"Sometimes you have to lie to survive. You don't know how it is to look over your shoulder every moment, expecting to feel a bullet or a knife pierce you, your husband, or your child. You cannot possibly understand how jealousy drives people to do crazy, insane things...." Her eyes started to spill over with tears. "But Michael didn't lie. I do need that money."
Candice refrained from shouting, from demanding what the hell had her sister dabbled in. "What did you do, Catrina?" Candice asked calmly, cringing inside.
"All you need to know is that we needed to get out of Europe, or we would be dead. Money makes people crazy, especially money that is owed... When you lie..." A dark sheen clouded Catrina's sapphires. "Now our last chance to right everything is gone."
"Catrina, you can have the money; I don't need it," Candice insisted, feeling Christy slip her small hand into hers. A hollow, empty expression flooded Catrina's features, and both the woman and child instinctively felt that look was much worse than one of rage.
A small smirk kissed Catrina's lips. "I don't want anything from you."
"Oh, Catrina, why didn't you call Mr. Noble when you came? We could have dealt with this so efficiently, and Michael wouldn't be..."
"You think I could trust Noble? You don't understand that I can't trust anyone but you. And now you've gone and taken my last hope.... "
"Catrina! You cannot possibly blame me for inheriting Father's money! I didn't ask for it, I didn't know!" Candice despaired, and Christy squeezed her hand harder.
A thought hit Candice. "You've trusted someone else."
Catrina's blonde eyebrow twitched slightly. "Who?"
Blue stared into blue. "Your detective. The one who led you to me."
At her sister's words, Catrina scoffed. "Please. Like I would have spilled my life story to some nobody. All I had to say was that I missed you, and wanted to fix all the wrongs. Nobody knows everything except Michael and me. And Michael's gone. They got him." Her mouth trembled, and she angrily shook her head.
"Catrina, what did you do?" The words slipped like a breath from Candice, slow, soft, nearly silent.
"Money makes you invincible. We were invincible. At least for a while. You stick your needle in other people's business, pull it back out filled with their worth, and inject it into your own life. You lie a little... you steal a little... then turn around and laugh in their faces. And sometimes, people just don't like your jokes. And when your invincibility runs out..." Catrina sighs.
Candice stood stunned for a second. "My God, Catrina. We need to contact help, you and Christy aren't safe. If you say they've gotten Michael--"
Suddenly, Catrina seized Christy and plunked the girl on her hip. "We're safe, for now. I've killed that part of my past. It's time to kill this present and move on to the future."
Before Candice knew what to do or think, Catrina had started to walk away. Shaking off her fear and panic, Candice raced after the tall blonde. "Catrina, wait, please! Let me help--"
"I told you, we're fine!" Catrina swung her purse, and Christy's shrill wail was the siren of alarm. The heavy leather bag caught Candice square in the face, the metal fasteners and zippers drilling into her head.
There was a sickening thud of flesh against leather and metal, and in that instant colors intensified into a painful kaleidoscope that jabbed at Candice's vision. A strange, piercing tone struck Candice's eardrums, and she didn't know she had fallen until a scraping pain scoured up her arms, which she had instinctively thrown out to stop her drop.
Tenderly, Candice sat up, touching her aching face. She narrowed her eyes, her vision blurred. Groping around her, she found her glasses, which were, thankfully, not damaged. She quickly put them on, and spotted Catrina rushing down the street. Only Christy's frightened and sorrowful face looked back.
"That cost you a pretty penny, eh, Erik? You better take care of it," Matt mused, tipping back his head and draining the remains of his drink. To Erik, it seemed as though Matt had just rolled out of bed: his hair scorned the brush, his black t-shirt had wrinkles within wrinkles, and his jeans were as ripped up as shredded wheat.
Erik nodded seriously, patting the pocket of his jacket. "Believe me, it's worth every dime."
