Star Bright

The steady beeping of the alarm beside her bed woke Cathleen to yet another day of the personal hell that was her life. A faint groan came from her slightly parted lips as her eyes reluctantly began to flutter open. With her vision still burly from just waking up, Cathleen randomly looked around the room. She wished that she didn’t have to wake up, and could just keep on sleeping. But there had been very little in the way of wishes that had ever been granted to her. Sighing sadly, Cathleen pulled herself out of her bed and got dressed. The only thing she did in the way towards getting ready for school was to brush her hair a few times. There was no point in her mind to bother with her looks. In fact, she didn’t bother to do anything involving any kind of make up. Having to do that would mean that Cathleen would have to look at the large mirror that was adjacent to her bed. And that was the very last thing that she wanted to do, which went a long way towards explaining why she had a large blanket draped over it. Throwing her book bag over her shoulder, Cathleen reluctantly left her dark and dismal room. As she began the long, hard journey downstairs to the kitchen. Already, she could hear her mother working up yet another five-star breakfast of milk, eggs, and bacon. As depressed and lonely as Cathleen was, she still felt bad about the things she had said to her mom the night before. It wasn’t that she really hated her mother, she was just sad because of the way she had been born.

Walking into the kitchen with her face pointed towards the floor, Cathleen took a seat at the table she had stormed away from the previous night. She searched for something that she could say to her mother, some way to tell her that she was sorry about getting mad at her. As the steamy plate of her routine breakfast was place in front of her, Cathleen tried to force her mouth open, but the voice died in her throat. She didn’t know how her mother took her lack of words, but the mutual silence between them did little to improve Cathleen’s mood. She picked at her food, taking it down in little bites. She was only halfway through her meal when her mom finally said something to her.

“You need to hurry, the bus will be here soon.”

The way in which she said it, and the fact that she didn’t call her honey, made Cathleen feel like she had been stabbed in the heart with an ice icicle. Clamping her mouth shut to keep herself from breaking down, Cathleen looked longingly out the window as the light of the sun began to shine through. The sudden coldness her mother was giving to Cathleen only helped to reinforce her belief that there was really nothing in her life that was worth living. Swelling with more depression than she could have thought possible for a single person to carry, Cathleen left her home quieter than she had ever done. She didn’t even give her mother a goodbye, something she had never done. Walking off the front porch, she was hit directly in the face with the full brightness of the sun just as it was rising over the tree tops. As its rays washed over her, Cathleen felt a bizarre tingle jolt through her chest and she became faint. She stopped, clutching her chest weakly as she fought to stay on her feet. Her breathing suddenly turned to frantic gasps as she found herself without any air for no reason at all. It felt like forever until the sensation of choking passed her. Taking several deep breaths, Cathleen fought hard to bring herself under control. The attacks were getting worse, and she had no idea why. There was a thought of cancer in the back of her mind, but she didn’t really pay much attention to it. If she really was going to end it all in the next few days, then what was the point in worrying about something that might kill her long down the road? Pushing the thought from her mind, Cathleen tried to force herself to begin the long walk towards the bus stop. But her foot refused to lift, it was like she had planted her feet in quick drying cement. Cathleen was struck in that moment of confusion by an odd sensation. It was so powerful, so captivating that nothing else ran through her mind. Slowly, as if she were being pulled by a magnet, she turned her head over to the barn. It was the only other building on their property, and her dad had forbidden her from going inside since she was a child. His claim was that it had many dangerous tools in it, and he didn’t want to see her get hurt. She had only once been inside. It had been about a month after she had been given the family jewel. In the dead of night, she had gone inside the barn, her mind in such a clueless daze that it had felt so very much like a dream. She had only made it inside for little more than ten seconds before her dad had roughly pulled her back and proceeded to swat her rear until it was almost blue. After that, he had locked it up the only door to the barn with an industrial chain and heavy padlock. And he never, ever went inside it when she was around.

