RESURRECTED (12 page)

“Oh my God,” Maria said, “he’s looking at me. Do you see him? He’s looking at me!” Maria was sitting close to Scarlet, and Scarlet felt certain he was staring at her, not at Maria. But she didn’t have the heart to say anything. And besides, Maria had made it clear how much she wanted this boy, and Maria was her best friend.

So, as smitten as she was, Scarlet forced herself to look away, to look anywhere but at him. She prided herself on being a loyal friend, no matter what.

The boy slowly crossed the room, walking past their table.

“OMG, he’s heading this way,” Maria said, flustered. Scarlet had never seen her that flustered before. She was acting as if she were in the presence of a celebrity.

He walked past their table, and Scarlet made a point to look away, to make sure that their eyes did not meet again. After he passed, she waited several seconds, then glanced over, and looked to see where he went. He sat at an empty table, at the far end of the cafeteria, by himself, his back to all the others.

“Okay, now’s your chance,” Jasmin said to Maria. “He’s sitting there, all alone. Make your move.”

But Maria was totally flustered.

“You crazy?” she said. “Everyone’s watching. I can’t just like walk over there by myself and try to pick him up.”

“Why not?” Jasmin said. “You just said you wanted to.”

Maria slumped.

“What if he like…says no?” she asked. Scarlet could hear how scared she sounded.

“Chicken,” Jasmin goaded.

“I’m not chicken,” she said.

But at the same time, Maria just sat there, frozen, a shade of crimson, too terrified to cross the room and go to him.

Scarlet couldn’t blame her. The entire school would be watching her, and if she got rejected, she would never live it down.

Scarlet couldn’t bear to turn and look at the boy, either. But for a very different reason.

Because, for the first time in her life, Scarlet knew she had just seen the boy that she was destined to be with forever.

Caitlin sat at her breakfast table in the large house, late in the morning, all alone, trying to will her life to return to normal. It was not easy. She was still shaking inside, and had been ever since she’d dropped Scarlet off at school. She just couldn’t bring herself to work today, and had called in sick. Ruth alone had kept her company, Caleb long gone at work. Not that his presence here would have given her much solace: since their big argument in the hospital, they were hardly on speaking terms.

Caitlin didn’t know what to make of all of this. She and Caleb never argued before. This was all new to her, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Now, more than ever, was when she needed him here, by her side, to tell her that everything was all right. That she was not crazy. That he had seen it, too. That he understood what she was going through. That he agreed that Scarlet needed to be seen by experts. That something had to be done. That they couldn’t just sit there and wait for the worst, deny that something awful was unfolding before their eyes.

But it was obvious that Caleb was not on her side. He was taking the side of the rational, the conventional, insisting that everything was normal, that nothing unusual had ever happened. Like that stupid doctor in the hospital, with all his stupid rationale.
Conversion Syndrome
. It was ridiculous.

Of course, there was a part of Caitlin that wanted desperately to believe it, to cling onto something. But that would be too easy. She had been in that room. She had seen with her own eyes what Scarlet had done. She had heard her snarl, had seen Caleb go flying across the room. That was not Conversion Syndrome. That was not an adrenaline rush. It was supernatural.

Caitlin refused to let the establishment brainwash her, convince her that she hadn’t seen what she saw. Something was happening to her daughter. And she felt she desperately needed help. She wouldn’t go to work, wouldn’t pretend all was normal—wouldn’t even allow herself to think of anything else—until all this was resolved. The thought of it consumed her.

Not to mention, of course, her journal. How could she ignore that, too? After she’d returned from the hospital, the first thing she did was re-read it. She had to know that this was real, that she wasn’t crazy. The more she read it, the more she felt certain. Here she was, holding something real.

Holding something that even a scholar like Aiden couldn’t explain away. And of course, it was Aiden, a scholar, an authority figure, who had insisted that this was all true. That Scarlet would turn into a vampire.

