Chapter 3: A place to rest and recollect

Chester quickly crossed the living room to reach the sole person who could cheer him up ; his dear Mina. She was sitting between her friends, greatly amused by their bickering over one of those famous boys band.

"I'm telling you, they're going to break up soon." Assured Becky in a nonchalant tone.

"No they won't !" cried out an indignant Marsha. "They never sold this much record before ! They're pulling off one of the largest tour in the decade ! You should know that, we saw them in concert last month, remember ?"

"I do remember Jonas leading the show as usual" Calmly replied her friend, checking her fingernails "while the boys struggled to follow his moves all throughout, especially Mikey."

Mina bit her lips. Marsha's secret crush has just been insulted. Said girl looked nothing short of offended, eyes wide and mouth agape. Mina made a tremendous effort to conceal her laughter as Becky went on.

"Poor guy just messed up, plain and simple. Even his singing was off, like he was going through puberty all over again, and I heard that it's been going on for quite a while now..."

Mina momentarily lost track of the discussion when she felt a sudden shift beside her. She looked down and smiled as Chester climbed on her lap to cuddle up and rest. His gentle golden gaze briefly met Mina's as she lightly scratched behind his ears once he made himself comfortable.

"What's up, buddy ?" She greeted in a quiet voice. "Had some fun with the guys ?"

Feline ears drooped slightly. Well, fun wouldn't be the term he'd use for his previous encounter with Bunnicula. His train of thougts abruptly ended when came Marsha's booming voice.

"THAT'S JUST RUMORS !"

Her friends just stared in surprise. The cat almost jumped out of the couch in alarm, fur all puffed up. Marsha was shocked beyond everyone else, rarely being the one to scream in anger. She quickly regained her senses however, and went on with an adjusted but still annoyed tone.

"People are just repeating what was said in the tabloids, but there's nothing to back up those claims. Nobody should bother with this ! The band themselves didn't say a darn word about it ! They just don't care, and rightly so ! They're at their prime ! Their album has been on the top of the charts for almost three months !"

"Actually, Jonas' solo album took its place last week, and the sales are still going up." Mina corrected slyly, contributing for the first time to the debate. Marsha looked at her in disbelief.

"Huh ? W-well, his album rocketed 'cause he's the popular guy, that makes sense. He's still the lead singer ! But that doesn't mean he'd leave the band !"

"Wweeell, he's making quite a score on his own, like a biiig score ! You know, almost as big as with the boys." Added Mina with a smirk. 'Oh boy' thought Chester, listening to his owner on her "playing-with-fire" mood.

Becky let out a giggle. Marsha frowned at her friend in irritation. "Whose side are you on anyway ?"

"Hey, I'm on nobody's side. I'm just stating the facts." Replied the witty girl with a shrug, lips bent into a teasing smile. The blonde laughed softly.

Marsha started to build up another defence for this Mikey guy to her chuckling friends when Chester put his head on his paws, fatigue too settled in to keep up with the gossips. Mina's quips reminded him of Bunnicula in some ways. The girl as well as the monster loved to have fun and come up with jokes and pranks alike. Pet and owner shared a lot of traits, but at least the girl never took advantage of Chester's fears for the sake of a prank unlike a certain rodent he knew. The cat couldn't help but scoff as he thought of his friend. The vampire's latest antic left a foul taste in his mouth. Sure, he had done way worse in the past, but this one joke irritated him quite a lot. He felt the rabbit always stood a mile ahead of him in their adventures, like he knew how things were going to unravel and was purposefully leaving him in the dark, all the while rubbing his knowledge in each time the siamese loses.

He resented Bunnicula at the moment, for putting him in those situations, leaving him as a bait for some monster to lure so it could be defeated, enjoying his fear and annoyance in the process. Most of all, he couldn't bear to see his friend play such a trick when it involved Mina. He was a bit ashamed to admit it, but some jealousy still remained in his heart. When the vampire came into their lives, he and Mina were instantly enamoured of each other and they had spent so much time together that Chester couldn't help but feel left out. He felt as though the vampire stole his owner from him. That's why he did not understand how Bunnicula could leave him out of the plan this long, since it was all about their first adventure with their beloved owner. He surely knew protecting Mina was their shared priority, but toying with his feelings was apparently more important than caring for Mina's safety. Frustration gripped his heart as he recalled Harold not sharing a bit of his concern, talking about this "supervised path" with so much confidence. So they had planned a safe route for her, had they not ? All by themselves ? Maybe they feared nerdy Chester would've made it much more boring, because that's why he always did, right ?

A hand passed through the fur on his back, putting a pleasant stop to his rumination. This reminded him of the reason he came there in the first place. The cat couldn't stop his lips from curling upwards as the hand travelled a second time, then a third time, then a fourth, fingers gently scratching the top of his head before melting into a giant palm travelling all the way down his spine. His throat generated a low thrum that gained more power the more Mina petted him. He felt relaxed as the purr vibrated throughout his body, effectively repelling all tension in his muscles and all reproaches from his brain. His face, previously warped by a silent fury, wore the delicate adornments of bliss.

