Allie walked into an intense environment when she entered the house. “Mom? Dad? What is going on?”
Her father gave her a false smile that tried to say nothing was wrong. “Hey, Alley Cat. Have a seat; I have something to tell you about the men at the South Ridge. You remember me telling you there was an animal attack and two men were killed? Well, it was Bob Mackey and Lester Platt. We got the results back from our autopsy and it might have something to do with kids from your school, at least that’s what some of the people think. The results say it was not an animal attack. It’s a man with maybe a genetic disorder or something. I don’t know, Alley Cat, it all seems so crazy. Well... anyway, I... we... your mother and I want you here in the house at night, every night. Now I know you started working and you love your job, but until this mystery is solved, we want you coming straight home from school every night.”
Allie’s face fell. The heartbroken teen understood what her father said and knew who or what might be responsible for the deaths, but she could not tell him. The thought of not being able to tell the truth and losing her job was making her sick. Allie tried to stay calm and talk rationally with her father but she did not have the words. “No! No, I am not quitting my job.”
“Yes, you are!” he shouted. “You will not be running around out there; it is not safe right now. There are hunters out in those woods who are looking for kids, mutants, animals and any other thing they can find to shoot at. It is real easy to get shot by some idiot out there right now and I will be damned if I let that happen to you. You are staying here if I have to sit on you or chain you to the wall!”
“No, I am not! I have a job! You can’t take that from me!” Allie screamed.
“Allison Louise Carter, you go upstairs to your room right now, young lady!” Kay commanded.
Allie gave them both a fiery look, then turned and stamped upstairs, slamming her door hard behind her.
Kay sighed. “I don’t know why she is behaving so badly. You go and join the others on the hunt. I will keep an eye on her. She is not leaving this house tonight, I promise.”
“All right, I will leave it up to you.” He kissed and hugged his wife before leaving for another town meeting.
Allie’s behavior baffled Kay and for the first time she realized her daughter was at the stage of changing where her and her husband would take a backseat in her life. She trudged the steps and knocked softly on Allie’s bedroom door. After receiving no response she tried knocking again, just a little bit louder, but still there came only silence. Kay turned the doorknob and went inside.
Allie lie on her bed, facing the opposite wall.
“Are you going to ignore me?”
At first Allie was silent, but after a few moments she gave a tiny shrug. That was the most she was willing to give her captors.
“Okay, I see.” Kay came around to the side of the bed and Allie quickly shifted so she would not face her. A furious Kay stopped walking toward her daughter and stood still, evaluating the situation. “We have raised you well. If you want the respect of an adult, you will behave like one. Right now you are acting like a five-year-old child, so I will give you no respect until you act your age.” And with that, she left and returned downstairs.
An hour later, Allie climbed from her bed and stood at the bedroom window. It was dark and with the moon shining down she could see trees being swayed by the breeze. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in those trees, feeling the wind on her face. She could not describe how wonderful it felt and even if she broke the rules and told her mother, her mother would not believe her. How do you describe such beauty? Allie wanted to be in those trees. So, making up her mind, she crept downstairs as quietly as she could and tiptoed to the back door.
“Going somewhere?”
Allie looked to her side and saw her mother sitting on the couch with her magazine. She straightened, walked through the kitchen to the living room to face her mother. “I was just going outside in the backyard.”
“This late at night?”
“Checking on Lissy.”
“Why so quietly then?”
“Can’t I just go into the backyard? What am I, a prisoner now?”
“What are you, young lady?” Her mother stood as tall as her tone; Allie knew she was in trouble. “You are not a parent; you are a child – and an impertinent one at that! You raise your voice to me again and I will remind you of that fact. Sit down!”
Allie sat on the couch without a word. She stared at the floor, her jaw clenched tightly.
Kay looked at her rebellious child. “I want to know what’s gotten into you; you have never behaved like this, not even as a baby. You skipped the Terrible Twos and the hijinks of Elementary. Were you just waiting and storing it all up for now?” Allie did not move. “Talk to me! I want to understand what is going on with you.”
“Why do I have to give up my job when I did nothing wrong?”
“There is trouble in town. Why can’t you just grasp the situation?”
“I have followed your rules and the one time I want something, all of a sudden it is unsafe to work or even go outside.”
“You think this is a trick to get you to stay here? People are dead, Kitten. Until answers can be found, no one is safe. These were two grown men that got attacked. What could you do alone against something like that?”
“I know how to defend myself; I have done so many times before now. This is something you are doing to keep me here against my will.”
