30 Day Image Prompt Competition - August

Day 1 Prompt 2 - The Little White Cat

The door creaked as she pushed it open. Freezing in the entryway, she glanced over her shoulder down the hallway, her green eyes seeking out signs of anyone reacting to the squeaking hinges. Seeing nothing to disturb the stillness of the old house she slipped into the empty room and partially closed the door behind her.
Dust motes floated along on invisible air currents that swirled around the empty study. Floor to ceiling bookcases offered the compulsive reader a glimpse of heaven with their laden shelves. She wasn’t here to indulge her hobby, though. This was her only chance to find the amulet before the family returned from the cemetery.
The wooden floor was cold beneath her bare feet causing her toes to scrunch up as she crossed the room towards the imposing mahogany desk that dominated the centre of the room. Buff folders were scattered across its worn surface, obscuring from view the dark green blotter that sat in its centre. They were of no importance to her at this time, nor, it appeared, were they of use to whoever had hurriedly looked through them.
As she came to stand behind the desk, a splinter jabbed at her foot. Several choice swear words slipped out from between her pursed, full lips before a pale skinned hand covered her mouth to prevent further escapes. She stood frozen whilst she strained her hearing to listen out for anyone who may have heard her involuntary slip.
Reassured by the silence she pulled open the desk’s heavy drawers, coughing slightly at the dust clouds that rose up to meet her. The room had not been used for a long time, evidenced by the vast amount of dust everywhere and the musty smell that pervaded the air. It saddened her to think that no one had sat in the well-padded chairs by the large bay window, a heavy tome resting on their lap as they lost themselves in the fictional world created between the leather covers.
Melancholy thoughts would not get the amulet found, she told herself as she continued her search through the drawers. The amulet had to be here, she could feel it calling to her as she stood within the room. She could not let it fall into the hands of others, people who would want to do her harm and those like her. Their survival rested heavily on her slender shoulders and she was adamant that she would not let them down.
Abandoning the desk, she padded across the floor to where a display cabinet stood. Ornately carved trinket boxes stood in an orderly line on the shelves. Some had their lids raised to reveal velvet linings trimmed with gold thread and patterns created from fine glass beads. She ignored those after a quick glance showed their empty status and began raising the lids on the other boxes to check their contents.
She had almost finished checking the boxes when she came across the pale blue velvet pouch. Lifting it out of the box, she cautiously felt its weight and shape, trying to gauge what was hidden inside. It felt as though it contained something small with a strip of something contained with it. Her dirt covered fingers trembled as she pulled at the golden cords securing the bag. The magic of the amulet was strong around her and she knew without seeing it that she had found the sacred talisman.
“Did you bring the stuff?”
“Yeah, a couple of cans of it. Lenny made a special mix that he says is virtually untraceable.”
“Good. I can do without the law sniffing at my back over this.”
The voices floated up the stairway freezing her to the ground. Damn, no one was supposed to be coming to the house this afternoon. She had made a point of checking with the agents to find out people’s movements regarding the house so that it would be empty for her search. Gripping the bag, she crept across the floor and opened the door slightly to check out what was happening.
“You go upstairs and splash this stuff around. There should be a library upstairs, filled with plenty of fuel for this here fire.”
“Seems a shame to burn such a place like this. Real classy house, this. Wonder why they want it torching.”
“Don’t know and didn’t ask,” the first man replied, his voice rougher than his companion’s. “Ours is not to reason why only to do.”
Footsteps sounded across the hallway, heading towards the wide open staircase that would lead a person to the library where she was hiding. Whoever was in the house was obviously intending to burn it and there was nowhere for her to escape. The only way out of the house was down the staircase and the intruders were currently climbing the stairs towards her hiding place.
Feeling panic rising within her, she stepped away from the door, glancing around her for inspiration. As a fellow intruder, she could not just walk out of the room and bluff her way past those two men. They were unlikely to allow her to leave unmolested, especially when they saw that she was standing in the nude. How stupid was she for not collecting her own amulet to allow her to change into whatever clothes she required.
The amulet within the bag would not be able to get her out of this situation, she decided. She needed to go throw a bonding ceremony before she could use its powers. No, to get out of this situation she would have to rely on her own magic, which could be interesting. First, though, she had to hide from whoever was approaching the library.
A space behind the display cabinet provided a perfect hiding spot and she scrambled into it, trying hard not to think about the thick dust on the floor and the crawling insects that would be hiding within the dust. She could feel their multi-faceted eyes staring at her long slender legs as they looked for a juicy morsel to sink their fangs into.
