Midnight Girl Part 1

MIDNIGHT GIRL.

by WILL SHETTERLY.

Chapter One.

A Bad Beginning for a Birthday.

Cat woke in darkness. Something had changed. Something was new and different and strange.

She glanced at the window. The stars were bright above the streetlights. A raven flew away from the sill with a soft fluttering. That wasn't what woke her. Ravens often perched on the tower of Casa Medianoche.

She sat up, s.h.i.+vering as the blanket slid from her shoulders. The shadows in her room were familiar. The high posts of the old Spanish bed that had been her mother's had never frightened her--when she was little, her father had said they were guards named John, Paul, George, and Ringo who would protect her from any closet monster. The antique wardrobe was big enough to hide serial killers, but only if they threw out half her collection of old costumes and games. The hulking shape in the far corner was the ancient desk that had been her mother's, now topped with a computer that had been her father's. The squatting shape in the near corner was a Victorian armchair, piled with clothes and school books. Two black blurs like monstrous eyes were the doors to the stairs and the elevator. They always groaned when they opened. She would have heard anyone using them.

The only difference in her room was barely a difference. On the far side of the bed, her best friend was sleeping soundly. Tarika often slept over. Tarika wasn't what had changed.

Cat listened to the night. A few cars pa.s.sed in the distance. A breeze rustled a palo verde tree. The city of Tucson was quiet.

She sniffed. The air was crisp and dry, just as it was every autumn.

The mattress s.h.i.+fted as Tarika lifted her head from the pillow to mumble, "Cat? WeG.o.ddagiddupaready?"

The clock's glowing numbers said they had an hour until sunrise. "No. Stay asleep, Tee."

Tarika nodded. "Gub." Her head dropped into the pillow. "Yootoo."

Cat pulled her blanket around her shoulders. It was nice having someone warm beside her. She wished she had a cat or a dog to snuggle on cool mornings. Maybe she would get one for-- She bolted upright. "Halloween!" Tarika's eyes snapped open. "Your birthday!" Tarika flung the covers back, leaped out of bed in her yellow pullover s.h.i.+rt and panties, slid on her blue jeans, stepped into sea-green tennis shoes, and began tying the laces. Boys, Cat thought, are idiots. Tarika was not a tall scarecrow with hair like a black dandelion. Tarika was beautiful. Cat would give anything to look like her.

Tarika frowned at her. "What?" "Nothing." "Did you change your mind?" "No way."

"And you're still in bed because--?" Cat swallowed. "A little way." "What was the very first rule of our friends.h.i.+p?" "Share chocolate equally." "I mean, the very second." "No wimp outs. But this isn't a wimp out!" "Oh?" Cat inhaled. The best and worst thing about best friends was they knew you. "I'm not sure it's smart." "Like stupid has stopped us before?" Cat nodded. "Every time." Tarika said, "Big stupid stops us. Ordinary stupid, never." "This might be big stupid." "What's the worst that could happen?" "I trip in the dark, you try to catch me, we fall off the roof and break our necks, and I feel like a loser forever." "I promise to let you fall." Tarika crossed her heart, then tossed Cat's purple hoodie, black jeans, and low purple boots to her. "Better?" "What if I trip into you and we both fall? And lightning hits us in midair, killing us instantly?" "Then you won't feel like a loser." "What if--" "Cat, you've been climbing out that window since you were eight." "Seven." "And there's not a cloud in the sky." "If there was an earthquake--" "Girl, out of bed now, or be Little Miss Wimpypants forever." Cat bit her lip, then shrugged. "Okay, it's big wimp out time. I'm not sure I should spoil a surprise." "This isn't a surprise." Tarika yanked open Cat's wardrobe and began tossing dresses of black velvet and red silk onto the bed. The first and smallest was sized for a baby. The thirteenth and most elaborate, with black and red jewels sewn into the fabric, could still fit Cat.

Tarika said, "This is a mystery. Every year for your birthday, somebody leaves a costume for you, and every year it's awesomer, and the only clue is a note: Para la Princesa de la Sombra. You're not supposed to spoil surprises, but you're supposed to solve mysteries."

"They've got to be from Granny Lupe." "Why? Because de la Sombra is her last name?" "And Mama's. Evil Dad won't say any part of Mama's name." Tarika flopped down on the bed. "We got up early because you were afraid to ask Granny Lupe if she's the Halloween Fairy? Chica, you are so breaking rule number two."

"I asked her!" "And?" "She denied it." "But you think she's lying?" "No! She would never lie to me!" "So it's someone else?"

