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Robbers, Pirates, or Something Else?

Cat shoved the door opened not bothering to notice who had come to answer it. She rushed into the middle of the large foyer frantically looking around. She heard the scream again and ran down the hall to what looked like the living room. She reached towards her thigh but stopped abruptly. A girl was being tickled by a boy on the couch and she was screaming loudly. Cat stood in the middle of the room staring at them and trying to catch her breath.

"Cat! Cat what is the matter with you!?" Krissy came running up behind her and spun her around. Her face softened when she saw Cat's, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine I just thought…never mind. I'm sorry," she clutched at her thigh again.

"Does your leg hurt? You keep holding it," Krissy bent over to look.

"What? Oh…no it's fine I think I just bumped it," she clasped her hands in front of her.

"So what do you want to do first! Do you want to go dance? Or we could go get a drink do you want a drink?" Cat was put off by her giddiness. Maybe she could say a quick hello to Colin and then find Alucard and leave.

"I'm going to go find a bathroom. I'll find you in a little bit okay?" she started stepping away towards the stairs.

"Well okay, are you sure you're aright? Do you want me to come with you?" Krissy moved towards Cat again.

"No it's okay really. You go and have fun," Cat turned and went quickly up the stairs. She sneaked into a few rooms until she found one with a balcony. The room was very dark and she crept to the other side where the glass doors led outside. She started to pull the curtains back.

"Hey," she jumped at the sound of the voice. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

Cat turned around but could only see the shadow of the voice on a couch, "Who is it." Her hand began to creep slowly back to her thigh.

"It's Colin," he stood up and came closer to the door so the light from the failing sun reached his face.

"Oh, what are you doing in here," she opened the curtains the rest of the way and slid the door aside.

"Ha-ha it's my house. The question is what are you doing in here?" he followed her out to the balcony.

"Getting away from all of that noise down stairs," she looked out over the balcony. Colin's yard was full of various gardens connected by walk ways and little ponds and streams. Behind all of that was a much bigger pond that had a little row boat floating in it. The setting sun sent sparkles dancing across the ponds and Cat saw the paths had reflective stone set into them. The entire yard looked like it had dressed up in glamorous jewelry for the party.

"Lovely isn't it?" Colin leaned against the balcony wall next to her.

"Yes, it is. So why are you up here? Other than it being your house and all that?" Cat smiled at him and wrinkled her nose.

"The same reason you are. Someone invited some older guys that I've never seen before. They brought a lot of alcohol. It isn't that I don't drink, but they're really over doing it. I'm for a more tasteful cocktail hour," he frowned out at the yard.

"Can't you just tell them to leave? It's your house remember," she heard a loud noise down stairs like someone was tipping things over.

"I don't want to be rude," he dropped his head down.

"Do you not want to be rude or are you afraid they'll do something if you tell them to go?" Cat already knew the answer.

"Yeah they're kind of a rough group. Everyone else is having fun though so it's okay. Do you want to go down to the lake? We can float around in the boat," he stood up straight.

"I guess so, but how are we going to get passed everyone?" Cat did not want to go back down stairs. She was sure Krissy would see her and drag her into the middle of things. Lucian was down there as well.

"Easy. We take the short cut," he walked to the corner of the balcony and threw one leg over and then the other.

"What are you doing! You can't jump we're like thirty feet up!" Cat ran to the edge ready to grab him if he fell.

"Calm down haven't you ever watched a movie? We can climb down the terrace. Nothing has grown on it yet so it will be fine," he started descending down the terrace with sure footing. Cat knew he had done it before. Most likely many times.

"Wait! You can't go first I'm wearing a dress!" going to the lake was beginning to seem less and less like a good idea.

"Oh come on Cat I won't look. I'm almost to the bottom," he hopped down the last few feet and stumbled backwards. "Just put one leg over then the other."

"I know how to climb down a terrace thanks. Back up some I don't trust you," she sat down on the edge of the balcony and swung both of her legs over at once so she did not have to straddle it.

"Nice technique, but if I'm so far back how am I going to catch you if you fall," he held out his arms jokingly.

"I'm not going to fall don't be a pessimist," she began climbing down the terrace and found it was just like a ladder.

"What's on your leg?"

"I told you not to look!" she was about three quarters of the way down and she turned around too quickly to glare at him. Her hands slipped off the terrace and her foot caught in one of the wooden squares causing her to fall backwards. She gasped and closed her eyes, ready to hit the ground.

