Chapter 4: Demons Revisited
"Kate…" a deep voice was calling me.
"Kate…"
I whirled around, completely lost in a dense wilderness shrouded in thick impenetrable fog, with only the moonlight to see by. It was completely disorienting, yet I wasn't afraid. I was searching for something.. Or someone.
"Kate…"
Someone was calling to me, through the silent woods.
"Where are you?" I called back with a growing sense of desperation, knowing it was imperative that I find this person. I began walking through the thick underbrush, with twigs and branches tearing at my skin and clothes.
"Kate…"
"Where are you?" I cried, a bone chilling panic washing over me in waves as I came to a small clearing in the woods, washed in the silvery light of the moon.
Suddenly, I was face to face with the startling form of a massive brown eyed wolf. I took a tentative step forward, my trembling hand outstretched.
A deep voice whispered fervently into my ear these three words:
"Come find me."
*Beep beep beep beep*
I blearily cracked open an eye to stare balefully at the red digital numbers of my alarm clock: 9:45 AM.
I groaned and slapped off the annoying machine.
"Damn alarm clock.." I grumbled as I rolled back onto my back, stretching.
Apparently neither Zeek nor my injury appreciated this as my massive cat mewed pitifully from his heap on my left side and my knee protested painfully.
I yelped and sat up, rubbing my joint, further disturbing my cat's rest as I inadvertently yanked the covers from out under him. He whined and flicked his long feathery tail at me.
After my pain subsided, I petted Zeek gently on the head. "Sorry, cutie. Go back to sleep." I muttered as I got up from the cocoon of comforters and quilts that was my bed.
So. The beach trip was roughly an hour away or so.. And it already was cold. What to wear, what to wear.
I began rummaging through my still unopened boxes of clothes, when my arm brushed up against plastic.
That new sweater mom bought me was still hanging in it's plastic cover in my closet. It was a thickly knitted medley of browns and creams. I knew it would keep me plenty warm at the damp beach.
Inspiration struck and I tore the sweater from the hanger, out of it's plastic sheath, and flung it on my bed, right on top of poor Zeek, who, by the sound of it, had just fallen back asleep. "Meeeew!" he whined indignantly, poking his head from out under the sweater, looking pathetic and abused.
I giggled despite my self, "Sorry, Z." I laughed as I scratched his ears. I swear, that cat was more effeminate than Daisuke. He had such a girly sounding meow for such a huge body.
I returned to my task at hand, rummaging with new speed through boxes upon boxes, until I found what I was looking for. My old teal screen tee with oatmeal colored thermal sleeves, and a woodland scene on the front. That too, I tossed on the bed, now on the hunt for jeans, socks, and under garments.
Soon I was dressed in my outfit, warm and comfortable.
Until I walked into my bathroom to brush my hair and teeth.
I had no idea my hair could pull off a mo-hawk before that day.
"Bloody hell!" I gasped as I gingerly touched a spiky strand. I looked like I had lost a fight with an electrical socket. I'd never hear the end of it from Daisuke if I left it this way.
"Brush, brush, brush, where is my brush?" I muttered worriedly, sifting through the junk occupying the counter. I found it under an errantly strewn towel.
In an almost frantic manner, I wetted the brush with sink water and went to attack my horrific case of bed head.
A few minutes later, I looked at what I had been able to salvage from the wreck. One side was being obedient, laying almost flatly against my scalp, the other side was still spiked up and refused to do anything else.
"Fine. Be that way." I muttered at the mirror crossly. It was better than it had been a few minutes ago, I had to admit. Maybe Dai wouldn't give me too much crap about it…
It was a sort of an a-symmetrical look. Sort of.
Sighing in defeat, I went about my morning rituals.
At about a quarter to eleven, I was ready to go. I had my brace on, my cane, my purse, an extra blanket (mom had left me a note, demanding that I take it, just in case), a gigantic spill-proof container of heated Ginger Chicken Soup, and a plethora of plastic bowls and spoons.
Soon, a very familiar roar made it's way up my driveway. Dave's brick red suburban dwarfed every other car on my street.
I opened the door and smiled, as both Brooke and Miyuki scrambled out of the behemoth vehicle to help me with my things.
Much to my surprise, there was a plethora of munchies and real food stuffed into the back, not just my soup. There was five liter bottles of soda, four different types of chips, two types of cookies, a bag of apples, a meat and cheese platter, two loaves of French bread, and two party-sized sub sandwiches. A real spread.
After everything was all packed into the back of the tank, er, I mean car, I had to have Dave get out and actually help me up into the back seat, it was so high up.
