Page 94 of The Ranger

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I was just trying to see what you are.” She pushed the blankets away, then noticed her shoes on a chair. “Wait a minute, I don’t remember going to bed.” She rubbed her eyes with one hand. She couldn’t remember anything.

“Mewsssk.”

She cuddled the kitten again. “Are you hungry? I bet I can find something for you downstairs.” She didn’t bother with her shoes and headed to the kitchen. When she got there, it was empty. “Where is everyone?” She went to the hutch, grabbed a small bowl, then headed for the icebox. “Would you like some milk?”

She poured a little into the bowl, then set it in front of the kitten. He looked at it, took a taste, then sat.

“What’s the matter?” She bent to the milk and moved it closer to him. “Go ahead. Eat up.”

The kitten looked at her with his big amber eyes. “Mewsssk.”

“Maybe you’re not hungry.” She shrugged and went to the kitchen window. She didn’t see anyone outback, so decided to go outside. Maybe Mama and Grandma Sadie were in the barn working on decorations or cleaning it.

Maida stopped up short and wiggled her toes in the cool grass of the yard. “The barn. Wasn’t I in the barn this morning?”

She shrugged the thought off and kept going. When she reached the barn there was no one there either. What was going on? Where was everybody?

Deciding she better not leave the kitten alone; she hurried back to the house and went inside. He was still sitting in front of the bowl of milk staring at it as if she’d insulted him with the offering.

“I’m sorry you don’t like it,” she said. “But that’s all there is. If you want something else, you’ll have to wait until dinner. Or… wait!” She hurried to the icebox. Maybe there was some left-over chicken or stew from the night before. “Oh look, here you go.” She put a chicken leg on a plate, took a bite, then offered him some. The kitten attacked it!

She watched him drag the chicken leg off and start to devour it.

“Wow, you really are hungry.” She watched him eat, still wondering where her mother and grandmother had got to, when she heard someone come through the front door.

Maida went into the hall and stopped up short. A man stood there. He was tall, though not nearly as tall as Markhel, and sort of lanky. She rubbed her temple with a finger. “Markhel…”

“Hello. You must be Maida,” the man said. “I’m Mr. Mosgofian. I’m a friend of the family.”

The kitten came running out of the kitchen so fast he slid under her skirt into her feet. “Mewssk!”

“Oh,” the man said with a smile. “I see you’ve met Tylahs.”

Her face fell. “He’s yours?”

“Yes. Your mother said you weren’t feeling well so we thought you might like to have a little company while you napped.”

He came down the hall and bent to the kitten now peeking out from under her skirt. “Hey there, little buddy. What’s that on your lip?”

The kitten trotted out, sat, and grinned. It was the oddest thing she’d ever seen. “Did you feed him something?” Mr. Mosgofian asked.

“Chicken. Well, almost a whole chicken leg. He seems pretty hungry.”

The man’s hands went to his hips. “He’salwayshungry.” He wagged his finger at the cat. “Aren’t you little buddy?” He picked him up and set him on his shoulder. “Everyone’s at your neighbors.”

“Everyone?”

“Your mother, grandmother, the Bergs…”

“And Susara?”

“No, she’s not there. We didn’t want to wake you, so took our conversation elsewhere.” He reached up and petted the kitten on the head. “Would you like to join us?”

She watched him a moment. “So, everyone went to Logan and Susara’s house just to talk?”

A nervous laugh escaped him. “Well, the discussion got a little loud. But I think everyone’s calmed down now. How are you feeling?”

She rubbed her eyes with her hands. “I’m tired. I can’t remember why. Was I sick?”