The Black Cat Of 13

August 19, 2013 was a dark and dreary day for all high school students in Florida. Not necessarily because of the weather, but returning back to school. Parents throughout the state felt somewhat relieved.

Over on Pine Street in High Springs, at around 8:15am, a young girl was giving a black cat some scraps of what appeared to be her breakfast and a bowl of water. "Eat up, Darkness," she encouraged while petting her.

"Rachel! What is the meaning of this?"

"Hey Mom."

"Don't 'Hey Mom' me. You've been feeding this cat for about three weeks now. I'm shocked it hasn't scratched your eyes out yet."

"Relax, Mom. Say 'Hi' to Darkness."

"What type of ridiculous name is that? Aren't you satisfied with our family cat, Pepper?"

"I still like Pepper. Darkness doesn't have a home, so I want her to feel welcome."

"Welcome?! You don't know where this cat's been. You know our motto in the Dinsberg home …"

"Yes, Mom."

Rachel was about to recite the motto, but her mother out-voiced her. " 'Keep strays away!' Now get ready for school."

As Rachel was getting her lunch and other belongings, she checked her smartphone and was about to listen to some tunes.

"Hey kiddo. Today's the big day. What are you, a sophomore now?"

"Yeah, Dad."

"Are you going to school dressed like that?"

"What's wrong with the way I look?"

"There's all black stuff around your eyes … and does that shirt say 'Poisonblack?' Someone will think you're going to blow the place up."

"Cool! More days off for me."

"I'm serious, Rachel."

"Poisonblack is a cool Goth metal band from Finland."

"Here we go … Do you know about this, Courtney?"

"Know about what, Hector?"

"The clothing your daughter's wearing."

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm telling you, Hector … ever since we gave Rachel that Siouxsie and the Banshees album for her tenth birthday, it's all been downhill." Rachel's kid brother just looked down, laughing, and ate his cereal while the parents read Rachel the riot act.

"Mom, Dad … thanks for the great self-esteem boost. Is there anything you do like about me?"

Mr. and Mrs. Dinsberg were dumbfounded, and then they both blurted out: "Good grades."

"I guess she's doing something right," her father said.

As Rachel was on her way out, her mother called out: "Don't miss the bus!"

"Do you know how embarrassing it is to take the yellow limousine? I'm fifteen years old, damnit! I have a learner's permit. I should be driving to school."

"No offense, Rachel … I love you, but you can't drive for your life. You almost hit poor Mr. Patrelli."

"Oh, come on, Dad. He's pushing ninety. I would've been doing him a favor. Besides, it was his walker I almost hit."

"Enjoy your first day of school … and make some friends."

Rachel got to school and class on time. The only class she got something out of was English. She found out they'd be reading Shakespeare. She was already an expert on him and had read a lot of his stories. Her only other interest in school was Art. History, Math, Science, the computer courses, and especially Gym class did absolutely nothing for her.

When she was in Gym, a cheerleader made fun of her. Rachel had shoulder-length hair and was about five foot two and weighed one hundred fifteen pounds. "Make your hair any redder, your head's gonna bleed."

Rachel retaliated back: "I think you used too much blonde, because your brain's bleached. Do what you do best, Sarah. Two-four-six-eight, I love it when they penetrate!" Sarah swung her hair and walked away.

Classes at Underton High ended at 3:10pm. Since Rachel's last period was Study Hall, she was allowed to leave early and was relieved to get out close to 2:30pm. All Rachel did after school was go home and study some Wicca in her room.

# # #

That very same day, not too far from High Springs, Brian Walker was getting ready for his first day of school at Newton High School in Newberry. He was just about to head outside and start walking to school when something he saw on the TV caused him to stop and stare at the screen.

"… several more severe injuries in what appears to be a case of feral cat attacks that continue to be occurring all over Alachua County …"

"Heh," Brian laughed to himself. Wonder if my nightly visitor has anything to do with this. He went back on his way out the door.

On his way to school, Brian realized that he wasn't dreading or complaining about how much the first day back to school sucked, like everyone else. It's not that he enjoyed going to school; he just knew it would only take a few days for everything to feel back to normal.

Even though he didn't take an interest in any of his classes, he showed up and got by, although half the time he was either distracted with something else or taking a nap. It wasn't really a problem with his parents, either; he was pretty much off the hook ever since his older sister, Stacy, started dating. Her straight A's turned into C's and she was forced to enroll in a community college. As long as he wasn't failing, which surprisingly he wasn't, he was in the clear.

By the time Brian dragged himself to eighth period Math class, he felt like it was the end of the first week of school; not the first day.

The slamming-down of a glossy postcard awoke him from a trance. "Think you can make it, Brian?" Holly asked, chewing gum. She was practically glued to her sidekick, Nicole, as usual, and they were both smiling wide in back-to-school spirit.

