Chapter Two

Posted: 4 Jun 2015

Something was definitely up with those two.

Zoe was really starting to get worried. Both Blythe and Mrs. Twombly had went into the office, but Blythe still hadn't come out. And a strange cat had appeared in her place.

That wasn't the only strange thing about it though. When Blythe had returned to run a quick errand something was off about the way she smelled. She just didn't smell like Blythe. What could possibly have Blythe gotten to affect her scent so? And so much?

It just ain't right!

To find out what was going on Zoe had snuck into the office to take a sniff around. So far her search had turned up nothing. There weren't very many places where a girl of Blythe's size, which was considerable, could hide, so Zoe decided to look for signs of secret trap doors. But so far zip.

Where could have Blythe disappeared off to?

"What are you doing, sweetie?" Zoe heard the new pet say behind her as she pawed uselessly at the floor. "You know you're not supposed to go into here."

"What is to you?" Zoe didn't know what it was, but something about the cat's voice really got her fur up. Despite the strangely comforting gray fur and green eyes.

"This is my office and..." She sort of trailed off there.

"Hmpf. It's not your office, new girl. It's Mrs. Twombly's. You can't just come into a new place and order pets about as you own the place. It's just not polite." The cat opened her mouth to say something but thought better. She was in enough hot water as it was. And as the only regular there it was Zoe's job to teach... teach... "Say what is your name, anyway?"

"Anna."

"Anna, huh? That's a very pretty name." And familiar.

"Thank you. But my sister's name is even prettier."

"Oh? What's hers?"

"Why it's Florida." She said it Flo-re-duh.

"Yes, that is a pretty name." Zoe shook her head. "That will have to wait, Anna. I'm on an important hunt."

"Ooh, that does sound exciting." She faced Zoe. "A hunt for what, Zoe?"

That really got Zoe's dander up. "And where did you learn my name, hmm?"

"From your owners of course."

Zoe sneered at the cat. "You sound just like... Mrs. Twombly?" With that realization the sneer evaporated right of her face. "Is that really you?"

The cat nodded.

"Holy crap! How is that even possible?"

"You got me, Zoe. But if we knew that perhaps we could reverse it and everything can be back to normal."

Zoe gasped. "Did Blythe did this to you? I can't-"

Anna... No, Mrs. Twombly shook her head. "She didn't. It was some kind of shape-changer who did this to me."

Zoe rubbed her chin with her front paw. "Yes, that does make more sense. Blythe doesn't seem the type." She looked straight into Mrs. Twombly's eyes, at the same level, something that Zoe was never able to do before. "We're going to need Blythe's help."

"I agree. But there's just one problem, Zoe."

"Oh?"

"Who's going to get her?"

-OOO-

The lobby to the movie place was already starting to fill up. "What's keeping her?" Blythe looked at her watch for the umpteenth time or so. "Sue said she would meet us here half an hour ago."

"Now, Blythe," Youngmee was saying, "I'm sure that she was her reasons."

"You make it sound like she's keeping us waiting on purpose."

Youngmee looked at her with a funny look. "Do you think that, Blythe?"

Blythe looked down at her lap. "I don't know, Youngmee. Maybe." She clenched her hands on her lap. "Remember that woman that was digging through our trash earlier today?"

"Uh-huh."

Blythe looked both ways before answering. "I think that Sue might be that woman, Youngmee."

The Korean girl stared at Blythe for a minute. Before bursting into laughter. "You really think that Sue is the kind of person who would that? First it was Josh, and now-"

"Yes, yes. I know all that, Youngmee. But I know what I saw!"

"Did it look like Sue?"

"Well not really, but-"

"Then it was probably someone else."

Blythe thought about it before answering. "She certainly felt like Sue. And I didn't get a real good look at her."

Youngmee cocked her head. "That's ridiculous, Blythe. Is Sue the kind of girl who digs through people's garbage?"

Blythe laughed. "You're probably right."

"Of course I am. Friends don't dig through friends' garbage."

"Josh did."

"Without good reason," Youngmee hastily added.

"That's true."

