Jacksonville, Florida
The girl stomped through the leaves to the white country house, marching up the rickety stairs, slamming the doorbell hard. She shot a death glare to her parents walking up behind her, almost hissing at them as they moved closer to her on the porch.
"I can't believe you brought me here," she growled. "You're sending me to live here with people I barely know." Her mother kept quiet, fixated on the wall.
"You should have thought about this before you behaved like a jerk, Annabelle," her father retorted. "Bringing you here was a last resort. It will do you good to stay out of trouble."
Before Annabelle could shoot a remark at her father, the door opened. They were greeted by a portly, balding man, his cheery wife, and behind them, their gaggle of teenage daughters, whom Annabelle had never met until now.
"Well howdy, Annabelle. Oh my, you got so big since the last time we saw you!" Leonora Cunningham, her aunt, goo'd over her. “These are your cousins Rita, Cassie, and Lindsay. Welcome to our home!” She stepped forward to enclose Annabelle in a hug, momentarily taken aback when the girl took a large step southwards.
"No shit, you haven't seen me since I was a baby," Annabelle huffed, stunning Leonora into silence. Annabelle could feel the anger of her girls burning into her, appalled by her lack of courtesy towards their mother, but she did not care as she happily returned their look of disapproval.
"Annabelle!" her father scolded. "I apologize, Leonora. We did warn you she is quite the handful. Although we'd love to stay, Aubrey and I are pressed for time."
"It's alright, Darren," Jeffrey Cunningham spoke gruffly. "We'll take care of your girl. Have a safe trip back."
"Thank you, Jeffrey," Darren Swain said, taking his wife by the hand. "Behave yourself, Annabelle."
That was the last thing Annabelle heard as her parents' car revved up, driving swiftly down the country driveway, disappearing out of sight. It seemed they were eager to leave her.
"Ooh, what a pretty kitty you are!" Annabelle gushed over the long-haired silver cat, lounging on the sofa in the living room. The cat peered up at her, almost staring into her soul (or lack of) with its piercing blue eyes.
Annabelle caught her breath. She had loved cats since she was a little girl, but this cat was not like any other feline she had met. "Oh goodness, your eyes are beautiful! What is your name, you gorgeous thing?"
"We haven't named him yet," Leonora offered. "I found him out by the road just last night and brought him in. I'm trying to find his owner, he appears to be a Siberian, too valuable of a cat to be dumped out in the wilderness like that."
Annabelle tossed her aunt a weird look. "Uh, thanks for your input, I guess? Pretty sure I was talking to the cat, not you."
Leonora shrugged her shoulders. "I was just trying to be helpful. My mistake," she replied, leaving the room as quickly as she came.
Annabelle rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the cat, only to find the beautiful creature was gone. Eerie voices whispered around her in the room.
"What the hell?"
ns 15.158.61.21da2
