"Kate, the rest is up to you." Mother said, peeling her away and spanking her butt to rush her along.
Kate took off at a sprint, by the time she got there Ella was gone.
"Liam, Zach. Where's Ella?"
"She took off, there's a bus that'll pass pretty soon around the block."
"Dammit." Kate growled."I'm sorry."
"What?" Liam asked, confused.
"That whole… everything."
"Um" Yeah came Liam's completely shaken voice.
"Did we nearly die?" Zach asked.
"No, of course not, right." Liam said.
Kate just kind of stared at them unsure of how she could answer. Because, in a funny way, it was an absurd question. Kate just wasn't entirely sure in what direction, Mother was right about something. She didn't know what.
The way they looked at her with great expectations only to have those expectations shattered. Their faces changed completely.
"Wait, was that real?" Liam exclaimed.
"I don't even understand the question." Kate said, just as loud. "What do you mean was that real? You aren't dreaming and you aren't on drugs. Well, that Yogurt had a lot of protein but that's it!"
"Was the gun real!" Liam exclaimed.
"Who walks around with a fake gun?" Kate exclaimed, were they insane?
"Who tosses real guns to kids?"
"Who tosses fake guns to kids? Why? What would that do?"
"Not risk my life!"
"Doing nothing like we are now would do that too! So again, why?"
Liam and Zach's mouths opened and closed, clearly unsure as to what to do next.
"What you're saying sounds crazy."
"Yeah, maybe. You're probably right." Kate said with a shrug. "I hope we get to still talk at school. We won't talk about this Of course. We'll just pretend it didn't happen."
"Kate!" Zach called, which made Kate turn back.
"What?"
"Is any of this real?"
Kate sighed, put up a hand that said wait. She left and came back with a knife. She tossed the knife at a tree where it vanished. They just looked at her, their eyes letting Kate know that it was more confusing than it was any level of impressive.
Kate shrugged.
"It is for me. My mom is insane. This isn't my house. It wont be forever. I am human if that's why you're gonna ask. I've been to space, just like you guys. The difference is that I don't know what normal looks like. But I promise, none of this weird stuff will translate into class stuff. Won't hear of it again."
"Does that mean you'll stop?"
"Are you asking because you want to try stop me?"
Liam didn't say anything. Kate smiled.
"Okay then that means I'll have to stop then. Anyway I got to go, look over the footage and then do homework. On paper, Florida is so weird."
She waved them off and Liam started leaving when Zach walked back to the tree and started kicking it. A drone feel into the ground with a knife sticking out of the lens. He left with it, knife included.
That hadn't exactly been the plan. But they didn't say anything and she let him leave with her knife. She didn't know how she felt about that, Mother would have thoughts.