of
lightning ripped across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder.
Fabulous. Even
nature hated me.
I walked around
the house and found my studio window. I had left it open.
There was no way to take the screen off from the outside. I dug my
fingernails into the edges, wishing for a screwdriver, or a knife, or
anything sharp. It didn’t give. Finally I just used a sharp
rock to rip through the screen. One leg hiked up to slip through the
window, I pushed myself through the tear and into my studio. I shut
the window behind me as the rain started, right on the tail of
another thunder clap.
Home at last.
Out of habit, I grabbed a pencil off my drawing table and used it to
wind my hair into a bun. The odd woman watched me from the canvas.
Her and her screwy head.
“ Painting’s
not your strongest suit. Why don’t you work from the sketch I
saw you make?”
I left my
studio.
“Gypsy!
Kitty, kitty!”
Rain spotted all
the windows, pattering the ground outside. Gypsy growled from Kent’s
studio.
“Gypsy,
it’s Mommy,” I called, using my sweetest “I’m
going to feed you” voice. Gypsy mewed, then growled again. She
must have been pissed when I didn’t come home yesterday, and my
clothes smelled like Sebastian. She didn’t like strangers. Food
should fix her attitude. I wandered to the kitchen and got out her
bag, shaking it. “Gypsy kitty! Supper!” I flipped on a
light so I could fill her bowl.
Lightning
flashed, thunder boomed, echoing through the empty house. I sighed,
too wiped out to cry. Instead I went to Kent’s studio to get
Gypsy. She hissed again from inside, and I paused. How could she
smell Sebastian on me from so far away? Cats’ noses were good,
but that was pushing it. So why all the hissing? Did she see
something?
Someone?
I flattened
against the wall, suddenly sick. My dead heart couldn’t pound,
but my hands trembled. “Kitty,” I said again, as if
nothing was wrong. My voice quavered.
Okay, think
sense. Are you sure Gypsy sees another vampire? Another person?
Anyone, really?
No, she probably
saw another cat. Gypsy hated other cats. She made that exact noise
when she could see one out the window. Sebastian had found the woman,
she couldn’t possibly have followed me.
Could it be
Sebastian outside? Checking up on me?
Not if he’s
dead. Not if she waited until they got outside and killed him first.
I clenched my
eyes shut, wishing that had occurred to me in the club. I started
breathing. That was a stress reflex. I didn’t need air anymore,
except to talk. Or to panic. I bit my lip to keep it under control.
Decided I’d better look out the window. It was just another
cat. I did not live in a horror movie. It had to be another cat.
Gypsy growled
again.
I pushed myself
away from the wall and made my shaking legs walk into the room, past
Kent’s music equipment. Lightning flashed – I froze, sure
someone would see me.
The cat? I asked myself, and forced a laugh. Quietly.
Gypsy growled a
little more, then jumped down from the window. She padded over to me
and rubbed against my legs with a soft mew. I didn’t pet her.
Instead, I took a deep breath and inched toward the window. My legs
trembled as I peered out into the black-on-black of the back yard.
Nothing moved. I
couldn’t see anything.
Lightning blazed
again, flood-lighting the back yard. On the fence sat the neighbor’s
fat orange cat, staring defiantly back at me. He’d moved out of
Gypsy’s territory, so of course she’d stopped growling. I
laughed out loud, so relieved my knees shook harder.
Glass crashed in
another room.
My mouth snapped
shut. While I froze against the wall, Gypsy bristled and snuck off to
investigate. I waved my hand desperately at her, trying to get her to
come back. She ignored me.
Footsteps.
Someone was in the house. In my house.
What do I do?
Something tapped
the window behind me. I screamed and whirled, saw a face in the
window –
No, not a face. Sebastian’s face. I slapped my
lightning ripped across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder.
Fabulous. Even
nature hated me.
I walked around
the house and found my studio window. I had left it open.
There was no way to take the screen off from the outside. I dug my
fingernails into the edges, wishing for a screwdriver, or a knife, or
anything sharp. It didn’t give. Finally I just used a sharp
rock to rip through the screen. One leg hiked up to slip through the
window, I pushed myself through the tear and into my studio. I shut
the window behind me as the rain started, right on the tail of
another thunder clap.
Home at last.
Out of habit, I grabbed a pencil off my drawing table and used it to
wind my hair into a bun. The odd woman watched me from the canvas.
Her and her screwy head.
“ Painting’s
not your strongest suit. Why don’t you work from the sketch I
saw you make?”
I left my
studio.
“Gypsy!
Kitty, kitty!”
Rain spotted all
the windows, pattering the ground outside. Gypsy growled from Kent’s
studio.
“Gypsy,
it’s Mommy,” I called, using my sweetest “I’m
going to feed you” voice. Gypsy mewed, then growled again. She
must have been pissed when I didn’t come home yesterday, and my
clothes smelled like Sebastian. She didn’t like strangers. Food
should fix her attitude. I wandered to the kitchen and got out her
bag, shaking it. “Gypsy kitty! Supper!” I flipped on a
light so I could fill her bowl.
Lightning
flashed, thunder boomed, echoing through the empty house. I sighed,
too wiped out to cry. Instead I went to Kent’s studio to get
Gypsy. She hissed again from inside, and I paused. How could she
smell Sebastian on me from so far away? Cats’ noses were good,
but that was pushing it. So why all the hissing? Did she see
something?
Someone?
I flattened
against the wall, suddenly sick. My dead heart couldn’t pound,
but my hands trembled. “Kitty,” I said again, as if
nothing was wrong. My voice quavered.
Okay, think
sense. Are you sure Gypsy sees another vampire? Another person?
Anyone, really?
No, she probably
saw another cat. Gypsy hated other cats. She made that exact noise
when she could see one out the window. Sebastian had found the woman,
she couldn’t possibly have followed me.
Could it be
Sebastian outside? Checking up on me?
Not if he’s
dead. Not if she waited until they got outside and killed him first.
I clenched my
eyes shut, wishing that had occurred to me in the club. I started
breathing. That was a stress reflex. I didn’t need air anymore,
except to talk. Or to panic. I bit my lip to keep it under control.
Decided I’d better look out the window. It was just another
cat. I did not live in a horror movie. It had to be another cat.
Gypsy growled
again.
I pushed myself
away from the wall and made my shaking legs walk into the room, past
Kent’s music equipment. Lightning flashed – I froze, sure
someone would see me.
The cat? I asked myself, and forced a laugh. Quietly.
Gypsy growled a
little more, then jumped down from the window. She padded over to me
and rubbed against my legs with a soft mew. I didn’t pet her.
Instead, I took a deep breath and inched toward the window. My legs
trembled as I peered out into the black-on-black of the back yard.
Nothing moved. I
couldn’t see anything.
Lightning blazed
again, flood-lighting the back yard. On the fence sat the neighbor’s
fat orange cat, staring defiantly back at me. He’d moved out of
Gypsy’s territory, so of course she’d stopped growling. I
laughed out loud, so relieved my knees shook harder.
Glass crashed in
another room.
My mouth snapped
shut. While I froze against the wall, Gypsy bristled and snuck off to
investigate. I waved my hand desperately at her, trying to get her to
come back. She ignored me.
Footsteps.
Someone was in the house. In my house.
What do I do?
Something tapped
the window behind me. I screamed and whirled, saw a face in the
window –
No, not a face. Sebastian’s face. I slapped my
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