Midnight Girl Part 4

A slender woman in a red coat, tank top, capris, and sandals smiled at her from the parlor doorway. Her skin was brown and her eyes were amber, like Baldomero's and Granny Lupe's. Her hair was the color of copper. The bones of her face were strong and beautiful, so much like the painting of Cat's mother that, for an instant, she thought she was looking at her mother. Then she said, "Tia Ysabel!"

"Yes! La Ysabel esta aqui! Lessez les bon temps rouler!" Ysabel held up a tiny purple MP3 player and asked Professor M, "You don't mind, Herr Professor?" Before he could answer, she plugged it into the parlor's sound system. As a Brazilian pop song began to play, Ysabel tapped her foot and held out her hand to Cat. "We are the stars, Darling Miracle!"

They danced around the parlor with Cat following Ysabel's moves as best she could. When Granny Lupe began clapping time, Cat cried, "You, too!" and offered her hand.

Granny Lupe grimaced, saying, "I'm too old for this nonsense," then began dancing as gracefully as Ysabel. Cat wished they could dance forever. How would it be better? If Tarika was there to dance with them?

No. If Baldomero was. As the next song began, Ysabel grabbed Professor M's wheelchair to spin him. A glance at his face made her let go. For once, Ysabel did not laugh, though she smiled as she returned to dance with Cat and Granny Lupe.

The sound of an approaching motorcycle cut through the music. Professor M looked at Granny Lupe. "You didn't say there would be more."

Granny Lupe said, "We de la Sombras do not care to be predictable." "I'll get it!" Cat cried as she raced to the front door and flung it wide. In the middle of the yard, a slender young man in a black helmet, gray leather jeans and a matching jacket, a white silk shirt, and dark gray boots was setting a large black motorcycle on its kickstand. When he pulled off his helmet, she saw Baldomero grinning at her. Dropping the helmet onto his seat, he ran toward her, leaped onto the porch, and bowed low. In the shade of the night, he was more handsome than she remembered.

"Command me, your highness!" he said with a smile that was half- mocking and half-sincere. "I, Baldomero de la Sombra, your cousin and champion, will seek your heart's desire, wherever it lies, whatever its cost."

She opened her mouth to laugh, but instead said quietly, "Perhaps I shall."

He smiled up at her. "I never make light promises." Then, rising, he frowned. "You modified your costume. You didn't like it?"

"You're the Halloween Fairy?" "Me, a fairy?" He laughed. "Yes. Your fairy. I hoped to delight you." "I loved the others. This one..." She shrugged. "The others were for you to hide in. This one's to bring out your true self. I should've known that meant you would change it." His smile grew wider. "Your father must be driving off boys with a stick."

Could he see her cheeks grow warm? She shook her head, too fl.u.s.tered to answer.

From the hall, Professor M said, "I was planning to start tonight." Baldomero laughed. "Ah, Professor! You have the wit!" Professor M said, "I'd rather have the stick. You come unannounced." "It's our way." He looked at Cat. "Do you mind?" "Of course not!" "Then I'm welcome?" "Always!" She hesitated, then thought, He's family! It's okay! She threw herself into his arms to hug him. He felt cold from his ride, and firm and lean. It was like embracing a stallion made of ice. Rocking back from the impact, Baldomero laughed. "Ah, I believe I am!" Professor M said, a bit louder than he may have needed to, "Since you've been welcomed, let's go in." In the parlor, Granny Lupe was setting a large purple cake on a table by the fireplace. Cat wanted to ask why it wasn't strawberry as usual, but she felt torn: Change bad, purple good.

Ysabel stood and beamed at Baldomero. "My son. Where did I see you last? Prague? Johannesburg?"

"Stockholm, Mother Dear." He kissed Ysabel, then said, "Or Reykjavik? Someplace cold where we fed well, anyway."

Cat studied them. Ysabel looked exactly as she remembered, yet Ysabel could have pa.s.sed for Baldomero's sister. Was that plastic surgery, or did the de la Sombras age very gracefully?

Ysabel caught her look. "Forgot to say. Love the costume. Best yet!"

Cat nodded and glanced at Professor M and Granny Lupe. If she had not seen them for a year, would she think they looked younger?

No. Granny Lupe, in her loose black cotton dress and a black lace shawl, looked exactly like herself: tiny, wrinkled, gray-haired. Who could tell if more wrinkles had been added in a year? None had been taken away.

