Forgotten (21 page)

Katrina instantly recognized the grotesque handwriting on the card as the same that had been on the note she had found in her bag. She read the macabre writing scrawled across the card until it finally sunk in.

YOU NOW HAVE YOUR SISTER’S HEART!

Katrina dropped it suddenly and, feeling the urge to vomit, staggered out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her en-suite bathroom. Once there Katrina sat on the floor next to the toilet, hugged her knees to her chest, and gently rocking back and forth until the feeling had passed.

Getting up, she went over to the sink, turned on the cold-water faucet, and splashed some of the cool water onto her face before patting herself dry gently with a soft towel.

When Katrina looked up, she noticed her reflection in the bathroom mirror and gasped. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were bloodshot through fear and crying, but what made Katrina stare at her reflection in horror was her mouth. There, resting on her bottom lip, were two translucent fangs.

Oh, God! What kind of monster am I?
Katrina thought, stumbling backwards into the bathroom door.

Katrina blinked a couple of times but her reflection was still the same. The same translucent fangs and unnaturally bright emerald eyes stared back at her.

Katrina gripped the sides of the bathroom sink until her knuckles turned white. Then, filled with repulsion, she struck the mirror hard, so that it shattered, raining shards of jagged glass.
I’m a freak
, Katrina thought.

Noticing that she had cut her hand, she stared at the crimson blood that was dripping on the white tiles of the bathroom floor, as she slid down the wall and began to cry.

“Suzanne, what are you doing out here? You should be resting,” Emily asked from the front door.

“Just thinking,” Suzanne replied from where she was sitting on the porch steps.

Emily moved from the front door and joined Suzanne to sit next to her.

“Aren’t you cold?” Emily asked, rubbing her bare arms.

“Not really,” Suzanne said nonchalantly.

Emily shifted on the porch step uncomfortably.

“Suzanne, I’m worried about you.”

“Emily, please. I know you worry, but you don’t have to. I’m fine.”

“I just want to help you.” Emily frowned, noticing that Suzanne’s arm was not bandaged. “I thought you said that you had to keep your arm bandaged for at least three weeks?”

Suzanne looked down at her arm. “Um, it kind of healed.”

“Things just don’t kind of heal, even with your healing abilities as a werewolf.”

“Well, um, you know that Marcus got that witch to do a healing spell?”

“Yeah.” Emily nodded.

“It must have healed my arm as well as the wound to my chest.”

“But you should still have more bed rest. Blood magic is especially unpredictable, and with your nightly jaunt to the cemetery –”

“I’m fine. In fact, I’ve never felt better.”

“That may be so, but I still think you’re rushing things!”

Suzanne closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Emily, I’m okay.”

Letting it drop, Emily stood up, stretched, and made for the house but a hand on her arm stopped her. Emily looked down at Suzanne and was surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes.

“Emily, please don’t be angry.”

Emily frowned. “I’m not angry with you, but I am disappointed that you can’t talk to me. I do know what you’re going through and what it’s like losing a sister.”

“I don’t think you do.”

Emily shrugged off Suzanne’s hand. “I don’t know what it’s like? My sister was murdered in front of me!”

“And so was Katrina!” Suzanne snapped.

“That’s not fair. Marcus was just protecting me and Jonathan.”

“And that gave him the right to commit murder and change Katrina into a bloodsucking monster with no soul?”

“Is that what you really think? That I am a soulless, bloodsucking monster?”

“Well, if the cap fits!”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Suzanne.”

“And what’s that?”

“You’re shifting all the blame to me and Marcus because you can’t handle what you’re really feeling.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that comment?”

“You’re in denial!”

“I’m not!”

“You’re even denying that you’re in denial!”

“I’m not in denial!”

“Suzanne, just admit that Katrina was in the wrong place at the wrong time!”

“And that gave Marcus the right to kill my sister?” Suzanne stood up and pushed past Emily.

“He made a choice that he thought was right at the time.”

“Stop sticking up for him!”

“Suzanne, why are you acting like this?”

“Just leave me alone!” Suzanne screamed. And with that, she was gone, slamming the door behind her.

Oh, great!
Emily thought, massaging the bridge of her nose in frustration.

There was something on the ground; something Suzanne had dropped? Emily stooped and picked it up. It was a piece of white paper with a message written in red ink.

The note read:

Suzanne,

How do you feel living with a murderer? Marcus killed your sister over two hundred years ago when he cursed her with the same fate as himself and last year he tried to kill her again because she found out some of his secrets. And, Suzanne, you’re going to be next, so be careful.

A Concerned Friend

Emily folded it, perplexed, and then stuffed it into her denim shorts back pocket before returning to the house.

Jonathan watched Emily go upstairs from the kitchen doorway and waited until he heard the faint click of a door being opened upstairs before he walked lazily down the hall and entered the study.

As he walked in, Marcus looked over at him, his gray eyes clouding his emotions.

“Jonathan, did you do that little job I asked you to take care of?”

Jonathan walked over to the couch and put his feet up on the small table in front of him. “Yeah, I made sure that the girl would be found easily.”

“How easily?”

He shrugged. “Someone started screaming as I left the park.” A pause, then he added, “But I wish you would just let me leave them in the woods or something.”

“I hope you aren’t complaining.”

“No, but don’t you think it’s a little risky murdering one of Suzanne’s and Emily’s classmates?”

Marcus smiled. “You worry too much. No one is going to connect a dead cheerleader, with an apparent slit throat, to me.”

