Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Cats Don't Like the Rain ❯ Cats Don't Like the Rain ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
The weather man had predicted a warm, sunny day, and the clouds had been little wisps only moments ago. Now however, they were dark and thick, and the rain was coming down in sheets. Normally, Elizabeth liked the rain, though; with three newly borrowed library books in her arms, she couldn't justify finishing the fifteen minute walk home in these conditions. She needed to find a dry place to wait out the storm, and there weren't that many options.
The road Lizzy was walking down was lined with old, large houses, but most of them had no porch to speak of. She picked up her pace until she finally saw one building with a covered patio. The house was dark and regal and frightening. All the lights were off, and it looked to have been abandoned for quite some time. She ran down the road until she was beneath the safety of the awning. Lizzy took in a deep breath; the clean scent of the rain was mixed with the not unpleasant musk that surrounded the house. There were no seats on the porch, so she lowered herself onto the ground. The concrete was rough and left jagged indentions on her palm. She opened on of her books and listened to the almost harsh sound of the rain falling on the roof above her.
She wasn't very far into the book when Elizabeth felt something touch her ankle. She looked down at the tawny cat with big green eyes rubbing its side against her leg. Its fur looked soft and thick, and when Lizzy reach out a hand to pet the animal, it straightened up slowly and walked toward the front door at the same lazy pace. She watched as the cat nudged the door open and slowly walked inside. Lizzy jumped up quickly but then hesitated. She shouldn't go into someone else's home. She knew she should just ignore the cat, but she couldn't help following the feline through the entrance. Leaving her books on the porch, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. It would be ok; she was only going to go get the cat.
She opened the door the rest of the way and walked into a dark hallway. It was covered in cobwebs and lined with old, faded photographs and paintings in ornate frames. The overpowering scent of stale dust almost made Lizzy choke. For one fleeting moment she thought about going back outside, of returning to her books and forgetting the cat, but when she saw a glimpse of orange fur and glowing green eyes going down an adjacent hallway, she thoughtlessly followed. The cat's long, swaying tail guided her through the corridor, and Elizabeth continued to fallowed the creature through the dark until it made a sharp left turn into a candlelit room dominated by a large bed covered in a dark green blanket and pilled with black pillows. The walls were almost black, but when she looked closer, Lizzy could see that they were a dark shade of green. To the right of the bed stood an intricate, black marble vanity. An ornate pattern of roses twisted its way around to mirror, and on the table was a display of ivory handles brushes and combs. Lizzy walked up to the table and ran a hand over its cool, smooth surface.
The only other interesting aspect of the room was the door opposite the vanity; unlike the walls, the door was unmistakably the darkest shade of black Elizabeth had ever seen. She looked back at the table and was running her fingers over the pale handle of one brush when she felt a familiar presser at her ankle. She looked down to see the cat walk lazily across the room and paw at the door, looking back at Lizzy expectantly. She walked to the door and pushed it open.
The cat stepped through the threshold, but Lizzy continued to stand in the door way. On the other side was a large conservatory. It was filled with brightly colored flowers, little green shrubs, and tall, tall trees. Through the glass ceiling, she could see the thick clouds and the rain that continued to fall heavily to earth. The lighting that flashed through the sky was reflected in the large fountain in the middle of the room.
Lizzy liked up when she heard the cat meow, and she ran around a corner after its constantly disappearing tail. As she rounded the corner, Elizabeth came face to face with a pair of now familiar green eyes. The man was tall and lean with a shock of copper colored hair and completely bared, pale skin. He extended one long fingered hand, and mesmerized, Lizzy took it. He pulled her close and breathed lightly across Elizabeth's face. Then his lips came down on hers. She tried to struggle for only a moment, and then she fell limp in his arms.
~~~
When Elizabeth woke up, she was lying on the large bed with the green covers pulled up to her chin. Groaning, Lizzy raised her hand to rub the sleep from her eyes. Then everything came flooding back into her mind. Suddenly, she bolted upright and struggled with the blanket. Soon she was out of the bed and standing in front of the vanity mirror, wide eyed and breathing heavily. She suppressed a scream as she studied the fur covered, cat like face staring back at her from the mirror. She lifted one claw tipped hand to her cheek. This time she did scream, but the sound that came out was more of a screeching meow than an actual scream, and it didn't convey the terror welling up inside her.
Still staring at her reflection in horror, Lizzy jumped as a slight movement in the mirror caught her eye. A tall figure with bright green eyes was walking towards her. As he came nearer, Lizzy could begin to make out a cat like face covered in thick ginger fur. The fur covered monster stood behind her and wrapped an arm around Elizabeth's waist. He gave a soft purr and began licking Lizzy's tear streaked cheek. She looked into the mirror again, and again she tried and failed to scream.