Chapter Four: The Book of Light

Heather learns the art of magick from the Book of Light. She gains a familar and meets a magickal cat.

Chapter Four

The Book of Light

 

The magickal tome had been a gift from her second teacher in the art of magick, a strange monk named Justinian. It contained all manner of spells, but the ones Heather found easiest were those dealing with light and shadow, and illusion. There were other, more powerful spells in The Book of Light, ones that would allow her to protect herself and others from the evil she had helped unleash, but those spells would take years for her to master.

The monk Justinian had only been her personal teacher for a few weeks while she waited at the monastery. Monet, who had taken her in, beguiled her, and used her, had taught her the basics from magickal primers over the course of a couple of months.

She remembered his parting words to her about the book: “You won’t need me as your teacher for long, my little Noctua, which is good because you must soon leave this place, but the book can teach you itself. When you are ready to learn, the book will reveal its secrets to you one by one. That book is a well of information on light and life. Keep it as close to your heart as The Holy Scriptures because neither will fail you. You are a good student, and I know you will learn many things quickly.”

The wizened little monk’s prediction proved to be true and soon she was quite skilled with illusions. She even learned she could disguise herself with a little more practice.

She joined the theatre club in high school to learn more about acting and make-up. Apart from that she engrossed herself in her books of real magick and her school studies. Her skill at acting mixed well with her illusion spells, and soon she could make herself into a whole new person with just a little time, effort, and will. She found she could easily fool her friends and family after just a few months of practice. It was a handy ability to have because her time spent away from her studies was spent in pursuit of magical beasts she had unleashed upon the world and others like them. A good disguise helped.

Justinian’s gift was proving to be a Godsend. She devoured the knowledge in it daily and researched all the magick she could from other sources she had found on her own. Somehow, her innate intelligence and talent let her normal studies keep pace with her occult ones, so her grades never slipped which would have alarmed her family.

By no means was this an easy feat, even for a girl of a studious and disciplined nature like herself. She felt like she had her nose in a book all the time, and that she was missing out on a lot of time with her friends. But, she made the choice to pursue her twin tormentors, Monet and Lorenzo, and to make certain no one else suffered the way she had because of the evil of certain wizards. So, her social life had to take a back seat to her goals.

The theatre and the martial arts were her only usual reprieve from her self-imposed study, and she relished them greatly, but in truth they had become part of her greater plan, so she threw herself with all seriousness into them. What had once been hobbies for her now became as life itself.

Master Shin, her martial arts coach since she was eleven, was the first person to really comment on the change in her attitude. She had asked for extra practice sessions with Shin’s new sixteen-year-old assistant even though she didn’t compete in the tournaments any longer.

Shin was a chi master. Chi blended magic and mental energies through the discipline of the spirit and the body. Watching Shin in action was like watching a wild martial arts movie come to life.

Shin could easily jump one hundred feet vertically, almost as if he was flying. He could focus his will around a wooden sparring sword and make it as sharp as any katana. He also hunted demons in addition to teaching in his dojo, so Heather looked up to him, and she decided to trust him with part of her secret.

“Master Shin, I have a confession to make. I’ve been practicing magick for over a year now because I did a very bad thing. I allowed two evil wizards to trick me into opening a gateway to increase their power. Along with that power many evil creatures were released. I fear many of the forces you now face may have been freed by me.”

Master Shin smiled at her. “Fret not, young one. The evils I face have always existed. They are not your fault. Do not waste your time worrying, but study to become strong in mind, body, and spirit. When you are ready I will let you fight at my side if that is what you wish. Now is the time for you to prepare yourself.”

“I accept your offer. I will train myself to the best of my abilities.” Heather beamed with pride and elation. She had been accepted by one of the most formidable demon hunters around. She could finally start paying the world back for the harm she had caused it.

Her sparring sessions with Joshua Lam became her release for her feelings of desperation and guilt she felt from the curse on her soul, and they served as a break from her mental studies as well.

