The Beginning:
"Kay, we've gotta go." Rachel teased, tugging on her arm. Looking through the plate glass door she could see the sun dropping behind the hills. "It's going to be dark soon and I don't think you can carry any more!"
"I know, I know!" Kayla replied, begrudgingly putting her eyes from the dress, letting the soft fabric slip between her fingers, feeling weighing on her arm. Silently wishing the day of shopping wasn't over.
"It's just a dress, we'll be back, you two can be together again!" Kayla joked, taking her friends hand.
"It's just that it has been nice to get away, I'm not ready to go back quite yet." she replied, letting herself be led towards the door.
"Well good news then." Rachel replied a look of concern. "I'm hungry, let's go eat."
Rachel loved food, everything about it, well everything except cleaning up, the aroma of a fine dish drifting over her nose, the flavor washing over her tongue, tantalizing. The stupified contentment a full stomach delivers. As she walked she could feel her mouth growing wet, in anticipation of was to come.
"You and food, " Kayla jested. "It is amazing you aren't 400 pounds."
"Oh no, it's no accident," Rachel replied over her shoulder, looking for her car in the parking lot. "Thats why I run so much, so I can eat whatever I want!"
"Really? I thought it was because you needed to be in shape to find you car!" Kayla replied amused, watching her feign interest in a sign, almost managing to look like someone that hadn't lost their car.
"Pst, it's over there!" she said, pointing in the opposite direction. Rachel had a lot of good qualities, confidence, ambition, enthusiasm for life that sometimes seemed to burst from her 5'3 frame but sense of direction wasn't one of them.
"Oh ya there it is!" she replied sheepishly. "You know how I am when I'm hungry!" She banked to the side and bee lined for the car, avoiding another comeback. As much as she had moved she should have a great sense of direction but it always seemed to elude her.
Rachel didn't mind shopping but the thing she liked most about the mall were the restaurants around it, nothing was so satisfying as good food after a day of shopping, especially when it was with someone like Kayla. It seemed like she had to go into every store at least twice; how much stuff does one person need?
As they waited to be seated at the Olive Garden she couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong with Kayla, she seemed different, forced somehow.
"You know what," she said. "I can't wait, let's go to the bar." setting off and dragging Kayla behind her.
The bar was mostly empty this time of day, too early to start drinking for most people she guessed.
"Are you OK?" Kayla asked with a confused, quizzical look on her face. Sometimes Rachel was hard to follow, her plans, thoughts flowed faster than her ability to explain them.
"Oh I'm fine" Rachel replied. "I wanted to get away from people so we could talk for a minute."
"OK, about what?" Kayla asked, "you are confusing me ..."
"Don't get mad, you can tell me to butt out of if you want" Rachel replied, buying time by sipping her water, looking at her friends face, wishing for a moment she hadn't spoke so fast, perhaps she was imagining things, but she was already committed.
"I'm worried about you, it feels like something is wrong." She paused, looking for anger, or a protest from her, instead they sat in silence for a minute.
"I am bored, and I feel horrible about it" Kayla replied finally, softly, the weight of a realization appearing on her face. "Not with you, with life."
"I do the same thing every day, David is great guy, a good dad but he is content, it is like he has achieved, done everything in life that he wants to and is OK with idling, I love where I'm at but I'm not done and I don't know what that means."
"I am mature, responsible, I am a mom I wouldn't trade that but sometimes I just want to do something crazy, unbelievable, go sky diving, camp for a week, take off for the weekend for no reason, kick a little while I can" she finished, more silence.
Rachel didn't know what to say, she had been there and it didn't end well. "Is there someone else?" she asked finally.
"Not yet but I feel like it is going that way." Kayla replied, "I don't want it to."
"That's good at least," Rachel said, taking her hand. "Why don't you see if gramma wants to see Autumn you and David come kick a little next weekend, I'll make sure Bryce is around."
"That might be fun ..." she replied, sheepishly aware she had spilled more than she meant to. "It's gonna be crazy!" Rachel said with a smile, "with me you never know whats gonna happen!"
Kayla seemed lightened, if nothing else than something else to look forward to do. David was likable, a successful chiropractor, loyal, attentive but didn't seem to be an overly original person.
In a few days Bryce would be back from D.C. and she would talk to him, that when they got out of bed, two weeks was a long time. He was worked for the F.B.I in the in the cyber-crimes division. He was exceptionally driven and had climbed quickly, and had traveled a lot especially recently.
18 months ago he was offered the chance to run a satellite team in Boise and had jumped at the chance. It was nice to be in a smaller town again.
The next week passed quickly for Rachel, work kept her busy, spring was coming and people were coming in to get caught up on dental work they'd put off. Kayla wasn't the only one looking forward to the weekend anymore.
Friday Night "Unknown front door visitor, two subjects" the mechanic voice announced over the speaker. Bryce loved tech toys, and had spent months building their security system, researching each component, wrote some of the code himself and wound up with a "unique" end result.
She stopped at an LCD on the wall by the bathroom, checking the security camera "Coming Kayla, one second this thing is almost as paranoid as Bryce!" she said, pushing the microphone button.