Brian held up the postcard and saw it was an invitation to a post-Homecoming party. "Not sure yet."

"Well, be sure to let us know. If you wanna see who else is coming, check out the page online."

"Or on Secret Trail, if that's what you use. My brother does. He has long hair, too," Nicole said. "See ya later."

Long hair? Brian thought to himself. His hair was grown-out, but not like a rock star or anything. He wasn't offended by it, though. Holly and Nicole were the friendliest girls he knew since kindergarten, which was ten years prior.

Walking home, what Holly and Nicole said was on his mind. Not the party; he never went to those. The Secret Trail thing. Maybe he'd check it out.

After getting home from school, Brian entered his quiet house and headed straight to his room. Mom's out, Dad's at work, and Stacy's not here, he said to himself.

Brian was going to turn on his computer and check out Secret Trail. "Damn computer!" He was able to get quicker access on his smartphone. Maybe later, he thought. Instead, he took advantage of the family being out and took a catnap.

At around 6:30pm, his mother called him down for dinner. He went to the dinner table and ate with the family. At least it had been peaceful while they weren't home.

Brian got to experience and be part of the usual family bickering. It usually started off with Brian and Stacy arguing about something as little as a serving of food, and then it would go to Brian's parents ganging up on her about her education. She'd argue back. Then somehow the parents would gang up on Brian, and he and his sister would talk back.

"Enough about your sister's bad decisions. What are you doing with your life, Brian?"

"I don't know, Dad. I'm only fifteen; I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow."

"You're going to school tomorrow," his mother told him.

"For now, I'll be outside."

Brian went outside just to escape the madness of his family. His feline friend was already on the doorstep, expecting a handout. "Hey there, Blackie. Cat Attack!" he addressed the black cat, remembering what he heard on the news. "How 'bout some leftovers and water? Sorry I can't give you a five-course meal. Mom would flip." The cat began eating. Then the front door opened.

"Hopefully your allowance is covering the food you're feeding this cat, and not my paycheck."

"Relax, Dad."

"Fine, but if it's not, can you say 'cat-a-bobs?' " his father joked.

"Hiss! Meow!" The cat dashed off.

"And stay out!"

It was getting late and Brian decided to check out Secret Trail again. He found out it was a social network, but mainly for Goth kids, it seemed. There was nothing of interest; just a bunch of boring posts.

Then one caught his eye. A girl posted a blog with the title: 'Darkness, The Black Cat.'

Immediately, Brian clicked on the link. He read the post to himself:

It's been three weeks now that I've had daily visits from

a black cat. She comes to greet me every morning, and I

talk to her, feed her, and pet her. I call her 'Darkness,'

because that's the feeling I get from her. I know she

wants to tell me something and I want to help her.

If anybody knows anything about how I can

communicate with her, please send me a private

message. There's something special about

Darkness. I can sense it.

Next to the post was a thumbnail photo of 'Rachel D.,' who appeared to be about Brian's age. He wished girls like that went to his school. She seemed gothie and mysterious.

Enticed, Brian eagerly typed up a message:

Hey. I think we may have a little something in common.

Sometime in the beginning of the month, I started getting

nightly visits from a cat of the same description. I've been

calling him or her 'Blackie.' Tell me something … Does

Darkness have anything weird about her? Like something

strange with her eyes? The cat that's been stopping by

my house also has a girly necklace. Message me back. Brian

Hopefully I don't freak her out, Brian thought. He spent the rest of the night checking out some band websites and then shut the computer down since he was getting bored. He crawled into bed and looked out the bedroom window, which was where he'd sometimes catch Blackie staring in at him. Tonight Blackie must have left a little early, he noticed. Brian drifted off to sleep as ambulance sirens sounded not too far away.

# # #

A young woman pulled into her parking spot in a townhouse complex in northern Newberry. She had been doing some late errands; mostly just picking up new school supplies her children found out they'd need for the year. Before heading to her unit, she wanted to throw out trash she had in the car, like she usually did on her way in.

She had her hands full and accidentally dropped one of her bags. As she bent down to pick it up, she felt an animal lunge at her. The woman backed up and tried to turn away, but the animal was lashing its claws at her face. Struggling, she screamed and tried to get it away from her, but lost her balance and fell down. "Get off! Help me! Somebody help!!!" Her face was all scratched up and bloody. She could barely open her eyes as she was leaning against the Dumpster, just able to make out the animal as it scampered off into the night.

# # #

By Wednesday, August 21, it wasn't only local news stations that were airing stories of the vicious cat attacks, but stations all over the state, as well. Every time Florida state residents turned on the news, they couldn't help but hear reports on the topic, similar to one on a very popular news station:

"Breaking news! This is Emal Nadeen reporting for Florida News 3. You've probably been hearing for a few weeks now from other news stations that there are feral cat attacks occurring all over Alachua County, but it's about time you hear it from the best. I'm standing here with one of the victims who survived one of these horrible situations, Ms. Naomi Lasso."

