“Shopping!” Olujimi said. “Your years have brought you great wisdom.” Auntie Fong nodded. “I vaguely remember being a young woman once. I have a notion we might also look for shoes.” Olujimi said, “Careful. Too much, and she’ll think you’re buying her affection.” Cat said, “And the wrong part of that is?”
“Right,” he said. “Because we need to find out how Cat reacts to, um, shoes now.”
“I’ll sacrifice for science.” Cat said, “Uh—” Olujimi squinted at her. “What?”
“Dad said I should ask you guys about Mama.” Auntie Fong said, “If we must speak of that vile—” Olujimi said, “Auntie, why don’t you sit by the window with a cup of tea? I’ll answer her questions.”
“I know when I’m being dismissed.”
“That’s the point, Auntie.”
“Well, I’d much rather admire the birds that visit Tucson than listen to anything about that vicious—”
“Auntie.”
She sighed and picked up her cup. “I go, I go, look how I go.” Olujimi turned to Cat. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. I thought Mama died after I was born, like there was a mistake at the hospital, but all I knew was it was something no one talked about.”
“You weren’t born at a hospital. You were born here at Casa Medianoche. There was a midwife. Later, we realized—” Olujimi shook his head. “I should back up. Val and Xandra Arkan were a couple.”
Cat held up her hand. “Does anyone date outside the Five Clans?”
He smiled. “Never fear. You’ll have complete freedom in your romantic life.”
Auntie Fong said, “Except—” Olujimi said, “Is that a cardinal, Auntie?”
“Pyrrhuloxia, dear. I’ll be quiet now.” Olujimi said, “Val was doing the Professor Midnight show for public access television. Your mother sent him a fan letter, they e-mailed a few times, then agreed to meet for lunch. What he missed was that she suggested the Kon Tiki, which has no windows. Maybe she flew in through a bathroom window. The idea that nighters have to be invited is wishful thinking. After that, it never occurred to him that she might not be human. She was beautiful and clever and she liked him—” Olujimi shrugged. “And Val’s not the brightest around women.”
Auntie Fong said, “To be fair, Olujimi, and do not expect me to be fair on this subject again, we were pleased that he found someone other than Alexandra Arkan. It never occurred to us that he could find someone worse—”
“Done, Auntie,” Olujimi said.
“A Red-naped Sapsucker!” said Auntie Fong, looking back out the window.
“Three months later, they married. Why Val didn’t figure it out in the next seven months, well, that tells you how much he loved her.”
Cat said, “Um, does seven months mean nighters are different, or—”
“No one asked,” Olujimi said. “And continuing to be fair to Val, we keep the hours of the creatures we hunt. Zoraida told him she liked staying up to meet him when he came home. If he returned early, they would go to clubs and dance until dawn. He thought he’d found the perfect mate for someone in our trade.” Cat nodded, imagining her father and mother dancing together, his face unscarred and smiling, her eyes flashing with joy. “When you were born, Tiger, Auntie and I were here. So was
Baldomero. The midwife was under his glamour so she wouldn’t notice anything unusual. But the birth was harder than expected, and your mother went into a deep coma. Baldomero didn’t dare use his glamour on Val, Auntie, or me. With our training, we would know what he was. He had to let us think Zoraida was dead.
“He said he would take her body for a traditional burial. He wanted to take you with him also, but Auntie insisted that since you couldn’t bond with your mother, you should stay with your father. Val swore no one would take you from him, so Baldomero gave in. I doubt he had time to argue. Zoraida had lost a lot of blood. How he managed to save her, I’m glad to say I don’t know.
“We hired a nurse to help while we tried to figure out what to do. None of us were thinking about nighters. We built a fire in the den and put your crib there. Val would’ve been useless if he hadn’t had to think about you, but because he did, he was watching over you constantly, pacing all the time, rarely pausing to sit or sleep. Once the nurse showed him what to do, her job consisted of making coffee. We drank a lot of coffee over the next three nights.
“On the third, despite the caffeine, Auntie and I and the nurse fell asleep around midnight. Val must’ve dozed off, too. All he said is he woke and saw his dead wife in the room. She was drinking from your arm.”
