IncuBUST

Cheetah

I felt something tickling my nose. I sprung upright and felt my head collide with something hard and warm. I heard a cry and pain bloomed across my forehead. I opened my eyes and saw Octavia blurry at first and then clearer as my eyes adjusted. She was clutching at her forehead and sitting back on her heels.

I sat up slowly and rubbed my head asking, "Sorry. Are you alright?" She pulled her hands away from her head and nodded. I could see a red mark where my head had hit hers. I looked at her and saw that she was fully dressed and had her back pack slung over her shoulder.

I sprung up off the ground and asked, "What time is it?" I rushed over to my bedside table grabbing my alarm clock that I had neglected to set seeing that it was 8:14am. Octavia had to be at school in the next sixteen minutes! I had to be at work by 8:45am!

I rushed over to my closet and ruffled through my clothes finding a pair of scrubs. I threw off my pajamas and threw on the scrubs with Octavia still sitting on the floor before running out of my room and into the bathroom to brush my teeth and try to remedy my horrible case of floor-bedhead.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" I exclaimed as Octavia came to stand in the doorway of the bathroom, my words garbled around my toothbrush. She shrugged and signed, "You were sleeping really well and Sissy told me not to wake you until the last possible moment." I stared at her for a moment and then bent over the sink to spit out a glob of toothpaste.

I wiped my mouth and rinsed out the sink before looking in the mirror and pawing helplessly at my hair. I sighed and gave up on my hair leaving the bathroom and walking down the hall and into the kitchen where I found Sissy and Taylor picking at the dwindling supply of pastries.

"Why did you tell her not to wake me, Sis? You know I hate having to rush!" I snapped and she rolled her eyes at me pushing forward my phone, keys and wallet and placing a travel mug full of English breakfast tea in front of me. I sighed and mumbled, "Thanks."

She grinned at me and said, "Why you're welcome, dear brother, and how did you sleep last night?" I took my tea and other things shoving them in the deep pockets of my scrubs and replied, "Surprisingly well for sleeping on the floor. And you?"

"Surprisingly well for sleeping next to this gorgeous hunk of man-candy," she retorted and I made myself smile before stooping the kiss her on the cheek and then rushing out the door with Octavia in tow. The last thing I heard was Taylor shouting, "What? I don't get a kiss?"

We both hurried down to the parking garage and hopped in the car and I got her to school just as the bell rang. I sped out of the car loop and made my way downtown to the vet's office. I made it through the door at 8:50am and found an angry Nora in the staff-room hissing at me under her breath.

"Let me guess? The girl again?" she asked derisively and I shook my head replying, "No. I overslept." I drank down the rest of my tea and shoved the empty cup and the rest of my effects into my locker.

"We're going to the zoo about an hour out of town to check on their new baby cheetahs. You feel up to it?" she inquired and I turned to her with wide eyes saying, "Playing with baby cheetahs or watching Witkowski neuter a bunch of cats? How will I ever choose?"

Nora grinned revealing pointy white teeth and smacked me on the ass saying, "Wheels up in fifteen minutes. Just enough time for you to prep the first cat in exam room one." I grimaced and she smirked before flouncing out of the staff-room. I trudged towards exam room one, hesitated at the door, plastered a smile onto my face and walked inside to find an old lady with wild grey-blue hair and long claws for fingernails and her young Persian cat positioned on the exam table glaring at me angrily with it's grumpy smushed face.