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Speaker 1: Hello friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. A short

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Speaker 1: message for grown ups. We love to support independent authors

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Speaker 1: as much as we can. We would be thrilled if

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Speaker 1: you would consider supporting Patty Larson, the author of Cat City,

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Speaker 1: by visiting her website and purchasing a book. A link

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Speaker 1: to her website and direct link to Cat City can

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Speaker 1: be found in your show notes. Thank you. This episode

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Speaker 1: is chapter two of the book Cat City, written by

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Speaker 1: Patty Larson. In chapter one, Susan is not very happy

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Speaker 1: with her parents after they have moved to a run

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Speaker 1: down old place in the middle of nowhere, draining and

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Speaker 1: everything is soaked. Susan goes out to play and hears

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Speaker 1: the soft meow of a cat. She finds the cat

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Speaker 1: and brings it inside, and her parents say she can

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Speaker 1: keep it. Susan is very happy with her new friend

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Speaker 1: and things are looking better. Finally, the sun is shining,

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Speaker 1: but now Susan cannot find Kitty anywhere. She goes out

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Speaker 1: into the forest to find him and stumbles into a

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Speaker 1: clearing where there is a large oak tree. She hears

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Speaker 1: a sound in the tree and sees Kitty's tail. She

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Speaker 1: starts climbing the tree and realizes that maybe it wasn't

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Speaker 1: the best choice. With her rubber boots on, she slips

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Speaker 1: but catches herself a little shook up. She hears Kitty

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Speaker 1: up above and keeps climbing. She sees a hole in

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Speaker 1: the tree and feels something bite her hand. She screams

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Speaker 1: and slips from the tree and falls to the ground below.

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Speaker 1: She hits the ground and hears some scuffling noises as

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Speaker 1: everything goes black all around her. Cat City, Chapter two.

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Speaker 1: The first thing so Susan became aware of as the

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Speaker 1: darkness left her was how the ground seemed soft and warm,

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Speaker 1: nothing like the wet hardness she remembered at all. And

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Speaker 1: despite the fact she knew she should at least try

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Speaker 1: to get up, Susan was so comfortable and relaxed she

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Speaker 1: had no desire to open her eyes. Probably just a dream,

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Speaker 1: she thought, and what a dream. Bits and pieces floated

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Speaker 1: back to her, chasing Kitty through the woods, finding the tree,

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Speaker 1: being afraid of how high she had climbed, and finally

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Speaker 1: the sting of the bite and the eyes laughing at

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Speaker 1: her in scratchy voices. Susan struggled to suppress the memory

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Speaker 1: as she came closer and closer to being all the

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Speaker 1: way awake. Surely she imagined that part, but as she

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Speaker 1: found her way all the way back, she realized her

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Speaker 1: hand hurt exactly where whatever it was had bitten her.

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Speaker 1: Now that she was more aware, Susan realized she was

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Speaker 1: no longer in the forest, but inside a room, most

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Speaker 1: likely on a bed. She discovered fingers exploring the edges

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Speaker 1: of a quilt. Susan was about to open her eyes

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Speaker 1: and look when she became aware for the first time

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Speaker 1: of softly whispering voices not far away. Her fear that

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Speaker 1: the speakers were the same ones who hurt her were

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Speaker 1: quickly set aside. Whoever argued over her also weren't Mom

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Speaker 1: and Dad. You have no idea how much trouble you've

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Speaker 1: brought here. A female voice spoke, I told you. A

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Speaker 1: younger male voice insisted, a little louder than the first.

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Speaker 1: I had no choice. She was hurt. Keep your voice down.

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Speaker 1: The female hissed, honestly, dear, the child would have been fine.

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Speaker 1: The mother would have found her in the sacred grove.

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Speaker 1: The young male spoke a little more softly, but he

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Speaker 1: was obviously upset. You know, Mom wouldn't have been able

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Speaker 1: to enter there. Tucker is right, Cynthia. A third, deeper,

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Speaker 1: male voice said, see said the one named Tucker. There were, however,

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Speaker 1: other ways to deal with this son. Tucker's father continued,

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Speaker 1: ways that wouldn't have put us in this difficult position.

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Speaker 1: It's not like it hasn't happened before. Tucker tried to

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Speaker 1: defend himself honestly, Cynthia said, do you think the council

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Speaker 1: will care? There hasn't been an incident in you told

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Speaker 1: the council. Tucker sounded very anxious, which made Susan anxious.