Cat’s eyes flicked wide. Olujimi frowned. “Tiger? If you don’t want to hear the rest—”
She made herself nod. “‘Have to’ beats ‘want to’.”
“True. Val yelled at her to stop. Zoraida set you in your crib. There was blood on your arm and her lips. He grabbed a brand from the fire as she came at him, and he swung it, catching her sleeve. Her dress began to burn.
“Nighters can’t deal with fire. It overloads their senses, or maybe their senses are so acute— Well. She screamed and hit him, knocking him across the room and into the wall. That’s when I woke. I saw a burning woman go out the window. I saw the man I considered my brother, collapsed on the floor like a broken puppet. I heard you crying. It was—”
“It wasn’t my best night,” Professor M said from the door. Cat whirled to face him, thinking, Poor Dad—
Before anyone could speak, the professor said, “So, I’m in the hospital. Auntie and Olujimi are taking care of you—” Auntie Fong told Cat, “Everyone said you were a much easier child to care for than your father, dear.” Professor M said, “I wake in intensive care, and Baldomero’s at the foot of my bed, watching me. I can’t say how, but I knew what he was as soon as I saw him. I think he wanted me to feel his power, to know how easily he could kill me, especially now that I was…” He glanced down at his legs, shook his head, then met her eyes. “Baldomero says Zoraida’s dead, and he would gladly kill me while I’m helpless, but he has a problem. He doesn’t know if you’ll become a nighter or stay human. Till that happens, he offers a deal. Nighters will only kill humans in self-defense. In return, the Medianoches won’t hunt them. Once a year, a nighter or two of his choice will visit you. And to make sure we keep our word, one of them will live with us.” Professor M’s lips tightened into a thin line, and Cat thought about what must have gone through his mind then, as he realized the woman he loved had been the worst of his enemies, and his daughter might be one also, and the price of learning the truth was letting a nighter live with him for years.
“I agreed,” he said simply, then studied Cat’s face and added, “Some kids blame themselves for everything that goes wrong. What happened here is ancient history you have nothing to do with. Got it?”
She nodded. “I’m good with blaming adults for everything wrong with the world.”
“Then I raised you right. Questions?”
“When Mama attacked us, did she mean to?”
“What people do matters more than what they mean.”
“But if it was the hunger, and she lost control—”
“I play it over in my head ev— Well, a lot. Maybe she was planning to carry you off and leave me sleeping, but she hadn’t healed, and her hunger took her—” He shrugged. “She’s a nighter. Either she’s a stone cold killer or a mad one. Doesn’t change what has to be done.”
“You’re sure about what you saw?”
“My dead wife with her fangs in our daughter’s arm?” Professor M nodded. “Oh, yeah. I don’t think a rattlesnake bit you and she was sucking out the venom. It may’ve been a nightmare, but it was real.”
Cat pulled her sleeves back and looked at them. “No scars.”
“Nighter bites heal clean.”
“Oh.”
“I wouldn’t tell you if you didn’t have to know.”
Cat nodded.
“No one’s going to ask you to kill your mother. But you
might have to stand back when it happens.”
Could she watch someone send a spike into her mother’s heart? She said, “Mama was drinking my blood,” half as a question, half to make it real.
Professor M nodded. “Babies don’t have much to spare.”
Auntie Fong added, “She must’ve feared you would be competition. You are a threat to her, whether you’re with them or us.”
Professor M said, “Cat’s with us!” Auntie Fong glanced at Olujimi, then nodded. “Of course she is.” Cat said, “But Mama loves me.” Professor M said, “In her way, yes.” Auntie Fong said, “Last night, she thought you would be useful. She may not love you so much now.”
“Not just last night. I always knew Granny Lupe loved me.”
“Remember their glamour,” Olujimi said. “Wasn’t glamour.”
“How can you know?” asked Auntie Fong. “Without training—” Cat stared at her. How could she be sure of anything about Zoraida de la Sombra? She had thought she knew Granny Lupe, but Granny Lupe was only a mask. Would Cat have to help half of her family kill the other half?