"Well, Emal, as you could see, my wounds are still healing from this unfortunate incident." Naomi's scratches had turned into scabs and would eventually turn into scars. "I won't forget that night as long as I live."

"What did the cats look like?"

"Cats? If you want to call it a cat … It was one hideous creature."

"You're telling me one cat did this to you? Ha ha! That's kinda hard to believe. Are you sure you didn't hit your head, lady? Back to you, Sal!"

Naomi squeezed out one final sentence: "I'll never forget the eyes."

# # #

It was Monday, August 26, 2013 and so far, Rachel survived her first week of tenth grade. How she made it through, she'd never know. Everything was thrown at her, from a pop quiz in Math to a test in History to making it through forty-two minutes of Gym with people she couldn't stand.

If that was bad, reading responses about Darkness was even worse. She thought there'd be caring people on Secret Trail, but she was wrong. Some of the responses were: 'Kid … talking to cats? I 'm shocked the four walls aren't talking to you. You're crazy!' 'Your cat wants to tell you something? Well, so do I: Looney bin!' 'Communicate, as in 'channeling?' You're going to hell, sinner!' Rachel had some positive responses, but mostly negative.

After school that same Monday, Rachel checked to see if she got any more negative responses. There was only one response. She opened and read it. It was from a boy who lived in another town in Florida. Rachel thought he seemed nice.

She typed back:

Hey Brian. You're one of the few people to actually say

something positive, so thank you. Someone sent me a

site that deals with channeling minds. I think it'll only

work on humans, not animals. That's a little too

advanced for me. I'm still on the pencil-floating stage.

Darkness does have something on her neck. I don't

know why it didn't occur to me. I'll look at it tomorrow.

Otherwise, the only thing about her that I find to be

unique are her eyes. I've never seen anything like it.

One's yellow and one's green. When you see Darkness,

do her eyes glow in the dark? That'd be so cool! She

still comes to my house every morning. How about you?

Last Tuesday, when she came over, it looked like she

was licking her wounds, but I examined her and she

wasn't even scarred. Maybe it was somebody else's

blood. It's possible she attacked a bird or mouse.

Unfortunately, there have been more and more feral cat

attacks. It's been posted online and all over the news.

Did you hear about them? Let's not jump to any

conclusions. My Darkness wouldn't harm a fly,

unless provoked.

Please reply soon. Rachel

# # #

At 7am the next morning, Rachel's alarm went off and she jumped out of bed. She quickly got dressed, gobbled down her cereal, and rushed out the door.

Since it had become part of Rachel's morning routine, it was no surprise to her mother when she caught her exiting the house with an opened can of cat food in hand. Rachel slowly stepped towards Pepper's outdoor water bowl and set the tuna breakfast down beside it.

"Hi Mom," Rachel said, trying to sound casual as her mother was watching her every move.

Mrs. Dinsberg crossed her arms. "Good morning."

Rachel knew she was waiting for an explanation. Her mother hadn't liked the idea of having Darkness around from the beginning and had been reminding her daily that, lately, the cat food shelf had been emptying almost twice as fast. She does have a point, Rachel thought, as the black cat emerged from the side of the house promptly. Darkness does have an appetite. Darkness purred as she was digging in to the cat food.

"See, Mom? She's hungry. She needs to eat. Maybe nobody else is feeding her."

"That's not our problem, Rachel. I'm serious. Those cat attacks are getting out of hand."

"But Darkness isn't dangerous, Mom. She's very friendly." The black cat kept looking up at Rachel, staring at her as she pet her gently.

"To you, anyway. She won't even come near any of us. And Pepper doesn't need to be scared away. She is part of our family. Remember, Rachel: 'Keep strays away!' "

While her mother was lecturing her, Rachel studied the jewel hanging from the dark collar around Darkness's neck. It looked familiar. She reached out to hold it, but felt a force holding her back. She tried to grab it again. The harder she tried, the stronger the force got, along with a growing burning sensation. Rachel gave up for the time being.

"I gotta go, Mom. As usual, I have to make the bus." Rachel headed to the end of the driveway while Darkness finished her breakfast, before scurrying off, as usual.

Rachel got home from school a little after 3:30pm. She went straight to her room and got out all of her books on Wicca and magic. All day, she couldn't stop thinking about the jewel Darkness had around her neck.

Rachel searched her books for anything she could find about jewels like the one Darkness was wearing. She mostly came across amulets, but those were to protect or to ward off evil. Rachel had a feeling that the jewel Darkness was wearing was cursed. She was positive the cat was in trouble and needed her help.

The very next thing Rachel did after putting her books away was go on her laptop to tell Brian all about it.

# # #

For a little over two weeks, Brian and Rachel had been emailing each other about the black cat. It was Friday night, September 6, 2013. Brian was at home, playing a dragon game online.

