The Childe (27 page)

December 21
^st
, the day of the Winter Solstice, definitely lived up to its name. Overnight six inches of snow blew in from the North. The plows were up early that morning, making sure the roads were clear and safe. The children of Astoria were becoming more excited as they marked their calendars, noting that there were only three more days until the man in the red suit would pay a visit. Stores were overly crowded, as if everyone just realized how many shopping days were left. Men could be seen scratching their heads in the women’s departments of the stores, trying to figure out what to get their wives. Most trees had a multitude of presents under them already, gaily wrapped, making the recipients guess what they contained. Yes, winter had arrived, but the many flyers that were still littered all over town remained a constant reminder of the young girl who was still missing.

Christmas Day passed as a blur. Cat’s house was filled with family and close friends. There was such an abundance of food that they could have fed a small army. After eating, everyone exchanged gifts. Wrapping paper cluttered the floor and Sam passed out large, black garbage bags so everyone could help pick up. After the festivities, Cat and her friends retired to her room, dragging their new treasures with them. “I think I ate too much,” Matt moaned, lying on the bed holding his stomach.

“You think?” asked Amanda. “I lost count how many times you filled your plate, not to mention the snacking you did before we ate.”

“But it was oh so good, why didn’t any of you stop me?” he asked looking accusingly at his friends. “You all know I’ve got no willpower when it comes to good food.” Matt grabbed a pillow and covered his head. Ignoring him, the others grabbed a floor cushion and sprawled out while listening to Cat’s audio book copy of
Red Twilight
.

Amanda sat up and removed the gaudy reindeer Christmas sweater her mom knitted, and then flopped back down. “I’m finished…done…I can’t move another muscle, wake me up when it’s New Year’s,” she said, closing her eyes.

“Ditto,” Elle concurred.

“Hey, do any of you think Mr. Crawley got a lump of coal in his stocking?” Cat asked jokingly.

“I kind of feel sorry for him. He probably has no friends, and maybe that’s why he’s the way he is.”

“Oh Elle, just face it. He’s a crotchety mean little man that deserves a whole coal mine’s worth of coal!” Amanda exclaimed.

On January 3
^rd
, when school opened its doors again, it was a subdued crowd that entered their first period. “Well students, welcome back,” Principal Landers’s cheerful voice echoed through the school’s PA. “I hope you had a restful time during your break and are ready to tackle another semester.” Groans could be heard all around. “Now, on to the morning announcements…wait a minute…we have a visitor.” The PA system went silent. Several seconds went by before her voice came through again. “Attention everyone! Our visitor, Sheriff Barry Stokes, would like a few words with you.”

“Thank you Miss Landers. I’m afraid I have some disturbing news. An hour ago I received word that another girl has gone missing. The young lady is another junior from Pike County. She was last seen last night just outside of Covington County, which puts her disappearance a little closer to home. I want everyone to be very careful. Try not to go anywhere alone. Travel only in groups. Everyone needs to be vigilant. If you see anything suspicious, please call us. This is a very serious matter. Thank you for your time.” A shiver of fear was felt throughout the school as Principal Landers came on again to sign off. The joy of the holidays receded to the back of everyone’s mind.

Later that night in Julie’s bedroom, Cat sat down on Julie’s bed and kicked off her shoes. “I’m so glad I get to spend tonight with you. When mom and dad said they were going out of town for a conference, I thought I’d have to stay with Taylor. I’m glad he went on that overnight ski trip with his friends.” Cat smiled and stretched. “So what are we going to do tonight, since we can’t go out?” She asked. “I wish we could just walk downtown as a group like we used to. But we can’t since our parents don’t want us out after dark, and hello its dark all the time,” Cat said sarcastically.

“I know, I hate winter. It’s so depressing except for Christmas that is,” Julie groaned, flopping down next to Cat on the bed. “I know, let’s call everyone and have them come over. We’ll look through my movie collection and make a night of it,” she said excitedly.

Several hours later, full of pizza, popcorn, and soda Cat and her friends fell asleep on the floor cushions in Julie’s den. The fire crackled in the old ornate fireplace, illuminating their faces in quiet slumber. A faint scratching noise awoke Cat. Sleepily, she surveyed her surroundings, her eyes zeroing in on the large window opposite her. It was open and the drapes were billowing in the wind as snow drifted into the room. “Who opens a window in the middle of winter?” she whispered to herself, stumbling toward it. Pulling it down and securing the latch, she peered outside at the full moon looming overhead casting a brilliant glow on everything. A figure caught Cat’s eye, startling her as she scanned the front yard. Standing several feet from her, its head slightly tilted to one side. Cat could feel it staring at her, studying her, even though its face was cast in shadow. The only thing visible was the long and curly bright red hair beaming in the moonlight, resembling fire. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, making sure someone was really there. Opening them she saw the figure was gone.

“Cat?” Matt whispered behind her. “What are you doing, it’s like three in the morning?

