Thursday
School was a drag today. Andi typed into her laptop journal. Yesterday and today, I keep thinking about Arkan, Ain-u-tep, and Aaliyah. Why did I meet them? For what purpose was all that? How can I go about the everyday grind, after those adventures? It is like I have a secret life. And what’s up with all the A’s? Is this like those murder novels, ‘A is for Alibi’? Will the next adventure if I have one, have B-people? .
I wore the pendant today and when I wanted to show it to Peaches, it wasn’t the same. It was just a green rock on a leather string. She thought it was okay, but it wasn’t anything special. I don’t understand the purpose of the magic the Cat talks about. Nor do I get why that darn cat keeps popping up and takes me away to God knows where. Yet, when I return, hardly any time has passed here. I know I was gone all day, I am sunburned and tired, my hand hurts where the reed cut it. I lost my stupid hat too. Weird.
I feel a bit empowered by the experiences, but in school, everyone treats me the same. At home, nobody notices what I feel or look like. I am the same old me.
Sighing with annoyance as she looked about her room, to note the cat had not returned after eating a raw egg Andi had whipped up for it this morning.
She typed, Oh, and the cat is a female. She was very fussy about her brushing too. She seemed to like a little petting, but would slap away my hand after a bit, then groom her shiny black fur, with her green gaze narrowed in suspicion at me. She refused to wear the collar, that I tried on her. She wriggled out and disappeared into smoke again.
“I don’t know if I have a pet or not. Maybe I should just adopt another cat from the shelter.” Andi said, slumped in her desk chair and petted Snicker’s golden head. “I miss Petunia. How about you?”
Snickers rolled to his back, paws curled and waited for his belly rub. Andi joined him on the rug, and hugged the big dog to her. “Did you see Ain-u-tep this morning?” she wondered aloud, knowing that the dog didn’t chase the cat away when she followed Andi around the house and then outside when she fed Snickers. Snickers only grinned lopsidedly and kicked a foot, begging for more rubbing.
“I feel like Alice down the rabbit-hole, nothing is real, yet it is.”
The phone on her desk rang and she reached for it. “Yup,” she answered. “Who is this?”
She listened to someone breathing hard. “Is this a crank call? You perve!” She hung up. It rang again. Andi, let it ring four times then answered. “What!”
Hard breathing then someone coughed and said, “I’m in trouble.”
“Who is this?”
“Come to the Promenade. Meet me in the food court by Bamboo Cafe.”
The line went dead.
As if the receiver were a live snake, she tossed it away. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. What now?” Feeling ridiculous for her action, she retrieved the phone then dialed *69, hoping to reconnect, but it didn’t go through. She looked about her room wondering if it was the cat again.
She was afraid to go out, it was already getting dark. She hadn’t enjoyed dinner. Picking through the chicken pot pie that mom microwaved for dinner, only eating the vegetables, she got in trouble. Technically, she was grounded for being sassy. Her parents didn’t understand nor appreciate Andi’s need to be a vegan. She felt better knowing she wasn’t killing and eating animals. She liked and respected animals. That argument flew like a lead weight and got her grounded for two days.
Now someone needed her. Who was it? Did she dare ask her parents to go out, or sneak away?
She changed out of her pajamas, putting on black jeans, a t-shirt and a black cap and hoodie. She slipped on her favorite Vans sneakers, thinking she might do a lot of walking tonight. The Promenade was several miles away as the crow flew, but many long blocks to walk on a chilly evening. She took her penlight, and trying to think practical, she grabbed up her coin purse, and a pair of granola bars from her cache in a dresser drawer and stuffed them in her backpack. She slipped out and shut her door without a sound. She quietly trod down the stairs. She arrived in the foyer and feeling remorse for sneaking out, she wrote on the chalkboard above the bench, ’Be back soon. Need a walk. ☺A’. Andi left without a sound.
She was feeling very good about her escape until the motion sensors on the porch and walkway made the lights pop on. She dashed away across the lawn into the night. About three blocks away on Santa Monica Boulevard, she climbed on a bus.
Twenty minutes later she arrived at the Promenade. She was glad it was open until nine, some of the perimeter businesses were open later. There were still a lot of cars in the lot. She ran into the mall and headed to the food court. Wheezing from her run, she stopped to blow her nose on a handful of napkins from a dispenser on a table.