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Speaker 1: You didn't give us much choice, Cynthia said, bringing her

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Speaker 1: here like this, Mom, Tucker didn't even try to whisper.

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Speaker 1: I was going to take her right back. They didn't

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Speaker 1: have to know your mother made the right decision. Tucker's

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Speaker 1: dad didn't sound entirely convinced. Despite your best intentions, son,

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Speaker 1: it's now up to the council. I have to see

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Speaker 1: to the preparations. George, Cynthia's voice was moving, although Susan

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Speaker 1: couldn't hear any footsteps. There was the sound of a

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Speaker 1: door opening. I could use some help coming, Dear George's

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Speaker 1: voice moved as well, but again in silence. There was

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Speaker 1: a pause, then a sigh from the direction of the doorway.

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Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Tucker. The door softly closed. Yeah, I get it. Whatever.

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Speaker 1: The voice fell silent. Susan listened carefully for more, but

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Speaker 1: the room was very quiet. She startled badly when something

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Speaker 1: heavy landed beside her, disturbing the bed. You can open

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Speaker 1: your eyes now, Tucker said, they're gone. Susan did and

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Speaker 1: stared in absolute amazement at the familiar butterscotch tabby she

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Speaker 1: knew as kitty staring back at her kitty. Susan couldn't

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Speaker 1: wrap her head around it. In fact, she was certain

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Speaker 1: she was dreaming now. Tabby winced, whiskers twitching as the

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Speaker 1: end of his tail rose and fell once hard. No offense,

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Speaker 1: he said, I don't like that name. I'm Tucker, Susan,

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Speaker 1: she said. Tucker sneezed. What Susan decided with absolute astonishment

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Speaker 1: was his laugh. Yes, Tucker said, I know. They stared

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Speaker 1: at each other for a long time, Tucker's tail twitching

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Speaker 1: every so slightly. You have a lot of questions, he said,

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Speaker 1: at last, lid's closing once over his bright green eyes.

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Speaker 1: You think, Susan said, I'm not sure how much I'm

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Speaker 1: allowed to tell you. Tucker's tale flipped forward to wrap

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Speaker 1: around his paws. I got you in trouble, Susan said,

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Speaker 1: again the sneezing laugh. Seriously, Susan, you're sitting in my

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Speaker 1: bedroom having a conversation with a talking cat, and all

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Speaker 1: you worry about is you got me in trouble, he

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Speaker 1: laughed again, one paw rising to swipe across his nose.

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Speaker 1: I guess, Susan said, I still think this is all

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Speaker 1: just a dream. I wish I could tell you it was,

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Speaker 1: then you wouldn't have to go to the council for

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Speaker 1: the first time. Susan looked around as she struggled with

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Speaker 1: what to say. Tucker's room was all honey colored wood walls,

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Speaker 1: furniture floor, with a stained glass window in the shape

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Speaker 1: of a cat's head, soft light coming through. His bed

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Speaker 1: was human sized, oddly enough, covered in a patchwork of

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Speaker 1: beautiful colors. Susan immediately felt at home in his room

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Speaker 1: and knew she would love to live there herself. What

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Speaker 1: am I thinking, Susan wondered. There's no such thing as

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Speaker 1: talking cats, especially not talking cats with bedrooms. She pulled

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Speaker 1: herself into a sitting position and abs and mindedly reached

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Speaker 1: out to pat Tucker. Her hand froze just above his head.

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Speaker 1: What he said, I just is it okay? Susan bit

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Speaker 1: her lip, not wanting to insult him. Was she dreaming

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Speaker 1: or not? It's okay, Tucker said. Susan gently stroked Tucker's fur,

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Speaker 1: and his familiar, huge pur started up. Susan almost laughed.

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Speaker 1: It was so unreal, and yet here he was sitting

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Speaker 1: next to her, purring. I was worried about you, Susan said,

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Speaker 1: as Tucker's green eyes closed over. I was worried about

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Speaker 1: you too, Tucker told her. His eyes snapped open and

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Speaker 1: the purr stopped instantly. I'll am Tucker, what happened? Where

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Speaker 1: are we? And why am I here? Where did you go?

