The coachman was kind to Alice when he helped her into the carriage. He asked her all kinds of questions. Like what her favorite color is and my favorite season. And at the very least he asked my name before I even got in. Even though Caldrith had stood there impatiently waiting to get on with it. He wasn’t that warm and fuzzy of a person. That was easy to see upon first meeting him. He didn’t seem to want to be a parent to Alice. Even though she so desperately wanted a warm and gentle parental figure in her life. It was going to be a tough time. At least she felt that way, but with Lucky laying on her lap she had a budding hope begin to swell in her chest. A small smile started to appear across her face. Cal didn’t seem to notice; he was too engrossed in the book he was reading.

 The time went by slowly, and all Alice could do was look at the scenery. But it was enjoyable for her. She eventually fell asleep but was awoken when the door of the carriage was open. “My dear, oh my. You must’ve been tired.” “We arrived?” “Yes. Could you hurry up?” An annoyed voice spoke outside. “Don't be such a standoffish man, Caldrith, she’s just a child.” It was him being gruff again. The cat was hissing at Cal. Clearly annoyed at his callousness. “You should be grateful I took you with me!” He spewed at Lucky. “Lucky, calm down.” The cat looked at me confused, as if Alice should be angry. “I’m okay. I can deal with it.” The coachman helped me down and whispered into my ear. “Don’t worry. Caldrith is a kind man, just a little cold sometimes. He will treat you right. You’re now his daughter.” Daughter? She doubted this man thought of her as his daughter.

 In front of her was an elegant mansion with a line of employees waiting to welcome them. He was richer than she had previously thought. It would be hard to imagine for anyone who was struggling to be whiplashed into a life of luxury. She made her way forward and they bowed as soon as she stepped forth. “This is Alice. She’s a new member of the household. Treat her as if she was my blood.” Cal announced with an authoritative tone. “Yes.” They resonated together. The looks in their eyes made her feel that they respected this man. Lucky followed up beside her and she felt some reassurance fill her body. Stepping forward she stood up as straight as she could and tried to appear ready to enter into this new life. Once we entered the expansive foyer a maid quickly rushed up to us. “Please take Alice to get ready for bed.” He said pointedly looking at the child. “Of course! Come with me, miss Alice.” The maid made sure she was following behind her as they ascended the stairs to her new bedroom. It was massive.

 “Wow.” She smiled upon the child. “This is all yours. Now let’s bathe and then we’ll get you ready for bed. The bath is already running, come with me please.” “Oh…okay.” Alice followed unsure. She noticed that Lucky wasn’t with her. She wondered where he had gone. The warmth of the water on her body was so wonderful. How dirty she was embarrassed her, but the maids helped her feel better. They tried to take away her shame and remind her she will be clean from here on out. She was finally ready for bed and was exhausted by the time her head hit the pillow. She saw a sleek dark figure make its way to her bed before she fell asleep. “Goodnight Lucky.” She could’ve sworn he said “Goodnight” back.

Lucky and Caldrith’s conversation:

The annoying human motioned him over to come his way. He didn’t want to leave Alice, but he felt she would be okay. He watched her walk all the way up the stairs before he followed. She survived this long; she had fate on her side. He followed the man called Caldrith to his office. It was surprisingly not that lavishly decorated like the rest of this place. He sat down behind the desk and spoke. “Why are you hiding the fact that you’re not a normal cat? Are you afraid Alice will abandon you?” “No! She would never abandon me.” “Oh, how long have you known her?” Lucky felt this human get under his skin. He couldn’t believe that it could happen, that he could be this emotional. But with everything that happened Lucky didn’t blame himself completely. He would need to lie to keep it under control. “I’ve known her for a long time, she was my kind owner. Thankfully she was reincarnated. This way I can be with her again.” He looked down at the cat like he didn’t believe him. “Well, you might as well talk to her again. You must miss her, and it’s not good to lie to her.” “I didn’t lie to her!” “You’re pretending you can’t speak. Isn’t that a lie in a way.” Lucky scoffed. This guy was annoying, but he was right. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow morning some time.” “Uh. Huh. By the way I sense something strange from you. I can’t put my finger on it. You have this unique aura around you Lucky. Most mages or at least people with some magic can see it. I’m surprised she didn’t notice it.” Aura?

 He only had a small trace of the power he had before, he had to find a way to get it back. That was the only way to protect Alice. The determination to make sure nothing back happened to her was his only reason for being here. “I don’t know what you sense, but I don’t care. Just take good care of Alice.” “And if I don’t?” Rage turned his eyes redder than before. There appeared to be a small fire raging behind his slitted pupils. “You’ll regret it. I promise you that.” Caldrith looked afraid for a second, but quickly recovered. "I was just joking. I adopted her, I have no choice but to take good care of her.” He smiled at Lucky. “I’m not an evil human. I have morals unlike some.” The fire went out and all the black cat said was “Good.” “Have a good night, Lucky.” A humph noise was all that came out in response. Lucky found his way to Alice’s room. She was already in bed and was almost asleep. “Goodnight.” she said. “Goodnight.” He said just before her eyes closed. He doubted she would remember in the morning. He had to get stronger for her sake, he would just have to find what he was looking for.

Morning

The sun had risen in the sky and light poured in from the openings in the curtains. Alice woke up from her deep slumber and rubbed her eyes. She looked around and was stunned for a few seconds. She thought yesterday had to have been a dream. Instead, this was reality. Lucky was looking up at her. She swore she heard him speak yesterday. Maybe she was delirious. "I thought you spoke yesterday. Am I going crazy?" She went to scoop him up and stopped as he began to speak. "No, you are not crazy. I can speak. You do know there are magical beings, don't you?" Alice pinched her cheek to see if she was really still asleep. It hurt; she wasn't. "You can talk!" "Yes, please forgive me for not talking before. I was worried if the other children found out it could cause problems for you. I was only trying to protect you. I promise you." "I believe you. You helped me to find a home didn't you." He looked down. 

"Yes, I did. I felt this was the best option for you. I'll make sure he treats you right." There were a million questions that went on in her head. Why did he choose to talk to her? Why did he suddenly decide to talk right now? She decided to quiet her mind. There were enough new things going on in her life. "Thank you for talking to me now. I'm glad to have you with me. I hope you know how much comfort I had just by having you there." A sigh of relief came out from Lucky. "Thank you so much for understanding me. I only want the best for you." "I know." A knock came at the door. "May I come in?" It was a woman's voice. It must've been one of the maids. "Yes, you can." It was Madeline. One of the maids that had helped Alice when she had first arrived. "Let's get you ready." Lucky made his way out the door. "I'll see you in a few." There are quite a few dresses for you to choose from. Looking through them she found a beautiful blue dress with a bow. "I love this one. I love all of them to be honest." Maddy got her ready, along with a few others and she made her way down to have breakfast.