by C. A. Kunz
“Can you believe this?” Matt groaned while throwing his backpack over his shoulder.
“Well…yeah, kind of. I mean, they just found the body of a young girl. They’re just doing this to keep us safe,” Cat replied placing her books in her locker.
“I’m so scared,” Elle’s fearful voice echoed, her shaking hands clutching her back pack. “I mean…the way they found that girl…It’s horrible! And to think, there are two others who are missing that could turn up like this too…It’s so sad, really sad.” Her eyes filled with worried tears.
“Hey ladies…and Matt,” Amanda cut in walking up with Julie at her side. “So who’s up for a movie night? I mean with this curfew in effect we won’t be going out anytime soon. So we might as well do something fun tonight, right? Elle honey, what’s the matter? Somebody mess with you?” Elle shook her head unable to speak.
“She’s upset about the missing girls,” Cat said to Amanda, putting her arm around Elle and giving her a quick side hug. “I think a movie night is definitely what we need,” she replied agreeing with Amanda.
“I’ll drive! We’ll go to the movie store after school,” Matt voiced as the bell rang. The group split up with Cat’s arm still around Elle, walking to their next class.
Finishing her quiz, Cat focused her thoughts on Amanda’s change in attitude toward the missing girls. It was as if she was trying to ignore the fact that one of them was found dead. She seemed so removed, but Cat knew the news greatly affected her. She could see it on her face. I need to keep an eye on her and be there if she needs me.
After class, Cat stood by her locker waiting for her friends, when she noticed Ryan heading her way. Her heart skipped a beat and a little voice piped up. You know you like him. Not as a friend, but more. Admit it, go ahead admit it. She pasted a smile on her face trying to act nonchalant. Ryan’s piercing blue eyes met hers and she felt her knees go weak.
“Hey Cat, we still on for tutoring today?” Ryan asked leaning up against the lockers.
“Oh I thought you were only joking about today. I didn’t think you wanted to tie up your Friday with boring old me. Especially since I’ve had you the rest of the week,” Cat replied mesmerized by his eyes.
You? Boring? I would hang out with you every day, tutoring or not. I wish I knew your true feelings for me. I’m afraid to ask. I wish I could read your mind. You fool! She would hate you if she knew who you really were? Such opposites could never join together? She would be afraid of you if she knew what you were? Ryan argued with himself and realized she was waiting for his reply. “Uh, no…I don’t have anything planned…that’s why I suggested it,” he stuttered out.
“Okay, well I just need to tell my friends and then we can go,” she answered.
“Tell who what?” Matt’s voice startled her.
“Oh hi guys…uh, I need to study with Ryan for a little bit, so you go to the video store and surprise me, ok?” Cat said, feeling slightly awkward by his and Julie’s stares.
“Yeah, sure,” Amanda said hitting Matt with an elbow in his side just as he was about to reply. “We’ll see you later Cat! Come movie lovers let’s roll!” she declared smiling slyly at Cat and Ryan over her shoulder, dragging Matt and Elle, with Julie trailing behind.
“So, to the library then?” Cat asked shaking her head at Amanda’s face.
“Uh, library’s closed…so…we could go to my house if you want?” Ryan told her. Am I nuts, my house? What am I thinking?
“Sure, I guess that could work.” His house, finally I get to see where he lives, Cat thought smiling.
Sitting in his car, Matt faced Amanda. “So what was that all about?”
“Are you that dense? Can’t you see the chemistry between them? He likes her, she likes him.” Matt looked puzzled. “Cat likes Ryan…Ryan likes Cat, you dope.”
“I don’t know if I like that. I know he seems like a good guy and all, but Cat’s special and she needs someone really special too. I’ll have to keep an eye on him.”
“Oh brother, she already has one crazy overbearing sibling! She doesn’t need another one. Mind your own business and get this car started!” Amanda demanded. Matt knew when to shut up and started the car. The back seat erupted with laughter.
