Taming the Familiar

Chapter 4- ~~Bacon~~

"What's the other plane like?" She asked. He shrugged.

"It's like a dreamless sleep. You are aware time has passed when you return but you don't do anything while you are there." He said. Alexa raised her eyebrows.

"So there is nothing there? Why would you ask me to send you there?" She asked. Kaleth took a piece of toast, eyeballed it then took a bite.

"Sweet oblivion." He answered. Alexa sat back, her stomach full, and thought about that. She watched Pitch eat the egg she had given him and Kaleth take a cautious bite of toast dipped in yolk. He closed his eyes, obviously enjoying it. She considered for a moment.

"When was the last time you had human food?" She asked. Kaleth thought for a few minutes then shrugged.

"I can't remember." He said. Alexa gaped at him as he finished his toast. 

"Are you enjoying the human food?" She asked. He looked at her, his mouth stuffed full and nodded. After a big gulping swallow his face broke into a grin. Alexa couldn't help but smile back. It was like the sun had finally broken through the turmoil of his soul. Alexa wondered absently if he had a soul. Why would he want to return to oblivion? What was so bad about here and now? She cleared her throat.

"If you want to you can leave." She said quietly. He peered at her with a questioning look before vanishing in a puff of black smoke. Alexa sighed, unsure when she would see him again. She headed back into the bedroom to retrieve Alistar's notebook. She read through it again with a different light, knowing now that it wasn't a complete load of crap. She had Pitch over her shoulder the entire time. She didn't learn anything more from it on familiars. She decided to check some of the books she had been sorting through earlier in the study. As she headed out Pitch followed closely. She found the box of books that she had labeled 'other' and started digging. The first title to catch her eye was on basics, but as she skimmed through it she learned a few things. For one, magic was genetic, so it was inherited. That didn't help her a whole lot. The only one she knew of in her family who had magic was Alistar, and it wasn't like she had been very close to him... Thankfully. She learned and practiced both a levitating and a vanishing spell. Pitch watched closely with curiosity the whole time. There was a knock at the door and she hurriedly stuffed the book into her bag it was her mother. 

"We're heading home this evening." She said. Alexa frowned.

"What about Pitch?" She asked. Their current home was in the city. She assumed the cat was used to a lot of outdoor freedom which would not be an option there. She looked down at him and he meowed.

"I don't know Alexa. Maybe the neighbors can take him in for now." She said. The next door neighbors were already feeding the livestock, would it be so much more work to put out cat food too? Alexa watched the cat for a minute. He wasn't just a cat, he was her familiar and he needed to be near her to survive.

"Can we see if he'll adjust? He likes to stick close to me anyway, maybe he will continue to." She said. Her mother looked at her doubtfully, then shrugged.

"You are responsible for him and cleaning up after him." She said. Alexa nodded and her mother grinned, considering the topic closed.

"So now all we have left to clean is basically the bedrooms. Dad and I will take care of the master while you and Patrick get started on the spares. The one your father and I used last night is already clean, so that narrows it down to a few barren bedrooms and the laundry room. I got hold of a herbalist who is going to deal with the plant room just to be safe." She said with a ridiculous grin. Alexa sighed and headed to the first bedroom. Pitch sat on the window ledge and watched her. The rooms all just had the basic furniture so three rooms later she hadn't done much more than dusting. The laundry room took no time at all. That's when she realized Patrick was still 'working' on his first room. She sighed. He was far too immature to handle the responsibility and she didn't feel like starting a fight. She entered the next room to clean and pointed to the dresser.

"Go sit there." She told the cat and he did as told. He gave her a mournful look as he laid down. when she was done she went to leave and the cat was still watching her expectantly.

"Come on." She said and he bounded across the room. She stared at him curiously.

"Sit." She said. He sat on his butt immediately. She smiled to herself.

"Stand." She said and he stood up, giving her an indignant look. She grinned and patted her chest.

"Jump up." She said and he crouched and jumped. She raised her eyebrows. He seemed to be obeying her every word. She hurried through the last bedroom before going back to 'her' room for the book on familiars. She wanted to learn a little more about her cat. Going to the cat chapter she learned a few details she had missed before. Such as familiars had to follow their master's every command. However a master had to keep their eyes on spiteful familiars. Say the master forgot to order the familiar not to kill someone, then they could still sneak off and do it. Alexa pictured Kaleth. Yup, telling him not to kill her family was definitely a good idea.

There was something called a binding. Basically it made sure the familiar stayed in line to a new master. The master had to lay out rules and order the familiar to follow them. She glanced at her 'cat'.

"This is a precaution. Do not hurt anyone I care about. Be a good cat and if you have anything weird or uncat-like that you do, do it in private like in my room. We are taking you to the city which means don't get hit by a car. I know you are a bit tougher than a normal cat but if you become walking roadkill you aren't allowed in the house." She said. Pitch meowed at her and she laughed, petting him on the head. She packed her things up and went in search of her brother. She found him laying on the bed playing video games on his phone. They headed to the foyer together with Pitch on their heals. It was twenty minutes later after their mother had double and triple checked everything before they all piled into the car. Her mother stared at the house as if to say goodbye.

"We'll be back next week. I've got to talk to Nana. She is refusing her share. That leaves only Uncle Joe and I to split the inheritance and if we can I'd like to buy out his half." She said, not even bothering to look over the seat to see her children's reactions.