Cats VS Dogs.

Chocolate Chips

Mystery guy on the sidebar!

"Hey Cassie! Where are you?" Aunt Emily called. I froze, the book I was reading dropping from my hands. She only used that tone of voice when she wanted me to do something that I didn't want to do. I scrambled off of my bed and looked about wildly for a hiding place. The closet! I darted into the small room and hid myself in the corner, underneath the two hanging skirts that I hadn't worn in years. I tucked myself into a tight ball. I was only about 5'2, so I managed to make myself pretty small. 

I heard Aunt Emily's footsteps in the hallway, entering my room. I held my breath, afraid that even the slightest noise would give me away. Finally, she turned and left. I let out my breath, but stayed hidden. Aunt Emily might be waiting just outside the room. Better safe than sorry. 

My heart lodged itself in my throat when an impossibly loud noise blared in the tiny room with me. I screamed loudly as I jumped, my head banging on the horizontal pole supporting the hangers of clothes. As soon as I could breath again, I dug my phone out of my pocket. Aunt Emily's name was written in dancing letters across the screen as Katy Perry's "California Gurls" continued to shreik. I cut her off with the button, my hand shaking. 

"Oh good, there you are. I guess you didn't hear me calling earlier," Aunt Emily appeared in the doorway before me, holding her phone in her hand. 

"Oh yes, I must not have been able to hear you, since I spend my afternoons curled up in the corner of the closet," I snapped. 

"My thoughts exactly. Now, I want to make chocolate chip cookies." 

I perked up right away. I should have known better than to believe Aunt Emily had anything good in store for me. 

"But I seem to be out of chocolate chips. So why don't you just run down to the store and pick up a couple of packages?" she said nonchalantly. 

I gaped at her. Why? I could think of several reasons why this trip shouldn't happen. One, I was petrified of crowds, because they could be hiding a threat. Two, I had just subjected myself to that horrible experience the day before yesterday. And three, I would be a driving hazard, since my ears were still ringing and I swore I could see stars. 

"Hurry up now if you want to have some cookies before supper," she said before disappearing from my view. 

I growled low in my throat, a habit that I needed to stop, at least when I was in human form. If it weren't for my love of cookies, I would have fled the house, but, being the weak creature that I am....

"How many packages do you need?" 

 I parked my Jeep in front of the run-down little store. It was owned by Marcy and Hadley, who had lived here all there lives. The store wasn't much, but it was the only thing for miles, so they stayed in business. There were only a few vehicles in the parking lot, and most were probably old geezers who stopped by to chat and chew tobacco. 

Tilting my chin up a notch, I walked toward the store and pushed the creaking door open. The bell above me clanged lazily, announcing my presence. I breathed deeply, reassuring myself that there was nothing to be afraid of. I made my way to the chocolate, a place I was very familiar with. The selection was very small, and it didn't take long to find that the chocolate chips were not with the candy. 

That's when I smelled him. I hadn't been around another werecat for years, but the scent was familiar and unmistakable. The horrible truth hit me in the face. There was another werecat in the store. 

I stood frozen. I knew I had to get out. I couldn't tell where the smell was coming from, I just hoped that I was moving away from it. Trying to appear normal, I quickly walked towards the door. Wait. When I showed up at home without the chocolate chips, Aunt Emily wouldn't leave me alone until I told her. Then she would stop at nothing to find out who this intruder was, and I didn't want to mess with it.

He's probably just passing through I said in an attempt to be rational. Yes, I'm sure he is, especially since this store is fifty miles from the highway my always helpful subconsious shot back. I decided to go get the chocolate chips. Perhaps I had been overreacting; maybe there wasn't really a werecat here. That wouldn't make sense, now would it? No, it wouldn't. 

With shaky resolve, I edged toward the baking aisle. The smell was faint now. He must be in a different part of the store. I saw the yellow package and snatched it up. Sweat was beginning to break out on my forehead. I wanted nothing more than to get out of here and go home. 

"Well well," a deep, husky voice spoke behind me. I whirled around too quickly, the chocolate chips flying from my hands and into a fruit juice display. I gulped, his unmistakeable male scent washing over me. I was petrified, unable to move. Would he slash out my throat here? Or maybe he would just wait until I passed out on the floor. It wouldn't be too much longer. 

"I didn't know another cat lived around here," he said. I was shaking, so I clasped my hands nervously in front of me. Don't show fear, you coward! 

"Yeah," I stuttered. Yeah? Yeah what? It didn't help that this other cat was as sexy as hell, with thick black hair, a body that could only be described as yummy, and dark eyes. It only made him more frightening. 

He smirked, hooking his thumbs in his belt. "This could be problematic," he mused. Problematic? I needed to get out of here, and fast. "I uh have to go. Like right now," I blurted. I turned and almost ran for the door, leaving him standing in the baking aisle. 

I had almost made it to my car when I remembered the chocolate chips. Damn. I slowly turned to face the store. He could have slipped out while I was making my dash for freedom. 

I opened the store door very quietly, making sure the bell wouldn't give me away. Hadley slept behind the counter, or else he would have bellowed out my name in an effort to be friendly. I peered around the corner of each aisle before I moved on. To my surprise, the baking aisle was empty. I dashed down it and went up to the fruit juice display where the chips had landed. "Where did you go," I muttered as I searched through the jugs. 

A throat cleared behind me. "You dropped these earlier," he smirked. I tried to think of something intimidating, or at least somewhat intelligent to say, but I was quaking. So I did the lamest thing possible. I snatched the bag from his hands and ran for the cash register. Hadley always let the residents make change for themselves, so I paid the money and ran for my jeep.