The very thing she'd once sworn to avoid.

Or maybe, just maybe—it was the right thing?

People often say, "You never really know how things will turn out until you show up."

Kitty had done exactly that. She showed up.

But nothing unfolded the way she'd imagined. Not even close.

"If only I had ignored them—those ridiculous pieces of advice, those endless motivational talks. If I had just trusted myself and walked away, I wouldn't be here now, drowning in anxiety over what happens next. Why did I even do it? I told myself I wouldn’t. Yet I did. And now? Now I’m starting to hate myself for it."

There had been a fire on Lurich Street.

Not a small one—the kind that could be doused with a single hose.

This was a fire that raged. It took five relentless hours, multiple fire trucks, and a dozen volunteers to finally bring it down.

Properties were destroyed. Lives changed.

And behind it all… was Kitty.

No one knew how it started.

What caused the fire, or why it spread so quickly—remained a mystery.

Suddenly, voices broke through the thick haze of smoke and shock.

"Kitty! Where were you? We were looking all over for you. We thought—God—we thought you didn’t make it out of the Landons’ apartment—we thought you were dead."

It was Jerich and Jared—both panting, both wide-eyed.

They ran up to her, stunned and relieved.

Kitty was alive. They could hardly believe it.

Was it really her walking toward them?

"You were looking for me?" Kitty asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

She couldn’t believe what she'd just heard.

They were the ones who left her behind. They ran, leaving her pinned under the fallen wardrobe in the Landons' apartment. They saw it fall on her. They knew.

And yet… they never looked back.

What if she hadn't made it out?

What if she were still trapped?

What if she’d burned alive?

What if—

Such an oblivious question.

"Oh, don’t give me that crap, Jerich," she snapped.

"Where exactly did you search for me? Down on Elm Street, where we play basketball? Or maybe—just maybe—under the goddamn wardrobe that crushed me in the Landons’ apartment? You saw it happen. You both did. But neither of you thought to help me. Not even for a second." "You all bailed. You ran off, leaving me stuck under the Landons’ wardrobe—and now you have the bloody nerve to ask where I was? Are you kidding me?" Kitty's voice cracked, anger and disbelief trembling in her words.

"I almost died, guys. If not from the fire we just caused on Lurich Street, then from the smoke—choking me while I struggled to pull myself out from under that damn wardrobe you saw fall on me."

"Hey, Kitty... chill. It's not what you think," Jerich said, voice low with guilt. "We panicked when we saw it happen. We thought you were... dead."

Jerich looked down, ashamed. Everything Kitty said was true. They’d bailed the second the wardrobe fell. He honestly hadn’t believed she could survive the impact. Her walking out of the Landons’ apartment was nothing short of a miracle.

"Are you serious right now? You panicked?" Kitty snapped. "You panicked, so you left me under a crushed wardrobe to burn alive? Tell me you're joking."

"We're sorry, Kitty. We didn’t mean to—" Jared started, trying to cut in.

"Don't. Just don’t. I’m done with you guys."

She turned away from them, but Jerich reached out and grabbed her coat collar.

"No, you’re not walking away, little fella. Remember—we started a fire. Sooner or later, the feds will be on this. And we all know who did it."

"Get your hands off me!" Kitty yanked herself back, irritation flaring.

What did he mean by 'we all know who did it'? They all had a hand in this—yet he was already shifting the blame.

She glared at Jerich.

"You'd better not start that. Don’t you dare pin this on me. You know exactly who started this whole thing. You dragged me along, tricked me into thinking we were just helping clean up. The Landons weren’t even home! You lied, and I went along with it."

"Oh, 'little did you know', huh?" Jerich scoffed. "You followed us anyway. When we opened the door without a key, did you even ask how? You knew, Kitty. Don’t try to play innocent."

"Jerich, you both need to calm down!" Jared stepped in, exasperated. "What's done is done. We’re not going to stand here blaming each other like we’re being interrogated. Nobody says a word about what happened, got it? We were never at the Landons’ apartment."

Jared's words cut through the tension like a knife. He couldn’t believe they were fighting at a time like this—after a fire had devastated an entire street.

"I didn’t start it," Kitty said sharply. "Jerich did. Ask him."

"And you're just walking away like none of this matters?" Jerich shot back.

"I almost died, Jerich! Don’t gaslight me!" she yelled, shoving him back.

Jerich didn’t like being blamed—especially when he was. Kitty had learned that the hard way. She often wondered how Jared managed to put up with him.

All she wanted was an apology.

Yes, they panicked. Yes, they ran. But they owed her that much.

"Okay, Kitty," Jared said gently. "We’re sorry. We panicked. We should have helped you out. Are you hurt?"

Kitty exhaled slowly. “Finally. That’s all I wanted to hear.”

"You could’ve just said so,” Jerich muttered. “You always act like a softy.”

"I have to ask for an apology now?" she snapped. "You almost got me killed, and you expect me to ask?"

"Please. Stop. Both of you," Jared interjected again, clearly frustrated. He turned to Jerich. "Apologize. For real this time."

"Fine. Sorry, my lady," Jerich said with an exaggerated bow.

"I expected that," Kitty muttered. "Keep your fake apology."

"Look, Kitty," Jared tried again, "we didn't mean for things to go the way they did. But I honestly don’t know how the fire started. I was in the living room when I smelled smoke—coming from the room you were in. What happened in there?"

Kitty paused. “I... I can’t remember, Jared. Let’s just forget it. I need to go home. It’s getting late.”

She was lying.

She remembered everything.

The shadow in the corner of the room.

The strange presence.

The creeping, unnatural heat.

But how could she say that out loud? Even she didn't believe what she saw.

"I’m heading home," she said softly. "I’m feeling lightheaded. The sun’s going down—see you guys later."

"Alright. Be careful, Kitty," Jared said.

Without another word, she walked away, disappearing down the street.

Jerich watched her leave, suspicion narrowing his eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling she’s hiding something?" he said.

"I don’t know," Jared replied. "Maybe she really can’t remember. Let’s just hope the feds don’t figure out we were ever there. Let’s go—it’s getting late."