As always, the girl managed to soothe him with a simple gesture, simple yet so meaningful to him. This led him back into his kittenhood, when he and a smaller Harold would rest on each side of little Mina after a long series of game in the backyard. At that time, Chester was much more of a scaredy cat than he was in adulthood, barely able to stay alone in a room. He only felt good around Mina, and when she was at school he would stay close to his puppy friend for confort until she came back home. He was even afraid of Mina's father, Arthur, for some reason. Though he never scrammed in his presence, he would stay cautious around him or trembled when he came near. It sometimes surprised him when he looked back at his past self, for he outgrew this fear a long time ago. Still, Arthur, like Harold, was a clumsy goof who meant well despite his flaws, so to be scared of him...

On the topic of fear, the thougt of Bunnicula inevitably surfaced. Oh boy, where to start ? Well, his appearance in their lives was as shocking as it was sudden. A rabbit trapped in a coffin locked in the basement, who has fangs like a vampire and drinks the life out of vegetables like a vampire would drink blood out of people ; what is there to fear ? Well, everything according to Chester, all red lights flashing in his brain with big alarms blaring. For weeks, he had tried and stayed away from the rabbit, observed his moves from afar and calculated the level of threat he could represent to his family. This didn't go unnoticed by the rabbit, entertained by this wary but curious mortal. At first, he would simply made a brutal one-hundred and eighty turn of the head to meet Chester's stare, grinning in satisfaction when the cat ran away in a matter of milliseconds. He got more creative after a while, ripping his head off, putting body parts in his cushion, shapeshifting into hideous forms ; the list went on. The poor feline felt more terror spending half a minute with the rabbit than watching a horror movie marathon, his haunting cackle following him as he fled through the house.

Along the fear came a profound sense of unfairness. Bunnicula only seemed to torment him, because he would usually cuddle happily with Mina or hang out with Harold who seemed unfazed by all the scary stuff that occured there and then. Though he was thankful the monster showed no hostility to his family, he felt left out, the only unhappy member of the household when everybody else were having fun. It was the desire to assess his place among them that pushed Chester to grow a spine and confront the rabbit. That and an invitation from Harold to hang out with him and said rabbit. He was glad to have his old buddy with him, as he had always felt safer in his presence. As all three pets spent the night in the backyard, it turned out Bunnicula wasn't willing to scare Chester out of his wits, even though a mischievious gleam still shone in his red eyes. He even tried to start a conversation with the cat, until they both realized poor Chester couldn't get a word he said. Perhaps the most surprising event of the night was that Harold did understand the rabbit's strange gibberish as he played translator for him. The cat then discovered how laid back and cool the vampire actually was. After hours spent without a scare, Chester managed to relax enough to tentatively crack a joke at Bunnicula's expense, after the bunny spilled some carrot juice, to which he giggled heartily. It was so far from the malicious laughter he was used to hear that the siamese genuinely felt relieved.

After that night, Chester started to respect his new companion a lot more, despite him having not stopped his usual scary pranks. But he could tolerate this as the bunny also interacted cordially with him even more. Their love for Mina was another trait that brought these two closer, whether when she cuddled them both or when they needed to protect her from the supernatural... which was another consequence of Bunnicula's presence. With the vampire rabbit around, the fearful cat had ultimate proof that the supernatural does exist, and once it made itself known it comes back crashing through the front door, or through the ceilling, as Chester noticed happens a lot of times.

He recalled many scenes of their past. Three pets, fighting monsters, ghosts, ghouls, other vampires and even cursed objects ; risking their lives so many times for almost a year, only to preserve Mina's. Everything they did, they did for her. Chester didn't like a lot of it admittedly, often reluctant to take part in those adventures and always on the search for an excuse to stay far from danger. As he thought about it however, he found some positive results came out of their daily misadventures nonetheless. Not only their bond with Mina remained strong, but their friendship kept increasing as they relied on each other.

Chester also noticed that he had grown personally from this as his cowardice decreased as months went by, that he had better grasp over his composure, making it easier to form a plan and act upon it. Above all, he has learnt to enjoy all the simple things in life, all the moments with his family, and to not take it for granted. The threat of losing his family hung over his head, after all...

Mina put her hands on each side of her kitty's face to massage his cheeks and jaw line with slow scratches. Yep, he definitely enjoyed this a lot more. It landed perfectly as it dissipated all the gloomy thoughts that threatened to invade his mind. His owner lowered her head to his level, just a few inches above his ears.

"Alright, Chesty ! time for you to jump down." She ordered softly. "Marsha and Becky are leaving, so I'll lead them to the door. They might get lost !" She snickered at her joke while Becky frowned, fists planted firmly on her hips.

"Hey ! I'm not my cousin's dumb cat !"

