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Cats-Dogs? And Mr. Collins

Elizabeth-

I hear my mother's screeches greeting the newcomer, a tall and willowy man with short hair cut in a new and affected style.

He has a sharp nose, angular features light complexion like the color of porcelain, and a widow's peak sharply contrasting with his dark brown hair.

Many might call him handsome, but I think he looks cruel and dark, as one who is hiding a secret nature. He is also fastidious and is still brushing his clothes and hat while he greets my mother.

He puts the hat on with extreme care and moves it a few times until he deems it appropriate.

He turns around and sees Mr. Darcy, tips his hat to greet him, bowing his head lightly and flashed a forced smile. I think he is surprised.

He says something to Mother, then talks to the driver and hurries into the house.

"Miss Elizabeth, given the circumstances I need to leave for London presently. If you still want to send Cleo, it might be better if we w…"

I cut him before he finishes, "I don't want to anger Mother unnecessarily. Hence I will prepare a basket and a few things for her, but first I must find Miss Cleo." My heart is breaking; I will be alone again without my one-day cat.

Mr. Darcy says his goodbyes and tells me he will send either Jonathan or one of the brothers for Miss Cleo.

Before he leaves he takes my hand in his and deposits a feathery kiss on my ungloved hand, and his moist lips wake up something inside of me; it was whatever awoke during that dream.

And I have a dimmed memory of the time I cut my finger when he had what? Put it in his mouth? That couldn't be, heat rushes lower, and my face turns scarlet at the thoughts crossing my mind, a half-naked Mr. Darcy with my finger in his mouth, what am I doing?

I am thinking of the kisses as his eyes lift. I can swear he knows that I am disturbed. I am not so sure about his half smile as he breathes deeply and sighs. I don't understand why his nose is flaring.

"I regret having to leave, London doesn't smell like country air." He explains. It must be his reason for a deep breath, and his nose is flaring, how odd.

"Be well Miss Elizabeth and be careful and mindful of whatever is talking to you. That you don't see it, it doesn't make it less real. Perhaps you should ask your father. And watch for Mr. Collins, I know of him, be careful," those are his last words as he walks to his horse.

I am going to be happy when he is back, and I just don't know why. I look until he disappears in the distance. Once he is gone, I go into the house to look for Miss Cleo.

As soon as I step in, "Lizzy, Lizzy, come here," my mother calls me.

I go into the drawing room to greet Mr. Collins, and his eyes fix on me as if I am a plump mouse, and he is a hungry cat.

Something about him is repulsive, and I will run away from home before I consent to marry this man. There is something about him that I dislike profoundly.

Jane stands near him with her eyes fixed upon me. I raise my eyebrows as if asking her what the matter is, and she shakes her head as if saying, "Don't do it." Jane doesn't like him either, interesting, I want to talk to her.

Mother, however, is acting head over heels over Mr. Collins, who in the second inspection has oily hair, and stinks of too much cologne. It is a good thing others don't seem to share Mother's opinion.

"Miss Elizabeth, your mother has told me much about you." He takes my hand to kiss it lightly over the glove.

He greets with a voice that is meant to mesmerize his parishioners and doesn't release my hand, which I pull away firmly.

I can only imagine what she must have mentioned, "My, I hope it didn't scare you too much," and I chuckle.

"Why I am more anxious than ever to know my cousin and hopefully make a successful match." He eyes me from head to toe appraising me in a rather vulgar manner.

My mother looks radiant, and I make my decision, I will leave if I am forced to accept this man. I don't want my family thrown out of Longbourn, but I am not going to be a sacrificial lamb.

I am going to talk to my father; maybe begging will make him intervene on my behalf. I excuse myself by pretending to have a headache, and I go to look for Miss Cleo.

Two hours later I still cannot find her, and Mr. Darcy's footman is back. We go by the stable, and Ian claims he only saw Miss Cleo that once during the walk.

Regretfully I have to tell Darcy's footman that I have nothing for Mr. Darcy, but he has a basket for me. Pick is inside along with a book and a small parcel. He probably sent it as an excuse for his footman coming.

I look at the book's cover and can't read it, the name is faded, but I take it all anyway and thank him.

"Boy follow the Miss and hide from the others," Jonathan orders him.

I have to giggle, he does just as Mucky had the day before, and he hides under my skirt. Keeping up with my steps, we walk together to my room. I close the door and lock it carefully in the middle of a deep belly guffaw. Mr. Darcy's terriers are actors at heart.

