by C. A. Kunz
Suddenly his classroom door flew open, startling him, and making him grab his desk to stop from falling out of his chair. This was his free period, he was not expecting anyone. One of his students, Stephanie Biers, who also worked in the front office, came rushing in. “Mr. Colvin! Mr. Colvin! Mrs. Colvin needs you at home right away,” she said, breathless from running all the way from the front office.
“Did she say what was wrong?” he asked worriedly.
“No, she just said it was an emergency!” Stephanie exclaimed.
Sam sprang to his feet, dumped his books in his briefcase, and followed her down the hall, overtaking her as he ran for the exit. While driving home, Sam reached for his cell phone. He became frustrated as he remembered he left it on the kitchen counter that morning. He pressed down the accelerator, speeding up a little. Try not to go over the speed limit too much, he thought. After pulling into his driveway, Sam slammed the car in park and ran to the porch as Rachel quickly opened the front door. He saw that she was frazzled and fidgety. She tried to hand him something but he ignored the item and took her in his arms, pulling her close. “Rachel, what’s wrong, are you alright? Is something wrong with the kids?”
She pulled away, “Sam I was cleaning Cat’s room and I found this under her bed. I didn’t know what to do. Read the last line on the marked page,” she said, pressing the small brown book to his chest. He grabbed it and led Rachel to the living room, gently guiding her down onto the couch. While sitting beside her, he opened it and started to read. His eyes filled with worry. “Oh Sam! You don’t think Cat suspects anything, do you?”
“Of course not, she would’ve come to us with questions. Don’t worry, honey, everything will be okay,” he replied, grabbing her in a hug and pulling her close. He only hoped he was right.
“Do you think we should tell Aldon?” Rachel asked as Sam shook his head.
“No, I think we should just wait. Aldon has enough to contend with right now. We will keep this between us. And I’ll find a safe place to hide this. Teenagers are always losing things. Cat won’t give it a second thought,” he replied, smiling reassuringly at his wife.
Cat’s day was moving along at a snail’s pace. With the big regional swim meet happening later that day, she could hardly concentrate on her morning classes. Even with that on her mind, her thoughts kept wandering back to the night on the beach. Why are all these weird things happening to me? Who was that creepy guy in that costume? And why did I feel so drawn to that clearing? So many questions. I wish I had someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn’t think I’m totally nuts.
At lunch, Cat’s friends gathered around and talked about how she was going to win all of her events. She laughed it off. “I guess you guys have more faith in me than I do.”
“Come on, Cat,” drawled Amanda in her recently acquired southern accent. Her mom had been watching some classic westerns when she came home the night before, and she sat down and watched them with her. “With us cheering you on, you’ll definitely win. Right y’all?”
Matt rolled his eyes. “Yes, Miss Scarlett, of course she’ll win.” He flinched as Amanda slugged him in the arm. Elle covered her mouth, muffling a giggle.
“How dare you make fun of my Southern roots, Master Matthew,” Amanda said, looking at him with disdain. “You’re just jealous because I’m a refined lady and you’re a scoundrel.” The group laughed. As they left the cafeteria, Amanda continued punching Matt’s arm.
After walking away from her locker heading to the pool, Cat glanced down the next hallway. She saw Isaac and Ryan in a heated conversation. Ryan’s body language screamed anger as did Isaac’s. Wishing she could hear what was going on between them, Cat rounded back behind the corner and hid, still watching them. I wonder if I could read their minds, she thought. Concentrating, she heard nothing. Great, just when I want to hear people’s thoughts, I can’t. She wished she could at least read Ryan’s mind. Since the dance he seemed more distant. When she confronted him about it all he would say was, “It’s complicated.” Complicated? Really? Why do boys have to be so frustrating? Either he likes me or he doesn’t! During a recent study session she asked him if he wanted her to find another tutor. She was strangely happy to hear the resounding “no” he fired back at her.
“Hey, Cat, you better hurry up and get to the parking lot, or the bus will leave without you,” a voice interrupted her thoughts.
