Clare

  “So how are you doing?” Sawyer asked, playfully pulling my hand back and forth as we moved through the school hallways the first Monday after our consecutive double dates over the weekend.

  For our second date, we’d done a bunch of things. He drove me to the newly opened amusement park in the next town, where we spent an amazing day together. Afterward, we enjoyed a cozy picnic before heading back to Hawkins for an evening movie at the local cinema.

  Ignoring the people staring at me, I smiled and teased, “Doing great, actually. My weekend was filled with activity. Two dates and a hot guy that texted me all through Sunday and even helped me with my difficult AP math assignment over the phone.”

  His smile turned into a full grin. “Why, we seemed to have enjoyed identical weekends. Mine was also filled with activities with a hot girl. Two dates, fun, interesting dates and even tutoring her on AP math.”

  I chuckled as we walked toward the cafeteria. “Let’s go see Queen first before lunch? I kinda missed her over the weekend.”

  “Sure.” He said, opening the door to the cafeteria for me.

  We ignored everyone that stared at us as we moved around the corners of the cafeteria so we could go out through its back door.

  However, when we got to the back of the cafeteria, other than a few students sitting on the short blade of grass behind the cafeteria and Queen’s filled plate, she was nowhere to be found.

  Sawyer brought her plate to his nose and then winced.

  “What?” I asked.

  “This food is old. It’s already going bad. It wasn’t placed today.” He placed the plate back and called in a loud voice that had the people sitting on the grass turning to stare at us, as well as a few faces pressing against the cafeteria’s glass windows. “Queen!”

  We waited for a few minutes, but there was no response or sounds of Queen running out of the woods like she always did at his call. Next, he made a bunch of really loud whistling sounds and there was still no response from Queen.

  We both had concerned, scowling faces as I told Sawyer, “Can you speak to the cafeteria staff you asked to feed her often so we can know the last time they fed her?”

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  “Oh yeah, good idea. Give me a few minutes.” He was startled by my suggestion.

  While he was gone, I kept my face fully expressionless while enduring the burning gazes of everyone that was staring at me, obviously wondering why Sawyer and I seemed to be in a panic.

  When Sawyer returned, he came back with Koda.

  Koda and I waved at each other in greeting before I turned to Sawyer. “Last person who remembered changing her food changed it Saturday morning. Everyone else thought that it was full when they wanted to fill her plate because someone else filled it up.”

  That was bad.

  Queen was a free range cat at first sight, but based on how carefully she was cared for and fed day and night, she had long become Sawyer’s domesticated cat that lived separately from him.

  “How about I shout it out on our group chat so that anyone who wants to help can help us search for her before lunch break is over?” Koda asked.

  “No need.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  Sawyer and I replied at the same time.

  I stared at Sawyer and asked, “Don’t you want help?”

  Sawyer’s brows furrowed. “Won’t it be inconvenient for them? The three of us can just search for her ourselves.”

  Koda shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Who would be inconvenienced by searching for a cute kitty? Have you seen that cat of yours? She’s adorable…even if she’s so antisocial. After this, you should really consider taking her home. I’m sure your mom won’t mind.”

  Sawyer’s frown deepened, but then he sighed, “My sister is allergic, though. It doesn’t matter. Let’s find her first. Let’s go with your idea.”

  “Good, good. Why don’t you two start searching for her? I’ll send out a message to the group chat and organize the search and rescue. We’ll be out searching for her in the next ten to fifteen minutes. Keep your phones close. If anyone finds her, they’ll send me a text and I’ll send you a text.” Koda instructed.

  “Thanks.” Sawyer said to him.

  Koda patted his shoulder with a smile. “Hey, I still hope that I can get that mean cat to like me someday in the future. Maybe if I rescue her, she’ll let me?”

  His words made Sawyer finally smile as he patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t dream too hard.”

  Then Sawyer and I went searching for Queen. I called her name while he whistled the way he usually did to get her attention.

  Eventually, it was one of the students Koda recruited for our mini search and rescue that found her running away from Sawyer’s whistling, giving the myth that cats deliberately isolate themselves when they were about to die some credibility.

  Sawyer’s face turned grim as he carried the cat that looked so plump and healthy the last time I saw her but now looked like a shadow of herself. She hadn’t lost much weight, however, she was in a very weak state. The dews of the grass as she tried to run from Sawyer’s call had wet and matted her fur, making her look smaller than she looked with her gray fur puffed all over her body.

  Worse yet, she was shivering with cold even when wrapped in the towel Koda had recovered from the school clinic and didn’t even have any strength to push me away when Sawyer handed her over to me as he, Koda and I drove off to the Vet’s.