Knock, knock!

He heard the loud sound on his bedroom door. "Who is it?!" he yelled with his focus still on the computer screen.

"Your sister!"

"What do you want?"

"Do you know anyone named Holly or Nicole?" Stacy asked, entering his room.

"I've known Holly and Nicole for years. They went to our elementary school. I'm shocked you don't know this by now."

"Well, they keep calling our house asking if you want to go to a party. These two must be airheads if they're asking you to chill."

"They're two people at school that actually don't annoy me, compared to all the other losers there."

"The only loser I see right now is you. It's Friday night … two girls want you to go to a party … and you're sitting in your room, playing a game on your computer. How pathetic!"

"Then I guess you're just as pathetic as I am, Stacy."

"How's that? At least I have a boyfriend. Right, Don?" Don nodded.

"It's Friday night … you're at home with your boyfriend, making him stand guard, like a dog, next to you while you annoy your kid brother."

Stacy was livid. "Come on, Don!"

After Stacy and Don left Brian's room, Brian went to his contact information and clicked on Rachel's name. He started typing:

Hey Rachel. Another boring week of school. Some

teachers I have are sooooo boring that I'm falling

asleep. My highlight this week was Labor Day. Thank

God for the four-day school week. It'd be awesome

if every Monday was a holiday. Unfortunately, more

occurrences of feral cat attacks. That's kinda scary. I

still feed Blackie every night. I think my dad's getting

sick of seeing the cat on the porch steps. Hopefully he

doesn't make, as he would say, 'cat-a-bobs.' I know

you're into that whole witchcraft thing. It seems

interesting, but I wouldn't have the patience. To be

honest with you, I've only seen a few movies that have

witchcraft in it. Definitely not an expert here. What I

can tell you is this… The other night, I took a picture

of Blackie with my smartphone. I'll send it to you.

If it is the same cat, which I believe it is, I have no idea

how it can walk 13 miles from your house to mine and

back to yours every day, considering you're in High

Springs and I'm in Newberry. There have been studies

of cats doing that, but I just can't buy into it. Anyway,

info popped up on a cat that looks exactly like Blackie.

It's gotta be him. It's even got the eyes! Now get

this … Supposedly, Blackie, if it really is him, has

been alive for 117 years, kinda. The cat's died 8 times

since 1896. The deaths have been every 13 years,

on the first Friday the 13^th of the year. This is

getting a little too weird for me. The thing around

Blackie's neck … you thought it was a cursed jewel. You

were definitely right about that. I was able to zoom in

close to it. It's a navy blue diamond. The diamond

has 13 sides. In the early 1800s, these clans or

tribes would put something like this around the

neck of a member who was a disappointment to

their people. The amount of sides the jewel had

represented how many years that person would be

cursed. It just happened to be that the last person of

the tribe who was cursed passed away. Someone had to

suffer, so the leader of the tribe put the jewel on Blackie,

the dead person's cat. This guy woulda been cursed for

just 13 years, but since cats have 9 lives, the curse lasts

even longer. That's how Blackie got cursed with The

Jewel of 13. While Blackie is wearing the jewel, he'll be

committing evil acts. It has to be him who's responsible

for the cat attacks. The only way to break the curse and

let the evil escape Blackie would be to somehow

encounter a reverse spell. If not, Blackie dies and the

curse remains, dooming his soul for all eternity. What

are we gonna do, Rachel? We only have until next

Friday. Maybe it's true what people say …

that 13 is an unlucky number. Brian

He left his number for her.

# # #

On Monday morning, just after brushing her teeth, Rachel hurried downstairs to catch her mother before she left for work. She'd gotten Brian's message when he left it Friday night. As crazy as it sounded, Rachel believed every word of it. She knew something was going on with Darkness and did have a feeling that it involved magic.

She had spent the weekend up in her room again, doing more research. She'd been eager to call Brian every time she got closer to finding out a way they could help Darkness, but wanted to wait until she was ready.

Finally, she had come up with a plan she felt sure about. The only problem was trying to find a way she could sneak out of the house Friday night and get all the way to Newberry. Lucky enough for Rachel, she remembered that September 14 was her parents' wedding anniversary and the two of them always spent the weekend at a bed-and-breakfast inn in Hamilton, about an hour away. Her Aunt Casey would always come over to stay with her and her brother, but for the last couple of years, as much as she liked her aunt, Rachel had been begging to be the babysitter herself. Maybe this year, they'll finally cut the cord, she thought, strolling into the kitchen.

"Hi Mom." Rachel smiled.

"Good morning."

"I was thinking—"

"What do you want this time, Rachel?"

"Well, you know how you and Dad always go to Hamilton Buns & Blankets every year for your ann—"

"Let me guess. You want us to let you be without supervision and trusted with the house?"

