Crawl out of her skin.
“Cat, are you okay?”
The girl shook her head. “No.” The tears in her voice tore at Tam’s heart. “I didn’t mean to yell. I’m sorry.”
Tam reached for her shoulder, hoping to comfort. “Hey, it’s okay. Just talk to me. Tell me about the guy. Is he your boyfriend?”
Cat’s laugh sounded more like a sob that she couldn’t hold back. “No, not my boyfriend. Although…”
“You like him.” Tam tried for a teasing tone, hoping it would make Cat smile. No such luck. It actually made her look worse. Tam put her arm around the girl and drew back with a gasp before resting her hand on Cat’s forehead. “God, you’re burning up.”
“I know. I can’t help it.” Now the girl looked at her with overflowing eyes. “I’m so sorry. I can’t hold it together. I hate being in here and the moon is full tonight. It’s too much. I don’t want to scare you. Please don’t be scared, Tam. Please don’t—”
The girl tore herself off the couch and ran for the other side of the room, where she folded herself into the corner.
Startled, Tam just sat there.
“I’m sorry,” Cat cried. “I’m so sor —”
Then the girl gasped and dropped to her knees on the floor. Tam shot to her feet, ready to run to her when her vision went fuzzy.
Or Cat did.
Tam froze, her mind unable to process what she was seeing as Cat disappeared right in front of her eyes.
No, not disappeared. Changed.
Between one blink and the next, the girl was gone. A shimmer of light, or sparks, remained in her place for a brief second, a shimmer that dissipated like summer fog.
Then the little black dog she’d been feeding stood in the exact spot.
The dog whined, looking up at her with Cat’s bright blue eyes.
Tam opened her mouth to speak. Then closed it again.
She blinked but the dog was still there. Still staring at her.
No.
Tam sat up slowly, wondering if she’d finally had that break with reality the doctors had warned her about. They’d told her if she continued to repress her feelings about her attack, she might experience some dissociation. Was that what this was? Had she gone crazy?
The little dog cocked its head to the side and whimpered, as if she’d done something to be ashamed of. The sound made Tam’s heart hurt.
Maybe the dog wasn’t real. Maybe if she tried to touch it, it would disappear.
Forcing her feet to move, Tam walked to the dog, shivering by the wall where she’d seen Cat disappear.
When she was close enough to touch, Tam forced her knees to bend and put her hand on the animal’s head.
Silky fur, black as midnight, slid under her hand as she began to pet the dog. It felt real. So very real.
Tam opened her mouth, but no sound emerged. After a deep breath, she tried again.
“Cat?”
The dog smiled and its fluffy tail began to wag.
Tam felt like a hundred-pound weight dropped on her chest. She drew in a ragged breath, nearly choked on it but forced her hand to continue to pet the dog.
Her head began to spin, questions repeating in ever-increasing circles.
Had she really seen Cat disappear? Was this Cat now sitting in front of her? In the form of a dog?
“No.”
The dog whimpered, its little head and shoulders sagging as if she’d kicked it.
“I’m crazy, right? It finally happened. None of this is real.”
The dog huffed, as if exasperated. Could dogs be exasperated? Or was this just another manifestation of her madness?
The dog rubbed her head against Tam’s hand, her cool wet nose brushing against her leg, shocking her back to reality.
No, the dog was real. Lifting the hand that wasn’t petting the dog to her thigh, she pinched. Hard.
And gasped in pain.
Tensing, the dog stared up at her with wide eyes.
“Holy shit.”
She could barely hear her own voice, almost like an echo of sound. But she heard the dog’s whine clearly. As if asking a question.
It took all her courage to look the dog in those light blue eyes and say, “Cat?”
The doggy
“Cat, are you okay?”
The girl shook her head. “No.” The tears in her voice tore at Tam’s heart. “I didn’t mean to yell. I’m sorry.”
Tam reached for her shoulder, hoping to comfort. “Hey, it’s okay. Just talk to me. Tell me about the guy. Is he your boyfriend?”
Cat’s laugh sounded more like a sob that she couldn’t hold back. “No, not my boyfriend. Although…”
“You like him.” Tam tried for a teasing tone, hoping it would make Cat smile. No such luck. It actually made her look worse. Tam put her arm around the girl and drew back with a gasp before resting her hand on Cat’s forehead. “God, you’re burning up.”
“I know. I can’t help it.” Now the girl looked at her with overflowing eyes. “I’m so sorry. I can’t hold it together. I hate being in here and the moon is full tonight. It’s too much. I don’t want to scare you. Please don’t be scared, Tam. Please don’t—”
The girl tore herself off the couch and ran for the other side of the room, where she folded herself into the corner.
Startled, Tam just sat there.
“I’m sorry,” Cat cried. “I’m so sor —”
Then the girl gasped and dropped to her knees on the floor. Tam shot to her feet, ready to run to her when her vision went fuzzy.
Or Cat did.
Tam froze, her mind unable to process what she was seeing as Cat disappeared right in front of her eyes.
No, not disappeared. Changed.
Between one blink and the next, the girl was gone. A shimmer of light, or sparks, remained in her place for a brief second, a shimmer that dissipated like summer fog.
Then the little black dog she’d been feeding stood in the exact spot.
The dog whined, looking up at her with Cat’s bright blue eyes.
Tam opened her mouth to speak. Then closed it again.
She blinked but the dog was still there. Still staring at her.
No.
Tam sat up slowly, wondering if she’d finally had that break with reality the doctors had warned her about. They’d told her if she continued to repress her feelings about her attack, she might experience some dissociation. Was that what this was? Had she gone crazy?
The little dog cocked its head to the side and whimpered, as if she’d done something to be ashamed of. The sound made Tam’s heart hurt.
Maybe the dog wasn’t real. Maybe if she tried to touch it, it would disappear.
Forcing her feet to move, Tam walked to the dog, shivering by the wall where she’d seen Cat disappear.
When she was close enough to touch, Tam forced her knees to bend and put her hand on the animal’s head.
Silky fur, black as midnight, slid under her hand as she began to pet the dog. It felt real. So very real.
Tam opened her mouth, but no sound emerged. After a deep breath, she tried again.
“Cat?”
The dog smiled and its fluffy tail began to wag.
Tam felt like a hundred-pound weight dropped on her chest. She drew in a ragged breath, nearly choked on it but forced her hand to continue to pet the dog.
Her head began to spin, questions repeating in ever-increasing circles.
Had she really seen Cat disappear? Was this Cat now sitting in front of her? In the form of a dog?
“No.”
The dog whimpered, its little head and shoulders sagging as if she’d kicked it.
“I’m crazy, right? It finally happened. None of this is real.”
The dog huffed, as if exasperated. Could dogs be exasperated? Or was this just another manifestation of her madness?
The dog rubbed her head against Tam’s hand, her cool wet nose brushing against her leg, shocking her back to reality.
No, the dog was real. Lifting the hand that wasn’t petting the dog to her thigh, she pinched. Hard.
And gasped in pain.
Tensing, the dog stared up at her with wide eyes.
“Holy shit.”
She could barely hear her own voice, almost like an echo of sound. But she heard the dog’s whine clearly. As if asking a question.
It took all her courage to look the dog in those light blue eyes and say, “Cat?”
The doggy
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