The adrenaline still courses throughout my viens as Jesse and I run, his idea of course but with all of my new found energy I didn't entirely reject the idea, plus we got home an hour before my mom will so we're set to do what we want for a while. My body plunges forward as we finish the last mile and in a record time for me as well.

"A  twenty three minute 5k," Jesse huffs as he begins his cool down stretches, "I'd say that's pretty good, for a girl," he glances my way with a sly smile to see my reaction.
"You're so sexist!" I exclaim and without thinking I grab my water bottle and squirt some on him just for him to grip onto it making more water squirt everywhere but mostly on me.
"Are you kids done messing around?" Naomi's voice knocks us out of our minature water fight as we see John and Naomi come our way.

"Well it's about time, we thought we lost you guys back in the woods," Jesse smirks at John who just shakes his head with a small smile.
"Na, we thought you guys were running a 10k so we were taking it slow," John exclaims and my face deforms for a moment.
"That's you guys taking it slow?" I ask with a quizzled look on my face.
"You do realized we were trained in the military right? and by his father?" Naomi points out while motioning to Jesse who looks completely recovered from our previous run and ready for another one.

"No but I have realized I could really go for a popsicle right about now," I exclaim and quickly skip up my driveway that we finally reached. Sliding into the garage with Jesse by my side I quickly open the fridge only for a frown to form on my face, "We're out of popsicles," I whine while pouting.

"Well do you got ice cream?" Jesse asks while leaning against the fridge.
"Yeah but I really felt like a popsicle," I pout while looking up at him. He only wears a small smirk as he shakes his head slightly and grabbing onto my hand to pull me back out of the garage.
"We got one more thing to do," Jesse huffs and John and Naomi follow without any complaints.

Hopping into Jesse's car John and Naomi take the back while I sit in the passenger's seat. Suddenly Taylor Swift comes on in the radio and just as Jesse's about to change it John shouts, "No!" We all turn back to look at him as he begins to play his fake guitar, "Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone I'll be waiting...!" he sings and I turn my head to Jesse in shock.
"What the hell?" he mouths at me as a humorous smile dances along his lips.

As we drive to a nearby gas station with John singing Taylor Swift at the top of his lungs I can't help but catch a glint of the car behind us that seems to be tailgating us. Glancing in the rear view mirror I notice the driver that wears his hat low, covering his all black hair and pale face. Suddenly I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach and I don't know if it was from the adrenaline leaving me or the run but the strong urge to throw up everything I've eaten quickly consumes me.

That can't be him, he has different colored hair and a different car, the list in my head forms and I quickly realize that all of the traits that make it impossible to be him can be switched up. He can always dye his hair, he can always get a new car, but there's one thing that makes it distinctly him, he's following us.

"Pull the car over!" I scream at the top of my lungs and suddenly Jesse is swerving to the side and is on the side of the road unbuckled and hovering over me.
"What's wrong? Are you okay!?" Jesse shouts as he holds my face in his hand.
"I think he was following us," I whisper barely audible enough for him to hear.
"What?" Naomi questions from the back seat.

"I think my father is in that car!" I point to the car that is slowly passing us, the hat still covers his face and it seems the air becomes stiff and stale as we all stare at the car that lures next to us. The silence dances around us for a moment as we all process what just happened, I try to imagine what would've happened if I hadn't sat in the front seat and seen the car behind us, would he have followed us into the gas station and confronted us or watched from afar? The next thought that crosses my mind makes my stomach churn with anxiety and my heart to fall, how many times has he been watching us and we failed to notice? He could've easily been a spectator at the beach, or a visitor in the school. Not to mention how he might be lurking outside our house at night or stalking my mother in the hospital.

"Do you want to go home?" Jesse asks softly after a long minute. I quickly shake my head at the idea, "The chances of him being there are pretty high, let's just go to the gas station," I mumble.
"Alright I texted Ryan to accompany Kim on her way home," John speaks up and I let my head fall back on the head rest, she's going to flip.

The drive to the gas station is only a minute longer and once we get there an uncomfortable silence surrounds us as well all put up our guard and watch for anything that moves. They all have seen pictures of my father, well mug shots, we don't have any pictures left of him, so they know what he looks like but at the same time he could look like anyone. Walking into the station Jesse is quick to grab my hand and hold me close as we reach for the popsicles which seems to lighten my mood. Finally the one thing I need.

After I grab one I'm quick to grab five more which only causes Jesse to let out a small chuckle, lightening the mood as Naomi and John stick close to us. Once we get home with all our popsicles wrapped in our arms I waltz into the kitchen to see Chris, Katie, Ryan, and my mom all talking like old friends. My eyes linger on Ryan for a moment and I begin to notice the close proximately between the two of them and how they stand way too close to just be friends. I've never been against my mom dating but it seems that when she does bad things happen.

"Kira," Chris turns to us with a small smile and my mother's face turns into one of confusion as she approaches me.
"What did you do today?" she questions while pressing a hand to my head, "You've got a different glow to you," she continues and my eyes flicker over to Jesse's in panic as I remember that about two hours ago I was jumping out of a plane.

