Sooo, not much to say. this chapter is poorly written, but it might still be interesting. This is where Cat sees May again. Yay!
I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed and followed and favorited. This is by far the most popular story I have ever written. So exciting!
Anyway, please enjoy.
Chapter Four: Reunions and Family Emergencies
The next day, Cat wasted no time in asking her friends for their help in the situation. She started with Jade.
"Do you remember May?" asked Cat.
"No."
Cat tried again. "My little sister. You met her a couple times when we were kids."
"I don't remember."
"She went missing...?"
"Huh. Nope, not ringing any bells. Is there a reason you're bothering me with questions?"
Cat sighed. She loved Jade, but the goth was nothing short of infuriating at times. Across the table, Jade's boyfriend Beck rolled his eyes and shot Cat an apologetic look.
"Don't be so rude," scolded Beck.
"Don't tell me what to do!"
Also at the table, Tori, Robbie, and Andre ignored Beck and Jade's squabble and stared at Cat. They seemed genuinely interested.
"You had a sister?" asked Tori and Robbie at the same time.
"And she disappeared?" asked Andre.
"I still don't remember her," Jade cut in, seemingly finished with her lover's quarrel. "Was she as crazy as Kevin?"
"No! She was really nice and sweet. But she went missing."
Tori and Robbie and Andre and Beck looked as if they wanted more details, so Cat just said, "It's kind of a long story, but May went to live with our Uncle Jesse. And then she disappeared. For five years."
"Wow," said Robbie.
"That's rough," added Andre.
"I can't imagine Trina going missing for that long," mused Tori, referring to her own sister.
"Yeah we've all missed her a lot. Anyway, Jade..."
"Ugh."
"Would you do something for me?"
"Not if I don't have to."
"But we're friends!"
"I don't care!"
Jade stood up and angrily left the table, accidentally leaving behind her new pair of green scissors. Beck raised his eyebrows and watched her go, then looked back at Cat, who was staring forlornly at the burrito in front of her.
"Don't mind Jade," Beck apologized. "She's in a bad mood because her dad took away all her scissors except for this pair."
"Okay."
Tori looked disgusted at her frenemy's actions for a moment before directing her own attention back to her red-headed friend. She was truly interested in what Cat was saying and wanted to know if she could help in any way.
"Cat," she said, "what were you going to ask Jade?"
Cat, who had started to cry a little bit, said, "If she'd drive me to the airport to pick up May on Friday! She's finally coming home and I want everything to be perfect!" Cat broke down into sobs.
"Oh, Cat, don't cry," said Tori, and she awkwardly patted her friend's back. "I can't drive, but maybe I can get Trina to take you."
"Really?" Cat sniffed.
"Really."
Almost immediately after she heard the school's end bell, Cat rushed up to the elder Vega sister to ask her. Trina seemed very irritated by the assignment and told Cat in no uncertain terms to go away. Cat almost started crying again, but Tori reappeared and came to her rescue. She told Trina that if she didn't do the for Cat, she would steal Trina's new Fazzini boots and throw them away. That was all it took for Trina to become Tori and Cat's slave.
The days passed unbelievably slowly for Cat. Life seemed swell. Momma and Poppa fought much less. Even Kevin acted slightly less crazy than usual.
Of course, Cat couldn't forget the red hair. She couldn't say why it had bothered her so much. It was just May wanting to show her love for her family by participating in a Valentine tradition. Cat should be flattered.
But instead she let the uneasiness engulf her. It had always seemed to her as though having red hair in the family was something deep and iconic...something with a greater meaning that most people as young as Cat and May didn't notice.
Cat's hair was velvet. Like blood...and like her favorite cupcakes. Kevin's was darker, emphasizing the swirls of his curly hair. Momma's was a natural auburn, matching her pale complexion, and Poppa's was so light it was almost pink, the color confined to the very ends of his short, dark hair. Every single one of the Valentines had his or her own unique hairstyle, but eventually it came down to them having the same color, just in different shades.
It was as though May, for the first time, was officially a part of the family that had been labelled "DANGEROUS" in their old hometown.
And Cat pitied her.
But she tried to push this out of her head for the time being and instead focused on being excited. Friday finally came, and everyone in the Valentine house was ecstatic. After school, Cat went home, until the Vega sisters arrived and knocked on the door.
"Hi!" said Momma. "You must be Tori and Trina!"
"Yeah, now can we just get this over with?" muttered Trina. Tori looked agonized before quickly apologizing for her sister's behavior.
Tori, Cat, and Trina, piled into Trina's car, the sisters in the frontseat, Cat in the backseat.
"You need to be less rude!" hissed Tori.
"Me? I didn't want to do this anyway.
A couple minutes of silence passed before Tori said, "Hey, Cat? I just realized I didn't get to meet your brother."
"Oh, yeah. He's not allowed to leave the house anymore, so he usually just stays in his room. You know. Cause he has nothing else to do."
"Riiight."
Tori and Trina didn't say much more, but Cat could almost see thought bubbles above their heads. Tori's said, Poor Cat, having to live with him all the time. Trina's said, Cat's brother must be a real freak show.
They finally got to LAX and waited outside a large gate for May. Cat kept hopping from side to side, her eyes scanning. "Do you see her?" she kept asking. "Tell me if you see her."
"Cat, we don't know what she looks like," Tori reminded her gently.
"Think of a young me with curly hair."
But a young Cat with curly hair didn't show up anytime soon and around the time when the flow of passengers arriving from their recently landed flights began to dwindle, Cat gave up and sunk into a nearby chair. She began to cry, putting her head in her hands.
Tori was about to go over there and comfort her friend, when Trina nudged her. Trina pointed at the person she had seen, and when Tori looked she had to do a double-take. The girl fit Cat's description exactly. There was no doubt that the two were related, as they had the same eyes, face, and short stature. The only difference was that this girl had wild corkscrew curls. Even more interesting was the girl's hair. Like Cat's, it was synthetically red (though unlike Cat's soft velvet, this new color was a bright crimson-orange).
Tori knew it was May, and moved to call out to Cat, but the approaching stranger (who must have been watching them, thus knowing that Tori and Trina were with Cat) put her finger to her lips, and Tori's mouth snapped shut.
May crept down the back of the large room, snuck up behind Cat, and tugged a lock of the older girl's hair.
Cat's eyes widened. "Danger!" she shrieked, spinning around.
Then she saw May. Cat blinked, then grinned as wide as she could.
"May!"
"Cat!"
The sisters hugged as though each had a mission to rid the other of every scrap of oxygen within her body. When they broke apart they remained staring at each other.
"May, I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too."
"Where did you go?"
May suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Um, I'll tell you later" she said, jerking her head in the direction of the approaching Tori and Trina.
Cat didn't get the hint. "Why can't you tell me now?"
"B-because I want to tell Momma and Poppa too."
"Oh. Kay kay!"
"Sooo, Cat," said Tori, easing around to get a better look at May "Aren't you going to introduce us?'
"If you are, do it quickly," said Trina. "I have an appointment with Foon-Yee for a foot-bleaching this afternoon."
Cat took no notice of this strange comment and instead complied with Tori's request. "Tori, Trina, this is my sister, May."
"Hi!" said Tori.
"May, these are my friends."
"We just know her," said Trina quickly.
May looked at them a moment, a bizarre smile on her face. "Nice to meet you," she said. There was something strangely mechanical about her voice. "Shall we hit the road. There's something I need to tell Momma and Poppa."
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~ET