Bad Moonlight (11 page)

OUT OF THE BAND

“W
hy did Aunt Margaret lie to me, Dr. Moore?” Danielle asked the next day. “Why didn't she tell me the truth?”

“She lied to protect you, Danielle,” he explained gently. “She kept a painful truth from you because she didn't want to hurt you any more than you'd been hurt.”

“I—I'm just so upset,” Danielle confessed. “Upset and confused. All these years, I—I thought I could trust my aunt.”

“You can—” Dr. Moore started.

But Danielle cut him off. “She didn't have to tell me about the horrible way Mom and Dad died five minutes after it happened. But she could have told me later. She
should
have told me later.”

Dr. Moore leaned forward in his chair. “I had a long talk with your aunt yesterday—”

“I know that,” Danielle interrupted. “I picked up the phone to make a call and heard her talking to you. Why didn't you tell me that the two of you have been discussing me all this time?”

The doctor smiled and shook his head. “Because we haven't,” he replied. “Danielle, you can trust your aunt. Believe me. She was very worried about you yesterday, so she called me—for the first time since I've been seeing you.”

Yesterday, Danielle thought, gripping the arms of the chair. Until yesterday, she had believed that her parents died in a car accident. Danielle was right about one thing—they'd been torn to pieces. But not on rocks, the way she'd imagined.

They'd been torn apart by animals.

Danielle shuddered. “Aunt Margaret called you because she was worried,” she told Dr. Moore. “And I heard you say you were worried, too. I have to know, Doctor—are things worse than I thought?”

“I won't lie to you, Danielle,” Dr. Moore replied softly. “I'm concerned, yes.”

Danielle's heart sank. She
was
getting worse.

“These fantasies you have are normal, as I've told you,” the doctor continued. “But the more you worry, the longer it will take for them to disappear. That's what concerns me.”

“You mean I'm making myself worse?” Danielle asked.

“No, you must not blame yourself,” the doctor said quickly. “Blame me. I'm the one who's supposed to ease your fears, and I haven't been successful. Yet,” he added with a smile.

Danielle couldn't smile back.

Dr. Moore stood up and sat on the edge of his desk. “Let's get to work, Danielle. I want you to put everything out of your mind and concentrate on the numbers.”

Starting at one hundred, Danielle slowly began counting backward. She usually felt herself relaxing by the time she reached ninety.

As if from a distance, she heard the doctor say, “Are you feeling all right, Danielle? Are you calmer now?”

“Yes,” she murmured.

“Good. Then tell me what you see.”

Danielle tensed up again as an image appeared in her mind. “Dee!” she exclaimed. “I'm with Dee!”

“How do you feel about that?” the doctor asked.

“Angry. Scared. She hates me.”

“Why does she hate you?”

“Jealous,” Danielle replied. “She's jealous about my singing. And about Kit. She wants Kit for herself.”

Danielle's breath started coming faster.

“What's happening now?” the doctor asked.

“I'm running,” Danielle replied, breathing rapidly.

“Running from Dee?”

She shook her head. “No, we're running on a track. Jogging together.” Danielle frowned. “Except Dee's not jogging. She's racing. And—”

“And?”

Danielle panted. “And I'm running after her! I want to catch her. I am! I'm catching up to her!”

“Do you pass her?” Dr. Moore asked.

“No! No, she grabs me!” Danielle cried. “She's furious. She wants to win. She'll kill me to stop me from beating her.”

Danielle raised her hands. The fingers curved into claws. “But Dee can't kill me. I won't let her. I'll kill her first!”

Every muscle in Danielle's body tensed. Her breathing came faster than ever. “We're fighting now. Rolling in the dirt. She's strong, but I'm stronger!”

A low groan escaped Danielle's throat. “She's tearing at my hair, but I've got my hands around her neck! I'm going to—”

As if from a distance, Danielle heard the doctor snap his fingers. Once, twice.

She felt her arms and legs start to relax as the fantasy fight with Dee began to fade. She slumped in the chair, breathing easier.

“How do you feel?” the doctor asked.

“I—I don't know,” she stammered. “I'm sorry. It didn't really help, Doctor. I just don't know what to do. I've been thinking about quitting the band.”

The doctor shook his head. “I can't stop you, of course. But I strongly believe that the band is the best thing for you, Danielle. It gives you a purpose, something to work for.”

“Yeah, that's true,” Danielle agreed. “Without it, I'd probably just hang out in my room.”

“What a waste of talent that would be.” Dr. Moore smiled. “You'll be okay, Danielle. You really will. But you and I must keep talking.”

Danielle nodded, then stood up as the doctor glanced at the clock on his desk. Her time was up. She wished she didn't have to leave. She felt safe here.

“Is your friend waiting for you outside?” the doctor asked as Danielle walked to the door.

“Yes. Caroline,” Danielle told him. “We're going shopping.”

“Ah. Spending money is very good therapy, I've heard,” the doctor teased.

Danielle forced a smile and said goodbye. The minute she pulled the door shut, she felt tense again.

Get a grip, she told herself. You can't hide out in Dr. Moore's office for the rest of your life.

“Okay, Caroline, I'm—” Danielle stopped and looked around the waiting room. Where was Caroline?

