Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Elara:

”Meow.”

The sound came again. And this time, there was no mistaking it. My heart lurched painfully inside my chest.

”Crazy...”

The name escaped my lips before I even realized I had spoken.

I shot to my feet so quickly that the room immediately spun around me. Darkness swam before my eyes, my exhausted body protesting the sudden movement after hours of crying. My knees nearly buckled, forcing me to grab the back of the nearest couch to keep myself from collapsing right back onto the floor.

I closed my eyes for a second, and slowly took a deep breath before releasing it. Then did it again and again. Finally, the dizziness eased just enough for me to stand properly again.

Then...

”Meow.”

It came once more. My pulse quickened. I was indeed not imagining things because of my current emotional state. There was indeed a cat somewhere nearby.

I pushed away from the couch and began searching the enormous living room. The sound definitely hadn’t come from outside the front door. I checked behind the sofa. Nothing. Behind the curtains. Nothing. Under the coffee table. Still nothing.

I hurried toward the open kitchen connected to the living room, looking beneath the dining table, around the cabinets, even inside the pantry. But again found nothing. There was not a si gke trace of a cat anywhere inside the dorm.

My breathing became increasingly uneven.

”Crazy?”

I called out to the cat. But the only thing that greeted me was absolute silence. For a moment, I stood there in the living room surrounded by countless shopping bags, and then...

Tap!

A soft sound against glass reached my ears, followed immediately by another faint but familiar meowl.

I quickly turned my head toward the direction of the sound - the bedroom. Without wasting another second, I closed the few steps and rushed through the open bedroom door. For a brief moment, I couldn’t figure out where the sound had come from. Then I noticed the heavy dark drapes covering the floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to the balcony.

Almost on cue came another soft tap.

My heart practically stopped as I rushed forward and pulled the curtains aside in one swift movement. There, standing on the other side of the glass was a fluffy white cat covered in dirt.

His bright blue eyes met mine.

”Crazy...” Fresh tears blurred my vision almost instantly. ”It really is you...”

I fumbled with the handle before throwing open the balcony door. The second there was enough space, I bent down, scooped him into my arms, and hugged him tightly against my chest not caring about dirtying the expensive clothes I was wearing.

”I thought...” My voice cracked. ”I thought I’d lost you too...”

For one beautiful second... everything felt right. Then-

”For heaven’s sake!” A distinctly male voice exploded directly beside my ear. ”What took you so long to open the damn door?!”

A barely audible scream escaped me. My arms jerked violently an the cat flew out of my hands.

”Whoa-!”

Thud.

Before I could even process what had just happened, the white cat had already landed neatly on all four paws. He shook himself once before glaring up at me.

”What is wrong with you?” His fluffy tail lashed dramatically behind him. ”I have been freezing out here waiting for you!” He narrowed those familiar blue eyes. ”Were you trying to let me die from the cold? Or starvation? Or were you hoping I’d manage both?”

I stood there completely frozen. My mouth slowly fell open. The cat... had spoken. It wasn’t meowing, but speaking like a human!

”...”

The cat frowned. ”Why are you staring at me like that?”

Neither of us moved even as several long seconds passed. Then his expression changed. The irritation slowly disappeared, replaced by something closer to surprise.

”Wait...” His ears twitched. ”You...can hear me?”

I continued staring and he stared back as if waiting for me to show a response to confirm his guess.

Finally after several long moments, I slowly nodded. ”...I’m...” I swallowed. ”I’m not imagining this. The voice...” I pointed toward him with a slightly trembling finger. ”It’s... coming from you.”

The white cat blinked again. Then let out an exaggerated sigh. ”Oh! Finally.” He sat down gracefully and flicked his tail. ”I was beginning to think I had ruined my life by accepting a groundling.”

I stared at him, not missing the familiar term he just threw at me.

”You can talk?”

He continued acting like some diva as he answered, ”I have always been able to talk.” He tilted his head. ”You are the one who couldn’t understand me.”

I blinked several times. Then started shaking my head. There was no way this cat was my Crazy. ”You...” I said while pointing between us. ”You aren’t my cat.”

The white furball immediately puffed himself up in outrage. ”What did you just say?”

”My Crazy doesn’t talk.” I took an unconscious step backward. ”And my Crazy certainly doesn’t sound...” I searched desperately for the right word. ”...this snarky.”

His blue eyes widened dramatically. ”Snarky?!” He pointed a tiny paw toward himself. ”Excuse me? I have crossed counties following you! I have nearly frozen to death waiting outside! I have probably lost three years off my life because you took forever opening that door! And somehow... I’m the problem?!”

I folded my arms instinctively. ”See?” I pointed at him. ”This. This is exactly what I mean. My cat was weird.” I nodded confidently. ”He stole socks, knocked glasses off tables, and once tried to fight a vacuum cleaner. But he definitely didn’t stand there insulting me.”

The white cat looked personally offended. He placed one paw dramatically over his chest. Then his expression flattened. ”I am deeply wounded. Either you have damaged your brain or grief has finally melted it.” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. ”How do you not recognize your own cat?”

I opened my mouth only to close it almost immediately. Then I opened it again. Honestly, there were probably a hundred different questions I should have asked first.

How had he reached Starfall? Why could he suddenly talk? Was I hallucinating? Had I finally cried myself into insanity?

Instead, the first thing that escaped my mouth was - ”You can really talk?”

The cat stared at me, long enough that I actually began feeling embarrassed. Then he sighed so dramatically that his entire tiny body seemed to slump.

”Congratulations.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. ”You have successfully identified the incredibly obvious. I was beginning to worry your observational skills hadn’t survived the trip.”