by C. A. Kunz
Matt felt a tap on his shoulder and saw a sleek, black cat standing before him. “Would you like to dance?” the cat asked.
“Meeeeowww. My pleasure,” he answered, trying to figure out who was behind the mask.
“Is she serious?” Isaac muttered under his breath.
“Who?” Amelia asked absently.
“Hannah! She just asked Cat’s dorky little friend to dance. Is she really trying to make me angrier than I already am? I’ve got a good mind to go over there and drag her outside,” he snarled as his fingernails began to dig into Amelia’s shoulders.
“Ow, Isaac! That hurts!” she whined. “What would that prove anyway? With that costume on, he probably doesn’t even know who she is! Just drop it. We’ll take care of that later.”
“Yes we will,” he replied glaring menacingly at his sister.
“Oh lookie lookie, Ryan seems to be asking for another chat as well,” she purred, delighted as she watched the anger washing over Isaac’s face, his fangs showing slightly. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” she whispered into his ear.
“Ryan? Ryan? The music stopped. Ryan!” Cat’s voice penetrated his thoughts. He looked up to see her standing there staring at him. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah…sorry, I just have a lot on my mind,” he replied, still seeming distracted.
Cat looked deeply into Ryan’s eyes, which wasn’t hard for her to do. “Hey Ryan, I’ve been meaning to thank you for tutoring me. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be failing math and wouldn’t be on the swim team anymore. So…thanks,” she said with a slight smile.
Pulling her close, he whispered, “No problem.”
Being in Ryan’s arms felt right to Cat. She felt even more protected than when she was in the arms of the centurion. Ryan held her like he would never let her go. Her butterflies and nerves had settled, but her heart was still beating like crazy.
Ryan smiled as he felt Cat sigh. I wonder what she’s thinking. Why can’t I read her like I can every other girl in this school? He asked himself.
The lights dimmed. A haunting melody came from the speakers. Cat continued to sway to the music with Ryan, oblivious to the people around her. After bumping into someone Cat opened her eyes, startled to see she was engulfed by fog. She couldn’t feel Ryan holding her, he was gone. She was all alone on the dance floor. The music slowly faded and the fog began to dissipate. Looking around she realized she was in an unfamiliar room. The walls and floors were made of pristine white marble. The room was in shambles. The only light source was a broken glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Shards of glass littered the area around her. A fierce wind howled through the room, bringing with it stinging rain which chilled Cat to the bone. Lightning lit up the sky and the rumble of thunder quickly followed, causing more glass to splinter off from the broken windows and crash to the floor. Cat stepped back and was startled as more glass shattered at her feet. A moaning sound drew her attention to a figure lying on the floor. She realized it was a woman covered in glass, clutching her head in pain with tiny cuts visible all over her body. The woman began to scream, causing Cat to back away. Seeming to feel Cat’s presence, the woman whipped her head around glaring at her through her wiry black hair. She hissed, baring her fangs, her eyes blazing with hatred. Cat tried to scream, but it was caught in her throat. She felt weak as if her energy was being drained, and then nothing but darkness.
“Cat, Cat, wake up!” Ryan said with concern while holding her in his arms.
“Ryan, what did you do to her?” a worried Amanda yelled crouching down beside them.
“I didn’t do anything! We were dancing, she screamed and then collapsed,” he replied defensively.
Julie bent down and grabbed Cat’s hand. “Cat, Cat, please wake up! Somebody please do something,” she demanded. Cat could hear their voices above her and slowly opened her eyes, unable to see at first due to the cloud of fog that surrounded her. She groaned, remembering that she had been dancing with Ryan, saw something strange, and was now lying on the dance floor, the focus of everyone’s attention again.
“Excuse me, excuse me! Please let me by,” Miss Amaya demanded, pushing her way through the silent crowd and making her way to Cat. Squatting down next to her and putting her arm around Julie, she whispered, “Cat, what happened?”