Colin rushed underneath her and caught her by her shoulders and under her legs. He stumbled backwards a few feet and then toppled to the ground.

"Oh my god! Are you okay Colin!?" Cat quickly got off of him and started feeling his arms and legs to make sure nothing was broken.

He brushed her away from him and stood up, "Yeah I'm fine, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she looked at him for a second and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny!" he could not help smiling.

"I was so scared! I thought for sure I would hit the ground and it would all be over!" she doubled over holding her stomach.

"I told you I would catch you if you fell," he started laughing as well.

"Well I wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't been looking up my dress!" she stood back up and smacked him in the arm.

"I swear I wasn't! The wind made your dress stick to your leg and I could see whatever that thing is underneath," he rubbed the tears from laughing out of his eyes. "What is it anyway?"

"It's nothing. Just something I need," she started towards the lake.

"You can tell me you know. I won't make fun of you or tell anyone," he jogged to catch up with her.

"It's my gun. For a 'just in case' event," she dropped back so he could lead the way to the lake. From the ground it was much harder to tell where it was.

"What do you think is going to happen? Robbers? Pirates maybe since we're going boating," he laughed at himself

"I would hardly call that little dingy a boat," Cat liked to jeer Colin.

"Yeah yeah just come on. I can't stand to listen to anything else get broken," he cut off the path and ducked under some tree limbs.

"What are you going to do about all of it? Won't your parents be mad?" she stumbled out of the trees he had gone though and found herself in front of the lake. He was pulling the little boat in by a very long reed covered rope.

"I'll have everything fixed by the time they get home. I always do," he let the boat glide a little way to shore then jerked it up onto the sand. "Hop in," he gestured to the boat in that butler like way.

"Is it safe? I can swim, but…I wouldn't want to fall in that water. Who knows what's down there," she made a dramatic face like she was very skeptical.

"Oh come on! There isn't anything down there and the boat is fine. It doesn't even look old," he tapped the side of it with his boot and smiled as some crud fell off of it.

"Alright but if anything bad happens it's your fault," she stepped carefully into the boat and sat down on the rear bench.

Colin put one foot into the boat and shoved hard against the sandy shore with the other. He sat down quickly, facing Cat, as the boat drifted out to the middle of the lake.

"You know there aren't any oars right?" she wondered if he had done this on purpose.

"We don't need oars we just pull the rope to get in," he dumped the rest of the slack rope into the lake so they could drift out farther away from the party.

"Oh, right," Cat looked up at the sky. The moon was plump and still slightly orange. It hung low in the sky, avoiding the clouds that were being blown around by the wind. Cat thought it was unusually cool out for the beginning of June.

"What are you thinking about?" Colin had sat down in the bottom of the boat and was leaning against the side.

"I don't know. Nothing I suppose. It's nice out and the moon looks pretty," she watched the tops of the trees shake as they were hit by a gust of wind. They made an old creaking sound like brittle bones bending and complaining.

"Can I ask you a question?" Colin looked at Cat trying to read her expression.

"Shoot," she was afraid of what might be coming.

"Do you like me? At all?" Colin looked down at his knees waiting for an answer.

Cat was a little shell shocked by the bluntness of the question but she gave it a few seconds of deep thought before she replied with a very serious and heart felt answer, "I'm don't really know."

"What do you mean you don't know!" Colin looked up at her appalled. He would have loved a yes, he was quite prepared for a no, but neither was completely ridiculous.

"I suppose I do like you. I did almost kill myself to come out in this boat with you after all. But I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it," she rested her cheek on her hand and sighed.

"You girls make everything so complicated," he rested his cheek on his hand as well and pouted.

"We do no such thing. You boys are just big whiney babies. You have to have everything your way and when it isn't you fuss and pout until it is and you never change. Grown men are no better," she nudged him with her foot so he would know she was only kidding. Even though every word was true.

"I suppose you're talking about Alucard when you say that? Tell me Cat, do you like him?" he pulled himself up on the bench so he could look her in the face.

Cat thought very hard about it, "I do like Alucard. But in a different way than you and Lucian. I'm not really sure how to explain it I'm not used to this kind of thing." She noticed he was gaping at her, "What? You're shocked I actually admitted I like him? It isn't in some sort of weird way Colin! Don't go about telling people that."

