~ CATHERINE ~
Sunday the 25th of June, 1989
I continued to stretch behind a line of white-clad figures. My sensei barked out the next instruction. In unison, all the karate students squatted down in a wide stance. Fists pumped out at the count of Japanese numbers, while each person shouted out a kiai. Looking straight ahead, I changed from a punch to a block, raising my arm up at an angle a little above my head. My green belt flapped from side to side as I put power into each delivery. An image of Christopher’s grandfather flashed into my mind. I blocked again, then added a punch, imagining hitting him in the face.
Phillip, the tall black belt leading the session, walked up and down the line, checking on each student’s technique. He stopped not far from where I was. An annoyed expression crossed his face as he indicated for me to approach him.
“Why are you wearing jewellery?” he asked, pointing to my rosary.
He was also giving me a strange look, probably because of the blue rings circling my irises. Most people assumed they were contacts. I didn’t bother to tell them otherwise.
“You know it’s not allowed in the dojo,” he added.
“Sorry, Sensei, it’s for religious reasons. I’m not allowed to remove the rosary until my confirmation is completed.”
“Fine,” he said, begrudgingly, “you can re-join the class,” the guy obviously not Catholic, since he’d bought my lie.
I bowed; then swiftly moved back into line. After I’d resettled into my stance, the other instructor ordered the students to do press-ups on their knuckles. Grimacing, I got down, doing press-ups on the two largest knuckles on each hand, which were used for punching.
Once the class had finished, I changed out of my karate clothes, and into my black jeans and I Love Mexico hoodie, something I’d gotten from Shanton. I hadn’t been to Mexico, just liked the hoodie. The closest thing I’d gotten to the country was watching Elvis’ Fun in Acapulco, which I’d watched more than once, along with all his other films.
I headed outside the karate hall, slipping on sunglasses so I didn’t get any more strange stares. For most of the session, I’d tried not to look at anyone directly, not liking that I had to lie to people about why my eyes had gone all freaky. I hadn’t liked lying to the doctor either, just had gone along with his perplexed explanation that the colour change must’ve been caused by the knock to my head from “getting run over”, some sort of delayed reaction, since all my tests had come back clear.
I sat down on the steps and waited for Nicky to come and pick me up. I’d arranged to go to the mall with her so we could shop for some new swimsuits for the school swimming comp on Wednesday, a trivial thing to think about, especially after asking to meet Christopher’s grandfather. But right now, the ‘trivial’ was keeping me sane.
Nicky’s battered Mini pulled up next to the yellow no parking lines in front of me. She’d already gotten a few tickets for parking where she shouldn’t, her mum one step away from taking her keys off her.
Nicky waved for me to get in. I did just that, getting a high-pitched, “Hi!” my best mate obviously in a good mood. She pulled out of the driveway and headed for Manukau Shopping Centre, making me scream halfway through the journey when she cut off a damn truck. After parking, I got down on my hands and knees, and pretended to kiss the ground.
“Get up, you cheeky sod,” Nicky said, giving me a good-natured whack across the back of the head for it.
Laughing, I jumped to my feet and headed into the mall with her. We wandered up and down it, eyeing the multitude of clothes displayed in the shop windows. Veering into the swimwear store, we rifled through the colourful array of bikinis and one-pieces, most of it on special due to it being off-season.
Nicky glanced at me as I removed a blue two-piece swimsuit with white and yellow flowers on it. “Take off your sunglasses, you look like Kylie walking around with them on.”
“We don’t look anything alike. She’s a sullen brunette dumbass, while I’m a sassy, smart blonde with an IQ that rivals Einstein.”
“Ha! You’re lousy at science.”
“Ha! I’m surprised you remembered who Einstein was. Thought some of Stephen’s dumb might’ve rubbed off on you.”
She smacked my arm. “Smartass! I meant you look the same as Kylie because she’s started wearing sunglasses everywhere.”
“She’s probably copying me since I’m chic cool.”
Nicky smirked. “Sheesh, shrink your damn head, because you won’t be able to fit it in my car.”
“Nah, seriously. She turned up to art class with some freaky contacts. I’m telling you, she’s jealous of me, copies everything I do. Remember that time I couldn’t find matching earrings, so I put a stud in one ear and a sleeper in the other?”
“Yeah.”
“She did the same thing the next day.”
“So did I, because it looked cool.”
Smirking, I brushed pretend dust off my shoulders. “I’m such a trendsetter.”
“You totally are,” she said, looking dead serious. “If you weren’t my best mate, I’d be a jealous cow like Kylie. Hell, I am a jealous cow. I’d give anything to be you.”
My smile dropped. “You can’t be serious?”
She looked down at the blue swimsuit I was holding. “You know I am,” she said, avoiding eye contact.
“Why? You’re way cooler than I could ever be.”
