Her Cat

Chapter 2

She exhaled deeply, gazing intently at the door with wide eyes. Wondering if her eyes might pop out at any moment, or would the door swing open first? She couldn't move her gaze from the door. Almost as if she were to look away, the door might just open.

Lash meowed in a fretful, hasty manner, eyeballing her and then the door. Her shaky hand was rubbed by Lash in a failed attempt of calming her. However, the cat refused to give up and jumped into her lap. He stood rigidly and licked Jade chin.

She looked down, sweat rolled, and her eyes started to sting. Against all odds, her tightly shut lips moved. "I-I'm okay L-Lash..." She gulped down her saliva, it was uncomfortable to swallow, despite the fact she didn't have an inflammation in her throat. It was as if her nerves were stomped on, she couldn't move, no- the fear devoured her. 

The realization she was in danger in her house overwhelmed her with immersive fear. She was obligated to seek help, yes, but her body rejected her. Visibly she fought until she could get her bearings, she turned around and dashed to her phone. But as her fingers typed in her aunt number, she stiffened and stared at the phone.  

If she called now, this might pass as a fooling around or anything like it. Or perhaps it'd be taken as a murder case and left in various other murder cases collections. Left to deteriorate and slowly waste away while she and Lush were lost to time. 

She stared at her reflection through the phone. She didn't press anything and laid her phone down. A color of the yellow hue made her turn her head towards Lush, who stared at her with a perplexed gaze. She, somehow, smiled the smallest bit and lifted herself up slowly with her gaze darted to the main door.

I won't be afraid, this is the same person who murdered my parents. If anything, I should stand tall and with pride.

Jade spun around and headed towards the door calmly, her unsteady hands calmed with a resolve she couldn't place into words, she took a sharp breath in and swung open the door. Instead of getting murdered herself or a mysterious figure. Nothing was in her view, expect the rain. And the unsettling feeling that now rested in her in the pit of her stomach. What if.. What if it was the stalker?

She tried to calm her stomach that twisted into knots. She kept it at bay and her anxiety that raised to unfathomable levels. At one point she asked herself if she was hallucinating this, maybe she wanted her parent's death to have a meaning and not some joke that mocked her miserable existence. The thought of it made the black head discreetly crack a smile, not drawing attention to her cat that didn't budge from her lap ever since she had sat on the sofa.

She didn't feel up to dragging herself up the staircase and cocooning herself in her room. The chilly living room felt like a more pleasant alternative, and so she didn't move, just her eyes kept betraying her and lingering on the front door. Which left her even tenser and in no position to focus on her original task of watching a movie. 

After she threw the piece of paper into the depths of the depths of the trash bin, she resumed a movie.

By the time, the movie had climaxed, and the credits had begun to roll in. Her aunt had returned from her job and greeted Jade in a cheerful yet fatigued tone that gave off how intensively she had exerted herself for the past hours. "I'm home Jade! How are you, dear? How was school?" She pestered her as Jade scrolled through various movies. Not showing what she felt at the moment, fearfulness and dismayed that her aunt actually had come back and didn't get brutally killed off.

Who could do this?

"Aunt, did my parents really die from a car accident? Was it an 'accident' for cover-up? Did mom and dad have any enemies?" Jade inquired, she could spot her aunt face wrinkle to a frown and a look she was sure signified her as innocent. After so many years of being subjected to bullying, Jade could tell if it was a deliberate act or a genuine act. 

Her aunt sighed, "Look Jade, it was an accident. I think you're watching too many movies, how about going to sleep, dear? Hmm?" Jade didn't utter a word when her feet were dragged, and she was once again in her room. Her hand gripped the phone harder, with an unweaving determination. 

She sat down against her wooden bed supporting structure, her thumb skimming through websites associated with her parent's death. She searched every crook and canny, whenever sleep tried to divert her. Jade took some Nescafé packets, washed her face or listened to loud music just up until her alarm buzzed off and she froze. Her eyes disengaged from the phone and stared at the time, it was 7am before she knew it and she didn't catch a wink.

She couldn't have slept no matter what, she knew that, considering her mind kept her consciously aware of the fact there was something that knew where her house was. Someone.. 

Jade took a slow breath, her tense body straining back, but she at some point relaxed and swapped her outfit to what she wore yesterday. She had no yearning to dress up and wear something far more aesthetically pleasing and eye-catching. She rather not put herself at risk in anything with this someone, particularly if it was the stalker that was after her. The perception that Jade didn't know anything made her frustrated. 

With a black-colored headset on, she made her way out of her room. A moment before she turned on some music, she heard Lush, her eyes dilated in realization she didn't carry him with her. A guilt-ridden tidal wave washed over her. "I'm so sorry, Lush!" Jade squatted down and scooped up the black cat that licked her face. She suddenly felt more at ease instantly and a smile bubbled out from her stiff face. "Sorry, my baby, I was just too preoccupied." She spoke quietly and stepped down to give food to Lush.

She didn't get to see her aunt, it wasn't uncharacteristic. It was Tuesday, her aunt was always extra busy on this day. She figured it was due to Tuesday sales.

Jade walked out with the money left on the table, her gaze on the sky. It was cloudy, perhaps some rain was possible. Is this careful.. Should I not go to school?

A sigh while her fingers combed through her hair. It was one thing for someone to be after her, but if so, why did this stalker persistently help her? He was fast and quiet enough to do whatever he desired with her. Even now as she was strolling through the pavement, despite the fact vehicles passed by beside her on the road occasionally.

"Hey?" She practically jumped as she whipped around as lightning-fast as she can. A man with- yellow-colored eyes and jet-black hair— stared at her, his hand held a cat keychain that she typically wore with her bag. The realization she failed to notice it was unanticipated, but she was relieved that she didn't lose it. Why does he remind me of Lush? They have the same eyes... He is annoyingly handsome.

"Thank you very much," She cracked a smile at him in spite of the dozens of thoughts that rushed through her head. His ears were a bit flushed as he looked away, she was confused, but probably he was simply embarrassed. Her center of attention drifted to the rapid increase of students, as she pulled herself back- "Where.." He mysteriously vanished. 

An uneasy feeling rested in the pit of her stomach the rest of the day. It passed by like a haze, and she wasn't sure when she was almost at home. She sighed, her arms folded around herself. It wasn't nighttime, but it certainly felt like it. She yearned to fly away, disregard this burden and stress, but she couldn't. She didn't possess the desire to know who killed her parents, she didn't want to study, and she didn't want to work in the future. 

Jade crouched down, her back slouched against the wall, and she sat on the pavement. 

She could peer at her house here..

I don't want to talk to her, I don't want this..

"Hello?" She looked up at him, his yellow eyes piercing through her. She was certain he could see her battered soul. Jade hugged herself tighter.

"Are you the stalker?" A momentary break as she asked.

"Yes."

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A bit of tension! I think anyone could tell who this stalker is- hope you liked it! Next chapter, hopefully next week, Friday.

Words: 1456