Josh was a tough opponent whom she could rarely best. He was two years older than her and had been trained in the ways of Jeet Kune Do from early childhood. They shared many after-hours sessions from that point on.

Josh was a sweet guy who liked to play jokes and make people smile. Where Master Shin was almost a stoic, Josh smiled all the time and made stupid jokes. Heather found herself getting along easily with him from the beginning

She liked him a lot and they became fast friends. If she had any time for a social life they might have become closer than friends, but her energies and emotions were focused elsewhere.

After another year of training, she became proficient at sensing magick and magickal creatures. She could now call in Master Shin to come deal with them.

One day, The Book of Light revealed to her how to find an animal companion: a familiar, through which she might use her powers and cast spells. She had been looking forward to this ritual for some time, and she finally felt she was ready for magick of this level. She picked her sixteenth birthday as the day to perform the ceremony.

On a pentacle in her basement she gathered the symbols of the elements: a bowl of water, a semiprecious gemstone for earth, a feather for wind, and a chalice she imbued with mana for magick, the ethereal void itself. In the center of the pentacle she placed a columnar candle and burned a raven’s feather in it as she chanted the rite.

She chose a raven’s feather because she desired an avian familiar. She was allergic to most furred animals and she didn’t really want anything reptilian as a companion, but she would take what she could get.

Nothing happened immediately. The first day after the spell had been cast she hadn’t expected much for she knew the incantation took awhile to bring master and familiar together. After five more days without result, she began to get a little worried. Had the spell worked? She thought she had performed rite correctly, but now she began to doubt herself.

Hope was about to desert her on the seventh day, but that night a huge, black bird was perched on the trellis outside her window. It was the largest, jet black, cockatoo she had ever seen. When she opened the window to get a better look at the animal, the large bird flew inside and perched on her dresser.

She felt a connection with the animal. She knew it was here to serve her, and she was to take care of it as well. Heather smiled. “Hello, there. Welcome to your new home. I guess we need to name you.”

“Caesar!” squawked the bird as he raised his blood red crest.

“Okay, Caesar it is,” said Heather.

The next day she made her way down to the pet shop with Caesar on her shoulder to get outfitted with bird supplies. She purchased a book on cockatoos because she had no idea how to care for one. She also invested in nice perch and a large cage with a cover. Caesar watched approvingly as she chose three different types of birdseed, especially the sunflower seeds. She gathered some other sundries and headed home.

She now knew in her heart she could master all the spells in The Book of Light. She studied it nightly and kept it hidden in a false bottom of her closet when she wasn’t using it.

Her bond with Caesar seemed to deepen as he lent his strength to her practice, and she seemed to learn new spells with greater ease. A certain satisfaction welled in the emptiness of her soul as her knowledge and proficiency increased. She felt her goal of being able to protect innocents from those who would use magick to mistreat others, and her redemption for the evils she had loosed on the world was close at hand. She could foresee the day when she might be able to challenge even the great Necromancers who had cursed her, the evil Monet and her despisable sibling Lorenzo, and pay them back for what they had done to her.

The Book of Light was becoming her personal path to salvation, and another year passed.

 

***

Heather sat in her space in the basement which she had claimed as her own. She was logged into her father’s company mainframe via the house T-1 line.

Her CRT flickered shadows into motion as she scanned one paranormal Usenet group after another. In each group was a thread about recent vampire activity in Suffolk County complete with gory details about slain victims and the seedy gothic subculture that vampires supposedly moved through.

The large jet black eye that belonged the cockatoo on her shoulder took in almost as much as information as his mistress’. “Looks like we have something to look into here, Caesar, vampires are listed in The Book of Light. And, with the amount of buzz showing up on the net, someone wants these guys found. I’ll come up with a proper disguise and see if I can ferret them out before they get too comfortable.”