The man entered the room and she heard him wander around, removing books from the shelves and splashing liquid across their pages and over the window seats. She could smell the fumes of the accelerant, recognising that she would need to move fast once the fire was started. Her fingers enclosed around the amulet as she nibbled her bottom lip. She had come so far and now ran the risk of being thwarted at the last moment.
After a few moments the man left the library and wandered along the landing, splashing liquid as he went to ensure the fire got a good hold of the house. They had been instructed to ensure that nothing was left standing after the fire and that was their goal.
Her head was starting to pound from the fumes but she remained in her hiding place. She could not risk being found yet it was so hard to remain there, waiting for them to start the fire that could very well kill her before she could escape.
The front door slammed shut and she eased her cramped limbs from behind the cabinet. Tendrils of smoke were threading their way along the hallway and into the library. From below she could hear the sound of glass popping under the heat as the orange dragon set about devouring everything in his path.
Her eyes frantically looked around her, seeking a way out but there was none. The library was high up on the second floor and there were no plants or trees for her to climb sown to safety. She was trapped in a house being slowly devoured by the fire dragon.
She wanted to cry, to scream and shout but instead she bit her tongue and kept silent. Think, she had to think about what to do, how to escape. Think about the future and not about being burned alive. She looked out of the window again, seeing the emptiness around her being filled with smoke. She couldn’t jump nor could she climb out onto a ledge as there was only a small window ledge running around the outside of the building.
Her throat ached, eyes stinging from the smoke that swirled around her like a living creature. She could hear the flames licking at the wooden structure of the house, a roar of satisfaction echoing through her as the fire’s immense appetite was provided for. The temperature started to climb steadily causing sweat to bead upon her skin. How long did she have, she wondered as she prowled around, despair swamping her normally vibrant spirit.
In the distance a siren could be heard, its wailing cry calling for others to join it as it raced towards the burning house. A fire engine was coming, but would it get there in time. She was feeling lightheaded as the smoke overwhelmed the oxygen supply in the room. Time was running out. She looked down at the velvet bag in her hand. Hands trembled as she withdrew the small, blue stone and fastened it around her neck. The stone felt warm against her skin, its magic seeping into her giving her strength. She closed her fingers around it and let her thick lashes drift down over emerald eyes. She knew what she needed to do.
“That was a tough fire, Jed. I don’t think it was an accident.”
Jed Matthews looked over at the senior fire-fighter as he joined him before the crumbling wreck of a once grand house. By the time they had arrived it had been well alight and they had battled to bring it under control. Now, several hours later, they stood watching the blackened, charred timbers rising up from the wreckage, surrounded by clouds of smoke and steam dispersing in the early evening light.
“I think you’re right, Tom. I’ll get the forensic crew to check it out once it’s safe. I just hope we don’t have an arsonist running around the place that’s the last …” His voice trailed off as he spotted something moving around the wreckage. “Well, what have we here?”
Gentle arms slowly lifted the shocked white cat from amongst the charred rubble and cradled her against the solid wall of his chest. Hands ran reassuringly along her trembling length whilst nonsensical words of comfort eased her fears.
“Do you think she lived here?” Tom asked as he stroked the top of her head. A faint purring could be heard emanating from the cat and the panicked look was slowly starting to fade from her eyes.
“Possible. She looks to have a collar on.” Jed fumbled around the dirt streak neck, seeking out whatever was tied around her neck to see if it offered a clue to her identity. He found nothing but a dull looking stone that caused her to hiss at him when he tried to move it.
“What will you do with her? I heard that the shelter was full and they weren’t taking on anymore animals.”
Jed looked into her deep, green eyes, seeing the fear and confusion swirling around in their depths. He could not allow her to go to the shelter, to spend her days waiting for someone to want her before her time ran out.
“I’ll take her home with me. Jenny keeps asking for a cat and I think this little lady will do just nicely for her.”
“She’s a lucky cat, that’s for sure. Your little Jenny will spoil her rotten and smother her with love.”
“That she will, that she will,” Jed agreed as he headed towards the car and deposited the dirty white cat onto the front seat. “Welcome to the family, little one,” he murmured before closing the door on her for now.
The cat watched the fire-fighter return to his companions. She was exhausted and her lungs felt raw from the smoke she had inhaled. They would heal, but the main thing was that she was alive and the amulet was safe. For now.