The Time Thief

by Angela Dorsey

  Somehow she forced herself to smile. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll try to help more with the Trio too.”

  “The Trio?”

  Mika looked at the floor. “Uh, well …”

  “Would that be the Terrible Trio?” her mom asked.

  Mika looked up, her mouth open.

  Mom laughed, then walked to the sink to refill her water glass. “Believe me, I understand how hard it is for you, sweetheart. And more help would be great. We women have to stick together.” She smiled. “Now I have a date with a really good book. Come say goodnight before you go to bed, okay?”

  “Sure, Mom.” Mika waited for her to leave the kitchen, then picked up Angel’s food and water again. In her room, she placed the bowl on the floor. Angel’s nose twitched once in her sleep, then she was wide awake and racing to the food.

  “Slow down, little girl,” Mika said as the cat gulped down the casserole. “There’s a lot more where that came from.”

  When Angel finished her dinner, Mika poured water into the bowl and watched the cat lap daintily for a full minute. Angel’s little belly was round and taut when she began to use her snowy paw to wash her face. Finally seeming satisfied with her cleaning job, she jumped back onto the bed.

  “What are we going to do until I’m allowed to keep you?” Mika whispered as she stroked Angel.

  Suddenly the answer flashed into her mind. The fort! Angel could stay in Mika and Aimee’s fort in the woods.

  That night, Mika couldn’t sleep. At first, she thought the excitement of Angel lying next to her was keeping her awake. She tossed as gently as she could so she wouldn’t disturb the cat’s rest, but she finally gave up on sleeping. She got out her science homework, reasoning that if she finished it that night, the rest of the weekend would be free to spend with Angel and Aimee.

  Then she heard the sound that she hadn’t admitted she was waiting for — her dad’s vehicle in the driveway. A minute later, she heard him climb the stairs, then the murmur of soft voices before he shut the bedroom door.

  “Thank you, God,” she whispered. Tiredness finally descended over her like a warm woollen blanket. Now she could sleep.

  Chapter 4

  Mika phoned Aimee first thing the next morning, and they decided to meet at the fort at one o’clock. She had to babysit the twins first. Her mom worked part-time as a gardener, and her dad and Joseph had left early that morning to get a load of firewood.

  For once, Mika didn’t mind babysitting. Not with Angel upstairs, lounging on her bed like a furry princess.

  “What do you want to do now?” she asked the twins brightly after they’d watched a movie. The sooner she learned to deal with them, the sooner she might convince Mom and Dad to let her have a cat.

  “I want to make cookies!” shouted Billy.

  “Hooray! Cookies!” yelled Matt. “I’m the cookie monster!”

  Mika’s jaw clenched. Why did they have to be so loud?

  “No, me! Me!” Billy protested. “I’m the cookie monster!”

  “You can both be cookie monsters,” said Mika, trying hard to be patient as she led them to the kitchen. “Quiet cookie monsters. Please.”

  As Billy stirred the dough, she let Matt think he was helping her measure the ingredients. She wasn’t quite quick enough to stop him from dumping chilli powder into the mix or Billy from stirring it in, but she didn’t think it was enough to ruin the cookies.

  While they baked, Mika tried to convince the twins that it was fun to clean the kitchen. When that didn’t work, she turned table wiping into a competition — who could make their half of the table the shiniest? Matt and Billy fell for it. She gave them each a clean rag, sprayed the surface with furniture polish, and let them go at it. After five minutes, she was sure the scarred table hadn’t shone so much in years, but still she kept spraying and they kept rubbing, neither willing to let the other win.

  The cookie timer dinged just as Dad and Joseph drove into the driveway, the back of the truck loaded with wood. Dad smiled at Mika when they walked in the kitchen.

  “Smells good,” he said. “How were the boys?”

  “Okay. We made cookies together,” said Mika, taking the cookie sheet from the oven.

  “Can I have one?” asked Joseph as Mika moved the cookies to cool on a rack.

  “The boys helped you? Are they safe to eat?” asked Dad, still smiling.

