Chapter 245: Katrina VIII—On Her Table
Her eyes never wavered, there was a pointed, emerald, knowing look to them for a little girl so young. Her jaw would set and she would stare. She was holding onto Clinton Parfet’s wrist and it always calmed him down, it was so inexplicable. At night she would crawl into her bed, it annoyed her, the little girl’s cold feet.
Katrina opened her eyes and focused on her surroundings. She was home, in her living room, the television was on. Her blanket had fallen off her body onto the floor and it was cold. She sat up; hearing in her mind the memory of Chloe’s loud, grating voice, the twang in her accent. She supposed that she had been dreaming about her again. She had curled up on the couch for a nap before she had to leave for the game tonight.
Katrina peered at her watch and then she stretched. She wasn’t late but she had to get going pretty soon. She yawned and stood up. She turned up the volume of the television as she got ready to leave.
We’re sorry but there isn’t a way we can get you into contact with her.
She’s my sister god dammit!
And language like that will not get you anywhere.
What have you done with her? Why can’t I know?
Katrina
sighed and the voices rang through her head as she drove over the crunchy, icy,
salted roads, turned up the volume on the radio. She was now thinking of the
bony little girl, the dead bird not dead anymore, its wings fluttering in her
hands. Was that a memory or a dream? Surely it was a dream but it had the feel
of a memory. Chloe hated dead animals, she always had to be shielded from road
kill and even
Katrina turned the volume up higher.
‘Trin ah don member if Momma sid ah could have ah-ice cuh-reem?
Chloe talk English!
Ah em.
Chloe shut-up!
Cecile. Katrina had been thinking about that girl. She was nineteen, far older than Chloe would be now. Chloe would be twelve. Still, Katrina knew that Chloe would look exactly like that Cecile girl in a few years. Katrina remembered the point to Chloe’s little nose, and the slanted shape of her green eyes, and the hue of the eyes. People just did not have green eyes like that; they just didn’t run into complete strangers with eyes like that.
Cecile was like a ghost that had wandered into Katrina’s mind. Her looks taunted her about the sister she had lost and never found. Katrina had tried to forget about Cecile but she had begun to dream again, and be distracted by her thoughts. Everything was being hindered by this. There were answers in those eyes, and Katrina knew there were answers in her reflection in the mirror.
It was the next morning at the practice facility. Danny Hinote was lying naked on her massage table, a towel over his ass, his skin smooth and shining, soft like pudding. His muscles were bulging and hard, like the others. He whimpered like the others too.
Katrina knew she did not have the strength to face that girl, Cecile again without clawing at that girl’s face, punishing her for having a face and happiness that Chloe may never enjoy. Last night she had seen Cecile with Danny Hinote in the darkened massage room, they were making out, practically having sex through their clothes against a wall. She leaned into Hinote’s back.
“Jesus!” Danny moaned. “Don’t kill me!”
Katrina leaned forward, “You need to relax and breathe out.”
Hinote obeyed and as he did, Katrina licked her lips. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” Hinote gasped.
“How long have you and your girlfriend been together?” she asked.
“Cecile?” Danny asked in a high voice, he cleared his throat and lowered it. “About three years.”
Katrina frowned. “How old is she?”
She saw the skin on Danny’s back flush red. “Look, she was sixteen, and.. we haven’t… we never did anything wrong.”
Katrina half grinned and remembered gazing in awe at her skinny white legs wrapped around Huxton’s tanned body. She had been a lot younger than sixteen at that point. “I’m no one to judge,” Katrina replied. “I wasn’t prying on that, I wanted to know about her though.”
Danny craned his neck to look at her, she could see concern on his face, a little confusion and he rolled on his side, keeping the towel over his waist. “Why?” he asked.
Katrina bent over, leaned her face close to his. “Look at me, look at my face,” she said. “Can you see it?”
Danny blushed and he sat up, pulled away from her. “I don’t understand,” he said.
Katrina sighed. “I knew my mother, I was taken from my father and I can barely remember him, not that I want to. I lost a sister and I know nothing at all about the rest of my family.”
Danny squinted and she could see that he was beginning to understand. “Holy shit,” he said. “You have her eyes, and her mouth! I can’t believe I never noticed that before.”
Katrina nodded. “Yeah,” she said.
“Shit,” Danny said and he ran his hand over his head. “Even your hair, it’s as black as hers.”
Katrina looked away briefly, she felt emotion in her chest and she sucked it back in. “What do you know about her family?” she asked.
Danny sighed, his face looked crestfallen. “It’s complicated. I mean, Cecile is, well she has her mom and I’ve never met her before. I’ve seen a picture of her, she, well you know she has green eyes and black hair too. I don’t think she has siblings, she has a lot of family like uncles and some cousins. She doesn’t really talk about them to me. They’re very religious, so is she. She’s afraid they won’t approve of me. You know? Shit like that.”
“Not at all?” Katrina asked. Shit, she thought. Of course this girl would have a weird family. She was reminded instantly of Chloe belting spiritual Jesus loves me music at the top of her baby lungs. She would hug the bible, recite passages from it, and scare the preachers.
“Sorry,” Danny said. “I wish I could help. Hey do you want me to talk to Cecile about you? I’m sure she would oblige.”
Katrina smiled. “No it’s alright. I’ll talk to her myself one of these days. If her family is just like you say they are, heh, shit my mom probably got knocked up with me out of wedlock and got shunned or something.”
Danny laughed. He had a pleasant laugh, a pleasant smile. That was the word that came to mind when she thought of him. He was pretty; pleasant had the overall illusion of being someone who was safe. Perhaps he was safe.
“Aw sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t laugh like that.”
Katrina shrugged. “I was mostly curious. I’ve never known any other family; it would be nice to find more.”
“I bet Cecile would be thrilled to find a new relative, she doesn’t have enough friends here, she’s too lonely I think,” Danny said. “You should really call her up, how neat would that be?”
Oh God the boy was a sap! Katrina thought.
“How the hell are you in hockey,” Katrina said crossing her arms. “You’re too nice.”
Danny blushed. “Awww,” he said.
“You were in a fight last night as I remember,” Katrina said. “You got a dangerous side boy, does Cecile know?”
Danny shrugged, “I don’t know.” He said.
Katrina pressed her hands onto his shoulders and roughly pushed him down onto the table. She leaned over him. “Don’t let her find out the hard way,” she whispered.
Danny’s eyes were wide like a scared deer and he weakly said. “OK.”
“Good,” Katrina said. “I need to get to your quads now, remember to breathe.”
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