The Childe (33 page)

“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 Robert 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.

“Mr. Thomas and I will get the pizza, right Matt?” Cat joined in.

“Yes we will, I’ll bring a pepperoni, you get an all cheese.”

“Great!” Cat exclaimed. “Saturday night here we come!”

Later that evening, Cat, Julie and Linda were having their bi-weekly hang-out, to catch each other up on the latest gossip. Sitting on Cat’s bed Linda was going on about her date for the junior prom. “I can’t believe John asked me!” she squealed.

“I know! And he’s quite the looker too!” Cat said, looking at his picture from Linda’s page on Teenspace, an online social network for teens.

“Well, all I have to say is he has great taste, my friend,” Julie assured her.

“I’m still on the hunt for my prom dress. I think I’m going to need your help guys. You’re my best friends, and I know we can find something perfect! So will you go with me?” Linda asked.

“OMG, we totes will! We should make a day of it next weekend!” Cat exclaimed.

“Sounds like fun. Oh, I can’t wait. It’s been ages since I last went shopping,” Julie replied. Looking at the computer screen Cat noticed that Becca, one of the missing girls, was one of Linda’s friends on Teenspace.

“You’re friends with Becca?” Cat inquired.

“Kind of. She’s friends with Mindy. They swam against each other,” Linda explained somberly.

“I don’t remember swimming against her this year.”

“Well she quit the swim team last season, after losing badly to Kirsten. Kirsten kind of cheated and stole the regional meet right out from under her. She was so broken up about it that, she just quit. Mindy tried to talk her out of it, but it didn’t help. She really was, I mean is, an amazing swimmer.”

“And here I thought Miss Leader of the Trifecta couldn’t stoop any lower,” Cat said shaking her head.

“Anyway, Cat didn’t you get your license recently? So where’s the new car?” Linda asked.

“No car yet unfortunately. But Matt drives us around, so I guess it’s better than having Taylor complain about having to take us everywhere.”

“Hey Linda, do you still walk home through the woods from school?” Julie asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little dangerous, especially with all the disappearances recently?” Julie asked.

“Doesn’t your mother or brother pick you up?” Cat queried right after.