  “I think so,” Mika replied and smiled back. What was wrong with Dad? Or rather, what was right? Had Mom’s words last night made a difference? He’d seemed so mad at the time, but maybe things were going to be okay.

  Dad took a big bite. “Hmmm, interesting,” he said in a muffled voice as Joseph grabbed a cookie. Dad swallowed, then repeated, “Very interesting. What’s in them?”

  “Chilli powder,” Mika answered. “The twins got creative.”

  Joseph put his cookie on the counter.

  “Chilli powder? Chilli powder?” Dad roared. “Who’s the Chilli Kid?”

  For a second, both twins froze. Then Dad grabbed Billy and started to tickle him. “Are you the Chilli Kid?”

  Billy wriggled out of Dad’s grip, then lay gasping and giggling on the floor as Dad went to tickle Matt.

  “Or are you the Chilli Kid?”

  Matt shrieked with joy. “No, no,” he screamed and pointed to Billy. “He is! He is!”

  Mika went up to her room as soon as she could. Happy noise was preferable to unhappy, but it was still noise. And she had someone very special waiting in her room. Angel was just where Mika had left her, asleep in the middle of the bed. Mika curled around the cat as carefully as she could and watched the delicate creature sleep. Angel looked so defenceless and tiny, and yet so serene. And she was all Mika’s — as long as she could keep her a secret.

  When it was time to go to the fort, Mika ventured to the now deserted kitchen to make three tuna sandwiches. She slipped them into her backpack, along with a plastic bowl, then put on her jacket and swung the backpack onto her back.

  Angel was dozing on the windowsill when she got back to her room. As Mika pushed the litter box into the closet, she heard a soft hiss. She looked up, startled. Angel was staring down into the backyard, her back arched and her tail twice its normal size. Mika hurried to the window and looked down.

  “What do you see, Angel?” she asked, her voice puzzled. A low growl slid from the feline throat. “That’s just Joseph down there.” Tentatively, she touched the cat, then stroked her. When Angel relaxed, she picked her up and zipped her inside her jacket, then patted her through the material. “Remember to be quiet, Angel,” she said and opened her bedroom door.

  No one was in sight. Mika ran down the stairs and out the back door, then hurried toward the gate in the fence that surrounded the backyard. Her dad had built the fence to keep the Trio out of the forest and away from the river. Her hand was on the gate latch when she heard a voice behind her.

  “Wait, Mika! Wait!”

  Controlling her irritation with a supreme effort, Mika turned back. “What is it?”

  “Can I come with you?” asked Joseph, moving away from the house with a ball in his hands. Had he been throwing it against the siding? Dad was going to be furious.

  “You don’t even know where I’m going. And you better smarten up. You’re going to make Dad mad again.”

  “I don’t care where you’re going. I just want to come with you.”

  Mika opened the gate, darted through, and latched it behind her. “You can’t.”

  “Please,” Joseph begged. “Please.”

  “You aren’t allowed,” Mika said, patting her jacket. Angel was getting restless. “You know it’s too dangerous for little kids by the river.”

  “Your tummy is wiggling.” Joseph giggled.

  Mika turned away. “I had worms for breakfast!” she yelled over her shoulder as she hurried along the path.

  “No! You had cookies! Mika, let me come with you. Mika!”

  As soon as she was out of sight of the hous
e, Mika unzipped her jacket. “Brothers. They just don’t give up,” she whispered and stroked Angel. The white cat climbed onto her shoulder and purred in her ear as Mika walked along the trail.

  Unlike the majestic forest near Aimee’s house, this forest was a dense thicket. The area had been logged decades ago, the trees had grown back too thick, and now they were stunted by their long battle for sunlight, soil, and water. People hardly ever went into these woods — which was perfect as far as Mika was concerned.

  Last year, she and Aimee found the homesteader’s cabin there and spent months fixing it up. Back in the old days, before Dad became grumpy, he’d fixed the sagging roof and put some tin on top so the cabin wouldn’t leak. Aimee’s mom and dad had donated various items to their project, and Mika’s mom had made curtains for the kitchen. Bit by bit, the fort became more than just a dilapidated old shell. It became their own — and it was the perfect place to hide Angel.

