The Fall of Katie

DYSTOPIAN: DENOTING AN IMAGINED STATE OR SOCIETY WHERE A GREAT SUFFERING OR INJUSTICE TAKES PLACE.

Things were almost normal from the outside but Katie would say dystopian. Katie was born into the wrong family. She was too bright and bold for the beige walls and crystal vases. The rules were the worst.

1. Stay silent; You are an arm piece.

2. No approved media; Outside influences can distract a lady.

3. Do not discuss home affairs outside of home; It would disrespect the patriarch.

4. Curfew is in place 24/7; Be home before 4pm.

5. Do as any older family member say; If this disobeys the patriarch, report to him.

The patriarch was particularly strict on Katie, her boldness serving her no purpose. The thing about Katie was that she slowly twisted. Her brightness contrasted to a sharp wicked side; her boldness became impulsive. She knew how to behave in front of company and performed her role beautifully; kind, sociable and intelligence. Only occasionally did her silver tongue whip out and bite someone, they usually deserved it. The patriarch always found a way to laugh it off and play her off as a spitfire teenager, still learning. His favourite excuse was “she still hurts over her mother vanishing” or “she hasn’t been the same since Delilah left”. He never said the truth; Katie was psychologically damaged by her childhood, all of it.

The news vans were there on her front lawn almost a decade ago, a prominent towns woman had vanished overnight, leaving her husband and daughter. Rumours spread at school and Katie settled them like any child. Her father tried psychologist after psychologist until there was none, his child wasn’t damaged; he refused the matter. His family was perfection. After her mother vanished the patriarch was more forceful in his rules with no space for leniency.

Katie knew where her mother was, so did the patriarch. Neither of them ever said anything, never would. Katie often drove past her mother but never stopped. As a child she called it the lonely bridge because it was barely thought about and only used when bored, rich teenagers wanted to go the scenic route around town. Now she calls it an unavoidable detour, it’s the reason why no one rides to school with her. She was a weird troublemaker, apparently.

School was okay, mostly. She had one or two friends that had never been to her house, stating she preferred theirs but refused to sleep over claiming night terrors. That wasn’t a lie, she would dream of the icy cold stream swallowing her up and wake up in an equally icy cold sweat. It was a good excuse though. On days where school let out early Katie was free to be a wild teenager, mostly they baked. Katie could come home with warm cookies wrapped in paper-towel and eat them while studying.

The patriarch was never home before five and at five-thirty would sit at dinner with Katie. She didn’t know how but somehow, he would know if she came home after four, even if it was only by ten minutes. He was every bit what Katie hated; cold, quiet, cunning, crooked. The day everything fell was the day Katie was eighteen.

Everything happened normally during the day, but her friends wanted to watch a movie. She tried to escape it, thanking them for the slice of cheesecake but her keys weren’t in her bag. They jingled from behind her dangling from her small friend. A homely looking girl except for her ability to use her boobs as a bottomless pocket. Sure, enough they disappeared down and under, well nestled under her boob. So, with no choice and a full bowl of popcorn Kate sat down to watch a sappy Netflix movie.

It was okay. It began with the chick pining for a boy, dating said boy, arguing with the said boy then finding she only liked him because of her romanticized version of love and staying single as she goes to an Ivy League university that she can magically afford. She didn’t understand why it made her two friends cry; it wasn’t that good. The movie certainly distracted her though as credits rolled her phone rang.

The terse voice on the other side was hard and unmoving as Katie apologized. Her small friend fished out the keys and pressed them into Katie's hand as the other friend wrapped a few cookies to have with the cheesecake. With the cheesecake box and cookies in one hand, Katie slid her phone into her pockets and jabbed the key fob, unlocking the car. Fury started to flow in her veins as the car roared to life and peeled onto the road, vanishing within minutes.

Dinner was still hot as Katie pounced into her seat and greeted the patriarch. His cold voice slowly heating up to boil as he spoke reproachfully. He played victim, saying he only asked her to follow a few rules, but maybe she would enjoy the alternative. Homeschooling, tutors would teach her everything she needed to know; no reason to ever be late if she didn’t leave the property.

Katie knew it would be worse if she spoke, but her fury had surpassed common sense. Her impulsiveness mixing and wanting to burst with her fury. Her voice was the opposite, she started at her boiling point and slowly simmered down to a cool whisper. It was after all her first time being as late as five o’clock before this 4:15 had been the latest. So why such a harsh punishment, just for celebrating her birthday with her friends.

Dinner was now cold. The patriarch dismissed Katie; her birthday was of no importance. Her fury was not gentle this time. Now it smacked her in the face, mocking her for standing down like a demur woman. Katie was close to combusting.

She laid for hours on her bed, thinking and plotting. She had almost forgotten the cheesecake and cookies till her stomach rumbled. It was loud enough to shift her twisting thoughts to food. She devoured the cookies but they weren’t enough, opening the box Katie gasped. The chain was glistening and delicate as Katie retrieved it from the box lid where her friends had taped it. It poured into her hand and made a nest for the equally golden heart that fell from Katies hand. She spied the latch quickly and peeked inside, it was her but somehow older. She was a spitting image of her mother, down to the slightly crooked nose. The other side were her two friends, posing terribly and laughing.

For the first time in a while, Katie cried. The fury she had felt before swallowed her tears and twisted something inside her, some would call it the knifes edge. Katie could not be stuffed to care what some would think, fire was in her veins and her mind. Her home, being the oh-so-fancy house, her father had an intruder mode set up via a home assistant device and those stupid wireless door keys. How silly of him. First was to turn on the oven, wasn’t gas fun? Secondly, leave a candle going on the bench, then to go outside, shout intruder to lock everything and turn off the electricity to keep it locked.

The news vans once again covered the lawn and covered the tragedy. Katie was sent away for a long time to spend time at a facility, getting the help she craved. Her friends cried when everything came to light, their friend had suffered by herself. As the sole beneficiary, Katie sold everything, even her own things. The facility was her new home now. The only thing she kept was hidden in an empty shampoo bottle, a delicate necklace made of gold attached to a heart.

Katie would say her life was positively wonderful compared to the life she lived.