"Well, yeah. I'm fifteen now and learning to drive and—"

"You can."

"Really?" Rachel was shocked. She thought she'd be begging her mom all afternoon and night when she got home from school.

"Yes. You've earned it. We know you want to be more independent. You've shown your father and I that you're responsible and keep your grades up. And we've seen how much time you spend studying in your room lately, instead of always hanging out at the mall and getting into trouble, like your cousins."

Rachel didn't comment. The only studying she'd been doing was related to witchcraft. She guessed that still counted. "Thanks, Mom! I'll make sure Ryan behaves, too, and does all his homework."

"No need. Ryan's staying at Ricky's house. Remember … they're just around the corner. They know you'll be here alone, so call them if you need ANYTHING. That's the only way we could leave you here by yourself. There could be a real emergency."

"Okay, Mom. I will. Thank you!" Rachel headed to the bus with a huge smile on her face. Better than I thought, Rachel said to herself. I don't even need to worry about Ryan anymore. This is working out great!

Her mother hadn't seen her look so happy in weeks.

# # #

After dinner, Rachel went up to her room. She entered Brian's number on her cell phone, but then hesitated. She felt a little nervous. Rachel was so excited about everything going on that she was almost out of breath. She took a deep breath, and then hit the green phone symbol.

"Hey Rachel." Brian picked up after a few rings.

"Hi."

"What's up?"

It was kind of hard to hear him. Rachel was disappointed to hear a girl giggling or teasing Brian in the background. "I—"

"Hang on a sec." There was a pause. About a minute later, Brian finally began speaking again. "Hey. I'm in my room now."

"Kay. Do you have people over or something?" Rachel hoped it was just a friend.

"No, no … That was just my sister. Don't mind her. She can be kinda obnoxious."

Rachel sighed and felt relieved. "Oh, okay. Well, I wanted to talk to you about Darkness. I mean Blackie."

"Yeah, I just didn't want my family to hear what we're talking about. They already think I'm nuts."

Rachel started getting excited again, but didn't want to sound too eager. "I read your message and did some research myself. I found the same information, too. Then I used my books to find out more about the jewel and how we could break the curse."

"Books? You really are into witchcraft."

"Yeah. I only have like eight or nine. I don't want to go overboard. But now I can actually use them."

"Did you find anything?"

"Yes. I think it'll work. But we'd have to do it soon."

"Friday night."

"Exactly. It's the first Friday the 13^th of the year. I have a feeling it'd only work that night. I don't think I could get away with escaping on a school night, anyway."

"Well, Blackie—Darkness," he corrected himself, "is here at night. Would you be able to get here?"

"Actually, I can. My parents are going away for their anniversary, and my brother's staying at a friend's house. I can take my mom's car. I just need to get your address and put it in the GPS. I'll just delete it when I get home and pray they don't notice anything." Rachel felt confident enough to take the risk.

"Sounds good. What are we doing, exactly?"

"I don't wanna mention anything over the phone. I'll tell you when I see you."

"Oh, okay. You can surprise me, then."

"I just hope it works."

"Me, too. And that Blackie doesn't have to be sacrificed or die when this is all over."

"I don't want Darkness to be hurt in any way."

"We'll talk about it Friday, when you let me in on what it is we're doing. I'm gonna text you my address."

"Okay."

"Just park down the street and I'll bring Blackie over and meet you. He seems to like me … just not my family. Or the rest of the neighborhood."

"Me, too."

"Oh, yeah. I saw you wearing a London After Midnight shirt in one of your pics last week. I checked them out. They're kinda cool."

"You did?" Rachel was impressed. "I'll play them for you."

"Nice."

"I gotta go. I'm supposed to be helping my brother with his English homework."

"See you Friday night."

"I'll text you."

"Cool. I'll tell Blackie you say 'Hi.' Talk to you later, Rachel."

"Talk to you later." Rachel hung up. She was in a great mood. It was as easy to talk to Brian on the phone as it was online. She couldn't wait until Friday.

# # #

On the morning of September 13, Rachel was getting ready for school. She looked outside. Darkness must be running a little late, she thought to herself.

"Rachel!"

"Yeah, Mom!"

"Where are you?!"

"In the kitchen, eating breakfast with Ryan."

"Good," she said, walking in with her husband. "I'm posting a list of everyone's numbers on the refrigerator in case of an emergency. Aunt Casey, the police, us—"

"Mom, relax. Yours and Aunt Casey's numbers are in my phone, and everyone knows 911."

"Well, just in case. There are other numbers as well, like for Ricky's parents. We also left you food in the fridge, an extra set of car keys in case of an extreme emergency, and a list of what chores need to get done around the house."

"Got it, Mom. What time are you guys leaving?"

"Hopefully soon," her father said. "We just have to finish packing."

"Probably by noon, so we won't be here when you get home from school." Her mother gave a more specific answer.