Cathleen hadn’t given the barn another glance, much less a thought, for years. Until just recently. Her weird attacks only happened when she was home. Meaning near the barn. Curiosity was itching at her mind to find out why there was a nearly inescapable pull coming from that beat down structure. But there was also fear. Fear of what lurked within that dreadful place. It was the only thing that Cathleen still feared. Back in the deepest corners of her conscious, she made up her mind that…on the night she would end it all, she would go inside that building and discover the mystery. She at least wanted to know that before the end of her life. Her lonely, broken spirit deserved at least that bit of mercy. The tell tale melancholy sound from her came again, which would be added by many more likely to come. Cathleen shook her head and marched away from the house, and the barn, as fast as she could go. She had had enough to worry about for one morning. And further she got from the barn, the less she felt the strain on her mind. It only further served to convince her that there was some kind of connection, though what she didn’t know. When she had finally made it to the end of the driveway, the urge had vanished completely from not only her mind, but her body as well. Now that it was gone, she only had one thing left to do, wait for the bus to come and pick her up. The waiting was one of the hardest parts of her whole day, because it was completely boring. The only thing she had to remotely pass the time was by seeing how many leaves she could knock off the trees across the street with a rock. Taking up a single rough rock in her hand, Cathleen drew back her arm and threw as hard as she could. It struck true, and several leaves drifted lazily to the ground. As Cathleen picked up yet another rock, she pictured a clump of the forest as the sneering face of one of her fellow classmates that loved to revel in her anguish. She hurled the rock at the spot, and felt a deep satisfaction surge through her when it hit exactly where she had thrown it. It was in that moment that she heard a lot of rustling in the forest, near where she had thrown the rock. Jumping slightly at the sound, Cathleen back up a step or two. Her hands instinctively clutched the strap of her book bag, readying herself to swing it at a moment’s notice. The foliage near the edge of the forest increased, completely destroying her hope that the disturbance had somehow been just a part of her imagination. Her body tensed, the muscles in her arms and legs tightening in the face of the unknown. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Cathleen braced herself for whatever she felt was about to emerge. She leaned forward slightly, trying her best to peer into the dim areas that existed between the thick vegetation. Straining her eyes, she could have sworn that she saw something in there. Something looking right back at her.

The bus rolled right up to her in that instant, snapping Cathleen out of her near trance like state. She yelp sharply, scared for the first time in a long time. Sweat dribbled down the side of her face as she breathed heavily. A sharp honk from the driver signaled her to get aboard. Cathleen glanced quickly up at the driver, then back at the spot she thought she had saw something. Whatever might have been, it was gone now. Quickly wiping her forehead, Cathleen quickly rushed to get aboard the bus, not once taking her eyes off of the surrounding forest. Once inside, she didn’t give anyone that was onboard so much as a glance. Hurrying back to her usual spot, she sat down and stared out the window. Just as the bus began to drive away, she thought she saw a flash of movement through the trees. Gulping hard, Cathleen sunk into her seat and did her very best to become one with the cushion, and pretend that nothing had ever happened. For the most part, no one paid much attention to her. ‘Milk girl’ was only worth a few moments of their time each day for personal amusement. Beyond that, the others just acted like she wasn’t even there, and Cathleen was all too happy to oblige them. After several minutes had passed, she began to forget all about what had been lurking in the woods. Her mind convinced herself that it had been some kind of raccoon or squirrel, which were thick around the farm. Halfway to school, that familiar feeling of impending dread began to fill up inside her. It wouldn’t be long before she returned to the hell that was high school. She was almost glad to think that she would only have to put up with it for just a few more days. Then she would finally be at peace. She was so wrapped up in thoughts of ending her life that she wasn’t even aware of a heavy rumbling sound. It wasn’t even the noise that brought her back to reality. It was the feeling of immense weight that her family jewel appeared to gain that caused Cathleen to look up from the floor. Only then was she registering the noise coming from the back of the bus. Glancing over her shoulder, Cathleen had an odd sensation wash over her, it wasn’t like anything she had ever felt before.

Behind the bus about fifty yards, rapidly gaining on it, was a single figure mounted on some type of motorcycle. As the figure drew closer, she realized that the rider was clad in leather, with a tinted helmet hiding their face. What surprised Cathleen the most was how expertly the rider managed their bike, it was almost as if the machine was and extension of the drivers’ body. The rider bobbed and weaved around dips and craters in the road so fluidly that it was truly captivating to watch. In the time it would have taken her to snap her fingers, the rider gunned the bike and swerved around the bus in such a sharp lean that she was terrified that they were going to fall over. As the rider zoomed past, Cathleen looked down at the mysterious person. There was just enough time for her to see that the biker was mounted on some type of sleek looking hog before she felt a jolt course through her body. Falling back onto her seat, she clutched her chest, which had tightened exactly the way it had earlier when she had been looking at the barn. Panting, she glanced out her window just in time to see the rider speed out of sight. By the way the rest of the bus suddenly burst into an explosion of words, she could only guess that many of the other passengers had seen the mysterious rider’s passing as well. And just like that, the biker was gone. For the rest of the journey, all Cathleen could think of was the mystery rider. Her thoughts were so enwrapped in thinking about the biker that she wasn’t really even aware that her fingers were lightly caressing the jewel under her shirt.

When they had finally made it to school, Cathleen left the bus with hardly another thought in her mind. She certainly didn’t even see Maude coming up behind her until her friend lightly jabbed her in the back. “Hey, Earth to Cat. Anyone home in there?”
“What?”

