Chapter 4

Katrina’s Resistance

                As expected, Katrina showed much resistance when Leeteuk insisted that she pack. She was not going anywhere with this strange man until she knew what was going on. From what she overheard from upstairs, she understood she was being forced to attend boarding school. She figured this may happen sooner or later, but what puzzled her was that her dad didn’t seem willing to send her away. What puzzled her even more was that the man picking her up had that mask; the mask that apparently belonged to her mother. The mask that she drew in the alleyway, ribbon and all. Coincidence? She thought not.

                However, no matter how much she resisted, no matter how many questions she insisted be answered, Leeteuk never showed any signs of frustrations, much to Mr. Daae’s amazement. He simply grabbed a suitcase from Katrina’s closet, plopped it on the bed, and started packing Katrina’s clothes for her. Now, if there’s one thing that makes Katrina angry, it’s when other people touch her clothes. She went ballistic.

                “What are you doing?! Those are mine! Take your dirty hands off!” She started to take the clothes from her suitcase and put them back in the drawer, which only caused Leeteuk to pack faster. This continued for a couple of minutes until Leeteuk finally stuck his hand where he shouldn’t have.

                “Hey, hey, HEY! Get your hands OUT of my bra drawer!!!” She exploded. Leeteuk cocked his head.

                “Then you pack.” He smiled. Katrina huffed. What was with this guy? Did he think he could just barge in at this hour, or any hour in fact, and start acting like he was the boss around here?

                “I may not be able to stop you from taking me to your stupid school, but why at this hour? Can’t we wait for tomorrow and travel during the day like normal people?” complained Katrina, arms crossed in defiance.

                “It’s a very long trip. Best to start early so we get there at a reasonable hour.” Leeteuk smiled “Now, you have ten minutes to pack. I’ll be downstairs waiting.” He left the room, leaving Katrina and Mr. Daae to themselves.

                “He can’t be serious. Ten minutes?” Katrina was dumbfounded. The nerve! Mr. Daae looked down at his hands where he still held the mask.

                “Yes Katrina, he’s very serious.” He recited, almost in a trance.

                “What is with you, Dad? Ever since he gave you that stupid mask, you’ve been spaced out!” she yelled, frustrated. He never acted like this. He was always in control of things, but now, it seemed like he could barely control himself.

                “She sent for you Katrina” he looked his daughter in the eyes “Your mother wants you back.” Katrina’s eyes widened.

                “No!”

                “Katrina…” he knew his daughter would be upset. He knew Katrina never wanted to see her mother again.

                “No! I refuse to-“

                “Katrina please! This is the best thing for you right now! I know the reason you always rebel is because you have no mother figure. You don’t feel loved. This could fix that.”

                “So what, Dad? I’m sick now?! Something’s wrong with me, and I need fixed? Well you know what? You’re right. I don’t feel loved, by my mother OR my father!” She collapsed on her bed and burst into tears. There she said it.  

                Mr. Daae was heart-broken. He gently sat next to his daughter and held her in his arms. “I’m so sorry sweetie. I didn’t know you felt this way. I love you Katrina, I do, but you have to understand that being a single father, it’s hard to make ends meet. That’s why I stay at my job; to make more money so we can survive. But now I understand that you need company. That’s why you go off with your friends: so you can feel loved,” Katrina looked at her father. He understood. He really did.

                “But I really think this boarding school would be good for you. You’d have friends where you couldn’t get in trouble.” Ok, maybe he didn’t understand. She crossed her arms again. “Just for now sweetie. Just until I can stop working over-time. And maybe this way you can get closer to your mom. I trust her. Please trust me.” He pleaded with Katrina, his eyes threatening to spill tears. She sighed, and eventually hugged her dad.

Meanwhile, Leeteuk sat on Charles’s armchair, waiting for Katrina to come down.

                “I never imagined Madame’s daughter would be this stubborn. Apparently this apple fell a mile from the tree.” He chuckled at his joke. He really was happy Katrina would finally be at the Haven where she could develop her powers, and hopefully help the clan defeat his brother. At that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flutter at the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw that it was a white, glowing mass with wings and two gentle, gold eyes. Leeteuk smiled.

                “Ryeowook, I’m glad you want to make sure Katrina’s protected, but she’s fine with me.” Ryeowook’s spirit form smiled.

                “Actually, I was just checking to see what was taking so long. The guys are getting anxious,” he chuckled. Ryeowook then suddenly felt a disturbance as a mental message came through:

                Ryeowook?! Are you seriously astral projecting when I’m trying to help you put on your coat?

                Oops.

                “Yes, sorry about that. Katrina was just being a little stubborn, that’s all. We should be there within the hour. Tell them to be patient.” Leeteuk ordered. Ryeowook nodded, and with that, flew back to the Haven before Kyuhyun could kill him. Leeteuk smiled fondly.

                “I can’t help but love that kid,” he thought. A few minutes later, Katrina and Charles came trudging down the stairway, each carrying two to three bags full of clothes and the like.  Relieved that Katrina was finally complying, he led them to their driveway where he had parked his white Sedan. He helped them pack the bags in the trunk, and sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for the two to say their goodbyes.

                “Alright, well, I guess this is it.” Mr. Daae said, hugging his daughter close. “Have fun, and please try to behave yourself.” He whispered in Katrina’s ear. She chuckled and rolled her eyes the same time.

                “I can’t make any promises Dad.” She replied as she kissed him on the cheek. With that, Charles led Katrina to the passenger door, opened it for her, and leaned in.

                “Take care of Katrina. And please drive careful, you’re carrying delicate cargo.” Charles winked at Katrina, making her roll her eyes again. Leeteuk smiled. Katrina really did have a good father.

                “Don’t worry Mr. Daae, she’s safe with me. I know how precious she is to you.” He smiled. In fact, she’s precious to all of us, he thought. Charles then gave Katrina one more good-bye kiss and closed the door.

Leeteuk backed the car out of the driveway and started heading towards the highway. After a few awkward moments, Leeteuk decided it was time to put his plan into action.

“You know Katrina, you might want to sleep now. Like I said before, it’s a long trip.” Leeteuk smiled, slowly releasing his energy.

“Oh, no thanks I’m not ti-“ Katrina yawned. That’s funny. She wasn’t sleepy before. Leeteuk concentrated and formed a field of sleepy energy around Katrina. Before she could say another word, her head drooped forward and before long, was in a deep sleep. Leeteuk was relieved that she was finally unconscious. He didn’t want her to see what was going to happen next. Not yet.

Concentrating again, he closed his eyes, and thought to himself, I want to go home. In a flash of black smoke, the car, along with its passengers, disappeared from the road.

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I'm so surprised that I've been able to put up a chapter everyday! :) Anyway, hope you like this chapter. Again not much action, but I promise next time it'll be a little more interesting since all of the Phantoms will be introduced next chapter. I'm looking forward to your comments, and thanks to all who have already commented. You all rock! :D

~Justjoking <3