Chapter 3

I feel like checking my email. Too bad my computer is royally fucked.

Mum let me use her computer today, and she said that when we get money she'll buy me a new computer.

That will probably be in a long time.

Damn, I saved up for that for a whole two years.

I'm sitting in my room now, throwing a tennis ball in the air and catching it. Up and down… up and down…

Those crazy hooligans are just now leaving – it's past eleven – and the house is gradually becoming quieter with each passing minute.

It's extremely cold in our house, so I grab my blanket, wrapping it around me, and then go downstairs to the kitchen. I see my mum there cleaning up. "Make me food, woman," I say, sitting down on a barstool.

She shakes her head. "I'm too tired to cook right now. There's left-overs if you want any."

"I want chocolate milk."

"We don't have any."

"Yes we do. That powdery shit. It's in the pantry."

"You go make it yourself."

"No, really, it's more of a woman's job."

"Shane, go away," she says and heads off into her room.

I sit there a bit and Jason comes into the kitchen. He looks exhausted.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

"Trampoline," he says, getting a glass of water.

"Wow," I breathe. "Can't believe you went on it."

He nods. "My toes are frozen right now. It's so cold out there." Jason sits down on the couch and wraps a blanket around him.

"Is it quiet out there?" I ask.

He looks over at me, a confused look spread across his face. "Yeah. Why?"

"Be back later," I say, heading outside. I take the blanket with me and look around at our backyard. Where should I go? We have a hot tub, a pool, a fire pit, an old playground, and a trampoline.

I decide on the fire pit and go sit by the fire that's almost dead. I see a bag of marshmallows next to me, so I grab a kabob stick and put it on the end. The hooligans must have been making s'mores because all the stuff is here. It takes a while for me to roast the marshmallow, but I do and I put together a s'mores.

It's yummy.

I look over and decide that maybe, just maybe, the trampoline would be fun.

So I head over there, set my blanket down, and jump.

It was fun.

But after a while, I got pooped, so I grab my blanket and lay down on the trampoline and look at the… light pollution.

I sigh and then hear a faint meow.

I quickly sit up, suddenly startled, and look around.

I don't see anything.

I hear another meow and wrap the blanket tighter around me. I look behind me and see a glowing pair of green eyes. Damn cats and their creepy eyes.

Wait, why is there a cat in my backyard?

Must be the neighbors damn cat. "Go away, Lucky!" I yell at it. Damn creepy ass cat.

"Lucky?" I hear a voice.

I quickly turn around and see that black cat from earlier today sitting on the trampoline. My heart begins to beat faster and I feel like my stomach is going to fall out my butt. "Hi, nice kitty," I say, my voice trembling.

It leers at me.

I stutter a bit. "Okay, I'm going to go inside now…"

"No. You can't go," I hear a voice again.

"Who said that?" I ask.

"Me," I hear the voice again.

I look over at the cat.

"Yes, me."

I tilt my head to the side. "Okay, this is freaking me out." I quickly stand up and try to get off the trampoline, but before I could, the creepy-ass cat jumps in front of me.

"Don't be afraid," he says.

"How can I not be afraid?" I ask. "You're a talking cat!"

"I'm Nïeffête," he says.

"Nïeffête?" I ask. He nods. "Okay, Nïeffête, why are you talking to me… no, why are you talking at all?"

"I'm here to help you," Nïeffête says.

I raise my eyebrows. "Are you here to fix my computer?" I ask.

Nïeffête shakes his head.

"Then I don't want your help," I say, getting off the trampoline.

"Fine," he says.

I look back and the cat is gone.

I must be high. Certainly there was some sort of drug in that chocolate I just ate.