Seeing Shadows (27 page)

I blinked at the strained voice. The cake with tiny flames of fire, Jenny's happy face, the enthusiastic singing of the crowd - they all became a blur as I concentrated on the voice that was full of pain and pleading.

Help me.

I frantically looked around the room. People's faces were illuminated eerily by the glow of the candles, their mouths open as they sang. They resembled ghouls with the exaggerated grins on their faces as their mouths gaped open and closed in unison as if they were a frightening synchronized lynch mob, pressing close to me.

I glanced over at Sarah and she was smiling widely, oblivious. Didn't she feel the danger? I felt myself starting to get frantic.

I could barely hear the birthday song in my panicked state, so I was taken by surprise when Jenny leaned down when it ended and blew out the candles, throwing us in almost complete darkness. The only faint light was coming from the kitchen behind us. Everyone started yelling and clapping, but instead of jubilation in their voices, I heard threatening jeers.

I was about to lose it. I was going to drop the cake and run like a banshee screaming. I loosened my hold on the cake, not caring about the aftermath. All I could concentrate on was getting the hell out of there.

Suddenly, the lights flicked on. I looked around and my fear dissipated as the faces that had looked threatening just moments before were now smiling and laughing, with no hint of malice. I saw Jenny smiling, thanking us for the cake and the happy chatter of the crowd around us.

What was I thinking? Why was I letting my imagination run wild? I stared stupidly at Jenny when Sarah's voice entered the fog of my thoughts.

"Caitlin?" she asked with a frown.

"What?" I answered, breathless.

"I said let's take the cake into the kitchen and start cutting it." Sarah looked concerned. "Didn't you hear me? I said it to you twice but you were just spaced out."

I shook my head to clear out the remaining fog. "Sorry. Maybe I had a few too many drinks." Sarah didn't need to know I had only drank two cups of punch. Thankfully she didn't question me any further and we walked back into the kitchen. We were cutting the cake and placing portions onto paper plates when Simon walked in. I glanced up and then looked back down, concentrating on slicing the cake into equal portions.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, standing close.

"Yeah, why?" I didn't look up, keeping my eyes on the cake. I felt Sarah look up.

"You seemed kind of panicked when we were singing Happy Birthday. Like you were scared something was about to happen."

"You did seem kind of weird," Sarah added. Great, I didn't need her to jump on the bandwagon. "I kept saying that we should take the cake back into the kitchen to cut but you just stood there like you couldn't hear me."

I shot out a breath of impatience, still not looking up from the cake. "I'm fine, guys. Really. It's just hot out there with all those people and I think I was getting overheated."

Sarah shrugged, seeming to accept my explanation, and went back to plating the pieces of cake but Simon continued to stand next to me. I could see his jeans and black boots in my peripheral as I kept my neck bent, concentrating on the task before me.

I finally looked up and saw Simon watching me, his blue eyes seeming troubled.

"Simon, I'm really okay," I reassured him. It was disconcerting that he wouldn't readily accept my excuse. Sarah had, and she knew way more about me than he did.

"If you say so," he replied, not sounding convinced. I forced a smile, trying to mask my anxiety. I couldn't think about what had just happened. I would think about it later, when I was alone with my thoughts. If I started considering that I was truly going crazy now, I would burst into tears.

"I think that's enough pieces of cake for now," I said, turning my attention back to Sarah. "Let's go put them out on the table."

Simon helped us bring out the plates of cake and place them on the table in the living room, but I felt his eyes on me as if he was trying to figure me out. The last thing I needed was for Simon to size me up.

I forced myself to be cheerful for the rest of the party, moving from groups of people and laughing, making jokes. I still felt Simon's eyes following me, but every time he caught my eye, I just smiled as if I was having the time of my life.

It was finally time to head down to the East End. Jenny was determined to drink legally at the bar and the Henchmen would be performing. I tried to convince myself that it would be the perfect end to the night.

We made our way to the bar; a jovial horde of people laughing and having a good time. Most of the partygoers were headed to the East End, although the crowd was smaller as some of our guests had decided not continue the night at the bar. Marcus, Grant and Simon had already headed down earlier to get ready and I walked in step with Sarah and Jenny.

"This is the best birthday ever," Jenny announced excitedly. "The party was awesome. Thanks guys."

"No problem," Sarah replied with a grin. "Maybe you'll get a birthday kiss from Marcus."

"Ha!" Jenny scoffed. "If I waited around for him to kiss me, I'd probably have grey hair and a cane." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. She definitely had drank her fair share of punch. "Maybe I'll make the first move."

"I don't know whether Marcus would keel over in shock or jump your bones," I said with a laugh. "I don't think his system could handle that much sensory overload since he's been pining away for you for so long."

Jenny grinned mischievously. "I guess we'll see."

We walked into the East End after greeting Charlie and was enveloped in the jostling crowd. Even though tomorrow was technically Halloween, most people were celebrating tonight and I saw plenty of costumes, ranging from outlandish to clever.