Maude rolled her eyes. “Spaced out, as usual.”

Cathleen’s complete silence was a clue to Maude that something was bothering her. “Cat, what is it?”

“I…I don’t know.” she said, glancing around nervously. The odd tingle was still there, very faint, but just enough to be noticeable. Because it hadn’t gone away, Cathleen felt herself on the edge. She didn’t know why this was still happening, but she knew that all she really wanted was for it to just stop. She wasn’t going to hold her breath for that. Her wishes and reality didn’t seem to mesh very well. Drawing her arms up around herself, Cathleen began walking towards the bench where she and Maude ate lunch. Her friend followed her without saying another word. At least, not until they were safely away from the prying eyes and ears of the rest of the school. Throwing her bag down on the weathered wooden surface, Maude took a seat and stared long and hard at Cathleen.

“Ok, Cat. Spit it out. What’s the problem?”

“I told you, I don’t know.”

“Well then, take a guess.”

“It’s…” Cathleen looked up at the sky, as if either searching for answers. “Something weird happened this morning.”

“Like what?”

“I...I think I was being watched.”

“Watched?” Maude glanced around them quickly. “By who?”

Cathleen shook her head. “I told you, I don’t know. It was out by the end of the driveway. I didn’t even see anyone. But there was something in woods, and I just got this feeling like I was being watched.”

Maude frowned. “Cat, I don’t know what to tell you. Are you sure that it wasn’t just some animal?”

“I want to believe that it was, I really do. But, there was something about it that just didn’t sound right. And whatever it was stopped moving right when I looked over at it. What kind of animal does that? And, on the bus…”

“What about the bus?”

“There…there was someone on this motorcycle. When they drove past, I don’t know, I got the same feeling.”

“Cat, are you telling me that there’s someone following you?”

“I don’t know, maybe…”

Maude fidgeted her hands, concern clearly present in her eyes. She however, didn’t seem to have any words that would have given Cathleen any reassurance. The unsettling silence that overcame the two was disturbing. It was almost as bad to Cathleen as it had been with her mother. Cathleen didn’t like it one bit. In her heart she could tell that her friend was torn between believing her while trying to work out a rational explanation for the strange incident and the rider. The distrust cut Cathleen yet once more, further driving home that she had very little to live for. And that damn tingle just refused to go away. Growling under her breath, she slammed a fist against the table.

“Hey.” Maude said.

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

Maude licked her lips. “Cat, I never said anything like that.”

“You don’t have to, I can see it in your eyes.”

“Look…”

“Don’t worry, just forget it.”

“But…”

“Just forget it Maude. I’m fine.” Cathleen closed her eyes took several deep breaths to calm herself. It was a technique she was very familiar with. It was one of the few reasons why she hadn’t tried to pound one of her fellow student’s faces in. After her fifth inhale, the morning bell rang. Cathleen blinked, not realizing that the time had gone by so fast. More and more, it felt like the world was trying to speed her along through her last days. The thought was very unsettling. Maude jumped from the bench and began walking backwards so she could look at her as she went.

“Look, Cat. I’ll see you at lunch. Try to cheer up, things aren’t that bad. And I don’t think anyone would be crazy enough to want to follow you.”

Cathleen begged to differ on that statement. However, Maude turned on her heels and rushed away, leaving her there all by herself. Without any caring ear nearby to plead her troubles to, Cathleen grabbed her bag and sulked to the home room. Her misery was further driven home when a passing student grabbed the loop of her book bag as she rounded a corner and jerked. Cathleen was taken completely by surprise and she fell on her back. Snickers and more comments about ‘Milk girl’ filled her ears. Fighting back the burning sensation in her face, she pulled herself up and practically ran to her home room. She just barely managed to scramble through the door when the final bell rang. The teacher was busy writing something on the chalkboard, and with his back to the class, Cathleen was hit no less than three times by waded balls of paper as she took her seat in the back corner of the room. Opening her Algebra book, Cathleen did her very best to try and finish the homework she still had to do before she had to go. As she was working through one of the harder problems, she was struck in the side of the face by something. The stinging that flooded through her cheek made her eyes water slightly. She looked down at her desk, and saw the discarded rubber band that had smacked into her face. Turning her head away from the rest of the class, Cathleen let her shiny hair fall down to hide the few tear drops that fell from her eyes before she could get a hold of herself.

“Cathleen McAlester, please report to the principal’s office.”

Cathleen’s head shot up at the speaker in the room. If it were possible for Cathleen to have any color, Cathleen was sure that she would have lost all of it in that moment. She had never been called to the office before, and that thought was a little disturbing for her. Quickly wiping her eyes, Cathleen fumbled to pull out her text book and prop it up. Cathleen then hid herself behind it in the hopes that the call for her had somehow been a mistake and that she could just go back to being ignored. It wasn’t, her name was called out in the dull, electronic drone of the speaker once more.