But, with a shock that she hid, Cat saw her father looked weaker. His hair and beard were flecked with gray. His scarred face was leaner than she remembered. His eyes were sunken, sleepless and haunted. The green wool blanket covering his legs and lap made him look frail. Until tonight, he had only worn blankets when he went outside in very cold weather.

Granny Lupe laughed as she took Baldomero's face in both hands, kissed him loudly on each cheek, and said, "It gladdens this old woman's heart to see you as handsome as ever!"

Professor M said, "He'd look better if he worked on his tan." "No way," Cat said. "He's perfect." Baldomero shook his head. "I'm not so vain I need flattery. Tell me, my princess, how has your birthday been?" Cat said casually, "Well, a van almost hit me this morning." "A van owned," Granny Lupe added, "by Alexandra Arkan." "No!" Ysabel hugged Cat so tightly that Cat thought, Like hugging a panther. Ysabel, frowning at Granny Lupe, said, "We should--" "Cat's fine," Professor M said. "And it's her birthday. Focus on enjoying that now." "Wise words, Herr Professor!" Ysabel unplugged the purple music player and put it in Cat's hand. "Your present, Miracle. It was black, but I knew that would never do, so I painted it."

Baldomero slapped his forehead. "I haven't given you your present yet!" He drew a slender chain from his jacket. A heart-shaped locket dangled from it. Cat didn't dare speak as he set the cold silver in her hands.

He said, "You don't like it?" "It's the most beautiful thing ever." His smile grew wider. "You can open it." She found the clasp. The heart sprang apart. Inside were two tiny paintings. One was Baldomero with long white hair tied back in a queue. The other was her mother with white hair in ornate curls.

Ysabel looked at the portraits, "Powdered hair was such a pain."

Baldomero glanced at Granny Lupe. "It suited Zoraida." He turned to Cat. "Throw away the one of me, if you want. I couldn't find one of Ysabel or Lupe that fit--"

Cat said, "No throwing away is happening," then looked at Ysabel and Granny Lupe. "Now I need something for pictures of you two."

Ysabel kissed her forehead. "Never change, dear Catalina." Granny Lupe said, "No. Change well." Professor M said, so softly that Cat barely heard him, "Ditto." As Cat settled the necklace over her dress, Baldomero asked, "What are you now, Catalina?" She smiled smugly. "Me." He glanced at Granny Lupe, who looked away. Cat wondered if she had said something wrong as he looked back at her. His eyes were like the sky on a stormy night. "You're la princesa de la sombra."

Cat smiled. "I'm kind of old to pretend I'm a princess."

He shook his head. "Never, Catalina. First you pretend, then you become." As she frowned, he smiled. "If that amuses you. Doing what amuses you is the most important part of being a princess."

She laughed. "Okay, for tonight, definitely princesa de la sombra."

Professor M exhaled, a tired sound. He had folded his arms under the blanket. Cat wanted to ask if he was cold, but he would never admit to a weakness where people could hear. No, he would never admit to a weakness where Cat could hear. Realizing that made her want to hug him, but she couldn't think of an excuse that wouldn't make her look childish or make her father look weak in Baldomero's eyes. She thought, Maybe Tee's right. Maybe I've been too hard on him.

Professor M saw her glance. "Happy birthday, kid."

Baldomero looked at the tall clock by the door to the hall. "You're early."

"I do what I must when I want to be first." Professor M drew his hands out of his blanket. "Birthday hug?"

"Birthday hug," Cat agreed. Wondering if he had also been tasting Granny Lupe's sherry, she put her arms around him and squeezed. He smelled like peppermint soap and wool and something garlic from dinner. He might look frail, but his shoulders felt strong. He felt like Dad.

Baldomero said, "Ah! Nothing's finer than a family's love."

Professor M let go of Cat, put his hands back under the blanket, and looked at the clock. "Nearly midnight."

Baldomero turned to Ysabel. "You brought something to toast the birthday girl?"

Ysabel reached into her long coat, drew out a murky bottle of wine, and showed the faded label to Professor M. "If you agree."

He squinted at it. "Was that a good century?" Baldomero grinned. "For our miracle? You may be sure, Professor." Professor M told Cat, "Your call, birthday girl." She wanted to know what he wanted her to do, but his expression never changed. She looked at Baldomero, Ysabel, and Granny Lupe, and saw how hopefully they smiled. Cat said, "I'd like that."