She looked about wondering who would meet her. No one she knew was there. Only a guy looking bored, wearing a hairnet and chewing gum, stood behind the counter at Bamboo Cafe. She approached warily, still concerned.
“I’ll have an iced tea, no, make that a hot jasmine tea. Thanks.” She pulled out a dollar and change and waited for the big Styrofoam cup. She turned about still on guard and then taking tiny sips of the scalding beverage strolled to a nearby table. From there she could see the entire court and to the mall square and to the hall of bathrooms.
She waited, surreptitiously watching for any movement or someone she might know. She watched the clock and wished she had a cell phone like her friends. However, her folks only let Brook have one because of her busy schedule. Right about now, she wished Brook or her friend Peaches were here with her. She was growing more frightened being alone among a crowd of unfamiliar people while waiting for a mystery man. She even wished in that moment for the smoky cat. Although that creature had already led her into dangerous places and weird adventures. “I’m done with that.”
“I’m an idiot for coming out tonight. It’s probably a bogus deal.” She complained, and slipped out her little memo book, something she carried always. Taking the tiny pen that fit into a slot in the cover, she began to write. Writing usually made her calm or at least less nervous. She tried making a Haiku poem about the cat, then a fan of cool air passed near and someone dropped a bag on her table. She looked up and about, spying a tall person wearing a dark blue hoodie and jeans walking toward the bathrooms. She looked at the sack and spied a scribbled note, “Meet me—you need water.”
She grabbed up her tea. Pocketing the memo book, she took the sack, noting it was from the cinnamon bun place, it smelled delicious and was still warm. She peeked down the hallway and found it empty but went to wait by the fountain. The men’s room door opened and the hooded figure slipped out. He came right to her and without warning hugged her hard.
When she let out a little screech of surprise, a hot, sweaty hand went over her mouth. “Sh, don’t scream,”
She shoved the hand away, “Scott! You creep! What are you doing?” She pushed out of his arms.
“Keep it down, geez!” Grabbing her hand, Scott opened a door by the fountain. “In here.” Inside the janitor’s closet with his back to the door, he turned on the light. It was then Andi truly saw Scott.
She stepped closer and reached a hand to his face. “You look terrible. What happened?”
“An accident.” Scott brushed her hand away then took it, squeezing hard. “I’m in trouble, Andi. Something has happened.”
Growing more frightened than impatient, she gruffly asked, “Who hurt you?”
“My … um, Dad. We got into a fight.”
She sat on a cardboard box of paper towels. “Has this been going on for a bit Scott?”
“Why? I mean, not really, but,” he said a foul word. “Yeah, Dad has been losing it lately. He and Mom fight a lot. He was hitting her tonight, and I hit him back. We got into it.” Scott smiled wanly, “I beat him up good. Mom was screaming at me something awful, so I got outta there.” His face and body crumpling, he leaned against Andi and began to sob.
Andi had always dreamed of Scott being her special friend, wanting him to turn to her when in need. “But this is awful.” She said aloud patting his broad, muscular shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
Scott pulled away, wiped his ruddy face with a hand. The cut on his cheek began to ooze blood again. He noticed the blood and slumped on the floor next to Andi. “Shoot. This sucks, big time!”
She tore off some toilet paper and passed it to him. “Blow your nose.” She knelt to him and gingerly patted the cut with more tissue.
“Ow.” He complained and grabbed her hand. “I’ll be okay.” He noticed she shied from him. He softly said, “It’s just me. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
Andi shifted away a little and wrapped her arms about her knees. “This is not good. So, what can I do for you?”
“Can I stay at your house?”
“Shouldn’t we go make sure your Mom is okay?”
Scott shook his head. “I don’t care.”
“Yes, you do. Your mom is probably worried sick by now.” She reached out and stroked Scott’s disheveled hair, smoothing it into neater waves. She felt a wave of warmth rise and wash over her. “I love you, Scott. I’ll help.” She murmured quietly.
He caught her hand, and kissed it. “I know. That is why I called you first. I didn’t know who I could talk to. But I thought you might understand …”
“I do. But then I don’t understand why your Dad beat you and your mom.”
“Earlier in the week, Dad was getting ready for a business trip. Mom got mad and said she wouldn’t be there when he got back.” Scott choked back a sob. “We were eating breakfast and Dad got up and slapped her. Told her if she knew what was good for her she had better stay. Then she said she wasn’t going to put up with his cheating and wanted a divorce. You know my dad is always away with the bands on tour and he was gonna be gone a month, this time.”
