by C. A. Kunz
Later that night in Julie’s bedroom, Cat sat down on Julie’s bed and kicked off her shoes. “I’m so glad I get to spend tonight with you. When Mom and Dad said they were going out of town for a conference, I thought I’d have to stay with Taylor. I’m glad he went on that overnight ski trip with his friends.” Cat smiled and stretched. “So, what are we going to do tonight since we can’t go out?” she asked. “I wish we could just walk downtown as a group like we used to. But we can’t since our parents don’t want us out after dark, and hello, its dark all the time,” Cat said sarcastically.
“I know, I hate winter. It’s so depressing, except for Christmas that is,” Julie groaned as she flopped down next to Cat on the bed. “I know, let’s call everyone and have them come over. We’ll look through my movie collection and make a night of it,” she said excitedly.
Several hours later, full of pizza, popcorn, and soda, Cat and her friends fell asleep on the floor cushions in Julie’s den. The fire crackled in the old ornate fireplace, illuminating their faces in quiet slumber. A faint scratching noise awoke Cat. Sleepily, she surveyed her surroundings, her eyes zeroing in on the large window opposite her. It was open and the drapes were billowing in the wind as snow drifted into the room. “Who opens a window in the middle of winter?” she whispered to herself, stumbling toward it. After pulling it down and securing the latch, she peered outside at the full moon looming overhead. It cast a brilliant glow on everything. A figure caught Cat’s eye, startling her as she scanned the front yard. They stood several feet from her, their head slightly tilted to one side. Cat could feel the figure staring at her, studying her, even though the face was cast in shadow. The only thing visible was the long and curly bright red hair beaming in the moonlight, resembling fire. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, making sure someone was really there. When she opened them, the figure was gone.
“Cat?” Matt whispered behind her. “What are you doing? It’s like three in the morning.”
“Nothing…the window was open. Just closing it,” Cat whispered back. Matt put his head down and went back to sleep. With one last look out the window, she closed the curtains and returned to her spot on the floor. After crawling into her sleeping bag, she zipped it up. Cat laid awake the rest of the night, hoping she wasn’t going crazy.
While Cat and her friends were beginning their movie marathon, Rachel, Sam and Taylor were gathering with the others in Aldon’s ballroom before sunset. “As you all know, there’s been no trace of the missing girls. The police, of course, treated them as runaways at first. But after long interviews with friends and family, they realized that this was not the case.” Aldon paused and looked at the worried faces in front of him. “It’s imperative that we protect everyone in Astoria. Even though, so far it’s only been young women, that doesn’t automatically make everyone else safe. Abigail has done a fine job in reminding her students to be more vigilant. Jonathen, how do you feel your fellow students are responding to these warnings?
“I feel most of them are scared, especially the females.”
“Jonathen’s right. But the majority seem to be listening to the warnings,” Trish interjected. Taylor squeezed her hand as she looked to the other young people in the room, who were nodding in agreement.
“Well, I’m glad most are taking this seriously. I know with our help and guidance, the town of Astoria will remain safe,” Aldon paused again in deep thought. “I’ve had several of you ask me if it could be them behind this. At this point in time, I have no reason to believe this is the case. But, that doesn’t mean I will not pay this matter close attention. Harold, do you have anything to add? As you have more contact with them than we do,” he asked giving Dr. Bane the floor.
“I can assure you that they’re not doing this. I see no signs of non-compliance with their treatment. So, I feel we must look further into this,” Dr. Bane stated confidently.
“Thank you, Harold. Any other comments or questions? No? Then, shall we adjourn for the night?”
13
Sweet Sixteen
At the back of Miss Amaya’s class, Elle and Cat sat whispering to each other. “Aren’t you nervous about getting your driver’s license? I’m going to put off driving as long as I can,” Elle murmured in a worried voice.
“Nah, I’m not nervous. Especially since my dad has been giving me lessons. I feel ready. Don’t worry, Elle, I’ll drive you around until you’re up for taking the plunge,” Cat said, flashing her a quick smile.
“I don’t know-”
“Ladies! Pay attention,” Miss Amaya called out.