Professor M shrugged, or maybe he shivered. Cat heard the cork pop and looked at the bottle in Ysabel's hand.

Granny Lupe took winegla.s.ses from the table and held one out. The wine was so dark that Cat saw it as black, not red. It smelled of something she didn't know, something that must be grapes and iron and the minerals of the earth.

The first gla.s.s was only a quarter full when Granny Lupe offered it to Professor M. Baldomero said, "Father of all our hope, will you do us this honor?"

The professor looked at Cat, then held out his left hand, took the gla.s.s, swirled it, sniffed it, and drained it in a swallow. He sat still while everyone watched. After a long moment, he nodded. "I've had worse."

Granny Lupe laughed and filled the gla.s.ses. Cat studied hers. "What if I don't like it?"

Baldomero said, "Then we'll know you're not your mother's daughter. And since I know you are--"

The clock struck.

Professor M's head snapped toward it, then toward Cat. The de la Sombras smiled as if they were at a comedy, but Professor M was watching a different show. As the clock counted twelve, Cat felt happier for herself and sadder for her father. Books and movies told her what he must be feeling. His girl was becoming a woman. Soon she would be gone, and he would be alone in Casa Medianoche. As the bells continued to ring, she thought, First chance I get, I promise him he'll never lose me.

The twelfth stroke of midnight hung in the air, then died. In that instant of silence, Cat heard her father sigh in relief. She thought, I'm totally fourteen. Whatever that means.

Baldomero raised his gla.s.s. "Let's each toast our princess and drink. As the one toasted, Catalina, you have to sit there and be embarra.s.sed until we're done. Then you may speak what's in your heart and drink." He nodded, almost bowing, then hesitated, prolonging the moment that his and Cat's eyes met. She was so content that when he spoke, his voice surprised her. "To Catalina Milagros Medianoche, the hope of all de la Sombras." He drank, then turned to Granny Lupe.

Granny Lupe said, "To my fierce Catalina, a great terror and a greater delight. May many lovers suffer great torment for you, and may all your foes know the full extent of their error." She drank, then looked at Ysabel.

Ysabel said, "To La Bella Catalina. Dance through ten million nights." She drank, then looked back at Baldomero.

He said, "And now--" "My turn," said Professor M. Baldomero blinked, then said, "Of course." Professor M raised his gla.s.s. "To Cat. Always trust yourself. And know that all I've done since I first held you was for you. That'll always be the greatest privilege of my life."

Cat felt tears gathering in her eyes. "Dad--" Baldomero said, "Make it a toast!" Cat held up her gla.s.s. "To my family, the best in the universe. And my dad who, well, who was always there when I needed him, and who, uh, should know that I'll always be there if he needs me."

She thought she saw tears in Professor M's eyes. She wanted to hug him, and she might have, but Baldomero said, "Now drink!"

With a sheepish smile, Cat raised the gla.s.s to the de la Sombras, then to her father, then drank.

The wine pa.s.sing her lips was sour. She wanted to spit it out, but how could she do that in the parlor?

The taste changed on her tongue. Not sour. Bitter? No. Tart. Deliciously tart. She had not realized how thirsty she was. She tipped the gla.s.s back, taking it all in one long, delightful drink. She felt it dribbling from the corners of her lips, but why would anyone want to stop drinking until it was gone?

As the last drops slid into her mouth, Baldomero said, "Your clock is fast, Professor. This is midnight." Cat dropped the gla.s.s and heard it shatter. She didn't care about a gla.s.s. She cared about wine. The front of her mouth tingled deliciously. She smiled, licked her lips for a last taste, and looked around for more to drink.

The de la Sombras smiled at her, just as they had when the clock first struck.

Her father stared at her in horror.

The room swayed and darkened. Cat reeled, but a strong hand caught her. Baldomero said, "Easy, your highness."

Cat straightened up, feeling awake and strong and wonderful. She had never noticed how every subtle scent and sound told a story. She had never noticed how sharp her teeth were.

Someone in the room was afraid. Someone in the room was moving a cloth made of wool.

She turned and said, "Dad?"

He was lifting something long and gray from under his blanket, a pistol like a flare gun that made a sound like a balloon exploding. A long, pointed bolt of wood shot from it.

Toward her heart.

Chapter Five.

The End of the Party.