Turning, she saw Michelle, Coach Hutchins’s assistant. “Oh crap! Thanks, Michelle,” Cat huffed and then rushed off.
“Good luck,” Michelle called down the hall.
“Thanks,” Cat yelled back over her shoulder as she struggled with her duffle bag.
“I know what you’re doing Isaac, and it has to stop,” Ryan glared at him.
“What am I doing exactly, and to whom am I doing it?” Isaac replied innocently.
“I’m tired of your almighty attitude. And since when were you made the leader of our group?” Ryan lashed back.
“I guess you didn’t get the memo,” he replied with a smirk.
Ryan growled, grabbed Isaac’s shirt, and pushed him up against the locker. “I’m warning you, stay away from Cat! Leave her alone!”
“I’m the one that needs to stay away from Cat? What about you?” Isaac asked, shoving him back. “You’re lucky you’re like my brother, or I would’ve decked you just now. Try that again, Beckford, and see what happens,” he said coldly.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m her tutor and that’s all. Anyway, the real question is, were you at the beach Saturday? Taylor said Cat was harassed by a vampire.”
“Don’t be stupid, I hate the beach. Why would I go to the beach! And besides, if it was me or any member of our group, don’t you think she would’ve said so? Besides, I’m tired of playing games with her pathetic little group. Taylor’s just trying to cause problems. And of course you fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. And if there really was a vampire, maybe it was a good thing he went after Cat. Maybe things should be shaken up more in this crummy town.” His smirk turned to an evil grin.
“How do you think the parents would react if they knew you were harassing someone protected by our enemies?” Ryan asked.
“I think they’d be more upset hearing you have a crush on her!”
“You can threaten all you like, Isaac, but you know that I’m right about this. So give it up,” he whispered angrily. Ryan slammed his locker and made his way down the hall, leaving Isaac glaring at his retreating back.
Walking into the locker room at the Aquatic Center, Cat almost ran head-on into Amelia. “Watch where you’re going! Oh, it’s you. Miss Catherine Colvin herself,” Amelia said smugly. Cat apologized quickly and walked on to her locker. She was thankful Amelia swam in different events. It was bad enough Cat was in an event with Kirsten. One prima donna was all she could handle.
After quickly changing into her suit and grabbing her swim cap, Cat found her exit blocked by Amelia. “I think we need to have a little chat, you and I. First, about Hannah. You apparently are very stupid, or maybe just naïve, to think you can be friends with her. She belongs to us. Get it?” Amelia said, pointing her long red fingernail in Cat’s face. “And keep your hands off Ryan! I know he’s your tutor, but just know that we’re not happy about it. If I were you I’d ask for another tutor ASAP. You don’t want to cross me, fire crotch! If that’s even your natural hair color,” she whispered snidely with an evil smirk. Amelia put on her swim cap and continued, “This is your last warning. Now run along little kitty, I’ve got to stretch.” She moved to the side, allowing Cat to pass.
Cat walked to the door shaking her head completely, stunned. Why are they so threatened by me? Does she really think I’m going to listen? Well, she’s got another thing coming. I’ll show her, Cat thought while shoving her hair into her cap and angrily pushing open the door to the pool.
The bleachers were packed. People had to stand around the pool, filling all available space. Cat spotted her pare
nts, her friends, her Great Uncle Aldon, and Great Aunt Druanna sitting two rows up from the front on the Astoria high side. A bright red-haired man slipped through the crowd and took a seat by her mother. It was her Uncle Michael, Rachel’s brother. He was a priest in a small parish in Madison. He noticed Cat watching and began waving, calling out her name. She waved back, smiling.
Elle, as the Panther, gave two thumbs up to Cat for a little encouragement and then turned to cheer again. Matt, Amanda, and Julie sat in the front row holding a banner that read: “Go Cat Go!” Cat spied Taylor standing by one of the exit doors with his group of friends. She groaned as she saw Isaac and his clique also in the stands. She noticed Ryan was absent. Quickly scanning the room, she saw most male eyes were focused on the end of the pool where Amelia and Kirsten were stretching their perfect bodies.