“Sorry,” both of them said in unison.
Time flew by and it seemed like an instant later the bell rang. “Cat, I need to talk to you for a minute before you leave,” Miss Amaya said, touching Cat’s arm lightly as she reached the front of the class.
“If this is about Elle and me talking during class, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Cat said hurriedly, watching everyone leave.
“What?” Miss Amaya asked looking confused. “Oh, never mind about that. The reason I wanted to talk to you is regarding your special event coming up. It’s not every day, a young lady turns sixteen.” Cat smiled at her. “Your birthday is February 2nd, right?” Cat nodded. “Do you know that your birthday falls on the Wicca holiday Imbolc? No? Well, it does. It’s a festival of purification. It’s also a traditional time for initiations into covens and self-dedication rituals. Now don’t worry, I don’t mean that you need to do it,” she said, giggling at the surprised look on Cat’s face. “I’d like to present you with a small token.” Miss Amaya dug into her pocket and pulled out a silver chain which held a white teardrop stone with blue streaks running through it. “It’s a moonstone. It’s good for new beginnings and excellent protection for young women like yourself. I hope you’ll accept it,” she said, holding it out to Cat.
“It’s beautiful, Miss Amaya! I don’t know what to say! Thank you doesn’t seem enough. I’d be honored to wear it,” Cat said, staring in awe of its beauty.
“Good. Turn around then and let me put it on you. There, let me take a look,” Miss Amaya requested. Cat faced Miss Amaya and adjusted the necklace to lay flat on her chest. “Perfect! Now this is our little secret. I don’t want others to think I’m playing favorites. Oh, who am I kidding? You are one of my favorite people.” Cat’s hand slid around the stone, it was so warm. She felt a sense of peace come over her. “Now hurry on, I don’t want you to be late for Mr. Crawley’s class,” she said as Cat gave her a little hug.
“Thanks again, Miss Amaya,” she said quickly before turning and leaving the room.
As she walked into Mr. Crawley’s class, Cat didn’t care that the bell rang a second before her entrance. She scooted to her desk and avoided eye contact with her nemesis, hoping he wouldn’t make a fuss at her being late.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Silver Spoon herself. I guess, class, she thinks she can come in whenever she feels like it.” Mr. Crawley paused, looking at Cat with one eyebrow raised. “So, what’s the cause of your tardiness?” His evil smirk grew bigger. “Never mind, I have no time to waste on excuses. See me after class.” With that he turned and walked toward the board. Cat sank down into her seat as her neighbors murmured around her.
Cat kept looking at the clock as Mr. Crawley’s voice dragged on and on. Tiredness overwhelmed her. The lack of sleep that plagued her last few nights made it difficult to pay attention. Her eyes began to grow heavy. Trying not to nod off, Cat opened her eyes widely and shook her head. Yawning, she couldn’t fight off being tired any longer, and her eyes slowly closed shut.
The sound of light giggling echoed through Mr. Crawley’s class. Cat quickly opened her eyes, looking around. The desks were empty. Mr. Crawley was scribbling something on the chalkboard that she couldn’t make out. Cat turned abruptly in her seat looking behind her as the giggling began again, but she saw no one there. She turned back to look at Mr. Crawley, but instead saw Isaac sitting on the edge of his desk. He held a
bright red apple in his hand, and she watched as he bit into it. She shivered, hearing the loud crunch. Others moved into her line of sight and she realized it was Amelia and the Stone twins. They were glaring at her, hatred filling their faces. Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Cat noticed Ryan and Hannah standing by the door to the classroom, looking at her, their eyes full of sadness. She heard a thud, turned back to Isaac, and saw the apple on the ground. Cat began to stand up and push away from the desk, as Isaac and his group slowly walked toward her. As they moved closer, their eyes turned jet black. She was paralyzed as they encircled her like a school of blood thirsty sharks. Slowly, they began encroaching on her, eventually enveloping her in claustrophobic darkness.
Cat let out a scream, then woke up back in the classroom, drenched in sweat. She wiped off the little drool running down her chin, and looked around. Everyone was staring at her.
