by A. M. King
Either way. Nope. She definitely wasn’t dreaming or imagining any of this. She really felt that pinch of reality.
“There’s a kitty fashion show tomorrow on the first day of the festival. I’m entering my nephew’s ginger-haired cat, Felix. I thought it would be fun if you entered Ebony. It’s to raise funds for the animal shelter and for a new monument in the town square.”
“Oh, I think that would be lovely.”
“Really?” Ebony said. “Have you ever thought about how we would feel about parading in those ridiculous human-like clothing? How would you like to trade places with me for a day?”
“Ebony. I think it would be sweet. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but you might actually like it. You’d get to meet other cats,” Febe said, trying to make it appear to Trey that she was simply talking to her kitty who could not really understand her, even though Febe knew she could.
“Fine then. Might meet someone. Who knows? I haven’t had a date since I’ve been stuck babysitting you until you finally came of age.”
“You what? Wait a minute, you’re looking for a date?” Febe whispered to Ebony, stunned.
“I wasn’t thinking it would be a date,” Trey said, looking sheepish, thinking she was talking to him.
“Oh, no, I wasn’t talk to you, I was talking to...” Okay, brightie, what are you going to say? That you were talking to your cat? That you were asking your cat if she was thinking of going out on a date? “Um. I was talking to...”
“It’s okay. I just thought maybe we could get a bite to eat after. No pressure though.”
“No. It’s fine. I think that would be great.”
Trey then rubbed his arms. “There’s quite a chill coming from here. You’ve got the AC on?”
“Um. Yes. We have guests, you see. You know for the festival and everything. They’re in town for the next two weeks.”
“Of course. Right.”
Aunt Trixie peeked her head out from the kitchen. “Yoo-hoo. Is everything all right?” she asked.
“Yes, everything’s all right, Auntie,” Febe said. “Thanks for checking. Trey wanted to see if Ebony wants to go to the kitty fashion show tomorrow.”
“Oh, good. As long as we’re not too loud in here.” Aunt Trixie went back into the kitchen.
Trey scratched his head. “Too loud?”
It was obvious he didn’t hear all the noise coming from the living room. Thank goodness for that. Still, that only made her family look even more strange.
Ebony had a point. She had to see it from his standpoint. If he was still interested in her after all that was going on in her world, he was certainly a keeper.
Febe thought about that for a moment. It was a good thing Trey couldn’t hear all the guests. Most of them were the ghosts of her ancestors so they were inaudible to most humans. The living witches were another thing, though he wouldn’t know they were magical folks. He would just think they were odd-looking humans.
The trouble was that many ghosts came with energies and some drew in a cold breeze like dear Auntie Hoot who was still hovering around giving Trey the evil eye. It was a good thing he couldn’t see her, though he could feel her presence.
Goodness, she’d just realized something else. She could probably never get too close to Trey. Her meddling family would give him a hard time, or worse, give their secret away by mistake if he ever figured out what was really going on around them.
This was not easy.
“So see you tomorrow then. What time does it start?”
“Well, it starts at six o’clock in the evening. I can pick you up at five.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Ebony just grinned, shook her head and rolled her eyes and strutted toward the living room.
Febe felt bad that she couldn’t invite him in for a drink, but that was the last thing she could do. He’d certainly never come back again if she did that. What if Uncle Hoot decided to morph into a chair and toss him off just like he did to her? How on earth would she be able to explain a chair that was alive? A chair that was really one of her annoying uncles who knew how to shift into objects?
Chapter 4
On Saturday morning, Febe woke up with a crick in her neck. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had such a stiff sore neck.
Ouch.
“You okay, doll?” Ebony said, yawning in her kitty basket beside the bed.
“Not really. I feel as if I’ve slept on a brick,” she said, getting up.
Febe screamed.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did we bother you?” Three older ladies were present, dressed as if they were from maybe the seventeenth century or so. She guessed they must be dead relatives from that time period. They were probably here to celebrate in the end of the Salem Witch Trials.
