by P J Gordon
She smiled at Richard from the VIP section, where she sat with Mikey. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt blazoned with the home team’s logo and her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail that emerged from the back of her baseball cap. She looked lovely and he wanted to be there by her side.
As soon as they completed their singing duties and fulfilled their obligations for the evening, Richard waved to the crowd and led the way off of the field. When he finally took his seat beside Manda, the nervousness and worry that had plagued him for days vanished. Under the bright sunshine, with Manda laughing exuberantly beside him and an engagement ring in his pocket, Josh’s optimism seemed reasonable. Tonight would be difficult, but he was finally beginning to believe that it would end well—with Manda wearing his ring. Things would be easier, he admitted, when she finally knew everything.
Neither Richard nor Manda paid much attention to the game. She had her camera out and kept snapping pictures—often of him—and he mostly just watched her. Occasionally something would intrude upon their private world, often in the form of the crowd in the adjacent section. Children and a few adults would gather near the divider that surrounded the VIP section, wanting to see Richard and Josh and hoping for an autograph. Richard would wave occasionally, but he left the autograph signing to his brother. Being in such a large crowd made him particularly nervous about Manda’s safety and he scanned the sky repeatedly, looking for the black bird he knew would be nearby.
The steady roar of the crowd made conversation difficult. With his enhanced hearing he was usually able to hear Manda without too much difficulty, but he had to lean close and speak near her ear to make himself heard without yelling. Rather than being an inconvenience, however, Richard considered it a bonus. It gave them a very good excuse to sit intimately close, and the smell of her skin and hair was intoxicating.
During the seventh inning something caught Manda’s attention. She repeatedly looked past him and frowned, but when he turned to see what displeased her, all he saw was Josh signing autographs again.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning back to speak close to her ear.
“See that little girl over there?” She pointed toward the crowd swarming around Josh. “The one on the left in the back? She’s wearing a pink shirt and shorts, just behind the boy in the purple cap.”
Richard spotted the girl and nodded. She was watching Josh from the back of the crowd and looked ready to cry. She clutched a piece of paper and a pen to her chest, but she was much too far away to get Josh’s attention and ask for an autograph.
“She’s been trying to get close to Josh for a while,” Manda explained, “but she seems kinda shy. Everyone just keeps crowding in front of her and pushing her back. She’s been trying to get his autograph every time he’s been over there since the second inning.” The little girl’s plight was obviously bothering Manda.
“Go talk to her,” Manda urged him. “Please? For me?”
Richard hesitated. He hated to disappoint Manda, but he wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone.
“Please?” she asked again.
“Okay,” Richard agreed, “but you have to come with me.”
Richard led Manda up the center aisle of their section and turned down the empty last row. When they reached the section divider, adjacent to an open area at the back of the next section, he looked around for a way to get the girl’s attention without attracting everyone else’s. He spotted an usher a few rows away and motioned him over. He quickly explained what he wanted and the usher returned shortly with the little girl and a group of others that had been farthest from Josh.
The little girl still clutched the pen and paper to her chest but was too shy to speak to him, though excitement shone in her eyes. Richard smiled at her and spoke to the people around her to give her time to work up her courage. He had to practically yell in order to make himself heard. He’d been talking to the small group for several minutes when he sensed Manda move away from him. He turned immediately to see where she’d gone and was relieved to see that she’d just stepped back a little to let Josh squeeze past her in the limited space between the rows of seats.
“Hey guys,” the younger man greeted the small crowd gathered on the other side of the short wall. “What’s up?”
Several of the children near the front extended various things toward him to be autographed. He grinned good naturedly and signed a few, then knelt down in front of the girl Manda had singled out. Richard should have known that Josh had noticed her. Watching over Manda had honed his powers of observation. Richard was impressed.
“I saw you waiting patiently and politely for me earlier so I thought I’d just come over here and say hi.” Josh extended his hand toward the girl and waited until she timidly reached out and shook it. “My name is Josh. What’s yours?”
The girl answered Josh a little more confidently and Richard chuckled. His little brother was a charmer. The girl couldn’t be more than eight or nine but she was already staring at him adoringly, just the way most women did. Richard was just thankful that Manda wasn’t in that group, as he’d once thought. At one point he’d been thoroughly convinced that she and Josh would end up together—happily ever after. Now he was finally letting himself hope that the happily ever after with Manda would be his. There was still a huge hurdle in the way, but…
Josh nudged him to get his attention. “This is my big brother, Richard,” he told the little girl, as if she didn’t already know that. “Richard, this is Kayley.”
Richard glanced back to check on Manda before kneeling down and shaking Kayley’s hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Kayley.” Richard pointed at the paper and pen she still had in her hand. “Whatcha got there?”
“I wanted you to sign this for me,” she explained, thrusting a green pen and an empty envelope toward him eagerly.
“Oh, I think we can do better than that,” he said, wanting to do something special for her. She reminded him of Manda. He took off his baseball cap and borrowed the marker someone had given Josh. He signed his name on the bill of the hat and handed it to his brother, who did likewise before giving it to Kayley. The girl bounced up and down happily.
