Live Like A Warrior

Chapter 3

Cat awoke to loud crack of thunder and the pounding of heavy rain on the roof. The storm had worsened in the short time that went by since it started. Cat sat up, rubbing her eyes, confused. "Is it already night time? Jeez, how long did I sleep?" She asked herself. She looked at her digital clock on her little end table beside her bed. 10:38 PM. She had been asleep for nearly four hours. Cat pulled the covers off of herself and hopped out of the bed. A bolt of lightning lit the room up for a brief moment. The door was cracked open. Huh...That's odd. I could've sworn that I shut the door behind me when I came it. Cat pushed the thought aside and just assumed Arsheena or Sebastian peeked in to check on her or something. She flipped the switch on her lamp, brightening up her room. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a long, dark purple nightshirt with small red decals on it. She smiled. She had bought this with some of her birthday money she had received for her birthday in February, before the whole fiasco with Glitch and Haruka happened. She had gone to the mall with Michael, Simon, and Maya and spent not only most of the day there, but most of their money, too. Simon was barely keeping up with the group as Cat ran from store to store and forced Michael to carry her bags. Usually Cat wasn't very girly, but when it came to shopping and splurging, she was one of the most girly ones out there! Cat giggled at the memory. She walked towards her bedroom door and pushed it open gently. The hallway was dark, and only the occasional lightning strike would light it up. She walked down the hall and downstairs into the living room. Arsheena was still sleeping on the couch, to no surprise, and Sebastian had passed out sitting at the kitchen table. Cat laughed quietly to herself and began walking back upstairs. Maybe I should go check on Sage... The she stepped on something wet on the carpet. She quickly moved her foot away from it in disgust. What the hell? Do we have a leak or something? But then she caught the familiar rusty scent of blood. It was a small puddle of blood in the carpet. And upon Cat's further investigation, it was leading upstairs, right into Sage's room. Without a second of hesitation, Cat was already upstairs and down the hall way. She threw Sage's door upon and turned on the light. Sage wasn't there. All that was suspicious was a mysterious letter on the foot of the bed...

Greetings, Catherine!

Hmm, Catherine, such a lovely name... I'm sorry to inform you this, but your son is a very important specimen in a science experiment I must perform. I'm afraid I won't be able to return him alive. Unless, of course, you find him on time...Oh, how I've been dying to set up this riddle! You're the lucky winner today. Four people have received a letter like this, and you're the lucky one that gets a clue. You ready?
If you wish to see your beloved son again, you must dwell among your past. Cut open unhealed scars, work with old enemies, and maybe even old lovers...

Hope to see you soon,
Akiko

"This person's kidding, right? He couldn't have..." Cat didn't bother to finish. Her own son had been kidnapped. And guessing from the blood stains on the carpet, he was probably injured. Cat folded up the letter, tucked it in her shirt, and ran out of the room. She sprinted down the stairs and right over to Arsheena. She started to shake her, desperately trying to wake her up. "Mmm...What the hell do you want?" Arsheena grumbled. "Sage has been kidnapped. We have to go. NOW." Cat informed her. Arsheena immediately got up. "Sebastian, get you lazy ass up! Sage has been kidnapped!" Arsheena screamed into the kitchen, waking Sebby up. He stumbled out of the kitchen and followed the others as the ran outside.

The wind was causing the rain to fall at a sharp angle, pelting all three of them in the face with cold water. Cat hadn't even bothered to change out of her night clothes, so she was soaked in less than a minute. Heck, she didn't even care where she was running at the moment. She just wanted to find something, anything that would lead her to her son. Maybe even old lovers... Cat stopped as a flash of lightning lit up the area. In the distance was a beach house. Michael's beach house. The lights were still on, which hinted that Michael was awake and at home. Should I tell him? She decided that telling Michael might be necessary in finding Sage. She took a deep breath and ran up the the porch stairs as quickly as she could. Arsheena and Sebastian instantly understood the situation, so they distanced themselves. Cat walked up the stairs and approached the door. She lifted up her fist, holding it up to the door, ready to knock... Come on Cat. You can do this. She brought herself to knock on the door. The knock was followed by footsteps, and shortly after, the door opened. Cat knew who it was instantly when she looked into his dreamy hazel eyes. "Cat, what are you doing here? It's nearly 11 at night. You're picking a really bad time to catch up." Michael said jokingly. "Michael, who's at the door?" Cat heard Alex's voice from inside. "Oh, it's just Cat! Don't worry, Alex!" Michael responded. He turned back around to face Cat. "You remember Alex, right? Well, when you left, we actually started dating. Crazy, right?" He said. Those words made Cat wince. H-He's already over me? Her mood instantly shifted from devastated to full on pissed. She grabbed his arm and yanked in out of the doorway and down the porch stairs. "You listen here, Michael! Tonight is not the night to be joking around! M-My...My son was kidnapped. Yes, before you ask, I have a son now. Please. Don't ask questions. I don't know where he is and I need your help." Cat confessed. Michael's eyes widened. "You have a son? Wow! I wonder who the lucky guy is!" He exclaimed. Cat grimaced. It's you, you dumb fuck! Who else would I have s-... "But in all seriousness, I'll help you. Why wouldn't I help?" Michael said. Cat took a deep breath to calm down. "Thank you... Thank you so much." She said, tears filling her eyes. "No problem. Wait, did you run all the way here in your nightshirt? You must be freezing! Why don't you come inside? It's supposed to be stormy the rest of the night and it's a decent distance back to your beach house." Michael insisted. Cat looked at him, smiling. "I'd really appreciate that." She said in a soft tone. Michael and Cat walked back up the stairs and into the house, and shut the door behind them. Sebastian and Arsheena watched from the trees nearby. "Well, she didn't tell him the full truth about Sage yet. What do you think is gonna happen?" Sebastian asked. Arsheena shrugged. "I dunno. But whatever happens, Cat has to confess eventually. Or else she might never see Sage again." Arsheena replied. Sebastian sighed. "Alright, it's really damn cold out here. I don't wanna get pneumonia. Can we go home now?" Sebastian asked. Arsheena chuckled. Yeah, we can go home. We'll join their search in the morning." She answered. And with that, Sebastian walked away from Michael's beach house, and walked home together in the cold rain. 

Cat, we all know what you were gonna say. Please spare us the details, we don't wanna know. Except for Jinx maybe, but that's not the point. Things are getting heated up! What's going to happen between Michael and Cat? Where is Sage? And who is this Akiko person? (FLAMER, NO SPOILERS.) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Chapter! See ya in the next one!