One woman wore a high-waisted dress with a wide lace collar and turned-back lace cuffs. Based on what Febe studied in her historical fashion elective while at college, the style was common during the early Baroque era.
The other woman wore a wide collar trimmed with fur and a hood. Her underskirt was decorated with gold embroidery and her bodice and sleeves blossomed with pretty blue ribbons.
Talk about elaborate dress. How long did it take them to get ready in the mornings?
The third woman wore a hooded cape trimmed with fur and ribbons.
A man floated through the wall of her bedroom wearing a cavalier-style outfit with a high-waisted jacket, wide lace collar, lace cuffs, and high boots. “I just heard a scream. Is everything all right in here?” he said in a thick British accent.
“Yes,” the women said in unison.
“No,” Febe said, emphatically.
He looked puzzled as he levitated from the ground.
“Will you excuse me, sir,” Febe then said. “But this happens to be my bedroom.”
Ever the gentleman, he tipped his hat and whizzed out of the room at lightning speed.
“Now what is going on here?” Febe asked as politely as she could.
“We needed a room to stay in for the night.”
Seriously?
“I thought you don’t need room. Wait a minute,” she said, turning to her bed. “There was a lump under the covers. Febe pulled the sheets back and lo and behold, an older woman lay snoring on the bed.
“Oh, that would be Matilda. Dear thing. She always oversleeps.”
“No wonder I had a crick in my neck. I thought you guys don’t have bodies so...”
“Oh, we have an energy field, my dear. You should know that by now.”
“So there were five of us on the bed?”
She had the worst. Sleep. Ever!
This would explain it.
“Why yes, dear. You know back in our times, there were only so many rooms in a house. We crammed as many family members on the bed as possible,” one woman said.
Febe just stared at them in amazement. She was so dead. She could not possibly go through two more weeks of this!
* * *
An hour later, Febe discreetly made her way over to Mr. Dawes next door. Careful to make sure no one saw her, she moved up the stone pathway leading to his door and gave the brass door knocker a good knock, hoping he would be there.
The curtain pulled back in the living room. Before long, she heard steps on the hardwood floor and the door chain.
“Well hello, stranger,” Mr. Dawes said, while cautiously looking around to make sure they weren’t seen.
“Hi, Mr. Dawes. Do you have a minute?”
The door opened wide. “Anything for my favorite neighbour,” Mr. Dawes said.
* * *
“So what is this about, Febe?” Mr. Dawes said.
Febe was so tempted to call him “Mom,” but resisted the urge. Besides, he really was Mr. Dawes in every aspect. For all she knew, her mom was just hiding inside his body.
“Everything. I can’t go another day in that madhouse.”
“You look as if you haven’t slept for a century.”
&nb
sp; “That’s probably because our dear relatives from four centuries ago are getting under my skin—and my bed sheets.”
“Come again?”
Febe went through all the events of the morning and last night.
“Oh dear.” Mr. Dawes got up and went into the kitchen, turning on the kettle. “What you need is a good cup of tea,” Mr. Dawes said.
“Please, no herbal tea,” Febe said. Even though they were not supposed to practise magic unless in an emergency, her dear Aunt Trixie had given her some herbal tea to help her keep awake while she was studying for her witching exam. She couldn’t blink or sleep for a good two days. Apparently, Trixie had used too much wheatgrass and dark chocolate, mixing up the spell she’d cast on the beverage. Yikes. Never again. Not that Mom, or rather Mr. Dawes, would make that same mistake. Still, she’d only just found out that she was a witch, so this was taking some getting used to.
Moments later, Mr. Dawes came back with two cups and they both sat down. Febe took a sip. Her own house was way too crowded right now and she couldn’t even get through to the kitchen. She had to wait a good ten minutes to use the bathroom and when she did get in there, she brushed her teeth and had the quickest shower she could handle, all the while thinking of the scene from Psycho, wondering if a crazy woman was going to pull back the curtains. Never mind a knife attack, the ghost would probably scare her heart out of her chest.
