text: Ashley Cane had just moved into a new house a month ago. She didn't know anyone and didn't really mind. She was a loner and didn't like people much. She hadn’t made friends with anyone in her class this year, the kids were all either too bossy or too wimpy. So it wasn’t such a bad thing for her to move away in the middle of the school year. In her old house, her favorite thing to do was read. In the stories she read, she could go anywhere, be anyone, and do anything. It was better than reality for Ashley. And because of all those books, she has developed an overactive imagination. Her brother, Adam, hated that about her, she knew, because she would always tell him things he didn't want to hear. Ashley was fifteen when they moved, and Adam was thirteen. Their new house was built in a modern style, overlooking a wide meadow. Ashley could just see their nearest neighbors’ house from the end of their driveway, peeking out of a copse of trees nearly a half mile down the road. She liked that it was quiet, and it got extra dark at night, more so than their old house in the suburbs. But her favorite thing about their new house was a game room they had set up in an open loft above the living room. There were shelves of books and a big comfy chair. Plus, there was a big screen TV and a bunch of video games. Ashley liked to sit up there and read, or stare through the skylight and daydream. “What do you think, Adam?” mused Ashley one evening. The two of them were up in the loft, listening to the rain splash against the roof above them while a quiet movie played on the TV. Ashley had turned slightly in the chair and muted the TV to blurt that random question in Adam’s direction. “Whatever you’re talking about, I don't want to hear it,” insisted Adam, tossing his baseball in the air and catching it from his position on a futon against the far wall. “Why not?” asked Ashley, “I think they do, don't you?” “You think what?” he sighed, his curiosity getting the better of his judgement. “I think that ghosts are real,” Ashley said, “And not just ghosts either. Poltergeists and possessions, too.” “Oh brother,” said Adam, giving his sister an eye roll. “First you thought the neighbors were aliens from outer space, then you were convinced that the new mailman was a vampire bent on killing off everyone, and now ghosts. What next? Bigfoot?” “Hey, don’t get me started on Bigfoot,” she quipped in response, shifting in her seat to fully face her brother. “But really, you don't believe in ghosts?” she asked. “I do,” she continued, not waiting for Adam’s answer, “I think they're everywhere, watching us.” Their mother’s voice from downstairs saved Adam from answering, “Ashley! Adam! Come for supper!” “Coming,” they called back in unison. Meatloaf again, thought Ashley, I think it's poison. “Ashley, eat your food,” said her father. “I will.” Ashley watched as her brother ate a forkful of food and swallowed. After a moment of anticipation, nothing happened. Okay, it's not poison, she thought, and took a forkful of her own. Ashley woke at a sound. A cat was crying somewhere outside near her window. I feel sorry for it, she thought sleepily, maybe it’s hungry. She got out of bed and threw some shoes on, grabbing a light from the emergency drawer on her way to the front door. Running outside, she turned on her flashlight and headed for the meadow. “Here kitty, kitty” she called softly. “Come on out, I won’t hurt you.” She shone her light around the tall grass. Turning around, she oriented herself to her bedroom window to find where the sound was coming from. When she turned back toward the meadow, a small gray and white cat had appeared. Ashley gasped, “You scared me little kitty.” The cat just stood there, staring up at her. In her flashlight’s beam, the eyes flashed for a moment as Ashley crept closer, trying not to scare it. She bent over to pick it up, and to her surprise, it didn't run away. Cuddling the creature close to her chest, she carried it back to her house. “See Mom, can I keep her? Please, please, pleeeeaaaase?” begged Ashley, holding the cat up for her mom to inspect the next morning. “Well,” said her mother, “If you take care of it, okay.” “Yippee!” shouted Ashley, “Did you hear that, kitty? I get to keep you!” Her mom hid a smile behind her mug of coffee. “What are you going to name it her?” she asked. “Umm, Misty, yeah,” said Ashley, “It was misty from the rain last night and she’s gray.” “Sounds perfect,” said her mom, “I’ll stop by the store and pick up some supplies on my way home from work.” “Thanks, Mom!” Ashley squealed, and ran to her room. A scream cut through the night like a hot knife through butter. Adam came tearing into Ashley's room. It was the night after Ashley found Misty. “Calm down, dweeb,” she said, her voice filled with sleep, “What happened? Bad dream?” “No,” he said, “There's something in my room.” “Yeah right.” “There was! I saw it!” he insisted, “Well, not all of it. Just these evil, glowing eyes that were staring at me in the dark. Then they disappeared and a second later they were on the other side of the room, staring again.” “Uh huh, sure.” “Come on, I'll show you,” he answered her snide comment and gestured for her to follow. Ashley groaned and dragged herself out of bed before following Adam into his room and turned on the lights. Misty came out from under his bed and stared up at the siblings. “Those are the eyes!” he yelled, ducking quickly behind his sister. “Calm down,” Ashley chastised him and