If Caitlin hadn’t found the journal, if she hadn’t met with Aiden, if Aiden hadn’t told her what he had, then maybe now she could be more easily convinced, could dismiss it all as Caleb had. But knowing this, there was no way she could let it go. A part of her wondered whether she should show her journal to Caleb, tell him about her meeting with Aiden—but she knew that would just further isolate him, just make him certain she was crazy. Whether he believed her or not didn’t matter to her anymore. She was strong enough to do this alone—and she would do whatever she had to to rescue her daughter.

A part of her was burning to call Aiden, to get him on the phone, to meet with him, to hear him out. Now she wanted to know more, to know everything and anything he could tell her. She desperately wanted his mentoring, his advice. And she desperately wanted to talk to someone who would make her feel that she wasn’t crazy.

But she thought again of his final words, that she must stop her daughter, and recalled his expression. She felt he was suggesting that she kill Scarlet, sacrifice her daughter for the greater good of humanity. And that was something that she could not—that she could never—entertain. She was afraid that if she called Aiden now, he would only suggest the same thing, and the thought of it made her so sick, she couldn’t bear to talk to him.

So instead, she put down her cell phone, and tried to think of another way. She felt a call to action, but the problem was, she didn’t know what. What could she possibly do? Bring her to more doctors? What would they say? Suggest Scarlet see a psychiatrist? Or would they send her to an adrenaline expert? A sleep expert?

Of course, all that was ridiculous. It would be useless. That was not what Scarlet needed. What she really needed, Caitlin knew, was an expert in the paranormal. Someone who knew what she was going through, someone who knew a way to heal her. To rid her of this. To make her go back to being a normal teenage girl.

But Caitlin didn’t know anyone like this. She had absolutely no idea where to turn.

She reached down and stroked Ruth’s head; Ruth closed her eyes appreciatively, and rested her chin on her lap. Caitlin looked around their beautiful dining room, and everything seemed so perfect, so normal. Nothing seemed out of place. The sun streamed in through the windows, and it was hard to believe that anything could be wrong in the world. For a moment, Caitlin desperately wanted to pretend that none of this ever happened.

She reached out and picked up the full glass of juice before her, her hand trembling. She took a deep breath, put it to her dry and cracked lips, and drank. It felt good. She realized it was almost lunchtime and this was the first food or drink she’d had all day. She put down the juice and reached over and sipped her coffee, now cold. But it still felt good, and she drank nearly the entire thing. She went to work on her cold eggs, and as she ate she slowly felt her energy return. Ruth whined, and Caitlin took one of her pieces of turkey bacon, leaned over, and fed it to her. She chewed it happily, the noise of the crunching bacon filling the air, making Caitlin smile.

For a moment, Caitlin wondered if maybe things could go back to normal. Maybe, if she did nothing, things might just settle down by themselves. Maybe, like Caleb said, she was just working herself up. And after all, what could she possibly do anyway? She took another deep breath, and started to wonder if maybe the best course of action was to do nothing and deal with things as they happened. Maybe if there was another incident, Caleb would believe her, and would help bring Scarlet to doctors or whoever else she needed. The thought filled her with a strange sense of relief.

Starting to feel better, Caitlin reached over and raised the local morning paper, folded crisply on the table. She leaned back in her chair and opened it, as she always did, and for just a brief second, she almost fell life returning to normal. She was starting to feel good for the first time that morning, when suddenly she read the headline on the front page.

Her stomach plummeted. She sat straight up, and all thoughts of normalcy fled from her mind.

LOCAL GIRL ATTACKED BY ANIMAL

Around midnight last night, a local girl, Tina Behler, 16, a junior at Rhinebeck High, was found unconscious by police on Main Street. She was reported to have been found in a fit of hysteria, wailing that an animal had attacked her. The police could find no visible signs of attack, but brought her to a local hospital for treatment.

Authorities are still puzzled as to whether it was an animal attack or not, and what sort of animal. Residents are urged to be cautious in exiting their homes at night, until authorities resolve this matter.

“We feel confident that if an animal attacked her, it was an isolated incident, and not one that could be of harm to other residents,” officer Hardy said. “There are no reports of any animals loose from local zoos, or of any local wildlife.”

Caitlin stood, palms sweating, as she read the rest of the article. Finally, she set the paper down, hands shaking worse than they had been before.

