Oh, hell! Can’t I ever have some damn pants on! She tugged at the green dress that seemed to follow her everywhere. The stains that usually covered it were missing. At least this time, it wasn’t as dirty. As she inspected the dress, she couldn’t help but take a few steps and that brought up another question.
Hmm, I wonder? Lifting the dress, her suspicions were confirmed. There staring back at her were the all too familiar silver heels. Why couldn’t she ever have a dream where she was wearing comfortable shoes?
“Hey.”
Katrina froze. She knew that voice. Now she really didn’t want to turn around.
“Psst.”
This time his hand lightly tugged on her dress. She turned and knew exactly who would be standing there.
“What are you doing here?” She couldn’t help but stare at this version of Cole. His auburn hair was trimmed very short and he had on a white dress shirt that buttoned up to his neck. As her eyes roamed to the full length sleeves, she found herself a bit turned on by this Cole. He looked so sharp in his grey slacks and matching vest.
“Saving you. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her down an alley.
When they came around a building, he turned to face her. His deep blue eyes glistened against the moonlight. “What ever happens, stay close.”
Katrina nodded silently. Hearing the strain in his voice, she knew better than to argue. Instead, she paid attention to everything he said. She walked when he said so and stopped when told to.
They had been running for who knew how long when they suddenly stopped and crouched behind a large crate. Katrina took the opportunity to catch her breath. It wasn’t easy in the chilly night air. Plus, it smelled really bad. The bitter taste of salt and dead fish filled her mouth and polluted the air.
“Look, through there,” Cole pointed as he pulled her forward for a closer view.
Katrina peeked through a narrow crack in the wood and froze. The view was astounding. The ocean surrounded them. She had never seen it look that blue nor wild before. Then her eyes caught something else.
“Is that the Statue of Liberty?” she blurted out, more to herself.
“What’s wrong with you?” Cole gave her a worried look.
“Nothing. I’ve just never seen it before.”
“We were there when they unveiled it last week.”
“Oh, right.” Katrina didn’t know what else to say. She felt like an idiot. It may have been her dream, but it didn’t mean she had control over any of it. Still looking ahead, she noticed more of her surroundings. Dozens of ships were lined against the pier and sounds of horse hooves trotted along in the distance. Then she saw a ship that stood out amongst the rest. It was larger and more luxurious looking compared to the small fishing boats that lined the docks.
“A ship?” Katrina blurted out without thinking. She wasn’t sure being trapped on a boat was the best thing.
“It’s the only way.”
“It’s suicide.” She turned to face him. “We’ll be trapped.”
“What other choice do we have?” He shook his head at her.
“Can’t we just stay here and hide?” She shrugged her shoulders. It was a long shot, but it was better than being stuck in one place.
“No,” he rolled his eyes. “They’ll find us, like they always do.”
“I don’t think I can do it.”
“You don’t have a choice.” His eyes looked into hers and his voice became serious.
“There’s always a choice,” she shot back, her temper flaring. Even in a dream she hated being bossed around.
“Damn it! You have to trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He bent down and gave her a passionate kiss. It was enough to cause her body to melt from the inside out. Slowly, he pulled back and took her face in his hands. “I love you.”
Hearing him say those words was enough to give her the courage to try. She knew he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“I lo—” Before she could finish, a loud noise from behind cut her off. Dread filled her and she recognized that awful sound. It was the same snarling that had terrified her nightly.
“Run!” Cole screamed, shoving her forward.
Terror raced through Katrina. She didn’t need Cole to tell her a second time. Without looking back, she ran as fast as her feet could carry her, which she had to admit, would have been much easier in tennis shoes!
Hearing Cole struggle, she forced herself to keep running. It wasn’t that much farther. The entrance to the ship wasn’t too far. She was almost there when she felt something hard knock into her and she lost her balance.
The next thing she knew her body felt like it hit an iceberg. Katrina tried to scream in shock, but all that came was a mouthful of water. Cold and salty, it burned all the way down her throat. The lack of air was causing panic to set in. Everything swirled into blackness and her head felt like it was going to explode.
She had never really been a good swimmer to begin with, add the freezing temperature of the water and it was twice as hard. Refusing to give up, she flailed her arms and legs around until her body moved.
It took a few more failed attempts before she was finally able to break through the surface. Katrina gasped for air as soon as her head shot out of the water. Her entire body was going to explode if she had to hold her breath any longer. The black clouds that blocked her vision slowly started to dissipate. When her vision came back completely, she wasted no time in finding her escape. A wooden ladder lay just a few feet in front of her. She took a deep breath and forced herself to swim in its direction. Her body was numb from the cold, but she pushed through and reached it in seconds.
Her lips quivered, as she grasped onto the wooden railing and pulled herself up. Each move was counteracted by the constant shoving of the waves. They were so choppy and powerful; it felt they were trying to suck her back in. Katrina took one last breath and gave her body a heavy push. It was strong enough to send her flying forward.