  A few more metres into the trees, the path met an old logging road. Mika wove between the saplings that thrived there. She loved these saplings, especially in the spring when their leaves were fresh and vibrant, almost neon green. And the saplings had a practical purpose too. They made the road impassable to vehicles. No one could drive to their fort. Out here, they truly were alone.

  The roar of the river engulfed her as she came nearer to the flooding mass, and she caught glimpses of the swollen current between the trees. Dark and murky, the water swirled by. A long branch floated past on the raging torrent.

  Angel meowed nervously and climbed down into Mika’s arms, her wide eyes locked on the rushing water. “It’s okay, Angel,” Mika whispered. “We won’t get too close.”

  A few minutes later, they came to a wide clearing. As usual, Mika stopped to look at the river. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw the old bridge was still there. She’d been worried the flood might have swept it away. Not that she’d even dream of going out on the bridge right now; it was obviously far too dangerous. Branches and driftwood were piled against the aging supports, and the current was making the timbers shake.

  But it was a different story when the river was low. She and Aimee liked to sit on the edge and watch the river slip past, clear and sparkling beneath them. They’d watch the salmon from up there too, when the big fish came to spawn.

  And ever since Grandpa died, the bridge had been extra special. Mika had come here after the funeral to grieve. She couldn’t cry at the church or the graveyard with all those people around, and had remained dry-eyed and stone-faced throughout the service. Then, as soon as she got home, she’d snuck out the back and come to the bridge. She’d sat on the edge of the old structure and told Grandpa aloud how much she missed him. How much she loved him. How she wished he’d come home. Then she’d cried and cried and cried, until …

  “I’ve never told anyone this, Angel,” she said softly. “Not even Aimee. But it’s like Grandpa came to say goodbye to me here.” She blinked back her tears. “I know it sounds silly, and it’s probably my imagination, but I felt him sit down beside me, even though I couldn’t see him. I didn’t hear anything either, not out loud, but I imagined him saying ‘Be brave’ and ‘I love you.’ And one more thing too.” She smiled sadly. “It’s crazy. You’re going to want Aimee for your person after I tell you this.”

  The little cat reached up to rub her cheek.

  “I imagined he said, ‘Swim with the current, Mika.’ Is that nuts, or what?”

  A thud made Mika startle, and she spun toward the sound. Their cheery-looking fort rested in the far corner of the grassy clearing, and Aimee had just walked out onto the porch to set down one of the old kitchen chairs her mom had given them.

  Mika headed toward her on eager feet. “She’s going to love you, Angel. Just like I do. Aimee! Come and see what I’ve got.”

  Aimee looked up and waved.

  Angel stiffened in Mika’s arms.

  “Don’t worry, Angel. She’s my friend.” Mika ran her hand across the cat’s back in an attempt to soothe her, but Angel wouldn’t relax. Her claws dug through Mika’s light jacket and into her arm.

  “Oh, Mika, where did you get her?”

  Mika looked up to see Aimee hurrying toward them, an expression of delight on her face. Then her friend froze in white-faced shock, her eyes staring over Mika’s shoulder in horror.

  “Run, Mika!” she screamed. “Behind you! Run! Run!”

  Chapter 5

  What was behind her? A bear? Wolf? A crazy person?

  Mika spun around. Trees. That’s all. Trees and the shadows beneath them.

  And one shadow was moving!

  A loud yowl punctured Mika’s shock and she looked down. Angel’s eyes were pools of pure terror.

  Mika raced toward the fort. In front of her, Aimee ran up the porch steps, then stopped to hold the door open for Mika. Then the stairs were in front of her. She took all three in one giant leap and sprinted inside their fort. Aimee slammed the door behind her as Angel soared from her arms to the top of the tallest cupboard in the kitchen. Mika staggered against the table and Aimee rushed to the window to peer toward the forest.

  “Can you see it?” Mika panted. “What was it?”

  “I can’t see anything,” Aimee said, her voice desperate.

  “What was it?” repeated Mika.

  “I’m not sure. Something dark, hiding in the trees behind you. Its eyes were yellow.” Aimee turned to Mika. “It looked like it was getting closer to you, like it was stalking you.”

