Twenty

Trick was letting Grayson bring me home from school again, and when I went out to the student parking lot my brother was waiting in his truck. He didn’t look at me when I climbed in but started the engine and took off.

“Sorry I was late,” I said. “I like to wait until the halls are empty before I leave school. It’s safer for me now that I’ve turned invisible and inaudible. What if I fell down and got trampled in the rush? No one would ever find me.”

He muttered something under his breath.

“What’s that?” I cocked my head. “Trick hates me, everyone at school hates me, and I’ve utterly destroyed the beginning of your brilliant athletic career? I know. Lately I do nothing but marvel at my own capacity for destruction. You’re driving too fast again. That also my fault?”

He slowed down. “You’re my sister.”

“Tragic, isn’t it.” I released a heavy sigh. “Can you disown a sister? We should check into that when we get to California.”

He shook his head. “I don’t hate you.”

“This is the first time you’ve spoken to me in a week,” I pointed out. “Your idea of sibling affection needs some fine-tuning.”

He fell silent for so long I thought conversation time was over. Then he asked, “Why is Trick doing this?”

“Didn’t he tell you?” I beamed at him. “It’s a great reason. We’re moving because we’re not safe here anymore.”

The steering wheel creaked under his hands. “What did you do, Cat?”

I glared at him. “See? We’re back to it’s my fault. Does it matter? We’re packing. We’re leaving. In ten days we’ll be unloading the horses, unpacking the boxes, and registering at a new school. Then in six months we’ll do it again, and again next summer, and again next winter, and—”

Gray hit the brakes, so hard only my seat belt kept me from going face first into the dash. He pulled off onto the side of the road and shut off the engine.

“What is the matter with you?” I demanded.

He turned toward me. “He hasn’t been the same since the night you went on that field trip. He won’t talk to me and I have to know. What did you do?”

Gray never yelled at me, so I just sat there for a minute with my jaw in my lap. “I committed the unspeakable crime of introducing him to my friend Jesse and his parents. He was rude to them and when we got home, he said we were moving. That’s it.” I saw his hands were shaking and all my own anger evaporated. “Grayson? What is it?”

“It wasn’t you. It was me.”

I folded my arms. “Okay, then what did you do?”

Gray turned away, closing his eyes as he put his head back. “I told him about a nightmare I had. In it I saw you standing by silver water, and then something pulled you in. I tried to get to you, Cat, but I was too far away. By the time I reached you, you were gone.”

“Gray, I don’t mean to be insensitive here,” I said gently, “but no one moves out of town because their brother had a bad dream.” He mumbled something, and I leaned closer. “Sorry, what?”

“I said, my dreams come true.” He gave me a defensive look. “They do. I’m not joking.”

I thought of the dream I’d had of Jesse jumping up into my bedroom. “I’m not laughing. When did you have this dream?”

“The same night you were at the zoo. I was reading and I fell asleep. It was so real that when I woke up I was yelling, and he was there shaking me, and … ” He bent over and rested his forehead against the wheel. “I shouldn’t have told him.”

“You’d rather let me drown than move to California?” As soon as he turned his head, I said, “I’m kidding.”

He straightened. “We have to talk to him. We can’t live like this anymore. It’s not just about football. I’m tired of being afraid.”

When we got home we found a note instead of Trick.

“He’s gone into town,” I told my brother as I read the note, “and he won’t be back for a couple hours. We’re supposed to finish our rooms and start packing up the stuff we don’t need out in the barn.”

“I’m taking Flash for a ride.” He stopped by the kitchen door and looked back at me. “We will talk to him tonight, together. We’ll make him listen this time.”

I doubted we could make our older brother bat an eyelash if he didn’t want to, but I wasn’t going to discourage Gray. For once he was on my side. “Sounds good.”

I waited until sunset before I picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed the number Ego had given me. As I listened to the rings I rehearsed what I was going to say in my head. I’d be polite. I’d be honest. And I would talk to Jesse before I hung up the phone.

His foster mother Marcia answered with “What is it now, Diego?”

“Hello,” I said. “I’d like to speak to Paul Raven.”

“Who is this?” Marcia demanded. “How did you get this number from my son?”

“I beat it out of him,” I said, keeping my tone pleasant. “Now would you please go and tell Mr. Raven that Rose Fanelsen’s daughter wants to speak to him.”

For a moment I thought she was going to slam down the phone, but then she said, “Please hold.”

