by Lynne Ewing
Catty cursed. It had been a big mistake to come to the party. She should have stayed home as she had originally planned. She looked up.
Jimena and Serena walked through the back gate on the other side of the pool. They were dressed in leather like biker chicks. Serena had on platform boots, a tight-fitting motorcycle jacket, and a mini. Jimena wore studded ankle boots, a bareback leather halter top, and a hip-hugging matching skirt.
Catty pushed through the crowd of kids dancing near the edge of the pool and joined them.
“Where’d you get the clothes?” she asked.
“Vanessa’s mom,” Serena answered. “You should have come.”
Vanessa’s mother worked as a costume designer for the movies. She wore clothes before anyone even knew they were in style. That was her job. She had to be a year or two ahead of everyone else. Sometimes it embarrassed Vanessa to have a mother so overly trendy. But Catty loved to go over to their house and try on her mother’s designs.
“I wish I could have.” Catty admired the slinky outfits. “But I went back in time. I need to talk to all of you about it. It’s really important. Where’s Vanessa?”
“Check it out.” Jimena motioned to the patio where kids were dancing.
In the middle of the bobbing bodies, Vanessa moved sinuously against Toby. She wore a black leather skirt with a long slit up the side and a cropped leather jacket. Her midriff was bare and looked incredibly good with the gold chains that hung around her waist.
“Vanessa,” Catty gasped.
Serena stared at Vanessa. “What do you think?”
“Since when does she dress like that?” Catty asked. Vanessa always dressed stylishly, but conservatively. “This is very un-Vanessa.”
“Toby picked it out for her,” Jimena put in.
Vanessa rolled her head and looked up at Toby. Maybe she did like him, Catty thought.
Toby’s fingers kept running over her bare waist, and whenever he pulled her close to him his lips moved to her cheek as if they were sharing secrets. Still, Catty couldn’t erase the feeling that something was wrong. Vanessa kept looking away.
Catty glanced around the room and found Michael. He was watching Vanessa and he wasn’t even bothering to hide his jealousy. Other girls were coming up to him and flirting with him, but his eyes kept going back to her.
The music stopped, and Vanessa ran over to them.
“So where were you?” Vanessa asked. “You missed all the fun.”
“I went back to see my mother,” Catty announced.
The girls stared at her in disbelief.
Jimena was the first to speak. “Let’s go back by the refreshment table,” Jimena suggested. “So we can talk in private.”
“How did you go back that far?” Serena asked as they walked past a row of azalea bushes.
“Stanton took me,” Catty replied.
“Stanton?” Serena’s eyes widened. “You saw him? Is he okay?”
Catty nodded. “He’s fine. He helped me escape the Regulators and then get back to see my mother.”
Serena smiled sadly. “I’m glad he’s okay.” But her expression told Catty that she also still missed him.
When they were next to the metal table, Jimena picked up a Pepsi and snapped the top, then turned to Catty. “So what happened?”
Catty told them everything about the afternoon. Serena kept interrupting to ask more questions about Stanton, but finally Catty finished. Then she hesitated and added, “I think it was a mistake to give the manuscript to Maggie.”
“Why?” Vanessa looked surprised and worried.
Catty spoke carefully. “Just as I was leaving my mother told me not to trust Maggie.”
“Maybe you didn’t hear her correctly,” Serena offered.
Catty shook her head. “I know that’s what she said.”
Jimena pondered. “But I trust Maggie.”
“Me, too,” Catty said. “But I’m worried. I want to get the manuscript back from her.”
Jimena shook her head. “It’s better if we leave it with Maggie.”
“Why?” Catty asked.
“Because,” Jimena said slowly. “I had a premonition.”
“What did you see?” Vanessa asked.
Jimena stared at Catty. “I saw Catty destroy the manuscript.”
Catty gasped. “Me? Are you sure? But I’m the heir.”
Jimena nodded gravely.
“Your premonitions aren’t always how they appear,” Serena suggested. “So maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.”
Catty looked at Jimena. She believed Jimena, but she had a strange feeling of intuition of her own. She felt something treacherous in the air and somehow it was associated with the manuscript and Maggie.
“But.” Vanessa was thinking as she spoke. “If the manuscript is evil it needs to be destroyed.”
“What do you mean evil?” Serena asked. “If it’s supposed to help us destroy the Atrox, it can’t be evil.”
“But we don’t know if that’s true yet,” Vanessa argued. “We don’t really know anything about the manuscript or the guy who gave it to Catty.”
“He didn’t seem evil,” Catty explained, thinking of the mysterious guy. “He seemed…” She searched for a word. “Magnanimous.”
“What if the Path is actually a fraud?” Vanessa pointed out. “Maybe it’s a trick from the Atrox.”
“What’s the Atrox?” a voice said.
They stopped talking and turned. Toby stood behind them, smiling and sipping on a Coke. Had he been listening to their entire conversation?
Catty glared at Vanessa and pulled her to the other side of the table. Serena and Jimena followed. Toby leaned against the fence and watched them. “Why is your boyfriend always eavesdropping on our conversations?” Catty demanded.
