Caitlin didn’t know what to make of all of this. She and Caleb never argued before. This was all new to her, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Now, more than ever, was when she needed him here, by her side, to tell her that everything was all right. That she was not crazy. That he had seen it, too. That he understood what she was going through. That he agreed that Scarlet needed to be seen by experts. That something had to be done. That they couldn’t just sit there and wait for the worst, deny that something awful was unfolding before their eyes.
But it was obvious that Caleb was not on her side. He was taking the side of the rational, the conventional, insisting that everything was normal, that nothing unusual had ever happened. Like that stupid doctor in the hospital, with all his stupid rationale. Conversion Syndrome. It was ridiculous.
Of course, there was a part of Caitlin that wanted desperately to believe it, to cling onto something. But that would be too easy. She had been in that room. She had seen with her own eyes what Scarlet had done. She had heard her snarl, had seen Caleb go flying across the room. That was not Conversion Syndrome. That was not an adrenaline rush. It was supernatural.
Caitlin refused to let the establishment brainwash her, convince her that she hadn’t seen what she saw. Something was happening to her daughter. And she felt she desperately needed help. She wouldn’t go to work, wouldn’t pretend all was normal—wouldn’t even allow herself to think of anything else—until all this was resolved. The thought of it consumed her.
Not to mention, of course, her journal. How could she ignore that, too? After she’d returned from the hospital, the first thing she did was re-read it. She had to know that this was real, that she wasn’t crazy. The more she read it, the more she felt certain. Here she was, holding something real.
Holding something that even a scholar like Aiden couldn’t explain away. And of course, it was Aiden, a scholar, an authority figure, who had insisted that this was all true. That Scarlet would turn into a vampire.
If Caitlin hadn’t found the journal, if she hadn’t met with Aiden, if Aiden hadn’t told her what he had, then maybe now she could be more easily convinced, could dismiss it all as Caleb had. But knowing this, there was no way she could let it go. A part of her wondered whether she should show her journal to Caleb, tell him about her meeting with Aiden—but she knew that would just further isolate him, just make him certain she was crazy. Whether he believed her or not didn’t matter to her anymore. She was strong enough to do this alone—and she would do whatever she had to to rescue her daughter.
A part of her was burning to call Aiden, to get him on the phone, to meet with him, to hear him out. Now she wanted to know more, to know everything and anything he could tell her. She desperately wanted his mentoring, his advice. And she desperately wanted to talk to someone who would make her feel that she wasn’t crazy.
But she thought again of his final words, that she must stop her daughter, and recalled his expression. She felt he was suggesting that she kill Scarlet, sacrifice her daughter for the greater good of humanity. And that was something that she could not—that she could never—entertain. She was afraid that if she called Aiden now, he would only suggest the same thing, and the thought of it made her so sick, she couldn’t bear to talk to him.
So instead, she put down her cell phone, and tried to think of another way. She felt a call to action, but the problem was, she didn’t know what. What could she possibly do? Bring her to more doctors? What would they say? Suggest Scarlet see a psychiatrist? Or would they send her to an adrenaline expert? A sleep expert?
Of course, all that was ridiculous. It would be useless. That was not what Scarlet needed. What she really needed, Caitlin knew, was an expert in the paranormal. Someone who knew what she was going through, someone who knew a way to heal her. To rid her of this. To make her go back to being a normal teenage girl.
But Caitlin didn’t know anyone like this. She had absolutely no idea where to turn.
She reached down and stroked Ruth’s head; Ruth closed her eyes appreciatively, and rested her chin on her lap. Caitlin looked around their beautiful dining room, and everything seemed so perfect, so normal. Nothing seemed out of place. The sun streamed in through the windows, and it was hard to believe that anything could be wrong in the world. For a moment, Caitlin desperately wanted to pretend that none of this ever happened.
She reached out and picked up the full glass of juice before her, her hand trembling. She took a deep breath, put it to her dry and cracked lips, and drank. It felt good. She realized it was almost lunchtime and this was the first food or drink she’d had all day. She put down the juice and reached over and sipped her coffee, now cold. But it still felt good, and she drank nearly the entire thing. She went to work on her cold eggs, and as she ate she slowly felt her energy return. Ruth whined, and Caitlin took one of her pieces of turkey bacon, leaned over, and fed it to her. She chewed it happily, the noise of the crunching bacon filling the air, making Caitlin smile.
For a moment, Caitlin wondered if maybe things could go back to normal. Maybe, if she did nothing, things might just settle down by themselves. Maybe, like Caleb said, she was just working herself up. And after all, what could she possibly do anyway? She took another deep breath, and started to wonder if maybe the best course of action was to do nothing and deal with things as they happened. Maybe if there was another incident, Caleb would believe her, and would help bring Scarlet to doctors or whoever else she needed. The thought filled her with a strange sense of relief.
Starting to feel better, Caitlin reached over and raised the local morning paper, folded crisply on the table. She leaned back in her chair and opened it, as she always did, and for just a brief second, she almost fell life returning to normal. She was starting to feel good for the first time that morning, when suddenly she read the headline on the front page.
Her stomach plummeted. She sat straight up, and all thoughts of normalcy fled from her mind.
LOCAL GIRL ATTACKED BY ANIMAL
Around midnight last night, a local girl, Tina Behler, 16, a junior at Rhinebeck High, was found unconscious by police on Main Street. She was reported to have been found in a fit of hysteria, wailing that an animal had attacked her. The police could find no visible signs of attack, but brought her to a local hospital for treatment.
Authorities are still puzzled as to whether it was an animal attack or not, and what sort of animal. Residents are urged to be cautious in exiting their homes at night, until authorities resolve this matter.