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Authors: V. K. Powell
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licked her wrist and Audrey could’ve sworn she smiled.
Yasi rolled off the sofa and started toward the door. “Well, my work here is done.”
“Hey, wait a minute.”
“Only kidding. I’ll get the rest of CB’s belongings from the car. I couldn’t give you a kitten without the necessary accoutrements. That would be like having a computer without the Internet—basically no point. Be right back.”
Cannonball sat perfectly still and stared at her as if trying to relay a message. “What is it, little one?” CB stretched out across Audrey’s stomach and closed her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here too.”
Yasi returned with a pretty pink cat carrier lined with a heating pad and Hello Kitty blanket, a litter box and litter, and another bag full of food and toys. “Everything you need to make this little girl comfortable.”
They spent a while deciding the best spot for CB’s nest, locating her near the hub of activity to acclimate her to the new surroundings. Audrey put food and water in her dish, left it nearby, and turned the heating pad on low. When she opened the door of the crate, CB scooted inside and burrowed under the blanket, obviously tired from the naming exercise.
“Do you love her?” Yasi asked.
“Oh, yes.” She hugged Yasi and pulled her back onto the sofa. “Thank you so much. I needed something to love.” The statement was telling, but Yasi would’ve gotten it out of her eventually anyway.
“What’s going on?”
Before she could censor herself, Audrey blurted out the entire story of her assault. She’d held it in for days and it felt good to finally tell somebody the truth. “I haven’t told the police about the stun gun. I want to find the guy myself. What if it’s all somehow connected to—you know, that summer.”
Yasi’s face turned ashen. “This is all too déjà vu. That’s why you left without an explanation. When you finally contacted me again, I couldn’t believe it. Everybody thought you were busy with the new job. I was sure it was all connected. You hadn’t ever disappeared so completely, not even while you were away at school.”
Audrey’s college experience had been like four years of high school on steroids. Cliques and game playing trumped real friendship, and she couldn’t master either. The daily teasing aggravated like a persistent outbreak of zits. She was the mark of rich and poor, bright and dim-witted, freshman and seniors—an equal-opportunity target. The constant judgment and rejection contrasted starkly to the love and inclusiveness of her childhood and formative years. How could two segments of the same society be so diametrically opposed? After a while she retreated, coming out of her room only for meals and classes. She led a solitary existence—punishment for her unwillingness to face the truth?
“Sweetie, have you remembered anything else about last summer?” Yasi’s soft voice was tentative. She knew how much it hurt Audrey to talk or even think about that time.
Audrey shook her head. This was the part that made her seem loopy. She was chasing ghosts without knowing the dearly departed—no idea where to start or what to look for.
“You have to let it go, Aud. You’re not equipped to deal with things like this. Let the police handle it.”
“The police? Really? I can’t believe you’re giving me that advice. What would I tell them? I either don’t remember or I’m blocking everything. I have to do this. It’s changed my entire life. Besides, I can’t tell them what I am.”
“Don’t you mean who you are?” Yasi pulled her close and slid a hand up and down her arm in a soothing motion. Yasi knew Audrey’s fears, even when she denied them. “Did it ever occur to you that your gift might actually help this one time?”
Audrey pulled away from Yasi, annoyed with the topic and at how quickly it made her defensive. “My gift? You mean this unholy curse I’ve been saddled with all my life? This thing that possesses and
Yasi rolled off the sofa and started toward the door. “Well, my work here is done.”
“Hey, wait a minute.”
“Only kidding. I’ll get the rest of CB’s belongings from the car. I couldn’t give you a kitten without the necessary accoutrements. That would be like having a computer without the Internet—basically no point. Be right back.”
Cannonball sat perfectly still and stared at her as if trying to relay a message. “What is it, little one?” CB stretched out across Audrey’s stomach and closed her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here too.”
Yasi returned with a pretty pink cat carrier lined with a heating pad and Hello Kitty blanket, a litter box and litter, and another bag full of food and toys. “Everything you need to make this little girl comfortable.”
They spent a while deciding the best spot for CB’s nest, locating her near the hub of activity to acclimate her to the new surroundings. Audrey put food and water in her dish, left it nearby, and turned the heating pad on low. When she opened the door of the crate, CB scooted inside and burrowed under the blanket, obviously tired from the naming exercise.
“Do you love her?” Yasi asked.
“Oh, yes.” She hugged Yasi and pulled her back onto the sofa. “Thank you so much. I needed something to love.” The statement was telling, but Yasi would’ve gotten it out of her eventually anyway.
“What’s going on?”
Before she could censor herself, Audrey blurted out the entire story of her assault. She’d held it in for days and it felt good to finally tell somebody the truth. “I haven’t told the police about the stun gun. I want to find the guy myself. What if it’s all somehow connected to—you know, that summer.”
Yasi’s face turned ashen. “This is all too déjà vu. That’s why you left without an explanation. When you finally contacted me again, I couldn’t believe it. Everybody thought you were busy with the new job. I was sure it was all connected. You hadn’t ever disappeared so completely, not even while you were away at school.”
Audrey’s college experience had been like four years of high school on steroids. Cliques and game playing trumped real friendship, and she couldn’t master either. The daily teasing aggravated like a persistent outbreak of zits. She was the mark of rich and poor, bright and dim-witted, freshman and seniors—an equal-opportunity target. The constant judgment and rejection contrasted starkly to the love and inclusiveness of her childhood and formative years. How could two segments of the same society be so diametrically opposed? After a while she retreated, coming out of her room only for meals and classes. She led a solitary existence—punishment for her unwillingness to face the truth?
“Sweetie, have you remembered anything else about last summer?” Yasi’s soft voice was tentative. She knew how much it hurt Audrey to talk or even think about that time.
Audrey shook her head. This was the part that made her seem loopy. She was chasing ghosts without knowing the dearly departed—no idea where to start or what to look for.
“You have to let it go, Aud. You’re not equipped to deal with things like this. Let the police handle it.”
“The police? Really? I can’t believe you’re giving me that advice. What would I tell them? I either don’t remember or I’m blocking everything. I have to do this. It’s changed my entire life. Besides, I can’t tell them what I am.”
“Don’t you mean who you are?” Yasi pulled her close and slid a hand up and down her arm in a soothing motion. Yasi knew Audrey’s fears, even when she denied them. “Did it ever occur to you that your gift might actually help this one time?”
Audrey pulled away from Yasi, annoyed with the topic and at how quickly it made her defensive. “My gift? You mean this unholy curse I’ve been saddled with all my life? This thing that possesses and
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