“I don’t know,” Cat replied, realizing that she was being cradled in someone’s arms and knew without looking that it was Ryan. As she struggled to sit up, Cat hoped her mask hid the blush of embarrassment on her face. Ryan grabbed her gently under the arms and effortlessly pulled Cat to her feet. A wave of dizziness came over her and thankfully Ryan still had a firm grip as she would have fallen otherwise.
Sitting down in the nearest chair, “I shouldn’t have skipped dinner, I guess,” Cat joked, trying to make light of the situation, still thinking about the woman she had seen.
Ryan knelt beside the chair and took Cat’s hands in his. “How do you really feel?” He asked with concern in his voice.
“I feel like I’m burning up,” Cat replied, pulling the black wig off her head, revealing her mane of fiery red hair. She could hear the whispers around her as the crowd realized who she was.
“Let me through. Please move! Yeah, you! Move!” A worried Taylor pushed his way through the crowd. The scene in front of him made him clench his fists. He saw his little sister with her head bent and Ryan holding her hands. “What do you think you’re doing, Beckford? I thought I made myself clear! Get away from my sister!” Ryan rose and backed away not wanting to cause a scene.
Taylor rushed over and grabbed Ryan by the lapels of his coat, “Did you have anything to do with this?” his eyes blazed with rage as Jonathen and the rest of his group gathered behind him. Ryan fought to remain calm. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Isaac, Amelia, and the Stone twins shoving their way toward them.
Cat groaned inwardly, wishing that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. “Taylor, stop it! He didn’t do anything!” she yelled out, using her last bit of energy.
Miss Amaya leaned down and whispered to Cat, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.” Cat tried to smile as Trish took Miss Amaya’s place by her side. Miss Amaya raised her hands in the air, “Alright, everyone stop! We shall have none of this tonight! We all came here to dance and have a good time. And that’s what we shall do! So, DJ play that music!” she ordered, a broad smile plastered on her face. “Now, you two young men come with me this instant!” she demanded, grabbing Ryan and Taylor by the arms. “And as for the rest of you,” she said, looking at Taylor’s and Isaac’s groups who were busy having a stare down, “Cease and desist, or else you’ll see me angry. And believe me, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry!” Both groups looked at her and then backed down, still glaring at each other.
“Everything under control, Miss Amaya?” Principal Landers asked.
“Of course, everything is just peachy keen. I’ll just sort these two out, and then we’ll be done with it,” Miss Amaya replied while walking past her into the luxurious hallway, holding tightly on to both Ryan and Taylor.
“What happened? What did I miss?” Matt asked, seeing everyone standing around Cat.
“What do you mean, what did you miss? Cat fainted again! Wait, where have you been? Who have you been with?” Amanda asked. Cat watched as Hannah, who had been standing behind Matt, slipped away back toward Isaac’s group.
“None of your business. But if you must know, I was with a cute little kitty. Wait a minute! Where did she go?” Matt asked, turning around to introduce her. “She was here a minute ago!”
“In your dreams, Matt. A cute little kitty, please. Make yourself useful and get Cat something to eat and drink, now!” Amanda demanded, pointing to the refreshments. He began to say something, but was interrupted by Elle who grabbed his arm and walked him away from Amanda who was shaking her head.
Cat watched the doors, waiting for Ryan and Taylor to return. To her disappointment Taylor and M
iss Amaya were the only two who came through the door. Taylor strode up to her and looked at Trish, “Come on, we’re going to take her home,” he said, motioning at Cat.
“No, you’re not. You’re going to stay here and enjoy the dance. Just like I’m doing,” she argued. Despite her protest, Trish grabbed one arm and Taylor grabbed the other and started walking toward the door.
“Where’s Ryan?” Cat asked.
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Taylor replied coldly.
“Cat, we’ll call you tomorrow!” Amanda yelled after them.
“Where’s Cat?” Matt enquired, looking around holding a plate of food in one hand and a drink in the other.
“Taylor and Trish took her home,” Amanda replied.
“But I got this food for her,” he explained.
“A person would starve to death if they waited for you to bring them food, Matthew!” Amanda said, rolling her eyes.