picked Misty up, “It's just my new cat, Misty.” “That cat is evil Ash, get rid of it!” “No way,” snapped Ashley, “She didn’t do anything to you. I love her, and she stays.” Ashley took the cat back to her room, while Adam made sure his door was completely closed. The rest of the night was uneventful, and Ashley soon forgot about it. The next evening, the siblings were hanging out in their loft when a crash came from the living room below. “What was that?” Ashley startled, looking up from her book. Another smash sounded, and her eyes flew wide. “I don't know,” said Adam, “It sounded like something breaking.” They ran to the railing to peer down at the living room. They gasped and ran down the stairs. “Oh no!” Adam yelped. The living room was trashed from top to bottom. Their mother's collection of porcelain frogs covered the floor, in three thousand pieces it seemed. And the crystal vase was broken, too. It lay on the floor next to a small lump of fur. “Misty!” yelled Adam, “See Ashley? That cat is evil!” Misty turned to look at the humans who had walked in on her fun. Her eyes were wide, as she looked right at them and meowed softly. Ashley shivered despite herself. Misty couldn't have done it on purpose, could she? Adam and Ashley worked for an hour cleaning up the room before their parents came home. When they did, the siblings had a lot of explaining to do, and Ashley had a lot of begging to do to keep Misty. “See you later kids,” their dad said, “We’ll be back by ten.” “Well, Adam,” said Ashley, “What shall we do?” “Anything that's far away from that cat of yours,” he said. “She was staring at me all night, last night. She really scared me.” “Oh, Adam,” said Ashley with a laugh, “Next you'll be telling ME about the mailman being a vampire.” “Get real,” Adam said, throwing her a look of disgust, “Still, Misty gives me the creeps.” Adam put on his headphones and started dancing with a mop, while Ashley started writing the letter to her grandmother. The move was hard, and Ashley missed living down the road from her grandmother and getting to see her all the time. The letter was far overdue, but she had been so busy with unpacking and Misty, that, and her grandmother didn’t use email for easier correspondence. “Dear Grandma, Well, we got here okay, and the house is all unpacked, finally. Adam has been as annoying as ever. We have this awesome new loft to hang out in though, I can’t wait for you to see it. But grandma, the BEST news is that I found a little cat and mom actually let me keep her! She's gray and white, so I named her Misty. The strange thing is, she likes to stare at Adam in the dark. It scares him, but I think it’s kinda funny. Like, see what it’s like being annoyed all the time? Though, the other day she destroyed my mom's prized possessions, her frog collection, and her crystal vase. I felt so sorry for her, she almost cried when she found out, but I'm positive that Misty didn't mean to. She was just being a curious cat, I’m sure! At least, I hope... Anyway, our mailman comes only at night, so I will be able to get this letter out to you by morning. He's not like the other mail carries that deliver mail in the daylight, but this guy does it in the dead of night. Um, vampire much? At least it’s convenient if you’re a night owl, I guess. Oh well, I have to go now, grandma. Please write back if you find the time and think about getting a computer! I love you and I miss you. Love and kisses, Ashley” Ashley sealed the envelope as she slipped on her shoes and headed out to the mailbox. The night was cool and she showed in the darkness. A noise in the woods that bordered the long driveway on one side made her jump. “Who’s there?” she called softly. Nothing, silence, oblivion. Stop being so dramatic, she chastised herself, it’s probably just a raccoon. She put a hand to her racing heart. Calm down, there's nothing out there to be afraid of. Just then, something darted from the bushes in front of her. She didn’t get a good look at it but saw that it was big. She shrieked and turn to run, but the creature chased her and jumped on her back, holding her down. The thing’s claws dug into her back and she could feel the blood coming to the surface. She struggled against the weight on her back, crying through clenched teeth as the creature dug harder. When Ashley felt the last of her strength about to abandon her, her attacker sprang from her back and flashed into view for a second before running away. Breathing hard, and gasping for breath, Ashley couldn't move for quite a while as she gathered her wits and her strength. I can’t stay here, she thought as she slowly got to her feet. She limped back to the house, seeking help as the blood continued to soak into her shirt. “Adam!” she called weakly. “What?” Luckily, he had removed the headphones and was reading quietly in the living room instead. “Help,” she croaked, before collapsing on the floor. Adam heard her fall and came running. “Oh my god!” he screamed, “Ashley your back is covered in blood!” Adam ran into the kitchen and got some towels and water. He ran back and tried to clean off her wounds and staunch the flow of blood. “Don't worry, sis,” he said shakily, hoping to calm her, or himself, down. “It’s ten o’clock. Mom and Dad should be home soon.” As if on cue, the front door opened, and their mom stuck her head in the opening. “Hi kids,” she called out. “Mom!” yelled Adam, “In here, quick. Ashley’s hurt!” Ashley’s parents immediately bundled her into the car