by Kunz, C. A.
“What do you mean sick valentines?”
“Sorry Julie, could you hold on a sec? Miss Amaya’s on the other line.”
“Miss Amaya? Why is she calling you?” Julie asked.
“Oh…uh…I was helping her research something for bio, and she’s just getting back to me,” Cat replied, hoping it sounded legit. “Just one sec, okay?” Cat switched calls, “Hi Miss Amaya.”
“Hello, Cat, I hope this isn’t too late for me to call.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve been waiting to hear from you. And why weren’t you in biology today?”
“I left right after our conversation to speak with Gretchen.”
“Well, what did she say?” Cat asked with urgency in her voice.
“I’m afraid the three girls are the ones responsible for Melvin’s disappearance. Spirit couldn’t see if he was alive, though. But I feel in my gut that he’s still with us,” Miss Amaya choked out.
“We’ll find him, I’m sure of it,” Cat said, trying to console her.
“Cat, you must be careful. Spirit said that you are their main target. I know you don’t want to tell your parents, but I think it’s time to. You will need their aid, if what spirit fears does indeed come to fruition. We’ll talk more tomorrow. Goodnight, Cat, and please be safe.”
“I will, don’t worry,” Cat replied and took a deep breath before switching back over to Julie.
After talking with Cat for a few minutes, Julie hung up the phone and turned to her mother, Claire, who was standing by waiting to hear what had happened.
“Things are escalating,” Julie murmured.
“Are you going out again tonight?” Claire asked.
“Yes, I think I need to,” she replied, pulling on her boots.
“Did she believe you were sick?”
“Of course. I’ve had a lot of practice lying to her.”
“But it’s for her own good. It’s a part of your focus.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make lying feel any better,” Julie replied, exiting out the back door.
“So what did she say?” Matt asked Cat the next day at their lockers.
“What did who say?” Cat replied puzzled.
“Ms. Landers, when you gave her those creepy valentines,” Matt answered, getting testy as Cat obviously was not paying attention to him.
“Oh, that. She said she’d look into it.”
“Yeah, right!”
“What do you mean by that?” Cat asked defensively.
“She probably just thinks it’s a prank. But I know better. Something’s not right, and I’m going to find out what,” Matt said. He turned on his heel and stormed off.
“What’s with him?” Elle asked from behind Cat.
“I don’t know, I guess he’s off to fight windmills,” Cat quipped, remembering Don Quixote from summer reading last year.
19
Come To My Window
Cat was worried. It had been a few weeks since Valentine’s Day and nothing had happened. She found herself jumpy and easily startled. Her days and nights were plagued with thoughts of what the three girls were planning. Cat knew the next attack was drawing near. This was far from over and she had to be ready, ready for anything. She felt guilty that she still hadn’t told her parents and ignored Miss Amaya’s advice. She didn’t want them to even think about sending her to be with Ròs and Trevor.
A scratching noise at the window pulled Cat away from her thoughts. Jewels! Just what I need right now, she thought with a smile. Somehow talking to that cat always just makes me feel better. Walking to the window she saw no sign of her, but could hear a faint meowing. She must be on the roof waiting for me, Cat thought, opening the window. She pulled her robe tighter as the biting wind hit her. Glancing up at the roof, Cat didn’t see the feline. “Jewels? Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Where is she?” Cat began to ascend the ladder up to the widow’s walk, but then stopped as she heard a clicking noise. Looking down at her window, she saw it had closed. After climbing down, she reached for the handle and was confused when it didn’t turn. It was locked.
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” a female voice sounded from down below. Cat looked over the balcony and there stood Amy with a toothy grin. “Can kitty Cat come out and play?” She asked, spreading her arms wide.
“What do you want?” Cat answered stiffly.
“We want to play, don’t we girls?” Cat saw two more figures emerge from behind the Sitka spruce tree.
“Linda misses her little Cat, don’t you Linda?” Amy asked, turning to Linda, who had moved forward to stand by her. Linda stared up at Cat, her face bleak. She jumped when Becca elbowed her.
“Amy asked you a question, Linda. Answer her!” Becca grinned up at Cat, her elongated teeth gleaming in the moonlight.
