Chapter 5
1487 Words
Chapter Five
"What are you going to call him?" Daphne asks as she scratches the grey kitten's chin.
He seems to like it, as he pushes himself further into her hand.
"Call him?" I echo.
"He needs a name."
Oh. Right. A name. I have no clue what to say to that. I don't have any pets and have never gone through the naming process before. What happens if he doesn't like the name I pick for him? Will he hate me for good?
"Mona?" Daphne prompts.
"I don't know any good cat names," I respond honestly.
"What about Rhubarb?"
"As a name?" I frown at her, wondering if she's joking.
"It's one of the most popular cat names in the world," she informs me.
"How do you even know that?" Who spends their time looking up what people call their cats? Huh. Okay, that does sound like the kind of thing people would do.
"I've been looking into cat names ever since we started looking for the spell to turn into cats," she admits, a slight blush colouring her cheeks and matching the pink of her hair. "I didn't know if my cat form would like the name Daphne, so it was better to have backups."
"You looked up alternative names for yourself?" I'm asking a lot of questions, but I feel the situation warrants just that. It's not every day that your best friend tells you she looked up cat names in case her magically induced cat shifting side wants a different one. The funniest part is that they haven't found the spell yet anyway, so she doesn't need a name for her cat side.
"Yes."
"Alright then." I look back at the kitten. Actually, he kind of does look like a Rhubarb. It's a cute name for a cute kitten. "Rhubarb it is."
But if I can avoid it, I'm not having the name a pet dilemma ever again. One kitten is enough for me.
"How did you make him again?" she asks.
I sigh and take out my wand and swish it around, not sure what my aim is with it. "You know the stupid feather spell?"
"Yes..."
"I tried to do that."
"And you made a kitten from it? That's kind of cool." Her face lights up, like she wants to try it herself.
"I don't think the spell actually makes kittens," I say with a sigh.
"Still, I want to try." Her wand waves back and forth, and moments later, tiny feathers flutter down from the ceiling, coating my entire room in a layer of them.
"Was that really necessary?" I ask, shaking my sleeves and letting the feathers fall away from me.
Rhubarb is having a whale of a time as he bats at the feathers with one of his paws. At least he's easy to entertain, that's a saving grace. I still need to work out all the rest though. What do I even feed a kitten? And is he different because he's magical? So many questions that I have no answer for.
"I was hoping for a kitten." Daphne flops onto my bed, a real pout on her face. Even so, this is the happiest I've seen her since her vampire slammed the door in her face. I'm sure he'll forgive her eventually, but it's not been an easy path so far.
"I have one." I point at Rhubarb.
"Of my own," she points out.
I consider offering her Rhubarb, but I really don't want to. I may not have set out to get a kitten of my own, but he's growing on me by the second and I want to keep him.
"Do you know what the rules about keeping pets are?" I ask, picking up a particularly large feather and dangling it in front of Rhubarb's face.
His eyes go wide, and he begins to chase it. My heart swells several sizes. How can one creature be so damned cute?
"I don't know how they can tell you to get rid of him," she responds. "You made him with magic at school, in front of witnesses..."
"I know, but Thomas said..."
"Thomas?" She sits up straight, clearly more interested now there's a guy involved. Saying that, there's a note of something I can't explain in her voice.
"Yes. He's doing his doctorate. He took me back to his office and..."
Daphne wiggles her eyebrows. "His private office?"
I throw a pillow at her, but she catches it deftly, not in the least bit fazed by my slight violence towards her.
"Nothing happened." I remember how it felt to have him checking out my ass though, even if my skirt mostly covered it.
"Hmm. Why don't I believe you?"
"I promise, you'll be the first to know if something does."
"So you want something to happen? Seems like my little Mona is growing up." She clutches her hands across her heart, being far too dramatic than the situation actually needs her to be.
"No, that's not what I meant," I protest.
"Yeah, yeah. But I have to wonder one thing?"
"Hmm?" I pull a textbook from my bag and dump it on the desk. I have homework to do before tomorrow regardless of whether or not my room is occupied by my best friend. Or covered in feathers.
"Where does this leave your crush on Ryan?"
My blood runs cold. How does she know about that? I've never mentioned it to her. Or to him. Or, well, anyone.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please, you're about as obvious as a stripper at a hen party." Amusement shines through every word, but I don't know where that leaves me. Do I deny I have feelings for her twin brother? Maybe it's time to come clean about that one. Not that I think she'll do anything about it.
"There's nothing between us." I sit on my desk chair, swivelling back and forth. I don't know why they put these things next to desks, they only make me procrastinate and not actually do any work.
"You don't know that."
I laugh bitterly. "If there was something between me and Ryan, one of us would have acted on it by now."
"Hmm."
"Are you saying he likes me?" My heart beats against my chest, anticipation and confusion both warring within me.
"From the way he acts, I'd say yes."
"Oh, so he hasn't actually told you." I try not to let my disappointment show.
"Of course he hasn't. For one thing, he's my brother. And for a second, we're not in primary school anymore, we don't do the so-and-so said they like so-and-so thing."
I cross my arms, more annoyed that she's right than anything else. "You say that like Cade didn't tell you he liked you," I point out. Even if her brother's best friend isn't the guy she wants to give her attention, it's still flattering for him to have told her. At least, that's what I'm choosing to believe.
"Not the point."
I sigh. "Ryan and me is a bad idea. Our friendship is too important for a start. I don't want to mess that up because of a silly crush on your brother."
"And here was me thinking the two of you could fall madly in love with one another and I'd get to keep you as my sister-in-law for the rest of my life." She genuinely seems to like the idea, which is odd. Maybe I should have spoken up earlier.
"I plan on being in your life forever anyway," I counter.
"That's not a no on Ryan..."
I sigh. "I don't think it's a good idea to go down that path. It'll only end in heartbreak."
"Hmm." She doesn't seem convinced, but also doesn't contradict me. That says it all. Ryan and me isn't something that's going to happen. Now, or in the future.
I let my gaze stray back to the kitten playing in the feathers. I can see Rhubarb in my life for a long time to come. We'll be a dream team. The witch and the cutest familiar ever.
Eventually, she says goodnight and heads to her own room, no doubt to do the homework she's been set. The course load is definitely bigger than I expected when I first came here, but I appreciate the distraction from my magicless situation.
I set about working on my essay, ignoring Rhubarb as best I can. He seems happy to keep playing on the ground, so it seems okay to just leave him there. At least he's happy. That's a good start.
My phone vibrates, the sound of it rattling against the table making me jump. Sometimes, I swear it's louder than if I actually had a ringtone.
A smile spreads over my face as I think about Thomas. I didn't think he would text so soon. I grab it from the desk and check my messages, only to find Caspian's name flashing on the screen. Huh. My smile doesn't fade though, and I reply instantly. Maybe that makes me look too keen, but I don't care. It's fun to think the popular guy is even remotely interested in me and I'm going to make the most of it before he figures out how much of a loser I really am.
- Writer