Scott sighed heavily. He turned into Andi’s shoulder, crying. “I miss them both. Mom drinks now and is jealous and Dad just stays away. We used to be happy!” he shouted then held her hard.
Andi broke into tears too. “I know, your parents were cool. I still have all those autographed posters and tour stuff that your dad gave me. Remember when we all went to the Grateful Dead concert together? They were like big Hippie kids and so much fun.”
Scott wiped his face on the wadded tissues. “Yeah, that was fun.” He took in a choked sob. “I miss you Andi. I want it to be like it used to be, you and me … and them.”
Andi sighed and hugged Scott. “Me too. But we aren’t little kids anymore, Scott. We gotta be better than them, you know?”
“I guess. Can I stay with you guys tonight?” He kissed her cheek, “Please?” he begged.
Andi was torn, she was amazed she admitted loving Scott. She was also in trouble too. “I have a problem. I was grounded and I left without permission.” She watched him for a moment, then said, “I think you should call my folks right now, tell them what happened. I’m sure you can stay in Mattie’s room tonight.”
Scott shuddered. “Yeah, I guess.” His face softened and he smiled, saying huskily, “I would rather stay with you.”
“Right, like that would happen!” Andi shoved him back and stood up. “Let’s go before the mall closes and we really get in trouble. So how did you get here?”
“I’ve got my bike” he turned red, “I mean my motorcycle. You can ride with me.” He stood and picked up Andi in his arms hugging her. “I knew you would save me.”
“You weren’t very nice to me the other day.” Pouting Andi said, “You forgot my birthday.”
“I didn’t. I just forgot to give you your present. This thing with Dad is bad. I’ve been out of my mind. He got fired for not showing up on Monday because he and Mom got into it. So now that he’s out of a job, they’ve been really fighting. Tonight, was the worst. I had to leave.”
“We shouldn’t leave your mom alone, then.”
Shaking his head, Scott opened the door, peeked out then let Andi out. “I know. But I had to leave, I might have killed him. You don’t know Dad when he’s drunk, he’s not a pretty sight.” Scott smiled wryly, “He ain’t pretty no more either. I think I busted his nose.”
Andi shuddered as she was guided down the hallway with Scott holding her hand. While she had known Scott since grade school and knew he was a formidable and strong athlete, she did not know the darkest side of him. He did have a temper. “You were an ogre to me this week, Scott.” She admitted aloud.
He glanced at Andi as they walked in the mall, put his arm around her, crushing her to his body. “I know, sorry.” He bent and kissed the top of her head. Smiling, he led her out of the mall, across the lot to his motorcycle. He tossed her a half helmet and put on a larger one himself. “Climb on, kiddo.”
Andi never had ridden with him. She had seen him with other girls on his cycle and with a couple of his friends, but this was different. She sat behind him and wrapped herself around him tightly. “Okay, let’s go.” She loved holding him.
They were nearly to her house, when Andi shrieked, “You never called my folks.”
Scott slowed and yelled back, “I thought about it. But I figure this way, it looks more legit, you and me. Otherwise, they might have gone looking for you to tell you I was coming over. Now it’s moot. Right?”
“Moot. I guess.” Andi’s stomach plummeted as they took a deep curve fast, and ran a yellow light. “Can you please get us safely there in one piece?” She moaned.
He patted her hand. “Gotcha.”
They arrived at Andi’s driveway. The lights on the house and yard turned on, illuminating them. Grabbing his arm, Andi led Scott across the walkway to the porch. The door opened revealing Dad. He frowned taking in the guilty pair.
“Before you yell, Dad, Scott is in real trouble. He needs our help.” Andi pushed her way inside.
Gulping back a prepared parental response, Rick Fallon opened the door wider. “Come in.” He shut it and nodded, “In the study.” He led them to the room behind the stairs, his little office and library. Shutting the door, Rick then paced to his chair. “So, what’s the problem?” He gazed up at the kids, then blanched when Scott removed his helmet and hoodie.
“You look bad. I think you need stitches.” He stepped to Scott, who stood taller than him. “You’ve grown a lot since I saw you last year.”