"Hey, kiddo … do you know what today is?" her father asked in a jolly manner.

"Friday."

"Not just any ol' Friday; Friday the 13^th. That means don't step on any cracks, don't walk under any ladders, and don't cross paths with any black cats." Rachel kind of rolled her eyes at him.

"Speaking of cats… I almost forgot, Rachel. We'll be gone for the whole weekend, so I'm begging you… please don't forget to feed Pepper. Remember, she is a member of this family, unlike that other mangy feline you've been feeding for the last month or so. That cat just doesn't seem all there, Rachel."

"I wish you'd give Darkness a chance."

"I still don't trust that cat. Like we say in the Dinsberg home—"

"I know, Mom—"

"Keep strays away!"

Rachel looked outside and saw that Darkness had just arrived. She told her parents to enjoy themselves and not to worry. She went outside to feed Darkness and then headed to school.

After surviving the day of school, Rachel went home and tried to take a catnap, but couldn't sleep. She was excited to see Brian. She looked at the list on the refrigerator and did a few chores. Rachel also did some homework, showered, and ate a frozen meal that she heated in the microwave. Then she was starting to get antsy.

Rachel noticed the car keys hanging on the wall. In case of an extreme emergency, she heard her mother reminding her in her head. Well, this is kinda an emergency, she said to herself. She took the keys and entered Brian's address in the car's GPS, and then called him.

# # #

Over in Newberry, Brian was up most of Thursday night, feeling psyched about what he and Rachel were going to do the next evening. A bunch of crazy thoughts were running through his head: Did Rachel come up with a spell to save Blackie? What can I do to help besides be 'the research guy?' Do I have to dress undercover, like I'm on a secret mission? He finally decided he'd be his poor old boring self with a black T-shirt and black cargos.

Brian's alarm went off at 7:15am. He slowly got out of bed and made it to the kitchen. He poured a bowl of cereal and milk. Even while eating cereal, Brian was still groggy.

"Jo Anne! I'm running late! I have a meeting at eight-fifteen. Did you see my briefcase?"

"It's where you always keep it, Frank."

"Not seeing it." Jo Anne walked over to the living room closet and got it for him. "I swore I looked there."

"Calm down, Frank. Everything's going to be fine. Trust me."

"We're meeting with one of our biggest clients to date, Mr. Conrad Ames. We have to tell him why it's great for his family to buy a car from Newberry Automotive Motors."

"Dad, what's so great about this dude? Why can't he shop during business hours, like other people?"

"Conrad Ames, the number one best-selling romance author? He'd be mobbed, Brian," his mother answered, blushing.

"I hate romance," the teenager said under his breath.

"Oh, great … Where's my pen?" Jo Anne took the pen from above Frank's ear and gave it to him. "Thanks … Gotta go!" Frank rushed out the door. Soon after, Jo Anne followed.

It was around eight o'clock and Brian saw the bus from the kitchen window. He had no energy to catch it, even after the bowl of cereal he ate. He decided to go back upstairs to his bedroom, go under the covers, and go to sleep.

He woke up from a deep sleep around 12:15pm and went online. Charging footsteps and loud shouts of 'Brian!' echoed up the stairs. At first, Brian thought it was his mom, but it was only his sister. She turned the doorknob fiercely, almost ripping it off its hinges.

"What is the meaning of this?!" She was irate.

"Good afternoon to you, too, Stacy."

"Don't give me that. Do you know who I was just on the phone with?"

"Aunt Helen?" he kidded. Don even snickered at that one.

"No. Principal Edwards. He wanted to know why you aren't in school."

"I decided to catch up on some sleep and chill."

"Well, he wanted to talk to Mom or Dad, so I had to pretend I was Mom and disguise my voice. I remember all the detentions and suspensions he gave me when I was in high school, so the last thing I want to do is talk to him, especially when I'm no longer attending Newton High."

"Thanks, Stacy."

"Not so fast. You owe me one."

"Fine."

"So, who's Rachel?"

"Just a friend I'm seeing later."

"What are you two doing?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Blackie, the cat that's been coming to our house every night, has been cursed by The Jewel of 13 and we're going to free his soul."

"Dude!" said Don.

"You're right, Brian, I don't believe you. Well, I won't mention you ditching school or your new girlfriend or this jewel thing only if you do my laundry for a month and whenever Mom and Dad lecture me about life, you stick up for me."

"One month?"

"One month," repeated Stacy. Brian hesitated. "Mom wouldn't like it so much if she found out you cut school to play those dragon games online." Brian was considering his options. "And it sounds like you're finally willing to go out on a Friday night with a girl. Just think … You may even start having a life, even if it involves rescuing cats from cursed jewels."

"You got it."

"Done." They shook hands to seal the deal.

When Brian was called down to dinner a little after 6pm, he joined his family in the dining room. Brian and Stacy kept their bickering to a minimum, both being sure not to start anything that could lead to any explosive arguments.