Two Cats saw death coming. One stared in confusion as her father shot something at her. The other marveled at the bright beauty of the first and last moment of her life: The wooden bolt, as long as her forearm, as thick as her wrist, its barbed head, its flared fins. The professor's grim scowl. Baldomero's surprise. Granny Lupe's fear. Ysabel's confusion. Dust motes shimmering in the electric light. The peppermint and salt smell of the professor's soap and sweat. The slight, tart scent of the de la Sombras. The tang of garlic wreaths in the upstairs hall. The cool, dry touch of the night air. The cobweb-light embrace of her Halloween dress. The comforting warmth of her hoodie.

The first Cat thought, Not happening! Can't be happening.

The second Cat thought, Stupid old self, I should snuff you now so I'll be perfect when I die. No. Let Evil Dad kill you along with me. The death of the old Cat will be his price for killing the new one.

As the sharp tip of the bolt touched her chest, a slender hand caught it by the shaft. Both Cats gasped in surprise. Granny Lupe, grimacing, held the bolt firm. Its tail fins raised dots of blood at the heel of her hand. She whirled and flung the bolt at the professor, as fast as he had fired it.

The first Cat shouted, "No!" Did she mean for Granny Lupe to stop or for none of this to happen?

The second Cat kept silent. The professor was a lone human. Her true family could deal with him.

Professor M dropped the pistol and pressed his armrest. His chair shot backward several feet, and the bolt whistled past his shoulder.

The first Cat thought, Thank G.o.d!

The second thought, He never told me what his chair could do. What else did he hide?

Ysabel leaped across the parlor, her hands curved like claws, her mouth wide in fury. Professor M yanked his arm rests. Two thick arrows like crossbow quarrels shot from the chair. One pierced Ysabel's hip, and she fell. The other flew at Cat's waist.

The quarrel slowed as she watched it come. The air grew thicker. The first Cat knew no one was near enough to save her. The second remembered how Granny Lupe had caught the bolt.

Cat twisted sideways. The quarrel tore through the front of her hoodie, hit the parlor's wainscoting, and stuck, vibrating in slow motion. The first Cat wanted to scream and hide. The second wanted to attack the threat to her life.

Granny Lupe caught Cat's arm in her strong hand and shoved her behind her, saying, "Stay safe!" But Cat leaned out to watch Baldomero charge the professor. Both Cats needed to know what would happen, and what she should do, and what she was now.

Her father crossed his arms overhead to grip the back of his wheelchair. As he brought his hands down, two slender swords whisked from the chair's frame. One plunged into Baldomero's chest.

Before Cat could cry out, she saw two impossible things. Though Baldomero was pierced by the sword, he leaned into her father's blade, giving a pained grin as he reached for Professor M's throat. And Ysabel was wincing as she yanked the quarrel from her hip.

The professor slashed his left-hand sword at Baldomero's neck. Baldomero skipped back, almost lazily. The blade whisked just below his chin. Blood stained the sword and Baldomero's jacket.

The first Cat thought, Dad will die! The second thought, Good. The horror of the first Cat won. She looked down and thought, Not happening, not happening, not happening!

Granny Lupe said gently, "Watch. And learn."

"Please," Cat whispered, unable to think of what she wanted or what might happen or what might be best.

The second Cat thought, Of course I should watch. Once I learn everything, I can do anything.

So she looked up.

Her father's attempts to cut Baldomero had brought him into the middle of the parlor. Baldomero and Ysabel dodged his blades as if they were dancing, and they laughed at their skill or his.

Baldomero said, "Ask for mercy, Professor." Ysabel said, "He tried to kill our Miracle!" Baldomero said, "Did I say we would give it?" "Surrender, Professor," Granny Lupe said. "You can't escape." Professor M nodded. "Bait doesn't escape."

Two steel grates dropped from the ceiling, one blocking the door to the hall, one blocking the window. In front of each, a ceiling panel flapped down. From each, a rifle with a barrel as wide as the bolt pistol fired into the room.

Granny Lupe fell over Cat, knocking her to the floor. The bolt aimed at Cat pierced Granny Lupe's back with a sickening thud. Cat lay still, half-covered by her grandmother's limp body. The first Cat wanted to hide and needed to scream. The second thought, Play dead. The chance to strike back will come.

She opened her eyes into slits. Baldomero struggled to stand with a bolt buried high in the right side of his chest. Granny Lupe stayed motionless on top of Cat. Ysabel lay sprawled on the rug, bright blood glistening on her red coat around the bolt in her heart. She took a rattling breath, then fell silent.