"Stop it!" I snap at the small black cat who is playfully nibbling on my toes for attention. I only get an innocent look in return, followed by a high pitched meow that sounds almost like a squeak.
"I'm trying to work," I continue, struggling not to give into that cute little face with those striking green eyes.
I turn back to face my laptop with my half written paper about Hamlet. I have been writing for three hours, and all I have to show for it is a half a page of nonsense. "This is ridiculous!" I think out loud as I read what I have written. I'm interrupted again by another meow. Only this time, it is a deeper guttural sound.
"Monkey, shhhh," I hush the now slightly annoyed cat, not breaking my gaze from the laptop's screen. Another sharp guttural meow pierces the air.
"Alright alright," I sigh giving up on writing for now. My paper will just have to wait till later. I look down to see the black cat rubbing up on my leg, purring contently. I can't help but let out a small chuckle. "Why do you have to be so cute?"
Monkey only blinks at me and begins to walk, with her tail straight up, toward the window in the back of my room. She stops midway, and stares at me wanting me to follow. I get up from my comfortable chair and walk to the window. Monkey jumps up on the nightstand beneath the window, and props herself on the large jewelry box waiting for me to open it.
"You want to go outside, huh?" I ask. At the word 'outside' the cat's ears perk up and she lets out a gentile squeak.
I open the window in my bedroom, which leads to a medium sized, second story, porch in the back of the house. Monkey immediately jumps out and sniffs the crisp autumn air. I generally don't let her go out by herself because she has a tendency to wander, even with the railing surrounding the edges. But, today she seems to be behaving so, I figure why not? I will just have to keep a close eye on her. I watch for a few minutes as she swats at some falling leaves from a near by tree then, decide to go make myself a cup of coffee.
When I enter the kitchen, I go straight to the door that leads to the porch. I open it, but leave the screen door closed, so I can still somewhat keep an eye on the lively cat. I make my delicious pumpkin spice latte' and then head back to my room.
When I get to my room, I sit myself back at my desk and take a look at some more homework. Suddenly, I hear a voice. A male's voice. It sounds close but, I can't make out what he's saying. Then, I hear another voice. This one sounds younger, like a teenage boy's. It sounds further away than the first voice, and irritated. I turn my head to look out the partially opened window and out of the corner of my eye, I make out a figure of a man standing on the porch.
I immediately start to panic. What if he's a burglar? Has he hurt Monkey? How did he even get up there? I calm myself down and quickly but, quietly walk to the kitchen. I tiptoe over to the screen door and look out. A tall, black haired man, dressed in a long black coat is standing just off to the side of the porch and- I stop suddenly. He's holding Monkey! Although, Monkey rather seems to be enjoying the attention.
"Let's go, Sebastian," the younger boy says in a heavy British accent. I try to see if I can locate the him but, he must be on the ground level.
"But, Master, she's just so beautiful!" The man, who I guess is Sebastian, exclaims in an equally heavy accent. "Just look at her sleek black fur, her soft pink tongue, her exquisite pads! And look, she even has a little white spot on her belly!"
"Master?' I ask myself, "Who are these people?"
"I don't care, so let's go," the younger voice replies in an annoyed tone.
The one the young boy refers to as Sebastian waves the boy off and continues to keep his attention on Monkey. Just as he begins to squeeze Monkey's paw pads, causing her to retract her claws, I open the screen door and step onto the porch.
"Ahem," I clear my throat when the man fails to notice me. He looks up, and I almost gasp when I see his face. He is breathtakingly handsome! He appears to be in his late twenties, with pale skin, and his eyes have deep red irises. They look almost demonic. My knees start to feel weak from his intense stare.
"Yes," the man responds in a smooth voice.
In my panic, I never noticed how soothing his voice is. I force myself to remember the current situation. "What the hell are you doing with my cat?" I ask seriously, straightening my posture.
"This lovely feline is yours?" the man asks in what seems to be admiration.
"Yes, she's mine," I reply sharply. "And you are trespassing on my property, so I would like it if you would leave. Now."
"Oh please, do excuse us," the man smiled apologetically.
"Us? What do you mean us?" I hear the younger voice yell. "You're the who's trespassing, idiot." I look over the railing and see a small teenage boy with grayish blue hair and a blue eye, for his right eye was covered by an eye patch. He is dressed in high end clothing, definitely European.
The man once again ignored the boy's remark and continued, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sebastian Michaelis and this," he gestured down to the boy, "is my master Lord Ciel Phantomhive."
Lord? What the hell is a lord doing in Wisconsin?
Still holding Monkey, Sebastian held out a gloved hand for me to shake. I hesitate, but give in almost at once. His smile is just so seducing. How could I refuse him? I take his hand. As soon as we touch, my knees start to give in and I feel light headed. I can feel the blood rushing to my face.
'Pull yourself together!' I tell myself trying not to gaze into those gorgeous red eyes.
"Nice to meet you," I say regaining some of my composure. "Now, can you please tell me what you are doing on my porch, cuddling my cat?"
"Ah, well you see, my master and I are visiting America on a-" Sebastian paused for a second, "on a holiday. We just happened to be taking a stroll around the neighborhood, when I noticed your fine feline friend. What did you say her name was?"
"Monkey," I reply simply.
"Yes, Monkey. A very suitable name if I do say so myself. Anyway, I noticed Monkey sitting on the porch. I absolutely adore cats you see, and Monkey just looks so perfect, so I had to stop and say hello." I could hear Ciel let out a sigh of exasperation from the distance.
"Uh huh," I say skeptically. "And, how exactly did you get up here?"
"Well, Miss, I am simply one hell of a climber." Sebastian replies with his charming smile.
"I see," I respond, my tone softening slightly. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to have my cat back back now."
"Oh, yes, of course," Sebastian says handing over Monkey. I can tell she's glad to be back in the comfort of my grasp. However, she doesn't give Sebastian one of her devil stares that she gives when she doesn't like a person.
"I truly am sorry for any trouble that I may have caused you," he says smiling that seductive smile once more.
He's really has to stop doing that. I don't know how long I can keep my self composure.
"That's alright," I hear myself saying. "No harm, no foul right?" The words just flow out of my mouth like water from a faucet. I want to stop them but, they just keep coming. "Besides, you seem to do really well with her. Normally, she just runs and hides if a stranger comes up to her." God, I want to strangle myself! Why can't I just shut up?
"Thank you so much, Miss. You truly are a kind and beautiful young lady."
That's it. That is all it takes for me to melt completely. I feel my cheeks grow warmer by the second and my stomach is doing flips. "Thank you! And, it's no trouble," I manage to say grinning widely.
"Whew," Sebastian let's out a sigh. "I am so glad. And with that, I think we shall take our leave."
"About damn time." I hear Ciel retort.
"Good day, my lady," Sebastian says airily, giving a slight bow. He gives Monkey one last longing look and before I know it, he is climbing over the railing and somehow on the ground. I wave to both him and Ciel, as they walk down the alley and slowly disappear.
I stand on the porch for a minute, still holding Monkey, taking in the events that just occurred. What a strange pair...
I go back inside and close the door. I check to see if Monkey has enough food in her bowl (it's around that time for her to eat) and then return to my room. My pumpkin spice latte still sits on my desk where I left it, probably ice cold by now. I sigh and head over to my window shivering slightly from a cool breeze that just came in. I close it and make sure to latch the lock on the top. I then go sit back own at my desk, grab my cell phone and begin to dial my friend, Helen. I have to tell someone what just happened, and I know Helenwould just absolutely love a story like this.
As I'm waiting for the phone to dial I make a note to myself. This is the last time I am ever going to leave Monkey outside unattended.