Olujimi said, “Tiger, if it feels like we’re piling on, say so. We’ll back off.”
Professor M said, “As much as we can. A lot has to be decided today. You can deal?”
Cat shrugged. “Lots of kids have mother issues.”
Professor M nodded. “That’s my girl. So—” He wheeled his chair toward the stove. “Let’s eat.”
The soup was as delicious as it smelled. After the first taste, Cat wondered if yesterday’s Cat would’ve liked it as much as she did. Then she decided yesterday’s Cat could worry about that.
Olujimi said, “What’s the verdict?”
“Olive oil on bread is different,” Cat said. “But I like it. The bread’s ex. But the soup doesn’t just taste ex. It makes me feel, like, stronger.” She looked at her father. “Don’t ask if it’s like stronger or really stronger. It’s stronger.”
He said, “Part of a parent’s duty is to despair at the damage the young do to our language. Fortunately, English is tough.”
“Lentils aren’t as high in protein as soy, but they’re up there,” Olujimi said. “Humans need a little protein and a lot of carbs. With nighters, the reverse may be true. I’d love to autopsy one.”
“Not volunteering,” Cat said. He nodded. “And you won’t be drafted.”
“No one’s autopsied a nighter?”
Auntie Fong said, “The circumstances are rarely conducive for bringing a body to a laboratory.”
Olujimi added, “And nighter tissue is volatile. Probably a factor in shape-changing. Getting blood and skin samples from you would be nice.”
“For you,” Cat said. “It won’t hurt.”
“I hate doctors who say it won’t hurt.”
“It won’t hurt a lot.”
“I can live with that.” Cat got up for a second bowl of soup. “Why did Ms. Arkan use her own van to try to kill me?”
“More of the Arkan way,” Professor M said. “Reporting it stolen gives her deniability, but nighters and the clans both know who gets the credit.”
“Will she try again?”
“Depends on the council meeting.”
“Should I worry?” He glanced at Olujimi and Auntie Fong. “I don’t think so. Tell the truth, give everyone a big smile, and things’ll be fine.”
“Not your best advice, Dad.”
“Then how about, get a nap? When you can’t do anything else before a fight, rest.” She thought, It’ll be a fight? but she only said, “Do I need everyone on the council to vote for me? Ms. Arkan never will.” Her father held her gaze, then nodded. “True. But you only need a majority.” Cat glanced at Olujimi and Auntie Fong. Both were focusing on their tea. Were they avoiding her eyes? She had proven herself, hadn’t she? The meeting was just a formality, wasn’t it? She looked at her father. He said, “Nap, kid. You’ve had a long day, and it’s not over yet.”
The thought of resting before a fight did not make her want to rest. She started to say she wasn’t tired, then realized she was a little drunk with sleeplessness. Resting was smart. Getting away from people for a while was smarter. She nodded. “Sure.”
Heading down the hall, she heard her father call, “Rest well!” Olujimi added, “Shout if you need anything!” But all she heard from Auntie Fong was a question addressed to her father, “Can the two of you keep up this old house?” She wanted to stay for the answer, but an infinite number of questions needed answers. They all hung on the meeting of the Five Clans. Why should she worry? Even if Ms. Arkan and Mr. Rahman voted against her, Dad and Uncle Olujimi and Auntie Fong were on her side.
She found herself walking faster as she neared her room. She wanted to lie on her bed and pull her purple blanket around her and not think about it being a present from Granny Lupe. She wanted to close her eyes and not think about anything until someone said it was time for the meeting.
She ran up the last steps. With her hand on the door handle, she hesitated. The first thing she would see would be the portrait of Zoraida de la Sombra.
Cat had other favorite places in the house. She could nap in any of them.
But then her father would worry when he couldn’t find her.
She opened the door. The painting was just a painting. Better to sleep than to think about her mother. She fell onto her bed and thought, I have to help kill Mama and Baldomero and all the nighters, unless the Five Clans decide I’m some kind of scary freak nighter. Then what happens?
