers. She had friends but not as good as Mabel. She needed to find her.

"You seem lost... what happened?" her friend asked.

"It's probably nothing, just lost and maybe just hallucinating," Katherine sighed.

"Did you get enough sleep?" her friend asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Katherine groaned.

"Maths class next," her friend said, disapprovingly.

"Couldn't they put maths like once a week?" Katherine whined.

"I hate math too, but that doesn't mean they can't teach us..." her friend said.

"Yeah, I know, I know, it's just tiring sometimes"

"I just know math is important, as much as I hate it, okay?" she muttered.

"What did you bring for lunch?" Katherine asked, changing the subject.

"How did you know I brought—" her friend started.

"Just a lucky guess, I think, I'm going to eat from the canteen" Katherine smirked.

She saw the shadow again in the washroom mirror and stumbled. "Did you see that?""You are hallucinating," her friend teased, then left the restroom leaving her alone.

She went out to attend the boring math class but knew she couldn't miss it because Miss Groodly would not revise the topic. She sighed and tried to keep a fresh mind for the class.School ended, and she walked back home to study for the test. Then she went out for her usual nighttime walk. She walked for half an hour, hoping the mysterious shadow would reveal itself. As expected, she was right. She heard something and turned to find herself facing the person who had been following her.

"It was too predictable. Try turning up in the morning", Katherine said.

The person, a middle-aged woman, didn't look surprised at all. "The fact that you suspected my arrival doesn't change anything, Katherine."

She was just a middle-aged woman wearing jeans and a shirt, with sports shoes and dirty blonde hair. 

"Should I be surprised that you know me or is that just your intel?" Katherine asked.

"Was it that obvious?" the woman frowned.

"So you need my help, or do you just need to kidnap me?" Katherine asked.