Dark Days (The Childe Series, #2)

by Kunz, C. A.

  “So where have you two been?” Amanda’s angry voice rang out as Cat and Julie got out of the Jeep. “Just going to be a little late, huh? It’s been more than three hours!”

  “I’m really sorry, guys. I had something very important to take care of,” Cat tried to explain, but she felt it fell on deaf ears. None of her friends looked happy.

  “You were supposed to spend the night with us, but instead it seems like you made up some lame excuse so you and Julie could go off together,” Amanda huffed, crossing her arms.

  “We’re your friends too! Why couldn’t we have come?” Elle’s hurt tone came through loud and clear.

  “Yeah, what’s up with that?” Matt added.

  “I’m sorry. What else can I say?” Cat was at a loss for words. She never thought they would find out. She looked at Julie for help, but she just shrugged her shoulders hopelessly.

  “Well, I hope you guys have a nice Halloween together. Come on guys, let’s go make popcorn. Robert Craven is calling.” They all stormed off. Elle looked back over her shoulder at Cat and Julie with sadness filling her face.

  “Great, just great. This is the last thing I needed right now,” Cat murmured to Julie who just stood by watching as the three headed down the street toward Amanda’s house.

  12

  Sadie Hawkins

  Hannah watched from a distance as Matt sifted through his locker. Just go over there and ask him already, she told herself. Pushing away from the wall, Hannah made her way over, passing under two students struggling to hang a banner for the Sadie Hawkins dance. Matt spun around as she tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Hey, Hannah, what’s up?” he asked with a smile.

  She melted at the sight of his green eyes and dimples. She was unable to talk, she just stared. Taking a deep breath, “Yeah, umm, hey. So do you, have any plans-” she began, but was interrupted when members of the varsity football team came down the hall, calling out Matt’s name. Hannah looked away defeated, pushing her long blonde hair over her ear.

  “Hey, guys!” Matt said coolly and turned his attention back to Hannah.

  Taking another deep breath, with a lot less confidence, she asked, “So yeah, umm. Has anyone, asked you to the, uh, dance yet?” Looking intently at Hannah, Matt finally realized how nervous she was.

  “Yeah, actually someone just asked me,” he replied with a serious face.

  “Oh,” she said, her tone filled with disappointment.

  “I’m kidding, Hannah. Don’t look so upset. I meant you,” he said, chuckling as she flashed him a hopeful smile. “I’d love to go with you to the dance,” he continued, placing his arm around her shoulder. As the pair walked down the hallway toward their English class, Hannah blushed at the stares they were receiving from the many students gathered in the hall.

  Isaac glared at his sister as she walked away. “What the hell is she thinking? First Ryan, now Hannah! This has got to end!” he said in a frustrated whisper.

  “Easy, Isaac,” Amelia said slyly as she massaged his shoulders. “There will be a time for that, baby. We need to be smart about this.” Turning to look at the Stone twins, Amelia grinned evilly. “I think I’ve got a plan to get both Hannah and Ryan back in line.” The twins returned her evil grin.

  After school, Miss Amaya paced back and forth in Melvin Pierson’s biology class, talking to herself, and awaiting his return. “So Melvin, has anyone asked you to the dance yet? No, no that won’t do!” she murmured, continuing to pace. “So Melvin, I like to dance, how about you? No, that’s not right either!” Turning and fixing her gaze on his desk chair, “Melvin it would be an honor if you would escort me to-”

  “Miss Amaya, what are you doing?” Cat asked while staring confused from the doorway.

  “Oh, nothing,” Miss Amaya quickly replied as she plopped down into Melvin’s chair.

  “I guess I never realized how much you love…chairs,” Cat said jokingly.

  “Oh, you saw that, huh?” she queried. Cat nodded, grinning broadly.

  “So, I was just on my way to practice and I thought I’d stop by and see if Mr. Pierson needed help with anything. Where is he, anyway?”

  “Haven’t the foggiest. I was here just waiting for him to return so I could-” Noticing Cat’s inquisitive look, Miss Amaya continued, “I mean, I wanted to see if he was doing okay.”

  “If you see him, could you please tell him I stopped by?”