She collapsed onto the wooden flooring on the dock and took a second to catch her breath. Coughing, her throat felt like it had tiny razors digging inside. The salt water had burned a trail of pain through her. Then the wind blew and it sent an icy chill that paralyzed her.
The more her body shivered the harder it was to move, but she knew she couldn’t stay there. She slowly forced herself up and tried to run. This time she didn’t have the burden of heels. She lost those somewhere in the water, but she didn’t care. It was hard enough trying to run while being frost bitten and weighed down by water. She wasn’t sure how, but she managed a decent pace.
She was almost to the ship, when she felt warm hands reach for her. One hand covered her mouth and an arm wrapped around her from behind. Panic set in as a male voice growled behind her. “You're mine!”
Screaming, Katrina opened her eyes and sat up. Sweat was trickling down her body, as she gasped for air. Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t move. It took a moment to steady them and then her throat started to ache. The soreness inside lingered for a little while before it slowly dissipated.
“Kat! What happened?” Jake burst through her door. Until he came in, she never realized she was even awake. She had been too terrified.
“It’s another one of those dreams,” her shaky voice said.
“Want to talk about it?” He sat down on her bed.
She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. “They’re just becoming too much. I have no control over them. It’s like I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
“I know. It’s not easy. I struggled with mine too.”
“Yeah, but you’ve pretty much dove in head first like you always do. I wished it was that simple for me.” Katrina was envious he could accept who he was so easily. It was a constant struggle for her.
“This life hasn’t exactly been a picnic for me. So, maybe that’s why I’m jumping at the chance to escape it all.” He bit his lip, and his embarrassment flooded her body. “That sounds stup
id, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all. I wish it was like that for me.” She looked into her brothers eyes. “But, I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“I don’t know. Everything. If I accept the truth, then won’t that mean I lose myself?” She looked down at her bed to hide her tears.
Tugging at a piece of violet thread sticking out of her comforter, she listened to her brother. “Kat, you could never lose who you are. This is just another part of you. And don’t let your fear stop you from being yourself. If I’d done that every time the guys at school wanted to beat me up, then they’d have won.”
Katrina picked her head up and found Jake wiping a tear away. Years of torture for being different had been really hard on him. Her heart ached for Jake right then. She hated how stupid some people could be to one another. “But, it’s frustrating. I hate that I can’t even tell my best friend. Lately, I feel like I’m two separate people.” She started twirling the amulet back and forth. She hadn’t taken it off since Cole had put it on her that night. “Sometimes, I just want to run away.”
“You can’t run away from who you are.”
“What if who you are scares the hell out of you?” her hoarse voice whispered.
“Embrace the good with the bad.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, he continued, “You of all people taught me that.”
“Wish it was that simple.”
“Then don’t be so stubborn. For once let someone else have all the answers.”
“Gee, thanks.” Her mood eased at his comment, just enough for a smile to break on her face.
“Anytime.” He paused for a second and then said, “I need to go get ready for school.” He got up to leave when he suddenly stopped and turned back. “And at least you have a hot guy to help you pass the time,” he winked before almost tripping over his own foot.
“Careful you don’t break your leg!” Sometimes being clumsy was hazardous to their health.
“If I do, I’ll just get Andrew to kiss it and make it better!” he teased as he shut the door.
Katrina laughed, before she got up and got ready. She wondered what would be in store for her today. There were no more strange incidents. Except for her dreams, things had been pretty quiet since last week. She hoped that was a sign things were going back to normal, but she knew that was a long shot. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of her stomach that things weren’t that simple.
After a few minutes, Katrina was finished dressing and running down the stairs. She found Jake in the kitchen eating. It was no surprise with her mom working the early morning shift that he was devouring a bowl of cereal. Cooking wasn’t Jake’s forte.
Katrina grabbed a banana and joined him. She shoved a bite in her mouth and watched Jake read the back of the cereal box. His eyes never left the box.
She took another bite, when the doorbell rang. It seemed that was enough to bring Jake back to reality. He was out of his chair and almost running towards the door. She finished her banana and followed his lead.
Jake grabbed his backpack and ran outside to meet Andrew. Katrina went to do the same, but her backpack wasn’t there.
“Ready?” Confused, Katrina turned and found Cole standing in her doorway. Her backpack hung over one of his shoulders.
“Yeah,” she smiled. It didn’t take long for them to reach the car and be on their way.
When they arrived at school, Cole held the car door open for her as he had been doing lately. And as usual Jake and Andrew climbed out after. In the mornings, they were eager to sprint in the other direction, but today they didn’t. Instead, they hung back with her and Cole.
Cole leaned against his car and Katrina leaned up next to him. She felt a little lost. Usually she and Jake were scrambling to get to school on time, but since Cole and Andrew had been picking them up they’d been early. It felt weird having extra time to hang out in the parking lot.
“Hey Kat!” Stacy ran towards them.
“What’s up?” Katrina could tell by the look in her eye she was excited about something.
