The Childe (7 page)

There was a garment explosion from Cat’s closet as she tore through it trying to find the perfect ensemble. After putting on numerous outfits, she finally decided on her first choice of a gray hoodie, a yellow frilly blouse and knee high jean Capri’s. She could barely contain her excitement. For one, it was Saturday. Two, the carnival was in town. And three, no parental supervision.

Unbeknownst to Cat, two floors below, Taylor was trying unsuccessfully to convince their parents that they should take her instead of him.

“Taylor, that doesn’t make sense. You’re going anyway. Amanda’s mom is bringing them home, so what’s the issue?”

“Mom, I need my space,” he blurted out, thinking how lame that sounded coming from him. Rachel, not amused at his response, looked at Sam for backup.

“Taylor, come on! How often do we ask you to take Cat anywhere?” Taylor answered his dad with a glare. “Alright, I’ll admit you’ve been taking her to and from school a lot, which we greatly appreciate by the way. But we need you to do this for us. There’s a meeting tonight. And you know we can’t miss it.” Taylor ran his fingers through his hair and over the back of his neck, at a loss at what to say next.

“If you don’t take them, I guess you’ll just have to hand over your keys and come with us to the meeting,” Rachel said glaring at her eldest.

“Okay! I’ll do it,” he said grudgingly.

“Cat, are you ready yet?” Taylor yelled, pounding on her bedroom door.

“I’m almost done!” She yelled back, and then continued her conversation on her cell phone with Amanda.

“He doesn’t sound too happy.”

“Yeah, I think my parents are forcing him to take me tonight. Hey, I better go before he goes all postal.”

“Ok, see you soon!”

Grabbing her purse and slipping on her shoes, Cat left her room, slamming the door behind her. Running down the stairs, she grabbed Taylor by the arm. “Let’s go already,” she said excitedly.

“Cat, could you come here for a second?” Rachel called out from the living room.

“I know, I know, don’t talk to strangers, be safe, and be home at a descent hour,” she rambled on, imitating her mom. “Oh, and always say please and thank you. And never pick your nose in public,” she added with a mischievous grin.

Trying not to smile at her daughter’s witty comments Rachel looked pointedly at her. “I know I go overboard sometimes, but there are truly evil people out there. And you need to be careful. Humor your mother okay. It’s my job to keep you safe. Oh, and I haven’t told you to not pick your nose in public for years now,” she said, finally allowing herself to smile.

“I promise,” Cat whispered in her ear, giving her a big hug and then moved toward the foyer.

“Mom give you the 5
^th
degree?” Taylor asked.

“Yeah, but it’s okay, that’s how she is, you know that,” Cat said reaching for the front door handle.

“Have fun!” Sam yelled from the kitchen. He chuckled as he heard their quick response, “We will!”

Flinging open the door, Cat barely stopped herself from running into Julie who was poised to ring the doorbell. Without a word, she grabbed a hold of Julie’s hand and rushed her to the car.

“Bye Mr. and Mrs. Colvin,” she yelled over her shoulder as a laughing Cat pushed her into the back seat and jumped in after her.

Turning on his dome light, Taylor leaned over the seat and glared at the pair. “I’ll not be in charge of you tonight. I’m only transportation. You screw up and you’ll have the parents to deal with. ‘Cuz when we get there, you’re on your own. Understand?”

“Yeah, we understand. It’s not like we’re two. We can take care of ourselves you know!” Cat replied, rolling her eyes.

Why can’t the parents see that? Then maybe I could get her out of my hair
, he thought as he started the car.

Approaching the carnival, the view was truly magical. Bright colorful lights danced against the night sky. Scrambling out of the car Cat and Julie were immediately hit with the delicious smells of kettle corn, roasted peanuts and corndogs. A mixture of noises filled the air. People laughing, screaming, the carnies enticing guests to partake in their games of chance, and the sound of the roller coaster groaning as a car full of people went by.
Wonderful chaos,
Cat thought.

Leaving Taylor behind, they made their way to the entrance. Spying their other friends, they made a beeline to them. “Oh my gosh! All these years we’ve been going to the carnival, I’ve just now realized that this is where I belong. I feel so at home here,” Amanda said dramatically, putting her hand over her heart and a serious look on her face. The group all rolled their eyes at her.

