章節 27: 27
Yelina awoke, feeling refreshed, and glanced at the electric clock on her night-stand. Only 7:09! With a sigh and a yawn, she stretched, sat up, arranged Boom-Boom Kitty on her shoulder, who likewise stretched and yawned, and headed for the bathroom.
She decided to take a bubble bath, a game that was a favourite of Boom-Boom Kitty. He loved batting at the soap-bubbles, and chasing the bubbles Yelina made using thumb and forefinger as a bubble-maker.
Yelina decided to wait for Jack to get up and make breakfast. Her few attempts at cooking had led to near-disaster, so she was content to leave well-enough alone.
'C'mon, Boom-Boom Kitty! Let's go walkies!'
Boom-Boom Kitty made a game of trying to avoid being caught and strapped into his harness, but Yelina expertly corralled him, got dressed in her down-filled jacket and pants and fur hat and snow-boots, and they were off into the snow.
There was no clear demarcation between the end of Jack's property and the forest beyond. Boom-Boom Kitty went bounding ahead through the four inches of show until he was straining on his tether, eager to begin exploring the nooks and crannies and secret places concealed in the forest by the new-fallen snow.
Suddenly, Yelina felt an odd sensation. She looked about in alarm, but there was nothing to be seen.
She was about to relax when the sound of a stick breaking made her stand stock-still! In an instant, her sylvan winter-wonderland had become a place of menace and fear. She picked up Boom-Boom Kitty and stuck him in the top of her jacket where he hunkered down without protest, attuned as he was to his mistress' mood. Yelina scanned the evergreen thicket where the noise had come from- and gasped in alarm as a dark shape detached itself from a clump of fir trees! A woman, dressed in a dark brown fur parka with the hood up now stood there, watching her.
'Hello,' the woman said in a low voice, as though she didn't want to be overheard, and began walking towards her. 'Do you live here?'
Yelina swallowed, and considered running. There was something alarming about the woman. She seemed to be trying to control something- was it anger? Was she dangerous? Or was it excitement?
'My name's Arley,' the woman said, stopping when she noticed Yelina's reaction. 'Arley Tattersall. What's your name?'
'Yelina,' Yelina responded. It came out sounding like a question. At the sound of the woman's voice, Boom-Boom Kitty stuck his head out to investigate.
'That's a pretty name,' the woman said with a smile, coming closer. 'May I pet your kitty? She's really pretty.'
'This is Boom-Boom Kitty,' Yelina responded, removing him from his cocoon and warming up to the woman, her fear dissipating. 'He's a boy kitty.'
The woman chuckled at that, and tousled the kitten's head. 'Aren't you cute! I'd like to take you home with me.'
Yelina had by now learned that this was just a saying, and accepted it with a smile.
The woman became serious then, and held Yelina with her eyes. 'I've been looking for you, Yelina. For you and your friend. There are bad people looking for the two of you. Do you know what I'm talking about?'
Yelina swallowed, suddenly conscious of how far away she was from the safety of Jack's house.
Noticing the direction the girl's eyes strayed, Arley sighed, and tried to smile to put her at ease. 'I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help, if I can. Yelina, there are bad people looking for you and your friend. They want to hurt you. Both of you. My boyfriend and I . . . we're trying to find ways to keep them from finding out where you are.
'But I have to tell you the truth, and the truth isn't good. They're beginning to figure out where everyone went after they left the place where your ship crashed. That means that they'll eventually come here. And if that happens, they'll hurt you and your friend, and the people you're staying with.'
Yelina bit her lip in apprehension, uncertain what to do. She was about to speak, but cried out in alarm as a man's strong hand clamped onto her shoulder. She tried to scream, but a gloved hand clamped itself over her mouth. In her terror, she watched as two black figures detached themselves from a stand of trees behind Arley and overpowered her. Yelina felt a sharp pain in her neck, and all at once everything became warm and fuzzy and dim. She felt herself falling as from a great height . . . and then her senses began leaving her altogether as she felt herself lifted and thrown like a sack over a man's shoulder.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票