His nose began to itch, and he sneezed.He rubbed his nose, the blasted thing itching like it was going to burst into flames.
Nat’s eyes widened.This was the same thing that had happened this morning when he turned back into a human.
Was he about to turn into a cat again?
He didn’t want to be a cat—and he couldn’t leave Thea vulnerable.He hurried over and locked the door, barely managing it before he grew drastically shorter.He groaned in annoyance, looking down at his orange paws.
Of course.At least he’d managed to get the door locked first.
Thea was safely upstairs and would have no idea that he was turning into a cat, which was probably for the best.He didn’t want her to worry.
He was doing enough worrying for both of them.
What would happen if he kept turning into a cat?He didn’t want to be a cat for the rest of his life.He wanted to be human.The fact that he could turn back into himself was a relief—but it almost made it harder.
If he was just a cat, he didn’t have to tell anyone what was happening.
The orphanage would run without him.His brother wouldn’t even notice his absence.And Thea would merely assume that he had run away again, like he had all those years ago.While he didn’t want her to think him capable of such a thing…perhaps it would be better than having a landlord who turned into a cat with only a moment’s notice.
Nathaniel sighed and made his way to the fireplace, where Ginger was curled up in a ball.She poked her head out from under her paw and sniffed at him.
“Where have you been all day?”she asked.“Nathaniel was here.You should meet him.He’s nice.”
“I already told you, I’m Nathaniel,” he said a little sour about the fact that she still refused to recognize who he was.
But then again, she was a cat, and you couldn’t expect a cat to have logic.
“He fed us today,” Ginger continued, “which was good because Thea was sick.”
“Is Thea usually sick?”Nathaniel asked.He knew the answer, or at least he thought he did, but he wondered what Ginger’s perspective was.
“Not often,” Ginger said, “so it’s a good thing Nathaniel was here today.”
“I suppose it was.”If she wouldn’t accept that he was Nathaniel, at least it was good to know she had a favorable opinion of him.
“I like Nathaniel,” Ginger said with satisfaction.“He petted me a lot today.You should have been here.”
“I wish I had been,” Nathaniel said with a smile, if only to hear what Ginger thought of him as he had taken care of her all day.He would admit he had enjoyed imagining her thoughts while helping today.
Getting to know Ginger as a cat was perhaps the best part of this whole experience.
“Is Thea feeling better?”he asked Ginger, wondering what her perspective was.
“She’ll be fine tomorrow,” Ginger said.“She has to be.”
“Why is that?”he asked.Could she tell he was amused?
“She has to take care of me,” Ginger said.
A very practical answer.If he’d been human, his lips would have been twitching in the effort to not show his amusement.But since he was a cat, his face didn’t show that he was very close to laughing—or as close as a cat would be.
Which was probably a good thing, because he could only guess at what Ginger’s reaction would be to being laughed at.
“I think I shall go to bed now,” Ginger said, completely unaware of his difficulty in keeping a straight face.“You should stay tomorrow if you want food.Thea doesn’t like when we’re not in the kitchen with her.”
“Thank you for the warning.I shall be sure to be there.”
“You have to be right next to her,” Ginger warned, “or you don’t get attention.”