  “Will do. Oh, and Cat,” Miss Amaya started as Cat began walking away, “they’ll forgive you, just give it time, dear.” Cat poked her head back into the doorway. “Your friends, they’ll forgive you.”

  “How do you know my friends aren’t talking to me?”

  “Call it women’s intuition,” Miss Amaya joked.

  “Thanks, I needed that,” she said in a hopeful tone. “And I hope you’re right.”

  Walking into the locker room Cat was immediately ambushed by Shannon. “Aren’t you like totally excited about this weekend’s swim meet? It’s going to be epic!” Cat just nodded as she looked for Duffie and Hannah over Shannon’s head. “So, hey Cat, I think I may need some pointers on my backstroke. It’s still a little wobbly, and I know that I’ll be swimming in that meet this Saturday,” Shannon rambled on. Cat looked down at her.

  “I’ll give you a quick lesson before practice, okay?” she replied, watching Shannon grin from ear to ear.

  “Thanks Cat, you’re like the best ever!” she squealed, grabbing Cat in a bear hug. Finally letting go, Shannon moved toward her locker. Shaking her head, Cat made her way to her locker to get suited up. “Cat! I can’t wait for our lesson!” Shannon shouted, causing Cat to turn around and look at her. Not paying attention to where she was going, Cat suddenly bumped into someone. She saw Kirsten standing in front of her.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry Cat, I didn’t see you there. Please forgive me,” Kirsten said with a huge smile. She then signaled for her two lackeys to follow her out to the pool area.

  “Well that was freakin’ odd. No psycho flip out like usual?” Duffie asked, coming up behind Cat.

  “I know, right? It’s like she’s broken or something,” Cat replied with a laugh. Yeah, broken indeed. Ever since Ryan did that mind control thing, Kirsten’s been uber bi-polar. One minute she’s mad at me and the next she’s my BFF. Just as long as she doesn’t remember anything from that night we’re all good, Cat thought, watching Kirsten leave the locker room. “So, you going to the dance after the meet on Saturday?” Cat asked, turning back to Duffie.

  “Nah. Got things to do. Plus, my dad has this whole rule that if Leif doesn’t go to dances or on dates, then neither can I,” she replied.

  “Eww, that sucks. Kind of archaic if you ask me,” Cat remarked.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say he’s a little old-fashioned,” Duffie joked. “But in all honesty though, with Leif’s situation lately, it’s probably for the best.”

  Cat laughed. “I’m surprised he hasn’t taken the last two weeks off because of his little fan club. They’ve been trying to ask him to this dance constantly, but he amazingly manages to escape them all the time.”

  “Yeah, and he’s becoming quite popular with the guys here too,” she said sarcastically.

  Hannah rushed up to her locker next to theirs, her face flushed as she tried to hurry into her swimsuit. “Hey guys,” Hannah said while trying to hide her face.

  “What has you so flustered?” Cat asked.

  “Oh, nothing,” she replied, smiling sheepishly and fiddling with things in her locker.

  “I know what that look is. That’s the look of a woman in love,” Duffie interjected. Hannah didn’t say a word as her blush deepened and her smile grew.

  “Hannah? Who is it? Who’s the lucky guy?” Cat whispered excitedly.

  “It’s nothing guys, really,” Hannah replied as she tucked her hair into her swim cap.

  “Uh-huh,” Cat and Duffie said in unison, totally unconvinced.

  “Alright ladies, let’s hit
the pool!” Coach Hutchins called out into the locker room.

  “Don’t think you’re out of this convo, girlie,” Cat quipped. “We’re finishing this later.” Hannah just grinned.

  The doorbell rang at the Colvin residence sending Taylor rushing down the stairs. He flung open the front door. “Oh, it’s only you,” he said dryly, seeing Ryan standing there. “Cat, your date is here!” he called up the stairs. Sam and Rachel, hearing Taylor’s yell, came into the foyer to greet Ryan. As Cat descended the stairs all eyes were on her. She was dressed in a pretty little yellow cocktail dress with shoes to match.

  “Wow!” Ryan said stunned. “Shall we?”

  “We shall,” Cat replied. After giving hugs to everyone, she took Ryan’s arm as he led her outside.

  Julie stood next to Ryan’s car, looking pretty in a lilac-colored dress. “Hey guys, thanks for letting me tag along.”