"Man, I thought you were done after that last hit, but..." Matt shook his shaggy head, looking down at his newly inked skin, another addition to the myriad of flesh art decorating his body. He absently rubbed the tattoo and continued. "Dude, once you do this, you really can't go back."
"I know."
Sighing, Matt leaned back into the vinyl seat of the booth. "I just hope you don't end up dead for it."
Erik let out a small chuckle. "I doubt it." Quickly, he glanced out the restaurant window. "It's getting late. I should get going."
Matt nodded, saying, "I've got some people to meet. But call me up soon, all right, Matthews?"
"Sure," Erik responded, rising. Matt saluted a good-bye, and Erik strode out into the dimming day. Night was falling quickly, and he had parked farther away than he had liked.
Finally getting into his car and driving off, Erik came to an intersection. As he waited for the light to change, he casually glanced at his review mirror. A figure ambled into his view; the person kept away from the glow of the streetlights, and wandered slowly down the streets, cuddling something in his or her arms.
Erik shrugged, looking away to check the streetlight. People these days...
Just as he started to pull away, his vision flicked back to the mirror; he nearly plowed into the car in font of him. The blonde woman wore an expression of utter bemusement, her frazzled hair and dirty clothing attesting to the woman's frame of mind. She cuddled a life-sized baby doll in her arms, cuddling the toy and holding it close to her chest. Her dark, scarlet lipsticked lips moved rapidly, as though she were cooing sweet melodies to the doll.
Utterly shocked, Erik quickly spun into the nearest parking lot and parked. Bolting out of his seat, he jogged back, calling out, "Catrina!"
Silence greeted him as he turned the corner. Catrina was gone.
"What happened to you, Miss Carter?"
"Hmm? Oh, this?" Candice self-consciously touched the large bruise staining her cheek. "It's nothing, Ernie. I just bumped into a door while I was reading yesterday."
"Ah, I do that all the time! Sometimes, it's just hard to walk and read simultaneously. I suppose it's just the burden nerds must bear," Ernie sighed dramatically. The librarian laughed good-naturedly, and Ernie's stomach fluttered. Screw the butterflies. Those were rocket ships.
"Anyway, Miss Carter, I would like to put these books on hold, please," Ernie announced, taking out a stack of paper from his backpack with a flourish.
Her pretty blue eyes widened behind her utterly adorable glasses. "Ernie, this is practically all of next month's incoming inventory. Young man, you're going to burn out eyeballs by the time you're eighteen."
"Well, that's four years away. Might as well make some progress."
She smiled, and was about to reply when the phone on her desk rang. The blonde gave Ernie a mock annoyed look. "Let me answer and I'll get right back to you, okay?"
Ernie nodded. His calm demeanor did not betray the dizzying whirl of thoughts underneath his scalp. Eighteen? Did she mean anything special by saying eighteen? Was she planning something for when he turned eighteen? She had called him young man...
"What?"
Her single syllable was infused with disbelief, anger, and horror. Ernie swiveled his gaze back to her face, watching as she slowly paled. The receiver stayed on her ear like a macabre earring. "Gone?.... That's not possible.... Calm down, Catrina.... I'll be there... library... Yes, yes, I understand... hold on, please. Don't do anything rash."
With a sudden finality, Candice slammed down the phone and stood up, frantically gathering her bag and miscellaneous materials. Concerned, Ernie asked, "Are you okay, Miss Carter? What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's just something with my sister. I'm sorry, Ernie, but I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, all right?"
"All right, Miss Carter."
"Where's Jake--" Candice muttered distractedly, turning around and plowing right into said man.
"Candice! Where are you going?" Jake inquired, grabbing her arms and steadying her.
"My sister needs me at the hotel. No time to explain; I have to go now," Candice insisted, tearing away and hurrying towards the exit.
Both males watched her burst out the library doors and down the walk. Then at the same time, they both turned to look at each other. Jake was first to break the stunned silence. He gave Ernie the slightest frown. "What do you know about this?"
"Nothing, sir," Ernie replied hastily, lifting his hands up in a sign of innocence.