“He’s not.” Vanessa seemed indignant. “He’s just trying to be friendly.”
“You were complaining about Michael not giving you space,” Catty accused. “Toby doesn’t even let you breathe.”
“Well, if you like Michael so much,” Vanessa answered coldly, “then you date him.”
“Catty’s not the only person who’s getting bugged by the way Toby is always around,” Serena added.
“Look,” Vanessa explained. “Just give him a chance. I feel really connected to him.”
Serena and Jimena exchanged surprised looks.
“Vanessa.” Catty hesitated before continuing. “To everyone else, it seems like you still like Michael. You’re always looking to see where he is—”
Vanessa shook her head. “I like Toby. I can’t get him out of my mind.”
“Hey, are you talking about me?” Toby was beside them again. How had he crept up so quietly?
The new band began to play a swing tune.
Toby took Vanessa’s hand. “Let’s go show them what we learned in class.”
“Okay,” Vanessa squealed. “Come on. You guys gotta come back to the patio so you can see what I can do now.”
As they started back, Catty’s hand brushed against the table. A spark connected between her fingers and the metal edge of the table. Her hand shot back in surprise. “Weird,” she muttered to herself.
“Look at Vanessa.” Jimena pointed.
Toby and Vanessa started dancing the Lindy. Vanessa turned beneath Toby’s raised arm, then he pulled her close against his body before he swung her out again. They kicked sideways. Toby grabbed Vanessa, hooked her over his arm, and she seemed to fly over his back.
Kids applauded.
“Can you believe it?” Serena asked.
“She looks good,” Catty agreed.
“Not her dancing,” Serena explained. “I’m talking about the retro underwear she’s wearing. Garters and all. So extremely cool.”
Jimena laughed. “I guess love has really changed her.”
“The only person Vanessa is fooling is herself,” Catty said.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CATTY BACKED AWAY from the crowd and edged to th
e side of the house. The noise and music pounded through her head. Maybe it was the heat or the smoky smell from the lingering fires, because she didn’t feel well. She wanted to go home, but she didn’t see Chris anywhere and she didn’t feel like walking or trying to catch a bus.
She strolled over wide stone steps, slipped past a hedge of oleanders and found a small rose garden that looked out over the city. Streetlights made a geometric pattern across the land below. She sat on a small wrought-iron bench, breathed in deeply, and glanced at the moon.
She rubbed her forehead against the pain starting to spread through her head and tried to put everything that had happened that day in order. She was just starting to relax when a rustle of grass behind her made her start.
When the stealthy sound repeated, her head whipped around but a gloved hand stopped her.
“Don’t look back.” It was the voice of the mysterious man from the coroner’s office.
Her heart raced. She hadn’t known how badly she had wanted him to visit her again until she heard his voice. She wondered if she could actually be falling for a guy she didn’t really know.
“Why haven’t you acted?” His voice sounded angry and she caught something familiar in it. She concentrated, trying to identify it. “You’re supposed to follow the Path of the manuscript.”
“I gave the manuscript to someone,” she explained.
“What?” Again she detected something in the voice that she had heard before, but where?
“I gave the manuscript to someone who guides me—” She tried to justify herself.
“You were never supposed to give it away. Don’t you understand how dangerous that is?” Then his voice softened. “No, it’s my fault. I should have explained more to you.”
“What should you have explained?”
“I gave the manuscript to you because you are the heir, not someone else.” His voice soothed her and she wondered if she was ever going to see his face. Then he continued, “The Secret Scroll can be dangerous in another person’s hands.”
“I’ll get it back,” Catty said with determination. “I promise.”
“Good.” He paused and she felt he wanted to say something more. She waited with rising anticipation but then his footsteps whispered through the grass behind her.
She knew he was leaving and she turned quickly, but he was gone.
“There you are.” Chris brushed the oleanders aside, stumbled through the rosebushes, and sat on the bench next to her.
In the darkness she couldn’t see the expression on his face clearly, but she hoped he couldn’t see the irritation on hers.
She sighed and looked back at the moon, thinking about the mystery guy. Everything about him appealed to her. She was sure she could talk to him about all the things that had happened to her today. It was hard not being able to share those things with Chris.
“A penny for your thoughts.” Chris rested his arm around her waist.
“Nothing.” She shrugged.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
She slowly shook her head.
“The way you’re looking at the moon I’d say you have something really important on your mind.”
“Maybe,” she replied. “Can you take me home?”
She sensed his disappointment, but she didn’t see any reason to stay. He’d just keep making excuses to leave her alone. Besides, she wanted to be home so she could think through her problems.
“Okay,” he answered softly.
Chris walked her back through the party. As they started into the house, Jimena and Serena ran up to them and pulled her away from Chris.
“What did you decide?” Jimena asked.
“I’m going to leave the manuscript with Maggie,” Catty lied. “You’re right. It’s safer if we let her keep it.”