I stayed on hold for a couple of minutes, and then heard the line engage and Paul Raven’s deep voice. “Why are you calling, Miss Youngblood?”

“To talk to you, sir.” He didn’t respond to that. “Obviously you know about my mother’s family, and I’m sure they’re the reason you don’t want me to see your son. But I’ve never ever seen my grandparents. My brothers and I have had no contact with them at all. We would never do anything to Jesse or your family.”

“You cannot help what you are, Miss Youngblood, any more than we can.” His voice softened. “You do not understand the nature of the abilities you’ve inherited. Perhaps you are not yet aware of them.”

“I don’t have the ability to do anything, sir,” I assured him. “Except maybe get into trouble.”

“You and your brothers were bred to do this work, as all of the Van Helsings have been,” he said flatly. “From what Jesse has told us, you and your younger brother are coming into your abilities now. Soon you will understand.”

“We’ve never met the Van Helsings,” I repeated. Was this what Trick was so afraid of? That Gray and I would find out from our grandparents that vampires existed, and our mother’s family hunted them? “They haven’t taught us what they do.”

“These abilities are not taught. Van Helsing children are born with them.” His voice became sympathetic. “Have you never wondered why cats follow you everywhere? Why your brother does so well at a sport that he has never before tried to play?”

The man had been living on an island too long. “Mr. Raven, those aren’t special abilities. Lots of kids like animals and play football.”

“Do those children win every game they play,” he asked, “or stop wild beasts in their tracks?”

I didn’t know what to say.

“No one knows how the Van Helsings acquired their abilities, but they have been hunting and killing vampires for centuries,” he continued. “In every generation there are two who are born to hunt the vampire. A brother and a sister.”

“I have two brothers,” I felt I had to point out.

He ignored that. “When your mother came here with your father, we were still living in the manor house. Rose knew what we were from the moment we met, but like you, she was not afraid. She told us of her family, and how she had left them, and that she would never hurt us. She believed that humans and vampires could live together in peace.” He hesitated. “One night my wife found your brother in the woods. He was drawn to us, as all Van Helsings are. Sarah brought him back to the farm, but when Rose saw her with your brother in her arms, she attacked my wife. If not for your father, she would have killed Sarah. Your parents left Lost Lake the next day.”

I closed my eyes.

“Miss Youngblood, I have seen how you are with my son. I believe you are genuine in your regard for him. But my wife and I know what you are, and that is something that can never be changed. That is why you and your brothers must leave Lost Lake. If you stay, Miss Youngblood, Jesse will die. You will kill him.”

The truth was supposed to set you free, but all it did was turn me into a robot. After I spoke to Jesse’s father, I hung up the phone and went to my room, where I sat by the window and watched the moon rise. At some point Trick came in and spoke to me, but I didn’t hear what he said.

I didn’t care anymore.

I went to bed, got up when the alarm went off, and went to school. I did everything I was supposed to, but my brain remained disconnected. Vaguely I wondered if I’d be this way for the rest of my life, and even that didn’t bother me. Maybe it would be better this way, not feeling, not caring. Maybe in a few years I’d forget what Paul Raven had told me.

Jesse will die. You will kill him.

“You look like you just lost your best friend.”

I frowned. I was standing in front of my locker with my Calculus book in my hands. Generally my books didn’t talk to me, so I turned around.

Boone stood there, not smirking or crowding me, but just waiting.

“I don’t have any friends.” I turned back to my locker. “Leave me alone.”

“The Halloween dance is tomorrow night,” he said. “Are you going with anyone?”

Why was he still talking to me? “No.”

“So go with me.”

“No.” I slammed my locker shut, locked it and went around him.

Boone caught up with me. “Is it because your brother’s going with Tiff? They don’t care about us.”

“There is no ‘us.’” What he said finally penetrated my fog. “My brother isn’t going to the dance. He’s not interested in your ex-girlfriend.”

“You really are out of it.” He took my arm. “Come with me.”

I don’t know why I went with him to the student parking lot. Idle curiosity. Complete apathy. Who knew? But when we arrived Boone stopped and pointed at my brother’s truck. Gray was standing next to his truck. So was Tiffany Beck. She was talking to him. Gray smiled at something she said, bent down and kissed her.

Tiffany wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

“I heard they’ve been leaving campus together every day,” Boone said. He looked like someone had just punched him in the stomach, which was exactly how I felt. “Doesn’t look like they’ve been going out for lunch.”

