It was ten-thirty by the time Jason woke up. He groaned as he rolled out of bed and grabbed the remote on the table to turn on the TV and flipped to Futurama for background noise. As he strolled over to his kitchen to brew some coffee, he noticed the tiny woman curled up on the pile of napkins he laid out for her. She didn't flinch as he moved around, or scream at him to get away. Sleep gave her peace.
“Poor thing probably hasn't had a good sleep in a while.” Jason muttered to himself as he poured his coffee in a cup. Glancing over beside her was some half eaten crackers. He sighed in relief, knowing at least ate something. However, she would need to eat more than crackers to get to a healthier weight. He grabbed a pan and turned on the stove before he peered into his fridge and found some bacon and eggs to make.
“No.”
Jason cocked his head over to Stella. The peaceful look on her face had disappeared and fear had now taken over. She struggled in her sleep as she muttered no over and over. Her breaths became shallow and rapid. The poor girl was having a nightmare. Jason had to do something to help her out, so he did the only thing he could think of. He reached out and lightly stroked her back with his finger tip. Concern filled in his eyes.
“Stella, wake up.” He whispered. “You're having a nightmare.”
Stella’s terrors quickly died down as Jason continued to pet her. Her breathing calmed down to a slow and steady rate. Then her eyes fluttered open and for a moment she was still calm, until she realized where she was, who she was with and how close he was to her. Stella flinched away from his huge finger but before she could scream Jason quickly drew his hand away.
“It's okay, it's okay.” He reassured her. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to get in your personal space, but you were having a nightmare and I wanted to help you out.”
“I…. I was fine.” She said softly.
“You want to talk about it?”
Stella just shook her head.
An awkward silence filled the room. Not wanting to make his tiny guest anymore uncomfortable, he decided it was best to change the subject.
“You uh… want some breakfast?”
~~~~~
No one spoke during the majority of breakfast. Jason leaned over the counter, watching T.V. Every once in awhile, Jason would glance down at Stella; who sat as far as she could away from him. She ate the tiny sized eggs he cut up for her, but she didn't even touch the bacon.
“So, are you like a vegetarian?” He asked.
Stella snapped out of her thoughts and glanced up at Jason. “What?”
He pointed at the bacon. “I noticed you're not eating the bacon. So I'm wondering if you're a vegetarian.”
“No… sorry, I just don't… don't like bacon.”
“Don’t be sorry, you don't have to eat something you don't like.”
“Really?” stella asked surprised.
“Yeah, I'm not going to make you eat something you don't like.” Jason chuckled. “I'm not your mother.”
Sadness appeared on her face after his remark. She looked away hurt.
Jason gasped. He realized what he just said. “Oh god, did she-?”
“Yeah.” Stella sighed.
“I'm sorry, I didn't know.”
“Don't worry about it, it happened awhile ago.”
Jason rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn't know whether to comfort her or just leave her alone at this point. All he could do was wonder what had happen to her out there?
“Do you have an owner I could take you back to?” He asked. “I'm sure they're looking for you.”
“I don't have anyone.” Stella said coldly.
Jason was a little skeptical of her answer. If she truly didn't belong to anyone, then she would be classified as a feral, but Stella looks nothing like a feral. For one she was well spoken. Ferals really only grunt and snarl or use short phrases to speak. Another thing was her clothes, most ferals are not fully clothed or use rags since finding clothing is not easy to come by out on the streets. While Stella’s clothes were worn down, they were probably not something she just found on the ground.
What's her story anyways?
“Well, until we figure something out, do you want to sit back and watch T.V?” Jason asked.
Stella just nodded her head.
“Great, come on.” Jason said, as he laid his hand out for Stella to climb on.
Her face went white as a sheet. “You… you want me to… me to climb on there?”
“Well yeah, I mean, how else are you going to see the T.V?” Jason asked. “I don't think you'll really be able to watch anything from here.”
“I… I don't think I can… can climb on.” She replied shyly.
“Aww, come on, when have I ever hurt you?” He asked. “Besides, wouldn't you rather be on a comfy couch or a bunch of napkins?”
Stella opened her mouth as though she was about to protest but nothing came out. Instead she just sighed and nodded her head in a silent agreement.
Jason scooped her up, cautious to make sure she didn't try to jump out like last night. Fortunately, she didn't try to do anything erratic, although she did constantly fidget during the short trip. When he laid his hand out on the couch, she eagerly scrambled off. Jason sat on the opposite end, giving her enough space.
“So any suggestions?” He asked.
“Not really.” She stated.
“Well, I hope you like Futurama.”
~~~~~
No one seemed to watch the T.V. It was just background noise at this point. Stella seemed to scan the room, as if she was looking for something. Jason tried to focus on the show, but all he wanted to do was talk to Stella. He wanted to just get to know her, but he could tell that was the last thing she wanted to do. It was obvious that Stella didn't want to be here, but where could she go? She didn't have an owner and Jason wasn't just going to dump her back in the streets when winter was coming soon.
A loud knock jolted the both of them back into reality.
“Jason, are you up?!” A loud voice called from behind the door. “I need your help!”
Jason groaned. Andrew always had to bug him on his only day off.
“Who is that?” Stella asked timidly.
“Just my landlord.” Jason whispered. “He probably needs me to fix something.” He stood up to his full height and walked over to the door and opened it, making sure to use his body to block Stella from Andrew's view.
A plump man with thin dark hair stood in front of him. “Glad you're up. I think something died in one of the boiler pipes.”
Jason sighed. “Can't you call an exterminator for this?”
“No way!” Andrew cried out. “They are too expensive.”
“Fine.” Jason groaned. “Just give me a minute.”
Andrew smiled in delight. “Thanks, Jason! Meet you in the boiler room.”
The door closed and Jason turned to Stella. “I hate to leave you stranded on the couch, but do you think you could sit tight for an hour until I get back?”
“I'll be fine.” She said.
Jason nodded before leaving the human alone. Hoping she would be okay while he was gone.