“Excuse me,” Danielle said to Mrs. Wilkins, the receptionist. “I had a friend waiting for me—long blond hair, jeans, and a red tank top. Did you see her?”

Mrs. Wilkins hands hovered above her computer keyboard. “I saw her come in with you. But I'm afraid I've been so busy I didn't see her leave.”

Caroline probably got bored with the magazines in here, Danielle thought, pushing open the door. She must have decided to wait outside.

Danielle hurried across the small gravel parking lot to Caroline's car. Empty.

“Caroline?” she called, glancing around. “I'm finished! We can go now!”

She heard footsteps crunching on the gravel and turned around. “Caroline?”

No.

Dee strode toward Danielle, her amber eyes blazing.

“What are you doing here?” Danielle asked. “Where's Caroline?”

Dee kept coming. “I want you out of the band, Danielle. Are you listening this time? I want you out!”

Chapter 18

THE KILLER

“W
hat are you raving about now? Where's Caroline?” Danielle demanded.

Dee stopped. “She had to leave.”

“Leave?” Danielle pointed to Caroline's car. “So what's this doing here? She didn't have to leave, Dee. I don't believe you. Where is she?”

“It doesn't matter.” Dee stepped up to Danielle. “I want to talk to you.”

Great, Danielle thought bitterly. Just what I need. “I haven't got time. Besides—”

“Listen to me!” Dee snapped. “Time is exactly what you won't have—if you don't leave the band!”

Danielle leaned back against Caroline's car and crossed her arms. “Look, Dee, I'm not quitting the band—no matter how much you want me to. I'm
sorry you aren't the only lead singer anymore. And I'm sorry you're jealous about Kit and me. I really am. But the doctor thinks the band is the best thing for me, and—”

“Leave it!” Dee shouted. “I'm warning you—”

Danielle straightened up, her hands clenched into fists. Rage swept through her like burning fire.

What's happening to me? she wondered. I—I feel so out of control!

With a savage snarl, she dived at Dee. Her fingers curled into claws. She aimed them straight for Dee's throat.

With an angry shriek Dee fought back. She grabbed Danielle's hair and twisted it in her hands.

Danielle cried out in pain. She jammed one hand under Dee's chin and shoved as hard as she could. Dee gasped. Staggered back.

Danielle leaped at her, knocking Dee to her knees.

Why? Why am I doing this? What's wrong with me?

Snarling, she wrestled Dee to the ground. The gravel cut into her elbows, but the pain didn't matter. Winning did. She had to beat Dee!

Dee gasped in pain as the gravel slashed her cheek.

Blood!

Danielle could smell it! She could almost taste it. She wanted it. Wanted to feel it in her mouth again. Salty. Thick. Delicious!

She heard herself howl again, howling for the blood like an animal.

An animal.

What was
wrong
with her?

Snarling, she dug her clawlike fingers into Dee's throat.

It's just like my fantasy, Danielle thought.

But it's not a fantasy. It's real.

I'm going to kill her!

Kill her!

Chapter 19

THIRSTY

T
he smell of blood made her pulse race, her heart pound.

I must taste it!

I must taste it now!

Uttering a howl of attack, Danielle dived for Dee's throat again.

Dee kicked out wildly. Slammed a foot heavily into Danielle's stomach.

“Dee! Danny! Stop it!”

Danielle heard Caroline's startled cries.

Dee leaped on top of her.

I must taste it!
Danielle thought, panting loudly.

I must taste the blood!

“Stop!” Caroline screamed. “What are you doing? Are you
crazy?
You're going to kill each other!”

Danielle felt Dee's weight being lifted from her. She scrambled to her feet.

“What's going on?” Caroline demanded, her blue eyes wide with shock and anger. She kept a tight hold on Dee's arm. “What happened?”

“Ask
her!”
Dee shouted breathlessly. “I tried to talk to her, and she came at me like—like I don't know what!”

Like an animal, Danielle thought, panting. She bent over, pressing her hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at Dee. “You know you're not supposed to get Danny upset! What did you say to her?”

“Nothing,” Dee muttered. She yanked her arm free. “Nothing at all. Forget it.”

With a last angry glance at Danielle, Dee spun away and ran at full speed out of the parking lot.

When she had vanished from sight, Caroline turned to Danielle. “Wow. That was really horrible! Are you okay?”

Danielle nodded, still breathing hard. “Where—where did you go?”

“I got bored, so I walked over to the river,” Caroline explained. She looped her arm around Danielle's shoulder. “Are you sure you're okay? What did Dee say to you?”

“She told me to get out of the band and I—” Danielle took a deep breath. “I jumped on her, Caroline, just as she said!”

“Don't get upset. She made you angry, that's all.”

“Angry?” Danielle shook her head. “I was more than angry. I—I wanted to
kill
her!”

“Yeah, well, I don't blame you,” Caroline said. “She didn't have any business telling you to leave the band. She's supposed to—” She broke off, biting her lip.

“Supposed to what?”

“She's supposed to do what's best for the band,” Caroline finished quickly. “Dee is out of control.”

“No, you don't get it,” Danielle told her.
“I'm
the one who lost it. I really did want to kill her. And then I saw the blood, and it made me crazy! What's wrong with me, Caroline? It was just so
weird!”