Grayson and Tiffany. Tiffany and Grayson. No matter how I arranged their names in my head, it didn’t work. Gray was my brother, and I loved him. Tiffany Beck had tried to kill me, and I hated her. They didn’t belong together. They couldn’t be together.

But there they were, kissing. Holding hands. Walking off to class.

“How long has this been going on?” I asked Boone.

“A while now” he said. “One of my friends said your brother started dating her a couple of weeks ago.”

Seeing it all with such crystal clarity felt almost painful, but I welcomed it. My brother watching the cheerleaders at lunch. My brother talking to Tiffany, and defending her after the stunt she pulled in the media center. My brother trying out for Boone’s position on the football team. My brother, who hated everything, being happy with the world. My brother becoming so furious about moving away.

“Cat?” Boone peered down at me. “You okay?”

Gray didn’t care about making friends or being popular. He’d done everything for her. He’d wanted Tiffany, and now he had her. She loved him. Everyone loved him. He was our hero.

I took a moment to let the fury settle inside me, and then I gave Boone an empty smile. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, sure.” He looked uncertain. “Talk to you later?”

I nodded and headed back to the cafeteria.

Ego was happy to accept the lunch I no longer felt like eating, and observant enough to know I didn’t want to talk to him. As I sat there and stared at the top of the table, Barb came over and sat beside me.

“Hey.” She sounded tentative, as if she expected me to explode any second. “I haven’t seen you guys in a while. How’s it going?”

“Fine. I’m Diego, and this is Catlyn.” Ego sat back. “And you are … ?”

She made a face at him before she glanced at me. “I asked Boone if he would tell you about your brother and Tiffany. I thought you should know.”

I stared at her.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Ego demanded. “Oh, right, you’ve been too busy not being seen with us.” He waved his hand. “You can run away and sit somewhere else now.”

“Look, I wish it could be different.” Barb sounded miserable. “I’m not like you, Cat. I want to have friends. I want people to like me.”

“Why don’t you just shut up and go?” Ego snapped.

Barb ignored him. “I came to talk to you because I know what Tiffany’s doing. She’s only been dating Gray to get back at Boone for breaking up with her. She knows you and your brother are close. I heard that she’s planning to embarrass him at the dance. She’s going to make a big scene and blame him for doing something really awful. You should warn him.” She saw some kids watching us and got to her feet. “My friends are waiting for me. See you later.”

“Her friends are waiting for her.” Ego threw down the remains of his sandwich. “I can’t believe she’s turned into such a snot.”

“She was trying to be nice. Let it go.” Already I could imagine Tiffany making a scene at the dance, and humiliating Gray in front of the whole school. “I’ve got to talk to my brother.”

“You believe her?” He sounded incredulous. “Cat, she’s just trying to start trouble between you and Tiffany again. It’s like the girl’s only hobby.”

Doubt started to set in as I tried to think of what to say to my brother, but not because I thought Barb was lying. From what Boone had told me and what I’d seen with my own eyes, Grayson was obviously crazy about Tiffany Beck. Gray also knew how much I disliked her, which was probably why he’d been keeping the relationship a secret.

My brother would listen to me, I knew, but he wouldn’t believe a word I said about his girlfriend. His heart wouldn’t let him.

I thought it over until the dismissal bell rang. I had to try to warn my brother, but I also needed a back-up plan.

I intercepted Boone on the way out of class. “Do you still want to take me to the Halloween dance?”

He grinned and pulled two tickets out of his pocket. “When can I pick you up?”

I was about to tell him that I’d meet him at the dance, but there was no way I was riding in Gray’s truck with him and Tiffany. “I’ll be ready at seven.”

Confronting my brother about his relationship with Tiffany Beck was my next unpleasant task. But when I met him at his truck, he tossed me a small drawstring black bag.

I caught it reflexively. “What’s this?”

“Candy gram. The players have been selling them to kids to send to their friends tomorrow.” He looked sheepish. “I know you’re not into candy, but … it supports the team.”

What he meant was he knew that no one else would send one to me. “That’s nice. Thanks.”

On the way home Gray brought up cornering Trick about the move. “I tried to wait up for him last night, but he didn’t get home until real late. We should talk to him after dinner.”

Jesse will die. You will kill him.

“Cat?”