Scott shuffled a foot, “Yeah, I guess. But look, I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“I think you already have.” Rick’s gaze shifted to Andi. “You left without permission. I saw you leave. I was going to call you back in, but now that I see Scott, I guess this is your reason for dissing me, huh?”
“I wasn’t dissing you, Dad.” Andi rebuked then continued, “But he called, and I had to go help.”
“You didn’t trust me enough to tell me?” Rick shook his head. “Ouch.”
“I did, I just didn’t know … well, who called, but I had to do something … he needed help, you know?”
Rick wiped his face. “I do understand, more than you might think. Loyalty to a friend is important. But your family comes first, Andrea.”
“You don’t know my family, sir.” Scott growled. He put a hand to his wounded cheek, “My Dad did this with a beer bottle.”
“Sorry, I thought I did. So, tell me what happened, Scott.” Rick sat again at his desk, his long legs casually crossed at his ankles, but the worry-lines on his forehead showed he was upset.
While holding Andi’s hand, Scott quickly retold the sad tale when finished he stated, “I don’t know what to do right now.”
“First, I think we should call your parents to let them know you are safe.”
“I’m afraid,”
“Of what, your father?”
“Sort of, but mostly the cops. What if something happened after I left? Or maybe my mom will turn me in to the police. She was yelling that at me for beating up Dad.” Scott fell into an armchair, his long legs sprawled on the rug. “I might go to jail.”
“I think you won’t. Here’s why. You were protecting your mother and yourself. You are a hero, Scott.”
“Yeah … a hero who ran away.” He grimaced and then put a hand over his eyes, weeping silently.
“It wouldn’t be the first time for a hero to run from a fight. Maybe you stopped your father from doing something truly heinous.”
Andi frowned, “Heinous? Dad, Scott’s an athlete not an Elie.”
Scott sat up and wiped his face on his sleeve. “I get it Andi. I’m not a derp, ya know.” He stood, “Maybe I should go home then.”
“How about we drive you home and see how it is? Maybe with more people as witnesses, we can be a buffer and help.” Rick advised.
“Maybe you can be a target, is more like it.” Scott stated sourly. “Dad was really in my face tonight.”
“Would you like me to call them? I can clear the way for you.”
“Can Andi and I have a couple of minutes to talk first?”
Rick studied them for a moment then said, “Uh, sure. It’s getting late, so don’t wait too long.” He kissed Andi’s cheek as he left the office. “I’ll help if you let me.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Andi sat on the little love-seat across from Scott. “What’s up?”
“I gotta tell you something else. It’s probably whack, but I gotta tell you. You know me, I don’t make up stuff or like dissing or hurting people. And I think you might understand better than anyone.” Scott paused, he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he looked Andi in the eye. “Maybe I am crazy but I saw your cat, Petunia, on Monday. She ran across the road in front of me. I thought I clipped her but she just ran off across the street and into bushes. She was far from home, so maybe it wasn’t her, at least I hope it wasn’t …”
Andi let out a gasp, “That’s impossible, she’s …”
“Dead. Yeah, I know. I heard Peaches say something about it.” He ran a hand around his neck. “Now you know why I’ve been avoiding you, I was worried I hit your cat and killed her.”
“I don’t think so. She was in her bed in my room that afternoon.”
“Oh good.”
“But she was dead.”
“Crud,” his face crumpled, “if I hurt her, I am so, so, sorry. She was just there in the street, I couldn’t avoid her, I almost spilled my bike.”
“Well, you do race around too fast.”
“I wasn’t,” he stopped. “In my defense, I’m sorry, if I killed her, it was an accident. If I didn’t then, somebody else’s cat is hurt. No matter, it still bums me out. Then this thing with my parents is killing me.” He rubbed his eyes. “I’m in a real mess.”
Andi stepped over and hugged Scott. “It’s okay. I’m sure you didn’t hit Petunia. Can I tell you something weird too?”
She sat on the arm of the chair. “Ever since my birthday, I have been seeing a black cat, sometimes it is like smoke, it comes and goes. And sometimes it talks to me.”
“I would say that is nutso, but I have been dreaming of a black cat too. I thought it was my guilt kicking me for maybe killing Petunia. It talks to me too, asking me to follow it.”
They gazed at each other for a long moment, then Scott kissed Andi on the mouth. “Thanks. I feel better telling you. I am still sorry … for everything.”
