Death Smith - Book 2 - Chapter 13 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Loose ends Three weeks later. Mid-April, 14 AR. United Kingdom, south London, The Walker residence. Kate closed the protective casing of her instrument, casting a dark shadow over the violin as she did so. Long and slender fingers found their way over to the edges of the case, as calloused fingertips found purchase and zipped up the case. ‘Your new life is starting, girl. No way out but forwards,’ Kate thought, remembering her grandmother’s advice and feeling strengthened by it. “I could make you stay. I am your father, you know,” Jacob Walker said to his daughter as he sat on the bed next to her bag and suitcase. “And I would love you for it, but I would still go,” Kate said with a smile, placing the violin case on her father’s lap as she folded a few more clothes that she would need. Although her father was making a show of her leaving the country, she knew her father would be the first one to carry her bags to the airport. “I could beg. Tears and everything. It would be a heart-wrenching sight,” Jacob teased as he helped his daughter by folding a t-shirt. Her smile widened playfully as she nudged him in the side. “Wouldn’t work. Redheads don’t have a soul. It would be a waste of tears.” They had been at it for the better part of an hour already. With her father offering ways or reasons, she shouldn’t leave the country and stay home. This even though she had already been living on her own for several years, with her staying over only now and again. They both knew why she was leaving for Italy, to work as a violinist. Music had been her passion ever since she had been old enough to pick up an instrument. While Thomas had gotten trophies for sports, Kate had been entering competitions and even winning a few of them that ended up with her getting a scholarship years ago. To see more of the world, to meet people and experience many styles of music across the world. That was her dream, her passion. “Besides, you’d like Italy. Food, wine, warm weather,” she said as she closed her bag, moments later giving him a peck on the cheek. “And far fewer redheads.” “The last part sounds perfect. When can I come?” Her father said with a chuckle as he got up, moments later pulling her in for a warm hug. “And when you break through and become wealthy and famous over there, never forget the most important thing.” “I know. Be safe and happy,” Kate said, her features softening a bit as she planted herself deeper into the hug. “No sweety. The most important thing is that your old man wants his Ferrari in red or black,” Jacob said, quickly backing off as his daughter began nudging him in the ribs again. The man had spent years in the military, so he knew when to retreat before he got shelled by a dozen folded socks. “I love mom the most,” Kate yelled after him, only to grin when his father exclaimed that he did so as well. ‘I am going to miss that humour of his,’ Kate thought as she picked up the thrown socks and placed them back in her suitcase. Her gaze shifted towards her plane tickets, her passport, and the stack of papers concerning her position with an orchestra there. It had always been a dream of hers to do so, but she had always been hesitant about taking the leap. After losing her brother and seeing her mother drown herself in grief, Kate decided she needed to do something different with her life. In her mind, she felt like she owed it to Thomas to broaden her horizons and give the Walker family a pleasant development for a change. She still felt bad about leaving, seeing as her father was shouldering the world, her younger brother would be on his own and her mother still struggled with the loss of Thomas. But she knew her father would drive her to Italy himself if she did not take this chance. “No way out but forwards,” Kate said several times. Each time she said it louder, steeling herself more and more. She paused when she spotted her younger brother standing in the doorway, holding onto a sandwich and a glass of orange juice. “Dad! Kate is talking to herself again. Is she off her medication?” Oliver said, flashing Kate one of his trademark mischievous grins before he backed off and retreated to his room, with Kate in hot pursuit. She stepped into his room, seeing the many posters of famous Rifters on his walls. Oliver had a mana stone on his desk, next to a picture of Thomas and Lance inside a Rift. The entire room shouted Rifter-fanboy, with several newspaper articles placed on a wall about Lance, including the article from Ipswich. "Are you going to be alright when I am away?” Kate asked, moving over to him as she placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. The young lad was growing taller and wider by the day. She feared he’d end up a muscle head like Thomas, but fortunately, Oliver’s grades were far more promising. “I’ll be fine. Really,” Oliver stated. “And you can call whenever you need to talk, alright?” Kate asked, a hand moving a dirty towel up from the desk, revealing a half-eaten horn underneath it. ‘No doubt one of the monsters horns that Rift-dog had been chewing on,’ Kate mused. “You are the biggest nerd I know. Never change.” “I am too stubborn for that. Besides, it is a collector’s item. When Lance joins a major guild, I can sell this bad boy for fat stacks,” the youth exclaimed, placing the towel back on the horn to hide it from his parents. His father wouldn’t mind the item, save for the smell, but it might startle his mother. Kate squeezed his shoulders playfully before she took a seat down on his bed. “Fat stacks?” “It beats fingering a few strings on a piece of wood