The lady in Red (REWRITTEN!)

Chapter 42

Four days. Four days passed after Reece dropped me off at home that night. The cold got colder, the days got shorter, and the nights got longer. There was nothing left in me. My appetite was poor, and I barely drank any fluids. Even with the heat on, I always felt cold. I hardly left my room. The world was my oyster, and my mind was whirling at a hundred miles an hour. The toll I took on myself and on those around me was enormous.

Greta hated me like this. Even though she tried her best to get me out of the house, my desire to do anything seemed impossible. The only thing I ever did at night was cry. Nothing made sense to me. Even with all the time he gave me, I was still far from in the clear. For four days, he and I did not talk, but I kept replaying his words in my head.

He will kill them. He will kill them all. Did he really mean that? Did he really intend to kill them all? Why? His intentions were clear but I didn't understand why he said what he said. I was sitting on my bed, staring at nothingness, when suddenly the door to my bedroom flew open. Greta walked in with a full black witch costume on with a matching black, pointy hat on top. Her makeup was done, and her hair was pinned back. Didn't witches keep their hair down?

"We're going out. Let's go. It's Halloween. No more being cooped up here. Put on this little red riding hood costume. I'm taking you out," she said. I hadn't noticed that she held the costume until she threw it at me. Weakly gripping it, I observed it.

"I can't, Greta."

I felt Greta catch up to me on the bed, grab my face between her fingers, and lean in. "The night is young. We are young. Get out of these depressing moods and enjoy life," Cat spoke to me apologetically. "How long will you stay here like this?" I didn't know. It was clear I was wasting my life away like this. My hands clenched around the costume as I picked it up. My own actions led to this. I was given hope and reassurance by Reece, but I threw it all away because I didn't know what to believe or who to trust.

"Okay." I smiled weakly. Greta grinned, kissed me on the cheek, and stepped back. Her first act was to run to the kitchen and make a sandwich for me. I was glad that she practically forced me to eat. It gave me some energy. Getting myself together became a little more hopeful. After I finished eating, she fixed me up within thirty minutes. Just like Little Red Riding Hood, she made me look good.

We left the house after getting ready. As soon as I stepped outside, a cool wind blew around me, and I smiled at the dark sky above me. I wrapped Greta's arm around mine as we walked down the street. I didn't know where we were going, and I didn't care. Seeing children running down the street in their Halloween costumes, racing for the candy, was fun to see. Stepping out after a long night was a blessing in disguise.

"He has your best interests at heart, you know?" Greta said, catching me by surprise.

"How do you know that?" I asked, crunching leaves under my feet.

"Reece Dean is a straight forward guy, Cat. Everyone loves him, and he's known everywhere. I just don't think he meant to hurt you intentionally." Tears brimmed my eyes, but I forced them away. I understood he had my best interests at heart, but I just didn't understand the situation very well. I felt conflicted. I didn't know if it was a joke. How could he say such a thing?

"Where are we headed?" I asked as I turned to look at her.

"Somewhere fun," she replied with a knowing look on her face. She pointed at a black, all- tinted car parked ten feet from us down the road before I could ask her what she meant.

"Greta, you cannot be serious." Next thing I knew, she was pulling me to the car. My first assumption was that Greta would only let us roam around a bit, but I was unaware of her true motives. Parties were on the agenda for her. Unfortunately, my mood was not conducive to partying tonight. Greta shushed me with her finger as I opened my mouth to speak.

"I promise that you're going to love where I'm taking you tonight," she said. I looked out the window and smiled, but my smile didn't reach my eyes. After the car came to a complete stop a little while later, I rolled down the window to get a better look at our destination. My eyes widened, and I shook my head in disbelief.

Apparently, I had no choice but to follow. Greta knew what this place meant for me. Why would she bring me here? Taking a gander at the scene, I noticed there were twice as many people as I had seen here before. While clad in various costumes, I felt extremely mundane while watching them.

"Greta, why are we here?" The last time I was here, I had bumped into him for the first time. This property belonged to Reece. Was he going to be here? I was pulled by Greta past throngs of people waiting on line, and we immediately gained access to the VIP section. We were recognized by the bouncer and allowed entry. Instead of answering me, Greta simply smiled at me with a knowing look. I knew exactly who I was meeting here tonight. Greta wouldn't set me up on a blind date with just anyone. Once we entered the club, I stared at her for a moment, but was quickly obscured by the white smoke that surrounded me. A Halloween-themed song began playing, and Greta stopped and looked at me.

"Please don't be mad at me," she said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Tell my why I'm really here, Greta."

"I want you to patch things up with him. I knew he'd be here. You've been a mess without him, and something tells me he didn't mean to hurt you like he did." She chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes hopeful. I could feel my anger glistening down. My heart ached for him. I missed him every single minute for the past four days, and in those four days I always stayed wondering. Did he miss me too? Did he feel the same sadness I felt in his absence? Even worse...has he replaced me? While I'm out here, who's looking after him? The thought of being replaced left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. That didn't sit well with my heart.

"Is he here?" I looked around, a little hopeful that maybe I might see him in his own club. I couldn't see him.

"I don't know, Cat. Everybody is here, so I'm guessing he should be?" The tone in her voice prompted me to look back at her. Her eyes twinkled, and I knew exactly what she was trying to do all while being my Cupid. I gave her a soft smile.

"Go have fun. Your life awaits you on that dance floor. Those firefighters over there have their eyes on you," I said, pointing towards the dance floor where couple of firefighters were ogling at her. Greta laughed, gave me a hug, and retrieved.

"Go get your big, bad wolf, Cat." She winked. I gave her another hug, pulled back, turned around and made my way deeper into the club. 

"Is he here?" I asked, hopeful that maybe I would see him in his own club. I couldn't see him.

"I don't know, Cat. Everybody is here, so I'm guessing he should be?" The tone in her voice prompted me to look back at her. Her eyes twinkled, and I knew exactly what she was trying to accomplish while acting as my Cupid. Softly, I smiled at her. 

"Go have fun. Your life awaits you on that dance floor. Those firefighters over there are watching you," I said, pointing toward the dance floor where a couple of firefighters were swooning at her. Greta laughed, hugged me, and grabbed me by the hand.

She winked. "Go find your big, bad wolf, Cat." Her comment made me grin, and I kissed her on the cheek before making my way deeper into the club.