***

Liz, Dana, and Jazzman were on the run again. They had been hiding all night near the switching yard, and now as the first rays of dawn touched the sky they were running for their lives to hop on board a boxcar and get the door shut before they were fried to a crisp.

Jazz hauled his skinny frame through the door first then turned to help the others. “My soul, does that sun burn! Dana, get in here, you’re smoldering! Liz, you too. The blackout cloth we made our cloaks from will only protect us for a few minutes in direct sunlight.”

“We know, dufus.” Liz retorted.

Jazzman grabbed a hold of the door’s edge. “Now, shut up. Help me get this door shut tight. One, Two, Three... There.” The big door on the side of the boxcar slid closed as the three pulled on it.

“What are we going to do, Jazz?” Dana asked.

“Run and hide. That’s all we can do for now.” Jazzman was pleased to discover the boxcar was as light tight as he hoped. “Our kin have it out for us now. They’ll call in the hunters for sure.”

“But we didn’t do anything. It’s not fair,” cried Dana. She looked like she was fourteen, and among these immortals she was the youngest.

“Someone left those dead and drained humans at our doorstep. We got the rap for another of our kind’s bloodthrist. Our elders lost faith in us and didn’t believe our story when we claimed innocence. To them we broke the sacred law: control thyself and kill not the human whose blood you drink. To them we are the greatest of lawbreakers and we can’t expect protection from any of our kin until we find out who set us up.”

Liz yawned. “Great, wake me at sundown. I want to get some rest while you two figure up a way out of this mess. May the train will carry us far enough away that they won’t be able to find us.”

They felt the train pull slowly from the station. Their boxcar carried them across the river to a switching yard in Manhattan where their car was unhitched and left.

After two nights of waiting the vampires emerged from their hiding.

“I’m so thirsty,” whined Dana.

“We all are. Let’s go find us someone to feed on. Just remember not to kill them.” Jazzman cautioned. As hungry as they all were it would be easy for a young vampire like Dana to get carried away while feeding.

“Hey, Jazz, do you think maybe I should...” Liz interjected “...well, you know, feed her. Just in case.”

“I can feed myself. I’m not a baby anymore. Just because I look fourteen doesn’t mean I am fourteen.” Dana pouted and shook her long raven locks.

“Agreed,” spoke Jazz with enthusiasm. “She can handle herself. Now let’s find some easy prey. There must be some bums sleeping it off around here somewhere.”

***

     Randell and Abe were huddled around a fire where the tracks came together in the center of the large switching yard. They were passing a half full bottle of cheap whiskey between them. “It’s getting cold fast this year. Winter will soon be on us,” said Randell.

“Your blood’s just getting thin, Randell. It’s no colder now than it was last year, this time.” Abe took a swig from the bottle.

Randell stirred the coals of the fire. “Maybe you’re right. But, it feels colder though.” Randell took his turn at the bottle.

“I know I’m right. You’re always complaining.”

A shadow stirred beyond the flickering flames. A pair of pale hands with long fingers and sharp nails grabbed Randell by the shoulders and pulled him back from the flames.

Abe was in shock. “Randell. Where’d you go, man? Who’s out there?” Abe looked from side to side and tried to lurch to his feet.

Two pairs of smaller hands grabbed the man and brought him down. “Looks tasty” said Dana biting into the man’s neck.

“Mmmhmm.” Liz agreed.

“Mine was quite satisfying.” said Jazzman.

“But, now we are all tipsy from the booze they were drinking.” Dana laughed.

“Occupational hazard. Can’t be helped,” said Jazzman.

***

Heather brought out her theatrical makeup kit and opened up The Book of Light to the section on Vampires. She would use a combination of make-up and magick to disguise herself when she went looking for the vampires that night. Properly made up she might pass for a vampire to a mortal person, but with an addition charm or two from The Book of Light, and she should be able to stand scrutiny from the genuine article. Vampires were creatures of magick.

