A Narration from the Brain of Jewel Quinn

Chapter 9: Henry, the obese kitty

Chapter 9: Henry, the obese kitty

Poolhouse, 12 pm

Of course, I couldn't hide out in McDonald's forever. Eventually they flicked off the lights and I shuffled out with all the other kids. I tread home, where I was sure I was going to get it BIG TIME from Mrs. Oaks for leaving in the middle of dinner.

What I didn't count on was the whole family still being there. But they were.

"Where could she be?" Mr. Oaks asked. He was sitting on one of the stools around the kitchen counter with Mrs. Oaks and Gramps, holding a wireless phone.

"She's going to be in big trouble when she comes back" Mrs. Oaks said at the exact same time.

I really wanted go in and apologize so the mayor could start the lighting of the campfire ceremony and officially open founder's week but as soon as I saw Odette Pennel's blonde dome of carefully sprayed hair from the window, I hightailed out there and hid in the pool house.

It's not like it was my first choice. I was actually going to scale the drain pipe that was beside my bedroom window.

I had already done this a few times back home when we broke into places to get some facts to back up our protests. I was getting pretty good at it - my feet acted like those climbing clamps Desiree and I saw them use in the Discovery Channel to climb Mount Everest. I could even hook them on the grooves of those brick walls on old houses.

But then I saw the big yellow eyes of Henry, Odette's big cat, staring at me from the window sill-well as much of him as you could fit on the windowsill anyway- watching me.

My mom never let me keep a cat because she thought they would climb on top of you at night and suck the life out of you. This could be true in Henry's case because if he ever did try to climb on top of me, His nine pound body would just about crush my larynx.

So I just got in the pool house before anyone could see me. I could always sneak back in later once the coast was clear and everyone had gone to the campfire.

The mayor has to say the intiation rights so it shouldn't be long. I probably dozed off while waiting.

I shot up in bed as the lights went on. My wrist watch read midnight, and my heart pounded. I didn't expect anyone to use the pool house at night. I tried to remember if I left anything in the main room. I eased off the bed and sneaked a peek over the white bookshelf that separated the bedroom from the rest of the pool house.

A man who was not Ryan Oaks stood in the porch. Although they were about the same height, his hair was darker, almost blue black, and he was a few pounds heavier. It was only when he turned around that I saw his face.

It was Tom Bronson.

My heart kicked up another notch as I heard the crunch of a second pair of feet. I lifted my head a little higher but couldn't find any signs of abandoned shoes or clothes.

"Somebody left the door unlocked.", Tom said a few momenta later as the person entered.

Tom was tall, well built and as exceptionally good looking as Ryan. He and Leah shared the same navy blue eyes, sharp cheekbones and full lips. Mission Hill definitely had more than its fair share of male stunners.

"Mom must have forgotten to close it up the last time she was here."an unpleasantly familiar voice replied.

I inched up my head again. The beast had wandered into the center of the room.

Tom took one of the beers Ryan handed him and carried it over to the far side of the room, where he sat against the second and third french windows.

"What does it say about a town when we have to sneak away to have a private conversation?" Tom said as he popped the top.

They drank in silence for a while and I allowed myself a flicker of hope. As long as they didn't stumble into the back where my bag and shoes were, this could turn all right for me.

"You think he'll buy the land this time?" Tom said.

"Hard to tell with Bob Caprice. Last week, he told us he was going to build in San Burnes but now he's here again."

I had heard enough conversations to know that Bob Caprice was the owner of Alibyo Industries, a construction company, and the man the town was counting on to build some kind of big mall and condominium complex that would bring in more tourists and rescue the town from its economic stagnation.

Apparently, Mission Hill's only decent sized industry was the electronics ccompany partialy owned by Mr Oaks. But one company wasn't enough to sustain the town economy and Mission Hill desperately needed jobs and a new source of revenue.

"We have to show Bob's son, Luke, the time of his life tomorrow." Ryan said. "Let him see what his future will be if he sways his father into choosing Mission Hill."

"Leah said she wanted to swim with us tomorrow."Tom said, "and the whole 'we'll have you arrested' won't work on her. Having my sister there would be the last thing we need. Luke knows he can't outswim us but we'll have a hell of a time convincing him if he gets beaten by a girl. And Leah's backstroke is almost as good as mine."

"I already asked Messer to keep Leah away and distract her." Ryan said. "Plus I'm going to arrange for Jewel to go with us tomorrow."

"That'll definetly pump Caprice's ego. Swimming with the daughter of the great Harold and Jasmine Quinn."

Ryan's smile faded, and he dropped his hands between his bent knees. "If we don't pull this off, the town's going to suffer in more ways than I can count."

"It's time for your father to tell the people how dire the situation really is."

"They already do. But for now he just want them to enjoy founder's week."

Silence fell as they finished their beers. Finally, Tom stood up to leave. "You're not a miracle worker. All you can do is give ot your best effort."

"And you're spending way too mich time with Louise. You're starting to sound like her."

They kept on like that, jabbing at eachother as they went outside. And I breathed a sigh of relief as I heared an engine roar to life.

And then I realized that the lights were still on.

The door opened again and a single set of footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors. He gazed towards the pool and his shoulders sagged ever so slightly.

The moment passed quickly. He moved toward the door that led to the garden. My stomach tightened with dread. A moment later I heard a very loud and angry curse.

I ducked my head and hid my face between my hands. Maybe if I stayed really quiet....

"Jewel!"

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Places you can hide in when a beast is hunting you down:

1. Closet

2. Underneath a table (if it's really dark he won't even notice you're there)

3. Behind a door. (This way, you can run away after he's turned away to look for you somewhere else)

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This Chapter is dedicated to Love_Rea. Thank you for helping me iron out the kinks in my previous chapters :)

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P.S. Share your favorite hiding place below. You may have noticed my notorious suckiness in hiding from the places I've mentioned which is why I always get found first :))