Kindling (22 page)

But then, I realized, he wasn’t inching her to the wall, he was pushing her to the bathroom. The other guys she was flirting with slowly trailed behind, like it was something they all planned. Get the drunk slut to the bathroom and take turns with her, maybe. Poppy must have realized this at the same time and I could see her laugh and tried to push him away, but he was stronger and began to get rougher. She was too drunk to really fight, but she struggled a bit and looked around the room and finally found me and her eyes just screamed with terror, like she knew he was going to rape her and she could do nothing about it because I was a terrible friend and have never shown her any self defense moves.

So, I did what any good friend would do. I got up, went to where they were standing, grabbed aggressive rapist’s hand and forced him to the ground. I heard his wrist snap and he began to scream. The other guys scattered like the roaches they were. Then, his friend came up to me and I thought he was attacking us and I delivered one quick punch to his nose. I heard the snap and blood spurted out everywhere.

Okay, so it wasn’t my proudest moment - I guess the guy whose nose I broke was just coming to see what was wrong. The police were called and Poppy only spoke a little Portuguese and I spoke none, just some Spanish that the cops pretended not to understand even though I knew they could totally understand basically everything I said and I’m sure they knew English, as well.

But, instead of trying to understand us, they laughed and drove us to the holding tank, where Poppy and I stayed, cold and tired. We huddled in the cement cell together, quietly dozing, until one of the cops passed by us and said, in perfect English mind you, “Oh shit, Henri Helsig is coming here!” And then he laughed until he was clutching his sides.

It took me a minute to figure out who Henri Helsig was – Heike. Helsig must be the name he used in public, I assumed. It was late and I was exhausted, so I had an excuse for not getting the name, at first – and then I started to get nervous because I’d seen Heike mad and I didn’t really want him mad at me and I knew he was going to be upset.

Three hours later, Heike stood in front of the bars. He was the kind of guy that didn’t really have to speak to convey his emotions. His face was red, the veins on his neck popped, and his jaw was set. He was more than angry. He was ... you know, when you see a verb and use it but never really can picture what it looks like? Well, that night I understood the verb fuming, as in “to express great anger,” because Heike was fuming, like beyond livid, so angry I thought the veins in his eyeballs were going to burst.

I was completely sober by then – I had been since the cop car pulled up at the bar – and stood when Heike came to the cell with the cop. Poppy, on the other hand, looked like she was dying and had been throwing up on and off for quite awhile.

“Heike,” I began.

“Cierra la boca,” Heike cut me off. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t even going to let me explain! But, I could tell he was in no mood. His eyes burned into me and my tiny outfit and then he glanced at Poppy, curled up and sick on the dingy, jail cell mattress. The sharpness of his gaze and voice hurt me. I wasn’t really arrested, but the police detained me and called my guardian because I was 17. I wondered what upset him the most: Was it because I was in jail? Was he mad because I got drunk? Was it because I was out late? Or maybe because I left the island? I wasn’t sure.

After paying a fine, Poppy and I were released into Heike’s custody. He didn’t speak to me and I was too busy helping Poppy walk and get into the car to get too upset. When we were on the ferry, though, that’s when Heike exploded.

“What were you thinking, Katherine?” Heike screamed. Poppy, lying on the ferry bench, groaned. “Tell me, what was going though your head?”

“I was thinking I’ve spent nine weeks working my ass off and wanted to have a bit of fun with my friend,” I said.

“What if there were vampyres? You don’t have the coloring yet, so what would you do if you were attacked? And you left the island without telling anyone! And what the hell are you are wearing? And you were drunk? And, to top it off, you attached two men. And, god, where’s Braith? He was supposed to be watching you!”

“Watching me! What do you mean he was watching me?” I cried.

“What do you think, Katherine? He was around you for fun? He’s working for me to babysit you!” Heike yelled. Oh, so that’s the only reason Braith and Jean-Luc had befriended me. Heike made them my babysitters. Tears sprung to my eyes. Even though I wouldn’t let myself cry, Heike must have noticed. He calmed his voice.“Vampyres are attracted to you because you’re a new Hunter. And they are attracted to fighting. Katherine, do you know what kind of danger you put yourself in?”

