▪️ It was the first time in my life that I felt something as I drifted off to sleep. But like I mentioned before, this day was different.
While I was sleeping in bed, I heard movement in my apartment, and I'd left my window wide open like I always do in summer. I opened my eyes and saw that the digital clock on my nightstand read 23:23.
My mom always said that if the time looks like that, you should always make a wish. So I crossed my fingers and said to myself:
Please, just don't let it be a burglar .
After that I got up out of bed, and slowly, with careful steps, I crept out into the living room,
where only a small night light was on.
Once I flipped on the light, I noticed there was nothing there. So that put me at ease. But then
I heard a clattering sound coming from the kitchen, like something had fallen on the floor and broken.
I got really scared, and I was afraid, but I figured, if it is a burglar, he can't be very experienced if he's this clumsy. That gave me a little bit of comfort.
I had an old baseball bat stashed under the couch, I grabbed it quick, and just like I'd crept
from the bedroom into the living room, I did the same thing now to go into the kitchen.
When I got there I flipped on the light, and to my surprise found there was nothing there. Just
a bowl of mochi on the floor, and its plate, the one I got from Nicolas, smashed to pieces.
Then I stepped further into the kitchen, and finally felt relieved that there was nothing in the apartment.
Then I turned around, and sitting right across from me was a snow-white cat with blue eyes.
Startled, I dropped the baseball bat and stepped back, and as I stepped back I stepped on a piece of mochi and slipped on it, which landed me straight on my butt.
The cat was so calm, like nothing had happened, it tilted its little head slightly, and I felt like it
was saying, "How clumsy can you be."
Then I was finally able to speak.
"Heh... just a cat? I'm not okay in the head,"
I said with a sigh.
Then the cat came over to me while I was sitting on the floor and started licking my hand and
nuzzling up against me while it purred.
So I started petting it.
"Are you hungry? Alright, I'll get you something to eat, but who do you belong to, I wonder?" I asked myself curiously.
So I got up and went to the fridge, found some opened milk, which I poured into a bowl and
gave to the cat. As the cat was drinking the milk, I noticed a thin collar glinting on it, and on it
a nametag that read:
"APT 29," and below it, the cat's name:
"Luna."
"Ahh, so your name's Luna. Wait, apartment 29, that's Nicolas's place," I said.
After Luna finished what I'd given her, I figured it'd be better to bring her over to Nicolas,
since he's her owner after all.
By then I was in my pajamas, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, but I figured I'd just drop Luna off and come straight back home. So I picked Luna up and started
walking toward Nicolas's apartment. Light was still spilling out from one of his windows.
I figured I was lucky, since that meant I wouldn't have to wake him up.
As I walked past his window, Nicolas was standing right in front of the fridge, wearing shorts,
no shirt. For a second I froze and blushed.
His body looked like a Greek god's, his muscles were cut, and his skin was practically flawless.
The only thing that struck me as odd was a plate in his hand with a slice of raw steak on it, and he was just staring at it.
Then it got even stranger when I saw him take a massive bite out of the raw meat, savoring it,
blood pouring out and running down from his lips, along his neck, all down his body.
Suddenly, all my admiration vanished.
The only thing I felt in that moment was fear. Especially when he glanced toward the window
out of the corner of his eye.
Luckily I managed to duck down under the windowsill in time.
Then after that I tried to slowly make my way back to my apartment, Luna in my arms.
Thank God, I made it, I thought.
When I got home, I quickly locked every window and door, it didn't matter how hot it was.
Then I dove straight into bed and pulled the blanket over myself.
Luna was right beside me, and as I petted her, I spoke up:
"Just what are you, or rather , what is your owner?" I asked.
Then, still petting Luna, I drifted off to sleep.
A few hours later I woke up to my alarm.
I'd barely slept at all, and I tried not to think about that night, but with Luna still there with me, it was hard.
In the morning I went through my usual routine: shower, brush my teeth, breakfast. Once I
was ready, I had no choice but to go to work, even though I didn't want to, I can't skip another
day, I thought.
I was just opening the door when Nicolas was standing right there, like he'd been about to knock. He was wearing a white shirt and black slacks, which looked really good on him.
At first I was completely stunned by how good he looked, then suddenly the image of what
he'd done that night flashed into my mind.
After that I couldn't even speak, but luckily I didn't have to be the first one to.
• "Hey Emily, sorry to bother you when you're clearly heading out somewhere, I just wanted to ask, have you seen my cat?" Nicolas asked.
"Cat?" I asked back.
But before I could say anything else, Luna came out through the door and jumped up onto
Nicolas like she hadn't seen him in ages.
"Ahh... you mean her? Yeah, she probably came in through my window yesterday ,"
I said.
I tried to act like I didn't know anything.
But then Nicolas asked a question.
"I thought I saw you last night, but I guess I didn't, right?"
I swallowed hard and had no idea what I should say to that. Luckily for me, that's exactly
when my phone rang.
"Sorry , I have to take this, it's my boss,"
I told Nicolas.
When I answered the phone, it really was my boss, saying I had to come in to work today no
matter what. After that I put the phone away.
"Sorry , Nicolas, I have to go now, that was my boss telling me to get there as soon as possible."
"Sure, we'll talk later," Nicolas said.
"Yeah, later..." I said, a little flustered.
Than I hurried out of the house to get away from there as fast as possible. On my way to work
I kept thinking about whether I'd just run away from someone or escaped, I couldn't decide
which one it was myself. ▪️