The Mark of the Leopard

That 'thing'

~~~~~Pattrick's P.O.V.~~~~~

This must be Nala. I grab one of the Jones bottles. "Name's Pattrick. Jed said I could get something to eat if I wanted to." I reply straighting up then turn around to face her. "Can I have this?" I inquire holding up the bottle.

Her eyes go up and down over my body. "Yeah you can have it." Yep she's Nala. "Get me one?" She requests siting on a barstool. "Most guys I know don't like these. I'm surprised you do." She states taking the one from me.

I lean back on the counter. "My pregnant sister got me hooked." I explain.

She nods then gasps. "My chocolate!" She bounces off the barstool and rushes over to the other counter. She looks down at two bowls on the counter. "Awww! I have to remelt it now. Kazi you stink!" She stomps her foot then picks one of the bowls up,  carrys it over to the stove and turns the flam under a pot of water on.

I walk over and peek over her shoulder. "What's that?" I ask.

Her jaw hits the floor. "WHAT THE HECK DOES IT LOOK LIKE!!!!" She shoves the bowl in my face. "Take a long hard look. It's the most magical thing man has ever found!"

I glimps at the bowls contens. "It appears to be chocolate." I regard her face and smirk. "PMSing?"

"No. I'm actually a lot worse when I have a bloody crime scene in my pants thank you very much!" She corrects me then turns back to her chocolate.

"Naaalaaaa!!!!" I hear someone scream for her. And watch in amazment as everything, including her breathing, stops. It's as if the whole house went dead.

"Hide me." She whimpers staring at me like a rabbit in front of the most fearful thing in the woods. "That... That thing, is the worst, most terrifing, thing, in this house. Hide me. Plllleeaaassssseeee." She begs.

I cross my arms. "What do I get?"

"Naaaaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!" The scream comes again even closer.

Her eyes go as big as saucers. "I'll give you the rest of my Jones bottles."

I quirk a brow. "And?"

She glares at me. "Naaaalaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I lean into her. "I think whoever that is, is getting closer." 

She scowls. "Fine! I'll..." She looks down. "I'll give you some of my chocolate. And.... I'll make you a sandwich too!"

I give her a blank look for a few seconds. "Deal." I nod.

She runs over to the fridge and slides in to a crack. "What exactly do I do?" I ask following her  "Just stand in front of me." She whispers. "And do whatever it takes to keep that thing away from me." I shrug and move in front of the crack. Three seconds later the door bangs open.

In walks a black haired, green eyed little boy. "Who er you?" He glares at me. "I'm a friend of Kazi's. Who are you?" 

"Brody, Nala's future husband. Now where is she?" He querys. "Who?" I cock my head in a confused look. He glowers. "I know she's in here. I can smell her... and her cocoa."

"Oh." I raise my brows. "You're talking about the girl with chocolate. Well she just ran out," I point to the exit Jed went through, "that door." I nod my head in its direction.  He glances at the door then back to me. He narrows his eyes suspiciously. I keep my position of pointing at the door with raised eyebrows, trying not to laugh. He stares at me for a second then abruptly rotates on his heel and walks out the door.

After he was out of hearing distance, I bust up laughing and ask Nala. "Is that little guy the scary, 'thing' you were talking about?" She stares at me like I had just grown two heads on each shoulder. "That thing." She points to the door. "Has been harassing me about getting married to him since he was six!" She hisses.

"How old is he now?" I ask.

"He just turned eight last month." She replies, emerging from her spot between the wall and the fridge.  

I tilt my head. "How old are you?" She sighs. "Seventeen. I'll be eightteen the day after tomorrow."

"Pfft. That's not that bad..... Only ten years!" I laugh harder. She rolls her eyes. "You just think your halarious don't you?"

"Pretty much.'' I grin. '' Now about my sandwich and chocolate." 

"Yeah yeah yeah." She waves her hand as she turns to the fridge. She takes out beef, chicken, fish, tomato, lettuce, avocado and mustard, then closes the fridge door, and walks over to a counter and drops it all. Next she opens a drawer and grabs a bag of cheez-its and bread, pushes the drawer back in, opens a cabinet and snatches the salt, pepper, jalapeno dusting salt, and garlic. "Go light on the garlic please.'' I say, interrupting her flurry of motion. ''Rainy's the only one crazy about it." 

She gapes at me. "How can you not love garlic? It's the third best thing."

"What's the second?"

"Strawberries duh."

"Aww bummer, I'm allergic." She gawks again. I smirk. "I just can't stop surprising you can I?"

"Guess not." She throws everything together in between two pices of bread, then jabs the plate up at me. "Here." I go to take it. "Wait. What fruit do you like?" She puts the plate back down.

"Wateer..uh....Pineapple."

She smiles. "Well at least you like the fourth best thing."

She treads over to the other counter again, picks up the last bowl, returns, takes the bowl with chocolate out of the water and plops five chunks of pineapple in the chocolate. Next she truns to the island, opens a drawer, grabs a fork, bumps the drawer with her hip while pivoting back to the chocolate and digs the chunks of pineapple out and places them on the plate.

"There." She shoves the plate at me again. "Now my debt is paid."

"Looks like it." I take it and walk over to the table snagging my bottle of Jones along the way. Just as I sit down Rainy and Kazi walk in.

~~~~End of Chapter~~~~