“Nothing…the window was open. Just closing it,” Cat whispered back. Matt put his head down and went back to sleep. With one last look out the window, she closed the curtains and returned to her spot on the floor. Crawling into her sleeping bag, she zipped it up. Cat laid awake the rest of the night, hoping she wasn’t going crazy.

While Cat and her friends were beginning their movie marathon, across town, Rachel, Sam and Taylor were gathering with the others in Aldon’s ballroom before sunset. “As you all know, there’s been no trace of the missing girls. The police, of course, treated them as runaways at first, but after long interviews with friends and family realized that this wasn’t the case.” Aldon paused and looked at the worried faces in front of him. “It’s imperative that we protect everyone in Astoria. Even though, so far it’s only been young women, that doesn’t automatically make everyone else safe. Abigail has done a fine job in reminding her students to be more vigilant. Jonathen, how do you feel your fellow students are responding to these warnings?

“I feel most of them are scared, especially the females.”

“Jonathen’s right. But the majority seem to be listening to the warnings,” Trish interjected. Taylor squeezed her hand as she looked to the other young people in the room, who were nodding in agreement.

“Well, I’m glad most are taking this seriously. I know with our help and guidance, the town of Astoria will remain safe.” Aldon paused again in deep thought. “I’ve had several of you ask me if it could be
them
behind this. At this point in time I have no reason to believe this is the case. But, that doesn’t mean I will not pay this matter close attention. Harold do you have anything to add? As you have more contact with
them
than we do,” he asked giving Dr. Bane the floor.

“I can assure you that
they’re
not doing this. I see no signs of non-compliance with their treatment. So, I feel we must look further into this,” Dr. Bane stated confidently.

“Thank you Harold. Any other comments or questions? No? Then, shall we adjourn for the night?”

13

Sweet Sixteen

At the back of Miss Amaya’s class Elle and Cat sat whispering to each other. “Cat aren’t you nervous about getting your driver’s license? I’m going to put off driving as long as I can,” Elle murmured in a worried voice.

“Nah, I’m not nervous. Especially since my dad has been giving me lessons. I feel ready. Don’t worry Elle, I’ll drive you around until you’re up for taking the plunge,” Cat said, flashing her a quick smile.

“I don’t know-”

“Ladies! Pay attention,” Miss Amaya called out.

“Sorry Miss,” both of them said in unison.

Time flew by and it seemed like an instant later the bell rang. “Cat, I need to talk to you for a minute before you leave,” Miss Amaya said touching her arm lightly as she reached the front of the class.

“If this is about Elle and I talking during class, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Cat said hurriedly watching everyone leave.

“What?” Miss Amaya asked looking confused. “Oh, never mind about that. The reason I wanted to talk to you is regarding your special event coming up. It’s not every day, a young lady turns sixteen.” Cat smiled at her. “Your birthday is February 2
^nd
, right?” Cat nodded. “Do you know that your birthday falls on the Wicca holiday Imbolc? No? Well it does. It’s a festival of purification. It’s also a traditional time for initiations into covens and self-dedication rituals. Now don’t worry, I don’t mean that you need to do it,” she said giggling at the surprised look on Cat’s face. “I’d like to present you with a small token.” Digging in her pocket, Miss Amaya pulled out a silver chain that held a white tear-drop stone with blue streaks running through it. “It’s a moonstone. It’s good for new beginnings and excellent protection for young women like yourself. I hope you’ll accept it,” she said holding it out to Cat.

“It’s beautiful Miss Amaya! I don’t know what to say! Thank you doesn’t seem enough. I’d be honored to wear it,” Cat said staring in awe of its beauty.

“Good, turn around then and let me put it on you. There, let me take a look,” Miss Amaya requested. Cat faced Miss Amaya and adjusted the necklace to lay flat on her chest. “Perfect! Now this is our little secret. I don’t want others to think I’m playing favorites. Oh, who am I kidding? You are one of my favorite people.” Cat’s hand slid around the stone, it was so warm. She felt a sense of peace come over her. “Now hurry on, I don’t want you to be late for Mr. Crawley’s class,” she said as Cat gave her a little hug.

“Thanks again Miss Amaya,” she said quickly turning and leaving the room.

Walking into Mr. Crawley’s class, Cat didn’t care that the bell rang a second before her entrance. Avoiding eye contact with her nemesis, she scooted to her desk, hoping he wouldn’t make a fuss at her being late.

“Well if it isn’t Miss Silver Spoon herself. I guess, class, she thinks she can come in whenever she feels like it.” Mr. Crawley paused, looking at Cat with one eyebrow raised. “So, what’s the cause of your tardiness?” His evil smirk grew bigger. “Never mind, I have no time to waste on excuses, see me after class.” With that he turned and walked toward the board. Cat sunk down into her seat as her neighbors murmured around her.

Cat kept looking at the clock as Mr. Crawley’s voice dragged on and on. Tiredness overwhelmed her. The lack of sleep that plagued her last few nights made it difficult to pay attention. Her eyes began to grow heavy. Trying not to nod off, Cat opened her eyes widely and shook her head. Yawning, Cat couldn’t fight off being tired any longer and her eyes slowly slid shut.