  “A bear?” asked Mika.

  “Bears don’t have yellow eyes.” Aimee paused for a moment. “Wolves can have yellow eyes, can’t they?”

  “I think so.” Mika swallowed. “I wonder if it was hunting Angel. She was scared even before you warned us.”

  Aimee looked out the front window. “I still don’t see it. Maybe it’s gone.”

  “I hope so, or how will we get home?” asked Mika. She sat down on one of the chairs and leaned on her hands. Her heart was still racing.

  “We’ll shoot one of the flares your dad left us, and then your parents will come get us.”

  Mika relaxed a bit. She’d forgotten about her dad giving them a flare shooter and flares when they’d first started working on the old cabin.

  Aimee opened a kitchen drawer. “Yeah, they’re right here,” she said, taking out the pencil-sized shooter and one flare.

  Mika slipped off her backpack, tossed it in the corner, and opened the door a crack. She peered out, then stepped cautiously onto the small porch. Aimee was right behind her.

  “Maybe it was just curious,” suggested Aimee, the loaded flare shooter tight in her hand.

  “Yeah, it was probably just as scared as I was when you yelled.” A tiny mew came from the doorway. “Look, Angel’s not scared any more either.” Mika scooped the cat into her arms.

  Angel rubbed her soft cheek against Aimee’s hand. “She’s so beautiful. Angel is the perfect name for her. You’re so lucky your parents finally said yes.”

  “They didn’t.” Mika sighed.

  “They didn’t?”

  “They don’t even know I have her.”

  Aimee sat on the porch edge and looked up at Mika. “When are you going to ask them?”

  “I already did, sort of,” answered Mika, sitting beside her. “I asked Mom last night if I could have a cat.”

  “And?”

  “And she said maybe next year.”

  “Oh no. What are you going to do?”

  “I thought I could keep her here until you saw the wolf, but I can’t now. It’s too dangerous.” Mika snuggled the little cat. “But honestly, I don’t know if it would’ve worked anyway. What if we weren’t allowed to the fort for a couple of days? Mom won’t let me come in the winter sometimes, and then poor Angel would be so lonely.”

  “Her food and water might freeze too,” Aimee added. “Can I hold her?”

  “Sure.” Mika handed Angel to Aimee. “Maybe I can just hide her in my room for the
next year.”

  “Where’d you get her?” Aimee nestled Angel on her lap.

  “The abandoned house. I heard her calling last night when I was going to your place. She got trapped inside somehow, so I went in and got her.”

  Aimee’s eyes widened. “What was it like? The house, I mean.”

  Mika felt her throat close off. “It was okay.”

  “Mom told me about the people who lived there. They were just a normal family, but all of a sudden, one day, they were just gone. And they never came back or sent for their stuff. Weird, eh?”

  Mika looked at her, her expression closed. “Yeah, weird.”

  “And no one can inherit it, because the people who owned it didn’t die. They just disappeared, and that’s why it’s still empty.”

  Mika looked toward the woods.

  “Hey, we should check it out together,” Aimee suggested. “If we’re careful, no one will care if we do some exploring.”

  “I don’t know.” Mika shivered. “I didn’t like it very much. It was kind of creepy.”

  “It won’t be scary if we both go and it’s daytime.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Mika said, her voice doubtful.

  Satisfied, Aimee put Angel on the porch beside her, and stood up. “Let’s do the chair first. Mom gave me some more paint.”

  Aimee’s mom was an interior designer, and her contribution to the fort was free paint, wallpaper samples, and other odds and ends.

  “What colour today?”

  “Pink. Hot pink.”

  “Awesome. It’ll match the rest of the fort.”

  “Yeah, especially the neon green chair.”

  “And the sky blue table.”

  They pulled donated adult sized T-shirts over their clothes and painted the chair on the grass so paint wouldn’t accidentally mar the wooden planks. The bright pink looked fabulous as they covered the chair’s weathered grey.

  “Do you think we should paint a rainbow on the seat?” Aimee asked when the chair was finished. “We still have some of that green paint left and a whole lot of yellow and blue.”