Once more, Jake gazed in the direction Candice took. Then sighing, he sank into her chair and began to check out Ernie's stack of books. For the next couple of minutes, only the clatter of computer keys and the thud of books passed as communication between them.
While Jake busied himself with the computer, Ernie began to stack his books into his backpack. Sister? Candice had never mentioned she had a sister...
"Excuse me."
Ernie jerked his head up, and his sight landed on a tall man he had seen in Candice's company a few times; he had guessed him to be her boyfriend. Immediately, Ernie's intestines boiled in jealousy; a savage kind of triumph shot through him as he saw the wicked wound underneath the man's eye.
The man's words weren't directed at him; instead, he was glaring at Jake, who was ignoring him. He said more loudly, "Excuse me!"
Jake merely glanced up from his computer. "What is it?"
"I would like to know if Candice is here today."
To Ernie's surprise, Jake merely shrugged his shoulders. He returned his gaze back to the computer monitor, and completely disregarded the other man. The one with green eyes exhaled forcefully, and Ernie would not have been surprised to see fire issue from his nostrils.
Suddenly, the man slammed his clenched fists onto the desk. Ernie nearly leapt out of his socks; even Jake gave a slight jump. Brow furrowed, the man demanded, "What kind of answer is that! How can you not know, if she works here and has for four years! And you claim to be her friend! And you lied to me last time I was here. What's your excuse for that!"
At this, Jake bristled; he stood up, and glared right back at the other. "It is not my place to tell you anything about her. And haven't you hurt her enough? If you had any sense, you would leave her alone and let her heal, and move on with her life! Damn you!"
In the burst of heated exchanges, they had advanced towards each other. Both men were nearly nose to nose, fists tense and ready at their sides. Jake glowered furiously at the younger man, refusing to be intimidated. The one with the green eyes glared right back, and one could practically feel the rage and power emitting from him.
A second passed, and recognition stole into the black-haired man's face. Slowly, he his hunched shoulders loosened, as did his fists. His gaze, however, stayed locked on Jake's face.
"You love her, don't you." It wasn't a question.
Jake did not answer; he simply narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin higher.
Without another word or gesture, the other turned away and raced towards the library exit. Jake glared after him for a moment, then collapsed into his chair, a hand covering his eyes. Ernie took his chance; hoisting his backpack on, he casually walked away from the librarian and headed outside.
Once he was in the clear, he sprinted towards the green-eyed man, who was climbing back into his car. "Hey, sir! Sir!"
He looked up, focusing in on Ernie. Panting, Ernie stopped next to the car, panting. "Why--" wheeze, "why do you want to know where she--" wheeze, "is?"
"I have something very important to tell her. Do you know where I can find her?" Hope rose in his green eyes as he watched the young teen gasp for air.
"Do--" wheeze, "do you love her?"
There was no hesitation. "With all my heart."
Ernie coughed one last time, then glared at the man in suspicious scrutiny. "Can I trust you? Is it true what the librarian said?"
"I've hurt Candice, and I'm trying to make things better." The frank despair and remorse convinced Ernie.
"Well, she said something about her sister, a hotel, and a library."
Immediately, he tensed. "Thank you, man."
"No problem." Ernie backed away as the man started the engine, and raced out the library parking lot.
Well, there went his chance to score with his beloved librarian. He'd have to wait until he turned eighteen. Ernie sighed.
"Catrina?" Candice called out cautiously, letting the thick hotel library door close behind her. She jumped slightly as it shut with a loud thump, abruptly cutting off all sound from the rest of the hotel. She could no longer hear the soft tinkling of voices, the soft patter of people's feet. "Catrina..."
A sob answered her, from the very depths of the library's belly. That library was immense; well, the majority of the Leon's clientele were educated and academic people on holiday, unlike two of its last blonde inhabitants.
