Page 3 of A Storm of Nightmares

I smile to myself and start to walk toward the stairs. “Betty, you are such a jerk. I thought something happened—” I begin to yell on my way, but I stop halfway down the steps when I see my parents. My heart starts to pound in my ears, and my hands are shaking violently again. Betty isn’t back yet, but Mom and Dad are. I am so beyond screwed.

“Kat, sweetie, did you say something?” My mom asks as she put her black leather purse on the entryway table and starts slipping out of her jean jacket.

I literally can’t speak. I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head that words are completely lost on me. Is Betty alright? Did she run away? Did Dan do something to her? I like Dan, for the most part. I can’t see him hurting my sister. But where the hell is she?

My mom must notice my silence because she finally looks up at me expectantly. When our eyes meet, she immediately walks toward the stairs. “Kat? Are you feeling ok, honey? You look so pale.” She places the back of her hand on my forehead to check if I have a fever.

I stare at her blankly. I don’t know if I should tell them that Betty is missing or if I’m being stupid and Betty will come through that door any second and kill me for telling Mom and Dad she was with Dan. They like him just as much I do, if not more, but obviously, there are rules about having Dan here when they’re gone.

Apparently, my mom takes my silence as guilt because she narrows her eyes and asks, “Where is Betty?”Fuck. My mom has this unnatural power to read a situation and know exactly what’s going on.

“Betty? What do you mean? You were right, Mom. I just don’t feel good. Can you make me some tea?” I walk down the rest of the stairs and try to escort my parents to the kitchen to buy Betty more time to sneak her ass back into her bedroom. She is so going to owe me this. I’m risking a heart attack and a grounding for life.

“How was date night? Mom, I didn’t tell you when you left, but gosh, you look great tonight. You sure are a lucky man, Dad.” I elbow my dad in his ribs and wiggle my eyebrows at him, forcing a smile on my face.

I laugh awkwardly when neither of them says a word to me. I know that I’m rambling, but I can’t seem to stop. They have to be on to me; my parents aren’t dumb. My palms are starting to sweat, and I suddenly wish I was anywhere else in the entire world right now.

I quickly pull out the tea kettle and fill it with water. “I’ll just make my own tea, actually. You two sit down and relax. You both work so hard for this family. You deserve to put your feet up every once in a while. Betty and I completely take you guys for granted.”

Once the kettle is on the stove, and the tea and a mug are out on the counter, I turn to face my parents. They’re standing by the kitchen island, staring at me with a look I thought could have killed me, but I continue to stand here alive somehow.

“What’s going on?” My dad asks as he crosses his arms in front of his chest in a no-funny-business fashion. His voice is extra stern. That usually means I’m two seconds away from being in trouble. Although, I rarely get to experience this side of my dad. Most of the time, it’s reserved for my trouble-making sister.

“Nothing is going on, Dad. I’m just making myself some tea. What’s going on with you guys?”

“Katherine, you are a terrible liar. Enough with whatever you’re doing. Come clean, right now,” he barks, trying not to lose his temper with me.

I look back and forth between my parents, and I can’t stop the tears that start welling up in my eyes. I blink quickly, and one spills over onto my cheek. That single tear is all it takes for my dad to soften, and he lowers his arms back down to his sides and puts a small smile on. They still don’t say anything; they just look at me with concern in their eyes, waiting for me to confess.

“I’m sorry,” I say as I begin to sob. “I was trying to cover for Betty so that she wouldn’t get in trouble, but I’m really scared.” I put my hands up to cover my face, and my mom rushes over to me and pulls me into her arms. The gentle action from her only makes me feel worse about lying in the first place.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? What are you covering for Betty about?” She asks as she runs her hand up and down my back, trying to calm me down.

“Dan came over after you guys left and—” but I can’t finish because my dad cuts in, his anger back with a freaking vengeance.

“What do you mean Dan came over? You and your sister know the rules about boys. You should have called us immediately if you knew he was coming.” He turns angrily to head up the stairs and ground Betty for life, I assume. I don’t doubt that I would be next.

“Dad, stop! They aren’t upstairs. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” My dad stops and turns back around but doesn’t speak a word. “I was reading in my room. I lost track of time, and when I realized you guys would be home soon, I went to warn Betty.” I stop for a second to catch my breath before I collapse from nerves. “But they weren’t in her room. I have no idea where Betty is, and she isn’t answering her phone, and Dan’s car isn’t outside and...” My voice trails off as I realize how serious this whole situation really is now.

I start crying even harder as guilt rushes me. My mom keeps me wrapped in her arms, even though I’m absolutely sure this is the most trouble I have ever been in. They’ll have plenty of time to be mad at me after we find Betty, though.

My dad makes it upstairs in a matter of seconds, yelling Betty’s name through every room. I can hear his heavy footsteps and the panic rising in his voice. My stomach sinks a little more every time a door slams.

My dad finally comes back downstairs and makes eye contact with my mom before shaking his head in defeat. I have never seen my dad look so worried. “Her room is empty, and half her clothes in the closet are gone,” he says, his voice barely a whisper. “We need to call the police. Kat, did Betty or Dan say anything to you?”

“No, I didn’t even see Dan tonight. I just heard him come through Betty’s window. And Betty didn’t say anything weird or out of the ordinary at all.”

“Do you have Dan’s phone number?”

“No.”

My dad sighs and runs his hand down his face. My mom lets go of me and dials the police before I have time to wrap my head around anything.

Thirty minutes creep by slowly while the three of us sit at the kitchen island, waiting for Betty to waltz her way into the house. All three of us take turns trying to call Betty, but each attempt goes right to voicemail. My tea sits on the counter, cold and long forgotten.

There’s a knock at the door, and I feel relief wash over me. But it’s gone in a second when I realize Betty wouldn’t knock. She would strut right in like she owned the place. Like she hadn’t been missing for hours.

My dad gets up, walks over to the door, and sighs heavily again before opening it. Two police officers are standing in our doorway, looking very official and asking to come in.

---