The Curious Cat: A Petunia's Peculiar Particulars Prequel

The Mysterious Deaths at the High School

Author's Note: Edits and reformatting 7/12/21

LeBreaux High School was a huge public school on the city's west side. It boasted a student body of over 4,000, and it was a maze of hallways and classrooms. Crossing the school on foot took more than five minutes, and that was all the time they had for passing periods. Students tried to get counselors to rig their schedules to make it to their classes on time or carried really big backpacks, so they didn't have to stop at their lockers during passing periods. Rhiannon and Isaiah were sophomores, so Rhiannon knew the school pretty well and could pick out the spot where the unidentified person died. She pointed it out to her Dad as he made a loop around the building in the family's SUV.

"It was right there, in that alcove behind the gym where the storage shed for the landscapers is." She pointed at the blue and white painted shed that had the school mascot, a giant comet with stars radiating all around it painted on the side, and the words, "Home of the Comets!" Written above it in white lettering.

Her dad pulled into a parking space at the back of the lot and turned off the engine. "They said they wouldn't be too long, so we'll wait here for them to arrive."

True to their word, a black SUV pulled into the lot and parked beside them. Two men dressed in everyday clothes got out. One of them knocked on the driver's side window. John rolled it down. "John Grey?"

"Yes," he passed an identification card that he'd gotten out the moment the other SUV pulled into the parking lot. "Mind if I see yours?"

"Sure thing," the Enforcer said after looking at his ID card and passing it back. He reached into his back pocket and withdrew a badge of some sort. Rhiannon didn't get a good look. Whatever it was, it was enough to satisfy her Dad because he nodded his head. "My daughter says that she thinks her brother's death may have something to do with the girl that died her a couple of weeks ago. Isaiah was found almost in this exact spot. We'd like to know what happened to our son."

"You mentioned having a spiritualist with you on the phone?" the Enforcer asked.

"Yes," her mother answered. "Our daughter. We've only just discovered her power, so you won't find her on the registry."

"You'll register her first thing Monday morning." It wasn't a question. Neither her mother nor father contradicted him, so Rhiannon figured she'd learn what that was all about later.

"Okay, if you and your daughter would step out of the car, we'll investigate the area ourselves first, and then we'll let your daughter have a look around."

John and Rhiannon got out of the car on the driver's side. Bathsheba hopped out behind John and joined them in the parking lot. She sat on the ground between them while they waited for the Enforcers to check the area. It seemed like forever. Eventually, even Bathsheba couldn't clean her paws anymore, and she looked at Rhiannon. "Would you mind carrying me over there when the time comes? It will be the best way for me to protect you if anything happens."

"You can do that?" Rhiannon asked.

Her father answered for Bathsheba, "Familiars have abilities to protect the people they care about it. It means that Bathsheba has become emotionally attached to you. It doesn't have to be a permanent contact. If we find her owner, she'll go back home with her, but for the interim, she can protect you from evil spirits that might try to control you."

Rhiannon snatched the cat up off the ground and hugged her close to her chest. "There are evil spirits that can control you? Like that movie we saw last weekend?"

"No," her father laughed. "More like the one you saw when you were a kid, where a spirit can try to invade your mind. You can fight it off, but holding Bathsheba will make that easier for you to do. It's like she'll boost your ability."

"How do you know all of this?" Rhiannon asked. "You're not a spiritualist. At least, you didn't say you were."

Bathsheba tapped Rhiannon's cheek gently with her paw. "I was his mother's familiar." Rhiannon stared at the cat for a second. "Wait, what? You knew my grandmother?"

Bathsheba nodded her head once. "I did. She was a lovely woman, very brilliant and talented."

One look at her father confirmed Bathsheba's story. "So, you grew up with this cat?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Bathsheba was always with my mother."

"From the day she was born until the day she passed." Bathsheba looked over at John from Rhiannon's arms. "I was very sorry to lose her."

"You ran off," John accused.

"I was called," Bathsheba explained. "A familiar is unable to ignore a call. I would have stayed with you if I could, John. That isn't how it works."

"You didn't even try." Rhiannon heard the bitterness in her Dad's voice and exchanged a worried look with Bathsheba.

"If there were a choice," the cat said after a long silence, "I would have made it, John. You know that. I cared for your family very deeply, and I still do." Bathsheba stopped talking when she saw the Enforcers return from the area.

The taller one said, "All right, we'll take your daughter over there and supervise the situation." He stopped and looked at Bathsheba, "Is that your familiar?"

She seemed confused on how to respond, so Bathsheba replied, "I am on temporary loan to her."

"Good enough for me," the Enforcer said. "If you follow me, I'll take you over to the area, and if there are any shades, we need you to let us know right away. We have equipment that will allow us to see what you see to protect you while you interact with them. We won't be able to hear their side of the conversation, so if you feel threatened, let us know."

"I will take care of that," said Bathsheba. The cat looked up at Rhiannon. "No harm will come to you while we are together."

Rhiannon smiled. "I promise after this is over, we'll go find your owner."

Bathsheba glanced over at the equipment shed. "I have a feeling that won't be necessary, but let us see."