  “Of course, the more the merrier,” Cat said with a smile, but Julie could see the hurt in her eyes.

  “I don’t see why those three are still giving us the cold shoulder. It’s so weird. They never used to be like this. Usually we’re all quick to forgive,” Julie commented as they piled into Ryan’s car.

  As the trio entered the school’s gym, their ears were filled with the sounds of The Damianic Bombshells rocking out on stage. Cat immediately spotted Matt and Hannah sitting at a table with Elle and Brandon.

  “Should we go over there and attempt a hello?” Cat asked Julie loudly, trying to talk over the music.

  “Sure, it couldn’t hurt.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Ryan said, squeezing Cat’s hand. He then moved toward his group who were busy playing the parts of ominous wallflowers. Cat felt Isaac’s and Amelia’s cold stares, obviously not amused by her and Ryan arriving together.

  “We should get over there before they try to get up and dance,” Julie said, tugging at Cat’s hand.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” she replied, distractedly watching Ryan talk with Isaac.

  “Are these seats taken?” Julie asked, approaching their friend’s table.

  “Hey Cat, Julie,” Hannah called out as Matt just looked at Cat and then turned away, ignoring her. Brandon lifted his hand to wave, but Elle grabbed it, resting it on the table.

  “Amanda might mind you two sitting there, but lucky for you, she’s hanging out with the band,” Elle said coldly.

  “You can sit there if you like, I guess,” Matt added as Hannah looked at him confused.

  “What’s going on here? Did I miss something?” Hannah asked.

  “Why don’t you ask them?” Elle said, nodding her head toward Cat and Julie.

  “This is ridonkulous, guys! We said we’re sorry, what else do you want from us?” If only I could use my mind control powers on them and not feel bad about it afterward! Cat complained to herself.

  “Well, whatever happened, it couldn’t have been bad enough to ruin a lifetime of friendship, right?” Hannah asked, looking around at everyone at the table.

  “Hannah, we should go dance,” Matt said, bringing her to her feet.

  “Oh okay, but I still think you all should make up,” she replied.

  “Later, but now let’s dance,” he said, pulling her toward the center of the gym. Hannah looked back at Cat and mouthed “sorry.”

  “Well, are you guys happy?” Elle asked abruptly, pushing back her chair, and then made her way to the refreshments. Brandon sheepishly followed after her.

  “So, that was an epic fail!” Cat murmured as she slouched in her seat. Julie nodded and sat down next to her.

  “Just give them time. Hopefully they’ll come to their senses and forgive us,” Julie said while rubbing Cat’s shoulder.

  “How’d it go?” Ryan asked, coming up behind the pair, and taking a seat next to Cat.

  “Not good. Hey Julie, would you mind if Ryan and I went for a dance?” Cat asked.

  “Not at all. Actually, I think I hear the refreshments calling. So if you need me, I’ll be over there,” she replied with a laugh.

  The current song ended and Bridgette, the lead singer of The Damianic Bombshells, grabbed the microphone. “This next song is a new one, and was written by our honorary band member Amanda Stevens!” The crowd erupted into cheers.

  Cat looked at the stage in awe, seeing Amanda standing next to Bridgette with Bridgette’s arm around her shoulder. “The song is titled, “Backstabber!” Bridgette yelled and the crowd went wild again. Cat couldn’t help but think the song was about her and Julie. “Are you ready?” Bridgette cried out as Amanda exited stage left. “All right! One! Two! One, two, three, four!” she yelled and then began singing. The energy on the dance floor became frantic, mirroring the energy on stage. Cat found it hard to dance to the fast beat of the song. Her gaze was fixated on Amanda, who had a smile plastered across her face, obviously pleased at how well the song was being received.

  “Hey Ryan, I’m going to head to el baño. I’m not feeling very well. Be right back,” Cat said into his ear.

  “Do you need me to get you anything?”

  “No, I’m fine,” she replied with a faint smile.

  “Alright, well, hurry back,” he said, giving her a serious look.

