Her sheets smell like the sun when she wakes up. It's the first thing that hits Kathryn, before she registers that the sun is high in the sky. JJ's arm is lazily thrown over her stomach, and he's snoring softly. His other arm is covering his eyes, protecting him from the light.

Kathryn doesn't move, and ignores the nausea that comes with the blush on her cheeks. They're still fully clothed, and when she glances down at Kie and Pope, she realises that they all are. Last night was a blur, to be honest, but she figures sleeping comfortably wasn't exactly in their minds at the time.

She vaguely remembers the trip back home, the Pogues staying. Somewhere, in the far back, like her mind is trying to protect her from it, she remembers Rafe. Everyone knows now. How bad it got, how bad it still gets. That could be okay. They could make it okay.

"Kids, kids! You have to go right now." Henry bursts in, almost shits bricks when he sees JJ, everyone startling up. "Now!"

JJ chokes on a snore. "Was... goin' on?"

"We have to sneak you out while Max shows her the house, come on."

The teenagers, barely even awake, stare at Henry groggily. Kathryn catches on a bit late. "Who's there?"

"You'll never guess," he answers, out of breath from running up the stairs. "Now, kids, I really care for you, but you have to leave."

Kie stands up, grabbing her things with a grumble. "I better hear everything when we see each other tonight."

Kathryn frowns, before remembering in a flash. The Midsummers. A Kook party hosted every year. This year, Ward Cameron is named Knight of the Rhododendron, which is as useless and pompous as it sounds. Her dad was one too. She cared a bit more about it then.

She has no plans on going where Ward Cameron is, because he usually comes in pairs with Rafe. "Maybe tomorrow," she says.

"God I have to take care of the barbecue," Pope sighs. "We have to stop at Heyward's."

Henry claps his hands. "Yes, yes, all very nice, can we now focus back on the urgency at hand? Leave!"

JJ gives him a thumbs up as they get out the door. "Don't worry mister H, we'll be discreet." He waves at Kathryn, who waves back hesitantly, still on her bed. "See you later KD."

Once they're gone, Henry closes the door behind them, and stares at his niece. "You're gonna hate this."

She narrows her eyes at him. "I'm already hating this."

"You should shower and dress. Wear something fancy, or, I don't know." He's all over the place, arms flailing around.

"I'm sorry, did we like, get an impromptu visit from Ward Cameron?" she asks, begging silently for him to say no.

He shakes his head. Thank god. "Somehow it's worse."

Her heart hammers in her chest. She can't do this right now. "Tell me who it is."

"If I do, it'll make it worse. You'll have time to get angry. Plates will fly, lunch will be ruined, my boyfriend will get upset." He makes a face at her. "We don't want to make Max upset."

She purses her lips. She, in fact, does not want to make Max upset. But she doesn't like this one bit. Only a handful of people would be worse then Ward, and she wonders if Rafe had the guts to show up, unannounced to her house, and try to force the apology down her throat. She hopes she gave him a concussion right now.

Henry leaves her to shower. Kathryn decides to halfway listen to her uncle and put on a fancy and somehow obscene red dress because she likes getting people riled up. She needs some sort of challenge to set her back on her feet after last night. Something to make her feel alive, to bring the fire back.

Be careful what you wish for.

She races down the stairs with a crooked smile and her long-lost attitude. Whoever it is better be ready, because Kathryn is coming with hell in her step.

"So? Who is it?"

Her voice dies out in her throat. She gapes, in shock at the person in front of her. She wonders if she's hallucinating, because what is she doing here? She said she didn't want anything to do with her after the shame that she casted on her, or something like that. She sent her halfway across the world to get rid of her so why would she even be here?

She's said it before. Kathryn heard it coming from her mouth – she doesn't want anything to do with her.

But sure enough, Kathryn looks at a distorted mirror of herself. Her skin is darker, and her chin less squared – but it's the same woman.

"Mum?"

Caroline Darcy, and Kathryn can't stress this enough, had always been a monster. She wants to get this point across before any other. She never had a nice word to spare to her daughter, never a kiss on the forehead before sleep. She was sharp, murderous as a blade. Her anger isn't fire – it's ice.

When she looks at her, chin up, eyes a piercing glare, she gulps. "Kathryn Elizabeth."

What the fuck? she wants to scream. A thousand emotions are fighting their way to the surface, and none of them are good. She sees Henry and Max behind her, Max looking at his boyfriend with concern as Henry seems to be vibrating with the signature Darcy rage.

This is supposed to be his day off. With the Midsummers and everything, Kathryn insisted that he'd take one. He was not supposed to spend it like this.

She wants to scream, but she doesn't. Because her mother doesn't need anymore ammunition to hate her, and Kathryn is too prideful to give her any. She stares back. "What are you doing here?"

Caroline embraces the room with a movement of her arm. "Does a mother need a reason to check on her only daughter?"

What is this? This isn't like her. She wouldn't check up on Kathryn, she named Henry as legal tutor for a reason.

"You do," Henry tells her, doing no effort to contain his anger. This is the woman that made Kathryn think every woe on Earth was on her. He wouldn't show any mercy. "Especially when you show up to my house, unannounced."

Caroline's lip twitches in annoyment. She never liked Henry. Even when she was married to Edward, they never got along. Henry could never understand what his younger brother saw in that woman, and he never will.

"I had to," she says. "You haven't given me any news, have you?"

Kathryn glances at Max, who shakes her head at her. She doesn't know why her mother bothers with the caring act when everyone in the room knows exactly who she is.

"I've tried to contact you," Henry tells her. "You never answered."

"You should've insisted."

His mouth is torn in a snare. "You're very funny, you know that?"

"Yes, I've heard it before."

Kathryn hates the stab of familiarity she gets when her mother speaks. It's her voice, the same acidic tone. The same sentence – she was always a bit too much like her mother, but in Outer Banks, she could escape it.

Max clears his throat. Ever the middleman in arguments. He hates confrontation. "Lunch is ready, maybe we should all just eat."

"I'm not hungry," immediately says Kathryn.

"Kat..."

"Maybe that's for the better," Caroline says.

Kathryn clenches her jaw. Henry scowls – he didn't spend so much time making her meals and sitting down with her to make sure she ate after her attempt for Caroline to ruin it. "She is perfect," he insists, red in the face.

Her mother tilts her head to the side. "If you say so."

Kathyrn has to let a few seconds pass, in which she insults her mother in her head in three different languages including one she made up just for this, before answering with the best fake smile she has.

"I've found my appetite, thank you."

Kathryn follows Max and Henry to the dining room, leaving her mom behind, hoping that she might disappear or combust in flames when she's not looking at her. Of course, she would never be this lucky, would she?

Her mother sits down across from her. Kathryn does her best to ignore her and not make it too obvious that she wants her gone. Henry is gripping his knife a bit too tight, Max's hand on his bouncing knee.

Rafe, and now her mom. It feels vividly like the night after it happened. Clearly, someone up there has got it in for her.

"How are you doing, Kathryn Elizabeth?" Caroline asks.

She's told her multiple times before that she hates being called by her full name. "I'm great," she lies through her teeth.

Her mother nods, cutting her steak. "Good, good. Have you seen Rafe lately? He's been telling me about how much he missed you."

There's a clattering sound when Henry drops his fork, staring at Caroline with wide eyes, twitching. Max's mouth is open in shock, but Kathryn is used to it. She knows this is about to go sideways. Mostly because she knows she can't keep that civil demeanour up for long.

"I did, actually," she says.

Her mother is shocked, if not pleased. "That's a surprise," she says. "I hoped you'd come to your senses, of course." Of course. "Have you been mending your relationship?"

Caroline still thinks Kathryn and Rafe are going to get married and have even richer kids than them. She can dream as long as she wants to, it's not happening.

"You could say that."

Max glances at Henry. He looks murderous. There is no good ending to this lunch.

Her mother seems happy, just like she always is when she gets things her way. "Well, tell me everything!"

"Oh, you know. We went to the movies. I punched him in the face."

Henry chokes on his food. Max hits his back lighting, hiding a smile behind his hand – but Caroline doesn't budge. She's used to her daughter's antics.

"I see," she says. "You're not over the incident."

"The rape, mum."

"You were kids," she says, voice a bit louder. She's getting impatient. "It's hardly a crime."

Kathryn leans back on her chair, arms crossed. "Yes, I know. You made sure every single police officer knew that too."

"Someone had to reason with them."

"About what?" Heny jumps in. "Not throwing the guy in jail? That's where he should be."