“I didn’t know you found math so exhilarating,” Mr. Crawley called out from the front of the room.
“I’m sorry sir, I must’ve fallen-”
“Asleep!” he finished for her. “You…me…after class,” he said angrily, pushing his glasses up off his nose. She had no doubts about this request. Unlike Miss Amaya when she asked her to stay after, this was not going to be good.
The bell rang. “You…stay!” Mr. Crawley said, pointing at Cat. She nodded and remained at her desk. He walked over to her. “I’m going to call your mother and have her come down to the school. This is unacceptable behavior,” he said snidely. She tried to respond, but her head began to throb. “I don’t want to hear any excuses! I’m calling your mother. And don’t expect me to give you pity for the ‘I’m sick’ routine that you’re putting on now,” Mr. Crawley said. He walked back to his desk and then picked up his cell phone. Cat rested her head on the desk trying to make the room stop spinning. The noise in her head made it difficult to hear Mr. Crawley telling her that her mom was on the way.
It seemed like only seconds went by before Rachel was standing in the doorway to the classroom. The pain in Cat’s head had subsided slightly and she sat up as her mom entered. “Cat, honey, are you alright? You look paler than usual,” Rachel asked worriedly, looking into her daughter’s face.
“I’m okay, Mom. I just had a really bad headache and I felt a little dizzy. But it seems to be getting better now,” Cat responded trying to smile at her.
“Ahem!” Mr. Crawley sounded like he had a frog in his throat. “Mrs. Colvin, I’m Mr. Crawley and we need to have a talk.”
“Cat, honey, go outside and wait for me, okay? Here let me help you up. There you go. Now, I won’t be long,” Rachel said as Cat left the room to sit down in an empty desk out in the hallway. After hearing the door close, Cat laid her head on the cool desktop.
“Now Mr. Crawley, what’s this all about?” Rachel asked, staring at the little unkempt man standing behind his desk.
“Mrs. Colvin, your daughter’s a menace. She was late today, fell asleep, and then woke up screaming, which completely interrupted my lessons! I’m a firm believer that it’s not the fault of the student, but the fault of the parent as to why a child is unruly. That’s why I called you here today.” Rachel stared at him in disbelief as he continued. “This is not a private school, Mrs. Colvin, and we do not spoon-feed and baby-sit the students here. Obviously-”
Realizing that Cat had been right about him, Rachel slammed her hands onto his desk. Outside the class, Cat was startled by the loud noise. She watched through the frosted glass window at her mom’s silhouette talking with her hands and shaking her finger at Mr. Crawley.
She’s really letting him have it. I wish I could hear what was going on in there, Cat thought, watching as Mr. Crawley’s silhouette fell into his chair. Her mother towered over him, looking eight feet tall. Standing up and dragging the desk close to the door, Cat balanced precariously on it and peered through the window above the door that she propped open. Mr. Crawley was as white as a sheet. His eyes were huge, looking stunned and afraid at the same time. She couldn’t see her mother’s face, only the back of her head was visible from her angle. Not wanting to get caught, Cat quickly dragged the desk back to where it belonged and plopped down just as her mother flung open the classroom door.
“Come along, Cat,” Rachel said, exiting the room and putting her arm around her. “I don’t think you’ll have any more trouble with Mr. Crawley. In fact, I know you won’t. Honey, do you have a fever?” she asked, reaching up and feeling Cat’s forehead. “No, but you have color back in your cheeks, so you must be feeling better.” Cat listened as her mom talked all the way to the car. As she reached the passenger side she heard a car coming toward them. They both watched as Mr. Crawley zoomed by as if he was being chased by demons. Cat leaned back in the seat and listened to her mom humming one of her favorite songs.
What did she say to Mr. Crawley that made him so scared? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would’ve never believed that my sweet, loving mom could have brought Mr. Crawley down. But she did, and boy does it feel good.
Cat woke up before her alarm on her birthday. She felt wonderful. No headache and no nightmare the night before. She’d been sleeping better. Yes, things are looking up, Cat thought. After jumping out of bed, she showered quickly, got dressed, and ran downstairs. Silence greeted her. Walking into the kitchen, she saw a note sitting on the table next to an empty cereal bowl.
