Sebastian

Chapter Eight

This chapter has 1174 words in it. I missed a couple days because I've been having asthma attacks, and when I get them, the rescue inhaler works here and there but more times than not, I have to have breathing treatments. I made this chapter longish, and I HAVE NOT READ OVER IT YET. It probably has MANNYYY errors in it, I'll re-read it ASAP. Thank you for reading!

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I jolted awake at the sound of my father's voice. I shot out of bed, knocking poor Elmer right off, and dashed out of my room. I rushed into his room, but he wasn't there. My heart thudded loudly, and I looked in the kitchen, where I saw him sitting at the table, talking to mom. I stood there, in the doorway, baffled. Mom looked up and smiled widely at me, and dad followed her gaze and gave me a grin.

"Your father is feeling much better today," She said brightly. Dad nodded.

"I woke up and it was like I really woke up," He explained. "We're going to the doctor today to see what she thinks."

I still stood there. "So it's like, what, all gone?" I asked dubiously. I refused to hope that, after years of being so sick, he was absolutely fine all of a sudden.

Mom laughed nervously, probably feeling the same way. Dad shook his head.

"No, I don't feel 100% better. But I don't feel near as bad as I have been feeling. That's why I'm going to the doctor," He explained.

"Lizzy, would you make Kaden some breakfast? Your dad wants to take me to town," She said, excited.

"While I can," He joked. She hit his shoulder playfully, her eyes shining. It made me happy to see them like this, but I still didn't believe it was going to hold. I couldn't.

"Yeah, ya'll have fun," I said, uneasy. I realized that I had only just got out of bed, and I ran back to do all of my morning duties.

After Elmer was fed and I was somewhat presentable, I wished Mom and Dad a safe trip and walked into the kitchen. Kaden was still asleep; he would sleep through the day if we let him. I buttered two pieces of white bread and put them on the stove, and got a bowl and some cereal, not intending to make him anything fancy. When it was all done, I walked into his room.

"Kaden." I called. He was fast asleep, his mouth hanging slightly open. I called again, to no avail.

"Kaden!" I shouted, slapping his bare chest. He shot up with a yelp, looking around. I rolled my eyes.

"Go eat breakfast, moron."

After Kaden finished his breakfast and got over the impossibility of Dad being okay and walking, he reluctantly left to go to work. I let Elmer prance around the house while I cleaned, and I smiled at his happy noises and the occasional crash as he got into things. As I stepped outside, I nearly tripped, and Elmer shot out of the house and out onto the street. I started to shout his name, but stopped myself, realizing that it could put my family at risk. I looked down to see the box that had tripped me, and I kicked it, furious. I felt the angry tears fill my eyes, and I turned and left the box outside, slamming the door. There was no way I was visiting him tomorrow. No. Way.

After Mom and Dad came home, I told them about Elmer and cried. They comforted me, telling me everything was going to be okay, that Elmer is a smart kitten and he knows his way home. They left for the doctor shortly after that, and I laid on my bed, waiting for the tickle of whiskers on my cheek but realizing over and over that they weren't coming. It broke my heart again and again, and after they arrived from the doctor's bright and elated, even then I couldn't help but feel like I'd had something torn completely from my heart. Kaden came home, and my heart broke all over again, having to tell him Elmer ran away.

I went to bed that night depressed. It was only a cat, I wasn't stupid, I understood. I told myself I should be ecstatic; Dad was getting better, Kaden got a raise at his job, Mom was happier, and I had managed to hide the box from them so they wouldn't ask questions. But all I could think about was the soft pressure of tiny footsteps on my mattress, the crinkle of paper as a little kitten threw it around, the happy noises he made when he caught something. I cried for hours, so much that I drifted into a troubled sleep with a huge headache.

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A knocking at my window jerked me awake. I looked around, confused, and the knocking started again. I grabbed a shoe for defense and got out of bed, quietly tip-toeing my way over to the window. I peeked out, and was met with a pair of faintly familiar amber eyes. He tapped on my window, and I shook my head furiously, not trusting a single bit of him. He raised his other hand, and my gaze met a pair of lazy green orbs. I gasped and immediately opened the glass, just enough to let the small creature in. Elmer yowled happily, winding himself around my ankles. I was so relieved I could've fainted; even so, I did cry. A little. The guard from the ball laughed quietly, and it was the first time I actually looked at him. He was tall, with those amber eyes and a mop of chestnut-colored hair. He was tan, and as much as I hated the king at that moment, I couldn't help but admit he knew to hire some attractive guards. I leaned in the crack of the window.

"How did you know he was mine?" I asked. I tried not to worry so much about the king finding out I had a pet; I reasoned with myself that he wouldn't go through the trouble of bringing him back if he planned to tell on me. Not to mention that he didn't have the air of a snitch in the slightest. He leaned down to whisper back.

"I saw you at the ball. Saw the cat and had a gut feeling it was yours," He explained. I opened the window a little wider so he didn't have to lean so far, and he grinned in thanks.

"You won't tell the king?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nah, I'm not obligated. If I had found him when I was on duty, though.." He trailed off. I nodded, grateful he wasn't in uniform. 

"Thank you so much, I can't even tell you how grateful I am," I said, smiling at Elmer as he waited by his food bowl.

"Look, I'm not going to tell the king, but you need to be more careful with it. There's no telling how many people saw him. It's possible nobody did. Nevertheless, expect more house visits for the next few days. I assume you have somewhere to hide it?" He asked. I nodded. 

"Keep it hidden for a few days, a week at the most. Nighttime is fine, but during the day, he should stay in here."

"Okay, I really appreciate it. I'm Elizabeth."

He smiled. "I'm Roy. I'll pick you up tomorrow. Two p.m. sharp, be prompt." He grinned at me and slipped away, into the night

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I couldn't let Elmer stay lost because it honestly hurt me :'D I'll post a picture of MY Elmer soon! Thank you for taking the time to read this c: