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Chapter 8
She running. Running and running, but as far as she fled she just knew that it was still behind her, catching up. And her sides were hurting and her breath was coming in deep rasping, wrenching pants, pulling out the last of her energy with them. And then she couldn't run anymore, and it was catching her and she turned and it flung a skinned body at her feet - with her mother's face.
She woke up screaming.
The light burst on and her mother barrelled through the door of her room as though the hounds of hell were after her. "Cat!" And then as she saw there was no immediate, physical, danger, more calmly. "Sweetheart -what's wrong?!"
For a moment her daughter couldn't answer, even her breath stolen from her in the wake of her brutal vision. And then as soon as she could breath again, to her humiliation and embarrassment all that would come out of her mouth were gut wrenching sobs. Sophia said nothing, just gathered her traumatised daughter in her arms and rocked her, back and forth, calmly meeting the worried eyes of her father, who had arrived a few moments after those horrifying screams had ripped them all from sleep. Eventually the sobs quietened to tears and the tears faded to sniffles as Cat got control of herself, scrubbing angrily at her face with the handkerchief her mother gave her. She sat up and smiled sheepishly at the two adults, who were by now both sitting on the bed.
"Sorry. I - I didn't mean to - "
Her grandfather gently ruffled her hair.
"It's okay kiddo. Can you tell us what it's all about?"
Twisting the tissue between her fists until it was little more than rags, she recounted the entirety of her dream, finishing with the discovery of her mother's skinned and bloody corpse. They listened in silence until she finished and then Sophia pulled her abruptly into another brief hug and her Grandfather scrubbed his hands through his hair anxiously.
"Are you sure that this wasn't just a normal nightmare?"
Both Sophia and her daughter shook their heads simultaneously, causing him a momentary flicker of amusement at the identical looks of mulish stubbornness on both faces.
"I've been having this dream since I was five granddad. And I KNOW that it's real. It's one of the true dreams. " She gave her mother a beseeching look, asking for back up.
"It's true, Dad. Sometimes - not all the time," She ignored her daughters faintly poutish look at having the extent of her veracity questioned, "Cat Dreams true. Don't ask me why or how. Sherman tried to explain it to me years ago," she smiled wryly at her father. "According to him it's just hereditary in action."
Matt Donner sighed in exasperation. Typical Sherman trickster answer. He looked over at his girls, both sitting watching him, identical looks of faint apprehension on their faces.
"So - do we need to anything about this? CAN we do anything about this?"
Cat turned to her mother, her forehead creased in concern. She really hoped she knew what to do next, 'cause she didn't think she could handle another Dream like that any time soon. Sophia curled an arm around her shoulders in reassurance.
"This was the reason we came back, Dad. Or one of the reasons at any rate," she hastily corrected as she saw the look of faint hurt on her father's face.
"These dreams have been coming more recently - and they are getting worse each time. Sherman thinks it's a sign, like an early warning system for the Pack."
Cat shuddered in recollection, her mouth pursed unhappily. "But this was the worst yet, Mom. It really was."
"I know, sweetheart. And Sherman thinks that the increasing violence of the Dreams means the event that might threaten the Pack is getting closer. And that we need to be here in Wolf Lake for it."
Matt frowned at the pair of them in concern. "Sophia - sweetheart. You don't have to get involved in this. You didn't have to come back here. I know you never wanted to and you've made a home very successfully away from the Pack. A home for both of you. Why risk both of your lives for the very people that rejected you?"
She lifted her chin, suddenly resembling his poor, dead Marie so strongly that it made his heart clench. "I may not choose to live here. This may not be my home. But you are my father, and even if there was no other reason to help this town, " she reached out for his hand "you would be enough, Dad."
He smiled at her, eyes suddenly betrayingly moist.
"But there are other reasons. My blood is half their blood, and my daughter deserves to know her Kin. She deserves everything. And that includes the chance to be part of the Pack, if she chooses to, when she flips. Because she will flip, and I want her to experience all the things that my inability barred me from. And this is the only place she can do that."
She pulled a now silent Cat further into her embrace and smiled, a little bitterly. "And any way, how can anyone stand by and watch the slaughter of yet another indigenous species on this Earth if they can prevent it? And even if most of them annoy me - well there's Sherman. And Sarah. And other people from school. And the Watsons. I could never wish anyone of them hurt, or dead."
She shifted on the edge of the bed.
"They may not acknowledge me, but they are my people. And aren't kin ties the most binding in all the world?"
Matt smiled at her, love and pride tumbling in his heart as he made his decision.
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we get hold of Sherman, and we take this to the top."
"Cates?"
"No - not Luke, not yet at any rate. We take this to the voice of reason in this town - Vivian."
