Piper 1: Delilah's Journey

Chapter 4-

...Home Invasion...

        Two weeks later-
Wednesday, grocery day. Again. My least favorite chore of the week is walking to the grocery store with that little wagon.
        I walked down the street alone, halfway back from my trip to the store. My wagon was filled with groceries and my head was filled with the suspicion that I was being watched. I could feel someone watching me. There was a rustling sound in front of me. I stopped and waited for the creature in the bush to emerge. It did. Mrs. Harbinly stumbled out of the bush and onto the sidewalk. She looked around and her expression brightened when she saw Delilah.
       "Delilah, Dear!" She exclaimed. She waddled over to me and stood next to me.
      "You didn't see a cat run out of that bush before me, did you?" She asked.
       "No, Mrs. Harbinly, no cat," I answered truthfully. She frowned.
       "I could have sworn I saw her," Said Mrs. Harbinly calmly.
       "Saw who? Your 8th cat?" I asked.
       "Yes, so you did see her!" Mrs. Harbinly said hopefully.
      "No, I just figured that you were looking for your 8th cat again," I said quickly. Mrs. Harbinly's expression dimmed a little again.
      "Well, maybe you can help me keep a lookout for her on your way home," Mrs. Harbinly said calmly. I nodded.
      "Okay, Mrs. Harbinly," I said calmly. We both began walking down the sidewalk. Now I had to walk slower, that way Mrs. Harbinly could keep up. She always walked very slow.

...

       Mrs. Harbinly and I made it all the way back home without a sign of a cat. I was more or less relieved. At least I was until I saw something out of the corner of my eyes and turned my head. The black and white cat was sitting on Mrs. Harbinly's roof. Its tail swung back and forth over the edge.
      "Mrs. Harbinly is your missing cat black and white, with yellow eyes?" I asked.
     "No, my sassy is all white," Mrs. Harbinly answered calmly. I nodded.
    "Bye, Mrs. Harbinly. Good luck finding your cat," I said as I walked up to my house.
     "Goodbye, Delilah!" Mrs. Harbinly called back. I walked into the house, set the groceries on the table in the kitchen, and went upstairs to take a shower.

...

        The groceries were still on the kitchen table when I got out of the shower. I began to put them away and my mother walked into the room.
      "I am making spaghetti for dinner tonight," she said calmly.
      "Okay," I replied. Spaghetti is my favorite food. She grabbed a pot from the cupboard and filled it with water.
      I finished putting the groceries away by the time my mother got the water boiled. I left the kitchen and went upstairs to read a book.

...

       My mother and I sat at the dining room table. She sat at one end, and I sat at the other. We both ate in silence.
       "Mrs. Harbinly is still looking for her 8th cat," I said calmly.
      "Oh dear, she never had an 8th cat," My mother sighed. There was silence again.
     "Have you seen any cats around the neighborhood lately?" She asked me.
     "No, not really," I lied. My mother nodded.
     "I wonder how all of those cats got in here," I said calmly.
     "Stranger things could happen, Delilah. Better not to hang on specific details," My mother said calmly.
     "I just feel like someone let them in. How could cats open a door?" I asked rhetorically.
     "I doubt it. The door probably blew open while we slept," My mother answered. I didn't say anything for a few seconds.
     "How did dad get his cat?" I asked my mother. She stopped for a second and swallowed.
     "You remember Champion?" She asked me. I nodded.
    "Barely," I said.
    "When your father was a kid, Champion showed up at his house," My mother answered.
    "I thought that cats only lived for ten years?" I said questioningly.
    "Champion is special." My mother answered. This only confused me more.
    "Oh," I answered calmly.