Young Writers Society

~1030 words

Ivy

Ivy was uncomfortable throughout the rest of her time in the workshop. She just wanted to get away from Grey and talk to Nikki. Grey wasn't being a weirdo any more, really. But she hadn't wanted to got to the Society that night anyway, and her evening had made her even more uncertain about trusting Grey. Really, he's fine, she thought to herself. I just need to loosen up a bit. Like Nikki.

Ivy and Grey had made some progress on Grey's machine, but it was getting dark, and Ivy wanted to go home. "I'll see you Saturday, Grey. And if I don't, promise you won't go looking for me again?" She rubbed her head in the spot where it was still sore.

Grey grimaced an apology again. "Yeah, okay. Do you want me to walk you home? I'd hate you to walk out in the middle of the night alone, you know?"

"I know what you think, Grey. But I think I'm perfectly capable of walking myself home. Thank you for the offer, but I'll decline."

"Alright, but be careful out there," he said, a worried look on his face.

"Right," Ivy said, and left.

She stepped out into the night. The air was thick with summer humidity, and whenever she passed a streetlamp, she could see a fog swirling around it. The stars, of course were covered by the clouds that had decided to descend on the town during the night. Even without the stars or moon, Ivy found her way home easily. She unlocked the flower shop door, and when she came inside, Ghost leaped down from the window sill to rub against her legs.

Ivy reached down to pet him, and his fur felt damp, as if he had been slinking around in the night.

"Have you found a way out of here," Ivy asked him, still stroking his fur. But when she went to check if the window was open, she realized that it had just collected a lot of condensation. Still, the idea of letting Ghost have his freedom appealed to Ivy. She didn't want to keep the cat here if he wanted to leave. That would just be cruel. Ivy cracked open the window and showed it to Ghost. The cat continued to rub against her legs, and she laughed. She'd keep the window open. It was good for her plants to have fresh air anyway.

--

Ivy woke up to a rainy day. It matched her mood. Her mind felt cloudy and confused. Doubting many people would want to hike out to a flower shop on a rainy day, Ivy decided to take a rare day-off. She hung a sign on her door saying she'd be out of town, and packed up a few things. She would go to visit Nikki on her farm. She could spend the night, and then on Saturday, they could both travel back to town together. Ivy had done this a lot during her school years in the summer break. Nikki had been working even then, and Ivy had liked to help.

After packing a bit of food that would travel well that could serve as a light lunch, she saw Ghost, and imagined him all alone for the day. It was silly, she knew. Ghost had probably lived as a wild cat all his life. Of course he could take a day alone. Still she called to Ghost as she was leaving, just to see if he would walk with her at all.

He would, even in the rain. Ghost stayed, for the most part, at the heels of Ivy. Every now and then, he would dart off the the side to chase a mouse or something, and there were a few times Ivy thought he'd gotten completely lost: she couldn't see him anywhere. But Ghost always found his way back.

Soon, Ivy needed a little break from walking, so she sat down to have her lunch. She had no idea what time it was, since the sun was covered by the heavy cloud cover. She felt like she was almost at the farm, and she hated to intrude on Nikki's family's hospitality too much, even though they always offered her food as soon as she arrived. Ivy's grandmother had said, "It's polite to eat before you arrive, so you can rely less on the hospitality of others. This also makes it so you can fall back on folk when you're in a pinch. They won't see you as always looking for a handout, so they'll be much more likely to help you when you really need it."

Ivy ate her lunch quickly so it wouldn't get wet with rain. She smiled as she breathed in the fresh-smelling air, and giggled as raindrops splattered on her nose. Ghost looked funny, all drenched with rain, almost like he'd shrunk, but he didn't seem to mind too much. He pounced on anything that moved, even rippling puddles. Eventually, they were on their way again.

Ivy walked around a bend in the dirt pathway--that was more mud than solid--and Ivy's farm pulled into view. "There it is, Ghost! Warm, dry shelter and friend to talk to. Not that you aren't great for conversation, Ghost," she said quickly. They reached the sprawling farm in no time. As they passed the big red barn that held the horses, Ivy saw Ghost's ears flatten. Inside the barn were several pairs of cat eyes. "C'mon Ghost. Don't let them bother you. They're just jealous that you can look so dashing with wet fur."

They soon reached the house, painted white, with warm firelight flickering in the windows. Ivy knocked on the door, and a little boy without his front teeth answered.

"Nikki! Ivy's here!" he shouted with a lisp, then ran away.

Nikki poked her head out from the hatch in the ceiling that Ivy knew led to the attic. "Well come in! You're making me cold just looking at you. Come warm up by the fire!" She said, and started to descend the attic ladder. "It's nice to see you! But you must have come for a reason. Let's talk!"