She smeared on a thick base coat of make-up to make her the skin of her face and arms appear a ghastly white, then she outlined her lips a deep crimson and filled them in with the same color. She used a metallic blue eye shadow over charcoal to darken and enhance her eyelids. Blood red nails and short prosthetic fangs completed her look.

     Now she used magick to undo her gothic makeup masterpiece. She had to look normal for school. It was much easier for her to hold a spell during school when none might be probing it with magick of their own. She’d just have to remember to switch charms after classes so she’d blend in with the vampire crowd.

***

Heather waited patiently on the porch of her parents’ Long Island three story colonial for her ride to school when she first noticed the black cat watching her from the lawn. It sat on its haunches with its tail curled about its forepaws and regarded her with intense yellow eyes.

It seemed half asleep, as its eyes were slightly closed, but she could feel its gaze focus hard upon her. That intense look was enough to give her the creeps.

Normally, Heather didn’t like cats on the best of days as she was allergic, but this cat made her a little leery. This cat -- medium sized, solid black, domestic short hair-- wore a red collar that sparkled like gemstones. Heather thought it looked bemused or maybe bored.

“Shoo kitten! I can’t play with you. Go on now.” She made shooing motions with both hands. The cat looked back at her as if she were retarded. Heather dared to get a little closer and lightly swung her messenger bag at the animal making sure to miss. The cat took a step back, but otherwise ignored her.

You smell like magick, came a voice inside Heather’s head. I think I shall enjoy observing you, human.

The cat must be able to sense her disguise spell. She wondered what else the cat could sense.

Now, Heather would say she did love animals in general, even those she was allergic to, but talking freaks were a different story.

“Okay, you aren’t a kitty. What are you?”

I’m a normal cat. I also know some magick, but I am just a cat.

“Cat’s don’t make people hear voices in their heads.”

Most cats don’t need to talk to humans, so therefore we don’t. Most of us can mindspeak or use psi, but we usually make our wishes known in other ways. Because we choose not to speak doesn’t mean we cannot. The voice was mellifluous and bored at the same time.

“So, I’m supposed to feel special?”

Yes. I haven’t met a human that could use magick in years. I’m curious about you.

“Be curious somewhere away from me.” At that moment a black BMW pulled up in front of the house, and Heather brushed by the animal and hopped into the waiting car.

Jeanine Witmeyer looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye. Half Jeanine’s head was shaved, while much of the rest of her hair fell over her left eye. Jeanine’s hair was currently a zebra stripe pattern of black and white, but she was known to change it daily.

“Something bugging you, kid?” Jeanine was two years older than Heather and went to a nearby art school rather than Heather’s high school.

Their families had been friends for years. The Witmeyers came from old money while Heather’s father ran a rather successful publishing empire.

“Nothing. Just drive.”

“Okay. If you say so, Heather”

Heather started sneezing fits about halfway down the block. “Stupid cat.”

I resent that came the mind voice again. Heather looked in the back seat. The cat stared back at her.

“Jeez, Heather, I told you no pets in the car.”

“It’s not mine. Let it out.”

Jeanine stopped the car, and the two girls grabbed after the cat. It scampered around their grasping hands, but was finally chased outside.

The girls drove on, but Heather was sneezing all the way. And, she couldn’t shake the feeling something was following her even as she entered the school; however, the gaze now felt malevolent, like she was being hunted. She deeply wished the feeling would go away.

The next time she saw the cat it was waiting inside her locker. Seems like someone else is interested in you, girl. Be careful. I saw it, and it looked hungry.

“How did you get in my locker?”

I go wherever I please. I’m a cat.

“And, this other thing?”

An ethereal hunting beast. The cat licked his right forepaw. Heather noticed that his footpads were a deep purple, the color of Kalamata olives. I think it has your scent. It’s skulking about outside the school now. I doubt it will come inside.

