Runaway Cate

chapter twenty-seven

There was large, alerting crash in the kitchen. It was so large and so alerting that it forced me out of my sleep like it was pulling me out of water.

I gasped as I stared into the dark. Where was I? The smell of dust and mold waved past my nostrils and my heartbeat echoed against the walls I was a guest in. Mimi's. I was at Mimi's. With Alec. I sighed and rolled over, trying to rock my flustered heart back to sleep, but it cried out again when it heard another, almost louder crash from the kitchen.

I sat up, realizing how dark it truly was. My breath screamed against the sudden silence. I dared my toes to touch themselves to the dirty carpet below me, but they refused. Then I heard a small inhale, again from the kitchen. I stood with a start, looking into the abyss until my eyes adjust.

I held my breath and approached where I thought the kitchen was. Slowly, I rolled my feet, praying that their soft padding wouldn't alert the intruder in the kitchen. I stood in the doorway, the dark veiling me until I was, hopefully, invisible. Cautiously, I swept my hand up the wall, feeling for a light switch. My heart skipped as I found it and my fingers instinctively and unthinkingly flicked it on.

The dim light exposed a dark, tall silhouette with wide shoulders bent over spilt pans not five feet away from me. I opened my mouth to scream, but the intruder launch forward and slapped a calloused hand over my open lips.

"Sh," he said. "Mimi's will kill me if she knew I was sneaking around her kitchen."

My eyes widened in recognition of the voice. "Alec?" I asked, my question muffled.

"Ya, it's me." He said, slowly taking his hand off my mouth.

I exhaled as my eyes adjusted and saw Alec's glowing eyes from beneath his dark bangs. "What are you doing up?" I asked, a little angry.

"I couldn't sleep." He whispered, turning around. He quietly stepped over the pots on the floor and began opening the cabinets one by one.

I watched him with my arms crossed. "What are you looking for?" I asked.

"A pair of scissors." Alec replied. "My hair has gotten so long now that I get hot at night. I thought maybe if I cut it, I could sleep." He huffed in frustration. "But I can't find the dang things."

"This really couldn't wait until morning?"

His searching eyes swung to me. "Just help me find them, please." He pleaded, putting his hands together. "I'll do anything."

I sighed and uncrossed my arms. "Would you let me get some sleep?"

"Yes." He said.

I groaned. "Alright, let's just make this quick."

I helped him search, my eyes aching from squinting into the dark. After I few moments, I got bored and asked, "Did you check the bathroom?"

"No." He replied. "Haven't thought about it."

I huffed. "Of course you haven't."

He chuckled quietly. "You're really cranky when someone wakes you up, huh?"

"No I'm not." I defended sharply.

Alec put his hands up. "Okay, okay." He said with an infuriating smirk. "I'll check the bathroom." Then he left.

I continued to ruffle through the drawers. Old magazines, baking utensils, cookbooks-yet no sign of a single pair of scissors.

Then I heard Alec 'pst' from the bathroom. "Cate!" He screamed-whispered. "I found some electric shears."