Kate -- 7

Subj: Kate Chapter 7
Date: 4/29/00 10:29:58 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Karen

Chapter 7 Kate

As Dr. Julia Hoffman drove through the gates of Collinwood, she hoped that the front door wasn’t locked. She looked at her watch. 5 o’clock in the morning! Julia had not planned on driving all night, but she was anxious to get home. After spending a week in Boston at a conference, a familiar bed would feel wonderful. Julia had never felt so tired in her life. All she could think about was bed and sleep.

As Julia pulled up next to a VW van painted gaily with stars and moons, she thought, "Who in the world belongs to that? I can’t imagine Roger allowing the person who owns it to stay at Collinwood." Julia laughed to herself, thinking of the stricken look that must have been on Roger’s face. She turned off her car and got out. As she walked around the back to get her suitcase, she noticed that the van had a strange light emanating from it. Curious, Julia stepped closer to the van just as the light went out. A tall young woman with long blonde hair opened the van’s side door and jumped out.

Looking startled, Julia exclaimed, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The young woman looked at Julia with surprise. She said, "I might ask you the same question. Just who are you?"

Julia was a bit taken aback. She drew herself up to her full height, narrowed her green eyes at the woman and said, in her haughtiest tone of voice, "I live here. Do you?"

The young woman looked down at Julia and said, "As a matter of fact, I do. My name is Kate Collins. And you are....?" Kate’s tone was just as haughty as Julia’s.

Julia replied, "I am Doctor Julia Hoffman. How do I know you are who you say you are? You could be anyone!"

"You could be anyone as well, Doctor. How do I know if you really live here or not?" Kate glared at Julia. Julia glared at Kate.

The staring contest could have gone on for hours if Mrs. Johnson hadn’t opened the door. Both ladies turned as Mrs. Johnson exclaimed, "Why, Dr. Hoffman, we weren’t expecting you until late today. Miss Collins, what are you doing up so early?" She looked at them both with a puzzled expression. Obviously something was going on between the two women, but she wasn’t sticking around to find out what. Mrs. Johnson held the door open and Julia and Kate entered the house. "I will put some coffee on if anyone wants any," Mrs. Johnson said. As she scurried away to the kitchen, she gave a quick glance at Julia. ‘The doctor looks mad enough to spit’, thought Mrs. Johnson. "Miss Kate looks about the same. Oh, I hope there isn’t any trouble. That’s all I need around here!’

Julia watched Mrs. Johnson leave and then turned to Kate. "I owe you an apology, Miss Collins, for doubting your word. I am sorry.", Julia said apologetically.

Kate looked at her and said, "No, I should be the one apologizing. I am sorry, too." Kate stuck out her hand. "Let’s start again, okay?"

Julia took Kate’s hand and said, "All right".

The two women shook hands. Julia reintroduced herself. "I am Dr. Julia Hoffman. And you are?"

Kate smiled. "My name is Kate Collins. How do you do?"

"Well, but tired, thank you. The van outside must be yours." Julia said, smiling back.

"Yes, it is. I am afraid Roger didn’t take to well to it or me. I think he is slowly warming up to both of us. Let me carry your bag to your room. You do look tired." With that, Kate took Julia’s bag and they walked up the stairs.

As Julia led the way to her room, she and Kate talked about Julia’s trip. Kate asked questions about the conference that Julia had attended in Boston. Julia told her about the guest speaker, Dr. Harold Gifford. Kate seemed to know who he was and asked intelligent questions about his theories. Julia was surprised. No one at Collinwood seemed to be interested in what she was doing in medicine. Kate was genuinely interested. ‘It will be interesting to get to know her better,’ thought Julia as she opened her bedroom door. Kate set the suitcase on the floor and said goodnight.

Julia changed her clothes and dropped into bed. This new guest was definitely going to make things a bit more intriguing around Collinwood. Just before she dropped off to sleep, Julia remembered the strange light from the van. Her last thought was ‘What was causing the light?’ Sleep overtook her and she slipped into dreamland.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.