Jasper returned from the ticket counter. "Okay I've got the tickets. Now we just have to wait for Sue."

Something else occurred to Blythe. "Does Sue have an identical twin?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

-OOO-

Finally they had a plan.

While Mrs. Twombly provides the distraction Zoe would make a break for it to go get Blythe's help. Of course the details would have to be worked out later. Who knew what opportunities would present themselves? (Most of the time they took preparing had been spent coming to that realization. Zoe had kept coming up with all sorts of ideas for distractions. Mrs. Twombly then shot them all down as being unworkable. Some people were just so unreasonable!)

The imposter hummed quietly to herself as she dusted the shelves while Zoe looked on from the daycamp area. The song sounded familiar, but Zoe couldn't quite place it. This vexed Zoe so. Usually she was able to identify a song she heard in less than a second. Not this time.

Perhaps she hadn't heard this song before and her mind was playing tricks on her mind...

She hated it when that happens.

To help relieve the stress brought on by the waiting Zoe began squeaking her favorite squeak toy, the bone-shaped one. She hadn't had it for long, but she had quickly succumbed to its charms. It sure beat having to think about the intruder in their midsts.

Mrs. Twombly popped her head into the daycamp area. "What are you doing here, sweetie? We can't keep an eye out for our opportunity if we hide where we can't even see her."

Zoe stopped playing with her squeaker. "Oh. Right."

As quickly, and as unobserved, as they could manage they made their way to the front. Where they found the imposter just laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling.

"What do you think she's doing?" Zoe wondered.

"I have no idea, Zoe. If she's trying to be me she isn't doing a very good job."

"You don't do that?"

"Why would I do something like that? I am a busy woman after all."

"Well I'm sorry, Mrs. Twombly, but I haven't been paying all that attention to you. I've playing with my friends. And occasionally working on my fabulous singing."

"Oh yes that makes sense." Mrs. Twombly paused. "You sing, Zoe?"

Zoe rolled her eys. "Of course I do. Haven't you seen do it a bazillion time?"

"Ah. So that was what you were doing." They watched the fake Mrs. Twombly stand back and head toward the front. "Do the other pets have any sepcial talents?"

"Oh you can see that for yourself when you see them tomorrow."

Mrs. Twombly smiled. "I guess one more day as a cat couldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit!"

The two pets rushed to keep with the imposter, who was moving surprisingly fast. Just was this creature? Zoe found herself wondering. It had the power to transformer, itself, as well as others, and it has super speed. What other surprises did it hold?

"Have you ever done anything like this before, Mrs. Twombly?"

"When would I have an opportunity to do something like this before?"

. "I see what you mean."

"Well... maybe I done it once or twice..."

The imposter went to the front counter and opened the cash register and took some of the money and put it in her pocket, or rather Mrs. Twombly's pocket as it was her dress. Mrs. Twombly looked very cross. "Hey! That's stealing!"

"I don't think that she much cares about that."

"I got an idea!" Without a further word, and before Zoe could stop her, Mrs. Twombly ran out and rubbed her body against the intruder's leg, causing her to drop the cup of coffee that she was in the middle of picking up. It had no lid. She really ought've known better. This was a pet shop with pets free to move about. All sorts of accidents could happen. Following that act of clumsiness the fake Mrs. Twombly accidentally knocked her coffee cup over spilling its contents all some papers. "Oh shoot! This won't do at all!" She rushed off toward the supplies were kept.

This was it. Her opportunity. So Zoe took it.

She bolted out of the front door. She just hoped that she wasn't too late.

"Come back, Zoe!" she heard not-Mrs.-Twombly cry out to her.

Zoe didn't listen. She just ran.

She didn't care if she might be making the biggest mistake in her life.

She had to get Blythe to Littlest Pet Shop. Mrs. Twombly was in danger.

And Blythe was the only one who could help her out of it.

-OOO-

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Anna called out to the impostor despite the fact it had been her idea. And didn't want Zoe to be caught.

The imposter of course did not listen, but instead went to the phone and began punching in numbers.