“No, Heike, I don’t,” I said. My voice broke from the lump in my throat, but I didn’t care. His anger made me snap and my anger boiled over until I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “No one told me that, no one really tells me anything, do they? You’re in charge of my training, aren’t you? You know I’ve not been told anything about vampyres or this stupid coven or really anything else. All I really know is that my friend was about to get raped by some asshole and you’re yelling at
me
? When it’s your fault I don’t know this stuff? Why didn’t you have my fucking babysitters tell me this shit? I don’t know what the fuck vampyres are attracted to because no one tells me anything until after the fucking fact! In fact, the four people I have met so far who know a hell of a lot more than me about hunting vampyres seem pretty tight-lipped about everything around here. Why am I on this need-to-know basis when I should be learning all of this shit that everyone else seems to have learned since they were toddlers? I don’t know, Heike! I don’t have a fucking idea about what the fuck’s going on!” I screamed.

Heike looked pretty shocked and held up both his hands. “Okay, okay,” he said.

“No, not okay. You abandoned me, Heike. You abandoned me 17 years ago and you abandoned me the minute we got to this fucking island. And now you expect me to know all these things. How? How am I supposed to just magically know what I am and am not allowed to do? And now you’re telling me I put Poppy’s life in danger when I was trying to save her? Do you know what I’ve been through over the last two months and you’re ...” I didn’t really know what Heike was being, but holy taco was I pissed. I wanted to tell Heike what he could do with himself. “
Vete a la chingada
,” I spat.

Heike didn’t respond, at first, and it was dark so I couldn’t really see his facial expression. That meant he couldn’t see me crying, either, which was a bonus because my floodgates had broke - I was weeping as quietly as I possibly could.

Finally, Heike cleared his throat. “I know you’re upset. I’m sorry. I overreacted. I forget you don’t know. That’s my fault and I’m sorry.” I didn’t say anything mostly because I couldn’t. I was trying so hard to hold back my emotions, but my whole body shivered with tears.

I felt like I had no one in the world to turn to. Heike had abandoned me and The Rabbi had given up training with me, Braith and Jean-Luc were just around to babysit me, I was thousands of miles away from my family, and Monday I was probably going to be chewed up and spit out by my fellow trainees.

“Katja,” Heike said. “You’ won’t speak to me?”

“No,” I squeaked. Then Heike realized I was crying and I could tell by his dark shape that he didn’t know what to do.

“Katja,” he finally said.

“Don’t,” I cut him off. “Just, don’t.”

And he didn’t.

And I’m not positive that I knew exactly why I was upset, it may have just been everything all at once hitting me. I was terribly homesick and hardly had time to grieve being away from my family for so long; The Rabbi, who had become my mentor and master over the last eight weeks, was releasing me to those wild animals he called my peers; Heike abandoned me and felt – what? – that he had some fatherly duty to yell at me because I made a drunken mistake? Why hadn’t Braith or Jean-Luc or even The Rabbi explained these things to me? Wasn’t that why Braith was always hanging around me, to keep me out of trouble? And I had unknowingly endangered my dear friend and spent several hours in a shitty, Portuguese jail cell. And, what was the outfit comment? I could never dress like a woman ever again because I was putting myself in danger? So, I guess Heike yelling at me was just my breaking point and I was practically hysterical.

Even after the boat docked and Heike had the driver take us all to the Walter’s house, I was still crying. I didn’t care if Heike saw by that point, because there was nothing I could do. Poppy tried to hush me but she was still pretty drunk and she stank like booze and vomit and I didn’t really want her touching me. I was annoyed with her for dragging me to that gross club in the first place.

Heike tried to talk to me a few times but I could tell he didn’t know what to say or how to comfort me. As much as I hated to admit it, I felt sorry for the guy. He was probably not used to the emotional whims of teenage girls. That made me want my mom or my papá and then I cried harder.

It began to rain right before we pulled up to the house. Heike got out first and helped Poppy. I calmed myself enough to follow them and open the door. “Katja?” Heike finally said. He made sure I could support Poppy on my own before leaving. “I’m really sorry.”

Once we got to bed – or, in Poppy’s case, the bathroom floor – I cried nearly all night. At one point, Mrs. Walters came in to tend to me, but I told her I was just homesick.

