It had been three hours since Andy left. Denise had made a trip to Wal-Mart and she walked to Opal's coffee shop. It was a half-hour walk from her cabin, but she figured she could use the exercise. Plus, it gave her time to start brainstorming her next story idea.
So far, she had nothing. She sat on one of her bar stools staring at a blank piece of paper. A black-inked pen was in her hand. A cup of black coffee from Opal's Coffee Shop was still warm beside her.
Nothing was coming to mind. No character names, no plot, no plot twists, not even a simple setting. Instead of writing, her thoughts circled back to her sister and her mom. If their case was solved, she could finally have some closure. She'd be able to have some inner peace.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
She spun around towards the door startled. Nobody had made plans with her to come over. She hadn't been expecting anyone. She ignored the negative thoughts in her head and headed towards the door.
She yanked it open to reveal Andy. An ear-to-ear grin sat on her face. "Surprise! I got him for you! Isn't he cute?"
Denise glanced down to see what Andy was holding. An orange kitten was in her arms. A light green collar wrapped around it's neck. It matched the kitten's wide green eyes. The kitten looked up at Denise with curiosity.
Denise stood staring at the tiny creature. She tried to form words, but she couldn't get her lips to move. Her vocal cords struggled to work. When she finally spoke she could only get out one word. "What?"
Andy chuckled and shimmed herself around Denise. "He's two months old and his name is Dupe." She placed him on the hardwood floor.
Dupe immediately started walking around. He slowly took a few steps toward Denise. She took a step back from him. He took a few more towards her.
"Dupe?" She echoed her friend.
"According to the humane society, that's his name. They named his only other brother Duke. Duke and Dupe were the only two boys in a litter of six. They had to put his brother down a few nights ago."
"I thought you left town. I can't take in this kitten. I know nothing about cats! Andy, you have to take him back."
Andy rolled her eyes, "I'm leaving town after this. You used to feed the outdoor cats all the time at your old house. I have everything he needs out in my trunk."
"The outdoor cats weren't kittens! They were older and didn't rely on me for their every need!" Denise took a step back as Dupe continued to approach her.
Panic engulfed her. She didn't need to worry about a kitten along with everything else. Dupe moved forward and rubbed up against her leg. He glanced up from between her legs and let out a high-pitched meow. She could feel her hard exterior crumbling. His little body was warm against her bare ankle. He was a gorgeous kitten with an orange and yellow coat.
"I can't take him back. I signed an agreement to be his owner and paid for him. He was the last in his litter. He reminded me of you. You'll get along great. Not to mention, he's litter box trained and up to date on his shots. All you have to do is give him food and water. Change his litter box regularly. Let me get the rest of his stuff."
Andy left Denise alone with Dupe.
Dupe sat down and stared up at Denise some more. She glanced at him and put her hands on her hips. He meowed again. She let out a sigh before reaching down and lifting him off the ground. She stroked the top of his head. He let out a happy purr.
"You're very cute and all, but you might have to go back home. I'm not sure I'm equipped to have a kitten. They can be a handful, I'm sure you're well aware of this."
Dupe continued to purr. He rubbed his head against Denise's face. She couldn't hold back a smile.
Andy came back into the house with a bright blue litter box. A variety of things were inside it. A box of litter, a bag of cat food, a bowl for food, and one for water. The back was stacked with different cat toys.
"See!" Andy pointed out. "You're already bonding."
Denise rolled her eyes and sat Dupe on the floor. Andy rummaged through all the things she bought. Denise stayed silent while Andy laid out all the objects.
"This was the litter they recommended and the food. Feed him this twice a day and change his water. Read the directions on the litter box. I'll let you decide where everything else can go." Andy handed her the litter box full of supplies. "You'll be great at this! Now, I've got to get on the road."
"How did you buy this kitten?" Denise asked.
"I may or may not have used the money you gave me."
"That was supposed to be your gas money!"