She was toying with the necklace that Baldomero gave her. She pulled it off, wanting to throw it out the window or in the trash, or take a hammer to the locket and destroy it so no one would ever wonder what it was or who the monsters inside it were. But as she looked at it, she remembered that he gave it to her before he knew if she would become a nighter. If she had turned out to be human, she would still have the locket to remember her mother and cousin by.
She clicked it open. Baldomero and Zoraida didn’t look like monsters. They seemed to smile with secret knowledge, but it was knowledge Cat shared now. Was she more like them than like her father? She wanted to hate them, but all she could think was, They’re monsters. And they love me. No way I’ll get to sleep.
Then she slept.
And dreamt she was dancing, swirling through a windy, moonlit night, laughing with her mother and Baldomero and Tia Ysabel.
Chapter Thirteen:
The Five Clans
She woke to the sound of someone saying, “Cat?” Tarika stood by her bed with a big purple mug in her hand. “Bean juice?”
Cat sat up. “Is everyone going to be afraid—”
“Yes.” Tarika shoved the mug at her. “Drink, and we’ll relax.”
“I’m good. Nighters probably only feed every day or two.”
“Not the time to test that, Cat.” She nodded and drank. Soy milk tasted even better as it became familiar. Did it make her feel stronger? She didn’t think so, but maybe it was more noticeable when she needed to drink. She glanced at the clock. “You’re skipping school?”
“Like I never skipped school before.”
“Tee, you never skipped school before.” Tarika shrugged. “Like I never thought about skipping school before.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I had to know how you were.”
“How did you get in?”
“You know the tree by the back fence? Once you jump from it and dash across the yard, keeping low so no one sees you, the hard part’s over. Shinnying up the back porches and onto the roof and up the tower and through your window after that? Easy.” Tarika nodded. “Or you could get your jeans stuck in the tree, and while you’re freeing them, Professor M could come on the back porch and yell, ‘Hey, Tarika! Want to go up and see Cat?’ It would’ve been rude to shinny then, though I was looking forward to it, because, you know, who gets to shinny every day? You’re really good?”
“Really good,” Cat agreed, thinking, In the not-hungry sense, not the not-nervo
us one.
“You’re supposed to go downstairs once you’ve washed. What’s the deal?”
“It’s about nighters.”
“Kind of guessed that much. And about you?”
“Kind of yeah.”
“I’ll tell how you saved me.”
“Dad would’ve said if you were supposed to. What did your folks say when you got home?”
“It was weird. The house was empty, so I called Mama. She asked why I was calling from home instead of school. Baldomero must’ve glammed them.”
“What’d you say?”
“That I wanted to see what skipping school was like. She said I’d better not decide to see what it was like twice.” Tarika shook her head. “I’m just glad she wasn’t glammed into forgetting she had a daughter.” Tarika glanced at Cat. “What?”
“I keep trying to think nighters aren’t the total bad. But they kill and kidnap and mess with people’s minds and—”
Tarika said, “And it’s still your mom and cousin.”
“Yeah.” Cat glanced at the clock, sighed, stood, looked in the mirror, and smoothed her hair. “Okay, officially washed.”
Professor M waited in the upper hall. He looked at Tarika and said, “Might be best if you left by the back stairs.”
Cat said, “She knows like everything I do. And the clans know she’s involved, right?”
“Slightly involved.” Tarika said, “Weird definition of slightly, Professor M.” He shrugged. “Once is slightly. Twice is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
“Cat’s involved, so I am.”
“Nothing dangerous will happen at the meeting, will it?” Cat said. “I don’t want—” Tarika said, “Not entirely about what you want, Cat. I’m not leaving unless you throw me out.” When her father nodded, Cat said, “You let her in so she could insist on staying!” He rolled into the elevator, then glanced at them. “Don’t tell Auntie
Fong.” The elevator doors closed. Tarika said, “So I’m here for moral support? I can handle that.” Cat grinned, but as Tarika grinned back, she thought, Not just moral support. To show everybody that even after last night, Tee trusts me. Is anyone sneakier than my dad?
Midnight Girl Page 13