Chapter 9: In the dark

Kal woke up on the couch. The strange thing is she remembered falling asleep in bed. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten here. With a little effort, she grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and flipped through the channels. Devin hadn't been around in about a week. Without his encouragement, she hadn't felt like leaving the apartment. 

The fridge had been empty for a few days, and she knew she'd have to go out eventually. Even so, she couldn't stop thinking about that nightmare and what Devin had said. I can't imagine living with that guilt. She'd wanted to ask him about it, but didn't want to force him to talk about it. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear him come in. 

"Planning to sleep all night, again?" Devin pushed her legs off the couch, forcing her to sit up, then took the now empty seat. 

Kal pouted slightly before accepting the can he handed her. She probably would have lain here all night if he hadn't shown up. There was nothing she needed to do. No work, no school. No social obligations. 

"Where have you been anyway?" She turned the can gently in her hands before taking a drink.

"I had work. Out of town."

She wondered what kind of work Devin did. He'd never mentioned having a job before. She continued to flip through channels absentmindedly. 

"Wait, go back one." He said.

"Why? The news is boring."

He grabbed the remote and flipped back a channel. She went numb when she saw the two faces staring back under the headline: Hikers found dead after a possible animal attack. The image on the screen changed to show Cherry. 

"Survived by their daughter—" The anchor continued.

"Your friend. These are her parents, right?" Devin asked. 

Kal wasn't listening anymore. She rushed around the apartment, throwing on what clothes she could find. I have to go talk to her. She must be devastated. I have to go see her.  

"Kal?" Devin called, "Hey!"

"I'll catch you later," She yelled back as she ran out the door.

---

Cherry moved back to her parents' house last month. The swing they used to play on was still hanging from a tree in the front, the wind lightly blowing it back and forth. Kal touched down a couple of feet from the porch, careful to land near the trees so the few people nearby wouldn't see. Cherry was standing inside the front door, talking to an older officer. Only after he'd returned to his car did Kal approach. She knocked a few times. 

Inside, Cherry swore under her breath, "what now?" accompanied by the barking of her small dog. As much as Kal liked dogs, Susie had never been her biggest fan. Slowly, the door swung open; Cherry dog nestled in her arms, ready for another round of bad news, came face to face with "Kal?" 

"Hey, Cher, I saw the news. I thought you could use a friend."

"I, yeah, I really could." Her eyes were red and puffy, but her thick mascara had somehow held up. Cherry moved to the side of the doorway to let her friend in. 

"You, um, you have to invite me in." Kal paused at the threshold and waited.

Sudden realization crossed Cherry's face as she remembered. No fear, nothing more than acceptance. "Come in then." 

Kal followed into the long front hall and past the few rooms into the kitchen. She sat at one of the mismatched chairs near the dining room table. She fidgeted slightly in her seat, not quite sure what to say. There were no words that would make anything better.

"Tea?" Cherry took the kettle off the stove. She'd probably been in the middle of making tea when she'd heard the door.

"Sure," Kal said. "I mean, if you're already making it."

"Yup, already made." Cherry placed one of the cups in front of Kal. Then sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table. "So what've you been up to?"

"Sleeping mostly." Kal stared into her cup, mindlessly pulling the tea bag back and forth.

"So nothing's changed, really." 

"I guess not." 

They sat quietly for a few minutes, the silence broken only by Susie's barking. 

"They were supposed to come home tomorrow," Cherry said, looking across the table.

"It's that time of the year already?" 

Cherry nodded. Every year her folks went camping for two or three weeks near the end of the summer. After thirty-plus years of marriage, her mom had gotten used to roughing it. She'd even begun looking forward to it—a kind of romantic escape.

"Did the police say anything?" Kal asked.

"Nothing more than they said on the news. Some kind of big cat, probably." Cherry shook her head, new tears running down her cheeks. The table started to shake. She stared straight ahead, a fire glowing behind her brown eyes. It was a little unnerving. "I don't believe it for a minute!"

Cherry was on her feet, pacing the large kitchen. Cabinets flew open, and Susie was howling. The faucets turned on. The kettle whistled. This was Cherry; she was doing this.

"Cher," Kal calmed, anxiously approaching, hands out to her sides.

"Dad could handle himself. You know as well as I do the things that are out there." Cherry turned, tilting her head slightly. 

I know. Things like me. Preying on ordinary people. Hunting. Kal stood face to face with her friend. The power that was swirling around Cherry, she'd seen it before. The woman that made her; kept her locked away. Magic. Kal tried to calm her friend, looking into her eyes, pleading. When that didn't work, she did what neither of them expected. She wrapped her arms around the other girl and let her cry.

"I'm here. Ok?" Kal whispered, stroking Cherry's hair.

"Thanks."