An animal attack. Late last night. Just three blocks from her house. At the same time that Scarlet had been out there, unaccounted for.

Could Scarlet have done this?
Caitlin wondered.

Her heart was pounding in her throat. It was too much of a coincidence. She wanted to believe more than anything that Scarlet had nothing to do with it—but deep down, she felt she had. Scarlet had probably attacked someone. Turned someone. The officers probably hadn’t seen the small bite marks in the throat. Or maybe they were keeping it quiet. And this poor girl was probably going to change. Become like Scarlet. Attack more people. And spread this throughout the town. They would spread it throughout the county. Then the state. Then the country—and then the world.

Caitlin was wracked with guilt. Had she unwittingly allowed it all to happen?

Without even stopping to think, she picked up her cell phone, took officer Hardy’s card from the night before, and dialed him. He had said to call him anytime. This was her chance to take him up on it.

“Officer Hardy?” Caitlin asked.

“Yes?”

“This is Caitlin Paine. Scarlet’s mother?”

“Oh yes, Mrs. Paine, how are you? I’m glad to hear that Scarlet turned up okay. She is okay, isn’t she?” he added, suddenly wary.

Caitlin paused, wondering how to respond.

“Yes, the doctors say she is healthy and normal, and she’s back in school.”

“Well that’s good news. I can use good news right now. Last night was a crazy night. You saw the papers, I take it?”

“Actually, that’s why I’m calling. I’m so concerned for that poor girl. I’m wondering if you could tell me more. What happened?”

He paused.

“Why do you want to know?” he asked warily. “Do you think Scarlet is somehow connected to this event?”

“Oh no, nothing like that,” Caitlin said quickly, trying to cover her tracks. “I just…well, I knew the girl,” she said, lying. “She was a family friend. And I guess I’m just wondering if she’s OK. And of course, wondering what attacked her—and if it’s safe to go outside.”

“Well, I’m really not at liberty to discuss all the details,” he said. He paused, though, and then lowered his voice, “but if you can keep it just between us, I’ll tell you, there is no animal. Nothing to worry about.”

Caitlin paused, surprised.

“What do you mean?”

He paused, then finally continued.

“She was hysterical. Screaming her head off—and screaming the craziest things. But the doctors gave her a full workup, and she was fine. No signs of any animal attack whatsoever. Not even a scratch. In fact, just between us, this morning they transferred her to a psych ward. She was really out-of-control. That’s where she is now. No visitors anyway, so you couldn’t see her even if you wanted to. Kids these days. It’s really sad. I’ll bet it was a bad drug trip.” Caitlin’s heart pounded at the thought of this poor girl, locked away.

“How long will she be there?” she asked. She was secretly wondering when she might be released, and if she was turned, when she might inflict damage on others.

“I have no idea,” he said. “Things like this don’t happen around here. Like I said, a crazy night.

Must have been a full moon. I’m sorry Ms. Paine, have another call coming in. Is there anything else?”

“No, thanks very much.”

The phone went dead.

Caitlin’s hands were trembling as she hung up the phone. It had confirmed her worst fears. A girl, attacked, late at night, just a few blocks away, where her daughter was.

She ran across the room, grabbing her journal, turning back its pages once again. She had to remind herself that this was all real, that she wasn’t losing her mind. She read from it again:

And then everything happened. So fast. My body. Turning. Changing. I still don’t know what happened, or who
I’ve become. But I know I’m not the same person anymore.

I remember that fateful night when it all began. Carnegie Hall. My date with Jonah. And then…intermission.

My….feeding? Killing someone? I still can’t remember. I only know what they told me. I know that I did something
that night, but it’s all a blur. Whatever I did, it still sits like a pit in my stomach. I’d never want to harm anyone.

The next day, I felt the change in myself. I was definitely becoming stronger, faster, more sensitive to light. I
smelled things, too. Animals were acting strangely around me, and I felt myself acting strangely around them.

This was her own handwriting. There was no doubt. This was real. She had to believe that it was all real. That her daughter was like her. A vampire.