Cat sighed. "Yeah. I guess so." "And we aren't sneaking out yet why?" "If we catch the Halloween Fairy, they might stop. I like presents." Tarika pursed her lips, then nodded. "Okay, La Gata. It's your mystery, so it's your call." "If we don't go, will you still respect me?" "Except when I have to remind you about the wimp out." "Did I ever tell anyone you're crus.h.i.+ng on Trick Zapia?" "Did I ever tell anyone you are?" Cat grinned. "We're like two countries who can't go to war because they would totally destroy each other." Tarika's cloud of black hair swayed as she shook her head back and forth. "Nuh-uh. We're like two countries teamed up to totally conquer the world."

"Truth." Cat looked at the pile of costumes. When she was little, she hadn't questioned them. Christmas meant toys, and Halloween meant costumes. She was sure Granny Lupe and her father knew who the Halloween Fairy was, but when she had asked, Granny Lupe's usual grin had widened, and her father's usual scowl had deepened. Granny Lupe had said, "You'll know when the time comes," and her father had immediately said, "If the time comes."

"If" meant she might never know. Cat said, "Tee? Friends don't let friends break the second rule."

"Oh! Sorry. Uh, the Halloween Fairy must want to be caught, and then you'll be rewarded with the amazingest costumes ever. And diamonds and rubies. And a horse. A jet-black flying horse."

Cat laughed as she leaped from the warm bed into the cool night air and began tugging on her clothes. "Gonna be real disappointed if there's no flying horse, Tee."

"I'll paint you one. If you'd like." "Ex! I'll hang it by the painting of Mama." "Cat? You'll be cool if we catch whoever it is and there's no more costumes?" She nodded. "I'm too old for Halloween costumes." Tarika stared at her. "Chica, you lie like a lying liar!" "Well. I should start acting like I'm too old for Halloween costumes." "Why?"

"Your logic fu is mighty. Let's stay hidden so the Fairy won't see us, 'kay?"

Tarika nodded. "Our sneak fu is the best."

Cat went to the tower window. She kept the hinges oiled so they opened silently. That was the easiest part of sneaking out. Next easiest was climbing down. The escape rungs did not s.h.i.+ft or creak beneath her boots. The adobe walls of Casa Medianoche were old, maybe as old as Tucson itself, one year older than the United States. Every part of the house needed to be painted or repaired or replaced, except for those iron escape rungs. Every year, her father hired someone to make sure they were safe to use.

The hardest part was pa.s.sing his window. She only knew one person who had better hearing, but Granny Lupe rarely left the bas.e.m.e.nt. Cat didn't have to worry about her.

When Cat heard her father's voice, she froze on the rungs. Why was he up so early? Then she heard his words: "Since the dawn of history, people who did not conform were persecuted. Were the witches of Salem supernatural creatures to be feared, or very natural creatures to be pitied? No one knows the final truth in the story you've just heard. So, for now and perhaps forever, it must remain in the Secret Files of Professor Midnight."

Cat peeked into the window and saw him in his wheelchair, typing at his desk, a microphone near his keyboard, a headset over his ears, his scarred face as handsome and grim as ever. He pushed the keyboard back, cleared his throat, pulled the microphone close to his mouth, and began speaking in a deeper and slower voice. "Take seven. Throughout human history, people who don't conform have been persecuted--"

He wasn't up early. He had been up all night working on one of his stupid webcasts. Gesturing for Tarika to hurry, Cat stepped from the last rung onto the roof. She tiptoed toward the rear of the house, carefully avoiding loose and cracked tiles. At the back porch, she lowered herself over the edge, caught the column supporting the roof, climbed down to the upper porch, and then to the lower one.

She glanced to the east. The sky was a shade lighter above the Rincon Mountains. Were she and Tarika too late to catch the Halloween Fairy? If they didn't catch the Fairy, would a new costume appear each year until Cat died of old age?

She thought, Solving the mystery will be better than any costume, right?

As Tarika dropped lightly to the ground, Cat started toward the front of the house. She liked being out in the late night chill. She liked the way Casa Medianoche's thick adobe walls were smooth and silver in the soft light. She could see her home as it had looked when her mother moved in with her father, when the paint was bright and new.

She thought, I hope the Halloween Fairy has already come. No. That would disappoint Tee. But I like this, just the two of us. I hope the Halloween Fairy will come as late as possible.

Tarika whispered, "I'm glad the Evil Dad's updating his site." "Why?" Tarika glanced at her. "It's amazing." "--ly lame," Cat added.

"Huh? Your dad knows like every weird thing ever." "Too bad he doesn't know any normal ones. Like getting a job." "Cat, he's--" "In a wheelchair? So? There are crippled teachers and lawyers and programmers. Even a president used a wheelchair. But Evil Dad doesn't care about anything except old books and the web."