Stacy's mother asked her what she was planning on doing over the weekend. "Well, tonight we're going to a local show. Don's best friend is the drummer of one the opening bands. I'll get started on my projects for school tomorrow."

"I sure hope you do," Mrs. Walker said. "You need to spend more time on homework and studying." Brian kept quiet, figuring that should be enough help.

"And what about you, Brian?" his father asked. "Have you been making any plans or getting any projects assigned?"

"Well, actually, I do have plans to go out tonight."

His mother looked up, a little surprised. "Oh? Where are you going?" Brian tried to come up with something believable.

"He's coming with us to the show. It was Don's idea. He's been trying to get more people to come to the shows. At least they'll be a crowd, so we don't have to hang out together."

"Oh, okay. Well, we hope you have a good time."

Brian felt relieved. He looked at Stacy to thank her. After dinner, he went back up to his room.

Between 7:30 and 8pm, Brian's cell phone started to vibrate. He picked up. "Hey Rachel."

"Hi Brian. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Just have to wait for Blackie to arrive, but that should be any minute."

"Kay. The street that comes up before yours is Becker Drive. Should I meet you there?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"The GPS says it should only take fifteen minutes. I'll text you when I get there."

"Sounds good."

"See you soon."

Just then, there was a hard knock at the door. "Brian! We're leaving now!"

"I'll be down in five minutes."

"We'll be in the car!" Brian heard Stacy storm off. How does Don put up with her? he wondered.

On Brian's way out, he noticed his parents had left the news on.

"… several of the victims described the black cat to be wearing a collar with a dark blue jewel or gemstone …"

Brian only took a minute to look at the screen. Apparently, Blackie had struck again, and left his latest victim blind in one eye and hospitalized for observation.

Honk! Honk!

Brian ran outside. Luckily, Blackie had just been coming around the front corner of their house. The black cat scurried towards Brian, his hair all matted. Brian scooped him up and hurried over to Don's car. He let himself in the back seat, putting Blackie on his lap.

"So, you really are rescuing that cat tonight," Don said from the driver's seat.

"Yeah," Brian said, hoping nobody else saw him with the cat after what he just heard on the news.

"Whatever, just don't get any of the blood on Don's seats." Stacy faced forward and Don started driving.

Brian looked down. He hadn't noticed Blackie had blood smeared on him. Some had even rubbed onto Brian's hands and clothes.

"So, where to?" Don asked.

"Uhh … Just drop me off down the road. At Becker Drive."

"That's it? Okay." Don turned onto Becker Drive and stopped the car.

"Thanks, man."

"Have fun!" Stacy yelled as Brian got out of the car. The couple drove off.

About twenty feet ahead, there was a black sedan parked on the right side of the road. "Brian?!" a voice shouted.

Brian headed over to the black car, carrying Blackie. "Rachel?"

"Get in!" Brian did as he was told. "We finally get to meet," Rachel said.

"Yeah, and I brought Blackie, too."

"Hey Darkness." Rachel petted her. She felt wetness on the cat's fur and quickly turned on the ceiling light. She noticed blood on her hands and on the cat. "Get me some paper towels from the back."

Brian saw the roll and gave it to her. "Sorry, Rachel. I didn't notice the blood, either. My sister mentioned it to me. I definitely know she thinks I'm nuts. I can't blame her after telling her that we're rescuing Blackie from The Jewel of 13."

"Don't worry about it. My family thinks I'm weird, also. Just do me a favor when all of this is over."

"Yeah?"

"Help me clean off any blood Darkness leaves behind. My parents will be back in a few days, and they don't know I'm using their car. I wouldn't know how to explain us rescuing Darkness from a curse. My mom already hates Darkness, so the last thing she'd want is her blood in the car."

"Agreed."

"So, where we heading?"

"N.B. Park," Brian told her. "Keep going straight. It's about ten minutes from here."

"What does 'N.B.' stand for?"

"Newberry."

"I thought it was one word, not two."

"What can I say? Whoever came up with the two-letter abbreviation is an idiot."

Rachel laughed. She raised the volume on the MP3 player. "Check this out. It's London After Midnight, like I told you." Brian listened and thought it was the gothiest thing he'd ever heard. While in the car, they continued talking and listening to music. He instructed her on how to get to N.B. Park.

After arriving, the three of them got out of the car. "This is the place."

"I have everything for the spell in this bag."

"Hear that, Blackie? After tonight, you'll no longer be cursed." The cat meowed.

When entering the park, Brian lead Rachel around. His family used to go there when he and Stacy were younger. Rachel had a flashlight and her smartphone for light to make sure she had everything.

It was pitch black outside. The black cat looked to the sky at the yellowy quarter moon and something strange happened. The cat's eyes lit up; one yellow and one green. There wasn't really any need for light anymore, considering the light beaming from the cat's eyes was so bright that the kids could see about ten feet ahead of them.

