The Not So Sad Rejection

Dust to Dirt

I stayed outside for a little bit to watch the next training session. I t was nice to just hang out in the sun. Tristan sat with me for a little bit and we talked until he had to leave to go do some work.

I was so relax that I nearly fell asleep. I would have if the yelling hadn't started. I jerked up instantly alert. Everyone was running around, gathering up the now crying children who didn't understand what was going on. I caught a flash of red and followed it. "Alex!" I yelled and she froze. I ran over to her. "Alex, what's going on?"

She didn't turn around to face me. "Grant said that you need to go up to your room."

My brow furrowed. "Why? What's happening? Why is everyone freaking out? Alex?"

She turned around and I saw tears streaking down her cheeks and she wouldn't meet my eyes. "There's been an attack on the edge of the territory."

"An attack?" I repeated not understanding. "As in rogues? Who?" She shook her head and tears dripped off her chin. "Alex?" Then cold realization hit me. "The edge of the territory. The only people who live that far out are..."

"I'm sorry, Katie," she said hoarsely.

"No," I whispered in horror. By the time I'd consciously thought to do it I was already running.

"Katrina no!" Alex screamed out after me. "You can't! Grant said you have to-"

I didn't hear the rest of what Grant said I had to do. I was too far and the sound of my blood pumping drowned everything else out. I ran with everything I had. All I could see in my head were my parents. They're the only people who live that far out. I'd gone to visit after I first woke up.

When I reached their place the door was kicked in, the frame torn to hell. I approached it cautiously. "Mom? Dad?" No one else was hear. I could smell the fading scent of rogues and Grant but neither still here. "Dad?"

I stepped inside and gasped. Everything was torn apart and broken. "Katrina!" Grant said startling me. He came in after me and grabbed my arms. "Katrina go back to the pack house." He tried pulling me back out of the house and that's when I saw the blood on the wall leading back towards the bedroom.

I broke out of Grant's hold and walked down the hall as if I were in a trace. It felt like I was. It felt like this was all just a dream, that none of it was real.

I pushed the already ajar door to their bedroom open. At first I didn't see anything wrong. My parents were laying on the bed as if asleep.

Then I saw their open eyes and the blood on their clothes. "Mom? Dad?" It sounded like a young child talking. I approached the bed and reached out to touch them but my hand froze. I saw writing in the corner of my eye. I turned my head, hand still reaching towards my parents.

The son shall pay for the father's sins.

It was written in red. I walked towards it and touched the edge of the period. It was dried and flaked. I felt sick. The words smelled like... they were written in blood. "Mom, Dad," I gasped and flung myself towards them. I reached my father first and shook his shoulders. "Dad get up!" I crawled onto the bed and reached over to my mother. They were both covered blood, their clothes torn and ripped. "Get up! You need to get up!" My vision blurred with tears. "Please get up," I begged.

"Katrina," Grant said pulling me off the bed and away from my parents. "Katrina, they're gone."

"No!" I screamed and fought against him to get to them. "No, no, no, no, no!" They can't be gone. They can't! They just can't be gone! Suddenly all I could think about was the time I'd lost with them. I'd run away at sixteen. Eight years I never saw or spoke to them. All of that time to make up... All that time to make it up to them, to apologize for what I put them through. My chance can't just be gone. They can't be just gone... "No," I sobbed roughly and collapsed against Grant's arms.