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Chapter 15.
*TOBY'S POINT OF VIEW*
I woke up to the sound of whimpering. Slowly I squinted and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. When I eventually managed to open them fully I was greeted by the sight of Gryphon standing beside me. "Gwiffin!" I said in my Gryphon impersonation voice. Gryphon nuzzled his nose in to my arm and started whimpering again. "What's wrong boy?" I asked him.
At this point I realised Katie was not beside me and I gathered she had already got up. Slowly I stood up and walked out of the room and towards the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I was smiling to myself as I remembered last night and how content I felt with Katie in my arms. The thought of this only made me want to get ready quicker to see her again.
Before I could get to the bathroom though Gryphon ran out in front of me and stood in front of the bathroom door. Again, his whimpering started again. "Oh Nelly Futardo, what?!" I said to him desperately. Gryphon then got up and stood by the top of the stairs. It was almost like he was motioning me to follow him.
"Fine" I said "I bet you only just want food you greedy pup" and I followed him as he led me down the stairs.
"Katie!" I called. No answer. "Gryphon is begging me for food, can you feed him please?!" My shouting only made Gryphon whimper more and he barked in frustration. "Where is Katie boy?" I asked him and Gryphon suddenly ran over to the front door. What on earth was he playing at?
Deciding to ignore Gryphon being a spoilt brat I went on a search to find where in the house Katie was. "Katie!" I called repeatedly but no answer. I soon realised she was not here. But where the hell could she be? Surely she would have told me if she was going out!
I ran back up to my room. "I'll try ringing her" I thought to myself. As I made it to my room I leaned over my bed to grab my iPhone when I caught a glimpse of something white tucked half under the messy bed sheets and half on display. In curiosity I grabbed it and pulled it out of the bed. The white thing appeared to be a piece of paper...with writing on. I frowned in confusion and read the words written on it.
"I'M SORRY TOBY. I'M SO SORRY. PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND PLEASE LEAD A GOOD LIFE. Katie x"
I crumpled the note in my hand and dropped it on the bed. What was that supposed to mean?! Starting to worry I proceeded to grab my iPhone and dialled Katie's number. As it rung I paced out of the room to see what Gryphon was doing. He was still standing right by the door whimpering and walking back and forth. As the phone call went to answer phone I locked my phone and stared at Gryphon. Suddenly it all made sense to me.
"I knew how much you loved Katie; you always followed her everywhere she went. You're trying to tell me she has left the house haven't you?" I concluded in realisation. As if Gryphon understood me he ran up the stairs one paw after another and rubbed himself against my legs.
I sunk to my knees and ran my fingers through my ruffled and messy head of hair that was always crazy in the mornings. I tried to remember anything Katie could have said to me to give me an idea where she went. But I came up with nothing. But if she told me to lead a nice life, then she wouldn't be planning to stick around right? If she was implying I would never see her again then surely she'd have to leave Los Angeles to never be seen again?
That was what gave me the idea. I jogged to my room and pulled on some clothes. I hastily brushed my teeth and splashed my face briefly with water.
If Katie was leaving for a long duration then she would have to have a suitcase of stuff. And I very well knew she didn't have enough things with her here from hospital- only the basics to last a few days. So she must have gone to her house first to collect the rest of her stuff, right?
It was a long shot and I had no idea how long ago she left. But it was worth a try.
I paced downstairs and grabbed my house keys and car keys. Locking the front door behind me I unlocked my car, got in to it and drove towards Katie's house in a rush.
Katie meant everything to me. I loved her therefore I was NOT going to let go of her. My heart had yearned for something I could not name until I met Katie. She couldn't just leave like that! Something must have troubled her to leave because I'm pretty sure she would not have left without a concerning reason as she seemed truly happy with me. This wasn't a typical Katie thing to do.
But maybe I didn't know the real Katie after all.