Forgotten (7 page)

“I think I’d better go. See you later, babe,” Billy said quickly, disappearing down the tree.

“Don’t bet on it!” Jessica called after him, then closed the window and pulled across the curtains. She turned back to Katrina, and met the girl’s cold eyes. “Billy convinced me that it would be funny if we didn’t say anything about the try-outs starting tomorrow and surprised you with it instead. I shouldn’t have listened to him, it was a stupid practical joke that I never should have agreed to. I promise you that I would have told you in the morning,” she said.

“I know you would have. I’m not angry with you.”

“Then why are you looking at me like you want to kill me?”

Blinking several times in quick succession, Katrina’s face broke into a smile. “I wasn’t aware that I was looking at you.”

“You were; your eyes went really cold. It was like you were looking straight through me.”

“Jessica, stop overreacting and tell me all about cheerleading try-outs. Don’t they normally take place in May or June?”

Jessica took a seat beside Katrina on the bed. “Yeah; our school is weird, though, and likes mixing up the schedule. You’ll get used to it. So, what do you want to know?”

“Everything you can tell me, I guess.”

“Right. Well, first we are put into a team and do some old routines, cheers and stuff, then the coach sees how fit we are and asks us to make up a new cheer on the spot.”

“That’s it? I thought it would sound more grueling somehow, like sweating blood, but you make it sound easy.”

“That’s what I thought at first, but after I asked Madison about it last year she invited me to sit in on one of the squad’s practice sessions. That’s when I changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“Because hardly any of the girls raised a sweat, which I thought was fairly surprising considering the routine they were doing was pretty complex.”

There suddenly came a soft tapping, and both girls jumped.

“Do you think that’s Billy?” Jessica whispered.

I hope not!
Katrina thought, but aloud she said, “No, I think it came from the door.”

Katrina got up off the bed and went to answer it.

“Mom!” Katrina gasped and looked away guiltily.

“Do I take it by that look on your face you know what time it is?” Mrs. Sinclair asked.

Katrina glanced over to her clock. It read 11:57 p.m.

“Um. We were just saying goodnight to each other.”

Turning to the voice, Mrs. Sinclair cried, “Jessica!”

“I was just leaving!” Jessica replied. Her face was buried in Katrina’s bed covers, and her voice came out muffled.

“Jessica! Why in heaven’s name are you like that on Katrina’s bed?” Mrs. Sinclair folded her arms. “Why won’t you look at me?”

Jessica sat up but still avoided looking in her mother’s direction.

“Come on, something’s wrong!” Mrs. Sinclair said, starting to lose her patience.

“Nothing is wrong. Why should there be anything wrong?” Katrina said quickly – a little too quickly.

Idiot
. Katrina mentally kicked herself.

“Because you two are acting very guiltily about something.”

“Guilty, us?” Katrina and Jessica exchanged glances.

“Jessica, are you keeping something from me?” Mrs. Sinclair asked.

“No, I’m not. I’ve been discussing cheerleader try-outs with Katrina, that’s all. Mom, sometimes you can be so suspicious.”

“So it wasn’t Billy I saw limping away from our kitchen window ten minutes ago then?”

“Mom, I don’t know what your talking about! Next you’ll be saying he climbed up the tree outside Katrina’s window,” Jessica said, gesturing toward where she had spoken to him moments before.

“Well that might very well explain why he was limping.”

There was no way her mother would understand, so Jessica stood up and, taking Shelby in her arms, left the room. As she passed her mother in the doorway, Jessica stopped and kissed her lightly on the cheek before making her way to her own bedroom and slamming the door shut.

“I wish she wouldn’t do that,” Mrs. Sinclair muttered. Then, to her foster daughter, she added, “Night, Katrina.”

“Night, Mom.”

When her foster mother had left the room, Katrina lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Feeling something digging into the small of her back Katrina sat up and looked to see what it was. Katrina smiled and picked up one of Jessica’s DVDs and placed it next to her phone on her nightstand along with Jessica’s yearbook, throwing the two empty soda cans in her trash can.

“A cheerleader,” Katrina mused quietly to herself.

After a while she turned out the light. She fell asleep in her clothes.

Katrina flipped over in bed, her covers tangled around her legs. Even though she was asleep, she knew what was happening; she was dreaming …

She was in a ballroom. A beautiful glittering crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room and cast a romantic glow over the people dancing around her in their elegant clothes. Feeling a little dizzy, Katrina made her way through the dancing couples, out onto the veranda and then into the garden. Outside it was quiet, the only sound was of the music drifting out from the ballroom orchestra.

Katrina rubbed her bare arms and cursed silently to herself that she didn’t have her cloak.

“Are you cold?” a male voice said from behind Katrina.

Katrina whirled and was confronted with a man about a year older than her with short brown hair and brown eyes. Not conventionally handsome, but there was a certain something about him.

Katrina smiled nervously.

“I’m sorry if I startled you,” He gave her a slight bow.

“No, you didn’t startle me. You must excuse me; I really need to get back to the ball,” Katrina said nervously, starting for the house.

“Katrina?”

Katrina felt her blood run cold. Her knees seemed to buckle beneath her.

“I’m sorry,” he said apologetically, slipping his arm around Katrina’s waist to support her, “I should have introduced myself but I thought you knew me. I’m Marcus Townsend.”

Katrina straightened.

“You’re Mister Townsend?” Katrina asked, surprised.

“In the flesh.” Marcus winked. “And I’m at your service, m’lady.” He took her hand in his and lightly kissed it.

Katrina smiled in spite of herself and, rubbing her bare arms again, decided to make her way toward the rose arbor, Marcus following close behind. Once there, she sat down on a stone seat; Marcus did the same.

“Are you cold?” Marcus repeated.

