The Duns

After Party

Chapter Four

Peter

I stop her on her way to school the next morning. "Catherine!" I say, urgently. She turns and nods to me, understanding the emergency of the situation, and leaving her friends, walks over.

"What you saw last night. It was real," I start, trying to make her understand, trying to convince myself that she does not need to be killed like my sister was. Her eyes are wide open, her mouth, following its lead, gaping at me with wonder, "Catherine, that was a Ceremony by a secret community for males." I continue slowly, hoping she understands my foreign words, "I cannot tell you anything about them, except that I am forcefully part of them, that it is a society which one enters through blood." I pause, letting her take this in.

"So you're saying that no one, no one, knows about this?"

"Exactly. And it must stay that way. Okay?"

"Okay." She says, nodding her head in slow motion. I suddenly feel something run up my back- a tinge. There is someone else here.

"You have to go now, and speak to Shailene too. Not a word of what happened must be conveyed to any human soul for as long as you live."

"I get it. I promise." She replies, her hands curling into mine. I step back and lean against the wall. I feel something again.

"Catherine you have to leave now." I push her away from the corner we were in. "Go."

"What's going on?" She asks, trying to hold her own.

"Catherine." I look into her eyes, "You need to go, now. There's someone else here."

"How do you know that? I can't hear anything."

I roll my eyes and groan, my voice sharp but consciously low, why won't she leave! "You know how I know that."

And then suddenly, there is a bang. Catherine's delicate body falls into my arms. "Catherine!" I scream helplessly into her ears, "Catherine!" I look up, "Who's there? Who did that?"

A dark, built figure steps out of the shadows. It says gruffly to me, "You know it had to be done, Peter. And you didn't have it in you to do it."

"Max!" I snarl. Why is everything changing so soon! Just when it felt right! He grunts from the darkness, as if he is doing me a favor by not killing her.

"Peter..." I turn my head back down at the body in my arms. She whispers, "it's okay. Go, before they blame you."

I shake my head in disagreement, "I'm not going anywhere." I pick her up in my arms and not forgetting the hopeless creature that did this, I run to the nearest hospital.

-

It has been two days since that dreadful Ceremony. I will finally meet Igetis today. I have been growingly anxious about the compulsory ritual I will be walking into in the next 15 minutes. I get into my car and leave the house quickly.

The traffic on the streets is nothing compared to the kind of fate that stays lying for me ahead, and once more, with my foot pressing down on the brakes, my mind is cluttered with theories of what Igetis might ask from me as I make my way to school, the clock reading 6:00pm, for another adventurous evening.

"Peter." His voice booms from the speakers "Join me onstage."

Ignoring the mutters of disbelief that makes its way around the hall, I climb up the stairs to join Igetis on the wooden platform. The maroon curtains are drawn, not giving away a hint of what's happening behind them. I nudge the curtains unenthusiastically and walk through the covered shield. Igetis glides calmly towards where I stand, my back up straight, my chin set in a firm position parallel towards the floor. Don't falter Peter; you are one of the strongest people here.