Janice waved us over to a table with a Reserved sign on it, shooing away the people who were loitering around it to have a place to rest their drinks.

"The birthday girl needs to have a table," Janice explained as we settled down. Jenny smiled appreciatively at Janice.

"You're the best Janice," Jenny said. "I'm ready to order my first drink of legal age."

"First round's on me," Janice offered.

"Awesome!" Jenny squealed. "I'll have a Long Island Iced Tea."

"Whoa there," I said, eyeing Jenny. "Let's not get carried away."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, we don't want to have to spend the night at the hospital." She turned to Janice. "She'll have a vodka with cranberry juice."

"Hey!" Jenny protested. "I'm totally fine. I can handle a Long Island." She hiccuped, ruining the effect of her words.

"Sure," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes. "Like I said, she'll have a vodka with cranberry juice. I'll have the same."

Janice looked over at me. "What about you, honey?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine for now. Thanks Janice." I didn't think I needed any alcohol with the way my night was going. I needed as clear a head as possible.

Janice went off to get the drinks and Sarah leaned forward and looked at me with a conspiratorial smile. "Grant told me some stuff tonight. I think the punch loosened his tongue."

I wondered if he had admitted to having feelings for Sarah. "What did he say?"

Sarah bit her lip as if she were carefully considering her next words. "He said that Simon kept asking him about Bob and about whether he knew of him. I don't think Simon believes that there really is a Bob."

I had explained to Jenny about the fictional love of my life earlier, using the excuse that I wanted to concentrate on graduating without the distraction of a relationship. Jenny had been disappointed but had accepted my explanation. She and Sarah had both guffawed when I had told them I had named the fictional man in my life Bob.

I frowned at Sarah's statement. "That's pretty presumptuous of him," I said, annoyed. "Who is
he
to think there's no Bob?"

"But there is no Bob!" Jenny exclaimed.

I grimaced. "That's not the point!"

Whatever Jenny had been about to say in reply was lost as the crowd starting cheering loudly. Simon, Grant and Marcus had bounded onto the stage. They were no longer wearing any remnants of their ZZ Top costumes. Grant was probably sorely disappointed by that.

"Hey guys," Simon spoke into the microphone. The crowd cheered even louder. "Thanks for coming out tonight."

"Trick or treat!" someone yelled out from the crowd.

Simon grinned. "We hope our first song is a treat." He started playing his guitar and Grant and Marcus joined in, a familiar Henchmen song filling the crowded bar. I watched Simon as he sang, pulling the crowd into his spell. The song was about a drifter futilely trying to make connections with others and Simon's voice conveyed the despair and loneliness, bringing the words to life. His body swayed with the beat of the song, his hands wrangling a haunting melody from his guitar. The crowd was silent as they soaked him in.

Simon searched the crowd, and his eyes settled on me. His eyes pierced mine and I felt vulnerable, as if he could see through my mask of normalcy. He broke eye contact as he finished the song and the crowd erupted in more cheers.

The Henchmen started another song, much more upbeat and raucous. The crowd responded with dancing and wild gyrations. Janice returned with the drinks and Jenny took a long sip. Her eyes brightened as she looked past me.

"Claudia!" she exclaimed, waving someone over. "Over here!"

I turned to look at who she was talking to and my world stopped. My breath stopped. I froze in place. Walking towards us was a girl with blonde hair that fell just below her jaw. Her grey eyes were clear of the pain and anguish I had seen in my vision as she smiled and waved at Jenny. Suddenly, her eyes shifted towards me, boring into mine. Her expression changed and she no longer looked like a happy college-aged girl. Her eyes were sharp and brittle, cutting into me as if she was able to slice into my soul. Her smile now looked like a twisted sneer. I had the irrational thought I could see my death in her eyes.

I gripped the edge of the table, trying to ground myself in reality, but my breath started coming out in short hitches. I was afraid that I would either pass out or start screaming. All I could focus on was the conviction that the girl from my vision had materialized before me with one motive in mind. To kill me.

So I did the only thing I could think of. I jumped up and ran towards the entrance of the bar, mindlessly pushing people out of the way and barely hearing their exclamations of protest. The only thought pounding in my brain was that I needed to get away from the girl. I frantically pushed open the door and the rush of cold air was welcoming. I leaned against the wall outside, bending over and placing my hands on my knees, desperately trying to catch my breath and not pass out.

I inhaled deeply, trying to regulate my breath so I didn't start hyperventilating. I wished I had a paper bag to breathe into. I didn't know if that would actually help, but I would try anything at the moment.

Charlie was at his usual place by the door and he called over to me. "Caitlin - you okay?"

I looked at him blankly, unable to formulate an answer with my frazzled brain. The image of the girl's face was burning in my mind, her anguished face in my vision transposing itself with the picture of her face leering evilly, until they melded into a grotesque smiling face screaming out in pain.

I saw Charlie make a movement towards me, but the door suddenly burst open and I saw Sarah and Jenny walking quickly towards me, their faces etched with concern.