Tori was running through the halls at Hollywood Arts.

Tori: Cat, Cat where are you?

She runs up to a group of students standing near a locker: Have any of you seen Cat?

Everyone shakes their head no,

Finally on a hunch; Tori ran to the Black Box Theater. Sure enough, Cat is sitting there.

Tori: Cat, I have been looking all over for you.

Cat: Hi, I am here.

Tori: I see that, what are you doing here?

Cat: I was just thinking..

Tori: Thinking about what?

Cat: Thinking about poor Mona Patterson's house burning down.

Tori: Cat, you can't blame yourself for that!

Cat: But the guy on TV said that my candle caused it!

Tori: But that is so unrealistic, you had a little candle on a concrete sidewalk outside, there was no way it could have started that fire.

Cat: But the reporter said…

Tori: Cat I am telling you, where you put that candle there was nothing around it to burn. Maybe Mona Patterson brought it inside the house and put it near something and that caught fire.

Cat: Do you think so?

Tori: I am sure of it, and I bet if you ask Mona Patterson she would tell you so.

Cat: Can we?

Tori: Can we what?

Cat: Can we go talk to Mona Patterson and find out what really happened?

Tori: You mean go to the hospital and talk to her?

Cat: Yes, it's the only way I will be able to feel better.

Tori: We will have to get a ride; I still did not get my license. Maybe Trina will drive us.

Tori and Cat ran off to find Trina:

It was so close to lunch time that they just went out to the Asphalt Café and waited. Trina soon showed up at the grub truck to buy her lunch.

Tori: Hey Trina, can you do Cat and I a favor?

Trina: Cat, the last time I saw Cat she and Robbie were singing to me that my date was standing me up.

Tori: Come on Trina, that wasn't Cat's fault.

Trina: Hmm I suppose, what is the favor?

Tori: Can you drive us down to San Diego Hospital to see Mona Patterson?

Trina: That actress whose house you burned down?

Cat: oh…..

Tori: Trina, I have been trying to explain to Cat that there is no way she could have caused that fire. Where she put the candle, there was nothing that could burn.

Trina: All right, I will take you down there; but, you are going to owe me a huge favor.

Tori: Yeah, yeah, what else is new?

After school, Tori called her mom and told her they would be home late and where they were going. They then got into Trina's car and started the long drive to San Diego.

Tori: Well at least the weather is better this time than the last time we were making this trip.

Trina: Yeah, whatever possessed you guys to drive there in a convertible with the top down?

Tori: Well it wasn't raining when we started out, then we couldn't get off the highway for a while and then we found out that the top was missing.

Cat: Don't forget the clown.

Tori: (Shudders at the memory) I really was trying to forget that part Cat; thank you for bringing it up again.

Cat: You're welcome?

Trina: What clown?

Tori: When we pulled over in a gas station to try to put the top up there was this skanky clown there who wanted a ride.

Trina: Did you give him one?

Tori: No way, he was not only skanky but I think he was drunk or high. We got out of there as soon as we could.

Trina: Probably a good idea.

Trina: How much further is this hospital?

Tori: According to the GPS we go up another three blocks and then turn left and it should be right there.

A few minutes later…

Cat: Oh look, there it is!

Trina: Great, just let me find a place to park and we can go in.

Trina parked the car and the girls walked in to the information desk.

Hello, may I help you? said the woman behind the desk.

Cat: We came to visit Mona Patterson

Desk Lady: Mona Patterson, let's see, ok she is in room C-310, the elevators are right behind you.

Cat: Thank you!

The girls got into the elevator and travelled up to the third floor.

Tori: There it is, C-310 where that man is standing.

They walked over to the room.

Cat: Excuse me sir, is this Mona Patterson's room.

Man: Yes it is, I am her son, and who are you?

Cat: My name is Cat and these are my friends Tori and Trina. I am a big fan of Mrs. Patterson.

Man: Wait a minute, Cat with red fur; you are the girl that burned down my mother's house! You have a lot of nerve coming back here, I should call the police!

Tori: That is why we came back, to find out what really happened, there is no way our candle could have caused that fire, it was outside on the concrete steps. Please, just let us go talk to her; I know we can find out what really happened.

Man: All right go ahead, but if mom says that you caused the fire, I will have the police here in a minute.

