Previously on The Hero in Me

The box she was carrying was medium sized and wrapped in green and red striped paper. Sydney placed it on the floor and stepped back. I looked at it cautiously for a few minutes before I began to tear the paper off.

The tape came off easily, but I didn't open up the flaps of the box. It started to shake and stopped abruptly after. Suddenly, the thing inside tipped the box over and slowly crawled out. It let out a small noise that sounded like a squeaky roar.

A small mountain lion cub sat on the rug with its tail flicking back and forth. Its bright blue eyes were looking up at me, watching my every move. Her fur was a light brown, almost tan, color which made the dark black spots stand out more. The tips of her ears and paws were black as if they had been dipped into paint.

"She is only six months old. You can start thinking of a name for her," Sydney said to me.

I gaped at her.

"You're seriously giving me a pet mountain lion?"

She nodded her head. Since Sydney was a caretaker for animals, wild or not, she had a certificate that made it legal for her to have them. But I never thought that she would bring me something like this. When she told me that she had a gift for me when she came over for Christmas, I expected it to be a small trinket like a plant or some exotic candy.

Not that I'm complaining.

"Cool!"

"Oh. And here…" she muttered as she took something out of her front pocket.

She held up a yellow collar with a gold medal attached to it.

"You can have her name carved into it when you choose one. So what'll it be?"

I pursed my lips in thought and tapped my chin with my index finger.

"Nyra."

As I said this, Sydney hooked the collar around Nyra's neck.

"Her food consists of fish and animal crackers."

I looked at her oddly and she started laughing.

"I accidentally dropped some on the floor and she ate them. I never feed her, or any of the other wild animals, any meat."

Nyra began to crawl around the room, searching for something to play with. A noise echoed through the living room. It was the sound of someone knocking on the door. My dad went to open the door while I went to go find Nyra.

"Hi. Is Austin here? I wanted to bring him his gift and maybe hang out."

I could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Yeah he is. You can wait for him inside."

I went back to searching. When I finally found Nyra under a table, I picked her up and walked back into the living room. Ally was sitting on the couch waiting with her hands interlocked.

"Hey Ally."

She turned at the sound of my voice and her eyes widened when she saw Nyra in my arms.

"What is that?"

I smiled at her.

"This is my Christmas present. Her name is Nyra. You want to hold her?"

Ally looked worried and hesitant for a short second before she held out her arms. Nyra practically jumped into her lap and nuzzled up to her stomach. She closed her eyes and Ally gently stroked her head.

"She likes you. See? You had nothing to worry about," I said to her quietly so I wouldn't wake the sleeping animal.

"Who gave her to you?" she whispered to me.

I pointed at Sydney and Ally nodded. She gently placed Nyra on the couch and grabbed something from out of her purse.

"I brought you a present."

The small box that she took out was a navy blue with a red ribbon tied to it. At the end, a white tag read in black letters 'To: Austin Moon'. She handed it to me and I started to untie it. The latch on the front was gold and I smiled as I flipped it open.

Inside, there was a long silver chain with a yellow and black guitar pick that was in a tiger stripe fashion. The pick was attached to the chain. I looked at her in amazement.

"How did you know I played the guitar?"

Ally shrugged her shoulders, tilting her head to the side.

"Your dad told me all about you when we were waiting for you to get home that one day. He said your favorite instruments are the guitar and the piano."

I gave her a hug and then I realized something.

"I got you a gift too."

I ran upstairs to my room and snatched the bag off of my desk.

"Here," I said when I handed it to her.

She pulled the tissue paper out of the bag and I took it from her. She pulled out a small black lock with a yellow music note on it. A look of confusion made its way across her face and she glanced at me.

I pointed back to the bag and she pulled out the next item. It was a bracelet with a brown key attached to it. There was a little yellow "A" painted onto the key. And that A stood for Ally.

"It's for you to put on your diary. So that no one will be able to read it."


~I just started to write "Beneath the Waves: The Sequel" and I finished the first chapter for it. I'm not sure whether to post it now or wait until later. So…I'm asking what you guys think. Should I wait or post it now? Review!