Chapter Three - Cat
"Hurry up, we're late!" Henry yelled from downstairs, as Cat combed through her long, hair. She knew it was dark brown, slightly lighter than Henry's as a child but she wasn't sure if his was still the same. He could have dyed it for all she knew.
"I'm coming!" She yelled back, slamming her bedroom door shut.
Her mum had gone to work - she was a teacher at their local primary school - which allowed Cat some space because she had to leave quite early in the mornings. Carefully, she took hold of the banister and found her footing on the first step. It was small, she realised, but it didn't make it any harder. She was willing to continue on, taking another step forward onto the second step down. It was easier than her mum had told her, she thought but she knew she wouldn't be able to have the guts to tell her mum later. Henry, on the other hand, wasn't that difficult, especially when he stood at the bottom of the stairs watching her in silence, with Cat completely unaware of it.
Slowly, as she got to the bottom, a smile grew onto her face, her body tingling with relief. A rush of adrenaline lifted her up as she laughed out loud.
"I knew you didn't need my help." Henry's voice had startled her and immediately she tried to reach out to him.
"You were watching me the entire time? Mum wouldn't be pleased." She joked. Her fingers brushed against a jumper, in which she realised had to be his, due to the squishy flesh she could feel underneath. Plus, he was the only one in the house with her.
"She treats you like a little kid." He replied, the joking tone non-existent. "Come on, let's go."
The gentle breeze embraced Cat all of a sudden, making her aware of the front door being open. Sure that she had the steps memorised, she walked towards th gentle breeze, listening around for any objects that she was capable of bumping into. It was easier without her mother suffocating her every step, as she was free to take in the detail of the music around her - the keys that jingled, the coats that swished and her gentle footsteps as she touched the ground.
"Okay, let me help you with this bit." Henry spoke, quickly taking her hand to guide her towards his car. She let him that time, as she remembered that the car was quite big, possibly a smaller version of a truck and hopefully, a bit more adorable than a truck.
Once inside, she buckled her seatbelt, something that had become automatic to her and as Henry drove, she contemplated about talking to him. He was usually in such a good mood, but there was something missing today as he was completely silent. She wished to be able to see his expression, to notice his dark circles under his eyes or some sort of sign on whether he was okay or not. However, all that she could see was blurry and faded, so she did what she always did to avoid awkward situations - plug in her music.
"What's the latest song you're listening to?" Cat pretended to ignore Henry's question, as she did not want to reveal that it was her own. Sure, he knew that she sang but he didn't know that she was thinking about doing it for a living.
"Cat, come on. Let me hear." He reached over to pull out the headphones, startling her as he lost concentration on the road. Her voice began to blare loudly from the iPod, whilst the car skidded to a halt.
Silence. From both of them, the only sound was their panicked breathing as the song continued to play. They stayed like that for a while, with Cat almost shocked and frightened. He was listening to her song and he had just scared the living daylights out of her. Henry seemed to notice what he had just done, as he quickly apologised. Cat snapped out of the trance, quickly fumbling the iPod off.
"Just drive." She told him. "Please."
The rest of the journey was completed in absolute silence. Cat had even given up on her iPod, in fear of Henry snatching it off of her again. She knew that almost crashing the car wasn't his intention, yet he was aware of how it made her feel. He knew that she would tremble and quiver at the thought of an accident, especially without her sight.