Caroline turns to him. "I'm having a conversation with my daughter."

He goes to stand up but Max stops him. He hates this as much as him, but if they take Kathryn's defence now, Caroline will think she's won.

"That conversation is done," she says. It's the hundredth time they had it. "What are you doing here?"

Caroline sighs. "Midsummers," she tells her. "Ward Cameron invited me."

Kathryn frowns. "So you got on a plane because Ward Cameron asked you to?" That seems like an overreaction.

"No, Kathryn Elizabeth. I jumped on a plane because he'll say a few words on your father and he wanted me there."

Remember. Mentioning her dad – it makes her respond in two very different ways. Either she starts screaming her head off, or she walks away.

Well, Kathryn is not leaving the room. Henry and Max look at each other, perfectly aware of what's about to happen.

She feels it boil under her skin. "Why do you care?"

Caroline turns to her, confused. "Well, he was my husband."

"Didn't know it bothered you all that much when you were screwing everyone you could when he was alive. The list is as long as my fucking arm – am I even sure that he is my father?"

Henry mutters that 'Yeah, she can be pretty damn sure that she's his daughter.'

Caroline's anger is much more controlled, like a frozen lake that only cracks to swallow you whole. "I married someone for economical purposes and I never complained," she says, poised. "Speaking of, I'll tell your date you're not coming to Midsummers, seeing how you're behaving."

Henry looks back at Max. "JJ?" he mouths silently. His boyfriend shrugs.

Kathryn blinks, slightly disgusted. "My date?"

"Joshua Hill." She's heard that before. "He's the son of a lawyer – a very respectable kid. A friend of Rafe's actually."

It floors the other three. But they should have guessed. At least, Kathryn should have, because of course her mother is already out there looking for Rafe's replacement. Rape and attempted suicide are clearly not enough to stop her.

"How dare you?" Henry eructs before Max can stop him. "After what happened? You're out of your goddamn mind..."

"Henry, as much as I appreciate your help, she's my daughter, not yours."

He blinks, anger cut short. He sits back down. Kathryn isn't his daughter. She's not.

But it's his anger that he sees in her eyes when she slams her fist down the table. "No! I'm not going to let you set me up with another random arsehole."

Caroline rolls her eyes. "Kathryn Elizabeth, I'm trying to do what's best for you here."

"I know what's best for me." That's debatable, but now's not the right time. "And it's not a friggin' Kook."

Her mother arches an eyebrow. "Is it one of your little friends then? The Pogues?" She scoffs. "If you think you're going with Luke Maybank's kid..."

"Don't you dare."

"Well," she huffs. "You know his dad."

Kathryn stands up so fast her chair falls on the ground. "Get out."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Get out!"

Caroline exhales sharply, looking around at Max and Henry. "Are you proud of what you've done to her?"

They nod.

"Kind of yeah."

"Yeah, no, definitely."

Caroline stares back blankly at her daughter. "Your father would be ashamed of you."

Kathryn falters. For a split second, they can see the hurt flash in her eyes. Because he would be, Kathryn figures. She's calculated like her mom. Lies like her. Uses people to get what she wants.

Max has to restrain Henry from stabbing Caroline in the face. The pain on his and Kathryn's face is enough. He's had enough.

He stands up. "Leave," he says calmly. "Get out now, or I'll make you, and I'm not sure you'll like it."

Caroline considers the trio, before grabbing her bag. "Have it your way." She turns back to Kathryn, wagging a finger at her. "I better not see you at the Midsummers."

She leaves with that.

Henry stands up, and soon enough, Kathryn is flanked by her uncles. "She's insane," Max says. "Like, clinically."

"What did you call her again, sweetie? The Antichrist. She's the Antichrist." Kathryn hums. "You okay, kid?"

She had said it before, but spite was a godly fuel. "Yeah. I better get ready."

They stare at her. "For what?"

She smirks. "Midsummers. If she doesn't want me to go, I'll make the biggest entrance these idiots have ever seen."

With that, she leaves to her room. Max looks at Henry.

"This is going to be a mistake."

Henry has the exact same smirk she did. "This is going to be brilliant."

Author's Note: Can we just take a minute to appreciate KD's character development? God I love her so much

Editor's Note: Well I made the development less evident because this is going to be three books but you know what's obvious??? Caroline needs to choke to death!!!!!!!!!