Chester got up, streched his back and hopped over Marsha's lap to land on the armrest with grace. He sat down and smiled at Mina, a faint purr still resonating from his throat. All girls got up, arguing, throwing snark at each other, laughing as they exited the living room. Chester's eyes remained glued to the doorway ; he kept on smiling as he cherished each sound they made on their way. His time with Mina left him serene. He classified it as another fond memory to go back to and treasure.

He was glad his long meditation on the past had not ruined his mood, because the more he thougt of it, the less afflicted he felt over those bitter times as many sweet memories laid there for him to savor. Perhaps some of his pessimistic nature had faded overtime, an element he viewed as an improvement. These precious moment felt even more earned after the hard labour of being a guardian. Chester went as far as considering that, maybe, he was starting to enjoy it. This might be even more fun with Mina, he thought, actually believing the assumption.

"Shesir !"

Said cat blinked, momentarily surprised, then lowered his gaze to meet Bunnicula's. He hadn't noticed the rabbit climbing on the couch until he called him. The rabbit gave him an apologetic look, head slightly lowered, drooped ears, hands behind his back. Chester saw Harold standing on the floor from the corner of his eye, looking quite upset.

"Sawy Shesir..." said the rabbit with a sheepish smile. "Diduh me da usay ya."

"Yeah, we're sorry Chesty" Added Harold, as sad as a puppy who has been scolded. "We should've fill you in the plan sooner, we realised how upset you were."

The cat shifted his eyes from the dog to Bunnicula. Both were sincere in their apologies, especially Bunnicula. His dog buddy didn't have to translate, he easily guessed what he meant. He had already forgiven his friends, but he was pleased that they made the first move. The somber thoughts that were storming through his mind left him full of envy, but Mina's treatment cleared his vision and he could see that Bunnicula understood that he'd hurt him, though he hadn't meant to. He wanted to make amends to the one cat he saw as a good friend. This touched Chester.

"It's alright guys." He answered. He, of course, included Harold in his forgiveness ; the dog didn't have it in him to go and hurt someone on purpose, especially not Chester. "I know it wasn't malicious or anything. I just, you know, overreacted. That's me !"

The vampire's posture straightened, face beaming with joy as a grin streched across its surface.

"Ooooh, thanks Chester !" Replied Harold, wagging his tail. "I guess we went a bit far with this joke..."

"It's just that Mina's safety is a serious business to me." Spoke the cat, his voice getting serious. He closed his eyes. "I was a bit hurt that you left me in the mist for so long, and in such a serious case ! I would've thought we'd do this together, like we always did, you know."

Harold lowered his head, glancing sideways.

"Well... me and Bunnic know how you get when you freak out over something." Explained a shameful Harold. "And this mission really freaked you out. And it hadn't even started yet ! Mina announces she'll go on a mission with us, and in every corner there's a danger !"

"Harold, danger could hide in every corner when it comes to supernatural stuff." Deadpanned Chester.

"You know what I mean, Chester ! You could've slowed us down, so me and Bunnic set up a plan in secret... and also, maybe we thought it'd be funny to watch you freak out even more once you find out." Added Harold with a chuckle.

"An boy, deedy wuk !" Exclaimed the rabbit, snickering. He stopped when he saw Chester looking at him in annoyance, though it wasn't as piercing as before. He laughed sheepishly, arms behind his back again, then muttered a small "Sawy".

The siamese closed his eyes, sighing. "I know I can be a control freak when it comes to this, that I'm easily scared and thus often slow us down. But guys, that's just how I am, and I think I'm right on this case. I think the three of us can agree that Mina's safety is our top priority, right ?" Both dog and rabbit nodded. "Then you two shouldn't have focused on how much I'd freak out over this and make a joke out of it. Believe me, I don't really care anymore that you joke on me when I overreact, I'm used to it now. But I'd like it very much if you'd refreign from doing that when Mina is directly involved. Because I was upset when I learned just how far behind you pushed me, and I wanted to be involved. I was really afraid for Mina these past few days, so even though I might have freaked out more than I should have, it still hurts."

His friends looked down.

"I will cut you guys some slack, though." Assured the cat. "As far I'm concerned, we're all good. Mina put me in such a good, I really don't want to spoil it because I let my frustration take over. You also assured me that a safe plan was set up, so I'll trust you guys on that. So don't worry, we're all good !" He affirmed once again.

His friends' faces lit up once again.

"Alright Chester, you got it !" Harold said in a serene tone. "Sorry we left you out of something so important. We swear we won't do it again."

"Yay ye bet !" Added Bunnicula's beaming voice. Chester smiled, gratitude shining in his golden eyes.

"There's still one thing you guys can do to fully make amends." He uttered out.

Harold tilted his head.

"And what would that be, Chesty ?"

Amused, Chester shook his head, then looked at his dear friend.

"Well, that would be telling me what the heck is that darn plan of yours !"

Both Harold and Bunnicula stood up and gave the cat a salute.

" Yes sir !"