Terrific. Not only had she picked up a stray cat. She had become the prey of a demonic beast. She said her thank you to the cat by closing the locker door in its face. If it could get in on its own then it should be able to get out.

She went to her class wondering what the day would bring, and bewildered by what the cat had told her. She did have that stalked feeling, so maybe the thing was telling the truth. She had attracted demonic attention before. In fact, her hobby was tracking down minor demons and doing them in. It was only a matter of time before something came looking for her.

Through the window of her algebra class room she could feel cold eyes upon her. The hair on the back of her neck was tingling the entire time, and she thought she could see something just outside the gate from the corner of her eye, but she was never quite sure what it was. It remained an indistinct blur. There was little doubt in her mind. The cat had been right.

She returned to her locker at lunch time only to find the cat was still in her inside. “Okay, so what is your part in this mess?”

Part? I’m just an observer. I thought we could talk about magic sometime. I do miss human companionship. It would be hard to talk to you if you were dead, so I decided to tip you off.

“I don’t die easily.” Indeed, her curse made her immortal in the worst way. “So, who and what are you?”

I’m a cat, plain and simple. My name is Simon Magus. I lived with an old wizard for while I was just a kitten, and I picked up some magick from him as he raised me.

“Cat’s don’t...”

Yes, we can mindspeak. We can walk through walls. We can all do many things. We are creatures of magick and psi. Please remember this. We know what you are thinking if we so wish.

“That is a little bit creepy.” Heather’s nose had started to run and she held a tissue under it. ”Thanks for the warning, Simon. Now, I’m going to get an allergy pill. You are murdering my sinuses. I need to grab my lunch and you need to go.”

By the way, that tuna sandwich you had packed in your lunch was delicious... .

“You ate my lunch, you little fur ball!”

A just reward for my warning you about your magical pursuer. Which, by the way, is called an ethereal skullcat. It’s an excellent tracker, but it’s weak against most magic. It will try to catch you alone and off guard. Then, it will either eat you or capture you depending on its mood and mission.

“Mission?”

These things often serve other entities.

“I see. Well, I guess you earned your sandwich. Now, will you leave me alone?”

No. I want to observe you.

“Stay out of my way then.”

Deal.

Heather made a cell phone call while she ate in the commons. She wanted advice from one of the few people who knew about her magickal power, Sensei Shin; it however was Joshua Lam that answered the dojo phone.

“I’m sorry. Master Shin is out for the day Heather. He’s hunting demons so I doubt his cell phone is on.”

Great. “Well, tell him later that I may have found one.”

Sure enough, her sensei’s cell phone rang through to his voice mail. “Demon at the school. Come by if you can,” was all the message she decided to leave.

She guessed she was on her own in this mess. She didn’t like it one bit. A creepy cat was enough excitement for one day. She didn’t need a monster breathing down her neck as well.

During PE she feigned a sprained ankle so the coach would let her stay on the sidelines during the field hockey match. She was growing more nervous by the minute because none of her spells would reveal her stalker from this range.

She tried every trick she knew but her opponent reminded nothing more than a flicker at the edge of her peripheral vision.

She knew she was being hunted, and she suspected the thing would wait until she was alone before it would attack. She knew doors and walls were no barrier to something from the ethereal plane, so she’d only be safe as long as other people were around. She had only a couple of hours to come up with a plan to take this thing out. Her heart was becoming a lump in her throat.

She called Josh at the dojo again. Shin was still out which made her feel even more frantic. Even though she was technically immortal, she had no wish to be killed and reanimated again. She lost a piece of her soul each time that happened. Or, that’s what it felt like. The pain alone drove her insane last time that happened.

“What should I do Josh?” Her voice wavered even thought she wanted to sound confident.

“Well, you are strong where it’s weak, so I suggest a head-on assault.”

“You would.” She didn’t feel any better.

“Well, you might dazzle it with some tricks first, but I still say your best bet is an all out blitz on this thing.”

