It was starting to get dark when Malcolm dropped Allie home. She gave him her thanks, then returned inside. Allie saw her parents sitting on the couch and they rose to meet her as soon as she entered through the front door.
“You didn’t call me back. I called you on your phone and you didn’t call me back! What did I tell you about answering our calls?” Kay demanded furiously.
“What is the problem?”
“You not following directions is the problem. I told you to answer the phone when one of us called and you didn’t. Give me your phone!”
“My phone didn’t ring – nobody called me,” Allie said. She gripped her phone tight.
“Your father was sitting right here when I called you. Give me that phone, NOW!”
Allie handed her the phone and she went through the menus. “You see this; this is proof that I called you. Why didn’t you answer?”
Allie was dumbfounded: Kay was right. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have the phone with me while I was working and I have not looked at it since. If I’d seen the missed calls, I would’ve called you back.”
Kay didn’t care for an explanation; she was still upset from hearing what George had told her about the dangerous boy. She calmed herself down. “I’m sorry for yelling. Something happened in town today while you were working and I have been trying to get a hold of you to make sure you were all right.”
“What happened?”
George told her everything about the dead boy. “Cat. The people in this town are forming lynch mobs and going out into the woods to hunt for others like him. You cannot be near those woods or you will get shot by mistake. They won’t be checking what they are shooting at; I have seen this sort of thing before and it is not pretty. Until a solution is found, I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay here with your mother.”
Allie began to pout; she could not believe how mean her parents were being to her. The truth, if she told it, would be that she knew who the boy was and where the other two were. As far as she saw, there was no danger, and she was being kept from her work – work she loved. But she could not reveal the truth, so she threw herself down onto the couch, hating her parents for being so unreasonable and wishing she had Bertha Johnson for a mother instead.
“Kitten . . . Allison Louise Carter. You can stop your scheming. You have lost your phone and you will not be going back to work until your father and I are convinced there is no more danger – and I mean with proof. You will not wait until you go to school and sneak off either. You will not work and I mean it.”
Kay was always overprotective of her only child. If her husband was more stable with his job, she could afford to have more children, but since they moved at a moment’s notice getting pregnant again would be out of the question. Kay was therefore vigilant in keeping her only child safe. Over the years she had eased up some but when danger was near she would get frantic and start shaking all over. Any threat to her child would make her behave like an insane person. She sat in a chair studying her daughter, knowing full well that if Allie was silent, she was plotting. So she began to go over counter-arguments to any Allie might present.
George looked at both women and knew battle lines were being drawn. He was never good at being referee and decided the best thing for him to do was to leave and let the women work it out for themselves.
The phone rang. George excused himself, picked it up, and began a short conversation with whoever was on the other end. When done he hung up, returned to the two women and cleared his throat.
“That was Mayor Benaford on the phone. Many of the townspeople got together and wanted to cancel school and keep their families home together while everyone else looked for more of these boys. He talked them out of it for now, but school may get canceled so be prepared. This is how serious this is getting: people are scared half to death and rumors are flying faster than facts. Tomorrow morning we will gather in town and start a massive sweep of the woods to find evidence. I have to go upstairs and get some sleep; it is going to be a long day. Let’s not start a war tonight; we are going to have to protect one another until this over.”
His piece said, George went upstairs to bed, relieved he would not be in the middle of another dispute between the two people he loved most in this world.
For the rest of the night, Allie remained on the couch, considering her problem. There was no solution she could see, but she would not give up so easily.
Kay did not know how to console her daughter and keep her safe at the same time. She hated when her husband would leave her alone in situations like this but she was prepared to make any sacrifice for her family. Allie could hate her all she wanted, as long as she was safe. So, absentmindedly, she turned on the television and began to watch, half an eye on her daughter.
Early in the morning there was a knock at Allie’s bedroom door. The door creaked open and George Carter came into the room to talk to his baby girl.
“I know you are awake, Cat. Look at me.”