“Yeah, sure,” she drew out, sounding like she was humouring me. She took the swimsuit out of my hands and placed it against me. “Definitely your colour. You should go try it on,” she said, handing it back.
When I didn’t make a move, trying to think of something to bolster her confidence, she placed a hand on my lower back and gave me a push. “Hurry up, I don’t have all day, Blondie.”
Sighing, I reluctantly went to the changing rooms, changing into the swimsuit, not liking that Nicky was jealous of me. If anything, I should be jealous of her, especially since I wasn’t sure I was going to survive the coming week.
Liking the swimsuit, I slipped out of it and changed back into my jeans and hoodie, heading out to Nicky. She was at the counter, buying a yellow bikini.
“You were fast trying that on,” I said, sidling up next to her.
Nicky shrugged. “It’s my size and colour, so no point.”
She handed over her money, the saleslady tilling up the buy. After I’d also paid, we headed for the small boutique coffee shop with the fluffiest hot chocolates. A café assistant approached us, the girl reminding me of a young Chrissie Hynde, with her shoulder-length hair and a fringe that almost covered her eyes. She took our orders, then returned with two large steaming cups of hot chocolate. Once I’d consumed all the frothy goodness, I looked across the small round table at my best friend, ready to tell her the truth about Christopher’s grandfather. But before I could, Nicky started talking.
“You’re right about Stephen, but I can’t help myself. I really want him.” She wrinkled her pixie nose, her expression a mixture of embarrassed and sad. “I’m head over heels in love with him, have been for a long time, just never thought I had a chance until Christopher set us up. But I don’t even think I have a chance as his girlfriend, because he doesn’t seem that into me, unless we’re having sex.”
I went to open my mouth, but thought better of it, knowing that no matter how much I badmouthed Stephen, Nicky would ignore my advice. So instead I slipped off my glasses, using it to distract her from mooning over Stephen.
Nicky stared at my eyes as though they mesmerised her. I’d already shown her, so it shouldn’t have been a shock, but regardless, she looked stunned. “God, your eyes are sooo cool, but sooo freaky at the same time. You really do look like some supernatural hottie, like an angel dressed in blue jeans.” She leaned closer to me. “Actually, you are an angel in blue jeans,” she whispered. “I reckon Stephen’s an angel, too.”
“Chris said he wasn’t.”
“Well, I reckon he’s lying, because he also has freaky eyes. They look like amethysts, too gorgeous to be human. I thought they were contacts when I first saw ’em.”
I shrugged. “Guess he could be if he’s related to Chris.”
“I should ask him if he can create fire.”
“No, Nicky, Chris told you not to speak to anyone about Merges.”
“But if Stephen’s one too—”
“Nicky, you promised. I also wouldn’t piss Chris off. He could tell his dad and granddad that you know about us, and believe you me, you don’t want to be on those psychos’ radar.”
She frowned. “Why are they psychos?”
I bit my lip, not sure how much I should tell her. Or if I should tell her anything at all, especially since she was considering breaking her promise.
“Just put it this way,” I whispered. “They’re not above killing to keep their identity a secret.”
Her eyes bulged out. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious, so don’t say a word to Stephen.”
She nodded, now looking scared.
I placed my hands over hers, which were trembling. “Don’t be scared. As long as you keep this a secret, you’ll be fine. Now, let’s go back to your place. I want to show you some tricks.”
***
“When are your fam getting back?” I asked as Nicky drove into her driveway.
“Around four o’clock.”
“Cool, that’ll make things easier,” I replied, unbuckling my seatbelt.
Getting out of the car, I followed Nicky into her house. I made a beeline for the open-top aquarium. Separating the living room from the dining room, the long, rectangular container held a multitude of colourful fish.
I waved Nicky over, my friend hurrying to stand next to me, her expression full of curiosity. On the way home, I’d talked to her more about how important it was to keep all of this a secret, making sure she understood that no one, not even Stephen, could find out what Merges were. Though, it did make me curious as to whether she was right about Stephen being a Merge, because, despite having a chronic case of douchebaggery, he was gorgeous, while his eyes... I frowned, only just realising he had eyes like a Terra.
Filing the thought away for the moment, I took hold of my rosary and placed my other hand over the aquarium. The little fish stopped as my fingers flicked ever so slightly. Tiny bubbles began to form on top of the water. I moved my fingers more rapidly, willing the bubbles to float, something I’d mastered in the bathtub. As the bubbles collided with each other, they coalesced into a medium-sized sphere that rose to just above the tank.
“Whoa!” Nicky said.
Ignoring her, I recanted the Latin words from one of the books that Sister Cecile had given me, commanding a goldfish to jump out of the tank and into the watery sphere. Nicky stared at the goldfish with eyes rounder than the sphere, her expression dumbstruck. On my command, the fish dived back into the aquarium, making a tiny splash. I closed my hand, causing the sphere to follow suit, its splash much bigger. It sprayed Nicky’s top, but she didn’t seem to care. She clapped loudly, obviously excited by my magic trick. Though, there was no trickery about it, because it was all real.