“Linda, don’t listen to them! Please come back to us,” Cat pleaded, watching her friend’s face as it went from sad to angry.
“Bit late for that, huh, Cat?” Linda spat out.
“It’s not. Let me help you,” Cat answered.
“Hey, enough of this little reunion. So, how’s Matt doing after his little accident? And he was supposed to die, for your information,” Amy remarked. Cat scowled down at her. Amy laughed evilly, “Oh, and did you like the roses and the beautiful valentine hearts we sent you? We worked really hard on those poems. Hallmark quality, really.”
“Amy, don’t forget about Melvin,” Becca reminded her.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about dear Mr. Pierson. He’s such a hoot at mealtimes. I think he’s beginning to enjoy it. What? No response? Cat got your tongue?” The three’s wicked laughter filled the air.
“I thought it was you guys. And those poems sucked!”
Amy let out a low growl and clenched her fists as Cat spoke.
“What do you want? If you have a problem with me, deal with me. I’m the one you want, right? Then what are you waiting for? I’m right here. Come and get me.” Cat grinned coldly as she saw the indecision on their faces. She rose up over the balcony and floated gracefully to the ground. “You want to play? Let’s play!” Cat rose back up into the air and floated to the nearest tree.
The three girls looked at each other, “What are you looking at me for? Get her!” Amy’s voice shook with rage. Linda and Becca just stood there looking up at Cat in the tree. “You imbeciles! Why are you just standing there? Go get her. Or do I have to do everything myself?” she yelled.
“But Amy, I thought we were only instructed to scare her. She doesn’t look very scared to me,” Becca whined.
“Fine. You two stay here,” Amy hissed. She floated up to the Sitka spruce tree branch that Cat was perched on. “Nowhere to run now, Cat.” Amy grinned and then lunged for her. Cat dodged her and shifted to the next branch up, out of Amy’s reach.
“Kind of slow, aren’t you Amy?” Cat taunted, moving gracefully between the large tree’s branches.
“I’ll show you slow,” Amy replied angrily while shoving a few smaller branches away from her face as she talked. Bounding up several tree limbs, Amy chased after Cat in hot pursuit. Cat managed to stay one step ahead of her, always shifting from her grasp at the last minute.
“Alright, that’s it. No more fooling around,” Amy whispered angrily. She gripped the tree’s trunk firmly and began rocking back and forth, shaking the tree with her brute strength. The tree swayed uncontrollably which caused Cat to lose her balance. She fell, but caught herself on the tree limb she had been standing on. As she struggled to pull herself up, she felt long fingernails dig into her shoulders, feeling like needles as they punctured the skin.
“Doesn’t that feel good, Cat?”
“No, not really,” Cat replied and then pushed her head forward and then shoved it back quickly, headbutting Amy in the nose. Amy lost her grip on Cat and began to fall, but then grabbed onto Cat’s ankle, and pulled Cat down with her. Both girls slammed hard on to a large tree limb just below them.
“Didn’t count on that, now did you?” Amy stated wi
th an evil grin as she sat up. “You may be quicker, but I am much stronger!” Cat pulled herself to her feet and got into a defensive stance while Amy dusted herself off. “One more time then, little kitty?” Cat just waited there, staring her down. Amy dove for her and then screamed as something flew into her face, wildly scratching her. Cat watched on in amazement as Jewels seemed to appear out of thin air, causing Amy to tumble to the ground. Becca and Linda hurried to her side to help her up.
Jewels landed gracefully on her feet, hissing loudly at the three girls. “Becca! A little help here would be nice!” Amy barked. Becca nodded and then concentrated on Cat up in the tree. Moving her hand from left to right, she sent a tree branch hurling toward Cat. Cat ducked out of the way and dove to the next branch, tearing her robe in the process, and catching a fist full of twigs and leaves in her hair. The sound of the branch beginning to crack under Cat startled her.