The sound of the sobs intensified, and Candice hurried. The books were split into large rows, with wide aisles between the wood bookcases. Decorative lions loomed from the top of the enormous bookcases, their blank eyes and deaf ears mapping the trek of the slight blonde. Only they knew.
Candice reached the end of the library and saw her sister sitting on the floor, back against a bookcase, knees drawn up to her chest, sobbing. "Oh, Catrina..."
"She's gone. Christy's gone. I've looked everywhere. This is the last place left. They took her. Those b@stards took her." Her cries stopped as she said that, but once the last consonant left her mouth, her sobs resumed, and increased in volume. It seemed as though her wails scraped her throat as wept, coming out wet and bloody from her lips, so thick with emotion one could almost grasp her cries.
Mouth trembling in shock and disbelief, Candice extended her hand to put it on Catrina's shoulder. She noticed a spring of blonde hair poking from under Catrina's arms; it was a doll, probably Christy's.
At the sight of the doll, tears sprouted and threatened to spill. Candice sank down to her knees and gathered her sister in her arms, and Catrina allowed herself to be embraced. They stayed there, frozen in the stance of mingled heartbreak and incredulity. Catrina continued to weep, her nails digging into the doll's scalp.
Candice began to compose herself, and opened her mouth to speak when the loud opening and shutting of the library door interrupted her. A faint shout rumbled towards her, "Candice!"
"Erik..." Candice automatically looked up, turning away from her sister. She must be going crazy, what would Erik be doing there? Refusing to believe it, she hugged her sister tighter. However, the call came again, more insistent.
"Candice!"
Hesitantly, candice pulled away from her sister and stood up. She walked a couple steps towards the aisle between the bookcases, and saw Erik standing at the other end. Without thinking, she started towards him, tears already flowing down her cheeks. Oh, dear God, she couldn't take it alone, Christy gone...
Abruptly, she stopped in mid-step, remembering that she had damned that man. Erik, however, had run towards her, and had her in his arms before she could protest. "Candice, what's going on?"
Candice immediately pushed away, angrily brushing away her tears. "Erik, get out and go away," she rasped, twisting away and going back to Catrina.
Once again, she froze in her tracks. Facing them, a still sobbing Catrina emerged from behind the bookcase, an arm covering her face, the other dangling at her side and holding the doll's torso. Its blonde hair was clutched in the hand over her face, its severed head serving as Catrina's eyes. She lurched towards them, leaning heavily against the bookcases. A few paces before Candice, she stopped. Slowly, she lowered her arm. She was grinning.
Catrina laughed, a perfect mimicry of her shrill crying. "How fitting. You've taken my lover. And you've brought yours. And I didn't even have to ask. It makes my job a lot easier."
Candice felt Erik pulling her back, away from her sister. She stared at Catrina, utterly confused. What was going on? Wasn't she just crying? Christy... Michael...
"It's because of you that everyone's lives are ruined. It's your fault that our parents died. You made Momma crazy. You made Daddy sad and he died because of you. Michael's dead because he went to ask you for money." Catrina sniggered at Candice's flabbergasted expression. "Oh, yes, I knew he was going to go talk to you. I knew you would give him the money. I just didn't know you would kill him. You may have not fired a shot or plunged in the knife, but you killed him. And now my beautiful girl is gone, and it's your fault.
"I now realize that everything you touch eventually dies. Our parents, Michael, Christy. Now you see why I don't want your money? I don't want to die by your hand.
"You've ruined my life, Candice. I'll ruin yours."
Candice realized her intent a second before it happened. She shoved Erik away the moment Catrina pulled out her silenced gun from the doll's torso and fired. She heard Erik's pained roar, and a sickening red exploded from him and danced in the air like morbid wet flowers. Candice heard him stumble and land somewhere nearby, before Catrina grabbed her hair and hurled her aside, then thrust her to the ground. A scream tore from her lips as Catrina kicked her in the stomach, her foot driving in deep into her flesh. Another sharp kick caught her around the head, followed by another to her torso. A final blow to her abdomen forced Candice to expel all the air in her lungs; Candice gasped sharply, unable to compel a mouthful of oxygen into her.