I turn around and— horror of horrors, Miss Cleo sits atop of the bed looking at us intently. I stand frozen with Pick following my lead, the silence before the thunder, and that was when I heard a knock at the door.

"Lizzy come out, we are waiting for you. Tea is served; make sure you look at your best. Unlock the door." It was my mother's petulant voice demanding perfect obedience.

If that is not bad enough, the disembodied voice is by my ear, urgent and I can make it out than ever, "Run, un, Far." And for once I am not scared, the voice is not threatening, and the advice is, to go, to run, and to run far. We agree on that.

Now what to do with a cat hissing softly, and a dog circling my bed with his fur raised, and in the meantime, my mother wants to come in my room?

Events overcome the last; my mother just opens the door, she nearly screeches "I swear Lizzy, this time you will obey, nobody will be able to stop me, no one."

Elizabeth's eyes open some more-

Elizabeth turned around the moment the door open and whispered, "I wish you all could just fly and hide."

"Who on earth were you talking..." Mrs. Bennett, reprimanded Lizzy as she walked towards her, but something stopped her words.

Mrs. Bennett's face was already angry and red when the door opened, but she had just stepped in the room when she stopped suddenly and screamed. Next and for no apparent reason, she fell on her bum as she frantically swatted who knew what; she appeared terrified, and her eyes darted around the room.

Mary, Lydia, and Kitty stood by the door. The first one covering her mouth hiding a chortle of laughter, while Lydia and Kitty ran to their mother giggling uncontrollably.

"Get those things away from me, something furry is touching my face. Lizzy is the devil; where are the demons, that is what they are, get them off me."

She ranted while the sisters laughed to no end.

"Mother you drank too many cordials, surely you are imagining!" Lydia giggled quite loud.

Lizzy just stood there when her eyes saw something impossible and apparently she was the only one that could.

She saw two figures flying away from her mother. They were shaped like, like, she couldn't even say the word. Mostly, because she wasn't even sure something like what she had seen existed. But whatever they were at that moment, she knew exactly who they had been minutes before.

As soon as she finished her thoughts when two warm tongues licked her face once they flew by her away from her mother, and she had to control an impulse to laugh, the rascals had protected her.

The disembodied voice murmured softly. "Good, safe…" Elizabeth thought she heard laughter as well.

Mrs. Bennett finally stood assisted by Kitty and Lydia; her hair was all disheveled all the pins lay all over the floor. "This is wrong, you did something, and I just know it."

It seemed as she was going to add something else and thought better over after looking all around the room once more, and she snapped her mouth shout appearing a bit apprehensive.

Before turning around, she wagged her finger at Elizabeth and walked away; her threats were all forgotten for the meantime. Perhaps, she was a bit scared of her own daughter, Elizabeth reasoned, and she couldn't find any fault with that statement.

Kitty and Lydia left with Mrs. Bennett, both giggling and covering their mouths, and Mary stayed in the room. She plopped in the second bed and broke in loud laughter.

Elizabeth just stared since she had never heard Mary laughed so. Besides, she was still speechless from what she had seen, but neither displeased nor scared, not whatsoever.

Something strange was occurring around her, was she going mad; but it felt natural why was that? Mary's voice broke thru the thick fog around her.

"Mother is really acting strange, our pompous cousin Collins has been filling her head with all kind of nonsense. He was flattering her and had her drinking a cordial he brought, a gift from the Lady Catherine." Mary laughed again.

"He is handsome, but his eyes are not those of a vicar, they are hard, and he babbles a lot. I declare one can easily think he reveres his benefactor." Mary concluded and looked at her book, not the usual, but a prayer book.

"Do you know why Mother was looking for me?" Elizabeth asked actively searching for the missing dog and cat, but there were no signs.

She looked again at the bottom of her bed and was able to see two defined indentations as if two small bodies laid there; so she squinted her eyes a bit, and yes, the two guilty parties were there, still in the other form but fast sleep.

Mary bit her lip. "She promised our cousin that she would talk to you. Apparently, he wants to marry within a fortnight. Mother tried to get him interested in any of us after she declared him handsome. No, he wouldn't hear it, he wouldn't even look at Jane, imagine." She blushed after saying that.

"Not that you are not equally beautiful if not more," Mary said shyly. Jane pouted when he insisted none of us compared to you. She is silly wanting that man's attention."