“I can’t believe you would think your father and I would be so treacherous. I like the idea of you working, and when it is safe you can return, but for now it is not safe and I will not risk you for a job! Tell me you can understand that?”
Allie huffed. “Whatever.” The battle was lost.
“Go to your room before I slap you.”
Kay trembled as she watched her daughter leave, then slumped down onto the couch with her magazine once more. She felt heartbroken, but she was the parent and had a job to do.
Up in her bedroom, Allie continued to stare out her window while trying to solve her problems. Having to deal with Shelby on Monday had now become a distant thought. How could she convince her parents to let her work? Which one of them should she go after first? She reflected on the words her mother spoke. It did not make her feel any better but she knew her mother was right and she was wrong. A parent’s job is to keep their child safe, and like Sara had told her with Lila, you cannot let a child do everything they want to do. If she were able to keep her job, she too would be a parent, and would have to say no to a defiant daughter. Not because she hated her, but because she had to keep her child safe.
She absently put her hand in her pocket, resigned to her fate. She felt metal and pulled it from her pocket to gaze on it, wondering where it came from. It was cold yet warm. Smooth and shiny: a crest. It was familiar, something she had seen many times. The graceful eagle with widespread wings clutching what appeared to be the moon while in flight. She knew it from the walls yet this one was slightly altered. The moon shimmered and there were pairs of leaves interlocked with hands at the edges. She felt something on the back and turned it over: a thin needle and hook. It was a pin, a hairpin of all things. She had never seen such a thing. It has to be special and it was all hers—finders keepers. What made it even more special was the red strand of hair trapped in the clasp. Her face brightened. She was right. That woman was special, her smile grew wider. She relished her secret. She studied it until she heard a sound from next door. She quickly hid the pin behind a framed picture of her parents on her bookshelf. She dived into bed waiting for her mother to make another of her boring entrances. In time, her thoughts came full circle to punishment, forgetting her secret and the joy it brought her.
Out in the backyard was Brad; he stood in a large tree watching both women through their windows. With a leap, he softly landed on the roof and peered inside. Kay had come upstairs and was in bed reading her book, unaware that he was there. Brad stood next to the wi
ndow and touched the glass. He focused all his attention on Kay and with gentleness, he eased into her mind.
Kay lifted her head and looked out the window. Then, putting down her book and turning off her night-light, she settled under the covers and fell quickly asleep. Brad smiled as he watched her obey his order.
He jumped over to Allie’s window. The young girl was on her bed, knees pulled to her chest. Her face was red, and there was a sour look on it.
Brad tapped the window. Allie’s eyes jerked up – and then her face flooded with relief. She ran to the window and opened it.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, please come in.” As he stepped inside, she locked the door, remembering her mother.
“Your mother is sleeping; I thought you could use my help.”
A wave of emotion hit her, finally, a rescuer. She could go back to work and not give up her job. Allie was happy to see him, but then his words brought confusion. “What do you mean by that?”
He pointed out the window at the trees. “It is a perfect night to exercise; besides, to be able to keep up with the kids, you need to practice. I hear they ran rings around you today.” Brad laughed to let her know he was not serious.
Allie got super excited. Not only was a cute boy in her room making her heart beat faster, but he wanted to go out with her. The added thrill of being able to fly through the trees was too much for her. As hard as she tried, she could not stop smiling and felt embarrassed. “I’m so dorky, God! Is it safe to be out? My folks just gave me this big lecture about how bad things are around here. I am officially a prisoner of the Gestapo.”
Brad laughed at the obscure reference. “I guess you are talking about Taylor, Jake, and Denton?”
“I guess.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t be running into them. If you have anything to fear, it will be from the hunters. Let’s hope they haven’t been drinking tonight.” Brad laughed and although she desperately tried not to, she laughed with him and felt more embarrassed. She wanted to impress him and prove herself a mature and wise employee, yet he was there, a boy, in her room with her mother next door soundly sleeping. Goosebumps sprouted on her skin.
“Where can we go?”
“We will stay around here in the woods. Let’s go down and check your running skills first.” He went out the window and leaped down to the ground.
Allie saw him land and she stepped out of the window onto the ledge. “Okay, here I come.” She leaped down and landed right beside him.
“All right. We are going to run to the fence, jump over it, and head for the big tree over there.”
She looked to where he pointed, but before she could agree, he took off running. “Hey! No fair!” Allie ran after him. She was so busy trying to catch him that she did not notice how fast she moved. They leaped over the fence and raced to the tree. He beat her there but not by much.
