Taken by the Stars

Chapter 2

"Over here! Catherine!" She heard her name called through the crowd that had already formed despite the morning just beginning to fade. She pushed through the crowd of fellow classmates, nodding a few greetings along the way before making it to Colette and Maria.

Colette suited her fierce black choker dress with her short blonde waved hair. While Mary standing awkwardly, also quite fitting of her, wore a long puffed purple dress with sleeves. She definitely was out of her element, a true bookworm at heart.

"Stunning!" Colette complimented.

"Thanks! You guys also look gorgeous! Where's Mia? I have her gift." Catherine asked, looking around.

"I think she's planning to make a grand entrance right about now." Maria said in her monotone voice, bringing both of their attentions to the grand staircases of the mansion. True enough, at the top were several butlers and behind them, the birthday girl.

Mia wouldn't be Mia without her over the top self. She was wearing a princess gown with a skirt full of tulles of Caribbean blue and gold, complete with a crown on her head. All guests couldn't help but turn their attention to her.

"Welcome friends and family for attending my sweet sixteen! I cannot thank you enough for being here with me today! Please, I implore you to enjoy today to its fullest!" She raised a champagne glass in which many others did so to theirs in response. Whistling and crowd cheering ensued as she downed the contents and then handed the empty glass to a butler near.

As she made her way down the stairs, she saw Catherine and waved to her close friends. Catherine replied with a small nod and held up the small gift bag she had for her friend.

"You'd think she'd moved on and had her actual age birthday party." Colette commented.

"Like a Never-Better Nineteen?" Catherine suggested as she handed her gift to a butler.

"Or a Nice Nineteen..." Maria added. The three girls laughed before heading to the dessert table.

The grandeur of the desserts had to of course match the exquisiteness of the family. Desserts of chocolate wrapped in gold, cake made of the finest ingredients, cream that tasted so heavenly it melted in your mouth. Surely for many, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to try the expensive goods that you else would not think about spending so much as an inkling thought about.

Catherine was getting her second piece of the Sultan's Gold cake when a sudden headache hit her. She set her plate down with a clang, getting Maria and Colette's attention.

"You alright?" Colette asked, taking her friend's arm and Maria coming up from behind.

Catherine gave a faint nod, breathing in heavily. "I'm fine."

"Here, come sit over here." Colette guided Catherine to a seat. "I'll go get you a drink. Maria, will you tell Mia?" Maria nodded and both disappeared through the crowd of guests.

Catherine had her head in her hands, the ache drumming in her mind. Louder and louder it got, like the beat of her heart. All she could think of was that someone was beating a drum, increasing pace, while her palms were beginning to sweat although it was mid-May. What is this?

"You alright, miss?"

It stopped. Catherine looked up to see a man standing before her. His hair was a ravenous black and his eyes were a mischievous blue.  "Um, do I know you?"

The man shrugged his shoulders and then grinned. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Catherine!"

She turned her head in the direction of her friend calling.

"By the way, you look dashing in red." Hearing this made Catherine turn her head back around to the man, but he was gone.

"I heard you're not feeling well!" She felt Mia's hand on her shoulder and once again turned and smiled.

"I feel better now, thank you."

"Is that so?" The birthday girl sighed in relief and took a seat beside Catherine. Just then, Colette returned with a drink and Maria behind her.

"Thanks." Catherine said, taking the drink. Colette smiled and the two seated themselves at the table. "You know guys, I've been think-"

A couple of shouts interrupted her sentence and the four looked up to see what the commotion was about. Before Catherine could even figure it herself, her three friends jumped up in a panic. "We've got to close the rift!" Mia shouted.

"Guys, what-" Just as she stood up to follow them, she was pushed and lost her footing. Lucky enough, she managed to catch herself on the side of the table and got back up again before seeing some sort of warp of black and blue in the sky that many of the guests had begun to crowd under. Somehow her friends had managed to push through and at the forefront was Mia and her mother, Mrs. Leonhart.

"This way Catherine!" She heard Maria call her name and turned.

"Maria! What's happ-" She felt everything fast forward around her, figures around her seemingly speed up unnaturally with time and then a screech reached her ears, drowning out the sounds. The ache in her head returned, the loud intense drum beating simultaneously with the screeching. "Stop..." She whispered then repeated louder. "Stop." Suddenly, she felt as if she'd been kicked in the stomach and then, nothing.