“Maybe we should leave too. It’s almost midnight anyway, and I think we’ve had enough excitement for one night,” Julie stated.
“I’ll call my mom. She’ll be happy to hear we are coming home early. She hates to miss out on her beauty sleep,” Amanda quipped, flipping open her cell phone and pressing speed dial.
Cat spent a restless night with the image of the woman’s face permanently burned into her memory. She tossed and turned trying to make sense of what happened. She thought about all the weird things that had been going on since the start of school, especially the totally bizarre episode that night. Why are these things happening to me? Am I going crazy? Apparently, no one else saw or felt what I did. I didn’t even get a chance to thank Ryan for helping me. I wonder how he’s doing. Finally, at four in the morning, she fell into a deep sleep.
10
All Hallows Eve
Sara parallel parked perfectly in front of Squaresville. “This will only take a sec,” Matt told his sister as Cat opened the car door and ran into the store. Cat had fallen in love with the place three years earlier when Aurora Stevens had purchased the building and asked for their help to stock it. She spent many hours working in the store, helping customers, arranging displays, and any other chore that was needed.
The bell chimed loudly as Cat entered. The store was separated by different periods in time, from the early 1900s up to the 1980s. Vinyl records were used as wallpaper, and an old English style red telephone booth stood in one corner. An antique wringer washing machine resided in another. Aurora stood at the cash register wrapping up a purchase. She smiled at Cat and then frowned as a shriek from the back area brought Amanda into view, hopping on one foot.
“Honey, what did you do?” Aurora asked her daughter.
“That stupid marble statue! Mom, I think I broke my toe!” she screeched out, still hopping on one foot.
“Now honey, don’t exaggerate. And how did you kick it? That statue has been there forever. How could you forget it was there? It’s huge,” she replied, shaking her head at her daughter. “Thank you for your purchase and come again,” Aurora told the customer while handing her the neatly-wrapped package.
Cat crossed the shop to help Amanda. “Are you okay?” Cat asked as she helped Amanda sit down.
“Yeah, I guess. The pain’s going away, but I hate that damn statue,” Amanda murmured.
“The guys are waiting outside, are you ready?” Amanda nodded while pouting about her toe.
“Mom, I’m going out. I know, I know, be home by midnight. Love you,” she called out over her shoulder as Cat helped her hobble to the door.
“Bye honey. See you later, thank you for all your help today,” Aurora said and then turned to help another customer.
Cat chose not to tell Taylor or her parents of that night’s true destination. She kind of told them the truth. She said she was hanging out with her friends. But after seeing how worried they all were after last night’s incident, she knew they wouldn’t let her go to the bonfire party if she had asked.
Sara had been bribed by Matt into taking them to the beach. He wouldn’t say what he used, but she did it without complaint. It was a tight fit in Sara’s car, and Cat prayed they would make it to the beach without being pulled over, or worse, get into an accident.
“I’ll be back to pick you up after my shift at the movie theater, okay? You guys stay out of trouble! And remember, I had nothing to do with you getting here, got it?” Sara explained. Everyone nodded and then climbed out of the car.
They could hear voices and loud music coming from below as a huge bonfire lit up the scene. A perfect Halloween moon hung over the ocean, adding to the light from the fire on the beach. Making their way carefully down the narrow path, they arrived at the party, surprised to see the sea of people that stood before them.
“Our first adult party! We’re definitely movin’ on up!” Matt declared.
“Yes, and let’s act like adults, not like some immature juveniles,” Amanda said as she poked her finger into his arm.
“Why are those comments always directed toward me and not everyone? Anyone would think I caused trouble or something.”
“I thought Trouble was your middle name, Matt.” Elle laughed, as he pretended to look offended and then gave them a mischievous look.
The bonfire was huge, the flames reaching high into the sky. Amanda opened her small carryall and pulled out marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers.
Cat rolled her eyes. “Amanda, s’mores? Really?”
“What? You can’t have a bonfire without s’mores,” she replied, looking up innocently.
“And you say I need to grow up,” Matt muttered, glaring at Amanda.