  “Don’t worry, right back,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

  As Cat walked into the bathroom down the hall, the fluorescent lights above her head began to flicker. Great, the lights are acting up again, she groaned. Looking at herself in the mirror Cat proceeded to blot her face with a wet paper towel. Well, you’ve really done it now Cat, she told herself. When she heard the door to the bathroom open, Cat quickly headed toward the nearest stall, wanting to avoid whoever had walked in. Closing the door, she locked it and sat down on the toilet. Come on, Cat, get hold of yourself. They’ll forgive you, and things will be back to normal soon. Well, as normal as they can be.

  Light scratching on the stall next to her caught Cat’s attention, causing her to jerk up. The sound of muffled giggling followed. The lights overhead flickered again, and then went out, plunging her section of the bathroom into darkness.

  “Catherine…Catherine,” a menacing female voice slowly whispered, echoing in the vast empty room. Cat was torn between using her vamp abilities and hiding and keeping silent. As a loud bang sounded at her stall’s door, she covered her mouth, stifling a gasp. The strong smell of cinnamon filled her nose, causing her to gag. The lock on the stall door slowly began to unlatch and then stopped. Cat withdrew the tiny vial Gretchen had given her from her yellow clutch and gripped it tightly. The lock suddenly blew off and the stall door flew open. Cat couldn’t see anything in front of her except for a black smoky haze. She still heard the sound of giggling, only louder this time, sending chills down her spine. Cat screamed as a hand with long, sharp, black fingernails reached out from the thick black smoke.

  Opening the vial, Cat watched as a pale purple liquid gracefully flowed from the vessel. It engulfed the black form in front of her and then dissipated it. The liquid quickly sucked back in to the vial which resealed itself. Cat heard the door to the bathroom slam open.

  “Cat, Cat? Are you okay?” Ryan called out as he ran up to the stalls.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. The stupid lights went out and startled me, that’s all,” she replied, trying to hide her true emotions. Cat didn’t want to worry Ryan any more than he already was. She knew that if she told him what really happened, he’d immediately go straight into uber-protector mode. “Hey, how did you hear me?”

  “Umm, don’t be mad, but I kind of followed you. And I’m glad I did,” he replied as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

  “Yeah, me too,” Cat said, hugging him.

  Ryan knew Cat wasn’t telling the truth about what happened, but decided to let it go for the time being. He was just thankful she was okay. I wonder if what happened to Cat has anything to do with this awful smell of cinnamon? Ryan thought.

  While making their way back to the table, Cat saw Amanda and The
Damianic Bombshells sitting there with the rest of her friends. Julie was nowhere to be found. “Hey, did you like the song?” Amanda asked, glaring at Cat. Bridgette giggled under her breath. Cat returned Amanda’s glare and then grabbed Ryan’s hand, leading him out onto the dance floor.

  “That wasn’t very nice, Amanda. I know Cat made you upset, but she didn’t deserve that,” Elle reprimanded.

  “I know, I know. It kind of just slipped out,” Amanda replied, looking ashamed.

  Ryan held Cat close, gently swaying to the music. “So I guess that song was about me,” Cat murmured.

  “She’s just mad, Cat. She’ll get over it, don’t worry,” Ryan said, trying to reassure her as tears began welling up in her eyes. Sighing, Cat buried her head into Ryan’s shoulder.

  As they continued dancing to the music, Cat thought to herself about what just happened in the bathroom. What the hell was that? And what was with that stuff that came out of the vial Gretchen gave me? I need to go find Miss Amaya like pronto. Maybe she’ll know. This is all getting too crazy! “Hey Ryan? Ryan?” Cat asked. Feeling something was wrong, Cat’s head jerked up and instead of Ryan standing in front of her, it was Isaac’s cold eyes that she met. At first she thought it was another strange vision, or hallucination, but something felt very real about this. She tried pushing herself away, but Isaac grabbed her wrist, not letting her go. Cat searched the crowd and saw Amelia and one of the Stone twins dragging Ryan away as he struggled to get free. Isaac turned Cat’s chin forcefully with his hand, making her face him. She glared at him and then again tried unsuccessfully to pull away.

  “You’re a feisty little kitty, aren’t you?”

  “Let me go, Isaac!”

  “I think not,” he growled, his hand tightening around her wrist. He grinned at the look of pain on her face as he pulled her close, forcing her to dance with him.

  “Ow, Isaac, you’re hurting me! Let go!”