“Look!” Stacy beamed, as she held a piece of paper in front of her.
FALL FESTIVAL CELEBRATION
SATURDAY OCTOBER 29th 8:00pm
Costume contest & tickets are going fast. Get yours soon!
“I forgot about that. Wow, it’s October already?” Katrina couldn’t believe how fast time was flying. If she wasn’t careful she felt like the whole year would pass her by.
“What’s a Fall Festival Celebration?” Cole asked, reading over her shoulder.
“It’s this thing the town does every year. They throw this big party in honor of the original founder, Morgana Blackwood.” Katrina used to love hearing her dad recant all of the stories the townsfolk had made up about her. Now with everything going on, it seemed rather ironic.
“Our school throws the biggest dance,” Stacy boasted with a big smile.
“All that trouble for one woman?” Andrew rolled his eyes.
“It’s because of her this town even exists,” Katrina snapped back. He sure knew how to get under her skin.
“She fled here with a bunch of other families,” Stacy added.
“Why?” Andrew cocked an eyebrow. Katrina felt he already knew the answer and he was just patronizing her.
“To escape the witch hunters,” Stacy answered.
“She gets all the credit,” he mumbled just loud enough for Katrina to hear.
Katrina smiled at Stacy and then turned to Andrew. She wasn’t going to let him bother her today. “You don’t like having fun, Andrew?”
“I do, but I prefer more intimate settings. Guess I’m just old-fashioned,” Andrew winked at her.
“Well, I can’t wait.” Stacy wasn’t able to hide her excitement. Halloween was both her and Katrina’s favorite holiday. Any chance Stacy could dress up, she took it.
“I think it sounds like fun.” Jake smiled at Andrew.
“So, I guess this means we’re going?” Andrew cowered his head at Jake.
“Yup. It’ll be great. We can wear matching costumes.”
Katrina laughed at Andrew’s expense. He wouldn’t stop Jake from doing anything he wanted, so she knew she had won this round of high school humiliation.
“There’s the bell.” Without another word, Andrew took Jake by the hand and led him away.
“Shoot!” Stacy put her hand on her forehead. “I have to run. I was supposed to go turn in my English paper. See you!”
“See you.” Katrina watched Stacy run off, leaving her alone with Cole.
Leaning against the car, the two of them stood there. Katrina hated that sometimes around him she had trouble finding the right words.
“Dance sounds fun,” Cole finally said.
“Yeah?” Katrina looked at him.
Cole nodded. “Would you like to go with me?”
“I would. But—”
“But what?”
“I don’t know. I guess I feel it’s kind of unimportant right now compared to everything else.”
“Is it?”
“What? You don’t think so?”
“What I think isn’t important. If we hadn’t come here and you didn’t know about everything else, would you be going?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“Then that settles it. We’re going,” he smiled.
“Why?”
“Car—Katrina, I don’t want you to miss out on anything in this life just because we’re here. Besides school dances are always highly amusing,” he wiggled his eyebrows.
“How many dances have you been to?”
“I’ve seen a few.”
“I’ll bet you have.”
“That’s a perk of living forever.” Smiling he went to lead her into the brick building when his words sparked her memory and she stopped him.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he grew serious.
“Last night I had another—dream,�
�� she stuttered over the last word.
“And?” His excitement grew.
“And it felt as strong as the first one. I just wanted to know, how many times have I been—well—reborn?”
At first, Cole didn’t respond. He stood there and she could see him debating on something. Then in a serious voice he asked, “Can we go somewhere to talk?”
“What about school?”
“Ms. Stevenson’s out sick and something tells me we won’t be missed,” he winked.
Katrina just nodded her head. She wasn’t sure she liked him playing with people’s minds to get them out of class. On the other hand, it was a slight perk.
As she got in to the car, Katrina could feel her nerves take control. She was anxious to know where they were going. Cole never said anything the whole car ride. Instead, she watched him drive further and further out of town.
After a few more miles, they reached a dirt path and he pulled off to the side of the road. Opening her door, he took her by the hand.
“Where are we going?” she asked, as they began walking.
“You’ll see.” He kept pulling her forward without glancing back in her direction.
As he led her up the dirt path, she took in her surroundings. She had never been this far out of town before. There were towers of pine trees everywhere. The sound of water flowing was the only one that filled the air. She wasn’t sure how long they had been walking when Cole suddenly stopped and turned to face her.
“What is it?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yeah,” she nodded.
At her words he stepped aside and Katrina felt like someone knocked the wind out of her. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Is that what I think it is?” She felt her stomach inch into her throat, as what was left of the building stared back at her. Cole didn’t say anything, he just nodded his head. “And it’s been here this whole time?” She couldn’t believe any part of it was still standing.
Cole nodded. “The trees are so overgrown, that many people forgot it’s even here.”
The boards on what used to be the windows were covered in multi-colored graffiti. It looked like it had served as refuge to many homeless people through the years. The cottage was sad and disheveled compared to the one in her dreams.
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