A Cat Called Trap

Chapter 5

Kit knocked on Cederic’s door, his knuckles starting to grow raw from his unending repetition. An annoyed yell from the neighbor’s house caused Kit to flinch, but his hand did not stop. The door swung open with a violent swish, and Cederic’s skinny hand grabbed Kit’s collar.

Kit was pulled inside with a force only anger could support and was thrown into the room. No matter how many times Kit came here the room never changed: one bed in the corner, a desk opposing it with a new laptop on top, and a single coffee maker in the corner. Each room was wide and empty; the only room that had any arrangement of furniture was one they were in.

Kit always wondered how Cederic managed to live like this, although he never got the courage to ask. Cederic shoved a cup full of coffee into Kit’s ribs and said, “Drink,” before sorting through the various papers on his desk. Kit could only fathom how much data was collected on that desk.

Kit took a sip of the coffee before sticking his tongue out in disdain at the bitter taste, shaking his head in an effort to shake away the flavor.

Cederic pointed towards the bed and Kit obediently sat. He then pulled the chair in front of the desk and sat facing Kit. “Alright Kitty Cat, tell me what happened…”

The words kind and gentle were not part of Cederic’s vocabulary, nor were brave and fierce in kits, but as usual no sparks would flare. The only people who could even pretend to get along with Cederic were Piper and Kit, and they were just plain odd. Piper viewed everything as a challenge to undertake, and Kit was just a common house cat. The group of three was tightknit even if they wouldn’t care to admit it.

Kit placed the cup on the ground, speaking slowly. If he messed up with the explanation, Cederic would give him hell later. When the cat-like boy finished his explanation, rubbing his eyes with the outside of his wrist, Cederic finally started to speak.

“Are you sure you weren’t hallucinating? Never mind, don’t answer that. At what time did this take place?”

Kit looked down towards his feet, “Maybe an hour or two ago when the game went online.”

Cederic clicked his tongue in annoyance, “Forbidden Dreams right? Can I get a time?”

Kit stammered as he tried to answer, “A-around 5 o’clock”

“Thank you,” Cederic replied, quickly going silent.

Kit stared at him impatiently “So do you know what happened?”

Cederic only raised his head enough so Kit could see his glare, “Does this seem like a situation where you can make sense of it in a few seconds? Shut up while I think.”

Kit not only shut up, but also stopped making any unnecessary sounds with his breathing. One minute passed then two, then three. Eventually even the patience inspired by fear ran out. “So do you have anything?”

A natural smile spread across Cederic’s lips, “Besides that this situation is insane? Yes.”

“What happened to Piper?” Kit tilted his head slightly to the side, raising his silver earing higher.

“How am I supposed to figure that out without the technology used?”

Kit trying to be helpful handed the helmet that was next to the coffee on the floor.

The insomniac raised an eyebrow, “Seriously?”

Kit nodded.

“Seriously? This little thing? I knew it was small but this is seriously pushing it.”

Kit twisted his dark brown hair thinking silently to himself. Cederic  seemed to have known about the game beforehand. Even Kit had only learned about it a few hours before.