She hoped they couldn’t read the lie in her words.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE NEXT MORNING, Catty awoke to the ringing telephone. She let the answering machine pick up. It was Vanessa, and her voice sounded anxious. Catty debated picking up the receiver, then decided against it. She had her own plans for the day. Maybe it was better if she didn’t speak to Vanessa yet. Besides, she thought Vanessa probably only wanted to talk about Toby.
Chris called twice while she dressed in jeans and a comfy sweater. She didn’t wait to hear his messages but left the house and walked down to the bus stop.
She rode the bus over to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, got off, and walked west on Alden Street until she came to Maggie’s apartment. She nervously buzzed the security panel and wondered what she would say if Maggie answered. When Maggie’s voice didn’t come over the intercom, she knew she was in luck.
She randomly pressed five buzzers. Two voices answered.
“I locked myself out again,” she lied and hoped no one inside would bother to come down to the entrance and see who it was.
Before she had even finished the sentence a loud hum opened the magnetic lock.
“Thanks,” she yelled over her shoulder. She opened the door, hurried inside, and crossed the mirrored lobby. She kept her face down away from the security cameras although she doubted Maggie would ever report her crime to authorities. She stepped onto the elevator and pressed a button. The metal doors closed and the elevator carried her up to the fourth floor. The door opened with a loud grate that set her on edge.
Her heart pounded as she got off the elevator and walked down the narrow balcony that hung over a courtyard four stories below. A hummingbird hovered over the ivy growing around the iron railing.
She glanced behind her, then quickly removed the screen from the front window and set it aside. She pressed her hands flat against the glass and pushed upward and over. It worked. She’d learned that trick in sixth grade when she had been locked out of her own house.
Catty lifted one leg over the sill, then climbed in, closing and locking the window behind her. She walked quickly through the apartment and then back to the front door. After looking both ways, she hurried outside to the window and replaced the screen before going back into Maggie’s apartment. She closed the door and rested against it, trying to will her heart to slow its beat.
The apartment loomed before her. It seemed so ordinary without its magical inhabitant. The walls were a grayish white and the lace panels hung lifeless over the sliding glass door that led to a private balcony. Maggie had no electrical appliances so there was no hum of a refrigerator or air conditioner.
She stepped down the narrow hallway and started exploring. She turned into the living room and a reflection in the mirror over the fireplace startled her. What she saw worried her. Her moon amulet was glowing. Why would it be glowing in Maggie’s apartment? Was it trying to warn her of some danger? She looked quickly around the apartment. The air seemed to become thicker and then she heard a soft clicking of metal. She turned sharply around. The sound came from the front door. She took three steps back as the doorknob slowly began to turn. She pressed against the wall and peered around the corner.
Maggie entered the apartment followed by the same Regulators who had been at the coroner’s office.
Catty jerked her head back and covered her mouth as an involuntary gasp came from her throat.
“Come in then,” Maggie spoke in a dry voice. Catty didn’t detect any fear in her speech. “It will only be a moment.”
Maggie’s footsteps started down the short hallway, the three Regulators following silently. It would only be seconds before she turned and saw Catty.
Catty glanced quickly around, looking for a place to hide. They were so close now, she could hear the labored breathing of one of the Regulators. She hurried toward a corridor that led from the living room. She waited there and tried to regain her composure.
The air around her began to prickle with the feel of static electricity.
She would have to time-travel if she was going to escape, but she didn’t know if she could focus her thoughts. She pictured the tunnel and tried to concentrate. Power surged in h
er brain. Her surroundings began to blur and waver as her eyes dilated. She glanced down at her watch. The hand started to move backward. She felt relief flow through her and then suddenly the hands on her watch stopped. She blinked, then concentrated and tried again. Her head throbbed, but nothing happened.
“Damn,” she muttered and took three long breaths to calm herself and tried again. But all she succeeded in doing was giving herself a headache.
She had to do something. A sound made her alert. Was one of them coming to the corridor? She glanced warily at a closed door. She didn’t know Maggie’s apartment, but whatever lay inside couldn’t be as dangerous as waiting until she was discovered.
She put her hand on the knob, twisted it cautiously, and winced as the spring latch scraped softly. With great care, she pushed the door opened, entered the room, and closed it behind her.
The room was empty except for a small ornately carved table in the corner. The manuscript sat on top of the table. She walked over to it and picked it up.
She was deep in thought when behind her, she heard the soft sound of a latch releasing. She dropped the manuscript, jerked around, and stared at the turning doorknob.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
RESIGNED, CATTY WATCHED the door slowly open.
No one was there.
She let out a sigh of relief. Maybe a draft had opened the door or perhaps she hadn’t closed it securely.
She leaned back against the wall and then watched in amazement as the door languidly swung shut.
A dusty cloud formed in front of her, then thickened. Vanessa became visible.
“Vanessa,” Catty whispered in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”
Vanessa glanced cautiously at the door, then walked over to Catty and spoke in hushed tones. “We’ve been watching you.”
“We?”
“Serena read your mind last night at the party,” Vanessa continued in a low voice. “She knew you’d decided to sneak into Maggie’s apartment to steal back the manuscript. So we decided we’d try to talk you out of it. I called this morning but I guess you’d already left to come here.”