“No, why do you ask?”

“Two things: you keep rubbing your arms, and you’re shivering.”

“Shivering?” Katrina said absently. Her attention was drawn to two people talking on the balcony just outside the ballroom. Something about the couple gave Katrina pause, and as the man turned more into the moonlight she realized that it was Jonathan Granger, the beau that her sister wanted to court.

At least I now know why Suzanne was so adamant to come here tonight
, Katrina thought.

“Katrina, are you alright?” Marcus asked. He followed Katrina’s gaze to the balcony and his eyes narrowed.

Katrina gave herself a mental shake and forced her attention back toward Marcus. “Do you know her?” Katrina nodded toward the balcony.

“Yes. Her name is Emily Rhodes and she is staying with me and Jonathan this season.”

“Is she a relative?”

“Kind of,” Marcus replied cryptically.

Katrina frowned. “I’m sorry to be so unbecoming, but how can you be ‘kind of’ related to a person? Either you are, or you’re not!”

Marcus removed his coat and placed it around Katrina’s shoulders. As he did, he said, “It’s hard to explain, but you could say that Emily and I share the same blood.”

Katrina opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated, her face suddenly showing both alarm and confusion.

“Is something wrong?” Marcus asked, his voice laced with concern.

“I need to get back to the ball. There is someone I must speak to urgently!”

“Why, of course. I hope everything’s okay.”

Katrina looked at Marcus and smiled. “I’m sorry about this and to you it might seem trivial, but I must go and intercept Suzanne before she sees Jonathan with Emily.”

“Why?”

“Because knowing my sister, she has probably disobeyed our father and shimmied down one of the ivy tresses to get here. If she sees Jonathan alone with a beautiful girl she would surely cause a scene.”

As Katrina and Marcus walked back toward the house, Katrina let her attention go back to Jonathan. When she was within earshot of his discussion with Emily, she stopped, horror struck. “Did I hear that correctly?” she asked Marcus. Tears welled in her eyes. “Please say that Jonathan was joking!”

Marcus bowed his head. He whispered, “I’m sorry, but it’s not a joke. What Jonathan was saying is true.”

“B-b-but that can’t be … there’s no such thing! It can’t be true! He can’t be a
werewolf
!”

Jonathan and Emily stopped talking and looked over the stone railing into the garden below. Noticing Marcus below him, Jonathan jumped over the stone barrier and landed gracefully behind Marcus.

Katrina stumbled backwards in shock. She kept her eyes fixed on Jonathan’s, which were now silver.

“I can’t believe this,” she said. “You couldn’t have just jumped thirty feet. You’d die. No human could …”

“Katrina, you shouldn’t have found out this way,” Marcus said, trying to steer Katrina’s attention away from Jonathan.

“Actually, I’d say it was nearer forty feet and yes, no human could make that jump,” Jonathan interrupted.

“You can’t be a werewolf!”

“Katrina, let’s talk about this someplace else. Somewhere that is less public?” Marcus said, again trying to take charge of the situation.

“No, Marcus! I won’t go anywhere with you or that freak of nature … how could you let that thing out in public, let alone go around and harass innocent young girls like my sister?”

“Katrina, I honestly thought you would understand.”

“Understand!” Katrina screamed, her mind trying to comprehend what she was hearing. “What is there to understand? I’ve just found out that my sister has been in danger.”

“I would never hurt Suzanne, you must know that,” Jonathan pleaded, stepping toward Katrina.

Katrina stumbled backwards, falling into a rose bush and losing Marcus’ coat from her shoulders in the process, thorns tearing at her dress and cutting into her now bare arms.

She examined her arms, streaked with thin little rivers of blood – and then her heart was seized with fear as she looked up and spied Marcus and Jonathan approaching her.

“Don’t come near me!” Katrina screamed. “Those girls that have been disappearing – that’s you! Both of you murdered those girls, didn’t you?”

Jonathan hesitated.

Katrina looked around at her surroundings and tried to survey the best way of escape. Her mind hit on the nearby apple orchard. A fresh wave of hope surged through her.

Now if only I can get to it
, Katrina thought,
then I will be able to lose dog-boy and his Master – but first I have to get out of this damned infernal rose bush.

“Now what do we have here?” came a soft voice with a hint of a French accent from behind the two men. From the shadows the girl that Jonathan had been talking to on the balcony appeared, her violet eyes shining in the bright moonlight.

“Emily! What the hell are you still doing here?” Marcus growled.

Emily shrugged, then came up beside Marcus and smiled sweetly, showing two translucent, ivory fangs about one and a half inch long that rested on her bottom lip.

Katrina stared at Emily and willed herself not to scream.

“Marcus, why is she looking at me like that?” Emily asked.

Marcus ignored her. Instead he turned to Jonathan and ordered, “Take Emily home!”

“But I don’t want to go home; I’ll miss all the fun!” Emily said, pouting.

“Emily, it wasn’t a request!”

“Jonathan, what’s wrong with him?” Emily whispered. “Has it something to do with
her
?” She inclined her head toward Katrina on the last word.

“Home … now!” Marcus shouted, finally losing his patience.

“She has fangs, like a cat, and Jonathan’s a werewolf. What are you people?” The three bystanders turned back toward Katrina, whose voice was shaky, yet soft. “I trusted you, Jonathan. I trusted you with my sister’s safety and you just stand there as if it is a sunny afternoon and there is nothing wrong with you. You’re freaks, all of you. Abominations!” Katrina paused to take in some ragged breaths. “Jonathan, if you go anywhere near Suzanne again, I’ll kill you. You’re
dangerous
.”

Jonathan stared, dumbfounded.

“Katrina, please let me explain!” Marcus pleaded. “Jonathan has never hurt anyone; I should know!”