Chapter 23: Wynn or Lose

Katelyn Bishop

*This chapter jumps to 2 hours ago so that it'll make more sense later. Happy reading ❤❤❤❤
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Present
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The smell of cleaning products assaulted her nose as Katelyn quickly hid in the janitors closet. If Drake's plan was going to work, Katelyn would have to remain unseen. Katelyn's fingers remained crossed through this whole ordeal. She hoped that Carter would fall for it.

Too much was riding on him being tricked.

If he wasn't fooled then their whole plan would fall apart in their hands.

Wynn still sat in the corner of the closet eyeing Katelyn. They were both so cautious of each other. Katelyn could tell that Wynn didn't believe her, but she was telling the truth. She never had those feelings for Jared.

Flint was her everything. He was her scars and her pain, but he was also her only beauty that she never saw in herself until he pointed it out.

He made her appear.

But now he was gone; and she was living on a borrowed heart that wouldn't return to her if he didn't come back. The only regret that pushed her even further was that she never said "I love you" back. Her heart crumbled at that thought.

He had said it and meant it. She just didn't believe him. Katelyn thought that he was a murderer.

Her gut recoiled at the splintered thought chugging through her muddled brain.

He had never gave her instance where she should doubt him. He'd always been so sweet to her, but it was her own self-destructive nature that did her in. She doubted him so easily because he was too good to be true. Now, he was too good to be a lie. His heart sheened another identical fracture to hers.

Katelyn looked away from Wynn and her ocean eyes narrowed.

This had to go to plan. Katelyn leaned against the door to listen in.

Jared's voice seeped loudly through the hard wood.

"He never really loved you enough to stay. I did. I love you. I'll stay for you."

Katelyn's heart raced, did he really love her. Was Wynn right? Did he really feel that way about her?

She tried to shake it off but Wynn looked right at her with her emerald eyes. In an instant, those emerald eyes cut Katelyn to her core.

Katelyn never wanted to mislead Jared.

Suddenly, a bout of silence overthrew their curiosity on what Jared would say next.

Wynn slipped closer to the door as Katelyn slowly cracked it open.

When her eyes landed on Jared, Katelyn slammed the door shut on Wynn who wanted to peer out as well.

Wynn looked at her again with those dagger eyes.

She hissed out a complaint to Katelyn. "What are you doing? We have to see what they're doing."

She tried to budge the door open but Katelyn held it shut. "You don't need to see that, Wynn. Please, I beg you. Don't look out there." Katelyn's eyes pleaded a silent thunderstorm as Wynn struggled to open the door. "I'm not..." Katelyn huffed, "letting you...out there."

Then, with one last struggle, Wynn opened the door.

Her emerald eyes widened as her jaw jutted out in a long gasp.

Quickly, Katelyn pushed Wynn inside the closet. "What are you doing, Wynn?"

Wynn took several deep breaths and then a loud bang shuttered through the office. Tears chilled on Wynn's eyes as Katelyn pulled her in for a hug. Katelyn's tears began gathering like storm clouds in the sky waiting for the rain. They sobbed together in the darkness of the janitorial closet. She was dead. This was all going wrong. Their plan was shot out of sky, or quite literally shot out of the office.

A few beats of silence passed and then a knock rasped at the door.

Katelyn broke from their hug and slowly made her way to the door. Tears still hung at her cheeks like a stinging guillotine waiting to hurt her again. Katelyn lazily reached for the knob. Her limbs seemed numbed by what just happened.

Finally, Katelyn opened the door partially and Drake walked through the door with a smile lighting at her rosy cheeks.

Drake whispered out happily, "he bought it!"

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2 hours ago
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Annie knocked at the door of the lab with deep confusion lit on her face. Drake invited her in happily. Annie just leveled her eyes at Drake in suspicion. "Come in," Drake urged her as she pushed her in.

Annie scanned the room until her eyes rested on Katelyn.

With a finger pointed at Katelyn, Annie glanced back at Drake in question.

Drake dragged her over to Katelyn. Still smiling, Drake nudged Annie.

