Chapter Six — "There's two of them?!"

Maye-lee spent the rest of the night eating and laughing with her father. Time passed quickly, but she ended up in bed at a reasonable hour. She had a few errands to run before her night shift tomorrow, and knew she needed a good night’s rest. She drifted off to sleep cuddled up to her penguin plushie.

As the sun rose on a beautiful day, Maye-lee slept in. With no alarm set to wake her, morning soon turned to afternoon and the clouds blocked the sun. A buzz of her cellphone that lay charging by her desk woke her from her slumber. It was an old silver phone that she only used to contact her father. The buzzing continued in the background while she sat up and shook her head, trying to shake herself awake. Rolling out of bed she stumbled slightly over her stuffed penguin that was now on the floor. She flipped the phone up and answered the call.

“Hey dad,” she said with a raspy tone.

“Hey number one. Just checking in on ya!” Her dad then mumbled something to someone in the background.

“I’m okay dad. I just woke up. Who are you talking to?”

“You must have been tired! And I’m just picking up a few things. Reg is working at the shop right now.”

Maye-lee glanced at the time on her phone. It was already 1:30. She didn’t have to be at work until 6 for her shift, and she still had time to spare to run errands, but she was surprised at how long she had slept. “Oh wow. I did sleep a long time.”

Her father mumbled something again. “I have to go, May. Some women just knocked over all the shoes on the rack next to me. See you at 6!”

May-lee didn’t have time to say goodbye as her father hung up quite abruptly. She placed her phone back on her desk and wondered why her father was at a shoe store. He had been wearing the same pair of Nike sneakers her mother bought him for the last four years. But that also made sense, and a smile came to her face. It was about time he bought himself something nice.

The thought lingered with her for a while, bringing color to her cheeks and a pip in her step while she got ready for the day. The makeup that adorned her dresser was simple. Pink blush, mascara, and some flavored chap-stick. A small red perfume bottle went untouched unless there was a special occasion. She wore a classic white dress down to her knees and black combat boots. Pretty much what she wore most days.

After grabbing her backpack and lunch she made the day before from the fridge, she locked the door behind her. It wasn’t long before she made it to the grocery store. It wasn’t far from her house and was somewhere she often shopped for things she couldn’t get at her dad’s store. She browsed the isles before finding what she needed. Cat treats. Something her dad never had in stock.

“I’m sure he’ll like these,” she said blushing at the thought.

She picked up a few packets, paid for them and put them in her backpack. Maye-lee set off towards her dad’s store with time to spare. The once dark cloud that filled the sky turned pale and bright white, making room for the sun once again.

Strolling down the busy street, packed with young couples shopping, and elderly men and women sitting outside restaurants for lunch, her mind wondered to thoughts of him. She thought about the boys at college and couldn’t recall seeing anyone that remotely looked like him. White hair like his would have stood out, and she was sure the girls would have been gossiping and throwing themselves on him. Maybe he had a job somewhere? Or maybe he was new to town? He looked about her age, but she wasn’t sure. She also knew she couldn’t rely on her memory of the people she saw in college. It had been a while since she dropped out and started helping her father.

Maye-lee continued in thought when a couple kissing on a bench under tall trees that sprouted pink flowers caught her eye. Just as quickly as it caught her gaze, she looked away, searching the ground for something else to look at. Just as she did, she was bumped into causing her to take a few steps back. The words “sorry” left her lips automatically, and she looked up to see a boy with dark hair and gold earrings that caught the sunlight as he passed by, unfazed with his hands still jammed in his pockets.

It was the boy that was with Sebastian at her dad’s store. He walked fast and looked to be in a hurry. Taken aback, Maye-lee grabbed her shoulder that was now sore and watched him walk down the petal filled pathway and towards the train station nearby.

Her dad’s store was in the opposite direction, but something compelled her to follow him. Her feet moved as if they weren’t her own, making sure she kept back as much as possible. She couldn’t risk him noticing, mostly because following someone is a creepy thing to do. Cringing at the thought of being caught, she checked her watch. An hour to spare.

She watched as he walked up and over the bridge that crossed the railroad tracks. There was no indication he knew someone was following him, so she continued. It wasn’t until they were on the other side that his slow, confident walk turned into a slight jog. Maye-lee wasn’t unfamiliar with exercise and was able to keep him in her sight. She just didn’t like the profuse sweating that came with it.

“It’s a curse to sweat this much!” She mumbled through short breaths.

He banked around the corner of a small, run-down hotel. The front porch was overgrown with weeds, and a slight musty smell lingered in her nose. Poking her head around the corner, she noticed he had stopped jogging and was standing still. It was just him in the middle of a small alleyway. Maye-lee checked the time again. It had been 30 minutes. She knew if she didn’t leave now, she wouldn’t make it in time for her shift. But what was he doing here? She had to find out.

“Raif,” she heard a voice call out. A small white cat emerged and transformed into a boy in front of him.

“Kitty!” Maye-lee whispered, trying to contain her excitement and curiosity. He was naked, but Raif was in front of him. It was hard for her to see anything. She stretched her neck out a little more but retracted it when she remembered she couldn’t risk being caught. Also, being a pervert was not a good look.

“Where are your clothes?” Raif asked, pressing his fingers against his temples.

“I left them inside. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that you’re naked and in front of me! I don’t want to see that. And what if someone saw?” Raif reached into his backpack and pulled out two smaller blue backpacks. “Here. Don’t lose this one.”

Raif threw one to Sabbatians feet and with a small puff of smoke, they each transformed. Raif as a cat was big and black, and his earrings were still attached. Maye-lee eyes widened at the sight and her heartbeat quickened. “T—there’s two of them?!”

They pushed their heads through the straps of the tiny backpacks that were on the floor and then pulled it tight with their teeth. Grabbing a hold of Raif’s bigger bag, they dragged it towards a small door in the wall of the hotel. It opened instinctively, and they went in leaving Maye-lee behind. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter was a struggle for me. Usually around the time things start to heat up it gets difficult for me to transition. Still, I hope you enjoyed it. Like and leave a comment please!