For a second, Candice lay immobile on the floor, and all she could see was Catrina's legs moving away from her. She was stalking Erik.
With a huge effort, Candice staggered to her feet. "Catrina!" she shouted, hoping someone had heard the bullet shot and her screaming.
No answer.
Breathing ragged, Candice hurried down the row of books. She couldn't hear either Erik or Catrina. A stifled sob escaped her; she hadn't seen where he had been hit, what if Erik was dead?
As she reached the end of the aisle, the bookcase started to tilt. A couple books flew off the top shelves, striking her upper body heavily. Candice cried out as one clipped her in the mouth, and her lips gnashed against her teeth, tearing, leaving a bloody kiss across the cover.
From the other side, Catrina ran at the bookcase, ramming her entire body against it to make it fall. She backed away, sped up, and slammed into it again, laughing as the entire bookcase finally gave way and tumbled over.
A shower of thick books plummeted from above, overtaking Candice as she ran. She raised her arms to avoid them, but it was like closing one's eyes against a nuclear attack. She fell, feeling stones pummel her from all sides. Candice felt the delicate bones in her hands splinter, and the sturdier bones of her ribs crack. The unforgiving edges of books dug into her flesh, and after a moment's blinding pain, couldn't feel her legs. A warm and slick substance covered her face; one of the lenses of her glasses had imbedded itself in her cheek. She lay still, absolutely still.
Catrina rounded the corner and inspected her work. All that greeted her was an enormous pile of books, and a single, bloody hand emerging from the between the covers. Smiling lopsidedly, she gazed down at her gun. Then she raised it, aimed it towards the books. Hand shaking, she started to shoot.
Continued in results.
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Erik heard the colossal crash, and a muffled barrage of bullets. Desperate, he crawled towards the noise, then struggled to his feet, feeling his strength ooze out of him as his blood seeped from his shoulder. A snake of crimson followed his path as he stumbled clumsily towards the sisters. Catrina must have struck a major blood passageway; she had looked over him and snickered when she saw the stream of scarlet issuing from his body. Satisfied, she had gone after her sister. But Erik would not allow that. He couldn't.
A long, anguished moan fluttered from under the books. Books slid aside and away; two wretched, panic-lit sapphire eyes appeared, framed by a bloody and purpled face. Candice gasped, extracting only her arms and head from the heavy weight of literature crushing her down. She looked up, and the barrel of Catrina's gun kissed her forehead.
"So, I missed." Catrina gazed down calmly into her sister's disfigured face, locking blue with blue. "That's easily fixed."
Candice's swollen lips parted slightly, her tongue awkward. "'Ric..."
Catrina smiled. "He's going to die, Candice. If he's not dead yet.
"You've taken my life. I'll take yours."
"Leave her alone."
Catrina whirled around, pointing the gun at Erik. He was breathing heavily, swaying in place as his life seeped out of him. As she watched, Erik fell to his knees; chuckling in amusement, Catrina walked over to him, and kicked his side. He tumbled to his back, wheezing. While his eyes rolled, she whispered, "Watch her die, Mr. Derek."
When the blonde returned to her sister, Erik reached for her ankle, but his fingers simply stroked the back of her heel. No, no. "Can--Candice..."
"Momma?"
Erik turned his head slightly. Another head of gold, small steps...
Catrina's eyes widened as she paled. "Christy? Christy?"
"Momma, why is Aunt Can-is bleeding? Why is 'Ric on the floor?" She paused. "Momma, what are you doing?" Christy gazed serenely around her, blinking blearily, as though she'd just awoken from a deep sleep.
Catrina started to shake violently, as though a specter had coiled up her spine. "You're not here, Christy. They took you. They took you like they took your father!" Catrina's eyes danced wildly, and her free hand clawed the air in front of her, as though attempting to strike Christy's mirage.
