Chasing Cats

by ERIN BEDFORD

  “Yes, that’s it.” My mother nodded her head and then dismissed Alice as easily as she had started, turning back to me. “Really, Katherine. I don’t understand what is happening at all. You’re human. How can you even be one of them?” Her nose scrunched up in disgust, and her eyes strayed back to Alice, who glared, and crossed her arms over her chest.

  I rubbed my temple and sighed. I didn’t really want to get into the long complicated story that was my existence.

  “Would you believe me if I said that there is Fae blood in our family?” I offered up, hoping it would satisfy her need to know the details.

  “Nonsense.” She sniffed. “There is no possible way that any of the Nottingtons would ever be with one of those creatures. We are pure.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I raised an eyebrow at her, ignoring the fact that her comment was as racist as they came. “Maybe grandmother, or one of the great-grandmothers had a Fae lover we don’t know about.”

  My mother opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it with a snap as her brow crinkled. She must have thought of someone that was likely to have that kind of relationship and not tell anyone about it. But if she knew anything she wasn’t telling. Her face smoothed out and a stern frown covered her features.

  “Not that I am aware of. Anyways,” she opened her handbag and pulled out a thin card, “I just came by to give you this. Since it will be a few weeks until you can get one of your own.”

  I reached out my hand and accepted the card, a little part of me danced with glee when I saw it was a debit card to the account we had talked about. I locked eyes with Alice, trying not to grin like a crazy person.

  “Now that is for essentials, bills, food, and the like.” My mother shot us a look. “Not for housing those creatures in your grandmother’s house.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” I went to hug her, but she held her hands up to ward me off.

  “No hugs, dear. You are covered in dirt. Now that you have the card, I have to be going. I need to let Margery know that the Nottingtons will not be coming to the protest.” She smoothed her hands down her outfit and gave an exasperated sigh. “I suppose I’ll have to tell your father. Though, I have no doubt he will be more pleased than surprised. He always did like the strange and unusual. I’m sure he will want to talk to you about it. Do try and keep the theatrics to a minimum. Being one of them is one thing, but showing it off to the world is another. Besides, who knows what the government will decide in the next few months. You don’t want to end up in some kind of lab being experimented on, do you?”

  “Of course not, Mom.” I nodded my head in agreement. I had no ambitions to tell the world of my new status. The fewer people who knew the better in my book. If the Seelie Queen had anything to say about it, I wouldn’t be around much longer for it to matter.

  That thought made my heart heavy and my eyes burn. I had the sudden urge to hug my mom but restrained myself. No need to make her worry more than she already was. I didn’t even know if the spell really would kill me, or if it was just Chess being dramatic.

  “All right. I’m off. It was good to meet you…Alice.” She gave a small nod and left.

  Alice eyed my mother’s retreating back and turned to me with a frown. “We should probably stop for the day.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.” I sat on the back steps of my grandmother’s house and sighed.

  I’d been house sitting for her for a few months now, and there was still no sign that she would be back from her sabbatical in Florida. Not that I was in any hurry for her to return. There was still a gaping hole in her house that I hadn’t even begun to figure out how to explain to a carpenter. I was lucky my mom had come around the opposite side of the house and not by my room. Or I would have had more than just a small fit to deal with.

  “I’m sorry about your mother. Are you all right?” Alice slid down onto the step next to me in a move so graceful I would never have been able to pull it off.

  “What do you mean?” I placed my head on my hand and angled my face toward her.

  Her bright blue eyes squinted at me as if trying to figure me out. “Besides, your mother showing up you didn’t seem like yourself today. Certainly less focused.” She gestured to the abandoned eggplant on the other side of the garden.

  “Just distracted is all.” I sighed and dragged a hand through my hair.

  “Thinking about Chess?”

  “No!” I snapped and then frowned at the knowing look she gave me at my quick response. “I mean, not really. It’s a lot of things.” Mainly Chess. “Why should I care about him anyways? He certainly doesn’t care about me.”

  “You can’t just leave him there.” Alice placed her hand on my arm, and I shrugged it off to stare hard at the ground.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to save Chess. I did. My heart hurt just thinking about anything bad happening to him, but there was also another part of me that still ached from the words he had said.

  Flattered. He had been flattered that I loved him. I was a good friend. Thinking about the words made my anger ignite all over again.

  Had I been just some kind of sick game for him? See how long it took to get the Seelie Princess to fall for him before ripping her insides out and smashing them on the floor? If any other guy had done that to me I would say fuck them and be on my merry way, but the Bandersnatch…

  “What exactly is the Bandersnatch?” I glanced at Alice out of the corner of my eye. “You said it’s a place, right? What kind of place? And how is it in my mother’s bedroom?”

  “The how I can’t help you with but the what…” She trailed off. “Well I don’t really know what it is exactly either.”

  “Then how do you know anything about it to begin with? Carroll couldn’t have made it all up in his head if he hadn’t have heard at least part of it from you,” I pointed out.

  Alice stood from the stairs and began to pace. With her hands behind her back, her plaited blonde hair swung with every step she took. The dark charcoal of her pants and her light blue blouse made her seem like she had just come out of a business meeting and was ready to head back at any moment. It was weird how she had so easily let herself merge with the human world when she finally got out of her shell. Better than me for sure.

  “Alice?” I stood up and placed a hand on her arm, halting her pacing. “What is it?”

  She glanced up at me with sadness in her eyes. “I told Carroll of the Bandersnatch, it’s true, but I was only trying to sound important. Like my adventures were more fantastical than they were. So, I may have told a fib or two to make him think the Bandersnatch was a creature, when I really don’t know anything about it at all.”

  My brow scrunched down in confusion. “Then where did you even hear about it if you don’t know anything about it? How do you know it’s a place and not a creature?”

  “The where I just learned from the group. But how I knew before?” She paused; several emotions crossed her face at once. I almost thought she wasn’t going to answer before she began again.

  “I really shouldn’t. It’s not my story to tell.” The blonde chewed on her lip in an unladylike fashion that was out of character for her. “He would be so cross with me if I went back on my word. No I must, I can’t, but you should know.” She nodded her head at me; her train of thought seemed to be spiraling down a hole. “You really should. Maybe he could tell you then he would forgive me for even saying anything at all? But would he even want to see me?” She began pacing again, her hands reaching up to touch her hair. “I don’t look like myself anymore, would he even recognize me?”

  I grabbed a hold of her shoulders and turned her toward me. “Who Alice? Who?”

  The blue of her eyes glistened as unshed tears threatened to fall. The anguish on her face was so heartbreaking I wished I hadn’t asked. But I had to know.

  When she finally answered me it was in a voice so quiet that I had to strain to hear her.

  “Hatter.
”

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  About the Author

  Erin Bedford is a fantasy and paranormal romance author, a computer programmer by day, and a hobby hoarder.

  Creating fantastical worlds have always been a secret passion of hers and she couldn't imagine writing any story without some kind of lovey-dovey or smexy goodness in it.

  Read More from Erin Bedford

  www.erinbedford.com

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