Anna sighed. She should have realized. She was an animal now and most people couldn't understand what pets said. Frankly she was still surprised that Blythe could. Blythe had tried to tell her that first day they met and Anna hadn't got what she was trying to say. Apparently it wasn't just the pets that she couldn't understand.

It was just as well that the impostor couldn't understand her. The impostor probably wouldn't appreciate it if she knew what Zoe was up to. Maybe she would. Anna could never remember how it works. It depended on what the word appreciate meant. Either way thought it wouldn't be good. If she knew who Zoe was running to, and what she was able to do, she would surely put a stop to it.

Soon the impostor was finished with the button pushing. "Hello? Bobby?... Yes, we got a runner... Thank you. I owe you one... I think that the favor can be determined later, don't you?" The impostor seemed pensive, almost as if she wasn't the one in charge. Was she working for someone?

After ending the conversation she hung the phone back up. "Good. Now that was taken care of we can get you home. And I know what you're thinking. It is your home we're going to. After all I'm supposed to be you."

How does she even know where I live?

Anna gasped. She's the one that was digging throught the trash earlier that Blythe told me about!

The imposter went over and reached down to pick Anna up. "But what about Zoe?"

The intruder paid her no mind. She simply carried Anna to a carrier on the front counter. "Oh my you are rather talkative, aren't you?" She sighed. "I don't suppose that you're used to being a cat yet, are you?"

"Of course I'm not, and you're going to change me back right now!"

"I'm sorry about that, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The fake Anna of course paid her no heed and took her to the carrier. "Don't you worry about your friend. She's going to be well taken care of."

Anna didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit.

-OOO-

"Jeez! Will these trailers ever end," Sue Patterson groaned.

"Look on the bright side, Sue," Blythe said as she sat down. This theatre didn't have stadium seating, so to get a good view they had to go quite far to their seat. "It gives us more time to use the restroom before the movie starts."

"Weren't you just there?"

"Exactly."

"Oh. I see. Good thinking, Blythe. I already went before coming so I-"

"Would you two be quiet?" Youngmee said. "I'm trying to enjoy these ads."

"Sorry." Come to think of it, Blythe reflected, some of these trailers were pretty interesting. Like the one for the next Galaxy Adventure movie that had been running when she entered the auditorium. She was now really looking forward to it. But she supposed that was what was they were for. To sell movies.

Not all the trailers were so sucesseful. The new very next one was for another talking animal picture. This one actually got booed. And the place was almost packed. Apparently one of the animals said something the audience didn't think that a cat would ever say. If only they knew...

"Would a cat actually say something like that, Blythe?" Youngmee whispered.

"Depends on the cat."

"Ah."

"What's this about enjoying the trailers, Youngmee?" Sue was sitting on Blythe's left side while Youngmee was on her right.

"I was just asking Blythe something. She is the animal expert around here after all."

Sue nodded. "She had better be, considering that she works with them." Blythe frowned. Sue really didn't need to put it that way. "Actually what I meant to say was-"

"Don't worry about it, Sue. I know what you're trying to say."

"Oh good. I know how much you love spending time at Littlest Pet Shop."

The movie started not long after that.

And almost immediately Blythe found her attention wandering. The movie was surprisingly boring. From Jasper's description she expected that it, if not spectaclely good then at least it would be spectaclely bad and she would be able to laugh at it. But this movie was neither. It was just dull, dull, dull.

Now why had Jasper dragged them off to see it?

Blythe soon found her attention wandering. A girl with a pink and purple mohawk sat down two rows in front of Blythe and her friends. Now here was something that Blythe knew something about. Fashion. The others in the auditorium weren't wearing such outlandish hair-dos but some of their clothing options seemed interesting. For example there was a girl five or six seats down from them who seemed to be wearing only a bikini top and a miniskirt. She wasn't even wearing any shoes. Blythe wondered how she had been able to get away with that.

"So what do you think, Blythe?" she heard Youngmee.

"My dad would never let me go out into public dressed like that."

"Of course not, silly. You're not a pet."

"I don't think Dad would ever dress a pet, Youngmee."