She was almost certain the thing would be faster than her. She hoped it would be weak against her laser bolt or lightning attacks, but she only had the cat’s word on that.

She decided to wait inside and think of something while she waited for it to come to her.

By last period her hands were shaking so badly she could barely read her class notes. Not that she was paying attention as the Chemistry teacher droned on about something concerning ionic bonds. Normally, she’d have been listening intently and have had all the answers.

“Miss Stevens, you seem to be preoccupied with other matters today.” The teacher caught her on the way out the door.

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m sorry. Just some family problems I keep mulling over. I’m sure I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

The teacher still seemed concerned, but now looked sympathetic as well. “I’m sure it will pass. Remember, my door is always open.” Heather took that for what it was worth: a chance to escape. She knew that teacher’s door was rarely open.

Heather decided to stick things out at the school and hope Master Shin might arrive in time to help. Beyond that she searched her mind for a decent head on plan of attack.

Late in the afternoon she studied in the library until everyone had left. Her usual stack of books surrounded her, but for once her attention was on the environment around her and not the book open in front of her.

With her was her familiar, the great, black cockatoo Caeser, who had flown from home when he sensed her mistress’ distress. Now, they waited.

She could feel the eyes of the beast upon her before she could feel its chill breath on the back of her neck. The creature was like a phantom, not part of this world wholly.

Still it made padding noises as it moved across the floor toward her. She couldn’t see it straight on, but it was visible as a shadow from the corner of her eye.

As the creature leaped for her, she dove under the cheap wooden library table. Razor sharp claws ripped through the stack of books turning them into confetti. Caesar flew into the rafters above.

Heather rolled out from the other side of the table with her True Light spell ready to be cast. Within moments the library filled with a sphere of light that removed all natural shadows and revealed all invisible creatures.

On the table before her was a hideous creature made of solid, jagged shadow and cobwebs. The horror’s seeming lack of substance was more than accounted for by its stature as the thing was as big as any lion. Its head was a bony mass with saber like teeth protruding from the mouth.

Heather suppressed a scream when she could finally see the thing. It looked like death itself in the form of a cat. She had been a tiger’s dinner once before and had no yearning to repeat the experience.

Heather stood and tossed a book at it, but it went through the beast like a ghost. The thing could be intangible at will. Heather hoped her next guess was right because the thing sprang at her from the table.

Heather dove to the ground, and the thing passed above her. It slammed into the reference bookshelves toppling them like dominos. The creature was temporarily buried in the massive books knocked from the shelves.

Good, she thought. The thing had to solidify to attack, or so she hoped. She dodged as the thing made a clumsy attempt to slash at her from the fallen bookcase.

Heather backpedaled all the way to the edge of the tables to avoid its claws. She suppressed her fear, and prepared a spell. She wasn’t afraid of missing since she could almost touch the hellish thing.

Heather could feel the magic gathered inside her as readied her Ray of Helios spell. A sudden surge from inside her preceded a bright burst of energy came from her pointed fingers and punched a hole in the shadows and cobwebs form of the enraged beast.

The thing made a noise like television static.

Heather ran past the tables and ducked down a row of still standing shelves to gain some time. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but she was gaining confidence she could beat this thing if only she could get in another shot.

The skullcat followed swiftly after her, although it had been injured. It wasn’t yet ready to give up on its prey.

Heather readied the magic inside herself another time. This time she would put all the energy she could into her battle spell. The Ray was the strongest spell she knew; it produced a laser like beam of pure energy. It had to work. She let the ray leave her fingers just as beast turned the corner. It hit the thing squarely in the head splitting its skull and dropping it like a rock.

Heather felt relief as she dropped to her knees. The thing appeared dead, and that made her feel glad. She had defeated this demon on her own. It was a first for her. All those other times she had been backup for Shin Sensei; but, now she could say she defeated something on her own. She felt a small swelling of pride within her.

