The Not So Sad Rejection

Chapter Twenty Eight

He pulled me to his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered into my hair. "I'm so sorry, Katrina."

I turned my head away from the bed and pressed my face into his shoulder so he wouldn't see the tear flood down my cheeks. They can't just leave me, leave Tyler. Oh God. Tyler. He doesn't know. "I need to see Tyler," I said in a thick voice.

"Katrina," Grant whispered. "Maybe-"

"It needs to come from me," I said as a new wave of pain hit me. "Before he... It needs to come from me."

"Okay," he said and pulled me up to my feet. "Okay."

I realized later in the car that there was blood on my hands.

I found Tyler with Trina in his room. They both jerked off the bed as if they'd been caught doing something very illegal. "Kate?" Trina said softly when she saw my face.

I'm not sure what she saw I just know I felt shallow and empty. "Tyler, when need to talk." My voice sounded... dead. "Alone."

He frowned. "Whatever it is you can say it in front of Trina."

I shook my head unable to look my brother in the eyes. More tears slipped loose. They traveled down my cheeks and jumped down to the floor. Trina approached me cautiously. I don't think she'd ever seen me cry. After Blackwater crying wasn't something I did often. Almost never really. "Kate? What happened?"

Hadn't I'd been asking Alex that less than an hour ago? "There was a rogue attack," I whispered. I looked up at Tyler. "Mom and Dad... they-they're... dead." My voice broke and I heard Trina's sharp intake of breath.

Tyler shook his head unbelieving. "No, you're lying."

"I wish I was," I murmured as his eyes glaze over.

I knew what he was doing. He was searching for his link to them. A few seconds later the glaze went away. "You're wrong," he growled. "I'm going to go find them, they'll be at home and they'll be fine."

He tried to storm pass me and out the door but my arm snapped out and stopped him. "Trust me, Ty," I whispered. "You don't want to see."

I turned my head to look at him but he was looking down at my hand. My red stained hand. He took a shuddering step back. "No," he whispered much like I had.

Trina came to us glassy eyed with empathy. She knew how we felt. She was an orphan, just like we are now. "I'm so sorry, Tyler," she whispered put her hand on his shoulder.

He shook it off and turned on her angrily. "Don't touch me!"

"Tyler," I gasped.

He glared at me. "You did this! If it weren't for you they would have been living all alone out on the edge of the territory. It's your fault!" He shoved me back into the wall and stormed out.

I fell down to the floor and Trina got down and wrapped her arms around me. "He didn't mean it," she whispered. "He's just-"

"He's right," I whispered horrified. More tears tugged themselves free and I had one of those wild, random, totally inappropriate thoughts where I wondered how long can someone cry before they had no water left for tears.

"No," Trina whispered softly, almost cooing. "No, sweetie this isn't your fault."

"Yes it is," I sobbed. "This never would have happened if I hadn't left. They moved there because they couldn't stand being in our old house. Because I had left! This is my fault."

"No," Trina said strongly as she wiped at my cheeks. She made sure I was looking at her for her next words. "The fault lies with the people who killed them. Not you." Another sob ripped through me and she pulled me to her like Grant had done back at my parent's house. "I'm so sorry, Kate," she whispered.