Cat: Thank you

The girls walk into the room and Cat walks up near the head of the bed.

Cat: Mrs. Patterson?

Mona Patterson's eyes were closed, but on hearing Cat's voice they fluttered open.

Cat: Hi! Do you remember me?

Mona: You are the girl who thought I was dead. You brought me a candle and I chased you off.

Cat: You remembered!

Mona: I remembered, then after you left my house burned down.

Tori: That is why we came back to visit. The press said that the candle we brought was the cause of the fire, but when we left it was outside; there was no way that it could have caused the fire.

Mona: Sit down girls

The three girls sat down, around the bed.

Mona: You girls are so young and pretty. I was young once, and people thought I was pretty. I have been in show business for many years. I was in old musicals like State Fair, when I was very young and then I did movies, television, I had it all, a wonderful husband, a great son…..

Mona (Continuing): Well as time went on my son grew and became a successful lawyer, he is the man outside the door right now. My husband just passed away five years ago.

Tori: Oh, we are so sorry…

Mona: Thank you, dear. My husband was everything to me, my husband, lover, best friend, and even my manager. He took care of all of the details, and I just had to look pretty and act. For years that was the arrangement and it worked well. That all changed when he died. I found that I was having a hard time trying to cope with little things, like bills, taxes, buying groceries, things like that. My son finally took me to the doctor and they decided that I was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Cat: What's Alzheimer's disease?

Tori: Cat it's a disease that makes you start to lose your memory; you can do something now, and in five minutes forget that you did it.

Mona: That about sums it up. Soon my memory became worse and I was forgetting many more things. I wanted to stay in the home that my husband and I made for each other, but it was becoming harder and harder to cope. My son had his own life and family, he couldn't spend all of his time with me, and so he started talking to me about going into a home where people could take care of me.

Mona: (paused, and closed her eyes, when she opened them again there were tears forming): I loved my home; each room had memories of my son and my husband and my life. I did not want to leave, ever. My son and I talked about it and we finally decided that if I got much worse, I would have no choice. I would have to go, and all of my memories would be lost.

Cat reached out and held Mona's hand. All of the girls were beginning to shed tears at this point.

Mona: The night you girls came to visit, there was so much excitement after the fire I could not remember what happened... I vaguely remembered your name, Cat and your red hair and the candle that you gave me. I could not remember all of the details, but it seemed like the candle was the source of the fire, and I remembered you girls, and that is how the press got the story.

Tori: But, the candle was outside, there was no way it could have started the fire.

Mona: That is where the memory failed again. I now remember that when you girls left, you left the candle on my front step. I looked at the candle and it was such a pretty thing, that I took it and brought it into the house and put it in the window, as it turned out, a bit too close to the curtains. I just remembered that a few days ago, but the press already had their story and were not interested in a retraction. I told the police what happened, but I was afraid to tell my son, because I knew that would be the last straw, that would put me in a home. Well it looks like I am going there anyway, since my house and all its memories are now gone.

Mona's eyes closed again, the strain of talking all this time had been too much for her and she went back to sleep. Cat bent over and kissed her on the forehead.

Cat: Goodbye Mrs. Patterson, get some rest.

The girls composed themselves and walked out into the hallway. Mona's son was standing there, and it was obvious that he had been crying too.

Mona's son: I just want to thank you girls for coming to see mom, I think it really meant a lot to her.

Cat: She meant a lot to me, she was my favorite actress.

Mona's Son: I just wanted to let you know, that I heard everything mom said to you, and I am not going to put her in a home. I have a very large house and will move her into it once she can leave her, and I will get her the best stay at home care so she never has to leave. We have some of her memorabilia in the attic. I am going to bring it down and put it around her room in my house and make her feel at home

Tori: I am sure that will mean a lot to her.

Mona's son took out a piece of paper and wrote down his address and telephone number and gave it to Cat.

Mona's son: When she gets settled in, you are welcome to come and visit her; I know she would like that.

Cat: took the paper and gave him a quick hug: Thank you, I will do that.

The girls turned and walked to the elevator. The ride down to the car and the ride home were made in silence. Each of the girls was lost in thought about the day's events.

Mona Patterson had lost her house, but she was going to get her son back, and she made a few new friends too.