“Tilly,” I hiss, my voice trembling. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” she sighs. She does not walk; she simply appears to my right, drifting through the dim light like a smudge of smoke. Her eyes are wide and unblinking. “You are on your way to leave the door open for my friend, right?”
“It depends on whether the cat is there.”
Her brows knit together. “You don’t believe me?”
“I want to. But I barely know you, and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“Oh. Okay. Yeah, I guess you’re right. But there really is a cat, though.”
“Well, I’d like to see him first.” I hesitate. “It’s a him, right?”
She nods, signaling for me to follow her. “Yeah. He’s a real cutie. But be careful. He likes to bite fingers.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” We don’t speak again until we reach the back kitchen door, which lead