for months on end. But, seeing as we were talking about your boyfriend, have you told him about your change of scenery already?” Oliver asked, although he would no doubt know the answer already. "Boyfriend, huh? Big words from his personal stalker. But no. I hear the reception in a Rift is terrible, so unfortunately, I couldn’t speak to him face to face. I’ll send him a text when I arrive in Rome tomorrow morning,” Kate said. “Or you could… you know… tell him in a few hours when he finishes up with a Rift?” Oliver said, as his eyes met Kate’s. “How?” she asked, confused. “Well, being a ‘personal stalker’ has its benefits. I know where he’ll be in a few hours… roughly. I just found an article about Lance and where he might clear and leave a Rift later today. And this information can be yours, provided my favourite sister does something in return for me.” Oliver negotiated as a sly expression formed on his face. Kate slowly leaned closer. “I take it you like your ribs intact and not broken?” She asked calmly, countering Oliver with a smile of her own. One that was unstable enough to turn Oliver’s expression into one of fear and uncertainty. * * * * * ‘No way out but forwards,’ Kate told herself once more as she stepped out of the pizzeria, hands clutching a box that was pleasantly warm to the touch. She could smell the cheese, tomatoes, and the spices slowly escaping the container. She felt tense, having driven from London to Ipswich as fast as she could, hoping she would get there on time. She made her way towards the Rift itself, near the centre of town. The whole town was alive, with hundreds of people gathered near the Rift. There were street vendors selling small trinkets, people selling drinks and food, as well as a small stage where a live band was performing to keep the crowd entertained until the big moment. They had erected large screens near the entrances of the Rift that played live footage of the Rift itself. The pulsating mass of black energy was absolutely alien to Kate. ‘I can’t believe my brother and Lance actually walked through these things,’ Kate thought, remembering the footage she had seen of Lance and the white clover’s. She did her best to get as close as possible to the Rift itself, nearing the GRRO barricade and the control post behind it. People were eager to enter it, but the GRRO was adamant in maintaining the barrier until the white clovers fully destroyed this Rift. The GRRO would only allow people entry when there wasn’t a chance of Rift-materials or a Rifter exiting the Rift at a high speed. ‘That thing is huge,’ Kate thought, seeing the massive barrier and safety net constructed around the hulking black mass of energy. She felt silly there, holding a pizza box while waiting for a Rifter to appear. It could be a matter of seconds, or it could take hours. According to Oliver’s information, the white clovers had agreed with the GRRO and the officials of the town to aim for a set date and a rough estimate in terms of time. It wasn’t an exact science, but these Rifters had a good idea of when they would have to clear the Rift and at what time they would exit it. She was about to go to one of the drink stands and buy herself a coffee when the world itself screamed. Her gaze instantly shot towards the large screen displaying the Rift. The massive black energy was erratic, with bits of it imploding or exploding as the core destabilized. Even from where Kate was standing, she could feel the unnatural amount of energy as it dissipated in the surrounding air. Then, in a last violent roar, the Rift exploded outwards in a wave of black energy, knocking back the GRRO personal on the site and masking the entire area in a thick cloud of dust. ‘Please be alright,’ Kate thought as her fingers dug into the cardboard box, memories of her brother and Lance storming in her mind. All around her she could see people doing similar actions, with some praying, or others mumbling that it would be alright. Then, when the dust cleared, four armoured figures stood where the Rift had once been. The crowd went mad at that point, with the townspeople cheering for the Rifters and celebrating amongst one another that the Rift was truly gone. Music picked up again and people expressed their excitement with one another. The camera showed the Rifters making their way towards the exit, talking amongst themselves, and patting each other on the back. By the time they left the GRRO barricades and met the townspeople, they were giving a hero’s welcome, with people nearly throwing themselves at them, showering the Rifters with praise, flowers or handing the Rifters food and drinks. Fearing she might have lost her moment, Kate moved forwards, elbowing her way closer and closer to the Rifters, ignoring the angry comments she received in return. Finally, she broke past her last obstacle and planted herself directly in front of Lance as she shoved the pizza in his hands. “I figured you could use a meal,” Kate said as she gave Lance a bright and knowing smile. * * * * * “More?” Kate asked as she tore off another slice of pizza as she held it out behind her, allowing Lance to grab it. She could hear the water spatter on the ground as Lance took his warm shower in the small GRRO cubicle a Rifter could use before and after entering a Rift. “Yes, please. God, this tastes good,” Lance commented, as he tore into the pizza while he was taking his shower. Dirt, grease and dried up blood from days of living in the Rift flowed off his body and down the drain. Overtime, it slowly transformed the Rift-hobo into the person who resembled a clean Lance. Kate glanced over her shoulder, seeing Lance’s back as the man ran a hand through his hair. She could see the scars adorning his body, ranging from older cuts, claw marks, and even a bite mark. ‘How are you able to deal with such things?’ Kate thought as she remembered a younger version of Lance that looked so innocent compared to the Rifter he was now. The longer her gaze lingered, the more she noticed the difference in his physique. His muscles were far more defined and hinted at a strength beyond what was normal. “What the hell have you been eating?” Kate thought out loud, only to realise this herself as she quickly tore her gaze away from Lance. “Sorry?” Lance asked as he turned the shower off. Blushing, Kate hid her face from him as she replied. “Nothing, I was just asking you when you lost your marbles? Oliver told me that in the last three weeks you have been throwing yourself in three Rifts. Excessive, don’t you think?” She heard Lance pause at that. No doubt Lance was searching for the right words to say or to conjure up a decent excuse. She scolded herself for putting Lance in that situation. This wasn’t why she had wanted to visit him. “New hairstyle?” She asked, offering Lance a way out. She had last seen him on his birthday three weeks ago, and his hair had been much shorter back then. Now it reached his neck, showing that far more time had passed for Lance inside of that Rift. “Yeah. Remind me to take a barber with me the next Rift I throw myself in,” Lance said, laughing afterwards as he slid inside a pair of pants and put on a shirt. “Noted,” she said, her gaze shifting towards Lance’s items next to her. Lance had brought with him a large bulk goods bag that was filled with many items from within the Rift. It was a different bag compared to the one she had seen in his apartment. Instead of a makeshift bundle of cloth, this item was sturdy and made of woven plastic. Besides it, she noticed a large steel mace that had several dents on it and a partially broken steel shield. She knew the latter had belonged to Thomas, having seen her brother show it to his family the moment he had bought it at the Workshop. It pained her to see it, but at the same time she was glad that it was with Lance, protecting him from whatever he faced inside a Rift. “Ready?” Kate asked, turning around as she heard Lance put on his shoes. “Do you know a place where we can grab a drink? I wanted to discuss something with you.” * * * * * “That’s great,” Lance said, his smile widening at the news. ‘Idiot, that is not what I wanted to hear,’ Kate thought as she nodded. “Yeah, it is.” The two of them had found a small bar away from the busy centre of Ipswich. The two of them had shared a few drinks while Lance had gotten another bite to eat as Kate told him about her job in Italy, how her mother and father were doing, and how Oliver had turned into Lance’s fanboy. It had surprised lance at how easily Oliver had found out where Lance would be and the extent of his presence online. She had talked about the ‘Rift shrine’ Oliver had made, with items of a Rift, pictures of Thomas and Lance, and printed out news articles. “So, what do you do inside a Rift when you have time off? Count stones?” Kate asked to lighten the mood. “Honestly? I read an E-book or watch a movie that I have downloaded on my phone beforehand. Beyond that, savaging for things can be quite time-consuming,” Lance said, his gaze shifting over towards his large bag filled with salvage before he focused on Kate again. “But Italy. That is great. Imagine all the things you’ll see over there.” Kate smiled at that before she countered. “You're one to talk. Mister, I jump from one realm to another.” “Touché, but the places I visit tend to not have a lot of culture, Italian cuisine or ice cream,” Lance said, his smile oddly infectious. “I am sure Oliver will miss you.” “He’d better,” Kate said quickly, her tongue proving to be as quick as her wit. “But speaking of the little brat. He made me promise to ask you for a favour. Apparently, he wants you to get him the autographs of the white clovers,” Kate continued, rolling her eyes at the end. Lance nodded when she made her request. “That seems reasonable.”

‘Come on, girl. You have liked him for years. You have flirted with him, and you know that there is something there. Just say it,’ Kate told herself as forced herself to look him in the eyes despite the way it made her feel. “I bloody hope so. I only have a few more hours to tie up loose ends before I go, and I wasn’t looking forward to beg you for some nerdy autograph.” She smiled as she brushed a few hairs behind her ear. ‘Just say it, Kate. No way out but forwards. Do it for grandma. God no! That just makes it sound weird,’ she thought as her mind turned chaotic.

“Kate? Are you alright?” Lance asked, slightly concerned. “Yeah, sorry. I got side-tracked there for a minute,” Kate admitted, her cheeks slowly matching the fierceness of her hair. “I’ll be in another country tomorrow, so I wanted to tie up loose ends and not have any regrets.” “How can I help you with that?” Lance asked, blissfully unaware of Kate’s internal conflict. Kate closed her eyes at that, her right hand running through her red strands. “Well, you’re the one who threw me into this ugly mess,” she said finally as she met his gaze again. A moment later, she unleashed all the chaotic feelings she felt as she let them drive her forwards, out of her seat and towards Lance’s. “Kat-” was the last thing Lance could say before their lips found one another in a sudden passionate embrace. All the while, Kate kept moving forwards. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Author: Osirium Copyright: 2022 OsiriumWrites Released: 2022