“Thank you very much,” she squeaked, remembering her manners.
Josh sidled back down the row toward Manda. “I’m gonna go watch the game for a while. Come keep me company, M. Leave Richard here with his new girlfriend.”
The crowd reacted loudly to something that had happened on the field and Richard couldn’t hear Manda’s reply. He leaned closer to Kayley so that he could hear her over the cheering.
“I have a little brother, too,” she informed him solemnly. “His name is Tyler. He’s five.”
“Little brothers are a lot of fun,” Richard confided with a grin. “I really like mine.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she agreed doubtfully. She leaned toward him, as if to tell him a secret. “You’re girlfriend is pretty. I’ve seen her on T.V.”
“I think she’s very pretty too,” Richard agreed, “and she really doesn’t like to be on T.V.” He looked back to see if Manda had overheard this. It would embarrass her and she was adorable when she blushed. She’d left with Josh though. A stout couple sitting in the row behind their seats blocked his view of Manda, but he could see Josh. His brother was leaning toward her, talking and laughing. Richard smiled and turned back to Kayley and the other autograph seekers. Another girl, a few years older than Kayley, had worked her way to the front of the group. He signed an autograph for her and then started to edge away. Time to get back to Manda. Tonight was a special night, after all. The older girl drew his attention again with her question though.
“Are you going to marry your girlfriend?”
“Do you think I should?” he asked the two girls. He tried not to grin like an idiot.
“Yes! You have to!” the older girl declared. “She’s so nice!” Kayley nodded her agreement.
Richard pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Do you think she’d say yes?” The
ir earnest advice was especially amusing considering the small box he had in his pocket.
“Yes!” the girls answered in unison.
“Well, maybe I might just do that then,” he said with a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go find her. Thank you for the advice.” He stood back up but had to duck quickly when a large black bird darted past his head.
Richard’s eyes widened in alarm and he looked toward the front row and froze. Josh was talking to Mikey, who was sitting in Manda’s seat, but Manda was nowhere in sight. Vaulting over several rows of empty seats, Richard rushed back to the front with dread constricting his heart.
“Where’s Manda?” he demanded with a sick feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. “I thought she was with you.”
Josh’s eyes widened and he looked around wildly. “I left her with you! That’s the last time I saw her. Kastl must be watching her though.”
“No. He just tried to take my head off back…,” Richard began before a woman’s call for help stopped him in midsentence. Without hesitation, he and Josh both sprinted for the exit, toward the woman’s voice. They’d only gone a few steps when the piercing blast of a police whistle followed the call and Richard’s blood went cold. That could only mean one thing. Manda!
Chapter 37
Manda pushed against the tile with her heels and slid across the bathroom floor on her back. Her blood made the tile slick and her feet slipped, but she struggled to reach the door. The girl watched her with contempt, knowing she could finish her off in an instant. Manda’s arms were clutched across her abdomen tightly, but she didn’t look down. She didn’t want to see what her hands felt. The girl’s claws had torn into her body deeply. The left side of her face burned where the razor sharp claws had laid it open from cheekbone to jaw. Her right arm was weak from the severed muscles of her bicep and she’d seen her exposed collar bone where the flesh had been torn away from her shoulder and chest. The slash across her stomach was the worst though. She held her arms tightly around herself.
She had once seen a deer that had been disemboweled by some large predator. She’d been twelve, out hiking with her father, when they’d come across the fresh kill. Her father had quickly whisked her away from the grisly scene, explaining to her that it would be safer to leave the area if a large predator was hunting nearby. She’d been fascinated at the time, but later she’d let her very vivid imagination conjure the last few terrified moments of the deer’s life and she’d had nightmares for weeks. This felt very much like what she’d imagined the deer had experienced, but much more vivid, and she was afraid to look down—both afraid of what she would see and afraid to look away from her attacker.
The small, brown sparrow that had flitted in the bathroom door when she entered had startled Manda, but her surprise had quickly turned to horror when the bird had transformed into a young woman with the claws of a large cat and attacked. One blow had raked across Manda’s face before her mind could register the threat. The impact of the second blow across her shoulder and chest had sent her crashing into the tiled wall. Searing pain crumpled her to the floor in a breathless heap. Before she could recover, the girl had picked her up by her hair with one hand and sliced across her abdomen with razor claws. Then she threw Manda to the floor with a harsh laugh.
I’m going to die here, Manda thought desperately. She knew she had to get out of the bathroom. No one would hear her scream from in here. The roar of the crowd had been deafening in the stadium, but as soon as the door to the ladies room had closed behind her, the noise had disappeared. She doubted even Richard or Josh would be able to hear her. She struggled to reach the door, but she didn’t think she was going to make it. The girl was advancing on her with deliberate malice—toying with Manda. A wicked grin contorted her face and her eyes shone with almost rabid excitement. She leaned over Manda, raising a powerfully clawed paw threateningly, and then froze.