The smallest of confused creases crossed Christy's face. "Daddy? I saw him last night. I wanted to tell you, but Daddy said no. He said he would be back."
"He's... not dead? Christy, what are you saying? What are you saying!" Catrina shrieked, spittle spraying from her mouth.
Christy's gaze locked on the gun in Catrina's fist. "Momma, why do you have that? Bad things happen when you have it."
The girl took a step forward; Catrina stepped back, and raised her gun.
"Christy!" Both Candice and Erik shouted, another ounce of strength jolting through their bodies. Candice strained to push away the books from her body, and Erik struggled to his knees.
"Don't move!" Catrina screamed, alternating the gun from the man, woman, and child.
Deeply frightened now, tears spilled from Christy. "Momma, that thing hurts people."
"How do you know?" Catrina snarled, never releasing her hold.
"I read it in a book."
Catrina's last strand of sanity severed. "You're not my Christy! You're Candice and your godd@mn books! You think you know everything, don't you? Just because you're smarter doesn't mean you're better! Damn you, Candice! I tried to steal your happiness, but you stole it right back. You took Michael and Christy from me! Damn you!"
Sobbing, the girl stumbled away from her mother. "No, Momma, I'm Christy."
"Christy..." Catrina stared blankly at the crying child, her blonde head tilting slightly askew on her shoulders, the slightest of frowns creasing her forehead. She repeated, "Christy..." Suddenly, a puppeteer's string jerked her head upright and her eyes shot wide open, white of seas around pools of blue. "Christy! Christy! Christy-- Candice?"
Catrina's frantic stare returned to Candice. A befuddled grimace embraced her face. "What am I doing? Candice, I almost shot my baby. I can't think anymore, Candice..." her speech started to wind down, reduced to mumbling. "It-- it hurts too much to think..."
Slowly, she raised the gun. Candice knew what she planned to do. A scream tore from her throat, desperate, pleading. "Catrina, no! No!"
Erik lunged for Christy the moment before it happened. He pressed her face against his chest as the shot went off. The girl clutched at his neck, and continued to sob.
With the last bit of energy, he softly told her, "Christy, I need you to do me a big favor. Go get someone to help us."
"Okay, Ric." She started to push away, but Erik held her firmly.
"Promise me you won't look back. Promise me."
"I promise, Ric."
"Good girl." Erik released her, and saw that her eyes were clenched shut. His blood had smeared all over her as gruesome rogue, but there was nothing he could do. He positioned her in the right direction, and uttered a single word. "Thanks."
Christy took off running. Groaning softly, Erik crawled towards the zone of disaster, swimming between consciousness and darkness.
He touched her hand first. Candice's silent tears made tiny streams through her mask of red. She reached for him, mouth opening and closing, no words capable of translating the emotion shrieking inside her. "She-- she..."
Candice started to turn her face to the side, but Erik flung aside her broken glasses and pressed his cheek against her forehead, embracing her fiercely. "Don't look."
He released a pained roar at the gently pressure of her hand touching his shoulder. "Oh, God, Erik," Candice choked, her hand smothered in his blood. Grimacing, she applied more force, and tried to move. However, the broken wood shelves of the bookcase along with the books themselves pinned her lower body. "I have to stop your bleeding."
Her hand kept pushing; Erik could hardly feel it, though. His finger reached up and touched her torn lips, his green locking with her blue. They closed.
Candice cried out as he fell away from her, facedown. Gritting her teeth against the jolts of pain, she pulled herself from the wreckage, groping for Erik's immobile body. He was going to die if he bled any more, and she wouldn't allow that.
Hastily, she tore at his shirt, ripping it off him. It was damp and heavy in her hands, but she hardly noticed; her gaze stroked the insignia on his left shoulder, right above the exit wound of the bullet. A double "C"...
Fresh tears flowing, Candice pushed Erik on to his back, and pressed his torn shirt over the injury. Below her palm, his heart beat once...twice...