Andi shivered, “I’m sorry too. I thought I lost you as my friend. This week has been horrible, and then this cat thing, well, maybe I am crazy.”
They chuckled. Scott took her hand and kissed it. “I promise to be a better friend. I should have been there for you … for your birthday and then told you about Petunia. But I was a cowardly chump.”
“Nah. It’s okay, now I think we should straighten out the mess with your parents.”
Scott stood, tucking Andi under his arm. “I’d like to take you to a movie and dinner this weekend, since I missed your birthday.”
“You mean, like a real date? I’d like that too. If I’m not grounded for life after tonight.”
Laughing, they left the office and found Rick in the kitchen with milk and cookies. They sat and talked while eating the dessert, then Andi recalled the bun.
“Hey, we got a cinnamon bun from the mall.” She retrieved her backpack. But the sack was empty. “Hey! Where is it?” She looked around the floor thinking it fell out.
“It was delicious. But next time leave me a dish of milk, thank you very much.”
Andi turned to see the smoky cat crouched on a bookshelf, looking much like the Sphinx bookend across from her. “You ate it?”
“Consider it the price for love.” She licked her lips and wiped her face with a paw.
“You were behind this? And Scott, getting beaten up, was that part of the deal?”
“No, that was an accident.”
“And Petunia, did her really hit her?”
Ain-u-tep leapt from the shelf to the couch, stepping daintily across the back toward Andi, she then sat. She nodded. “That was truly an accident. I kept her alive enough to get her home. She had a broken back. I helped her along, so she didn’t suffer.”
Andi burst into tears and fell on the couch. “Oh, you have been behind everything this week.” She glared at the cat, “How can you be so cruel to us?”
“I am not cruel. I did not let her suffer. Your dog chased her out of the yard. It was Petunia’s misfortune and adventure to roam the neighborhood, not mine. As she was dying, she called to me.”
“What are you, a spirit, an angel, a what?” Andi blubbered. “No wait, you’re a witch!”
“I am what I am. I make things good where I can. You called to me too.”
“I did?”
“You wished for another life.”
“I think I said, a better life.”
“That too.”
“Am I just crazy or are you really doing all this to me?”
Ain-u-tep yawned, showing sharp tiny teeth. “It is all as real as you are, Andrea.”
“But why?”
“You needed me. You gave Petunia love and so I am returning it. You are helping me, so I help you.”
“That is a messed-up thing. How about, you just leave me alone? I can get on with my life, it is already a mess anyway.”
“It doesn’t need to be. You are smart Kitten. You are braver than you think, and have what do people call it … perhaps, Moxie? Yes, in the days recent you have met and fed dragons, defeated a Jinni and helped me to find precious artifacts.”
“Yeah, what about that stuff? Why do I have it? And what are we going to do with it?”
“I cannot tell you everything now. But you must trust me.”
Andi rose indignantly, “Yeah? So, you say. No. You have been getting me in trouble. Go away.”
The cat chuckled. “You are too impatient, Kitten.”
“Stop calling me, Kitten!”
“But I must. You are young, inexperienced, and must learn what I need to teach you. It is important for you to learn.” The cat jumped down to sit on the arm of the sofa, saying, “I am to lead the way for you, so you can find the greatness that lies hidden in you Andrea June Fallon.” She slashed a paw at Andi’s hand.
“Ow!” Andi grabbed her hand shouting, “You drew blood! Get outta here!”
“I will heal it. Give me your hand.”
Andi unwillingly offered her hand, “This is stupid.”
The cat purred, “You say that about everything you don’t understand.” She licked Andi’s hand, tasting the blood. “Mm, you have sweet blood, with a dash of ginger, just right for an adventurist.”
“Carnivore!” Andi pulled away and looked at her hand, the scratch foamed and was healing before her eyes. “Wow! It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“We are blood-bonded now. You will see and hear me always,”
“I hear and see you fine, Cat.”
The cat laughed. “No, you only think you do. This is for your good.” She stood and jumped to the floor. “Now, go take care of your friend, he needs you. I will see you soon.”
The cat trotted away, then stopped at her words.
“Can he see you too?”
“Only now in his dreams. But he does not believe, nor is as pure in heart as you, Kitten. He dreams of being a hero like his brother.” She paced back to Andi saying, “You must help him too. I’ll see you soon in your dreams.” The cat ran around the corner of the living room then vaporized into smoke which passed under the front door.
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