Ryan’s house was painted a beautiful sunny yellow, with a white door and matching shutters. Pulling into the driveway, Cat noticed a second floor window curtain move as if someone had been watching them. “I love the color of your house! It makes the others look drab,” she remarked as Ryan turned off the car.
“It was my mom’s idea. She loves cheery colors. My dad just goes along with what she wants. It’s easier that way,” Ryan said laughing as he opened her door. As she walked beside him up the gravel driveway, she felt they were still being watched.
“Mom, I’m home!” Ryan’s voice echoed through the house. A creaking noise upstairs caused them both to look up and the face of a beautiful pale woman appeared above the second floor banister.
“I will be down in a minute, Ry. I see you have brought a friend.” Her face disappeared and then Cat followed Ryan down the hallway to the living room. It was decorated in different shades of yellow, green and orange. A happy room, Cat decided. “There you are,” a woman’s voice said behind them. Cat turned and saw a tall, slim, attractive woman with jet black hair, her eyes the same color as her son’s, staring at them.
“Mom, this is Catherine Colvin, the girl I’ve been tutoring. Cat, this is my mom, Christine Beckford.” Ryan’s mom smiled wobbly at her.
“Welcome to our home Catherine. Oh where are my manners, would you like something to drink?” Christine asked. “Of course you would, after being in school all day,” she rambled on. “Your father won’t be home tonight Ry, something came up on his trip and he has to stay another day,” she said smiling at Cat again and then left the room.
“Here Cat, have a seat,” Ryan said pointing to the bright yellow sofa. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll go and help my mom.” Cat sat down, waited for Ryan to leave, and then wandered around the room amazed at the contrast between the bright colors and the dark antique furniture. In fact every item looked very old, even the little knickknacks looked ancient. Ryan’s mom definitely captured the Victorian era, quite literally, she thought.
“Ryan, you are lucky your dad is not home! Why did you bring her here anyway?” Christine whispered anxiously. “What if the Bancroft’s saw her come in?”
“Isaac and Hannah both know I’m tutoring her. It’s no big deal,” Ryan said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Ulla made mention the other day that her Hannah was spending too much time with that girl, despite the efforts of Isaac warning her to stay away. Ulla can make trouble for us Ryan. You know she’s very vindictive. Your dad has enough on his plate right now. What with Lucien, the Parliament, Aldon and the missing girls. All he needs is for Ulla to add more to it!” Her eyes pleaded with her son.
“I’m sorry mom, I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted you to meet her, It will never happen again, okay?”
“If it was just up to me, she could come here every day, but it’s not,” Christine said giving Ryan a hug.
“It’s okay mom, I should’ve thought this through.” Giving his mom a quick kiss on the cheek, Ryan grabbed the tray and exited the kitchen.
“Here Cat, my mom made some hot chocolate. And she bought these cookies from the bakery today. They look…interesting.” he laughed, placing the tray on the antique coffee table. Cat thanked him and then lifted one of the brightly colored mugs to her lips.
“Ry, Catherine, I’m going to step out for a minute, I’ll be back soon,” Christine said standing in the living room doorway, dressed for the weather outside. Cat heard her walk down the hallway, open the front door and then heard it close.
“Your mom seems nice,” Cat commented as she reached down to take a cookie just as Ryan did. Their fingers met, and she realized she was holding her breath. Looking up she saw his baby blues staring into hers
. He took a hold of her hands and pulled her closer. Ryan sensed she felt the same way when their fingers had touched. His arms wrapped around her, as she watched his lips move slowly closer to hers. His eyes began to close as their lips met, the taste of chocolate still on hers. She was so warm and Ryan felt like he had known her his entire life. He felt connected to her. Not just puppy love, but something deeper. He pulled her closer and felt a rush of happiness as she didn’t resist. Cat’s arms were wrapped around his waist as he released her shoulders and plunged his hands into her long and curly fiery red hair. The bang of the front door flying open surprised them, forcing them to opposite sides of the couch.