“I still think you are playing a dangerous game.”

“All games have an element of risk. Besides, in this game, I know all the rules.”

“I just think you should be more careful. Suzanne is becoming seriously unhinged, Emily is started to get suspicious, and don’t forget your dealings with Starr.”

Marcus chuckled, “Just leave Starr to me. I have something special planned for our little rogue wolf.”

He paused then, and as it listening for something, tilting his head to one side. He frowned.

“Is anything wrong?” Jonathan asked.

“Maybe … Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I don’t like this!” Marcus whispered, noticing that the door to the girls’ bedroom was slightly ajar.

Taking a couple of long strides, Marcus covered the distance between the top of the stairs and the girls’ bedroom in seconds.

Jonathan sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything unusual.”

“Well, something obviously is! In all the time we’ve known them have they ever had their bedroom door unlocked, let alone open?” Marcus said, his voice still low.

“So what do we do?” Jonathan murmured back.

Gesturing to Jonathan with one hand to be still and motioning that he also stay quiet, Marcus very softly placed his hand on the bedroom door and pushed it slowly, gently, open.

The scene before Marcus and Jonathan took them totally by surprise. The bedroom was tidy, there was no sign of there having been a struggle, the beds were neatly made, and everything was in its proper place.

Marcus and Jonathan looked at each other, puzzled.

“What the hell is going on?” Marcus said, raking his fingers through his hair.

“Marcus?”

“What?” he replied, curtly.

“Look there!” Jonathan said, pointing.

Marcus’ eyes followed the direction of Jonathan’s finger and there on the floor, between the girls’ beds, was what appeared to be part of a human arm.

Marcus stiffened. A lump formed in his throat, and he swallowed it away. Carefully, he walked closer to the arm, then stopped. He sighed in relief. It was still attached to a body.

A girl’s body.

Panic gripped Marcus’ heart when he realized who the girl was.

Emily.

“Is she dead?” Jonathan asked, making Marcus jump involuntary.

Marcus felt the palms of his hands begin to sweat so, wiping them on his jeans, he knelt down next to Emily and tried to feel for a pulse on her wrist.

What the hell am I doing?
Marcus thought suddenly.
Vampires doesn’t have a pulse!

“Ow,” Emily groaned softly.

“Emily!” Marcus whispered, brushing some of Emily’s hair away from her face.

Emily’s eyes fluttered open. They slipped into focus on the men hovering above her.

“Are you okay?” Jonathan asked, a concerned look on his face.

Emily smiled weakly. She tried to stand, but dizziness overcame her and she sat heavily back on the floor.

“Don’t get up,” Marcus warned, “you’re still shaky.”

Emily looked around the room to get her bearings and, realizing that Suzanne wasn’t there, asked, “Where’s Suzanne?” Her voice was a mixture of concern and annoyance.

“Can you remember what happened?”

“Not really. Suzanne was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine, and I thought she hadn’t noticed me come into the bedroom.” Emily paused and rubbed her temples, trying to remember. “Then I thought she must still be angry with me …” Tears sprang to Emily’s eyes as the fog in her brain started to clear.

Seeing her distress, Jonathan slipped an arm around Emily’s shoulders. Gently, he rocked her back and forth. Emily leaned into him for comfort and continued, “I just thought that Suzanne was ignoring me, so I got ready for bed.”

“If it’s too hard for you to continue, it’s okay,” Marcus interrupted.

“No, I’m fine. I want to continue.” Emily paused and wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her sweater. Composing herself, she took a deep, cleansing breath before turning once more to Marcus and going on. “I don’t know what really happened next. One minute I was sitting at my dresser and the next Suzanne had me by the hair and was banging my head against the floor!”

Marcus started to fiddle with the titanium ring on his right ring finger, before standing up and walking over to the window that Suzanne had left open. A smile touched the corners of his lips, but he wiped it away before anyone could see, turning back toward Emily with a solemn, yet sympathetic, look.

“Marcus, that’s not all!”

Marcus arched his eyebrows. “There’s more?” He sat down beside her. “If you feel up to continuing …”

Emily looked away from Marcus, embarrassed. “Well, as she was attacking me she was raving on about something. I couldn’t make out most of what she was saying, but what I did get was that she thinks that we are conspiring against her. And then, just before I was knocked out, she mentioned something about Katrina. I have the feeling that she thinks that she actually killed me.”

“She thinks that we are conspiring against her? Why would she think that?” Marcus asked, trying to remain expressionless.

Emily hugged her knees to her chest. “Because of the note.”

“What note?” Marcus asked.

“It wasn’t anything important,” Emily replied, realizing that she shouldn’t have said anything.

“I would say that this note is pretty important, otherwise why would Suzanne be acting so strange?” Marcus folded his arms and glared at Emily.

“Well,” Emily started, “I found a note that Suzanne had dropped, that implied that she was in danger.”

“I see,” Marcus said, intrigued, “and you think that is why Suzanne attacked you?”

“I suppose,” Emily mumbled, unsure.

“And where is the note now?”

“Huh?”

“The note? Where did it go?” Marcus repeated.

Emily unsteadily got up off the floor, moved to her bed and sat cross-legged on top of the covers.

“Erm.” Emily closed her eyes, willing the fog from her mind. “I think I left it on the dresser.”

Marcus moved across the room to Emily’s dresser and started to hastily move around her things, knocking a couple of her textbooks to the floor in the process. “Where?”