She didn’t do too well with surprises, at least not that kind.
“Thanks, Mr. Dawes,” Febe said, remembering that the walls might have ears and she had to address Mr. Dawes appropriately to not risk blowing her mother’s clever cover.
“No problem, Febe. Listen, I know your relatives can be too much at times, but they’re just so excited to be let out of the ether to join us. You know this festival is a big deal to them.”
“I know. I guess you’re right.”
“But there’s something else, isn’t there?”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because I’ve noticed a change in you,” Mr. Dawes said, arching his brow over his black-rimmed glasses.
Febe swallowed hard.
“Okay, I guess you’re right. I’m sort of seeing this really nice guy.”
“Trey Heart.”
“How did you...oh, never mind,” Febe said, playfully rolling her eyes. “Well, as you know he’s not...” She didn’t want to say one of us. She had to be careful and assumed their conversation could be listened to. “He’s not from our part of town, if you know what I mean.”
“So what?” Mr. Dawes said. “Who cares? Love doesn’t have boundaries, you know.”
“I know that. But family does. I don’t think it would work out. And especially not now with all those relatives at home. I’m just afraid of slipping up or worse, one of them slipping up. It’s so complicated.”
“I know, dear. But take my advice. Take it one day at a time. Life is about moments. Don’t miss out on the beauty of each moment, Febe.” Mr. Dawes gave a warm smile and Febe felt it in her heart.
“Thank you,” Febe said with heartfelt appreciation. Just those words and everything seemed all right again. She really missed her mom. All this time, she’d wished she could have her mom back again. Wished her mom were here. And now, she was there. Well, sort of. Although danger still loomed over them with the evil hunter about to make an appearance sometime in the not so distant future.
“That’s what neighbors are for,” Mr. Dawes said with a wink.
A short while later, Febe left Mr. Dawes. As usual, she looked both ways before crossing the lawn back to the Summer house. She quickly turned the key in the lock and walked inside. She was shocked to be greeted at the front door with Aunties Eartha, Trixie, Vanity and her sister Janvier. Each lady had their arms crossed across their chest.
“Is something wrong?” Febe asked surprised.
“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with the neighbour. Never thought you were into older men,” Aunt Trixie blurted out.
“What?”
“Trixie, I thought we were going to be more discreet and sensitive with this discussion,” Aunt Eartha said.
“Okay, now I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Febe said, walking into the kitchen which was thankfully much more quiet than earlier.
Her aunties and her sister all followed her into the kitchen.
Febe grabbed some milk from the fridge and poured some into a kitty dish for Ebony to have later. She placed the bowl in Ebony’s favorite corner of the kitchen.
It was Saturday morning and usually the sisters would be at the café but they had a solid roster of staff on as they were entertaining guests at home and getting ready for their part in the festival and the parade, for which they were building a float.
“You know what we’re talking about,” Aunt Trixie said, her eyes narrowed. “Don’t think we’re not onto to you, missy. Love is blind but the neighbors ain’t”
“That would be aunties, darling Sis. Love is blind but your aunties ain’t,” Aunt Vanity interjected.
“Love? What are you talking about?” They certainly weren’t referring to Trey, were they?
“You and Mr. Dawes. You’ve been sneaking over there with that sneaky neighbour, having tea and what have you.”
Crap.
Good thing Febe kept her conversations with Mr. Dawes as discreet as possible as not to blow the cover and put everyone’s life in danger.
“I...I wasn’t seeing him. This is insane. Why would I be seeing Mr. Dawes of all people?” And she certainly wasn’t like her Aunt Vanity who would boast about having more than one boyfriend at a time.
“Nothing wrong with a sugar daddy. Though he’s more like a sour daddy, if you ask me,” Aunt Vanity said in her southern accent, cuffing her hair and smooching in the mirror. She used to live down south and sometimes her accent just came out. “I personally like ‘em older. They don’t flirt around. They’re rich and lonely. Perfect.”