"Lucian? You like Lucian? Of all people him!" Colin planted his face into his hands and shook his head.

"What's wrong with Lucian? He's really nice," Cat could never figure out why boys did not like other boys who were considered nice by girls.

"Yeah he's nice and a total wimp. What is it with girls liking guys like that?" he looked very bummed.

"Lucian is not a wimp! He works for the Special Forces unit of Hellsing. He deals with more dangerous things everyday than you'll ever see in your life so top being a jerk!" she could feel her face turning red with frustration.

"Sorry, I didn't know you felt that strongly about him," he turned to the side and looked away from her.

"Stop being like that I don't feel strongly for him. I just don't like it when someone picks on someone else when they aren't around to defend themselves. It isn't fair," she leaned to the side to get his attention, but he just turned further away. "Colin don't be mad at me," Cat was not sure how to deal with boys when they were like this. She thought about how she would deal with someone like Krissy if they became upset with her. She slid off her bench and kneeled in front of him, "Please don't be mad?" She sat up and put her hand on his shoulder, "I can't be stuck in the middle of a lake with someone who isn't talking to me. Please Colin, what do you want me to do?"

He turned back towards her, "Would you kiss me?"

"WHAT!" Cat nearly fell backwards with shock.

"It's only a question. Would you?" he stared at her intensely and she felt the urge to jump from the boat and sink to the bottom of the lake.

Cat had never kissed anyone and she was not sure why he was bothering to ask. She thought it was supposed to be a consensual thing by both parties.

"Well?" she realized he was still staring and waiting.

"Do you really want me to?" this was it. He was going to say yes and then he would find out how pathetic she really was.

"I do," he took her by the shoulders and leaned in closing his eyes.

Cat kept hers opened. She wanted to make sure there were no surprises. Just before his lips reached hers the house behind them exploded with screams. Both Colin and Cat jumped up at the sound and nearly tipped the boat over.

"What's going on!" Cat was suspecting the worst. She wished more than ever that she knew where Alucard was.

"I don't know maybe someone's just acting up again," he stood carefully on the bench of the boat trying to see past the gardens. The screams continued and began growing louder and more terrifying.

"Something's wrong Colin," Cat could feel the tightness in her stomach. The feeling was familiar and she knew what it was associated with.

"I'm sure it's nothing Cat. They're just getting a little too crazy is all," he stepped down from the bench and began to sit. Then there was a loud explosion. The screaming was no longer the sound of over excited girls. Boys were screaming as well and there was another noise.

Cat did not recognize it. It was almost a snarling guttural sound, something that came from deep inside something else very horrible.

"We have to go back," she was becoming anxious and was clutching her gun at her thigh.

"I'm not sure I want to. Why don't we just wait until it blows over?" he began to sit down but Cat grabbed him by the shirt.

"We have to go back Colin! Now! Pull the boat in now!" she could feel the blood rushing away from her face and making her feet and hands tingle unpleasantly.

"Alright! Just calm down," he grabbed the rope and started pulling, but it was not fast enough for Cat.

She dove into the water and started swimming as fast as she could to shore. It was only about thirty feet and she soon felt the soft bottom of the lake beneath her. Seconds after she had jumped in she heard the splash of Colin behind her. He was yelling something, but all she could hear were the screams. After what seemed like only milliseconds she clambered onto the shore and started running through the garden. She ignored the paths and cut straight through the trees and shrubs. Branches pulled at her with their skeletal fingers trying to slow her down. Finally she broke through to the soft stretch of green lawn. Most of the lights in the house had been turned out and she could not see what was happening inside. The strange snarls were now over powering the screams and even cutting some of them off. She shuddered at the thought of it.

She stopped in the middle of the yard and concentrated hard. She thought his name with every ounce of conscious thought she had left in her.

Suddenly she noticed a glint of red in the corner of her eye. She turned towards the woods by the house and saw him. Alucard was swiftly moving towards her. She could not read his expression, but thought he looked more tense than usual. She ran towards him not being able to wait any longer. She did not bother to stop when she got to him. She let herself run into his stomach and grabbed onto the edges of his shirt for comfort.

"What's going on!" she felt like she was on the verge of tears.

He took her by the shoulders and pulled her away and towards the back doors of the house, "There are werewolves inside. Ready your gun."

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