“Not bad for a beginner.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll improve,” she toyed.
“Right, let’s do something different. We will play follow the leader; you have to do everything I do. Ready?”
Allie nodded, diverting her eyes.
Brad climbed a tree and waited for her to join him. When she was beside him, he leaped to a nearby tree. As the game progressed further, so too did the distance between the trees. Allie managed to keep up with him until he reached one of the last trees. As he leapt, he seemed to walk on air. After he was safely aboard, she jumped to follow, but could only get halfway before she started falling, and fast. Brad dived. He was like an arrow piercing through the air as he flew under the falling girl and caught her, cradling her in his arms, before she hit the ground.
“Whoa!” Allie said as the dust settled around her.
“You okay?”
It took her a moment to catch her breath before she was able to reply. Allie lay in the young man’s strong arms and forgot all about falling and instead concentrated on his good looks and strength. “I’m okay; I thought for sure I was dead.” Allie stood, embarrassed, she knew he felt and heard her thundering heart. Another question came to her that she had not asked before. “Are you dead?”
Brad laughed real loud. “I’ve heard of your vampire theory.” He took her hand and placed it over his beating chest. Allie had the momentary thrill of touching a boy’s muscular chest. His pecks were hard and he was as solid a specimen as she would ever come across. Then, she got down to business.
“Vampires are dead. It’s in all the stories I have ever heard.” She moved her hand to a different spot on his chest and again felt his heartbeat. Had he somehow faked his pulse?
“Maybe you are referring to my cousins, but if it makes you happy, I am a vampire.” Brad smiled, showing sharp teeth, then burst with laughter. “Come on, we are going to test your sight. Look over at your fence. The sign has words on it. It reads, ‘Beyond this fence lies...’ What’s the rest of the sentence?”
She strained to see the sign and could barely make out its edges, let alone read the writing on it. “I can’t read that from here.”
Brad held his left hand up in front of her, directing her to look at the stars. “Do you see the blinking star over there?” He pointed and she looked. “Do you trust me?” Without looking down, Allie nodded. Brad brought his hand down. Her eyes followed its path – and then he slapped her hard across the face.
“Ow!” Her hand shot to her burning cheek. “Why the heck did you do that?”
“You told me to.”
Allie continued to hold her face. “I told you no such thing! That would be retarded!” She winced in pain again.
“Sorry. I sometimes don’t know my own strength, but you said you trusted me and that meant it was okay. Now stop whining like a baby and look at the sign again. Read it.”
She dropped her hand from her tender flesh and focused on the sign. This time, its lettering was immediately clear. “‘Beyond this fence lies protected property owned by Lucient Oil Company. No Trespassing allowed by ownership.’ Wow! I did it, I read it all the way from here, I freaking read that sign. Wow!” Allie jumped up, clapping her hands, applauding her accomplishment.
“Okay there, buddy, now on to something more challenging. Follow me.” Brad ran to a tree and climbed it and leaped to another. Allie followed and soon joined him in a third tree. “Look at the first tree we climbed. At the base of the tree are marks. Look for colored patterns around the trunk of the tree. Can you see them?”
Allie sharpened her focus but saw nothing. “You are not going to hit me again, are you?”
Brad chuckled, “Not unless I have to, now focus; the spots are red or blue along the base of the tree.”
Allie grimaced as she refocused – and this time she spotted them. “I see them, I see them,” she said with joy.
“What color are they?”
“Mostly blue, but higher up the tree they become red. Oh my God! A red spot just changed to blue before my very eyes!”
“What you are seeing are heat signatures from us. They are red at first because of their heat and when they cool they turn blue and then fade. If you follow them from tree to tree they will lead you to us.”
Being fascinated by her new discovery, Allie did as Brad suggested and followed the pattern from tree to tree. He was absolutely right, the patterns led all the way to the tree they stood in. She let out a laugh. “Wow, man, this is incredible!”
“Now we are going to play hide-and-seek. Turn around and face the tree, count to ten and then come and find me. The trick is to not use your normal vision but to go by heat signature alone. Start counting.”
Allie began her counting and felt a breeze as Brad took off. When she reached ten, she turned around and began to search for telltale heat signatures. She looked at the nearest tree and saw red spots but the tree to her right had blue spots on it. Using deductive reasoning, Allie assumed the tree with the red spots was fresh and even though it was the closest tree to her, it was not the tree he landed on first. Allie j
umped to the faraway tree with the blue spots and chased after them. She used a strategy of keeping close to fading blue spots. She then leaped faster and faster and was able to get to the dull red spots and eventually the bright red spots. As she made a new leap, she caught up to him and jumped in the tree ahead of him. Brad arrived in the tree with a bright smile.
