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But she had awoken in a state of panic and fear this morning. I had been so consumed by my happiness, achieving my goal, and finding my soul pair, that I hadn’t contemplated how she would feel about being human. She asked to be turned back. She didn’t want to look at herself in the mirror.
She was so different from the fierce little cat I had met only days previously. This human female was polite and uncomfortable. It did not, however, stop my obsession.
As she spoke of what she had witnessed and the betrayal of her witch, the movement of her lips, the sound of her soft voice, and the continuous shaking of her hands distracted me. I stared in complete fascination. I listened to her story and found no fault on her part for the events which lead to Savida’s missing fire, so when Daithi began spitting venom at her, I defended her. But I also felt guilty. It was difficult to argue with him when I shared responsibility for Savida’s demise.
After Charlie and Daithi left, Clawdia went to the bathroom to clean up. I hovered in the hallway, pacing with too much energy.
A noise made me freeze, and I peeked my head into the guest room. The window was open, causing the curtain to smack into the wall with each gust of the wind. I didn’t shut it, knowing Savida would want to feel the breeze across his skin.
I perched on the side of the bed and watched the slight rise and fall of Savida’s chest.
He was my first friend. The first person I spoke to after he and Daithi freed me from my slaver. He was a light, an energy that kept us all buoyant.
I touched the dark skin of his hand gently. “I’m sorry I was not in time to protect you, my friend. We will fix this. I swear it.”
“Zaide?” I heard my name called by a hypnotic, soft voice. I turned my gaze to the doorway, where my future stood.
Her attention turned to my friend, and she joined me on the other side of his bed. She picked up his wrist and felt his pulse. She prodded him lightly in places that would have made him jump and laugh were he not fireless. My heart squeezed.
“It’s like a coma?” she asked softly when she finished her ministrations. I didn’t know exactly what that was, but I nodded. “They say some people in comas can still hear.”
I blinked and looked down at Savida. “He can?”
“Maybe.”
“I will need to talk to him often, then, so he doesn’t get bored.”
She laughed lightly and placed a hand on his chest. “Hello, Savida. I’m Clawdia. We’ve already met, but I was a cat then.” I smiled at the memory of him wearing her as a hat. “We’re going to do my best to save you. I’m so sorry this happened. I’m so sorry.”
I covered her hand with my own and said, “Daithi is wrong to blame you. You don’t need to apologize.”
She gave me a small, appreciative smile but said nothing more on the subject. She sighed. “I used to hate this part.”
Her comment confused me and asked, “What part is that?”
“Not being able to help anymore. The part where we wait.” She seemed lost in her memories as she stared at her hands. “I was a trainee nurse.”
“You were a healer?”
“Of a sort.”
“That is a wonderful occupation,” I told her, awe in my voice.
She shrugged. “It is when you can help. It isn’t when you can’t.”
I shook my head and stood. “But that is where you are wrong, Little Cat. You can help. Right now, we must search your witch’s house for things to help Charlie find them.”
She nodded.
We walked to the back garden, and I assisted Clawdia as she attempted to jump over the fence. The back door to Winnie and Clawdia’s home was still slightly ajar, and we slipped in quickly.
Clawdia led me around her home, moving gracefully from the kitchen to the living room in silence.
I opened my mouth. I closed it. Trying to find the words to tell her she was my soul pair was difficult. While I was trying to find the words, she was also quiet, her head filled with thoughts. I wanted to know them.
“You are quiet,” I noted. “You aren’t glad to have another being to talk to?”
She blinked. “I keep forgetting that I can, to be honest with you.”
