Falling Back: Alex Rider FanFic

~Chapter 21~

My eyes widened, "Polly, what in the-"

She shoved past me, "Hi, Alex! Where is Lucy?" her voice was higher than normal and she seemed to be shaking. Whether it was from the fact that she was soaked in freezing rain or nerves I didn't know.

"Lucy!" I called.

I heard shuffling from the kitchen and Lucy replying with, "Who is it?"

My gaze shot to Polly who was now making a beeline for the dining room, "It–"

"Polly!" I was interrupted by Lucy's surprised voice as she turned the corner and saw Polly. Her eyes darted over the girl, checking for injuries, finally they landed on Polly's arms. Or more specifically, what she was holding. "What's this?"

Polly released another shutter, and gently reached one hand towards the creature, softly rubbing between its pointy ears. "I was on my horse, riding before the storm hit and I found this poor little girl on the side of the road. I waited at that same spot for nearly 30 minutes to see if the mom would come back for her and I would have waited longer, but when the storm started I knew I couldn't just leave her there in the rain and mud. I would have ridden back home so my mom could take a look at her, but then it started raining. Your house was the closest place that I could think of to bring her."

Lucy extended her hands, "Don! Go get a few towels and a warm blanket!" She gently wrapped her fingers around the kitten and lifted it up. A weak cry escaped its lips and I saw it was shaking, its brown fur sticking in every direction.

Don appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, his eyes landing in Polly and then on the kitten. He opened his mouth to speak, then scrunched his eyebrows together and closed his mouth heading for the stairs to get the supply's.

Lucy lead us into the kitchen, the kitten still trembling in her arms. She turned the sink on, placing her fingers under the stream of water until it grew warm.

Don entered the kitchen holding a stack of towels and a blanket. I took the towels and brought them over to Lucy while he handed the blanket to Polly.

I silently observed as Lucy filled the sink with an inch of water, gently setting the kitten down in the sink.

Slowly, Lucy began rubbing the mud out of the kitten's fur, turning the water brown.

I squinted and took a step closer, realizing that underneath the dirt the kitten was actually a fiery orange.

Lucy grabbed one of the towels I was holding and wrapped the kitten in it. After gently swaddling it she turned to me and smiled, "Alex could you hold him for a moment?" She took a step closer and extended the towel wrapped kitten towards me.

I nervously nodded, extending my hands out and taking the warm bundle. I stared down at the kitten, its fiery orange fur shone in the light. The little creature nestled in the towel and blinked up at me with wide, curious green eyes.

Polly, sympathetically stared at the kitten. "Poor thing must have been out there alone for awhile," she said, her voice soft with kindness, "She's all skin and bones, we'll have to get her some food."

Lucy nodded in agreement and I hugged the kitten closer to my body, "I can find her something, we have some canned tuna somewhere around here. "

Polly bobbed her head, "Okay, thank you."

Lucy smiled, "Nonsese, no thanks needed. You kids go sit in the living room. I'll work on the kittens' food and make y'all some hot chocolate. Oh and Polly, I'll call your mother, we don't want her to worry."

As Lucy shuffled around the kitchen, Polly, Don and I entered the living room, bringing the now cleaner and warmer kitten with us. The cozy aroma of hot chocolate filled the air as Lucy worked her magic in the kitchen.