Looking around, the group realized that it was a costume party. “Why didn’t anyone say we had to dress up?” Elle asked worriedly.
“Cat, I’m so glad you made it! Oh…and I see you brought your little friends with you,” Kirsten, dressed as a sexy rabbit, said smugly and then linked arms with Cat, ignoring the others. “Where’s your costume?” Without letting Cat answer, “Oh, never mind. So, I was just saying to Jess and Ton that I was sure you wouldn’t back out. And see I’m right! Of course I am! I’m never wrong. Right, girls?” Her two sidekicks, dressed as a skimpy mouse and a naughty tiger, nodded their heads like good little robots.
“What do you have there?” Kirsten asked, pointing to the bags in Amanda’s hands. “How quaint, you brought stuff to make s’mores. Well perfect, you little kiddies go and make your little treats, and us big people will go and mingle.” Kirsten’s smile failed to reach her eyes as she gently pulled Cat away from her friends.
“What a pompous jerk!” Amanda growled out, and then giggled as she watched Kirsten stiffen, apparently hearing her comment. “Let’s go make some s’mores! Cat can take care of herself,” she announced and made her way to the bonfire, looking for sticks along the way. The others followed, resigned to the fact that making s’mores would probably be the highlight of their evening.
Julie watched Cat walk away with Kirsten, Tonya, and Jess with hesitation. Maybe I should go with her? Julie thought to herself.
“You coming, Julie? Matt and Amanda are going to eat all of the s’mores if you don’t hurry,” Elle stated, breaking Julie’s train of thought.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” she replied with a smile as she walked over to Elle, still watching Cat in the distance.
“Now that I have you all to myself, we can get better acquainted,” Kirsten gushed, ignoring her two friends walking behind them. “I just love your orange hoodie! I didn’t think red heads could wear orange, but it looks good on you. Is that your natural hair color? Of course it is. Why would anyone want to dye it red?” she asked, causing Cat to glare at her. Kirsten sure doesn’t know the art of subtlety.
As they walked along the beach, Cat and the rest of the Trifecta were silent, listening to Kirsten’s nonstop chatter. Cat lost track of time and was surprised they had walked as far as they did. She stopped paying attention to Kirsten when she realized that Kirsten always asked
a question and then answered it before she had a chance to respond. Cat thought it was a safe bet to turn her attention to the moonlit scenery instead. She tuned out Kirsten’s voice and listened to the soothing sound of the waves hitting the beach.
“I think we’ve walked far enough. The beach is a little rocky here and I just had a pedi. I don’t want to mess up my polish.” Kirsten’s voice finally penetrated Cat’s mind.
“That’s a good idea,” Jessica replied.
“Oh! I forgot you two were there. Run on back and get us a drink, we’re thirsty.” Cat watched in amazement as the two drones took off running, obeying their mistress’s order. Kirsten plopped down on a huge rock, patting the spot beside her for Cat to sit. “Let’s wait for them here. They’ll take forever,” Kirsten said, watching the waves crashing against the rocks. Cat looked around and noticed a group of charred and lifeless trees behind them, encircling a bare patch of land.
“What’s that?” she asked Kirsten, pointing to the barren area.
“Oh, that place? I heard a witch was burned there years ago and the fire burned away all the green stuff and it didn’t grow back. They say it’s cursed. And lots of people think it’s haunted by the witch. Yeah right! Probably some lowlife was smoking in bed and fell asleep.”
Cat looked at Kirsten, “Have you ever been inside the circle?”
“Are you kidding? I don’t want a witch following me home,” she replied, unaware that she just contradicted herself.
“If you don’t believe, then what’s the harm in going over there and having a look?” Cat asked.
“We have to wait for the two idiots to get back. Otherwise they won’t find us without a map. Even that would be difficult for them.”
“Come on, aren’t you just a little curious?” Cat queried, pulling Kirsten to her feet.
Trying to pull her hand away from Cat’s grip, Kirsten replied, “I…don’t think we should.”
“Well, I’m going to have a look,” Cat said and then let go of Kirsten’s hand as she walked toward the group of trees.