Becca concentrated on the branch Cat was lying on and squeezed her hand into a fist. The branch snapped from the tree and sent Cat tumbling down with it, crashing through layers of foliage before hitting the ground. As she struggled to make it to her feet, Cat glared at the three girls the whole time. She noticed Amy eying Jewels with a smirk on her face. Worried for her feline friend, Cat tried to shift over to her. Amy lunged for Jewels before Cat could reach her. Jewels easily moved out of the way, and Amy’s momentum sent her flying by, skidding along the ground. The feline turned and Cat could swear she was grinning.
“So Cat has a kitty to fight her battles for her,” Amy growled, pulling her face up from the soggy grass.
“Maybe she thought I was outnumbered and came to help,” Cat said, shrugging her shoulders and sending the girls a huge grin.
“You wouldn’t be so cocky if our master was here,” Becca said smugly.
“You have a master? So what, you’re like slaves or something?” Cat asked.
“We’re not slaves, we’re-”
“His army!” Amy roared, finishing Becca’s sentence.
“An army? You guys? Ha, like that scares me! I want you to stop this! Let Mr. Pierson go, and get the hell out of Astoria! You’ve got no idea what you’re dealing with here!” Cat yelled. Then Jewels hissed again at the three.
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with?” Amy chuckled. “Did you hear that, girls? We don’t know what we’re dealing with! Well, kitty Cat, I don’t think you know what you’re dealing with. Our master wants you, and he’ll have you when the time is right!” Amy’s jet black eyes seemed to flash red in the moonlight.
Suddenly, the yard was illuminated by the front porch light. Alarmed, Cat’s focus turned to the front door. When she looked back at the three girls, they were gone. Jewels was sitting there all alone, licking her paw. As Cat heard the front door begin to open, she shifted to the side of the house. Sam stepped out onto the porch and scanned the yard. He lifted his nose to the air, “Vampires?”
Great,how the hell am I going to get inside now? My window is locked, and Dad’s at the front door. Oh, I can wake Taylor up! Cat thought and floated up to his window. She knocked but there was no answer. She knocked again harder and was relieved when a figure came into view. Taylor’s sleepy face peered out at her and his eyes opened wide with shock at the sight of her floating in the air.
Taylor flung open the window and asked, “What are you doing? And why do you look like crap?”
“It’s a long story, and it’s freezing! Do you mind moving so I can come in?”
“So this is what it looks like when a vampire floats, huh?”
“Really funny, Taylor, really funny. Just go back to bed and pretend this was a dream.”
“More like a nightmare. You should see your hair,” Taylor laughed.
“You should see yours, Alfalfa!” Cat remarked, opening his bedroom door. As Cat checked to make sure no one was around, she saw the foyer light go out and heard her dad coming up the stairs. She hurried toward her attic bedroom and floated up the stairs so not to make them creak. As she closed the bedroom door behind her, Cat sighed, relieved that she was safe in her room. What was I thinking, taking on those three? I mean, I could’ve been killed, she thought as a shiver of fear ran through her. Hearing the creak of the stairs, Cat flopped on her bed and pulled her comforter up to her chin, pretending to be asleep.
Sam opened her bedroom door and looked around. He smiled when he saw Cat asleep in her bed. “Goodnight, Cat,” he whispered and shut the door.
Cat waited until she heard the creaking of the stairs cease before she headed to her bathroom to clean up. As she began to open her bathroom door, a knock came at her window, startling her. “If you’ve come back with reinforcements, just forget it! I’m not in the mood,” Cat whispered angrily, throwing the curtains open. She was surprised to see Ryan standing there, a frown on his face.
“So, an exciting night, huh?” Ryan asked as he stepped into the room, looking at the leaves and twigs still stuck in her hair. “And I see you’re wearing the latest fashion,” he continued, pointing at her dirty and torn robe.
“Yeah, really exciting. You just missed it. You could’ve joined Jewels and me in a little game of tag with the three vamp girls,” Cat said over her shoulder as she made her way to the bathroom to see the damage.
“They were here?” Ryan asked before a muffled shriek came from the bathroom.
“No wonder I scared Taylor, I’m hideous!” Cat moaned, pulling the leaves out of her matted hair.
“I think you look fine,” Ryan said, coming up behind her.