“Ms. McAlester.”

Cathleen slowly looked up from behind her book to see the teacher staring straight at her. “Unless you’re deliberately trying to push my patience, I suggest that you go to the central office at once.”

Dropping her head low, Cathleen dumped the book into her bag and rushed to get out of the room. On one hand, she was glad to be away from all those horrible people and their no stop torments. Then again, she actually found herself being nervous with the mystery as to why she had been called on. The hallways were empty now, and the only sound that she could hear was thudding of her boots against the tile floor. It let off a very ominous echoing sound, one which made her journey seem all the more frightening. Cathleen believed that she was sweating by the time she finally reached the door, but was too scared to even glance at a reflection of herself in the glass. Licking her lips, she reach out with a single trembling hand and entered the main office. The inside was rather dull to the point of being boring, not at all what she had expected. Ms. Mildred, the middle aged secretary, peered down her thick eye glasses at Cathleen. “Take a seat over there, Ms. McAlester.” She pointed to a chair against the far wall. “The principal will be out shortly.”

Cathleen didn’t say anything in response. She quietly took her seat and stared at the floor. What had she done wrong? Nothing, that’s what. If anyone deserved to be in the office, it was half the damn school for treating her like crud under their shoes. They were the whole reason why she had come to believe that there wasn’t much point in living anymore. Thoughts of how miserable she was completely enveloped her mind to the point where she wasn’t even aware of anything going on around her. Until, that was, a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. The unexpected contact caused Cathleen to jump. She looked up in the equally hard face of the acting principal, though for the life of her, she couldn’t remember his name. “Ms. McAlester.”

“What did I do wrong?”

He shook his head quickly in response. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

She stared up at him with confusion. “Then…why was I called here?”

The principal glanced over at Ms. Mildred. A look passed across their faces, one that sent chills through her body. He turned back to her. “We have a new student transferring to the school today. His assigned locker is next to yours, so I want you to show him where his classes are and all the facilities on the grounds. ”

“But, why me? Isn’t there someone else who could do it?”

He didn’t give her an answer other than, “He’s in my office. I’m giving you first and second hour off to show him around. Now hurry along.” A little slip with the principal’s signature on it was handed to her, completely sealing Cathleen’s fate. Groaning sadly under her breath, she picked up her bag and sulked into the principal’s office. It was only as she started to enter that she became aware of the faint tingle that was radiating in her chest. She didn’t even look at him until she had passed through the door. When she did, Cathleen stopped instantly like she had just run into a brick wall. Her bag fell to her feet and her jaw dropped.

Even with his back turned to her, it was plain as the sunlight beaming through the open window in front of him that he had skin the was just as pale as hers. Locks of silver hair flowed down to his ears, the residual light from the sun causing strands to give off an eerie glisten. Cathleen suddenly had a true understanding as to how her hair really looked in direct sunlight. He looked over his shoulder, and also froze. Almost everything about Cathleen that she had known that made her so different was present in him. For just a moment, Cathleen deluded herself into thinking that she was staring into a mirror, and that her eyes were playing tricks on her. That was until she noticed the one thing that was different between the two of them. His eyes.

They were a dark blue, a kind that she had never seen before with anyone, yet she recognized the color. Her mind scrambled to find the comparison, trying to think of where she had seen such an unnatural color from. The answer came to her mind like a slap on the face. The hue of twilight. Cathleen had spent countless nights of her youth lying out on the roof of her parents’ house, and had seen so many sunsets that she could tell exactly how long they would last with just a glance. That knowledge was how she made the comparison. His eyes were the color of the band of dark blue that tittered between the pitch blackness of night, and the final blue hue that was the last faint traces of the daylight. A color that by all rights shouldn’t exist. No one had eyes that bizarre, except her. Even with that one tiny answer, Cathleen found herself completely frozen with shock in this young man’s presence. He, apparently, wasn’t as petrified by their encounter. He calmly rose from the chair and turned his body to face her. He was clad in a black t-shirt with leather pants that easily showed off his lean, yet well toned body. He was definitely clutching a leather jacket in one of his hands as he took a hesitant step towards her. Another stunning revelation overcame Cathleen in the instant she noticed it. This new guy, whose otherworldly looks completely shattered Cathleen’s belief in her uniqueness, was the rider of the motorcycle that had sped past the bus earlier.

“Uh…” his voice caught in his throat, forcing him to swallow hard. “Hello.”

He reached out a hand towards her in an awkward but friendly manner. “I’m Davis.”