“Is this your new phase, do you feel you’re a carney now?” Cat asked, putting her arm around her as everyone laughed.

“You guys just don’t understand the complex nature that is me. I’m looking for my true roots. Unlike you all who don’t take the time to find yours,” she replied with a huff.

“I’m only kidding silly. Lighten up. Let’s go have some fun!” Cat turned around and led the way to the ticket counter. Each wearing a wrist band, they joined the sea of people moving through the entrance. It was surprisingly a nice night, with no rain in sight and a cool breeze flowing over them. Cat could feel the pulse of the carnival, almost as if it were a living, breathing entity, whose sole purpose was to delight all who entered.

“We need to go on that one!” Amanda yelled, pointing at the Hurler. Cat and Julie looked at each other and dramatically shook their heads no.

“I’ll go on it with you Amanda!” Matt exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

“Great! At least someone’s brave enough to go on it with me…Elle, what about you?

“I don’t want to go on it!” Elle whined, moving out of Amanda’s reach. “I’ve got to pee!” she squeaked, pointing away from the group.

“You’re not getting away that easy, missy!” Amanda said grabbing her arm as Matt grabbed the other.

“We’ll meet you at the house of mirrors in about an hour. Let’s go!” she declared, as they frog marched Elle toward the ride.

“We should’ve saved her from them,” Julie remarked, linking arms with Cat.

“She’ll be alright. You know Elle, once she gets on a ride she’s fine and then she’ll go on everything. Let’s go and explore,” Cat said dragging Julie down a row of midway games.

“Wanna play?” Cat asked scanning the midway booths from right to left.

“Now Cat, you know that they’re a waste of time and money. We’ve never won anything anyway.” Hearing the music of the carousel, Julie’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “Ooh, let’s go on the merry-go-round instead!”

Cat groaned. “Really Julie, the carousel? Okay, one ride and that’s it.” They each climbed up on a brightly painted animal after showing their wristbands to the ride attendant.

The ride seemed endless, but Cat knew Julie loved it and she didn’t want to ruin her fun. As the carousel began to slow down, Cat shivered, suddenly chilled, as if she had entered a walk-in freezer. Feeling like she was being watched, Cat quickly scanned the crowd. Her gaze fell upon a lone figure. The lights from the cotton candy vendor partially illuminated its face. After a few seconds, she caught another glimpse of the figure. She noticed a clump of curly bright red hairs protruding from the hood of its cloak, framing its pale face.
Who wears a cloak? What? Are we like in the 18
^th
century or something?
She thought. Though its eyes were not visible, she was sure the person was staring at her. As the ride came to a complete stop, Cat spun around, trying to find the person again, but they were gone.
Who was that? Whoever it was they were uber creepy!

“Want to ride again, little ladies?” the ride attendant asked, interrupting Cat’s thoughts.

“No thanks,” Cat replied hurriedly. “Come on Julie, we’ve got lots to do,” she said, pulling Julie off the ride.

“Cat!” Julie whined. “What’s your hurry?”

“Did you see that person in the hooded cloak standing over by the cotton candy?”

“Who wears a cloak to a carnival? Did you by any chance see his little rabbit too?” she asked giggling.

“Never mind,” Cat huffed.

“Hey Cat! Julie! Over here!” Turning, they saw an attractive girl with long strawberry blonde hair pushing through the crowd and grabbing them both in a hug.

“I knew you’d be here! Didn’t I tell you Bonnie? I told you!” Bonnie nodded in agreement.

“Linda! Bonnie! We’ve missed you guys so much, haven’t we Julie? Who else did you come with? And why aren’t you waiting for the carnival to come to Madison? If I knew you were coming we could’ve made plans,” Cat rambled on, hugging both of them back.

“We didn’t know until about an hour ago. My brother’s picking up his girlfriend here. And we just came along for the ride. And there he is. I wish we could hang out with you guys, but let’s do a rain check. I want to know about your new school and everything. Oh no, he has that look,” Linda said, quickly hugging Cat and Julie goodbye as she saw her brother frantically waving at them. “I’ve got to run but you guys call me, ok? Soon! Promise?” Linda groaned at her brother’s shrill whistle at her. “Patience is not one of his strong suits. Please call me! Love you guys!”