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Speaker 1: I think something bit me. Susan looked down at her

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Speaker 1: left hand and the angry wound in the soft skin

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Speaker 1: between her thumb and first finger. Ouch. I'm not allowed

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Speaker 1: to talk about it. Tucker sounded a lot like she

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Speaker 1: did when mom and Dad told her she wasn't to

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Speaker 1: do something she really wanted to. Susan's heart skipped as

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Speaker 1: she remembered the red eyes. I think it was a rat.

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Speaker 1: Did a rat bite me why Tucker never got the

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Speaker 1: chance to answer. His door opened in that moment, and

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Speaker 1: two cats entered the room. Susan struggled not to laugh

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Speaker 1: out of shock and nerves. One of the cats looked

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Speaker 1: very much like Tucker, but with darker stripes and a

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Speaker 1: heavier build. The other was a crisp white with a

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Speaker 1: pushed in nose and deep amber eyes that fixed Susan

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Speaker 1: in place. The moment she entered, Susan knew immediately this

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Speaker 1: was Cynthia, Tucker's mother, and that she was in very

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Speaker 1: deep trouble. Indeed, Tucker Cynthia's tail snapped back and forth,

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Speaker 1: Susan noticed it was she who had the huge fluffy tail,

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Speaker 1: not Tucker's father. Tell me you haven't been talking to

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Speaker 1: the girl. Tucker's own tail slapped the covers, brushing Susan's hand.

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Speaker 1: She has questions, I bet she does, Cynthia said, her

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Speaker 1: amber eyes fixed on Susan, again pushed in nose, giving

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Speaker 1: her a distinctly angry appearance. You are not welcome here,

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Speaker 1: little girl. I was against Tucker being sent to watch

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Speaker 1: your house in the first place, and now I know

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Speaker 1: why you are trouble and have bought trouble on us now, Cynthia.

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Speaker 1: George's voice was mild, but Susan heard the weight of it.

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Speaker 1: It's not Susan's fault. None of this would have happened

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Speaker 1: if we had just left well enough alone. Cynthia's tail twitched,

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Speaker 1: her pupils down to little slits. Too late, Tucker said,

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Speaker 1: she's here, not for long, Cynthia said, Tucker out the

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Speaker 1: butterscotch tabby tensed, falling very stick ill. Why Susan had

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Speaker 1: used rebellion toward her parents before and knew it when

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Speaker 1: she heard it? She winced. It never went well for

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Speaker 1: her either, Tucker. Cynthia's voice climbed octaves as a whining

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Speaker 1: growl echoed around it. Out let's go, son, George said.

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Speaker 1: The older cat made his way to the door. Tucker

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Speaker 1: looked up at Susan, ears flickering, one paw resting on

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Speaker 1: the back of her hand, his tail wrapped around her wrist. Susan,

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Speaker 1: it's okay, she said, sounding much braver than she felt.

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Speaker 1: I don't want you to get into any more trouble.

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Speaker 1: Tucker waited one more moment before bumping her in the

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Speaker 1: arm with his head and jumping down from the bed,

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Speaker 1: Susan watched Tucker make it to the door. He took

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Speaker 1: one last look and left. George followed behind him, softly

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Speaker 1: closing the door. Afraid, Susan turned to face Cynthia. You

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Speaker 1: are to stay in this room, Cynthia told her, as

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Speaker 1: the cat also made her way to the door. We

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Speaker 1: will come for you when the council is ready. But

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Speaker 1: Susan called after Cynthia as the fluffy white of her

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Speaker 1: tail disappeared, this time thumping the door firmly shut behind

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Speaker 1: her wait. Susan went to the door. The handle was strange,

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Speaker 1: a hole with four round impressions paw print, Susan said aloud,

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Speaker 1: and try as she might, she couldn't get the door

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Speaker 1: to open. Finally, after a great deal of prodding and pushing,

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Speaker 1: Susan gave up, going back to the bed. Her hand

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Speaker 1: was really aching and her head started to hurt. Now

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Speaker 1: her fingers found a large lump where she had hit

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Speaker 1: the rock. Susan curled up, cradling her sore hand, trying

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Speaker 1: not to put too much weight on the pillow, feeling

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Speaker 1: very lost and more than a little afraid. For the

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Speaker 1: first time since she was a very small girl. Despite

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Speaker 1: her best intentions and telling herself over and over she

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Speaker 1: would not. Susan cried herself to sleep, Good night, Sleep tight,