from room to room, gracelessly knocking over houseplants and slamming into walls. The cat had caused quite the commotion.
It wasn’t the first time it had happened, either. The fluffy-furred brat got all worked up over things Clarissa couldn’t see on a pretty regular basis. In fact, lately it had been happening more and more often.
For a time Clarissa had assumed the cat either had an overactive imagination or was violently attacking dust particles. Either possibility seemed likely. The cat was, after all, rather odd. And Clarissa’s house could really use a deep cleaning.
But her Aunt Matilda had a different opinion on the matter. When the subject had come up, Clarissa’s aunt had been incredibly nonchalant about it. Matilda had matter-of-factly informed her that when the cat behaved that way, it was chasing evil spirits away.
Matilda had a lot of very peculiar beliefs. She was probably the most eccentric woman Clarissa had ever met. But she knew an awful lot about the paranormal. She was a bit of an expert on the subject, really, what with being a witch and all.
Even though the things Matilda said were frequently outlandish, they were usually correct. Experience had taught Clarissa not to be too quick to write off her aunt’s zany claims.
Talk of ghosts made Clarissa uncomfortable – especially when said ghosts were apparently in her house! The thought that Matilda might be right about the evil spirits was certainly alarming! So whenever the cat started acting weird, Clarissa usually found an excuse to leave the house.
Today she was seeking refuge at the local coffee shop.
Tuning out the background noise in there was a little tricky. But even listening to Barbara and Patricia gossip was less distracting than the sound of the cat crashing into walls and growling. At least there were no evil spirits at the coffee shop. At least Clarissa didn’t think there were.
“Hey you!” a familiar voice called out.
Clarissa looked up from her notebook to see her best friend Liana hurrying over, all smiles. She and Clarissa had gone to school together. They had been inseparable for years. Clarissa was elated she and her best friend had both returned to Sugarcomb Lake after college. It felt right.
Today Liana’s blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She wore a pink track suit and she had a bounce in her step. But then Liana usually had a bounce in her step. That woman had more energy than a kitten on catnip!
Liana had her bubble gum pink laptop tucked under her arm. As usual, she was holding a gigantic cup of coffee. Liana did freelance graphic design work, and she was pretty much always at the coffee shop. In fact, she was probably the best customer. She had a serious caffeine addiction!
“Hi,” Clarissa smiled as Liana plunked her stuff down on the table and slid into the booth.
“What are you doing?” Liana asked curiously.
“Oh, the usual,” Clarissa sighed, closing her notebook. “Work stuff.”
Liana wrinkled her nose. “You need a life,” she declared before taking a big swig of coffee.
“I have a life!” Clarissa said defensively.
Rather than reply, Liana gave Clarissa an incredulous look. It spoke volumes.
“Okay, so it might not be a very exciting one,” Clarissa relented. “But still, I have a life.”
“You’re a workaholic,” Liana announced in her characteristic blunt manner.
There was no point in trying to deny that very accurate observation.
Clarissa knew it was true. And she also knew it was pointless to try to argue with her best friend. Liana would never let her get away with that! The outspoken blonde was honest to a fault, and she was always more than happy to call Clarissa out when necessary.
While some people might find that sort of brutal honesty off putting, Clarissa appreciated it. With Liana, she always knew where she stood. It was part of why their friendship worked