• “Midnight strolls are pleasant,” sighed Kate tilting her head.
    “Come on, this is no time to be enjoying the fact that your high,” Angela grunted.
    “I’m not high, just happy,” giggled Kate. Kate was one for taking a little too many depression pills. Ever since her dad abandoned her and her family, her mother was extremely cruel to her. She depended on those pills to keep her going, and even though she knew it could and would kill her one day; she just couldn’t get rid of that urge to take just one more.
    “Ugh, Kate you need an intervention, this is not like you. If your family saw how far you’ve fallen--“
    “My family doesn’t care what happens to me. I could be hung by a barbwire rope, dead, and they still wouldn’t care,” she rebutted with a grim face.
    “You know that’s not true. I bet your brothers would care, and your mother, even if she is a bit harsh, but you have a lot of people that care about you, you just need to see it--“
    “Look, can we talk about this in the morning. I have the worst headache ever and I don’t need a guilt trip along with it, okay?”
    “Yea, I guess. Let’s get you to the apartment.”
    You couldn’t find a truer friend than Angela. Even when she’s absolutely pissed at you, she would still help you out. Even though Kate and she have never really fought before, she would still be there for her.
    Kate on the other hand was flakey at times, but she wouldn’t leave Angela for the world. After all, shes all she really had to count on as a family.
    Kate’s family thought she was going to boarding school right now with Angela, but they were really renting an apartment together, going to the local high school, and taking shifts in the local restaurant that was conveniently located downstairs from their apartment.
    Her older brother, Rick, was 25 and an imaganineer in the Walt Disney Corporation. She had a lot to live up to having him as an older sibling, and she never got over that fact. Her younger brother, Alex, was almost as amazing as her older one. Not only was he known for his skateboarding and athletics, but he was one of the honor students that you would always look up to and envy. Alex always had the girls crawling over him, but in Kate’s family, school and success came first before romantics.
    Kate was once a great student in school, but as soon as she hit seventh grade, her life took a turn. She was considered the outcast, barely making friends, and losing them almost right away. Reason for this was because her father ran off on her and her family and left them with only a penny to their well lived up to names.
    It was hard to be part of her family. She felt she was disappointing her mother every step she took. She took pills to help with her severe depression, but that’s when her addiction came. Her doctor prescribed 40ml one visit, then 60ml the next. The jumps finally caught to her and she started taking 80ml. Now it was up to 120.
    She felt a kick in her shin. “Ouch? What was that,” she yawned.
    “You were drooling all over me, and I am not carrying you up those stairs,” Angela grimaced as she looked at the wet spot on her left shoulder.
    “Sorry… I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, kay Ang?”
    “Yea, yea. Let’s get you upstairs. You look pretty sickly.”


    * * * * *

    A handsome young man looked down at her. She was in a ball, hugging herself close hoping, praying he wouldn’t hurt her.
    “Why so scared? I don’t plan on hurting you… yet,” he said. She could hear his crooked, evil smile in his voice.
    “Please, just don’t hurt him. Take my life, not his!” she gasped between sobs.
    She could feel the cold eyes staring her down, seeing if she was worth the bargain. He walked gracefully over to the boy sitting a nearby chair. He was chained, but the way he looked at the man coming towards him, he couldn’t move even if he wasn’t.
    “She has offered to take your place. You are free to go,” He said as he unlocked the lock secured to the front of the dumbstruck boy.
    “Kate, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!” the boy said as he was pushed out of the dark room.
    She felt a cold trickle of fear run down her spine as the man walked in front of her. She looked up with eyes full of fear and sorrow into his cold, dead, red eyes.
    He smiled and said, “Welcome to the Voreturi Mansion.”


    She woke up with cold sweaty hands. She ran to the bathroom and silently vomited. She had learned from years of practice at her house.
    Kate had a lot of secrets to hide; one was the overdosing of drugs. She took aspirins too take her mind off her father. She took at least three every hour, and the side affects were of course, vomiting.
    Footsteps sounded from a few feet away. Too late to book it, Kate thought. It was Angela.
    “Took many pills again?”
    “I took two for the headache, but this is a virus.”
    “You look like your gonna drop dead. Wanna see a doctor?”
    “Please?”
    Angela helped Kate up and brought a bowl with her. “Sit here and I’ll call the hospital,” she said. Kate looked around and rubbed her head. Angela came over and sat next to her. “They said come right away. Come on, let’s get in the car.”
    “Kay.”
    She helped her up and led her to the station wagon. Kate wobbled as she got in. Angela stated the car and drove fast. “Here’s a bag, I know my driving won’t help with your yakking, but try to aim in the bag,” she said without taking her eyes off the road.
    They’re apartment was on the other side of town, and the hospital was on the other. Chicago wasn’t a great place to drive this fast in, but since it was three am, there was no one there.
    “Ang, slow down, we’re gonna spill…” Kate said in a yawn.
    “Jeez, let me drive, okay? You’re like dying,” she said looking over at her.
    “Watch It!!!” Kate screamed as an oil tanker came barreling at them. There was a crash, and Kate blanked out.