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I ran up one side of the grand double staircase, past the staff coming out of our room, and into the bathroom.
“Sabrina, you good?” Cota called out to me.
“Sorry about running out on you.” I chewed a fingernail. “I’m better now. What should we do until our cooking class?”
“I need to go chat with my brothers. Will you be alright by yourself for an hour?” he asked.
“You don’t need to babysit me, and I promise not to make prank phone calls.” I leaned on the bathroom door frame. “I think I’ll go find the gym.”
“I’ll meet you back here at ten forty-five and we can go down to the kitchen together.”
I smiled and nodded until he walked off, then bolted back down the stairs and into the dining room to see if the furball was still there. I’d told it to stay but felt confident that it had moved. A look side to side, then I dove under the table.
“Hey there, you actually listened,” I whispered. “I promised you food but got so excited to see if you were waiting, I forgot the food. I’ll be back.”
I casually strolled into the kitchen with a prepared story of looking for coffee in case I got caught. No one was there and the butler’s pantry door was open. I pulled it open all the way, grabbed some crackers, and was backing out when, once again, I walked into a body.
“Sabrina, do you need help?” Diane crossed her arms. “I’m employed by the Hawthornes to be available for everyone’s needs. You don’t have to sneak in here for snacks.”
“These crackers are for the birds that are on my balcony.”
“We put bird food out on each balcony. Did you not see it?”
“I must have missed it,” I shrugged. “Do you mind if I keep the crackers?”
“You can have anything you want. Would you like me to send some food up to your suite?”
“No, I’m going to wander around then go work out. Thanks for your help.” I backed out of the room and darted for the dining room.
I wasn’t back quick enough and the furry animal, which was not a rat, was gone. I heard someone coming and wasn’t looking to get caught under the table, so I crawled all the way under and sat toward the far side. It was only two of the staff setting out dishes. I saw the animal run behind them and out the door.
What is this thing? Why am I chasing it around? It could bite me, but it seems friendly.
I quickly crawled out from under the table the minute the two staff left the room. I peeked down the long hall, trying to decide which way it may have gone. The curtains were moving, leaving me to believe it had gone behind them. I started at one end of the hall and pulled each curtain out until I found it. I was fully behind it when I heard someone coming and stuck my head out.
“Good morning, Sabrina.” Poppy came down the hall from behind me, carrying the baby. “This little one is wide awake. Is something wrong behind that curtain?”
“Oh, no. I was feeling the material. Your poor baby or, should I say, poor mommy.” I placed the curtain where it belonged “Has she been up for a long time?”
“Yes. I need to do something so I can get a few hours of sleep. I’m going into the nook area of the kitchen. It’s really cozy in there.” Poppy yawned and walked off. “See you later on today, though.”
I continued down the hall to the library.Wow!! This is like something from a movie.
“Can I help you?” an older gentleman asked.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry. I was just looking around. Is it alright to be in here?” I looked around at all the books, floor to ceiling.
“Yes, ma’am. Do you need me to move the ladder for you?”
“I can do it. Mostly I want to look around right now.” I nearly cheered when the little furball came down the ladder behind the man. “I’ll only be in here for a short while.”
He waited around by the door as I was sure he was supposed to, but what I needed was for him to leave so I could find the furball and get it safely out of the house before they found it. I remembered Murphy showing me an app for the cellphone that tells you what a plant is, which made me wonder if they had one for animals, too. I pulled my cell out of my pocket and looked for such an app.
I’ll just google the description and see what it shows me. It’s a ferret. How is there a ferret in their house? So strange.
I sat in one of the chairs looking at a beautiful antique chess set, hoping I would catch sight of it again. I lifted one of the pawns, looking at all the intricate design, then nearly screamed when the ferret appeared from under the chair, right at my feet.
“You are not even afraid of me, are you?” I held still, hoping it was actually friendly. “I brought you some food. Are you hungry?”