“Cat, Cat!” A voice floated across the pool. She saw Linda sitting by her brother on the Madison side. She thought back to the conversation she had with Linda over the phone the other night. Linda had told her that her brother’s girlfriend, Mindy, was competing against her and that she secretly was still rooting for Cat. Cat waved as Linda pointed a finger at her and mouthed, “Behind you.” She turned and saw Mindy’s smiling face.
“Hey Cat, I heard we’re swimming the last freestyle event together. Hope you can keep up,” Mindy said jokingly.
“I’ll hold my own,” Cat replied with a cheeky grin.
“Don’t look now, but the Goth Queen is giving you the evil eye. What did you do?” Mindy asked nodding toward Amelia.
“Well, the simple fact that I’m here bothers her,” Cat replied.
“At least we don’t swim against her,” Mindy whispered. “Have you ever watched her closely when she swims? I don’t know how she does it. But she starts out neck and neck with everyone, and then all of a sudden it’s like she goes into superhuman mode and beats them by a mile,” she explained with a serious look on her face.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve noticed that, too. But I just figured it was my imagination,” Cat replied still looking at Amelia.
“Well, I better get my butt over to the winning side. Good luck, Cat.”
“Yeah, you too,” Cat called out. Watching Mindy walk away, Cat noticed Amelia’s cold stare as she passed her. Ignoring her, Cat scanned the crowd again looking for Ryan, but couldn’t find him.
Cat was scheduled to swim in two events that day. Unfortunately for her nerves, they were the last two. She stretched while she watched the other races. Her team winning most of them. Amelia won both of hers, proving her point that she didn’t have to attend practices. Kirsten won her first race by a few inches.
At last, Cat stood on the blocks and waited for the starting signal. Minutes later she touched the wall and looked up at Stephanie, one of her other teammates, to see her beaming and yelling, “Cat, you came in first!” The stands erupted with cheers as she exited the pool and was immediately hugged by her teammates, except for Amelia and Kirsten, who looked on unimpressed.
There was no time to think about the next race. At least Kirsten was at the farthest lane away from Cat. She focused on the opposite wall, trying to steady her nerves. As soon as she heard the signal, she dove into the pool. The water rushed over her, her arms and legs were as one as they propelled her down the lane. The moment she touched the wall, she quickly turned, and then pushed off with all of her strength. She heard the roar of the crowd as she came up for air. Cat saw her goal inching closer and closer and stretched out her arm to smack the wall in front of her. Gasping for air, she saw Coach Hutchins’s face above her. Her coach’s brilliant smile told Cat all she needed to know.
“Colvin, you beat the state record! You did it!”
Cat bent her head and took a deep breath. When she looked up again, a hand reached down to pull her out of the pool, it was Taylor. He grabbed her and began swinging her around, not caring about his clothes getting wet.
“Way to go, Red Freak! I knew you could do it!”
“Thanks, Taylor,” Cat choked out, amazed at her big brother breaking his cool, reserved attitude to celebrate her accomplishment. Everyone she loved surrounded her, yelling and cheering. She finally found her mom’s face. “I love you!” Rachel yelled.
Ryan stood in a dark corner by the bleachers near the exit. Before her first event he saw Cat glancing at the crowd periodically like she was looking for someone. He hoped that the person was him, but after the way he’d been acting lately he doubted it. He’d held his breath during the last race, not cheering with the rest of the crowd. Ryan’s eyes were focused only on Cat. He was relieved when it was finally over and she had won. He wanted to be the one to pull her out of the pool. He wanted to be the first to congratulate her, but he knew he could only watch from the sidelines. After all, he was only her tutor.
Rachel looked at the clock in the kitchen. She was tired from the excitement of the day. The house had been overrun with friends and family celebrating Cat’s wins. Sam entered the kitchen and grabbed Rachel around the waist, startling her, “I’m bushed. We should probably get to bed.” As they were walking up the stairway they heard noises coming from the attic.
