Myth of the Cougar

~ A New Begining ~

The past month had been terribly dry where I lived in the mountains with my aunt and uncle. Our cozy cabin sat comfortably on the side of the valley, just high enough to see the entire town down below from the balcony. The surrounding trees had wilted in the parched wind, and I found myself missing their usual spring blossoms as I watched them tremble in the warm breeze through the living room window. There were warnings of a flash flood on the forecast, but that was highly unlikely in my opinion. The weather app was frequently wrong about these things, and I was positive this was one of those times.

"We'll be leaving now, Zoey." My aunt stood by the door with her bag by her feet and her arms spread wide, inviting me into a farewell hug.

"Okay! Hang on-" I hopped down from where I sat on the windowsill and barreled into her embrace. 

She wobbled a moment but laughed and squeezed me tightly. "Gah, I'm going to miss you, my sweet blossom."

"I'm going to miss you too, Aunt Tracy."

Aunt Tracy pulled away and took my face in her hands. "You've grown so much. I can't believe you're an adult now!"

"Well, almost. I still have two more months before my birthday." I faked a smile against her palms and looked past her shoulder to Uncle Ernie who smiled back despite the tear in his eye.

"Yes," Aunt Tracy lifted her hands from my face to run her thumbs under her eyes. "Two whole months and more that we're going to miss because of some silly vacation," she muttered somberly.

"Silly?" Uncle Ernie coughed and cleared his throat, his eyes wide. "You've been planning this trip since last year, hon," he kindly reminded his wife.

"I know, I know," She let me go and turned around to slap her husband playfully on the shoulder. "But Zoey-"

"Will be fine. She's a fine young woman now and she can take care of herself." He winked at me as he held the door for Aunt Tracy.

I returned a small smile and watched my guardians shuffle their baggage out to the car and slide into the front seats. "Love you guys," I called softly. "I'll see you after summer break."

"We love you too, Blossom! We'll be sure to call every few days to check in." Aunt Tracy buckled her seatbelt. In three minutes, they were gone.

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and closed the door, sliding my back down its length. I loved my aunt, but sometimes she could be a bit much. I pulled out my phone and dialed up my best friend, Meg. She answered almost immediately.

"Are they gone?"

I shook my head fondly. "Yes, they just left. I'm going to pick up my room real quick, then I'll be right over."

"Clean your room? Girl, they're gone! You don't have to keep your room clean for them anymore. Come over now! There's a bag of zebra popcorn calling your name," Meg tempted.

"I don't do it for them, Meg, I do it for myself. You should try it sometime-- then maybe you could keep track of your stuff."

"It's called an organized mess, Zoe," she retorted sassily. "It means I know exactly where everything is even if it doesn't look like it. Anyway, movie's starting at eight so be here soon."

"Will do." I hung up and started up the stairs to my loft where I spent the next thirty minutes methodically picking up old clothes and random knick-knacks. After packing an overnight bag and grabbing my favorite stuffed frog, I jogged down the stairs and snatched my keys as I spun out the door, locking it behind me. I drove down to Meg's house near the town and slid out of my car with my things in tow. Before I could knock on her front door, it swung wide open.

"You ready for an epic all-nighter?" Meg asked enthusiastically, her warm auburn hair falling into her face.

"No. I have work tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh, you're no fun," she sighed dramatically and blew her hair off her nose, but it curled right back. She looked up at the clear sky then ushered me inside. "Come on in, it's all set up in my room and it's supposed to rain soon."

I rolled my eyes as I followed my best friend into her bedroom but halted in the doorway. The corner of my mouth tugged up on its own as I stared at what seemed to be a fort. Three pillows lined the edge of her bed and stood as the foundation for the blanket stretched over the trundle underneath. The corners were tied to a single chair on the far side of the trundle to complete the canopy.

"Am I sleeping under there?" I asked skeptically.

"Nah, this is just for the movie." Meg pulled out her laptop and crawled onto the lower bed so she could place her laptop on the chair seat. "Tada! Perfect height."

"Aren't we a little old for blanket forts?" I teased.

"Ha-ha," Meg wagged her head and rolled her eyes at me. "You might be, you sourpuss. Just get down here so we can start."

I covered my face with my free hand to hide my amusement as I plopped into place with my frog.

"Hey!" Meg shoved my shoulder playfully. "Careful when you sit, this thing took me hours. Besides, if you're too old for a pillow fort then you're too old for stuffed animals."

"Excuse me, but Pistachio is the perfect size for a pillow should you forget to give me one." I gave her a pointed look. 

"Oh, I'll give you one for sure." Meg grabbed a pillow from beside her and whacked me in the face.

~•x~-~-~-~-~x•~

The following morning, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror staring back into my own glassy brown eyes. My head felt stuffed with cotton and my hair was stuck to the side of my mouth where I had drooled. What did I come in here to do? Oh, right, brush my teeth. I dragged my gaze to the counter and saw my toothbrush already in my hand with paste spread on it. I shrugged and began brushing. Behind me, in the mirror, I watched Meg hobble into the bathroom looking much more put together than me.

"Do you know how late we stayed up last night?" Meg mumbled as she wet her washcloth and began rubbing away the bags under her eyes.

I spit and rinsed my mouth before replying, "Well, I think Prince's Bride ended around midnight so... yeah... about then."

"Oh." Meg locked eyes with my reflection and we stared at each other as her face gradually scrunched tighter. She almost looked confused, then her brow shot straight up and she screamed, "You're late! Zoey, get dressed! Go!" She shoved me into the bedroom and thrust my bag into my arms then closed me in.

I looked down at the shirt and it dawned on me. "Dang it!" I jolted into action, put on my zookeeper uniform, grabbed my keys and bag, then dashed out the door.