"Just walking around town you know," I shrug while nodding my head slightly and she only responds with a slow nod.
"So why did Ryan have to take me home?" my mother asks her eyebrows furrowed together, "Not that I minded," she quickly turns to the man and he sends her a smirk making my stomach churn in disgust at my mother's love life.

The room goes eerily silent as the four of them stare at the four of us in wonder and my brother's eyes widen in realization as he puts together what happened.
"You saw him didn't you?" Chris questions slicing through the silence with his words. My mother's eyes widen as her jaw goes agape slightly, Katie stares at us in shock and Ryan's face remains emotionless.

"Kira, did you see him?" my mother hisses and I glance out the window as if to see if he's staring at us right now.
"It could've been him," I murmur, "we're not sure but it sure as hell could've been him." The room once more settles in a disturbing silence before Ryan speaks up.
"I think it's time we contact the agency," he instructs and my mom nods her head as I watch silent tears fall down her face. Ryan is quick to comfort her and my eyes snap up at him and narrow in on his figure, his presence here is beginning to tick me off, I have no reason to be upset with him yet I am. Call it some sort of daughter instinct but whatever comes out of his and my mother's relationship or whatever it's called won't be good.

"I'll drive Kim to the agency, will you guys stay here?" Ryan asks John and Naomi who both nod their heads. I watch as Ryan's hand finds my mother's back and guides her out the door, the second the door closes I turn to John, "How long have you known Ryan?" I question and notice his eyes are narrowed in on Ryan as well. John only shakes his head slightly and shrugs his shoulder, "Never met him in my life until the ride here," he shrugs, "Why?"

"He's... odd, the way he acts as if my mother is... I don't know," I murmur trying to pick up the right words for it.
"Are you sure it isn't just you being protective of your mother?" Naomi questions.
"No it's just... well first off when you three came both Naomi and John recognized Jesse, you could tell that he was the General's son just by looking at him because General Wolf promised to send not just any soldiers but soldiers he trusted," I begin, "Ryan's eyes just swept right over him as if he'd never seen anyone like him in his life much less a trusted General."

I glance up at Naomi and John to see both of their faces deformed into concentration before John shakes his head slightly, "Ok so he didn't recognize Jesse, what are you getting at?" I gnaw at my lip as I realize I myself don't really understand what I'm getting at, all I know is I don't trust him.
"I don't know maybe it's just me being paranoid," I shrug off and look up at Jesse who has his eyes back into analyzing mode as it scans my face.

"Well," Naomi sighs as she turns to look at Chris and Katie who are sitting in the kitchen talking in soft tones, no doubt about Chris's illness, I can tell by the pained expression on his face that that's what it is. Gliding towards them I take a seat next to my brother and the other three follow, "Can we please, just for five minutes not think about how fucked up our lives are and to just, be happy for a few moments," I ask looking up at Katie who's eyes are sad and glossy. I wonder what I would think of myself the first time I met Katie if I knew that I'd drag her into all of this. When I first met her she had beady eyes and perky smile as her personality reeked of golden retriever.

"Even if our lives could end any second?" Chris turns to me looking unamused.
"Then let's at least die laughing," I shrug.

                                                                                              +++

I guess you could say I've always been the competitive type, but when it comes to playing board games I swear on my life I'm winning it even if I have to kill whoever it is that stands in my way. Despite Jesse being an absolute genius in real life and almost a full fledged detective it amuses me the most that he absolutely sucks at the game Clue.

"What the hell!?" Jesse shouts, "Ok if it's not Mrs. Peacock or Mr. Mustard or anyone else who the hell is it!?" he shouts in an outrage.
"Ever think it's yourself?" Chris points out and Jesse's face drops and a look of pure and utter confusion crosses his face.
"I..." he stutters, "I really don't like this game."

"My turn!" I chirp as I roll the dice, I quickly roll a seven and cheer in my head as I realize it's enough to get to the center. Moving my person to the center I do a little happy dance while reading off all of my data, "Alright check!" I cheer and John reluctantly pulls the envelope out and reads it over.
"Yup she won," he sighs in defeat just as Chris snatches it from John's hand and viscously glances over it.

"Ok she cheated!" he accuses pointing to me.
"How do you cheat at Clue?" I shout back and he grabs his root beer that was sitting next to him and splashes it all over me making my face dripping wet and favorite shirt covered in root beer.
"What the heck was that for?" I gape as I stare up at him.
"That's what cheaters get," he nods his head and I stare at him blankly.

"Asshat," I mumble while standing.
"Where are you going?" Naomi asks me as she begins to reshuffle the deck.
"I'm going to change out of my soda filled shirt," I remark as I sprint up the stairs to my bedroom. Hopping into my walk in closet and closing the door out of instinct I quickly grab a clean shirt before mumbling a few profanities at Chris and remarking about how I loved this shirt so much.

Sliding my door back open the second my foot leaves the threshold my body freezes in place as I realize my bedroom door is barricaded shut by my dresser, locking me in. My body freezes in fear as my hands shake and heart stops for almost a full minute, my body becomes paralyzed in fear as I realize what's happening.

"Kira, Kira, Kira, my sweet little girl."