to take her to the hospital. On the way out, their mom turned to Adam, “Here, I almost forgot, Misty was outside on the doorstep with this in her mouth. Feed her, okay? We’ll call you from the hospital.” Adam watched his parents go, and then looked numbly down at his hand to see what his mother had given him. It was a bloody envelope, addressed to his grandmother, from Ashley. The next morning, Adam was allowed to visit his sister at the hospital. “Um, can we talk alone?” he asked. “Okay,” said the nurse, “But you only have ten minutes before visiting hours are over.” After the nurse left, Adam turned to his sister. She lay on the hospital bed looking pale. Bandages were covering her back and she winced as she shifted position slightly. “Ashley,” whispered Adam, “What happened?” “I was walking... ouch... out to the mailbox when something came out of the bushes jumped on me.” She paused to take a deep breath, “It was so strong, I couldn’t get up, and it started digging his claws into my back. I couldn't move, it... ouch... hurt so much.” “Does it hurt now?” “Only when I move,” she snorted in reply, rolling her eyes. “Did you see what it was?” he asked, sitting on the chair by the bed so he could be closer to her face. “Well,” she started, “I think my eyes were playing tricks on me, or I was in shock or something, but...” “What? But what?” he asked earnestly, “Tell me, please, Ash.” “It looked like Misty, but it was too heavy and too powerful to be cute little Misty.” “Um, Ash,” said Adam after a moment’s silence. “Yeah?” “Well, just before you left for the hospital, uh, Mom said she found Misty outside with your letter to Grandma in her mouth, and it was covered with blood.” “Ashley?” asked Adam. It was two days since Ashley's return from the hospital, they had kept her for a few days to make sure her wounds didn’t get infected. She didn’t have to wear bandages, but her back was still sore. “What?” she grumbled. It was also the middle of the night, and Ashley was very tired. “Misty is staring at me again,” he said softly from the doorway to her room, “I wish I knew what she was thinking.” As he was talking, Ashley suddenly sat up. “Shh!” she hissed, “Do you hear that?” “Yes,” he whispered, breathing rapidly and scrambling to stand beside her bed, “What is it?” The sound echoed from down the hallway. “It sounds like it's coming from my room,” said Adam, his voice shaky. The noise grew louder. It sounded like claws clicking on the floor, big claws, sharp claws, and coming closer. “It's coming in here,” squeaked Ashley. They looked toward the door and saw Misty. But she wasn’t a tiny cute kitty any more. She was huge, and as she walked into the room she blocked the whole doorway. Her eyes flashed in the darkness, glowing red, and drool oozed over her elongated jaw. A low growl issued from deep in her throat as she advanced on the kids, baring her razor-sharp teeth. “Adam quick,” called Ashley, who had moved to open the window beside her bed. “Out the window!” Ashley watched in horror as her beloved cat, now transformed somehow, launched her large bulk at Adam, pouncing like a tiger. He screamed as Misty bit his arm, teeth sinking through the thin cloth of his pajamas. Ashley grabbed the lamp from off the bedside table, and with tears in her eyes, she hurled it at the creature her sweet kitty had become. Misty snarled and let go of Adam. Wasting no time, Adam and Ashley tumbled through the opening. They hit the ground running, but Adam quickly spun and tried to shut the window. Misty charged, and the glass halted its downward progress. Adam took off running, hoping that would at least slow the creature down. “This way, Adam! Hurry!” The two kids raced across the lawn at the side of their house, heading toward the front. Maybe, thought Adam, yes, the grass is long enough. “Ashley,” he cried, “The meadow!” Ashley and Adam raced into the meadow and ducked out of sight just as Misty in hot pursuit, rounded the corner of the house. “Shh,” whispered Adam, “Come on.” He began crawling through the grass away from the house, and the vicious cat. “Adam...” whispered Ashley after some time, “I can't go anymore, my back...” Adam stopped crawling and dared a glance back, peeking his eyes above the tall grass. “It's okay, I think we lost her,” he said, “Just a little further, there’s a clearing where we can rest.” Ashley groaned, but followed her brother a while longer. When they reached the clearing, they both stood up cautiously and brushed off their knees. Adam suddenly went still in front of her, and Ashley stopped in her tracks. It was eerily quiet as they stared at the figure that stood blocking their path. “You!” said Ashley, gazing in shock at the mailman, with his unnaturally pale face and blood red lips. “Good evening, children,” he said softly, “So nice to see you out so late.” He smiled wickedly and advanced on the two children, mouth open, and fanged teeth glistening. Adam and Ashley were frozen in fear as he loomed closer. Just before he reached them, Ashley managed to whisper, “I was right.” As the vampire mailman dropped Adam’s lifeless body to the ground, he looked up. Entering the clearing was a small cat. She stared up at the mailman. “Good work, my supernatural friend,” he said, the children's blood still staining his teeth. “Thank you for chasing them this way.” The cat meowed before turning to her former masters lying dead on the ground and her eyes flashed red. Then, tail raised, she disappeared into the long grass.