“You really need to review your definition of looking fine. Either that or get glasses,” she groaned. “Then again, maybe leaves in hair could be a new trend. And since we have so many trees in Astoria, we so could cash in.”
“Cat, we need to get serious for a moment. These girls are dangerous,” he replied, turning her around to face him.
“Don’t you think I already know that? Hello, physical evidence here,” Cat stated, pointing at her hair and robe. “It also seems like they’re not working alone. They have a master.”
“What? They said that? I wonder who it is. We need to talk with Mr. Bancroft immediately. This is getting too far out of hand.” Ryan’s forehead creased with worry.
“Maybe you’re right. I’m just so tired of everything, though. I just need normal! Is that too much to ask for?” she sighed as Ryan took her in his arms.
“Don’t worry, Cat, we’ll work this out. You need to get some sleep, though,” he said as he laid her down on the bed and tucked her in. Kissing her forehead, “I’ll be right here when you wake up, okay?” Cat yawned slightly while nodding her head.
“Eww, I feel so gross. I really should take a shower, but I’m too exhausted,” she moaned. As she rolled over, Ryan laid next to her and wrapped his arm about her waist.
What are we going to do? Ryan thought as he removed a small twig from Cat’s hair.
“So, did you come through my window last night, or was that a nightmare?” Taylor asked Cat as they made their way to their cars.
“I have no idea what you are…oh, hi Mrs. Roberts, such a lovely morning, isn’t it? I’d love to stay and chat, but we’re running a little late,” Cat said rapidly as Julie ran up the drive and jumped into the Jeep, giving Maude a little wave.
“Well, dear, you run along and I’ll just chat with Taylor about the strange noises I heard last night.” Taylor groaned inwardly and glared at Cat as the Jeep started backing down the driveway.
“Well, young man, did you hear anything last night?” Maude inquired.
“Nope, can’t say that I did. Sorry, but I’m kind of in a hurry, too. They kind of frown upon us being late for school,” Taylor quipped without waiting for her response.
Watching Taylor pull away from the driveway, Maude yanked on Fredricka’s leash and made her way back to her house. “Something’s not quite right about that family, and Mummy intends to find out what it is. I know I heard voices and strange noises last night. Darn it, I wi
sh I hadn’t left my glasses downstairs so I could’ve made out what on earth was in that big tree! Oh well, from now on my glasses will be right beside my bed. I’ll be prepared next time.” Maude opened her front door and made her way inside as Fredricka was busy attacking the leash.
The school day seemed to drag on forever as Cat was anxious to get the meeting over with Mr. Bancroft. Before first period she had found Miss Amaya and told her about the night’s events. She informed Cat of a sealing spell that she could place on her house. Unlike salting, which only wards off dark magics, a sealing spell would prevent the three girls from crossing her house’s threshold. Cat didn’t mention the part about Lucien Bancroft, wanting to see how the meeting would go first. She hated keeping secrets from Miss Amaya.
The final bell rang and Cat quickly grabbed her things and made her way to her locker. Ryan was standing there looking troubled.
“What’s wrong?” Cat asked before dialing her locker combination.
“I couldn’t concentrate today. All I kept thinking about was what happened last night and that I wasn’t there to help you. It scares me that I can’t be there all the time. If anything ever happened to-”
“Listen Ryan, I’m okay, really,” she said, emptying her messenger bag into her locker. “Now let’s go talk to Mr. Bancroft.” Cat took Ryan’s hand and lead him down the hall. “There’s Julie, let me give her my keys, and then I’ll meet you at your car.” She gave him a quick kiss before making her way across the parking lot. “Thanks so much for doing this, Julie. I’ll come by your house and pick up the keys later, okay?”
“No problem. Have a good time,” Julie called out as she opened the Jeep’s door and got inside.
“Thanks again,” Cat yelled back, smiling. Julie watched as Ryan drove away and then hit speed dial on her phone.
“Yes, I know,” she told the person on the other end. “I’ll take care of it.” Julie sighed as she pondered her night ahead. “I guess my English homework won’t get done tonight,” she muttered as she pulled out of the parking lot.
