He laughed, though the sound was strained. His eyebrow scar was scrunched, and his gaze kept roving over me, assessing. “Tell me more about Tybalt.”
“He was gray and black and stripey. Like a tabby but bigger. And he had a ridiculous fluffy tail. I loved him. He would sleep on my bed at night. He was warm. I would get so cold at night. My room would be freezing.”
“Why would you get cold?” His scarred eyebrow arched subtly.
I shrugged. “My parents didn’t like Tybalt. So if he slept with me, they made me close my door and keep it shut all night. Our house was small, no insulation, I guess, and only had a heater in the living room. So with my door closed, my room would get almost as cold as it was outside.”
He kept stroking my hair.
“They let you sleep in the cold?” His voice had grown a little less tender.
“Yep. I could see my breath.” I closed my eyes and remembered how cold I would be. I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging myself the way I did in the foggy memory. Tybalt would snug up against me and the thin quilt I slept under, but even his fluffy warmth wasn’t enough. I would wake up with my teeth chattering. I would open my door to let the warmth from the rest of the tiny house in. If I fell asleep again and my parents found my door open and Tybalt in my bed, they would make me skip breakfast and lunch the next day. “I would have to stand in a corner. If I sat down, then it’d be dinner, too.”
“Eyes open, angel.”
I did as he said.
“Any other pets?”
“Just Tybalt. But he left. One day, my parents found him in my room with the door open. They didn’t punish me like usual. I thought maybe they’d come around. I was so happy. And then he was gone. I never saw him again. I thought he ran away.”
“Cats do that. They’re wild.”
“That’s what I figured. He was out tomcatting around and would be back in a few days.” I nodded. “A while later, my sister told me she saw Daddy drown him in the tub and throw him in the garbage.”
He ran his hand down along my back and rubbed circles over the wet fabric as if he were trying to will comfort into me. “I’m sorry he did that.”
“So am I. Eudora seemed sort of gleeful when she told me. She never liked Tybalt, either. She was just jealous that he preferred me to her. But once Tybalt was gone, I knew I needed to be gone, too. I couldn’t stay there anymore. I didn’t want to. I was afraid of them. I hate being afraid.” I looked anywhere but at him. I didn’t want any more bad memories pouring out of me. I had so many to choose from, it was hard to keep them all in check.
“Tell me something happy. Something that made you happy.”
We were on a bridge, the sounds different, more open. Then we hit real pavement again in the city. The road was smoother here.
“I left. That made me happy.”
I watched as the light of the moon slid through the glass separating us from the misty outside. It was fleeting, only peeking through clouds here and there. The rays were mesmerizing, though my eyelids drooped, blocking the view. Lincoln took my chin and guided my eyes back to his. I didn’t realize I had been crying until he began wiping my face with his sleeve. My tears came off pink somehow, leaving streaks on his nice shirt. I wondered if it would come off at the laundry.
“You sure we shouldn’t take her to the hospital?” the cabbie asked. His voice was muffled, barely reaching past the ringing in my ears.
“No, she’s got a concussion. I’ve dealt with those plenty. I can take care of her.”
After a while of silence, with only the background noise of the hum in my ears, the car stopped for good. It felt as if my brain sloshed forward, riding smoothly up the inside of my head before settling back down again.
“Here.” Lincoln handed a large wad of cash to the driver. Too large. “You never saw us and you never saw the wreck. Nothing. Got it?”
“Yes, yes. I understand. This fare never happened.”
Lincoln gave him a curt nod and opened the door. He lifted me into his arms and stepped into the night. The open air felt wonderful. It was like I could finally breathe. I wrapped my hands around the back of Lincoln’s neck and settled my head against him, breathing in the mix of cool air and his scent. So much better than being stuffed in a car.
“No sleeping now, angel. Not until I know you’re okay.”
He freed one hand and entered the door code. He carried me up the two flights to his room with ease. I clung to him. I didn’t care if I looked weak. I couldn’t focus because of the ringing and the fog that swirled in my mind. Something out in the fog scared me. I needed to hide. Maybe I could let my walls down a bit and let the fog hide me instead?