"I don't think your dad is in this movie, Blythe."

Blythe blinked a couple of times before she realized what her friend was talking about. "Oh right. The movie."

"Your attention wandering, Blythe?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. Mine too."

"Would you two please be quiet? I'm trying to watch the movie here!"

"Sorry, Jasper!"

-OOO-

The movie multiplex place was now in sight. Zoe could see it. There was no stopping her now.

Knowing what a jinx it should she said it aloud she wisely refrained from doing so. She knew how embarassing it would be if she were to be caught after a slip like that. She had watched all those movies about the crazy kid and his dog who investiaged monsters who seemed to be real but really weren't with three other crazy kids. She knew how this sort of thing worked.

However she didn't consider the effects of simply thinking it.

Within seconds she heard footsteps running toward her behind her. "Oh come on! I didn't say it aloud."

However fate does not listen to everthing she says/thinks, it seems, as the footsteps kept coming closer.

She hurried her pace. She had ran too far, and was too close to her goal, to be caught now.

-OOO-

Blythe heard barking, but it took her a moment or two to recognize the fact that it was coming from behind her and not from the speakers. "Great," she said, "somebody brought their dog in with them."

"Jasper, does that happen a lot?" Sue wondered.

"Not hardly."

Blythe, assuming that the poor thing's owner would soon calm her down, though the doggy did sound familiar, simply sat back and went back to watching the movie. Despite what Jasper had said, lately more and more pets have been clamoring for Blythe's attention. Word has certainly gotten out about Blythe's ability, and this Cavalier King Charles Spaniel had gotten word that she was in this theatre.

Blythe frowned. Now had she known that the dog was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? Although the dog did sound familiar...

She froze when she felts something rub against her leg. "What the what!"

"What's the matter, Blythe?" Youngmee asked.

Blythe looked down. "Nothing's wrong, Youngmee. I just found out who was doing the barking." Despite the dark she could easily see it was.

"Who, Blythe?"

"Zoe."

"Ah, I see."

Blythe picked up Zoe and placed her on her lap. "What is it, Zoe?"

"It's Mrs. Twombly, Blythe. She's-"

Much to Blythe's surprise Zoe was plucked from Blythe's lap before she could finish her sentence. "There are you are, you little scamp!" And standing in the row behind them.

"Mr. Trent, what are you doing here?"

"I heard that Zoe here had run away from Littlest Pet Shop and I've come get her back home."

Jasper cocked his head. "But how did you know to look for her here?"

"And why did she even run in the first place," Blythe asked Zoe more than anyone else.

"Sorry about that, Blythe," Mr. Trent answered before Zoe could. "I really don't really know what came over her. Usually she's so polite."

"That's all right, Mr. Trent. I know that Zoe can get really excited." But never anything like this. What could possibly had gotten Zoe so worked up? She was only wait until her owners picked her up. What went wrong? "But how did you know to look for her here?"

"A little birdie told me."

"What the huh?" If Mr. Trent could talk with pets, Blythe certainly didn't know about it.

Mr. Trent chuckled. "No, it wasn't an actual bird. It was a strange man in a black trenchcoat told where she had run off to."

"A man in a black trenchcoat?"

"Yes, that's right."

Oh boy. That didn't sound suspicious in the slightest. Oh not one bit. "But how did he know where Zoe would be?"

"Got me, Blythe. I guess we will have to ask him when we see him later." He checked his watch. "I guess it will have to wait until tomorrow then."

"Oh I see."

"Blythe, Mrs. Twombly's a fraud!" Zoe barked.

"Say what?"

"Pardon?"

"She just realized that," Youngmee interjected, "that this guy in the trenchcoat doesn't sound very trustworthy."

"Ah. I see your point, Blythe. But Zoe is right here" -he indicated Zoe in his arm- "just like the man had said."

"I suppose..."

"Don't worry, Blythe. I'll be careful." With Zoe in his arms he started to leave.

"Blythe, Mrs. Twombly's a fraud!" Zoe yelled as her owner took her away.

"What was all that about?"

"I don't know, Youngmee, but I mean to find out."