Andy waved her disapproval away. "I felt guilty about it. Not to mention, you need a friend out here. It's unsettling being alone in the woods. Enjoy Dupe's company." She turned and walked towards the door.
"Wait!" Denise called after her.
Andy spun back around to face her.
"Be careful out there. It's going to be dark soon. Don't forget to call me when you reach the hotel."
A grin grew across Andy's face again. "I didn't forget. I'll talk to you in a few hours. Love you!" She was out the door before Denise could respond.
A meow from behind her caught her attention. She slowly turned towards Dupe. He had climbed up onto the couch. His orange fur was going to be a problem. It'd stick out along the black couch. It'd end up getting all over Denise's clothes.
She had a staring contest with the orange kitten. Mixed feelings about the situation swamped her. On one hand, it was nice to have a friend. On the other hand, she wasn't prepared to have a kitten.
She had no plans to get another pet after the Sammy incident. The dried red blood on his golden muzzle haunted her. A few times, she'd wake up sweating and tangled in blankets. Sammy's tainted muzzle appeared in her nightmares.
Dupe meowed again from the couch. Denise let him win. She dropped the litter box on the countertop. He stared with wide eyes while she approached him. Slowly, she lowered herself on the opposite end of the couch.
He came rushing towards her. He struggled to climb onto her lap with his short legs. She picked him up and place him on her lap. Almost instantly, he collapsed into a heap. A tiny yawn left his mouth. Denise's heart burst with joy.
She ran her hand over his back a few times. "I guess that settles it. Welcome to your new home, Dupe."
- - -
A muffled groan left Denise's mouth. She was face down on a pillow. Dupe was beside her pawing at her blonde hair. His claws would occasionally get stuck. She would be bald if he kept it up.
She lifted her head up and gently pushed him towards the side of the bed. "Stay over there and go to sleep. It's time for bed. We can play again tomorrow." She shoved her face back in her pillow.
Within a few seconds, she felt her hair being tugged again. She had originally tried to sleep without Dupe being in her bed. He scratched her door and wanted in. When she opened the door and laid back down, he wouldn't stop meowing. She finally pulled him onto the bed with her and the hair pulling began.
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Dupe continued playing with her hair. Her exhaustion started to turn into annoyance.
"If you keep this up, I'm going to be up all night. I'm never going to get any sleep!"
She stared at the wooden ceiling above her. Something in her brain clicked. She moved Dupe to the side and sat up.
A chestnut-colored nightstand sat beside her. She always had a notebook and pen next to her bed. Writers never knew when they'd get their next idea. One had struck Denise like lightning.
She flipped open the cover of the dark green notebook. The first few pages were littered with notes. An old grocery list, potential ideas for a new novel, and some new names for Dupe. She hadn't been sure about keeping Dupe as his name.
She started to write on an empty page.
October 19, 2007
Sleep. What happens when you don't get enough? How long can you go without it? Is it bad to go for long periods of time without sleep?
She scanned the words on the page. It wasn't much, but it was a start. She could spend tomorrow researching.
Curiosity started to creep inside of her. It was something she hadn't looked into. She didn't know of any horror-related content with the concept of sleep. There wasn't a book or horror movie that came to mind. She could be the first to play around with the idea.
She shut the notebook and put it back on the nightstand. Dupe had curled himself beside her pillow and fell asleep. She carefully positioned herself beside him.
She decided to keep the overhead light on. She didn't want Dupe to wake up scared. Not to mention, she didn't feel like getting up and turning it off. Her calves were a little sore from the walk to Opal's.
She yanked her bulky comforter towards her and leaned over to Dupe. She placed a kiss on the top of his head. He didn't react to it.
"You might have given me the start of my next book, thank you."
Dupe continued to sleep without a sound.
Denise laid down and closed her eyes. Tomorrow she'd spend the day researching. If she was lucky, she'd have an idea before the end of the week. She could, potentially, call Ellen sooner.
It was about time things started to look up.