“Hey, Ryan, Cat where are you?” Hannah’s voice preceded her down the hallway. She appeared in the living room’s doorway, a huge grin on her face. “I just had to come over. I saw you and Cat coming home! My mom and your mom just took off to the store and dad…well he’s asleep. So naturally I snuck out, so Isaac wouldn’t see me and wonder why I was coming over here. I’m so sick of his attitude. Hope I’m not interrupting your studying. I was so bored sitting at home. Boy is it hot in here, no wonder you look so red Cat,” Hannah rambled on.
“Yeah it’s a little warm,” Ryan said agreeing with her.
The ringing of the doorbell startled them. Hannah hurried to the front door window to see who it was. “Crap! Its Isaac and Amelia, they must’ve seen me come over. Quick, Ryan! We’ve got to hide Cat!” Hannah whispered, pulling Cat off of the couch.
“I’m not hiding! I’m not scared of them!” Cat protested as she was pushed down the hallway and into a closet under the stairs.
“Please Cat. It will only be for a few minutes. I’ll get rid of them and then take you home,” Ryan assured her closing the door so quickly that she didn’t have time to respond.
“Oh, what do you want? Following me are you?” Hannah asked angrily to her brother, after opening the front door.
“You’re supposed to be at home! I clearly heard mom tell you before she left that you’re to stay put and baby-sit your precious daddy, whose having his hourly nap. What are you looking at Beckford?” Isaac’s cold stare turned to Ryan as he came into view.
“I was just wondering why we’re being graced by your presence Isaac,” Ryan replied smugly.
“It’s none of your business Beckford,” Isaac said coming face to face with him.
A vibrating noise sounded in the distance. BUZZ…BUZZ…
“What’s that?” Isaac said peering around Ryan. Cat quickly tried to silence her cell, and looked down to see it was her mom calling.
“Isaac what are you doing? You told me that it would only take a second to send Hannah home. Let’s go already! I don’t want to be late!” Amelia whined standing in the door way.
“Oh, all right! I’m going! Bye Ryan. Talk to you later,” Hannah said pushing her way through the door past Amelia.
“You’ve got what you came for, so leave,” Ryan stated to Isaac walking past him to the door. Isaac looked down the hallway suspiciously and then turned, walking out pulling Amelia with him. “Beckford, by the way, take a shower. You smell like those mangy beasts!” Isaac laughed.
“But Isaac, Ryan doesn’t have a dog…oh, I get it.” Amelia giggled evilly. Ryan shut the door and leaned against it releasing a sigh of relief. Pushing himself away, he opened the closet to find an angered Cat facing him.
“Don’t ever do that to me again! I can hold my own with them!”
“I know you can Cat, but it’s complicated,” Ryan replied wearily rubbing a hand over his face.
“I need to go home. That was my mom.”
“Okay, let me get your coat.”
They rode in silence to her house. Cat went over the conversation she just had with her mom.
“Cat, honey, how long are you going to be? Dad and I have a meeting tonight and I would like you home before we leave. Are your friends coming over?
“Yeah,” Cat replied. “I am at Ryan’s right now. I’ll ask him to bring me home.”
“Ryan’s? You’re at his house?” Rachel’s voice sounded worried. “I thought you were at the library?”
Why did mom sound so upset when she heard I was at Ryan’s? She wondered.
“Cat we’re here.” Ryan’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Thanks for bringing me home,” Cat said jumping out of the car. “See you later,” she muttered, giving Ryan a little wave. Ryan was about to respond, but then Cat turned and walked away before he could. He sat in the driveway for a few seconds confused about whether she was upset that he had kissed her. But I felt her respond to it. Maybe she realized she made a mistake by kissing me. No she’s probably still mad about the whole closet thing. Sighing, he pulled out of the driveway and headed home.