Nicky’s eyes clamped onto my rosary. “Can I try it?” she asked, reaching for the beads.
I covered them, afraid she would get zapped like Christopher had the first time. “No, it’s only for Merges.”
“Chris said Merges are angels—”
“They can be demons too.”
“I know, I was about to say that.” A cheeky smirk spread across her face. “I always did think you were a bit of a demon.”
“Thanks a lot!”
“You’re welcome,” she laughed.
I smiled back, relieved by her acceptance. “You’re handling this whole angel, demon thing a lot better than I expected.”
“I didn’t when I found out, I also didn’t when it took you forever to tell me.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I said, feeling guilty again.
“You already apologised, so no worries. So, what’s this issue you mentioned about Chris over the phone?”
“You know how I told you his dad and granddad are psychos? And that they’re capable of killing?”
She nodded.
“Well...” I exhaled, not looking forward to her reaction, but knowing I couldn’t keep hiding things from her. I also needed to talk to someone, because if I didn’t, I was going to go insane. “Chris’ dad killed Sister Cecile, while his granddad wants to kill me.”
Nicky took a step back as though my words had struck her. “What?” she gasped.
“You know that time I got run-over?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t. Chris’ granddad pulled me out of school with Merge magic, then flung me backwards onto the road. If it wasn’t for Chris coming to my rescue, I’d be dead. Now Chris says his granddad will attack me, even possibly my family, if I don’t give him my rosary.”
“Give it to him, then! Your family and your life are way more important.”
“But if I give it to him, he’ll still come after me. I’ll be left defenceless.”
“Why would he still come after you?”
“He thinks Sister Cecile was training me to kill him.”
“Why would he think that?”
“Because she was, but I didn’t know that. She totally fooled me, now I’m in this giant mess all because of her feud with Christopher’s psycho granddad.”
“Then use your magic against him. You have the advantage with your watery powers.”
“He has a rosary too. Like Chris, he has control over fire. Chris’ whole family has fire powers. That’s how Sister Cecile died. His dad didn’t burn her house down by lighting a match, he used his bare hands.”
“Oh my God!” Nicky said, looking horrified. “You have to go to the police.”
“And what do I tell them? That Mr. Laboure killed Sister Cecile by conjuring up fire with his bare hands, and now his dad wants to burn me alive over a piece of magical jewellery? They’ll lock me away in the looney bin. No, the best thing for me to do is to deal with this myself.”
Nicky shook her head vigorously. “You can’t! Get Chris to convince his grandpa to leave you alone.”
“He tried, but his granddad won’t listen to him. So I’ve asked Chris to set up a meeting with him, so we can sort things out without getting my family involved.”
“Will he leave you alone after that?”
I went to say probably not, but stopped myself in time, Nicky looking close to tears. Instead, I nodded. “I think so,” I lied.
Looking relieved, Nicky flopped down onto her sofa. “And I thought I was having boyfriend issues. It’s nothing compared to what you’re going through.”
“That’s the understatement of the century,” I said, flopping down next to her.
She gave me a sad smile. “If there’s any way I can help, let me know.”
“Actually, there is. I need you to cover for me on Tuesday and Thursday, when I’m supposed to be going to my karate lesson. I’ll tell my mum that you want to try my karate club out, so that you can pick me up. From there, we’ll collect Chris,” that’s if he’ll come, let alone talk to me again. I massaged my forehead, really hoping he would, how we’d left things still upsetting me. I kept replaying what had happened over and over again, especially his parting words:
‘If my grandfather kills you, I’m done with my famiglia. If you kill him, I’m done with you.’
Nicky nodded. “Okay, I can do that, though my mum and dad will be sceptical that I’m interested in karate. I’m such a big wimp.” She smiled, although she didn’t look happy, her expression still concerned.
I leaned over and gave her a hug. “Thanks for this, I really appreciate it.” I let go of her. “Though, I think I better get home now. Mum’s expecting me back A.S.A.P. since I’m still being punished over the incident with Chris.”
“That reminds me, you never told me what happened at Boyd’s Beach. Did you and Chris get it on?”
I shook my head. “We argued about the rosary. He stormed off. That’s why I need to see him.” I sighed. “He’s really angry with me.”
“Because you won’t give him the rosary?”
“That and the fact he said he loves me and I didn’t say it back.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding?”
I shook my head, feeling even more deflated. “The thing is, after he left, I felt like part of me left too.” I looked down at my hands. “I want him back, but I’m scared he’s given up on me, scared that he thinks I’m no longer worth fighting his family over.” I bit my lip, feeling like I was a breath away from crying. “I want him, Nicky. I want him so bad it hurts.”
Her expression saddened. “Because you love him.”
I didn’t reply, now wondering whether I did.