Bitten (Once Bitten, Twice Shy #1)(96)
The next morning – this morning – he hadn’t been around to ignore. According to Sophie, he was doing some sort of research – investigating was the word she’d used – at the city hall. Apparently, at their last meeting, Cain had given him some information he’d received about the potential whereabouts of his parents’ – and her parents’ – killers. Markus and Zane had disappeared too, though she had no idea if they’d gone with him or not. Markus, she knew, still hadn’t completely forgiven her for disappearing on him after school on that Friday a week ago.
He’d made that rather obvious with his increased use of the abhorrent nickname he had for her.
As a result of the trio’s absence, Sophie had been rather insistent that Katherine join her and Caleb on their preplanned shopping trip into town. Apparently, a new shipment of women’s clothing had been delivered to The Closet and Sophie wanted to check it out. Caleb needed to deliver some venison to the local butcher and pick up some baking goods at the farmers market.
Katherine, rather intent on staying home and throwing herself a pity party, adamantly refused.
Eventually, the blonde had given up on her and with a cheery wave good bye had taken her leave. After flashing the despondent girl a quick smile, Caleb had trailed after her.
Which brought Katherine to where she was now – completely alone in a depressingly empty house, staring forlornly into a bowl of soggy cereal she’d poured herself over a half hour ago.
“And let the party commence,” Katherine muttered to herself sarcastically.
Wasn’t she just a big old ball of sunshine?
Fierce pounding on the front door knocked her from her stupor. Somewhat alarmed, Katherine abandoned her cereal – it wasn’t really edible at that point anyhow – and hurried to the door. She hadn’t locked it after Sophie and Caleb. Surely if they’d forgotten something, they’d have just come straight in.
Twisting a knob, she opened one of the double doors.
It was Melanie.
Her features were warped into a panicked grimace and her short hair was disheveled, but there was no mistaking it was her.
“Are you okay?” Katherine asked, eying her friend’s unkempt appearance as she waited for the girl to catch her breath.
“Katherine, you have to help me!” She grabbed the edge of the small brunette’s shirt sleeve, nearly yanking her through the open doorway and onto the porch.
Startled, Katherine jerked away from her. “Just calm down and tell me what’s wrong,” she demanded.
“It’s Mack,” Melanie began to blubber. “We were fooling around near the falls, trying to climb on the rocks and he fell! He’s unconscious and I think his leg is broken. It’s all crooked and bent at a weird angle. I’m not strong enough to move him by himself. Your house was the closest. I ran all the way here. Please, you have to help me get him into town to see a healer. He’s all by himself out there!”
Melanie grabbed onto her again, hysterically trying to pull her along, and for a moment, Katherine almost allowed it.
But she remembered all too well the plea Bastian had made to her two weeks ago – on the night of the kiss. She had to let him know somehow where she was going. “Hold on,” she insisted, tugging her arm free from her friend’s grip. “Just let me leave a note. That way, if someone gets back here before we’re able to get him into town, they can come help us.”
Melanie paused for a moment before quickly agreeing. “Okay, but please hurry! Mack needs our help.”
Katherine quickly scribbled a note, explaining the situation. He left it next to her unfinished bowl of cereal before grabbing her coat and throwing on a pair of oversized boots – they were probably one of Markus’s many pairs. Then she finally allowed Melanie to drag her away.
The two girls dashed through the trees, dodging branches and leaping over upturned roots as they did so. “Exactly how hurt is he?” Katherine asked as they ran. She wondered if it would even be safe to move Mack – if maybe it’d make more sense for one of them to run into town and bring the town healer, Gabriela Atkins, to him instead?
“I don’t know! When he fell, I called out to him, but he didn’t respond,” Melanie explained between breaths. “By the time I could climb down from the rocks and get to him, his eyes were closed and he wouldn’t open them, even when I tried to shake him awake!”
Katherine refrained from blurting out her thoughts – that shaking an unconscious person probably wasn’t the best idea the other girl had ever had.
She decided she’d follow Melanie to the falls and check out Mack’s condition for herself. If she didn’t think they should move him, she’d run back to town and get Gabriela herself.
Less than ten minutes later, they were nearing the falls – Katherine could have gotten there sooner but forced herself to match Melanie’s slower pace, not wanting to leave the girl behind.
She forced her legs to slow to a stop as she reached the small, frozen over pond at the bottom of the equally frozen waterfall. As she rested her hands on her knees and attempted to catch her breath, she looked around for a prone body.
She saw snows. Trees. And, of course, the waterfall. But no Mack. She didn’t see him anywhere.
He couldn’t have gotten up and walked away with a broken leg though.
She turned to Melanie, who’d stopped to rest some feet beside her. She, too, was attempting to recover from their run. “Where is he?” Katherine asked.