Luckily, the heater was running at full blast inside the suburban along with Three Days Grace, so I was toasty warm and quietly singing along.
Dave got back into the driver's seat, with Brooke riding shot-gun, naturally. The two Asian siblings were in the middle seats, both with caffeine in hand.
Whereas I had the entire third row all to my self.
"I feel so loved back here, banished to the back-back like some sort of leper!" I called playfully pouting, knowing it was to let me prop up my leg.
"But you are a leper, babe." Daisuke reminded me, turning in his seat to hand me a coffee of my own.
"Why, you ask, was I bound and chained to this cold and dismal place? Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face!" I sang cheerfully, completely ruining the sentiment of the line, "Ooh, coffee." I chirped as I accepted the warm paper cup. I took a sip. "Ooooh, chai tea, much better!" I laughed. "Thank you Dave!" I yelled from the back.
"No worries." he called back with a wave, then he turned to Brooke to try and stir up a conversation, probably about the new hunter green upholstery, which was Brooke favorite color, I might add.
I leaned forward to tap Miyuki on the shoulder. "You know what would be really awesome?" I asked her slyly.
"What?" she laughed, despite the fact that it didn't reach her eyes.
"If I had a cute Asian girl back here to keep me company." I told her, waggling my eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh, so you want me to send Dai back there?" she said in a sarcastically sweet tone.
"Oh, she's only saying that because I'm prettier than her." Daisuke said with a condescending pat on his sister's shoulder as he undid his belt and climbed over the seat to sit with me.
"Yes, Dai, you are undoubtedly the prettiest thing in this car." I told my vain friend sarcastically.
He stuck up his perfectly angular nose and sniffed "I know." quite pompously as he gently lifted my leg so he could sit.
"Bitch." I laughed while I placed both my legs on his bony lap.
"And don't you forget it!"
"Hey," Dave barked suddenly, eyeing the two of us in his rear-view mirror, "No stroking that queen's ego. I don't think my baby could take that much more hot air." he warned in a mock-serious tone as we pulled out of my driveway and out of my neighborhood.
"Uh, David, honey, I think your 'baby' was new around the time of the great dust bowl, so I'd knock on wood if I were you." Daisuke warned coolly as he pulled out a compact from his coat pocket to check on the status of his eyeliner.
Dave pulled a horrified look and stroked his steering wheel lovingly, "Don't listen to him, baby, daddy loves you, daddy loves you." he cooed frantically.
The car erupted with caffeine induced giggles.
The car ride didn't take very long, only about 15 minutes or so, most of which involved relentless teasing and chortling.
But before we even saw the beach, I knew we were there by the smell in the air.
It was a distinctly beach-y smell. I inhaled greedily, sighing. I couldn't get enough of the smell of the sea, despite the fact that I despised seafood and couldn't even doggie paddle to save my life.
It was decided that Dave would scope out a suitable rock for me, so that I could just go directly to it and sit as soon as possible, while the two Asians would go see if there were any restrooms near by.
Brooke and I watched as Dave shuffled off to find me a rock. "He sure is a nice guy." Brooke said thoughtfully as she eyed the red head's backside.
I watched her critically from the corner of my eye, leaning on the back of the suburban for support. "Sure is." I agreed distractedly, "Not bad looking either, if you really look at him." I added, trying my best to come off as nonchalant.
Brooke cocked her head to the side, squinting. "You think so?" she asked quizzically.
"Oh yeah." I muttered, nodding. "I mean, I would definitely go for him, if.." I trailed off uncertainly.
"If?" Brooke asked, turning to me now, her brow puckered in confusion.
I deadpanned, dropping all pretenses now. "Ya can't be serious." I said flatly, looking my friend dead in the eye. There was no way, that after all this time, Brooke could honestly not know that Dave was crazy for her and that Miyuki was in love with Dave. There was a complete love triangle right before her eyes every day!
"What?" my blond bombshell asked, clueless, looking from Dave's retreating form, back to my deadpanned expression.
I sighed and shook my head. "Nothing, never mind." I muttered, suddenly tired.
"Hey, no. You can't just say that and then say 'nothing, never mind." Brooke growled, poking me hard on the shoulder.
For some reason this really hit a nerve with me. Brooke didn't know how lucky she was, having such a great guy like Dave wanting her.. Every boy in the school wanted her, and she didn't even care! In all my life, no one had ever even shown the slightest interest in me! Not one single guy! While she had the entire school in the palm of her pretty little hand.
