What Cat Lost (The Last Life of Cat Book 1)

by Chelsea Thayer

  “Oh my!” came Mimi’s voice.

  “Is this your daughter?” came the voice of the man who was shining a flashlight in her eyes.

  She couldn’t see a thing. Had they just said daughter?

  “Cathleen Rhodes!” it was her father’s voice.

  The flashlight turned off so she could see Luke still wrestling with his clothes, two highway patrolmen, Mimi, and to her dismay, her father.

  “We’ll wait for you two, outside,” Mimi said harshly through gritted teeth, looking from Luke to Cat and back again.

  The patrolmen followed Mimi without looking back, murmurs and muffled laughter followed them. Her father lingered for a moment before turning on his heel and stomping out. The look was one Cat had never seen and prayed to never see again. She knew this was disastrous.

  Luke continued to get dressed. His face was beet red and Cat could hear him swearing under his breath. Real curse words this time, not his usual ‘Jiminy Cricket.’

  Cat was shaking so hard that she found it difficult to get dressed. In the end, Luke had to help her.

  “It’ll be okay, Cat,” Luke said quietly. “Once they know the story … I know this looks bad, but …”

  “Looks bad?!” Cat began to cry. “This is bad, Luke. This is the worst thing that could possibly happen. He’s going to kill me.”

  “Why is he here?” Luke asked in a whisper. “Did you know he was coming to town?”

  “I don’t know,” Cat sobbed into her hands. “No, I had no idea.”

  “They’re waiting out there, Cat,” Luke took her hand and pulled her off the couch. “We have to go face them.”

  Cat nodded, though her legs did not want to respond. She felt like she was marching towards the gallows, slow drum beats played in her head.

  When they emerged from the barn, she walked beside Luke, not touching him. Her feet faltered and her knee ached from yesterday’s fall; Luke gently took her elbow to help her along. His touch steadied tumultuous waves of nausea and nerves Cat was keeping at bay.

  “Before you say anything, I feel like I should tell you all what happened,” Luke said as Mimi opened her mouth to speak. “The truck got stuck on the river road, so we had to walk to the highway. Cat fell and hurt her knee again so I carried her to the highway. When we got there, I realized I had somehow lost my phone at the river, so we had no way to contact anyone. We came here because there weren’t any cars coming along. And we were … like … that … in there … because we were trying to stay warm.” Luke took a deep breath in.

  Cat had never seen him so unraveled.

  None of them looked completely convinced. Her father just looked pissed. He was now shooting daggers at Luke, for even daring to speak.

  Mimi cleared her throat, “Thank you, Luke.”

  The highway patrolman who had held the flashlight spoke, “We’re just glad the two of you are alright, regardless of what exactly happened last night.” One of them gave Cat a wink; her father caught sight of it as well and Cat noticed his jaw lock into place. She wanted to die right then and there.

  “We found the truck on the old river road early this morning,” the other highway patrolman said, “and your father just informed us that he owned the barn here. It’s a good thing you were able to get here safely.”

  “Let’s get you both to the hospital to be looked over,” the first patrolman motioned them towards his SUV.

  “I’m fine,” Luke spoke up, “But Cat’s knee is hurt.”

  “I’ll be okay,” Cat found that her voice was barely above a whisper.

  “Procedure,” the other patrol officer said shortly.

  “Cat, your father and I will follow in my truck,” Mimi said.

  Cat glanced up to her dad. He had not spoken. Cat almost expected to see smoke coming out of his ears. Cat felt tears well up in her eyes. She tried to brace herself for whatever punishment she knew would be coming, as Luke led her to the patrol car.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “I’m really fine,” Cat repeated for the umpteenth time as yet another nurse came in the room to look at her leg.