Mary shivered, "I feel the need to pray since he stepped into this house, he scares me. He might seem a silly sycophant, but you can nearly discern a hidden dark nature." Mary concluded.

Lizzy's eyebrows rose, "Yes, I noticed you are not reading your Fordyce's sermons. I thought he has the appearance of a cruel person, but I wasn't long enough around him. "

"Lizzy, please don't marry him, resist, I have a bad feeling about the man. Talk to Father, maybe he will help." Mary shrugged her shoulders as if saying: who knows? From under the bed came a meow, and Cleo came out and jumped onto Mary's lap.

"She is so pretty. Is this kitty a she? Where did you find her? Mom cannot see her." Cleo purred and rubbed her head against Mary.

Lizzy told her the story, and how she hadn't found Cleo to send her away with Mr. Darcy.

"Don't send her away; I can help you. Besides, I do think that everyone will like her, except Mother," Mary affirmed.

No sooner had she finished saying that when Pick also came out from under the other single bed; and to Lizzy's surprise he no longer displayed any animosity towards Miss Cleo, though she hissed at the terrier.

Pick jumped up on the bed and sat with his head on Lizzy's leg to stare at the cat.

"They know each other?" Mary giggles. "Is that one of Mr. Darcy's dogs?"

Lizzy didn't know what to say, "Yes, Mr. Darcy has three bad dogs, and Pick comes to Longbourn to look for me. I guess I will need to walk him back later, or maybe Mr. Bingley will call on Jane?"

She thought that she saw Swift jumping out the window out the corner of her eye. Pick, and Swift were they…no, it cannot be.

"Or keep him, you can keep him, and I will take Miss Cleo." Mary offered, and Lizzy thought she was going mad.

"I don't want you to get in trouble," Lizzy argued.

"I have always done what is righteous; no more, because I will now do what brings me joy and ends injustice. Besides, I like being your friend." Mary spoke lower, and Elizabeth blushed at the years she had ignored her sister in favor of Jane, who she missed terribly.

Elizabeth

I am glad that the day of the ball is upon us and tomorrow is the day. I am yet to hear from Mr. Darcy, and the prior days have been a nightmare.

Mr. Collins has attached his person to me like a flea to a dog. Not that Pick has fleas, but then again, by now I am no longer sure whether or not Pick is a dog or Miss Cleo is a cat; and if not so, fleas should not like their kind at all.

So the question is why I am now able to see through the veneer of their disguise and discern whatever they are; and why I am seeing faint shadows of somebody or somewhat in my room.

Yesterday, I kept waiting for the two furry ones to manifest their other nature, without any luck; that was until I figured out when and what I had said before the ensued change; it was when Mother barged in my room. I remembered, I had said something about hiding and flying away.

"Fly and hide and come right back," I order the duo, and my mouth opens in surprise. Right in front of my eyes, Cleo and Pick transform into the strangest creatures I have ever imagined during my entire life.

They are no longer shadows of mythical creatures, but the actual solid beings. They fly around me and lick me while I laugh at their antics. We play until I hear a noise and tell them to come back. It is simple like in a fairy tale, but I am in full control.

My father has several volumes in Mythology, Greek, Roman, and some European as well. And in none of the books, I have seen creatures like them, not exactly, not so small and adorable.

I read about animals that seem something on the outside and can change, with no apparent effort, into something quite magical and powerful.

I have been making sketches of them, and I think I figured out what they seem to be. They are a version of a dragon mixed with a dog, but only the shape of their snout and the fierce teeth, plus the wings, claws and a mean tail tipped with a spike.

Although a fur of unusual shades that changes with the light, covers their bodies, their actual skin is hard, like steel.

They have wings, something like a thin fabric. I thought they were feathers, but no, I can see that the wings are made of a multi-hued, nearly transparent material. The best thing is how the two fade into the air and breathe out a fire when asked, or whenever they deem it necessary.

I know about the fire because of yesterday when the fireplace was going out, when Pick, ever the gentleman, went by the fireplace and the big flame which came out his mouth restarting the fire, immediately.

Afterward, I finally understood what Miss Cleo, the cat-dog-dragon had done in the barn, and I admired her valor and her cunning. I cannot understand why I am barely upset; maybe because I feel safe, especially with Mr. Collins staying at my home, I don't like him.

Last night I felt someone at my door, and both my companions stood ready to attack. I am not sure what happened, but I heard him curse in pain, good for them.

Mr. Collins has not left me alone, and he hunts me down every second. I want Mr. Darcy back, not sure why.