Annie's brows dragged upward at Drake's actions. "Okay, what's going on Drake?" she asked. Then Annie's eyes flicked over to Katelyn. Annie snarled out, "what is she doing here?"

Drake cleared her throat. "We're going to get Mom back."

Annie practically choked on the thought. "What? She's gone Drake." Annie gave a targeted glance at Katelyn. "She's even the one who led her to her killing herself." Her words were chalked in bitterness and utter scorn.

"Mom, didn't kill herself. Carter made her disappear."

Annie's whole body drew back. "What? What are you talking about? Carter was the one who told us about her death in the first place. He looked really hurt at the funeral. He wouldn't lie."

Drake scoffed at that. " Yeah, because Carter's such an upstanding citizen."

Annie tilted her head in confusion. "So...if she's not dead...where is she?"

Drake quietly replied. "Carter took her into Blank Slate."

Annie looked at Drake wildly. "No. She couldn't have...oh God. Maybe she is." Annie shook her head with tears welling in her hazel eyes.

"All this time I've been chasing them..." she pointed at Katelyn, "when Carter was out there. This is almost too much to believe."

Drake drew in a quick breath. "It is...but listen...we have a plan if you're up for it. It involves taking down Carter if you're interested." Drake tried sweetening the deal like creamer in a black cup of coffee.

Annie just shook her head trying to just wrap her head around it. "How do you know all of this?"

"I was missing Mom so I headed to her lab. Most of her equipment had been sold by Carter...but a few chemicals from Blank Slate were still there. I injected myself with it figuring maybe I could disappear...I was in a really dark place. But...when the compounds started affecting me, I could hear her. Mom, was talking to me. She told me about Carter...I tried to get the Full Slate which would pull them out, but Carter threw me out of his life before then."

Annie slowly nodded as Drake continued.

When Drake was done, she took a deep breath. "So...to save the Full Slate and Mom, I need you to pretend to be Kate."

Annie's expression was stricken with shock. "What?"

"I need you to shapeshift into Kate and make Carter think that you've got him."

"But--" Annie's was cut off by the door slamming open.

Wynn's brows remained furrowed as a kitchen laid at her side. "Let me at her!" she screamed out.

Drake and Annie froze in their steps.

Katelyn cowered in confusion. "What's going on?"

Wynn yelled out, "I paid a lot of money to track you down, Katelyn Bishop."

As Wynn drew closer, however, her face dampened of anger and filled with a puzzled expression.

"You saved Charlie and me from that fire?" she whispered it slowly as the knife glinted closer and closer to her skin. Angry tears burned off her fiery cheeks. "Did you come there just to see my husband, huh?"

Katelyn shook her head vehemently. "No. I don't feel that way about Jared. We're just friends, I swear."

Wynn drew her weapon closer to Katelyn. "That's not what I heard from my husband."

Katelyn stepped back and found herself trapped by the wall behind her.

Tears continued to fall from Wynn's face as she yelled out. "Homewrecker!"

With a few deep breaths and looking back into Katelyn's bewildered eyes, Wynn's knife began to shake in her hands.

Soon, Wynn began to fall to the floor sobbing. The knife hit the floor with her. "I just wanted him to love me. What's so hard about that? I know I've done some terrible things and I know I don't deserve him...but I want him so bad. I want happiness here on earth before I go. He was my happiness...then I heard he was with you..."

Wynn choked out sobs and finally stopped speaking. Katelyn eyed her. She knew Wynn had just attempted to kill her, but Katelyn couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Katelyn sunk to the ground and drew Wynn's arms in a hug. At first she resisted, but after moment she gave up, feeling it was futile.

Wiping off the tears from Wynn's face, she spoke softly to her. " I never loved Jared and I don't think he ever loved anything but the idea of me."

With those words, Wynn melted back into her sobs.

After a moment, Drake and Annie cleared their throats.

"Are you guys done with your Care Bear reunion? We have a plan to enact and a Carter to kill."

