Forgotten (Currently Editing)

Chapter Twenty-One: The Forest

Chapter Twenty-One:

   ~*Aric*~

   "Kat," Aric tried. Katalina looked at him on the walk home from 'Sweet Lips' and quirked a brow. "I need to know."

   She looked down. "I guess now is later," she murmured. Aric took her hand and kissed it. She smiled softly at him. Aric didn't let go of her hand. "What do you want to know?"

   "Well...I guess I should tell you first about Kent."

   '1565 Sydney St. Kent' flashed through Katalina's mind. "Who?"

~*~*~*~

~*Katalina*~

  She slammed the door behind her. Damn Aric, damn him to hell. This, she was convinced, was all his fault. His Rouge, Kent, killed her brother! The same Kent on the little piece of paper found in Jame's pockets. 

   Katalina hadn't told Aric about the paper, she wasn't sure he needed to. But now she didn't want to, she was pissed at him now.

   Katalina made sure she'd closed and locked the door out of anxiety before breaking down against the wooden door. She felt the tears come again; God, did they ever stop? 

   It took the tears five minutes to stop. When they did, Katalina walked into the kitchen for a mug of something, anything hot. Katalina chose hot chocolate. As she waited for it to cool down, she wandered over to the calender on the wall.

   Katalina gasped at the date. August third? That meant tomorrow's August fourth.

   Katalina felt sadness and pity for herself strike deep. 

   Tomorrow was her birthday. She was turning seventeen.

~*Aric*~

   "You have to follow him, Aric." Paul Jenson said gruffly. "You have to find him before he does something else."

   "What about Katalina, Dad?" Aric demanded, his eyes flashing.

   "We leave tomorrow, Aric. No more talking, okay?" Paul stood from his sitting position at the kitchen bar. "Get some sleep, Aric. Seriously."

   "'We'?" Aric questioned, staring at his father.

   "Yes, your mother, me and you. Possibly Sam, too."

   "I can take care of my mistakes, Dad."

   "You can, can you?" Paul hissed, walking away.

   Aric grunted, stomping off to his room. Once inside, he flopped on the bed and then waited for what he should do next to come to his mind. There was a knock at his door, and Sam came in. He saw Aric and sighed. "So, I'm guessing your Dad told you about what his plans are?"

   Aric sat up and asked, "Are you going?" Sam shrugged, walking to the window to look out at the forest. "Sam, are you going?"

   Sam turned to look at Aric, and Sam leaned on the window slightly. "Can you feel that?"

   Aric stood. "Feel what?"

   "Something's going to happen. My wolf can feel it," Sam breathed, turning to look at the window again. "I don't know what."

   "How come I can't feel it then? I'm next in line Alpha! More in tune with the world than a wolf!" Aric was jealous. What was going to happen? Why couldn't he feel a thing? "Are you sure?"

   "Positive. I can't be the only one feeling it." Sam paused, looking at something out in the forest. "I'm not, look." He pointed to the forest.

   Aric walked over to look. The forest, it was thrashing, it was full of emotion. Aric thought of Katalina then, and his heart twisted. Katalina was raging with anger at him, Aric knew this. 

  Aric felt bad, he should his Rouge killed Katalina's best friend, and brother. It was strange how everything seemed to come back to Katalina, though. His father knew something about it, Aric was sure.

   Sam watched Aric as he looked like he was fighting with himself on the inside, and he said, "Aric, what's up?"

   Aric sighed, falling back on the bed. "Katalina."

   "What 'bout her?" Sam asked, falling onto the bed next to Aric.

   "She's pissed at me."

   "Because your Rouge killed people close to her?" Sam guessed.

   "I don't blame her."

   "Nor do I, but you have to give her time to adjust to what she's now apart of," Sam informed Aric. Aric nodded.

   "I know, but..."

   "But nothing, Killer, she's your girl, you wait for her. Till then, be patient, young grasshopper." Sam joked.

   Aric rolled his eyes. "Suck it, Sensee." He threw back, pushing Sam off the bed.

  Sam stood up, and threw Aric off the bed. 

~*Katalina*~

   It was three A.M.

   Katalina was puking her guts out in the bathroom. Her breath was gone, her face pale. Katalina wanted to die, the pain was so bad. All she could do was groan and scream against it.

   She tried to stand up, and slipped on the little rug next to her tub. Katalina hit her head on the tub and then screamed in frustration. "Fuck!" She screamed, hitting the tub back for no reason.

  Katalina's stomach lurched and she threw up.

  Katalina swished water in her mouth, making sure she didn't slip again. She walked back to her bed, and fell into it, clutching her stomach in agony.

   Then, she bolted up and into the bathroom to throw up everything but her memories. Katalina swished some more water in her mouth. 

   She searched through her house for some medicine, making occasional trips to the bathroom to throw up. Katalina's body was numb, she couldn't feel the pain anymore, and she didn't like it.

   She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was standing away from her body. Again.

   And again too, she felt someone enter the house, and she knew it was Aric. He came into the hall,   where she was sprawled on the ground, her hair all over her face. Aric saw her and ran to her side, saying, "Katalina!"

   "Aric!" Katalina tried to scream. "Aric!" But he didn't move. He couldn't hear her. 

   "Katalina Johnson." A feminine voice said from behind Katalina. "I am the Forest Spirit, and it is my time to pass on the forest to someone else."

   "You're what?" I asked. The woman began to radiate a brilliant shade of green.

   She said, "I here-by announce you the human interpreter of the woods." Katalina's eyes slammed shut against her will. "You will speak for it, you will show it's emotions, it feels the world through you."

   Katalina thrashed as Aric watched her on the bed, his face twisted in pain. "Kat..." He breathed. 

   "You will be it's eyes, Katalina Johnson." The Spirit said, "It will feel it's losses through you. You ARE the forest now."