Allie pulled her covers down and looked at her father. She loved him but she looked at him as though he was an adversary, not a friend.
“Yes.”
It hurt his heart to see her act that way but he knew he was in the right and stood firm. “School has been canceled. Consider this a snow day. All the men are going into the forest and everyone else is staying home. As mad as you are, I expect you to remember we are the parents and this house has rules that you will follow. Do we have a problem?”
Allie shook her head, not wanting to speak.
“Do not leave this house. Keep an eye on your mother and make sure she doesn’t leave either. I am counting on you.” George turned and left the room. Though his daughter had not responded the way he wished, he saw in her eyes that she listened. He went downstairs and hugged his wife, kissed her, and then he was out the door with his rifle.
A truck waited outside for him. In the back he saw John Henry, Mike Chambers and four others, along with two large coolers that he knew held beer. With an uncomfortable look, he sat in the cab. Mayor Benaford drove.
Allie had no idea what to do with her free day from school. She was all caught up on schoolwork, being aware of her father’s feelings about her job and his conditions; she was doing so well she was even ahead in half her classes. For now, she stared from her bed, out of her window at the trees behind her house. She longed to be in them and gave serious thought to sneaking out the window. Why listen to their small views when she was the one who saw the big picture? If she could do nothing else, she could at least hone her skills for when she could go back to work.
As she stared out, Allie spotted a rabbit. She got off her bed and went to the window, looked at the rabbit, and focused on its feet. Although it was difficult because of the daylight hours, she saw small red spots beneath it that indicated its heat signature. The spots changed color as the rabbit hopped about, chewing on blades of grass under a large shade tree.
Allie’s resentment melted away when she realized her backyard had opened into a new school for her and her being home was not a prison sentence but instead an opportunity. She took her gaze off the rabbit and lost herself in this new world as she followed a squirrel.
“Kitten... Kitten... Allie, can you hear me?”
“What?” Allie said as she shook herself out of her trance and back to reality. Her mother stood beside the door.
“What is so fascinating out that window? I called you several times and you didn’t hear me, unless you are ignoring me.”
“Sorry, Mom, I was watching a rabbit out back.” Allie sat back down on the bed. Her mother glanced out the window, then sat beside her. “Mom, have you ever wanted to be an animal? I mean, if you could be any animal for a day, which would you choose to be?”
Kay thought about the question for a while before responding. “I don’t know. Maybe a bird.”
“Why would you choose a bird?”
“I would want to fly. I guess everybody has that fantasy, but I would take it a step further and fly
around the world. I would stop by all the beaches and islands, visit all the monuments and historical structures around the world, and watch all the interesting people out there.”
“I said a day, Mom, not a year.” Both started laughing.
“I have always been a dreamer. If you are going to dream then dream big.”
They laughed again and Allie returned to the elephant in the room. “Any word from the hunters?”
“Not yet, Kitten. Maybe it’s a good sign; let’s be positive.”
“All right, positivity is the word of the day.”
“Are you hungry? It’s almost noon and I made your favorites again.” Kay stood and waited for her daughter to join her.
“Grilled cheese and ravioli?”
“Why of course, my Lady.” Kay smiled and curtsied.
The two walked downstairs to lunch together. Later they washed the dishes and sat on the couch and watched television. By now, all of Allie’s resentment toward her parents melted away. She knew the hunters would find nothing, she smiled inwardly. She and Malcolm had done an excellent job of cleaning up, besides, how would the hunters reach the high cave? A second smile formed as she recounted leaping toward the waterfall and high cave. She was safe, and she would soon be back at school and back at work. It was just a matter of time and patience on her part. Being angry with her parents was exhausting and she would rather be friends.
Allie asked if her mother would like to play Monopoly with her, to which Kay agreed. Even while they played, Allie practiced her skills and could focus at will to see red and blue spots on the board. She smiled to herself; she had a secret she kept from her parents, a power they would never understand or approve of.
Chapter 23
Cavers: A Vampire Tale Page 33
