I tried to text her again to find that, strangely, I couldn't. My phone would lock up and then restart. Whatever this glitch was, it seemed to be hell-bent on making sure that I couldn't call or message. I shut my cell down and then went to sleep. How I even managed to was a mystery to me. My thoughts were filled with my fiance and worried that something bad might have happend or will happen soon.
Morning couldn't have come faster for me. I didn't touch breakfast and the drive over was more like a haze than anything else. Anthropology class, usually fun and exciting for me, seemed to go on forever and a day. The second it ended I bolted out the door and browsed the cafeteria for her. In a corner table, I found Catherine absent-mindedly eating a sandwich. She looked resigned, a bit sad even. I tapped her on the shoulder and she whipped around. She stood up and nearly knocked me over with the strength of her hug.
"Elizabeth, why didn't you answer my texts? I even called you almost forty times." she looked just a tad angry with me, but I could see that she was far more relieved than anything else.
"I could ask you the same thing. I texted you, too. And when did you call me? I never got a voicemail or anything." I pulled out my phone and showed her. Then again, I didn't need to. Catherine would have believed me anyway. She looked at my phone then casually slammed it on the table. "You okay...?" It was a stupid question; no, everything wasn't okay.
"This shit is ending, Elizabeth. It's ending for real this time. I won't let anything happen to you or our friends, or anyone else. I swear to God." She pushed what remained of the sandwich away, picking up her backpack and walking towards and out of the cafeteria door. I followed her outside saying, "Wait, are we in danger?"
Catherine muttered under her breath, "Not if I can help it."
"Weren't you going to tell me more about this thing? If you're planning anything you better count the rest of us in it. I'm not letting you do it alone."
She slowed down enough for me to reach out and grab her gently, forcing her to turn around. I never saw Catherine look so sad in all my life. "Please. Please. I love you too much to see you be this way. There is strength in numbers. All six of us can do something."
"Ellie, let me do this. I know more, and I've seen more. Trust me."
Trust. I had been trusting Catherine my entire life, and never had she let me down. So why was I hesitating this time? Did I trust her? Yes, I did. But I was afraid for her. I pulled her into a hug, not saying anything. I couldn't think of any words that could fit the situation at the time. She whispered, "I won't let this thing go near you. I won't."
Catherine untangled herself from the hug and kissed my forehead. "I'll be right back."
"No. Let me come with you."
"I can't. But in case something happens, just repeat, 'here comes the sun' over and over again. It always works." She sounded like someone going on the mission of a lifetime, not even remotely overdramatic, but very solemn. "Stay safe, I'll be right back. I'll go to your house when I'm done."
I should have followed. I should have grabbed her arm and refused to let go. But I didn't. Why? Why?
I walked back into the cafeteria, completely forgetting that I had abandoned my backpack. Not like I even cared at that point. Immediately I called Catherine's number. Nothing. Not even voicemail. What the hell? Alright. I called Florence, who picked up after three rings. "Yo, I'm working out, girlie. What's up?"
Okay, that worked. "I'm worried about Catherine."
"What's wrong?"
"She is acting strange again. I think that she might have seen that thing again, or it's looking for her."
"No way. Where is she now?"
"...well, she left for her car."
"Okay, stop talking to me and follow her!"
"I don't know why I didn't. Catherine said she didn't want it near me."
"Mother of God, El. Call her now! Call her and ask her what the hell is going on."
"I did. Nothing happened. The call didn't go though."
She sighed loudly. "How? You have the best phone ever. Hers isn't too bad either. I think she might have shut it off. Honestly, and this is just me, maybe she needs to conquer this herself. We can be there for moral support, but this is something she needs to do." A pause; Florence chugged her water bottle. "Just saying."
Rebecca was the one to tell me that there might have been something less than mystical at work. Florence was now telling me that perhaps this was her fight. And maybe, just maybe, Florence was right. Maybe.
"You going to be okay, El?" she said.
"I hope so."
"Stay strong, okay? I know it's hard, but you can do it."
"Thanks, Flo. Talk to you later."
"See ya."
I hung up the phone, walked to my car, and drove home. I told my mother what happened and pretty much bawled my eyes out. I was so worried, and I berated myself for not following her when I could. Thank God for my mom being there when she could. Mothers are the best, they really are.
A day later, after me worrying my head off, I got a text from Catherine: I'll be there in five minutes.
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