"And you." "Yeah, right." "He's always cooking for you." "Because he's El Cheapo. And cooking is the only other thing he likes. But does he get a job in a restaurant? No way. Okay, he likes exercising, too. But does he become a coach or a physical therapist? 'Course not. That would take him away from the only things he loves."

"Cat--"

"Tee, it's cool. You got a mom who loves you. I've got Granny Lupe. So Evil Dad is waiting for me to graduate and get out of his life? As of tonight, there's four years left on my sentence. Then I'm legal and gone."

"To where?"

Cat grinned. "Depends on whether you go to L.A. to sing or New York to paint. Either way, I'm your agent. So I get ten percent of your money, fame, and boyfriends. Deal?"

Tarika shook her head. "I won't make art for money, fame, or boyfriends."

Cat nodded. "Which is totally why you need an agent."

At the front of the house, Cat paused. Tarika held up a finger and tapped out the beats in the air: One. Two. On three, Cat peeked around the corner.

She expected to see the wide front porch, a purple wicker rocking chair for Granny Lupe, a small table, and a s.p.a.ce beside it for her father's wheelchair. She expected to see her birthday present lying on the doormat or maybe, just maybe, a friend or a stranger delivering it.

She did not expect to see a huge white dog. In its teeth was a package wrapped in blood-red silk and tied with black cord.

"Mine!" Cat charged up to the front stairs. "Drop it!"

The dog opened its mouth. The bundle fell onto the porch. Cat said, "Good do--" The word died on her lips.

Its eyes were wide and pale, a terrifying yellow. Its fur gleamed in the moonlight. Its body was lean. Its shoulders were broad and strong. Its jaw was long and lined with teeth that glistened like silver daggers.

Not a dog, Cat thought, her heart plunging in her chest. Wolf.

It watched her, almost patiently. It's not running away! Shouldn't it run from humans? Is it rabid? Am I too little to scare it?

Then she thought, I'm so stupid.

Before she could decide whether to step back slowly or whirl and run, Tarika ran up shouting, "Shoo, loco lobo! Cat's not food!"

The wolf looked from Cat to Tarika and bared its teeth. It thinks we're funny!

Tarika waved her arms. "Get! Or I'm calling animal control!" The wolf took a step toward them. Do we stand up straight to look bigger? Or lie down to play dead? If it's rabid, does it matter what we do?

Cat showed her open hands and said softly, "Easy, El Lobo. We're getting out of your way. You can run off now."

Nudging Tarika to follow, Cat backed down the steps and into the yard. The wolf studied them. Did its ears show its emotion? Or its tail? Cat couldn't tell anything about it, except it seemed too calm. She could barely breathe. If it jumps at Tee, get in its way. Why isn't it running away? Aren't wolves supposed to avoid people? It lifted its head suddenly. Cat gasped. I've gotten us killed for a stupid costume! Why didn't I let the wolf have it? As the beast bolted toward them, Cat thought, Push Tarika out of the way!

But her legs and arms wouldn't move, and Tarika was already shoving Cat behind her, and the wolf was on them, with its huge yellow eyes and soft ghost-white fur and the gleam of fangs and a tart smell like the night and the woods that made Cat weak. As her arms and legs grew numb, she opened her mouth, knowing she wouldn't have time to scream-- And the white wolf spun, raced across the lawn, over the wall, onto Luna Street, and into the twilight.

Cat glanced from where the wolf had gone to Tarika, whose mouth was wide in wonder. Casa Medianoche's ironwood door was open. A small gray woman in a shapeless black dress squinted at them.

"Granny Lupe!" Cat said. "Did you see the wolf?" Tarika asked. Granny Lupe shook her head. "I see two sneaky girls who should be in bed. Do you know how dangerous it is to be out alone?" Cat swallowed. "Do now." "Good." Granny Lupe smiled. "Always know exactly how dangerous something is. Then you can do it better." Her gaze flicked back toward the house as she sighed. "That man."

The rattle of the old elevator's doors opening came from the front room. Then rubber wheels whirred across the tiles as her father sped up to the door. "Who's come!" he demanded, glaring at the street and the lawn and, finally, at Cat and Tarika.

Cat lifted her shoulders in the smallest shrug possible.

Tarika grinned and gave Cat's father a little happy wave. "Hi, Professor M. Um, early trick or treat?"

"You two are supposed--" he began in fury. Then he looked hard at Granny Lupe.

"I covered that. They're safe." Granny Lupe smiled at Cat. "You must expect a girl to take after her mother."

"I expect nothing," Professor M snapped, whipping the wheels of his chair to face Cat. "What kind of fool are you? If something happened --" He clipped off the sentence before anyone could speak, before Cat could say what she was thinking: The kind of fool a fool like you would have!

