Available Darkness Season 2

watching kids is her career and what she wants to do? Crap. She wasn’t sure what to say without sticking one of her two small feet deeper in her mouth, so she waited for Katya to finish her bite of cheese stick and answer.
    “I don’t know,” Katya said. “I used to want to be a realtor. My dad owns a real estate agency, and I was a big-time daddy’s girl and would help out around the office and stuff! But a few years ago, I thought, ‘Do I really want to do this, or am I just doing it because it’s easy to follow Daddy?’ So, I decided I’d wait a while and make my own money, just to see if I could. I went to school for a few semesters, took some fashion and art classes, then took time off to think about what I really wanted. That, I’m afraid,” she said with an embarrassed laugh, “was two years ago.”
    “You haven’t been to school in two years?”
    “No, and I thought it was because I was confused about what I wanted to do. But then a part of me thought, ‘Maybe I just don’t want to limit myself. I mean, I’m young. I have my whole life ahead of me, so why not explore my interests and see where they lead?’”
    “So what are you doing now?” Abigail asked as Katya piled a piping hot slice of pizza onto each of their plates. Abigail took a bite of the pizza, stringing hot cheese in a stretchy line from the steaming triangle into her mouth. The pie was even better than the cheese sticks. “Yummy!” Abigail moaned, her mouth full of pizza.
    “I don’t know,” Katya smiled. “Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about traveling next year, and trying a few different things — things I’d never even considered before.”
    Immediately, Abigail felt a sting. She’s going to leave next year to travel. Stop it. Just focus on the conversation and try to enjoy the moment.
    “Really? Like what kinds of things?”
    “Oh, I don’t know, maybe work on some organic farms upstate, or travel to the Northeast and work on a fishing boat. I’m not sure, I guess I just want to see what’s out there, you know?”
    Abigail admired Katya’s adventurous spirit, and wished she was brave enough to go out and do whatever, without a care in the world. She wondered how hard it would be to talk Larry into moving, then wondered if Larry could leave the area, or if John needed him nearby.
    “Is your dad rich?”
    Katya’s eyes widened from the question’s surprise. For a moment, Abigail was afraid she might have offended her.
    Katya laughed, “Yeah, you could say that. And yes, that does give me freedoms that most people probably don’t, and won’t, ever have. Most people my age have to worry about finding a job, providing for a family, paying rent, real-life stuff like that. So, yeah, I probably seem like a spoiled brat who doesn’t know what she wants to do, boo-hoo, and all that garbage.”
    “No, I didn’t mean that at all,” Abigail said. “I think it’s awesome that you want to do all these things. I wish I could get up and leave, go far away, and see what happens.”
    Though Katya smiled, the corners of her mouth were sad. “You’re still young, and smarter than most kids I’ve met, to boot. I’m sure you’ll never let anything stop you from doing whatever you set out to do.”
    Abigail sipped her Coke, nodding.
    She lifted her head, popped the straw from her lips, pushed her soda six inches across the table, then noticed a pair of police officers sliding into a booth, three away from them. One of the cops, an older heavyset man with glasses too large for his face, looked at Abigail with what she felt certain was a flare of recognition. Her eyes fell to the table, and her hair cascaded in a shroud around her face. She wondered if the cop recognized her from all the news reports of her “abduction” by John.
    And if he did, what would he do? Will he come over here and ask me to come with him? Or will he make some calls for backup and then the whole place will be surrounded? Crap, crap, crap.
    Abigail’s leg bounced beneath the table as a mean sickness started to stir in her belly.
    Please don’t recognize me. Please, please, please.
    Abigail dared to peek past her curtain of dark hair, and saw that the cop was still looking at her oddly, looking almost owl-like as he peered out through his oversized glasses.
    Cold sweat beaded Abigail’s back.
    God, he does recognize me!
    She pictured the cop getting up and coming over, then grabbing her by the arm and saying something like,