Bad Blood

Chapter Four

My delicate scents and floral thoughts/
Could never combine with you/
You, with your harsh chords/
And the strikes of your heart.

I was sprawled on the ground, clutching my heart as I stared at the offending object: a phone set to play the recording of cats in pain over and over. But not just any cats. Instinctively I knew that these recordings were from Mer and Olivia.
I'll find them, I swore to myself. Whatever it takes, I'll -

For the second time today, I heard somebody enter my house. I couldn't help it; I screamed, and loudly. A voice - male - swore, and I heard footsteps thumping up the stairs. "Taylor? What happened?"
Despite its current pain, my heart almost stopped when Calvin came into view. He was dressed in that leather jacket that I loved. "Calvin," I breathed, drinking in the sight of him. I was high on all the whirls of new romance, and I knew it, even though I was helpless to stop it.
"Why did you scream?" Calvin said urgently, not bothering with a hello.
I was jerked back to earth as I remembered why I was collapsed on the floor, and I explained the situation to him. As I spoke, Calvin sat down and ran a hand through his golden hair. Like the sun, I thought dizzily, or a lion's mane....
But instead of vowing to aid me on my quest to capture the monster who had taken my cats, Calvin laughed incredulously.
"What?" I snapped, shocked.
"Taylor," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Your CATS have been kidnapped. Your cats! What would anybody want with them?"
I raised my chin stubbornly. "I happen to think that Olivia and Meredith are priceless."
"Well, yeah, you do," Calvin continued. "But nobody else does!"
"Which must mean that they don't care about money - they just want to hurt me!" I interjected. "But why?"
Calvin rolled his eyes. "Taylor, it's obviously a prank. Call Gigi or Ella or whoever you're friends with and let them know you've figured it out."
I hadn't considered that possibility. A....prank? But who would pull such a mean-spirited prank?
Squaring my shoulders, I nodded. "Okay. I'll text everyone and let them know, but if my cats aren't back to me in 24 hours exactly, then I'm going to the police."
My boyfriend smirked. "I'm sure you'll be their top priority."
"I could hire a private investigator, then!" My voice was shrill.
"Whatever, Taylor." Calvin stood, stretching. "I'm leaving."
And, just like that, he walked out.

After a few minutes, or maybe hours, I pulled myself up and headed to the kitchen for a snack. I could make something fancy....but then again, I could also have nachos. Blasting Kendrick to cheer myself up, I covered a bowl of chips with heaps of shredded cheese, and a few jalapeños (because I was feeling daring). And yes, I ate them all. While I ate, I texted all my friends, letting them know in no uncertain terms that if they had Mer and Liv, I wanted them back pronto. Their responses varied.
Karlie: "Babe!! I'm so sorry! I promise I don't know anything, but I'll come over later if you want?"
Ella: "??? Why would I have your cats?? They don't even like me??"
Ed: "When did this even happen? I was just over there!"
Vance: "I don't know anything, sorry. But I'm so excited for the tour, by the way! I think I've really got my songs nailed!"
Ellie: "Haha, Taylor, I forgot you even had cats! I'm sure it's a joke or something." (How could she forget that I had cats?! It's all I ever talked about!)

And so on. I was more and more discouraged with each reply. Clearly, nobody knew anything. And, although I didn't want to admit it, Calvin was right; the police would laugh me out of the station. So what was I to do?