“Not bad, but I went super slow to let you get a feel for the chase. Now count to ten again.”
Once again she turned her back and counted. When finished, she turned with excitement. This time, all the trees she saw were covered in blue marks. Bewildered, she leaped into them and began to move through sets of trees, looking for red spots. A few trees in, she found her target: the trees in front of her had fading blue marks on them but the other two on the left sported bright red patches. Allie smiled and laughed. She figured out the puzzle and leaped to the last tree, saw Brad up ahead leaping to every tree in a row and took off after him. She did not catch him before he finished, but when she leaped to his tree it was still bright red. Allie held up her hand and he high-fived her.
“You cheated.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah you did, but it’s all right with me. How do you feel?”
“I feel great; I could stay out here all night long.”
“Well, we can’t do that. One more test and we will call it a night, all right?”
“All right.” She agreed but a sickening feeling took seed in her.
“Start counting.”
Allie turned to count. When she reached five, she felt a strong wind and knew Brad had taken off. When she finished counting she turned around to an amazing scene: every single tree around her had blue marks and they stretched forever in all directions. Allie had no idea how to proceed. She stood there in shock and awe, unable to solve this puzzle.
There came a noise from behind Allie; she turned. It was Brad. He pointed to her right. Allie looked at the side of the tree she was standing in and saw a blue spot. She looked down the tree and saw blue then red spots that went down the tree and around its base, and then bright red spots coming back up the tree on the other side and ending where Brad stood.
“We will save dimensions for another lesson. I’ll race you home. I’ll give you ten seconds’ head-start. Go.”
As Brad started counting, Allie took off. Pushing up into the trunk of a nearby tree, she began to travel overhead. She enjoyed the night air, the quietness of the forest, and the awesomeness of the stars overhead.
Brad finished counting and dropped straight down to the ground and he ran as fast as he could toward Allie’s back gate. As they neared the finish line, Allie swung from an overheard tree down to the ground and began running for the fence. Brad closed the gap and overtook her: he reached the fence first.
They stood at the gate laughing and breathing hard. They went over the gate and jumped onto her roof. Allie checked her mother’s room; fortunately, she slept. Brad smiled as if to say, I told you so.
Allie did not want her time to end with Brad. She leaped to the ground to saunter toward the fence, hoping he would follow. He did. How to say it? What to say? Allie took in a shaky breath. The time in the trees was exhilarating. It made her heart flutter thinking about it. Her breathing came in gasps, her heartbeat accelerated, and she began to sweat and did not know why. Never before had she had such a strong reaction. The closer they walked to the gate the more weight fell on her narrow shoulders. Brad had to stay. She had no earthly reason why, but he had to stay. The pounding of her heart, the pressure bearing down on her, it all meant something and that something was Brad. She thought. She hoped.
“Brad?”
“Yeah?”
Allie turned to him. The moon flared over his left shoulder. A signal. She looked into his magnetic brown eyes and felt a strong pull, a yearning she had never known. Standing next to him suddenly became unbearable. She had to touch him. An alarm sounded deep within her: it was not her, it was him. He was a vampire and was doing something to her, she just knew it. Vampires can hypnotize you with their eyes. They can cast a spell on you. All the movies say it. If she was feeling strange that was the reason, nothing more.
“Nothing. I have to go.”
Allie ran for her house and leaped to the roof to stand next to her window. She looked back and saw Brad standing in the same spot, smiling up at her. Screw it! Without hesitation and with a single leap, Allie landed beside Brad.
“Thanks for helping me. I appreciate it.”
As she leaped from the roof, she leaped into madness. Allie snuck a clumsy kiss from his cheek and leaped back to the roof before he could respond. Allie went inside the window, afraid to turn and look. Embarrassment filled her as she realized what she had done. Thinking to apologize, she touched her warm lips, then turned to Brad. At first she did not see him, but then, activating her new-found tracking skills, she followed blue spots to a high tree beyond her gate. Brad waved and then he performed a back flip and was gone. Allie searched for more heat signatures but found none. In the space of a moment her exhilaration turned to heartache. She went to bed and hoped when she woke the embarrassment as well as the longing would be gone. God, let it all have been a bad dream. PS. Just the last part.
Chapter 19
Cavers: A Vampire Tale Page 26