  All she wanted was to see Luke, to see how he was doing. Cat had been ushered to an examining room as soon as they reached Watauga Medical Center. As she left Luke standing in the lobby, she had caught a glimpse of her dad approaching him. She shuddered as she recalled the look in her father’s eyes. This couldn’t be good. Something inside of her told her that the peace and comfort she had found over the last four months had come to an abrupt halt. So many emotions churned inside of her. She felt like they were playing bumper cars in her brain, her stomach, all over. She literally ached with worry; and of course, she still had no idea what her father was even doing in North Carolina.

  “You’ll be fine,” the nurse smiled as she looked up from Cat’s knee. Cat fought the urge to respond with a sarcastic remark and managed a polite smile in return.

  “You’ve just re-sprained it, is all,” the nurse continued, as she rewrapped it tightly, “You just sit tight while I go find a doctor to sign your release papers.”

  “Alright,” Cat sighed. She’d been detained long enough. She needed to find Luke and quickly.

  Cat watched the nurse leave and she rolled over to face the window. The door opened again.

  “Are you sleeping, Cathleen?” her mother’s voice said quietly.

  Cat jumped at the sound of it.

  “Mom?” Cat sat upright to see her mom and Lili coming in.

  “What on earth happened, Cat?” Lili asked appraisingly.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Cat’s emotions overwhelmed her and she felt tears well up in her eyes at the sight of her mother and little sister.

  “We wanted to surprise you,” her mother smiled. “Thanksgiving is this Thursday and we thought the whole family should be together.”

  “But we didn’t get to Mimi’s until two a.m. because of the roads,” Lili interrupted, “And there were police there, and you were missing, and well, I guess you know what happened from there.”

  Cat put her head in her hands. It was too much. Slowly and earnestly, Cat began to tell them what had happened. When she had finished, she looked up but while Lili looked completely convinced, her mother’s face bore a look of uncertainty. It was evident her father had spoken to her first.

  “That’s what Mimi said,” Lili said nodding. “I knew it was all a misunderstanding. Told you, Mom”

  Cat looked at her mother.

  “Cat, you know I love you,” her mother began.

  “But,” Cat interrupted, she could already predict what was coming next.

  “But,” her mother continued, “Your father is certain about what he saw. And after everything that has happened with you this last year, it is hard to believe you.”

  Cat felt like she’d been hit with a ton of bricks. Lili stepped back and took a seat in the corner of the room.

  “We love you, Cat,” she added, “But your father has already decided the next course of action. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”

  “Next course of action?” Cat sat up in her bed. What the hell was she talking about? What was with the formality? She looked at Lili who looked equally confused.

  “Lili, will you give us some privacy?” her mom turned to ask.

  Lili looked like she was prepared to argue, but something in her mother’s face stopped her short.

  After the door closed, Cat turned her attention back to her mother.

  “We’re leaving this afternoon,” she said, tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

  “I expected you would say that,” Cat snapped and crossed her arms. It didn’t matter, she would be joining Luke at Appalachian in the fall. They would make it until then, they loved each other.

  “You won’t be returning to Spence,” her mother’s voice caught in her throat, �
�he’s, I mean, we are sending you to a boarding school upstate to finish your senior year.”

  Cat blinked her eyes in disbelief.

  “It’s Emma Willard,” her mother continued, “an excellent school.”

  Her mother’s voice became a mere buzzing sound in the background, while Cat’s mind raced through the significance of that statement. She’d heard of Emma Willard and knew it to be a very prestigious school. It was also, to Cat’s knowledge, an all girl’s school. The chances of having Luke visit her or sneaking away for the weekend to visit him were slim to none. That meant that she wouldn’t be seeing her Luke again until they started school at Appalachian in the Fall. A full eight months away.

  “Cat?” her mother’s voice had become shrill in an effort to get her attention, “Cat? Are you listening to me?”

  “Huh?” Cat blinked her eyes as she returned to the pale blue hospital room in which she sat.

  “I said your father withdrew your application from Appalachian State University this morning. What were you thinking applying there without consulting with us first, Cathleen?”

  “What?!” Cat felt her heart drop to her stomach, “You can’t do that! Why would you do that? That’s where I want to go to school!”