But the thing, if it could ever to termed living, wasn’t dead yet. It twitched and tried to pull itself forward claw by claw. Heather was stupefied with exhaustion. She had used up her last reserves with her attacks and didn’t have time to gather more mana.

A great shadow descended from above her and rested on her shoulder, and she felt renewed. It was Caesar lending his life energy to her. She made ready unleash her spell again; this time with Caesar’s assistance. Her remaining mana was small but she held back none of it. The bright flash of light struck the wounded creature in the chest, and the thing fell flat, and this time lifeless.

Simon appeared by her side and pelted the shadows and cobwebs corpse with three fireballs. Cleanup. Its body could attract others.

And the answer is YES.

“Huh? What was the question?”

Yes. You will have to get used to me.

 

Author's Note

How does this story flow? How is the dialogue?

Reviews

[Star Catcher]

--Mid-read--
"If she had any time for a social life they might have become closer than friends, but her energies and emotions were focused elsewhere." - Aw, lost romance.
"It was the largest, jet black, cockatoo she had ever seen." - You don't need commas here. You could rephrase it, to something like 'It was the largest cockatoo she had ever seen, and it was jet black.'
Heh, as I'm reading, I feel like cheering Heather on to her goal.
Ooh, so vampires exist in this world? Interesting. ...What next? Werewolves? Mermaids? XD
"Jazz hauled his skinny frame" - ...I was almost expecting it to say a*s. 'Hauled' and 'frame' just don't seem to go together. XD
""My soul, does that sun burn! Dana, get in here, you're smoldering! Liz, you too. The blackout cloth we made our cloaks from will only protect us for a few minutes in direct sunlight."
"We know, dufus." Liz retorted." - AHAHAHA. Omfg. I was about to comment on the fact that Jazz is saying things he wouldn't normally say to people who already know that crap, but Liz's statement is just so perfect. Nice work, evens it out.
""Someone left those dead and drained humans at our doorstep. We got the rap for another of our kind's bloodthrist. Our elders lost faith in us and didn't believe our story when we claimed innocence. To them we broke the sacred law: control thyself and kill not the human whose blood you drink. To them we are the greatest of lawbreakers and we can't expect protection from any of our kin until we find out who set us up."" - Okay, now that's a lot of information he wouldn't be telling people who already know. Maybe you could offset it with more humor, like someone going, 'Why are you recounting what just happened all of a sudden? It's like you expect someone is listening who would like to know that information...'
Hrm. I find myself wondering why vampires can drink but not kill. Wouldn't that alert the general public to the existence of vampires? Y'know, general public as in VICTIMS? XD
"But, it feels colder though" - Pick one. 'But, it feels colder' or 'It feels colder, though.'
""But, now we are all tipsy from the booze they were drinking."" - Again, information you wouldn't say out loud to people who already know that stuff.
"The cat looked back at her as if she were retarded." - Bahahahaha, I love it. XD
Rofl, cats really hate us that much? They can talk to us but they won't? Kinda wobbly logic, but okay.
""Be curious somewhere away from me."" - Roflmao. XD I'm loving your humor.
Hrm, I think I like Jeanine. She sounds like my kinda person.
"I go wherever I please. I'm a cat." - Omfg, that is so freaking true. I love how the cat is in the LOCKER, though, of all places. XD
"She said her thank you to the cat by closing the locker door in its face." - Ahahaha, win. This chapter is a hell of a lot funnier than that last one (understandably).
""You ate my lunch, you little fur ball!"
A just reward for my warning you about your magical pursuer." - OMFG, I love you. Cats do seem to think like that. XD

--Post-read--
I loved this chapter. It's a nice change of pace; it's a lot more upbeat and adventurous. The fight scene was great - not to long, not to short, and the ending is splendid. I look forward to reading more!
Oh, and skullcats? My new favorite evil creatures. XD

Edit: Holy crap I wrote a long review. O_o