“Vanity!” Aunt Trixie said.
“Sugar Daddy?” Febe echoed incredulously. “Why would I...? Aunt Vanity, are you okay?”
“Are you okay, child? I know you wanted to get with that human cop boy of yours and he probably turned you down, but did you have to go jump into the arms of an older man so fast?”
“What? Wait a minute. First of all, Trey did not turn me down.”
“Oh, so you are dating him then?” Aunt Trixie interjected.
“I didn’t say that. I just said I’m not...never mind.”
“Never mind what? Go on, what were you going to say?” Aunt Vanity said.
“I would not be seeing two men and besides, it’s none of your business why I went over there. I just wanted to chat.”
“Chat?” Aunt Vanity said in disbelief. “Child, I am the queen of chat and that man does not want to chat with you. Now mind you, there’s nothing wrong with being the young, hot thing in a relationship. I used to be once. But not anymore.”
“Why not?” Janvier said to Aunt Vanity.
“Child, I got tired of doing CPR on every date. Heart would stop at the first sign of any excitement.”
Febe couldn’t help but grin in spite of the seriousness of the situation. “Well, that’s not me. I’m not saying that age is a problem. Love knows no boundaries,” she echoed her mother, Mr. Dawes.
“So it is love then?” Aunt Trixie said. “Want me to whip up an anti-love potion? I will not have my niece dating a man who could be old enough to be her granddaddy. What would your mother think?”
Febe’s heart stopped. Yes. What would her mother think? What would they think if they knew Mr. Dawes was her mother?
“Listen, end of discussion. I’m not seeing anyone right now. Not even you lovely ladies. I’m going to get Ebony ready for the kitty fashion show. Good day.”
With those words Febe left everyone in the kitchen with their jaws on the floor.
Really now?
Did they really think she was sneaking behind their ba
cks to see the grumpiest neighbor on the block? They didn’t know her too well.
Speaking of which. Were they really listening?
Febe turned back into the kitchen.
“Who told you I was over there?” Febe asked, with suspicion.
“Oh, it was my friend Ted, the delivery guy,” Aunt Vanity said.
‘You mean one of your lovers,” Aunt Trixie said.
“Do you think I really date every man I see?” Aunt Vanity said.
“Do you really want me to answer that question?” Aunt Trixie challenged.
“Okay ladies, we have guests and a festival to get ready for. Let’s keep it civil here,” Aunt Eartha interjected.
Febe thought it was so strange that Ted immediately told Aunt Vanity. The hair on her skin stood up. There was something off about delivery man Ted. She wished she knew what it was.
* * *
Later that afternoon, the atmosphere at the Annual Kitty Fashion Show was electric. People everywhere brought their pets to the venue at the Macy Auditorium. Old Halloween decorations were all over the place. Music played on the sound systems. She caught a glimpse of the DJs. Yella was also there behind one of the turntables. Good on him. Talk about a versatile musician.
“So glad you could come,” Trey said as they sat down at the side of the stage, waiting for their cats to be called. They’d practiced the routine earlier.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Trey,” Febe said.
Or I wouldn’t miss you for the world.
Of course, she loved the chance to spend as much time with Trey as she could. She really admired the way he handled his nephew’s cat Felix.
If Febe didn’t know any better, she’d swear Felix was putting the moves on dear Ebony. But Ebony didn’t seem like she was having any of it.
“I’ll just be a minute. I’ve got to get our numbers.” Trey left Felix and Ebony with Febe as he got up to get the schedule and the number they would need to know when it was their turn to take their cats on stage.
Both kitties were dressed to impress in cute matching his and hers outfits in the 17th century style. It was adorable.
“Be nice to him, Ebony,” Febe whispered discreetly. “He’s being friendly.”
“Trey or this pathetic fur ball here?”