“Yeah, okay.” This was the perfect chance for me to tell him that I knew he was dating Tiffany on the sly, but my heart wasn’t in it. I’d had all my dreams crushed, why ruin his? Why did I have to be the bad guy? Tiffany would do that at the dance, and then Gray would be happy to leave Lost Lake, and everything would be fine.

I just wished I believed that.

Trick left another note at home saying he was out repairing some fencing at the back of the property. Gray went to his room, but once I was alone I couldn’t stand staying in the house another minute. I dropped my backpack on the kitchen table and headed out to the barn.

Sali, who I’d been neglecting too much over the last weeks, was happy to see me, and I spent a little time pampering her with a thorough brushing. My bottle of mane-and-tail detangler was almost empty, though, so I went out to the cabinet where Trick stored our grooming supplies. On the way I noticed some trailing marks on the floor that ran from the barn door to the hayloft ladder, as if someone had dragged something heavy into the barn.

I glanced up at the hayloft. Or out of it.

I climbed up the ladder and went over to the old horse blanket, which lay in a crumpled pile. When I lifted it, I found nothing but some loose straw and a wolf spider, which scuttled off under the edge of a bale.

The trunk had vanished.

“Cat? Where are you?”

I dropped the horse blanket, went over to the edge, and looked down at Gray. “What do you want?”

He frowned. “You shouldn’t be up there. Trick told you to stay out of the hayloft.”

Grayson appeared uncomfortable, and sounded worried, and he wouldn’t look me in the eye. That gave me my second moment of painful clarity.

Gray knew about the trunk. He knew about the Van Helsings. Trick hadn’t been hiding it from both of us; he and Gray had been working together to keep it from me.

I jumped over the railing and landed on the barn floor in front of him, as agile as if I’d never needed a ladder.

Gray’s face whitened. “Are you nuts?”

“No, I’m a Van Helsing.” I paused to appreciate the moment; he looked ready to keel over. “Getting rid of the trunk was a waste of time. I already opened it and saw all the goodies inside.”

My brother finally recovered, shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at some straw on the floor. “Don’t be such a drama queen. It’s not ours. Trick picked up that trunk at an auction. He didn’t want to move it again.”

“Liar.” I walked over to Sali, who was getting nervous, and stroked her neck. “Our mother was a Van Helsing. They were teaching her the family business when she ran away with Dad. Now it’s on you and me. How do you feel about a career in hunting down and killing vampires? Do you think they have any job pamphlets in Guidance about who’s hiring?”

He still wouldn’t look at me. “I don’t know what that guy Jesse told you—”

“He doesn’t know anything.” Or perhaps he did, and that was why he’d stayed on the island. “His father told me. The Ravens knew our parents, Grim. They were neighbors. At least, they were until Mom tried to kill Jesse’s mother.”

“Then he lied to you,” Gray said. “There are no Van Helsings. Mom’s name was Fanelsen, and she would never hurt anyone. She was a sweet, gentle person—”

“—who had been trained by her parents to hunt down and kill blood-sucking monsters,” I finished for him. “Give it up, Gray. I know everything.”

His expression turned stubborn. “Vampires aren’t real, so whatever that man told was just bull. Stop deluding yourself.”

“Speak for yourself.” I turned to him. “You’ve been dating Tiffany Beck since you got on the team. You think she’s your girlfriend, but she doesn’t care about you. She’s never cared about you.”

He stiffened. “Tiffany loves me.”

I hooted a laugh. “Yeah, right. Do you know what she’s planning to do tomorrow night? While you’re at the dance, she’s going to make a scene. A nice, big, nasty scene that will make you look like a total idiot. Her relationship with you was only to use you to get back at Boone, and me.”

He dragged his hands through his hair and tried to say something, and then shook his head.

“I know you don’t believe me,” I continued. “Which is fine. Just remember when this blows up in your face that I told you the truth. The real, ugly, painful truth. Which is a lot more than you and Trick have ever done for me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said slowly. “By tomorrow you’ll forget all about this.” He stalked out of the barn.

If Gray wouldn’t talk to me about the Van Helsings, it was because he’d promised our brother that he wouldn’t. If I was going to get any answers, I had to face Trick.

Sali was delighted when I went into her stall to saddle her, and nuzzled my neck as I tossed the blanket over her back.

“Don’t act so happy,” I warned her. “You’re probably going to have to listen to a lot more yelling.”

“No one has to yell.” Trick opened the stall door. “Come out here, Catlyn.”