The Attic Above Us

8

Beatrice sat in silence. Henry said there were others cats, and Jonathan said he was the leader. But what did he mean by "I'll call"?
The steps creaked as she walked upstairs to find Henry. He was very hard to find in the dark, so Beatrice quickly turned on the lights and searched.
"Hello!" She turned around to find Seven. "How are you? If you need help looking I most definitely can!"
"How did you know I was searching for someone?"
"We Feelkens can read other's minds without them knowing. Anyways, why are you searching for Henry?" Seven sat completely still, as if Beatrice was watching the news and paused it because she hates it so much.
"I need to ask him what umm...I mean....where umm... I just need to ask him a question..." Beatrice pushed out of her tiny lips. The black blob, tall and thin, stood completely still for what seemed like forever.
"You need to ask him why Jonathan melted and where are all the other cats at, true?" Seven got it all right. She wished they could never read minds. Now she could never lie.
"Yes..."
"I can help!"
"No it's okay, I can find him on my own." Beatrice said. But paused for a moment to ask him a question."Where is the other nine Feelkens?"
"Don't worry about it. They're at home protecting the-" Seven almost was going to say something he's not allowed to. But, why?
"Protecting what?" Beatrice was very confused, as she always was.
"Umm...the uhh...sandwich...?" Seven smiled a huge, black-lipped grin and acted as if that was what they were protecting.
"Seven, you can tell me. I won't hurt nor tell anyone."
"Okay..." Seven began. "They're protecting the...um...the key. Remember when I said something about a key and then disappeared?"
"Yes."
"That's the key I was talking about." Seven slowly, very, very slowly, began to fade.
"But wait! You have to tell me more! And why do you always leave at the worst of times?" Beatrice exclaimed.
"I'll tell you some other day. But for now," Seven was almost gone by now. "Good bye."
"WAIT!" Seven was gone.
"Why the hell are you so loud?" Henry walked up behind Beatrice and sat there. "I was sleeping, you know."
"Sorry. I was just talking to Seven." Beatrice took a glance at Henry and back at the spot where Seven had once been. "Anyways, I was actually looking for you."
"Ask away." Henry tilted his head a little to the right and smiled.
"Well...you're old 'friend' Jonathan came around. He was in this house. Maybe even here before we met." Beatrice walked up and grabbed Henry to sit on her bed and talk. "He said he would call if I put him in water, and I was only going to because he scratched me. See?" She showed Henry her long scar on her leg. "What does it mean that he was going to call?"
"He was going to call the rest of them. All the old cats. They helped him, as in 'assist' help. They were like his servants. They're probably happy now." Beatrice let Henry go on. "I was actually going to invite Kailee over today to talk and hang out and if you'd like I can still ask."
"That'd be lovely!" Beatrice hurried and got dressed in a sky blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants that said "HOPE" in big purple letters.
There was a ring at the door.
"That can't be. We don't even have a bell on the door." Beatrice explained. Confused. Again.
"I put one on while you were getting dressed."
"Thanks, but we have to take it down once my parents return. If they do..." She almost started to cry.
"It's okay, they'll find them."
"Hopefully..."
Riiiiiiiiing. Henry practically jumped from the top stairs to the bottom just to open the door.
Henry pulled a string that attached to the door and opened it.
"Hey!" Kailee said. Her big, grey-blue eyes bulging out of excitement. "Oh mah lowrd, it's been such a lowng tiiiiiime!"
"Henry, you didn't tell me she had an accent." Beatrice whispered in Henry's ear.
"I don't remember her having one." He whispered back.
-----
"How have y'all been? Ya been good?" Kailee asked.
"I've been great, Miss." Beatrice said politely.
"I've been doing alright myself." Kailee shifted on the couch so she could see out the window. "There's some big news today, heard from ma folks wachtin' dere television dis mownin'."
"What happened?" Beatrice asked.
"This married couple was found dead in somebody's backyawd yesterday," she said. "Said that they're daughter was left alone for three days not knowing where dey were. So sad, dat is."
"Umm...if you'll excuse me..." Beatrice went upstairs, sat on her bed, and cried.