Unstable by Lacey Carter Andersen
24
Kiera
It seemsfitting that’s it’s raining today. Somehow, such a moment could only be marked by the dark clouds overhead, and the lightning splitting the sky. Cole and Drake hold black umbrellas over our little group as Adam kneels down, seemingly unaware of the mud, and lays Princess down beneath the headstone of a little girl.
The stone reads:
Emma Tinsley
1984-1992
Beloved daughter
“You’re here, with her,” Adam whispers, his tears mixing with the rain. “You can be with your little girl forever now.”
Emory wraps an arm around my shoulders, and I lean into him, feeling lost. Feeling broken. Wishing more than anything that I could fix this.
But some things in life can’t be fixed.
She was the most beautiful child I’d ever seen. Princess rasps into my mind. I remember… I was sitting in that cage at the pound, scared. I’d watched… other cats be taken, and I knew they died. The man with the mean face said I was too ugly. That I wouldn’t be saved. And then, her face was between the bars of my cage… and I knew. I knew I’d found my family.
Drake closes his eyes, his battered face strained with the pain of this loss.
I rub away more tears, and Emory squeezes me closer.
She named me Princess. And I was proud. It was my first and only name. She took me home. I slept in her bed. We ran. We played. We dressed up, and she took me for walks in her stroller.
“You made her happy,” Adam says, sobbing.
And then, she stopped running. She stopped playing. And she stayed in her bed. She left for longer periods of time. And when she came back, she didn’t eat. She didn’t pet me. So I stayed by her. I kept her warm with my body. I sensed that she needed me.
Something happened. Men came. They surrounded her. They took her out of our bed. They wheeled her away and put her in the back of a loud car.
Her parents were crying. One went with her. One followed in the car.
And I chased them all. I ran as far and as fast as I could. But I couldn’t keep up with the car. It kept getting further and further away, and I felt like I was losing my heart.
“That’s when the scientists found you,” Adam says, softly.
Yes.
“And when I got you out, it was too late. You’d lost your family. You’d lost your girl.”
I… I didn’t lose everything. Princess’s eyes open, their yellowish-green irises locking onto Adam’s face, like Adam was the only thing in his world. You were a little boy. You were scared in those cages, and I tried to protect you too. I tried to keep you safe, when I knew I failed with her.
Adam strokes his wet fur. “You kept me safe. You helped when I was scared.”
I hear a sound over the rain and look up to see a dark car pulling into the cemetery.
Frowning, I look at the others. Who would come here on a day like this?
Cole meets my gaze, then looks back at Adam and Princess. “Adam became your family.” He looks at Emory. “And sometimes it’s okay to find a new family. When we lose someone we love, it doesn’t mean we have to be alone forever.”
“He’s dying,” Drake says gruffly, almost as if he feels Cole is saying all the wrong things.
“Maybe,” Cole drags out the word. “But I called in a favor. I wasn’t sure if she would make it in time, but she has. I think she could save you. If you want to be saved…”
Adam looks at Cole in surprise, then glances down at Princess. “I know you’ve only ever wanted to be with your girl…”
I’m also very old.
“And you’ve been everything I could have asked for and more,” Adam sniffles, whipping more tears away. “So,” he draws his shoulders back. “You can let go, Princesses. You don’t have to stay here for me. I’ll be okay now. I’m not alone. So don’t worry about me, do what you want to do.”
I’m sobbing as the door of the car opens. I see Asha and the team of Enforcers. They hold an umbrella over her head, and her gaze meets mine, distress in her eyes. Like she wishes she could be anywhere but here. And yet, she doesn’t wear handcuffs. She seems more a beloved friend than a prisoner to the Enforcers.
“Do whatever you want to do,” Drake says, and he clears his husky throat. “You’re a warrior. A hero. And you’ll be remembered for everything you’ve done.”
“It’s okay to let go, if that’s what you want,” Emory whispers, staring at one spot on the ground.
“We love you,” I say.
Adam’s face cracks into a smile, even though his eyes are filled with tears. “We love you enough to accept whatever decision you make.
Princess’s body rises as he takes a deep breath, and a meow of pain leaves his lips. I’ve made my choice.