He inhaled deeply. "Kid, getting yourself into trouble is all on you. But dragging Tarika in--"

"My bad," Tarika interrupted. "I thought it would be fun. I'm sorry."

Professor M turned his gaze from Tarika to Cat like a sniper finding a target.

"No, it wasn't!" Cat said, afraid Tarika would never be allowed to stay over again. "The bad was totally mine!"

Professor M studied her for a long, long moment, then nodded. "Good theory, bad practice. If you both confess, you both get sentenced."

He looked down at the silk-wrapped package on the porch, picked it up, and added, "Well. Another birthday. Same as it ever was."

Cat said, "I know what I like." Granny Lupe said softly, "Sentenced? To what?" The two adults stared coldly at each other. Cat wondered who was more terrifying. Granny Lupe was tiny, no bigger than Cat, with a face as wrinkled as a shrunken head and hair the color of iron, but she stood as straight and moved as quickly as a ballerina. Her amber eyes saw things that anyone else would miss. Her Aztec features never showed fear. Nothing made her change her mind.

But Cat had never seen fear on her father's Mediterranean features, and nothing made him change his mind either. His scars frightened small children who saw him. His skin was as dark as Granny Lupe's. His shoulders were broad and his arms were rippled with muscle. His black hair hung around his head in wild strands because haircuts were on his Life's too short for list. If he could have stood, he would have been at least a head taller than Granny Lupe.

Cat had seen them stare often, like gunfighters under the noonday sun or martial artists in an arena. She knew the rules: the one who looked away too soon seemed weak; the one who stared too long seemed foolish.

Cat said, "Can I get punished the day after my birthday?"

They glanced at her simultaneously. Professor M snorted. "You don't even know what the punishment will be."

"Duh! Cleaning my room! Sometimes I think you let me keep it a mess so you'll have a way to punish me."

"Imagine how you could undercut that by keeping it tidy." Professor M closed his eyes, then opened them. "Doesn't giving you a favor cancel out your punishment?"

"How about two punishments tomorrow for one favor today?"

The professor looked at Granny Lupe. "You're right. Her mother's daughter."

Tarika said, "I should help Cat." "Oh?"

"We both confessed."

Granny Lupe said, "Which was foolish. When there's no alternative, one sacrifices for the other. Then the survivor can avenge the fallen."

Cat rolled her eyes. "Yes, Granny Lupe."

The professor told Tarika, "Help her clean her room over the weekend." He held out the Halloween Fairy's package. "And box up the good china for mailing."

"Mama's china?" He nodded. "Why?" "I sold it." "But--"

"Two punishments was the deal." "You said you'd never sell that! You promised!" He inhaled deeply, then said, "We've got expenses." "Your stupid web site." "Including that." He waggled the silk-wrapped package. His ring, a silver snake wrapped around a turquoise stone, glinted in the twilight. She said, "You could sell your ring." "Some things can't be sold." Your things can't be sold. But you sell anything you don't care about, she thought, taking the package from his hand. He turned his stone-faced look away from her. "Since everyone's up, I'll start breakfast." Tarika said, "None for me, thanks. I have to get my books from home, so it'll be a peanut b.u.t.ter bolillo instead of your awesome pancakes."

The professor gave her a small nod, then rolled toward the kitchen. When the door closed behind him, Granny Lupe whispered in a voice barely louder than a breeze, "Don't tell him about the wolf."

Cat looked to see the hallway door closing. "Why not?" "Because you don't know what you'll win or lose by telling him." Tarika said, "It can't have been a wolf. Not in town. It must've been some kind of half-wolf." Granny Lupe smiled. "You are a good friend for Catalina." Cat smiled at Tarika. "Evil Dad's so easy to trick. Having you help makes it not-a-punishment. It makes it a double-treat with wonder sprinkles."

Tarika said, "He might know that."

Cat frowned. Seeing Granny Lupe do the same made her grin. Every time Cat thought she was the ugliest girl in middle school, she remembered that when she was old and being ugly didn't matter, she would look like Granny Lupe, only with her father's stupid brown eyes instead of Granny Lupe's beautiful amber ones.

Beauty must skip generations, Cat thought, remembering the painting of her mother in her bedroom. Then she thought, So I'm fea. At least I get the awesomest costumes.

As Cat yanked open the cords of her Halloween package, Tarika said, "Do you think that's a Halloween present or a birthday present?"

Cat said, "Do you think I care?" "It could be a clue who sent it." "Very true, Nancy Drew." "Why try to catch someone who leaves presents?" Granny Lupe asked, "Better to catch those who don't and make them sorry." Cat said, "Because it's a mystery." Tarika nodded. "And we're spy girls." Cat flipped back the wrapping cloth to expose her latest costume.