Chapter 8
She running. Running and running, but as far as she fled she just knew that it was still behind her, catching up. And her sides were hurting and her breath was coming in deep rasping, wrenching pants, pulling out the last of her energy with them. And then she couldn't run anymore, and it was catching her and she turned and it flung a skinned body at her feet - with her mother's face.
She woke up screaming.
The light burst on and her mother barrelled through the door of her room as though the hounds of hell were after her. "Cat!" And then as she saw there was no immediate, physical, danger, more calmly. "Sweetheart -what's wrong?!"
For a moment her daughter couldn't answer, even her breath stolen from her in the wake of her brutal vision. And then as soon as she could breath again, to her humiliation and embarrassment all that would come out of her mouth were gut wrenching sobs. Sophia said nothing, just gathered her traumatised daughter in her arms and rocked her, back and forth, calmly meeting the worried eyes of her father, who had arrived a few moments after those horrifying screams had ripped them all from sleep. Eventually the sobs quietened to tears and the tears faded to sniffles as Cat got control of herself, scrubbing angrily at her face with the handkerchief her mother gave her. She sat up and smiled sheepishly at the two adults, who were by now both sitting on the bed.
"Sorry. I - I didn't mean to - "
Her grandfather gently ruffled her hair.
"It's okay kiddo. Can you tell us what it's all about?"
Twisting the tissue between her fists until it was little more than rags, she recounted the entirety of her dream, finishing with the discovery of her mother's skinned and bloody corpse. They listened in silence until she finished and then Sophia pulled her abruptly into another brief hug and her Grandfather scrubbed his hands through his hair anxiously.
"Are you sure that this wasn't just a normal nightmare?"
Both Sophia and her daughter shook their heads simultaneously, causing him a momentary flicker of amusement at the identical looks of mulish stubbornness on both faces.
"I've been having this dream since I was five granddad. And I KNOW that it's real. It's one of the true dreams. " She gave her mother a beseeching look, asking for back up.
"It's true, Dad. Sometimes - not all the time," She ignored her daughters faintly poutish look at having the extent of her veracity questioned, "Cat Dreams true. Don't ask me why or how. Sherman tried to explain it to me years ago," she smiled wryly at her father. "According to him it's just hereditary in action."
Matt Donner sighed in exasperation. Typical Sherman trickster answer. He looked over at his girls, both sitting watching him, identical looks of faint apprehension on their faces.
"So - do we need to anything about this? CAN we do anything about this?"
Cat turned to her mother, her forehead creased in concern. She really hoped she knew what to do next, 'cause she didn't think she could handle another Dream like that any time soon. Sophia curled an arm around her shoulders in reassurance.
"This was the reason we came back, Dad. Or one of the reasons at any rate," she hastily corrected as she saw the look of faint hurt on her father's face.
"These dreams have been coming more recently - and they are getting worse each time. Sherman thinks it's a sign, like an early warning system for the Pack."
Cat shuddered in recollection, her mouth pursed unhappily. "But this was the worst yet, Mom. It really was."
"I know, sweetheart. And Sherman thinks that the increasing violence of the Dreams means the event that might threaten the Pack is getting closer. And that we need to be here in Wolf Lake for it."
Matt frowned at the pair of them in concern. "Sophia - sweetheart. You don't have to get involved in this. You didn't have to come back here. I know you never wanted to and you've made a home very successfully away from the Pack. A home for both of you. Why risk both of your lives for the very people that rejected you?"
She lifted her chin, suddenly resembling his poor, dead Marie so strongly that it made his heart clench. "I may not choose to live here. This may not be my home. But you are my father, and even if there was no other reason to help this town, " she reached out for his hand "you would be enough, Dad."
He smiled at her, eyes suddenly betrayingly moist.
"But there are other reasons. My blood is half their blood, and my daughter deserves to know her Kin. She deserves everything. And that includes the chance to be part of the Pack, if she chooses to, when she flips. Because she will flip, and I want her to experience all the things that my inability barred me from. And this is the only place she can do that."
She pulled a now silent Cat further into her embrace and smiled, a little bitterly. "And any way, how can anyone stand by and watch the slaughter of yet another indigenous species on this Earth if they can prevent it? And even if most of them annoy me - well there's Sherman. And Sarah. And other people from school. And the Watsons. I could never wish anyone of them hurt, or dead."
She shifted on the edge of the bed.
"They may not acknowledge me, but they are my people. And aren't kin ties the most binding in all the world?"
Matt smiled at her, love and pride tumbling in his heart as he made his decision.
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we get hold of Sherman, and we take this to the top."
"Cates?"
"No - not Luke, not yet at any rate. We take this to the voice of reason in this town - Vivian."