In the morning I didn’t want to do anything. It was Sunday and my day off – the second in nine weeks – and I wasn’t planning on moving. Poppy must have felt the same way because, when I looked, she had all the pillows piled on her head and was snoring.

Around ten Mrs. Walter’s knocked on the door. “Braith is here to see you,” she whispered. I groaned but she tsked me. “I think it will be good if you got out of bed today at least for a bit. I wouldn’t want to if I was you, either, but you’re you and I’m me so get up, sweetheart,” she said.

Since I loved Mrs. Walters, I obeyed. I pulled back my dirty hair and put on some gym clothes. Because I am dramatic and felt awful, I assumed I could no longer look like a female. I put on the largest shirt I could find and forced myself down the stairs.

Braith was waiting for me at the kitchen table, eating a muffin and sipping coffee that Mrs. Walters prepared.

“Ah, you got all dressed up for me,” Braith laughed. I glared at him and got some juice out of the fridge. “Someone is grumpy today. Wake up on the wrong side, did ya?”

“Spending a night with the police will do that to a girl,” I said.

“Yeah, heard about that one,” Braith grinned. “You’re the talk of the town. Rumour says you lit a guy on fire and snapped a spine or something?”

“Sounds just like something I’d do,” I mumbled.

“You were defending Poppy, eh?” I shrugged and Braith frowned. “Are you upset about it?”

“No.” I was curt and annoyed with him and he could tell.

“Oh, I know that ‘no.’ That’s a woman’s ‘no.’” He stood and trapped me in a corner. “What is it?”

“Why didn’t you tell me Heike made you my babysitter?” I blurted.

“He told you that?” Braith asked. I nodded and he sighed. “Jean-Luc and I are being punished. We got caught in Hungary three years ago and people saw Jean-Luc turn into a werewolf. It was a big cover up, but we were trying to save this girl. It didn’t work, but I don’t regret trying. The Coven Council were upset, of course, and has not allowed us to hunt since and we’ve got another two years to go. Part of our punishment is staying at the training center to help prepare the new hunters. Heike didn’t think we should be punished so severely and has really allowed us to get away with a lot, since we’re basically under his supervision. That’s why I got to look after you in the states and that’s why I get to hang out with you so much here.”

“So, I’m part of your punishment?” I asked. “That’s great. I feel much better.”

“Come on, Kitty, don’t be like this,” he said.

“Just, go home, Braith,” I stood up and started walking back to the stairs. “You don’t need to spend time with your charge on your day off.” Braith followed.

“Why are you so upset about this?” he asked.

“You can’t come upstairs,” I said.

He grabbed my arm. “Don’t be that girl. You’re not like that,” Braith said. “Tell me what I’m not understanding. Why are you so upset with me?”

“Don’t be an idiot. You knew I’d be upset,” I said. He looked at me like he was expecting more and he still wouldn’t release my arm. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I finally said. “Okay? Let me go.”

“Katherine,” Braith warned. I didn’t say anything. “Talk to me. I’m your friend.”

“You’re not,” I snapped. He looked genuinely hurt and I felt a bit guilty. It wasn’t his fault my father ordered him to watch me. “I’m a stupid girl, that’s all, thinking that.”

“Thinking what?” He demanded. “You think I’m not your friend because I was watching out for you?” I didn’t really know what to say. When he said it that way, I sounded stupid. “Kitty,” Braith said. “Do you really think I’d be around you this much if I didn’t want to be? Heike didn’t order me to babysit you. He already knew I was going to be around you anyway. I’ve been watching out for you for the last two years and I wouldn’t be anywhere else but with you on this island, do you understand that?” He let go of my wrist and almost touched my face, but pulled away at the last minute. “You are the best part of my days.”

“Don’t,” I said. “That’s cheap flattery.”

“It’s the truth!” He defended.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Braith looked like he wanted to say something but released a heavy sigh instead. “I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t think about it. I thought I would just continue where I left off. I watched you in the states and I didn’t see a difference being here.” I set my jaw and didn’t really know how to respond. It was hard to be so upset when he was being so rational. “Kitty,” he whispered. “Please be my friend.”