Braden introduced her to Mettleson. He was a short, balding man with thick gray hair at the sides of his head running down into a beard. They exchanged polite, meaningless talk. He told her she was beautiful. He praised the paintings. But then Braden turned away to speak to someone, and the next minute there was a shift in the crowd, and she had been separated from Mettleson. Terrel Black took her arm. His friends crowded close, locking her in a circle. She did not see Braden, did not see Mettleson. And the pale blond girl looked deeply at her, her blue, feline eyes intent. “Do you think Mr. West would paint me? Do you think Braden West would paint my spirit as he has painted yours?”
Melissa wanted to claw her. Terrel moved casually between them. “It’s the finest work Braden’s done. I’m awed at his—perception. I didn’t know he—I’m amazed at how much he sees.”
She held her temper. “Braden sees only the color and form, and the reflections of light. He sees only the things he knows.”
Terrel smiled. “He has to see in order to paint. Are you telling us that he doesn’t know what he sees?”
“Surely you see something he does not?” she said coldly, and tried to shoulder past him out of the tight circle, but they closed more tightly around her. Their voices were low, caressing.
“Beautiful paintings…” the red-haired girl said.
“The lovely shadow of the spirit…” said the pale one.
“You know things we don’t,” the portly man said softly.
“Show us,” Terrel said. “Show us, Melissa…Show us how to change…”
She forced between them and ran. She dodged through the crowd knocking people aside, spilling drinks, shouldering and pushing through. She was out the door, running across the dark street between the moving lights of cars. Brakes squealed, a car swerved, lights blazed in her face.
She gained the curb ahead of a squealing car, but nearly fell when she caught her heel. She was panting. She righted herself and ran, trying to lose herself in the blackness between street lights.
But feet pounded behind her and Terrel shouted her name. When she glanced back, four sets of eyes reflected headlights. She ran as she had never run, but she heard them gaining, their feet pounding…
Terrel was too fast; he grabbed her, spinning her around. She scratched at him and kicked.
“We won’t hurt you, we only want…” He held her in a steel grip. “Tell us, Melissa. Tell us how to change.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She faced him shivering. And then in spite of herself, his pleading touched her.
They stood frozen staring at each other. “Please, will you tell us? That is all we want, only to know how to change.”
It was no good to pretend. It was too late to pretend. She said, “You don’t know. None of you know.”
“None of us. We…” Light flashed suddenly across Terrel’s eyes as Braden’s station wagon skidded to the curb. Braden jumped out reaching for her, but Terrel jerked her away. “Tell us, Melissa!” But Braden was on him, knocking him aside, pulling Melissa close. She pressed against him, hid her face against him.
“What do they want?” Braden said.
“I don’t know. Please, will you take me home?”
He tilted her chin so she had to look at him. “I think you do know.” The others stood poised. Braden looked from Terrel to the blond girl to Melissa. “I think you know, Melissa. I think you must do what they ask. I think you must help them.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you must free them, Melissa. As you are free.”
She couldn’t take her eyes from his. The two worlds tilted and fell together and she was falling, destroyed.
“Free them, Melissa.”
He held her away, his hands tight on her shoulders. “Do you think I didn’t wonder? You caught a mouse in your bare hands. You were shaking it and smiling until you saw me watching you. You fell from the ledge, turned over in mid-air and landed on your feet. Do you think I didn’t wonder?”
His lips were a thin line. “Don’t you think I saw how the birds in the restaurant upset you—excited you? And the day you got so angry when we talked about people changing into…” He shook his head, his eyes pleading. “Don’t you think I wondered why the cat was never there when you were? Not once did I see you both at the same time.”
“But Morian said she was there.”
“Morian lied.”
“But…”
He drew a breath, silencing her. “Tonight for the first time I saw the shadow-cats in my paintings.” His face was like stone. “Images I did not consciously put there.” His hands were hot on her shoulders.
“And just now, Melissa, when you turned and saw my car, your eyes…” He swallowed. She could see the muscles working in his jaw. “Your eyes reflected the headlights—like mirrors. Like jewels. Like a cat’s eyes.”
She tried to pull out of his grasp.
“Tell them what they want to know. Tell them now.”
She looked at him a long time. It didn’t matter anymore, nothing mattered, she had lost him. She turned within his grip and faced the waiting Catswold. There were more now, ten—twelve—more coming out of the shadows.
