CHAPTER NINE

Caitlin looked down and was confused as she saw a beautiful, medieval European city floating by beneath her. She tried to figure out where she was as she took in the church steeples, terra-cotta roofs, a river cutting through it spanned by low, arched bridges… Suddenly, she realized: Venice. Not the modernized Venice of today, but the pure, intact medieval Venice, roads of cobblestone, trodden by horses and carriages, and people in archaic dress.

Caitlin felt someone gripping her hand as the clouds brushed by her face, and she looked over to see Caleb with her, flying at her side. She did not understand what was happening, how she was flying, how Caleb was with her, what she was doing here. She felt stronger than she had ever felt, as if she could conquer the world by herself. As if she were not human.

Caitlin was led by Caleb as they sped downward, cutting through the air. They soon reached a bridge, and landed in the center of it. All around them, the city was packed with people, peddling their wares, browsing in all the booths. Caitlin looked around and saw gold trinkets everywhere, and she realized: they were on the Ponte Vecchio. The bridge of gold. One of the most romantic places in the world.

Caitlin could not understand what they were doing here, but she felt as if she had been here before. In some other time. Somehow, she had vivid memories of this place.

Caleb led her to one of the booths and picked out a beautiful golden ring, laden with diamonds. He then led her to the edge of the stone rail, and knelt before her.

“Caitlin,” he said, looking to her eyes, “will you be with me? Forever?”

Before Caitlin could respond, she found herself riding on horseback, amidst breaking ocean waves, beneath the Aquinnah Cliffs on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. To her right were the beautiful red clay cliffs, while before her sat huge prehistoric boulders, scattered in the ocean. She and Caleb laughed wholeheartedly as they rode through the water, water splashing all around them, heading into the sunset.

They eventually stopped and dismounted as Caleb took her hand and kissed her.

Caitlin felt the world slow down as he held her, the waves crashing around him. She looked into his beautiful eyes, and knew they would be together forever.

Before she closed her eyes, again, she saw a flash of something in the setting sun, and was horrified to spot two long fangs extending from Caleb’s mouth. She was startled as he suddenly leaned in and sunk his fangs into her throat.

Caitlin gasped, the feeling at once so painful, yet so ecstatic.

Caitlin sat up with a start, breathing hard. She opened her eyes, disoriented, and looked around to see herself sitting on her couch, in her home, in Rhinebeck. She was alone in the room.

She shook her head, trying to shake off the crazy dream. She realized she had fallen asleep here in the living room, with Caleb and Sam and Polly, all of them here with her. And yet now she was alone.

“Hello?” she called out.

Caitlin got up and crossed the room, and as she did she looked to the floor and saw torn pages everywhere, covering the entire floor. She picked one up and realized it was a page from a diary. They were all over the house, covering everything.

She looked up and saw, with wonder, that they were all over the ceiling, too.

Caitlin, not understanding what was happening, felt compelled to go to her front door, and she walked toward it as if in a trance, thinking of Scarlet, feeling that maybe she was there somehow, behind that door. Her heart pounded as she approached.

Suddenly, the door burst open. A cold gale rushed in and blew the pages everywhere, all throughout the house, and the noise was deafening as Caitlin stood there, her heart slamming, ecstatic to see Scarlet standing before her, looking okay.

“Scarlet?” she asked, hardly able to believe it. “Where have you been?”

Caitlin rushed toward her, preparing to embrace her, when Scarlet opened her mouth, extended two fangs, and stepped forward and plunged them into Caitlin’s throat. The pain was excruciating as Caitlin fell to her knees, the world spinning around her.

Caitlin opened her eyes and sat up screaming. She breathed heavily, grabbing her neck, and looked all around. She grasped the edge of the couch as she cried out, flailing, and Caleb, Sam, and Polly appeared before her, running over.

“Caitlin?” Caleb asked. “What is it?”

Caitlin breathed hard, looking all around slowly, until finally, after a long time, she realized it had all just been a dream. One cruel dream after the next. She was fine, in her house. Everything was normal. Caleb was normal. Sam and Polly were still here.

Caitlin looked out the open windows and saw that a new day had dawned. She looked to the floor for the pages, but there were none to be found. She looked to the front door, but it was closed, just as it had been the night before.

It was all just a nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare.

Suddenly Caitlin remembered: the nightmare of her real life. She turned to Caleb.

“Scarlet?” she asked, grabbing his arm. “Anything?”

Caleb shook his head grimly, and Caitlin’s heart fell. She reached down and checked her phone.

“I already checked it,” Caleb said.

Caitlin checked anyway, and saw that there were no new messages. No new texts. No new calls. Nothing.

Scarlet, her baby, was really gone from here.

“The police?” she asked.

Polly and Sam shook their heads.

“We already called. Three times since sunrise. No one has seen anything. She’s gone.”

“But we have to find her,” Caitlin said, jumping to her feet. “We have to! My baby’s out there!”

“She’s my baby, too,” Caleb replied calmly, “and we’re doing all we can do.”

“We’re not doing enough!” Caitlin pressed.

“What would you have us do?” Caleb asked, exasperated.

“Let’s get back out there,” she said. “Let’s split up. We’ll take our own cars. Drive block to block again.”

“Drive block to block where?” Caleb said. “We’ve already covered every block there is ten times. What good will it do?”

“And if we leave this house,” Sam added, “we might miss her. You heard what the cops said: Scarlet will probably come looking for us.”

“We can’t just stay here,” Caitlin insisted.

“Then what should we do?” Caleb asked, hands on his hips.

Caitlin thought, racking her brain. Her dreams haunted her, and she looked over and saw her diary sitting there on the ledge, and something suddenly occurred to her:

Aiden.

Aiden had been right from the start. She had not listened to him, foolishly, until it was too late. And now, with nowhere else to turn, he was the only one she knew who might know what to do.

Caitlin grabbed her phone, and with trembling hands, she dialed him. She walked to the parlor, so that the others wouldn’t hear and think she was crazy.

She stood there, crying softly, wiping away tears as the phone rang and rang.

Please pick up, she thought. Please.

“Hello?” finally came the gravelly voice.

Caitlin let out a sigh of relief.

“Aiden!” she said. “It’s me, Caitlin. I need to see you. Now. Can you see me? Can you? Please. I need to talk to you about Scarlet. Please.”

It all came out in a rush, and there came a long silence on the other end.

Finally, he spoke:

“Come to my office immediately,” he said. “I’ll cancel my appointments.”

Caitlin hung up with shaking hands, and she rushed over and grabbed her keys, and without even putting on her coat, headed for the door.

“Wait!” Caleb called out. “Where are you going?”

She looked at Caleb, completely forgetting.

“To Aiden,” she replied simply.

Caleb stared at her.

“To the city!?” he asked. “What about Scarlet?”

“This is for Scarlet,” Caitlin said.

She turned to go, but soon felt Caleb’s hand on her shoulder.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “I’m coming with you.”

Caitlin turned and looked at him, and she could feel the love and support in his eyes, and she nodded, grateful.

Caleb took the keys and opened the front door for her, and they looked back at Sam and Polly.

“Don’t worry,” Polly said. “We’ll hold the fort. You go. And get some answers.”