“Us too!” Cat and Julie called in unison as they watched their friends from their old school disappear into the crowd.

“What a surprise. I feel bad I haven’t called her since we saw her on the Fourth of July. We really need to keep in touch.”

“Yeah, we do,” Julie agreed.

“Well I guess we’ve still got some time to kill,” Cat said, looking around for more things to do.

“I think we should just go and wait at the house of mirrors until the others meet up with us,” Julie said in a motherly tone.

“Oh Julie, stop being such a grandma. We’re here to have fun! And that’s exactly what we’re going to do!” Cat declared as her gaze fixed on an old fashioned looking gypsy tent. A huge gaudy sign hung on the front:

Madame Nadja
Tarot Card, Crystal Ball and Palm Readings
Past, Present, and Future

“Look Julie! A fortune teller! I’ve always wanted my fortune told. Remember? But my parents never let me! Let’s do it!” she exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement.

“There’s a reason why your parents didn’t want you to do that. It’s a big scam and a lot worse than some of those midway games,” she lectured.

“I’m going to do it. Don’t be such an old lady Julie, and come with me.”

“No, I’ll wait outside for the group. Oh, and by the way I just want to go on record and say, I think this is a silly idea and a waste of time.”

Cat simply laughed. “Suit yourself.”

Pulling back the thick red, velvet curtains, Cat entered the tent. The inside was dimly lit and very warm. She could barely make out a table and chairs sitting in the middle of the space. The outside noise, she noticed, had faded away. “Come in my child,” a voice sounded from the back of the tent. She watched as a petite woman made her way to the table and sat down. “Have a seat across from me dear.” Pulling out the chair the lady pointed to, Cat sat down. On the table was a deck of large ornate cards. The first card had strange drawings on it. Cat had seen Tarot cards in Amanda’s mom’s shop before, so she knew what she was looking at. The only other item on the table was the largest crystal ball she had ever seen.

She really looks the part,
Cat thought while looking at the woman opposite her. Tied around her head was a brightly colored scarf. Large gold hoop earrings swung back and forth on her earlobes as if a breeze was blowing through them. A knitted black shawl rested on her shoulders over a white blouse. Looking at her face, Cat was surprised she looked so young.
But she’s not that young. Now where did that idea come from?
Cat wondered.

“You were expecting someone ancient?” Madame Nadja chuckled. “You’re right child. I’m not as young as I look.”
How did she read my mind? Julie’s wrong, this is gonna be great.

“Now, what kind of reading would you like me dear?” “I don’t know. You decide,” Cat replied with a shrug. “Tarot first it is then.” Shuffling the deck, Madame Nadja placed the cards in front of Cat, fanning them out. “Now, pick 3 cards. I do my readings a little different from others. The first card you pick is your past. The second is your present. And the third is your future. Cat hesitantly ran her hand across the deck of cards and drew her first one. “Okay let’s see,” Madame Nadja said, focusing on the card. “Ah yes, a great tragedy happened in your past, but wait I sense you’ve no knowledge of this…odd. Obviously you are happy now…well let’s move on. Cat scanned the deck of cards, carefully planning her next draw. Turning the second card over, “Oh my, child you must be careful of those you meet. Your friends are your true allies, but others are hiding truth from you. I see others that…well let’s look at the third one.” Drawing the third card, Cat turned it over and watched as Madame Nadja’s eyes grew wide. Cat squinted trying to see the card. She saw a person in a full suit of armor riding a horse, whose face resembled a skull. Moving closer she saw the word
DEATH
at the bottom of the card. Looking from side to side Madame Nadja cleared her throat. Avoiding Cat’s stare she put the cards back in the deck. “Well, I see a bright future for you, yes a real bright future. I’m sorry sweetie, but I seem to have developed a headache. Eyestrain you know. I hope you’ re happy with your reading and have a wonderful night at the carnival.” And with that, much to Cat’s surprise, Madame Nadja stood abruptly and hurried out of the tent.
What was that all about? I think she was lying to me. She looked scared. She did, I know she did,
Cat thought to herself.