For the Hopeless

Chapter 13: People to Kill

Bailey stepped into the living room to find Tawny, Dameon, and Aven waiting for her, worry etched in their faces. She cocked an eyebrow, slightly confused, and Tawny lurched to her feet and rushed toward the woman, instantly pulling her into a tight hug.

"Why would you leave like that?" she asked, her voice a gentle whisper in Bailey's ear. "We were worried."

Bailey returned the hug hesitantly, even more confused now. "You realize that I can take care of myself, right?" she asked, her tone filled with the same puzzlement as her expression.

"Er...Tawny?" Dameon said from the couch. Bailey glanced at him and found that his gaze was directed behind her. He'd spotted the little stray and her cat. Tawny released Bailey and turned, likely directed by Dameon's thoughts. Her eyes fell on the child, and she blushed.

"Oh," she said, clearly caught off guard. "Hello."

"Hi," the child said with a broad smile. Her scrawny cat mewed from her arms, as if greeting Tawny as well. "I'm Samara."

"Like the girl in that movie?" Aven interjected, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"The Ring?" the girl said, her smile never faltering. "Unfortunately."

"I think it's kinda cool," Hayden said from her spot in the center of the stairwell. Samara turned her attention to the witch, and the cat hissed viciously, even going so far as to dig its claws into its owner's arms. She dropped the feline with a soft hiss of pain, and it landed on its feet before her, never taking its purple eyes off of her. Hayden physically drew back, taking a step higher up the stairs, and frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

Samara shrugged, watching the cat as it ceased to hiss and instead began to growl. The low, rumbling noise sounded almost doglike as it grew in intensity. "I don't know," the creature's owner said confusedly. "I guess she just doesn't like you."

"Oh," was all Hayden could think to say for a moment, staring at the cat from her high perch upon the stairs. "Well," she finally continued, now adopting a snobby, mean tone, "I don't like it, either." And with that, she stormed off, throwing a mini-fit that would rival that of an average human teenager.

"I wonder what's wrong with her," Bailey murmured, her eyes on the spot where Hayden had disappeared.

"She's been testy all morning," came Madeleine's small voice as her tiny frame stepped into view. She began to descend the stairs and said, her eyes upon their new guest, "I've seen you before, I think..." But her eyes weren't on the girl; they were resting upon the purple-eyed cat, who had stopped growling the moment Hayden had disappeared and begun purring lightly as soon as Madeleine had reached the stairs. The creature rushed up the stairs toward her, meeting her halfway, and Madeleine let out a squeal of delight. "Oh, it is you! I haven't seen you in weeks!" She took the cat into her arms and began petting it gently, its purr growing to such a roar that it likely reached Dameon and Aven on the couch.

"You know her?" Samara asked, eying the pair with a puzzled expression. "I've never seen her react in such a way."

Grinning, Madeleine turned her gaze to the older girl. "We used to wander together at night, when I practiced my shifting. She led me to the most wonderful places." She lifted the cat by its armpits, letting it dangle in front of her face. Unlike most cats, it didn't struggle, instead opting to keep purring with pleasure. "I've missed you. It gets lonely out there." It mewed in response, and she let their foreheads touch in a show of affection.

Samara smiled now, looking pleased at this small reunion. "I'm sure she's missed you, too. She seems to really, really like you." Madeleine only nodded in response, grinning as she placed the cat at her feet. Without a word, she shifted into the form of a small, blonde puppy and led the way down the stairs and through the house, the cat following happily.