Bending Light

4~Little Tabby Cat

    When (Y/N) woke up, Elise was already out somewhere, presumably eating breakfast. (Y/N) didn't really have anything important to do today, so she decided to just wear jeans and a natural colored shirt. She made sure her hair was acceptably done, picked up her book off the floor, and left for breakfast.

    When (Y/N) got to the bottom of the stairs, she saw that Elise, the slow eater that she was, had only eaten half of her meal. This time there were pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. "Finally some variation!" (Y/N) exclaimed.

    "Yeah, there isn't really anything much here to write about for my friends, especially the food. I wanted to tell them that we got to eat at a five-star restaurant or something," Elise replied sadly.

    "Oh well," (Y/N) said, "perhaps you should talk about the five-star beer," she winked.

    Elise's mouth dropped open and (Y/N) began laughing hysterically.

    "I'm only kidding! I promise!"

  When the waiter—Kev—finally came with the food, (Y/N) wrinkled her nose in distaste. Hey, she was getting something, but that didn't mean that it had to be good. (Y/N) wondered how the everyday customers could stand it. They probably ordered as much beer as they did just to wash it all down. As she shoveled the "food" down her throat, her sister started talking about going back to the museum and possibly going out for ice cream.

    "I'm not really sure what I want to do," (Y/N) said, "but I'm probably going to read until it's a nicer time to be outside. All this fog is ruining any plans for an adventure."

    "Okay, I think I'll go see if there are any more kids my age so I can hang out with them," Elise decided.

    "Yeah, so see you tonight?"

    "Yeah, sure."

    Soon, they had both finished their meals and parted ways. (Y/N) realized that she had completely forgotten to mention why their parents left. Did Elise even know? She had to have known, so why didn't she mention it either? (Y/N) sighed and opened her book, wishing her parents would be home soon.

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    "Meow!"

    (Y/N) woke with a start, realizing that she had fallen asleep while reading; it was nearly afternoon! She looked outside and saw a little tabby cat staring up at her through the window. It was so adorable!

    Her first thought was to feed it something. But no, she realized. Mom and dad are gone! Maybe I could have my own cat for a while! She climbed out the window and landed next to the cat. It meowed, but when she tried to pick it up, it ran away. "Come back!" (Y/N) cried.

    She chased after it, winding around houses and shops, until she came to the foot of the hill. The cat darted up to the top, and (Y/N) exhaustedly followed. She heard a crack of thunder and realized that it was going to start raining soon.

    "Hey, I just want to feed you something, and it's going to rain, and we need to get home. Don't you want something to eat?" (Y/N) brought out a crushed granola bar from her back pocket. It crumbled onto the ground in front of the tabby, who licked it up happily.

    (Y/N) heard twigs snap in the woods in front of her.

  "Well, I was looking for something bigger, but I'm sure my hollowgast would be happy to eat anything."

    (Y/N) whirled around to see the strange man from last night. He was behind her, but the twigs had snapped in front of her. What? Oh my god it's him again! She thought. And then: What's a hollow? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good, but that was as far as she got to think about it, because the man grabbed her arm.

    "Oh, a peculiar, too. What a delicious meal," he chuckled. The man tried to drag (Y/N) back down the hill.

    "What? What are you talking about? Get off of me!" (Y/N) exclaimed.

    She jabbed the strange man with her elbow and took off down the other side of the hill. The twigs from trees whipped her face, and she kept tripping over the underbrush. She looked behind her, and he had started after her. She leapt over bushes, shrubs and rocks, but still the strange man kept chasing her.

    The rain started coming down, hard. Each drop that splashed on her face seemed big enough to fit in her hand. The forest floor started to get muddy, too, and it took all of (Y/N)'s effort to keep from sliding across the ground.

    Splash, splash, splash. Her footsteps pounded a rhythm into the ground that matched the one of her heart, both getting increasingly faster.

    Each step became more laborious, and breathing was becoming exceptionally difficult. Her back hurt, her shoulders hurt, everything hurt. (Y/N) had been tired when she was chasing the cat, but at this point she was running for her life. She had no idea where each turn would take her, how long she would have to run for, and especially if the psycho man would catch her. Needless to say, she was confused, afraid, and nearly hysterical. She wasn't sure which was running down her face–tears, or rain.

    Boom! Thunder. The sudden sound made (Y/N) falter, skidding through the mud. She was thoroughly soaked, and water was seeping into her tan suede boots. No waterproofing could save them now.

    Every time (Y/N) looked back, the man was still there, chasing her. Always the same distance away, no matter how hard she poured on speed. What is he? was the only thought she had. Running, running, running. Soon (Y/N) began to slow down, her movements becoming more and more sloppy. Her lungs were burning, but still, she had to go on.

    Of course, the man was still there, yelling. She heard a roar. Suddenly, twigs were snapping near her, but it wasn't the man. Even more confusing: the roars were coming from somewhere else behind her. However, (Y/N) didn't get the chance to ponder that—the man had nearly caught up with her, grabbing at her arm. Almost instantaneously, she was at one of Cairnholm's many cliffs. She tried to veer away, but her feet weren't as fast as her mind, and as she tried to turn, her foot got stuck under a root.

    She heard a sickening snap. The pain shot up her right ankle and nearly consumed her. She fell down and started sliding through the mud, containing to slip closet to the edge of the cliff. Like her, the man stop fast enough, and (Y/N) stuck her foot out in front of him, causing him to trip over her, and over the edge of the cliff. Splat.

    (Y/N) gagged. It was so disgusting! She had just killed someone!! Somewhat unintentionally, but still!!!!

    The pain and fatigue were making her slip out of consciousness. The momentum from the man running into her sent her rolling again, and even faster than before.

    Crack! Pain exploded in her skull; she had slammed her head into a rock. Nearly passing out, (Y/N) slipped over the edge and did the only thing she could—she grabbed the rock. Her fingers slid from the mud covering it, and she had to keep grasping to even hold herself up.

    (Y/N) quickly lost energy, her vision getting fuzzier by the second. She didn't even have the energy to scream, and she was going to die right next to the man who wanted her killed, or something to that effect.

    Footsteps came pounding toward her. She felt herself being pulled back over the edge. She was on her back, and she heard cursing. She opened her eyes the tiniest bit and let out a small whimper. "Help." She met the eyes of the person who saved her. It was a boy, and he didn't appear to be wearing any clothes.

    What have I gotten myself into? She thought.