Cat, I had to be at the flower shop early today. Tom called in sick, your dad had to get ready to give his class a quiz, and Taylor had basketball practice early this morning. Sorry sweetie. There’s cereal and milk in the refrigerator.
Love you,
Mom
“They forgot my birthday…I can’t believe that they forgot my birthday,” Cat said in disbelief. Her appetite had disappeared as she sat at the kitchen table, remembering all the special birthday breakfasts her mom had made over the years. Time slipped by and she was startled to hear a horn sounding outside. Cat grabbed her coat and bag, opened the front door, locked it behind her, and then made her way to Matt’s car.
“Don’t you just love Matt’s red Corvette, Cat?” Amanda uttered sarcastically as Cat approached the car. Matt rolled his eyes, sitting in the driver’s seat of the old beat up gold Nissan Maxima.
“So what exactly did happen to the Corvette, Matt?” Julie asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Matt murmured and then turned his focus to Cat as he noticed her sullen expression. “Hey, is something wrong?” he asked as she sat in the front seat.
“No,” she replied.
“Okay, nothing it is then,” he muttered, realizing she was irked about something.
“You look a little dazed, Cat,” Amanda commented from the backseat.
“What? No, just a little tired, that’s all.” Geez, even my friends have forgotten. I always remember their birthdays. Oh what a great day this is turning out to be! She thought to herself. No one said another word during the drive to school.
The day dragged on. Cat found herself staring out every window at the snow falling outside. What a cold and miserable day. Yep, that’s my birthday! The only high point had been Miss Amaya, who had whispered “happy birthday” as she passed out the results of the last quiz.
“Good afternoon, Catherine. H-how…are you today?” Mr. Crawley’s nervous voice carried across the room as she sat at her desk.
“Fine, thank you,” she replied. Cat still wasn’t used to the way he was treating her since the talk with her mom. The class was stunned as they watched his attitude toward her completely turn around. In fact, some made comments that he almost seemed scared of her. They all wondered whether he had lost his mind, but were grateful anyway that the treatment of her carried over to them too.
After class, Cat met Matt at his car. She was surprised when he jumped in, started it up, and pulled out of the parking lot, not waiting for the others. “Where is everyone?” Cat asked.
“Amanda’s mom picked them up earlier. S
omething about going to help her at the store. I thought I’d have to wait for you because of tutoring.”
“No, Ryan told me he couldn’t do it tonight. So I’m glad you didn’t have to wait,” she said with a grimace.
“Hope you don’t mind, Cat, I’ve got to go to the port office and pick something up from my dad.”
“No, that’s fine, just fine,” she sighed.
“Cat, what’s up? You’ve been acting funny all day,” he asked.
“Matt…do I look older to you?” she asked, hinting.
“No? You look the same…oh crap, Cat! I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I forgot your birthday!”
“It wasn’t just you, Matt. Everyone forgot,” she whined, rubbing her head, feeling a dull ache starting to invade.
“Man, Cat, I don’t know what I’d do if everyone forgot my birthday.” Cat tried to smile. No one could ever forget his birthday. Matt always reminded them constantly, months ahead of time.
“Won’t be a minute, Cat,” Matt said after pulling his car into the fire lane in front of the port office and hastily exited the vehicle. Cat watched as he ran up the ramp and disappeared through the double glass doors. Sitting back in her seat, she closed her eyes, wishing she had something to ease her head. “We are family!” Her cell phone sang her mom’s ring tone.
“Hey Mom.”
“Hello sweetie, how was your day?” Rachel asked loudly.
“Super, thanks for asking,” Cat replied sarcastically.
“Good, so glad you had a wonderful day, sweetheart.”
Mom never gets sarcasm, Cat thought.
“I’m swamped here at work, is Matt giving you a ride home?”
“Yes Mom, he is.”
“Well, see if Matt’ll swing by your Uncle Aldon’s to pick up some exotic plants he brought back for me from South America. I need them tomorrow for a display,” Rachel continued loudly. Cat could hear people talking in the background.