As quickly as she had changed from bird to girl, she turned back to bird again, perching on the top of the stall nearest the door. When the door opened, the sparrow flitted out, startling the woman who was entering the bathroom. The woman tittered nervously—a sound that cut off sharply when she saw Manda. The woman’s cry of alarm echoed off of the tile in the enclosed space. She turned, holding open the bathroom door, and frantically called for help. Then she pulled a small silver whistle from her pocket and blew several sharp blasts.
“Help me,” Manda tried to plead, but she was unable to gather the force necessary and only managed a choked whisper. The woman knelt beside her, keeping the bathroom door open with her body. Within seconds Manda heard running feet and twisted her head around to see Richard and Josh racing into view, followed by half a dozen others that Manda didn’t know. The woman retreated into the corridor, making room for Richard and Josh. Richard reached Manda first and dropped to the floor by her side. His face was contorted with shock and horror.
“No, Manda, no! Oh, please, no!” His hands hovered over her as he assessed her injuries. Josh knelt on the floor beside Richard. His face was white and terrified. “Give me your shirt,” Richard ordered him, taking his own shirt off as he spoke. He wadded the jersey up and pressed it to her chest and shoulder. Josh’s shirt he folded and pressed over her abdomen, moving each of her arms carefully as he did so. “Hold this here, Josh,” he instructed, returning his own hands to her shoulder. Manda watched as the blood soaked through the shirts immediately.
“She’s bleeding too much, Richard. What do we do?” Josh asked desperately.
“I don’t know. She’s lost so much blood already.” Richard’s words were frantic and anguished. “Please, hold on Manda. I’m here. Hold on.”
“It hurts,” Manda whimpered. Richard’s face swam before her. “It was a bird, but not really. She was someone like you and Josh…and Sarah and Daniel.” They needed to know that it had been another shapeshifter that had attacked her, but she had to be careful what she said with so many others around. Her words had been broken and barely audible, but Josh nodded his understanding.
Richard stroked her hair desperately. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m so sorry! Please, hold on baby. Just hold on. I’ll make it better. I promise.”
“Richard, think about this. There are people watching. You can’t do this in front of everyone,” Joshua warned under his breath.
“It doesn’t matter. There’s no time. She’ll die if I don’t do it now.”
Josh nodded grimly. The exchange didn’t register in Manda’s mind for a few moments. It was just meaningless noise. She was just glad Richard was there. He would take care of her, just like he always did. Then she remembered Richard’s explanation of how someone could be transformed by the blood of a shapeshifter who was in non-human form, and understanding exploded in her mind. Richard wanted to change her, but there were witnesses nearby. Manda focused past Richard and Josh and saw Mikey and a man with an unbuttoned shirt crowding through the door. Barring their way, two uniformed officers were taking up positions in front of the doorway. One was talking to a man in a suit who made him let Mikey and the other man through. The second officer was holding off the crowd of onlookers—the crowd of witnesses. At the opposite end of the bathroom, where a second door allowed access to the room, several uniformed guards were making sure no one came in from that direction. Several other uniformed men had stationed themselves at various locations inside the bathroom, while yet another man in a suite checked the stalls.
“No!” Manda protested desperately. “No! You can’t...” but her words were cut off by a choking cough as a torrent of warm blood filled her throat, suffocating her. Richard lifted her head and shoulders, sliding under her. She managed to cough up the blood and suck in a painful breath. Mikey and the other man were kneeling beside her as well now.
“Get them out of here,” the man in the unbuttoned shirt barked at Mikey, “before they do something stupid.” He quickly and calmly assessed her injuries as he spoke.
“I’m staying with her,” Rich
ard growled, tipping her forward to help her clear her airways further. Pain lanced through her midsection and she gasped, but she was able to breathe more easily.
“No, you’re not! You’re leaving. Now!” the man growled back. He held her blood-drenched wrist in his fingers, checking her pulse.
“Like hell!” Richard snarled. He leaned forward toward the man and his glaring eyes glowed golden yellow. His pupils were vertical slits. The other man glared back.
“This is my job. Let me do it. You’re losing it, Richard. Get out of here now!”
Manda moaned weakly, pain and fear causing her body to shake violently. Josh, his hands still pressing the blood-soaked shirt to her abdomen, leaned closer to her and whispered. “It’s okay, Manda. Kastl is a friend. He’s here to help.”
“That’s right,” the man barked again, “so let me. Mikey, get them out of here!” He glared toward the corridor then, and barked a command to a woman who was standing alertly just beyond the line of police. “Tell them to hurry up. We don’t have much time.” The woman nodded and raised her hand to her ear as she turned away. Manda realized it was the same woman who had interrupted the girl’s attack. The man, Kastl, was scowling at Mikey when Manda looked back. “Get them out of here now, Mikey. That’s an order.”
“No!” Richard refused softly. “If I don’t change her now she’s going to die.” Tears streamed unheeded down his cheeks.
“No,” Manda choked weakly. “No, I don’t want you to.”