Rachel and Sam arrived at Aldon’s promptly at eight o’ clock. A few others had arrived before them and were putting their coats in the hallway closet. Elsie was nowhere in sight. Rachel, seeing Trish’s mom Anna, left Sam who went to join a group of men standing off to the side. “Anna, so good to see you! Trish is at our house keeping an eye on Cat and her friends. Not that she needs to do much, Cat’s friends are so wonderful,” Rachel said hugging her oldest and dearest friend.
“Taylor and Trish. Who would’ve thought that years later after pushing them in their strollers together, they’d fall for each other? I still can’t believe it, even after all these months,” Anna replied hugging her back.
“What are you two plotting now?” A voice from behind them had them turning and hugging Grace, another member of their stroller brigade.
“Just talking about Trish and Taylor and how things have turned out.” Rachel beamed at her son’s best friend’s mother.
“Yes, they’ve all grown up haven’t they? It seems like yesterday that they were born and now they’re sophomores in high school.” Grace teared up. Of all the friends she was the most emotional, which was hard to believe because Rachel was a close second. “I hope they catch this monster soon! Jonathen told me the whole school is on high alert. Those poor parents, I can’t imagine what they must be going through.”
Rachel reached over and hugged her friend again. “We’ll catch him, I know we will. In fact Aldon has some sort of plan to help the authorities in the search. Oh look, we’re being summoned.” The three friends linked arms and followed the men down the winding stairs to the basement below. Aldon stood in front of a group of chairs, his face grim as he watched everyone take their seats.
“Thank you for coming. I know it’s a nasty night out, but I felt we had to meet.” Murmurs of agreement went through the small assembly. “The problem our town is facing is getting worse.” Digging through his briefcase Aldon pulled out a stack of papers. “I’ve drawn up maps of where each girl disappeared, and of where the first girl’s body was found. Starting tonight, I think it would be wise if we patrolled these areas, as well as the rest of our town. We need to be vigilant if we are to track this monster.” Aldon gave a big sigh and proceeded to lay out his plan.
In the front parlor of the Purple Door, Miss Amaya and Gretchen sat with an old rustic table between them. The room was filled with purple candles, casting everything in a violet glow. A bowl, filled with a pale liquid, sat in the middle of the table. Gretchen released a mixture of herbs into the bowl and a brilliant green light emanated from it, illuminating their somber faces. Joining hands, they gazed into it. “We’re here tonight to ask for protection. Not for us, but for the children of our community. We ask for their protection from the beast that is preying on them,” Gretchen’s soft voice commanded. The howling wind blew through the shutters just outside, rattling them violently. They began chanting in unison, asking the universe for its help.
Across town, a brilliant blue glow emanated from Cat’s dresser. Unseen by the small group, Cat’s moonstone began pulsing with a faint light.
16
Spring Fling
“I’m so glad we’re not going to the dance tomorrow. I mean having a mega Rober
t Craven movie fest instead, is totes a better idea,” Amanda said as they strolled through the video store after school.
“How about this one?” Matt asked holding up the movie he pulled from the shelf.
“We just saw Death Becomes Him a couple weeks ago. I don’t want to see it again so soon,” Amanda replied.
“Okay don’t whine! Hey, we haven’t seen this one in a while,” Matt announced, holding up the DVD case. They all smiled at him.
“Perfect,” Julie said. Cat nodded in agreement. Matt put Red Twilight under his arm and walked down the aisle looking for others to go along with it.
Standing at the checkout, the clerk held up Wolvesbane, “man, this has some of the best werewolf special effects I’ve ever seen. Robert Craven made them seem so realistic. And he had me believing they do exist. You know his new movie is coming out soon. I’m going to the premiere, got the night off!” he rambled on for a few more minutes while finalizing their transaction.
Sitting in the front seat of Matt’s car, Cat turned the heater to the highest it would go. The warmth finally stopped their shivering after being soaked by the afternoon rain.
“I’ll bring popcorn,” Julie declared.
“I’ve got drinks,” Elle said.
“I’ll bring chocolate iced brownies,” Amanda announced with a grin.
“Oh I love those brownies. You better make a ton!” Matt exclaimed, his mouth beginning to water.