  “Cathleen, I know it’s difficult to see now, but following some farm boy to college in North Carolina is not the future you were meant for,” her mother’s voice had become steely.

  “This isn’t you talking,” Cat sat upright, “I know you don’t believe this. Do you know how shallow you sound?”

  “You don’t speak to your mother that way!” her father’s voice boomed from the doorway.

  Her mother stepped back into the shadows.

  “How could you?” Cat could barely speak. “You can’t tell me where to go to school.”

  “You’re right, Cathleen,” her father’s eyes narrowed. “But I can choose what I pay for. And if you don’t go to one of the schools that your mother and I approve of, you won’t receive a penny. Not for school, not for anything, ever.”

  “What are you saying,” Cat swallowed hard, “You’ll write me out of your will if I don’t go to the school you want me to attend?”

  Her mom was sniffling quietly.

  Her father nodded slowly, “That also includes who you choose to date.”

  “I don’t care what you do,” Cat’s voice became hoarse in an effort to hold back the tears, “I love him. Do you hear me? LOVE him. Keep your damn money! How dare you think that you can buy me. I’m your daughter.”

  Cat wasn’t even sure at what point her mother ran out of the room in tears. Frankly, she didn’t care. She couldn’t believe these people were her parents.

  Her father held up his hand and Cat was silenced. Old habits die hard. Her brain continued to reel off insults at him while her jaw shut fast.

  “I spoke with Luke,” her father’s voice tinged with amusement. “Nice young man,” he added with sarcasm. “I told him I would allow him to tell you goodbye.”

  With that, her father walked to the door and motioned to someone in the hallway. Luke stepped in quietly. He looked at the floor and barely acknowledged Cat’s presence.

  “I’ll give you two a minute,” her father said with an upbeat tone, “Not a second more.”

  The door closed behind him with an echo.

  After a moment of unbearable silence, Luke looked up at her with a sad smile. He slowly walked forward, took her face in his hands, and kissed her in a way that he never had before. It was a good-bye kiss — long, soft, and sweet; it broke Cat’s heart. When he stepped back, his eyes were also shining with tears.

  “I will always love you, Cathleen Rhodes,” he said quietly, before he turned and stepped back to the door.

  It took Cathleen’s mind a moment before she realized what was happening. “Wait,” she called out hoarsely.

  Luke’s hand stopped on the door handle, but he didn’t turn around.

  “This isn’t over, Luke,” her voice pleaded, though she knew his mind was made up. “Whatever my father said to you, it doesn’t matter. I love you, Luke. You can’t believe this is over.”

  “It has to be,” Luke said in a voice so low Cat could barely make it out.

  And then he was gone. Cat’s breath held in her throat as the door slammed. She didn’t breathe as she heard his footsteps echoing down the hall. When the sound had faded away, with her lungs screaming for air, she began to gasp.

  Luke was gone, perhaps indefinitely, and her life would never be the same. Cat folded herself into a ball. That was it — her last life. This — this must be what it feels like to die she thought somberly. All nine lives lost, and in seventeen short years. Well, at least in her last one, she had found love.

  About The Author

  Chelsea Wilson Thayer is a writer, theatre educator, wife, and mother of four. She holds her M.A. in Educational Theatre from New York University and works as a writer and theatre practitioner in rural Appalachia. What Cat Lost takes place in two very different places: New York City and Boone, NC. Chelsea has been able to call both places her home. She is, at heart, still the city girl her husband met when she moved to the rural Appalachian Mountains. And to this day he is still the country boy who moved to New York City for her so that she could attend graduate school at NYU. Like the characters in her novel, she knows that young love can be intense and confusing. But, most of all, she knows it can be real. Thayer is proud to call the Appalachian Mountains her home. She seeks in her writing to elevate this oft-forgotten and underrepresented corner of the globe. According to her, the Blue Ridge Mountains are certainly the most beautiful place on earth. This is her debut novel.