"Rachel, this is weird …"

"What?" Rachel called from a picnic table nearby.

"Blackie's eyes."

"Be right there."

"MEEEOWWW! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

"Augh! Ouch!"

"You okay, Brian? What happened?"

"Blackie clawed me!"

Rachel looked at his arm and noticed the claw marks and a tiny bit of blood from the punctured skin. "It could've been much worse."

"I know, and I'm grateful it's not. Rachel, we gotta go after Blackie, and quick! Before seeing you, the news was on in my house and victims described a black cat wearing a collar with a dark blue jewel. People are on the lookout. We gotta hurry!"

"Before we go after Darkness, let me show you what I have for the spell."

Brian looked. "A piece of paper?"

"I have to read this while you hold the cat down."

"How am I going to hold Blackie down? First, we have to find him … and second, he's got claws. If I get mangled up any more, I won't be able to hide this from my parents."

"We'll come up with something."

Brian continued looking in the bag. He noticed a bird feather, a few cut fingernails, and lighter fluid. "Lighter fluid?! Are you planning to burn the park down?!"

"No, we need to build a campfire in order to do this, and we'll need twigs. And no, that's not a rat's tail."

"Thank God."

"It's a dead mouse's. Don't worry; it was already in the trap and I washed my hands afterwards."

"Well, this should be easy... Every campsite has firewood or charcoal for a grill, so we can do the spell."

"Good." They went on the hunt for the black cat.

While searching, the kids heard a scream at Campsite D. "Help!" someone yelled. Brian and Rachel went running to the campsite.

A woman in her thirties was being attacked. The cat had clawed the woman's arm and was on top of her, clawing the side of her neck, underneath her ear. It appeared to have a taste for blood; there were some droplets underneath its mouth. Only it wasn't just the woman's blood. There was a little boy lying on the campground, next to his telescope.

Brian rescued the woman by yanking off the black cat and holding him down while he was in a frenzy. The woman went over to her son, crying and hovering over him. The boy was still breathing. The woman then picked him up and they both left, just wanting to get the hell out of there.

Rachel set up everything for the spell. She lit the campfire after adding more twigs, but then thought of what happened to the little boy and his mother, and felt bad about what they were going through.

"Rachel! Hurry! I don't know how much longer I can hold this cat down! He's got claws! Hurry!"

"Okay, okay!" She hurried and added the bird feather, cut fingernails, and some more lighter fluid, which made the flames intensify.

"Please, Rachel! I'm losing my grip! Claws are scratching my skin! Hurry!"

Finally, she added the dead mouse's tail and opened up the paper with the spell on it and began reading:

"I summon you, I summon thee.

it's the curse on the jewel that we ask you to break."

Rachel repeated the spell three more times, each time louder than the previous one. After the fourth time, it started getting windy with loud thunder, but no rain.

"What's happening, Rachel?!"

"I don't know, Brian. I think it's working."

Another crack of thunder echoed through the park and bolts of lightning struck the dark blue jewel on the cat's collar repeatedly. Brian went over to Rachel. They were at a standstill, both not knowing what to do.

As more lightning struck the jewel, it lit up and opened, releasing the evil curse in a yellow haze. The black cat cried out in agony. "MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!" Since the cat had been cursed for one hundred and seventeen years, a lot of evil was escaping.

Finally, after the evil had vanished, there was no more thunder, the lightning disappeared, and the wind came to a stop. Brian and Rachel rushed over to the black cat and realized it wasn't moving.

Fifteen minutes later, the cat still hadn't moved, and the two kids accepted that it was dead. Although both kids only knew the cat for a few months, they both felt like they lost a family member and began walking away with their heads down.

While walking, they heard a low sound, but didn't acknowledge it. Then they heard it again and again, the sound growing louder. "MEOW! MEOW!"

They both turned around and ran to the black cat.

"Blackie! You survived!" yelled Brian.

"Darkness! You're alive!" exclaimed Rachel.

Brian and Rachel looked at each other, realizing they keep calling the cat two different names. Since they had rescued the black cat from a supernatural force, and because the cat somehow brought Brian and Rachel together, they both agreed to name the cat 'Magic.' The black cat looked up at them and purred.

The two teenagers walked out of the park with the cat and went to the car. Rachel was about to drive Brian home, but he invited her to the movies since it was only 10pm. Rachel agreed to it. Thirteen turned out to be a lucky number after all for Rachel, Brian, and Magic. They ended their Friday the 13^th watching Friday The 13 ^th on the big screen, showing one night only, at a local drive-in.

THE END

Bio: In 2010, my wife and I chose to self-publish our debut novel, The Nursing Home. It is currently available for order at many bookstores and their websites through our distributor, who is affiliated with Ingram and Baker & Taylor.

E-mail: L&J Publishing

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