Wynn looked up. "Can I come with you guys. If you're right Kate...then Jared doesn't really love me at all. I don't think I'm really not safe with myself alone with that information."

Katelyn looked around and they all nodded in agreement.

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Present
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Katelyn looked up at Drake with apologetic eyes. Wynn followed suit and the air was infused with silence and sadness.

Drake lifted a brow in response. "What's wrong with you guys? Things are all going to plan."

Another jagged tear broke from them as the both pointed out to Jared shakily.

"What?" Drake asked nervously.

Then, following their pointed fingers. Drake cracked the door open an inch and almost instantly her eyes rested on the splayed bloody body.

Both Wynn and Katelyn whispered out in a crackly voice, "Annie!"

Suddenly, Drake blew out a breath of relief. "Was that all guys? You almost had me worried."

Confusion perched in both their eyes. "What...but Annie is--"

Drake cut her off by shushing her. "You really think I would put my sister in danger?"

Katelyn and Wynn were speechless for a moment.

Then, when Katelyn's head caught up, she asked, "But we heard a shot ring through the building."

"You've never heard the sound of  shooting a blank, girls? Well, I didn't want Annie to come in empty-handed. I gave her blanks to switch out with Jared's. Then she shapeshifted into a bleeding body. You know she can do anything with her shapeshifting. The only thing that didn't go as plan was Jared's here. I have no idea he'd be the minion Carter sent off...I wonder why he chose him?"

Katelyn tilted her head to the side in confusion. "But--"

Drake shushed her again and whispered out, "Carter's coming back."

Katelyn nodded and they all listened to the door.

Jared's voice was the first one to churn out in sorrowful tone. "I did what you asked, Father."

Carter bellowed a sharp laugh. "That, you did son. I wish your Mom had told me sooner that you were mine. I would've been a great father had your blasted father; Ryan, let me help. I was sixteen when your Mom and I got together. She said that she had chosen Ryan Morgan from the first time I met her, but I wouldn't give up. Then your lousy father intervened and I never got to see her again. I really loved your mother."

Jared spoke up softly next. "I just can't believe he hid it all this time."

"Well, he's rich and possessive. Lands, money, people, all of it is just a possession to him..." he paused for a moment. "But hey, we're here now and Katelyn Bishop got what she deserved. Her aunt killed your mother. Now we have set the score straight. Let's see Jay next, I want to have words with my other son."

Their laughter and voices faded out of the room as Katelyn looked up at Drake.

Her lips quivered as she spoke, "did you know that Carter was Jared's father?"

Drake took a deep breath in. "Yes. That's why I forced you to come with me by making Flint disappear. I'm sorry, but he was an acceptable loss. I needed you to be the bait. He needs to think the copy is still dead while we enact step two. It's the only shot we have in hell to take Carter down."

Drake paused for a second, looking into Katelyn's awestruck eyes. "Are you still with me, Kate."

Tears swam off the high dive of her cheeks. Her heart felt so tired and angry at the betrayal. Katelyn wanted to yell and scream but Drake's desperate expression broke her.

Katelyn took a deep heated breath in. "I have no choice, do I?"

Drake nodded a solemn and apologetic "no" at this.

Katelyn lifted her eyes back to Drake's eyes and anger pulsed through her.

Evenly, Katelyn spoke through gritted teeth "I thought so."

The middle finger she was saving for Carter was now used on Wynn and Drake as she walked out.

Katelyn angrily pushed through the door of the closet and set off to complete step two.

Thank you for reading! So...Jared's father is Carter...will he turn to dark side with Carter? Will Wynn and Jared ever work it out? Will Katelyn finally kill Carter? Also... if they get the Full Slate and Flint comes back without his memory of Katelyn, how will they ever be together. I don't know about you guys, but I'm putting my money on "Fate" (ship name of Kate and Flint). Find out in chapter 24 of Blank Slate.

I just have one real question though, if that's okay. Are these chapters an okay length? I can never tell.

Anyways... I love you guys who read this. You all are amazing for bearing with me this far!❤❤❤❤