"Dude, yes I can! It's not my place to say!" I exclaimed, growing more and more irritated at Brooke with every second this conversation went on. "Just drop it, okay?" I sighed warily, pinching the skin between my eyebrows in an attempt to ward off an oncoming headache. It wasn't fair of me to just direct my frustrations at Brooke, just because she was liked better than me… I didn't want to get into a fight with her.. But I was so tired of being ignored…
"No, I won't. There's something you're not telling me!" Brooke yelled, placing her hands on her hips.
I set my jaw and took a deep breath, in an attempt to calm my self. "Brooke, just forget I said anything, okay? I really don't wanna get into it with you." I said as evenly as I could manage.
"You're totally keeping something from me, Kate." Brooke muttered as she angrily pushed her blond hair from out of her perfect face.
"If you really want to know, Brooke, why don't you go ask Dave himself?" I asked warily, gesturing to Dave's general direction. I probably shouldn't have sprung an angry Brooke on Dave like that, but I was kinda fed up with the charade as it was.
He said he was going to tell her today anyways, right?
I sighed heavily as I watched Brooke stomp off in the same direction as Dave and I prayed silently for the poor boy. I'd have to make it up to him, later.
Seeing as I would now have to find my own rock, I set out at a snails pace up the rocky beach.
After a few minutes, I found my self a nice level perch near the top of the cliff of the craggy beach. It would be a major bitch to get back down, but the view was well worth the risk.
The ocean was a silvery grey expanse that stretched as far as the eye could see, melding with the opaque sky at the horizon, blending the line between the two beyond separation. I didn't have to look over the edge of the cliff to know that the sea was crashing continuously against the side of the cliff some 30 feet or so below, I could already hear it.
I sighed heavily as I sat on my rock, taking in the savage beauty of the scenery before me, trying to eek as much tranquility as I could from it to sooth my temper.
Now, after calming down a bit from my spat with Brooke, guilt quickly replaced my former anger and jealousy. I shouldn't have taken out my pain on her. It wasn't Brooke's fault that I wasn't noticed by guys.
But at the same time, it had been the same way back in Vancouver. Kelly and Sasha were the ones that boys flirted with, the ones who got honked at on the street. I had always been in their shadows! The fat chick next to the two beauties. The one guys asked about her cute friends. The little sister figure. Or worse!
One of the guys.
I'd been casted as the Phantom for God's sake! If that didn't prove my lack of sex appeal, nothing else would! How many times had I been mistaken for a guy because of my body shape and voice? No one would ever see me as a woman!
I would always be in the shadow of someone like Brooke, or Kelly, or Sasha. They were the beautiful ones. I was just another face in the crowd, right?
Before I knew it, bitter angry tears were falling in silent torrents down my face.
"God, Kate, you are pathetic." I muttered tearfully to my self, hastily wiping the tears off my face, just as I began to hear voices drawing near.
From out of the corner of my eye, I could see a large group of, oh god, shirtless boys coming from out of the dense woods behind me. In the back of my mind, I wondered if they were cold in the mid October chill…
They were all making a large ruckus and out of habit, I silently prayed they would go away and leave me to my thoughts. Groups of unknown boys never boded well for me, since I was an easy target for teasing. I hunched down slightly, hoping to somehow blend into the rocks around me.
'Maybe if I ignore them, they will leave.' I thought to my self as I turned back towards the sea, poignantly aware of the boys and the fact that they were still coming closer.
I couldn't quite make out their conversation over the roar of the waves, but I gathered that they had become aware of me since their conversation suddenly stopped. They were quiet for a moment, then someone spoke quietly and the others laughed.
Oh god, what were they gonna do? I really didn't need any crap from boys right now!
Suddenly, the blurred form of a shirtless red-skinned boy flashed before my eyes, right over the side of the cliff!
But not before the form locked eyes with me for about a nano-second.
In that instant, it was as if the world had been ripped out from underneath me and had set me on my ear. Gone was logic, inhibition, fear and sadness.
My entire being was physically and emotionally yanked towards this individual, to the point that I actually stood up, gasping.
It was like my vision suddenly tunneled, where there was nothing else in the vast and unknown universe in existence but those eyes.
They were the deepest brown imaginable, yet they were a kaleidoscope of chocolates and amber. They looked kind of familiar, too.. The lashes were thick and long, and there were laugh lines around the edges. They were glistening playfully, yet the emotion quickly shifted into that of complete and utter shock.
And as quickly as the moment of universal clarity and beauty began, it was gone.
The boy with spellbinding eyes was quickly plummeting into the frothy gray depths below.