A Real Nightmare

Curiosity Could Kill The Kat

Chapter 6

All through the day her mind kept referring back to those marks. She numbly kept checking out what little customers had came in that day, all the while caged inside of her conscious, battling against the urge to search through the books on whatever the marks were that decorated her skin.

Kat remembered having to hide the two holes on her throat this morning. Make-up did wonders when you know what you're doing. She hated having to hide anything. But had she not hid the mark, people would judge her. After all, the world is good at that. Judging those who should not be judged. Persecuting those who don't deserve it. Jumping to conclusions when they don't know the whole story behind it.

She bit her lip, flicking her gaze to the row upon row of shelves. No. No. If she did any type of research, it could very well prove she was insane for considering what she currently suspected the marks were. But the more she thought about it, the more her fingers itched to look for some sort of answer. The store was empty. Hank—as he said to call him—was out searching for something for the shop and the customers had died down not long ago.

Before she could talk herself back out of it, she made her way over to the animal section first. She wanted to know what kind of hound could emit such a horrid stench. And then she would go from there. She wasn't crazy...well, not in the insane way at least.

As the pads of her fingers grazed each title carefully, dust lightly sifted through the air. She would need to clean every book and every shelf. Her gaze took in every title searching for something eye catching. Anything at all. But nothing they had was eye-catching.

Katerina somehow ended up in the supernatural section. Mise we'll see if anything could be helpful here. She randomly picked a book out without reading the title first and hoped for the best. But what could this section have to offer her? Supernaturals did not exist except on television shows like Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She could use either of the characters on either show to help her out of the predicament she found herself in. Sam and Dean, they were hot as hell and badass. Buffy—while a bit melodramatic—still got the job done. But neither were real, so she was just stuck, caged like a mouse trying to find her way through the maze of hell that Viktor put her in.

The book itself was a heavy and black leather bound along with some sort of symbol on the cover. In red and violet-lined lettering the book read, 'The Undead, all myths and rumors of Immortal Vampires.'

Huh. That could maybe provide an interesting read. Kat made her way back behind the counter, taking her seat and laid the book down in front of her, her fingers tapping lightly on the side of the cash register. She was debating on whether to even open the book at all. Sure, it was tempting to sink her teeth into (or so to speak) but what information could she really gather from a book that was purely fictional and solely for entertainment purposes?

She sighed long and deep, to read the first page or just claim her insanity now. That was when her mind went into overdrive, flashes of everything that he claimed—everything he'd done that she thought wasn't possible rushed through her mind.

He couldn't be...

He wasn't...

Was he?

Of course not Kat! You're losing it!

She eyed the book as if it were to spontaneously come alive and suck her into the vampiric world, then spit her back out while chuckling manically. Her brows creased and she stuck her fingernail between her teeth, biting on it. Maybe she was losing it. Maybe she was delusional for even considering that he could be...

Chewing on her lower lip a moment, she conceded, finally having lost the fight against her better judgement. She decided to open the book. The Introductory page looked aged, a yellowish-brown tint layered the edges as if the book had seen some better days. Kat was afraid that if she turned the page too quickly it would splinter and crack and possibly fall apart. It looked fragile, but at the same time... it looked strong. Her eyes ran over the first page, eager to get it over with. That way, she could put the silly notion that Viktor was a...she couldn't even think it to herself, let alone say it aloud.