“I think I’ll go check on our champion,” Rachel said, giving Sam a kiss on his cheek.
“Don’t be too long, I’ll probably fall asleep before I make it to the bed,” he joked as he made his way to their room. Laughing, she climbed the attic stairs and knocked on Cat’s door. The door creaked open. Rachel entered the room, not seeing Cat until she sprang up from the side of her bed.
“Young lady, what were you doing?” she asked, studying Cat’s frowning face.
“I’m looking for a little brown book that I’ve apparently misplaced. I can’t seem to find it anywhere,” Cat huffed in frustration.
“Well, I think you can wait until tomorrow to look. It’s late and you need your rest,” she said, biting her lip.
Why is she biting her lip? What is she nervous about? Cat thought to herself.
Rachel noticed Cat staring at her and realized she was biting her lip. Great! I might as well have just admitted that we took the journal and hid it because we didn’t want her to read it! She thought. “Come, on time for bed,” Rachel announced cheerfully, pulling back Cat’s covers to tuck her in. “Night, sweetheart,” she said and then kissed Cat’s forehead before leaving the room.
“What was that all about?” Cat asked out loud, looking at the ceiling.
12
Winter Solstice
Why did she come this way? It was quiet and isolated. The only sound she heard was the wind moving through the trees. She felt so alone. The winter sun began to set and the snow crunched beneath her every step. Wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm, she buried her face under her pink scarf. Peering through it, she watched the ground for obstacles she might trip over. If only she had stayed on the street. Yes, it would’ve taken longer to get home, but at least there would have been traffic and other people.
A loud rustling behind her made her stop. She spun around, only to see shadows of the tall trees and bushes. “Get a grip on yourself. There’s nothing there. Just keep moving,” she said out loud. Her mom and dad would be home by now, starting dinner. If only she hadn’t fought with her boyfriend and stubbornly refused to get in the car with him, she would be warm and almost home.
The sound of footsteps behind her made her turn quickly. In the distance she noticed a dark figure moving toward her. Thinking it was her boyfriend she yelled, “Kevin, I’m not in the mood for this right now, leave me alone!" The figure continued to get closer, not saying a word. “Kevin! This isn’t funny! Quit it!” Her voice sounded wobbly and unsure.
The figure picked up speed and leapt into the air, disappearing into the treetops above her. Fear overcame her and she tried to run. Large snowdrifts made it difficult for her to move quickly. She could hear something above her, leaping from tree to tree, breaking branches and causing them to fall to the ground around her. “Somebody help me!
Please!” she screamed breathlessly. A large branch fell in her path, causing her to trip and tumble. She cried out again. Then the woods went silent. Nothing moved. She was gone.
Cat couldn’t wait for school to end and Christmas break to begin. She was making great strides in math, and because of her performance at regionals she became the talk of the school. It seemed like the fainting incident at the Masquerade Ball was a distant memory. The football team had made it to the state semifinals, so Taylor had been in an exceptionally good mood during the last month. He even drove Cat and Julie to school every day without complaint. He was also in love. At dinner, nearly every sentence had Trish’s name in it. Sam and Rachel would smile at each other, reminiscing how they acted at his age.
“So, have you all heard the latest gossip about Miss Kirsten Fuller’s alleged cramp? That apparently cost her the swim meet?” Amanda asked while using air quotations. “I guess it’s actually more serious than we thought. Rumor is, the doc told her she had to be on those crutches for a few more weeks,” she said, trying not to giggle.
“Give me a break,” Matt piped up. “Everyone knows she’s faking it. She just can’t handle the fact that our little Cat beat her record. She needs to just act like the girl she is, and admit her defeat!” Pretending to be offended, Amanda threw a movie magazine at his head.
“Thanks, Amanda, I haven’t read this one,” Matt said, grinning while he thumbed through the pages.
