Okay, chapter 3! Man, my neck hurts from doing all of this typing!
Chapter 3: A Changing Perspective
Alexis quickly got ready for church the next morning. She was wearing a white peasant shirt and black dress pants.
Riley was still asleep when she entered the kitchen. She smiled and walked over to the couch. "Riley. Riley, wake up" She said, shaking him gently.
Riley opened a weary eye. He looked as if he hadn't slept well during the night. He was immediately bombarded with the sounds and smells from the night before. He groaned.
"You alright?" Alexis asked.
He shook his head and rubbed his temples. "I think they overworked me."
"That's what I figured." Alexis said kindly. "Tell you what. I'll postpone this lesson until next week. You should stay here and get some rest. I'll be back in two hours." She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.
Riley was totally confused by the fact that he still felt like he could hear and smell everything. He laid back in utter exhaustion.
Suddenly, he heard the soft sound of a cat padding along quietly over the carpet. He sat up, still as a statue as Abby came around the couch and sat at his feet. She looked up at him, then cocked her head to one side as if laughing.
"Go ahead, claw me." Riley muttered, too tired to resist.
Abby meowed, but to Riley, it sounded more like human speech than an actual meow. "Why?"
Riley leapt in fright. "Holy Lord!"
"Did I scare you?" She asked sarcastically.
"Oh, now I know I'm dreaming!" Riley exclaimed, completely weirded out by the circumstances.
Alexis's class went fairly well, but her girls could tell there was something wrong.
"Ms. Lowell, what's wrong?" One of the girls asked.
"It's my boyfriend. His boss up in New York overworked him and now he's sick. I can't stop worrying about him."
"Awww." One of the other girls said. "That's so sweet!"
Riley backed away from Abby. He could hear the creak of the springs in the couch. He could smell Abby's malevolence.
"I don't' understand this at all! Why do I understand you!" Riley exclaimed in exasperation.
Abby leapt onto the couch, still smiling evilly. "Don't ask me what's going on. I'm just a cat." She spoke with caustic sarcasm.
"Look, just because I'm not a cat person doesn't mean I think cats are stupid." He defended.
Abby jumped into his lap and brushed her tail in his face.
Riley sneezed. "Please stop doing that."
"Why? You're not allergic." She said and continued her tormenting.
Riley suddenly felt the urge to bite her. "Watch it!" He spat and snarled at her. He stopped. "Did I just growl at you?"
"I believe you did." Abby said calmly.
Riley pushed Abby off him, ran to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face. "I've got to be dreaming!" He thought in a panic. He looked in the mirror at his soaked face and froze.
"What's happening to me!"
