#rewrite needed

    She woke up in the middle of the night, hanging halfway off her bed. It was very dark, the only light filtering in through the window. She got up and laid back down, only to sit up less than a minute later.

    It was cold, her breath fogging in the air. She reached for the lamp and turned it on, letting out a tiny hiss as her eyes adjusted to the light. She looked around her room. Everything seemed a bit wrong, having been cleaned before she went to bed. 

    The familiar piles of clothes were thrown into a basket, the chair that was usually in the center of the room neatly pushed under the desk where her laptop sat. Her nightstand was cluttered, still. Or rather already.

    She got up and pulled her chair out, sitting at the desk and opening the laptop. She quickly typed in her password, rubbing her eyes immediately after. A youtube tab was open, paused, showing the playlist she’d thrown together to clean her room. 

    Hitting play, she sat back and looked around. It was nearly two in the morning, and she was wide awake. Her eyes landed on a bit of movement close to her door. She jumped, nearly falling out of her chair.

    Whatever had moved was gone, but her heart continued pounding in her ears. She drew her legs up, sitting on her feet, and paused the music. She could hear a faint scratching sound somewhere to her left.

    “It’s probably just a mouse…” At her words the scratching paused before becoming more frantic, as if whatever was there was absolutely terrified of her. She laughed a bit, putting a hand to her chest, where her heart was still beating rapidly.

    She got up and approached the sound of the scratching. A tiny shape darted out from under her bed and squeezed itself under her door. She opened her door quietly and peered into the hall. There was no sign of the mouse.

    “Huh…” She walked into the kitchen and turned on the light before reaching and getting a glass out of the cabinet. She slowly filled it with water, trying to keep quiet. She took the water into her room and nearly dropped it.

    Sitting in her chair was a transparent, glittering, almost blue-green cat. It had blotches of darker, lighter, and brighter coloring, as if it was some sort of spectral calico kitty from god knew where. In its mouth was the mouse, squeaking frantically, nearly dead.

    She stared before slowly putting her water down and closing her eyes. “When I open my eyes again, this thing will be gone and so will its snack.” She opened her eyes.

    The cat wasn’t gone, and was staring at her with bright interest. It dropped the now deceased mouse and hopped off the chair, walking to her and rubbing against her leg.

    She nearly screamed. The cat brushing against her leg felt cool, more like a cold patch of air. There was no resistance as she tried to nudge the cat away from her. It looked up, meowing at her. There was no sound.

    “You’re just a figment of my imagination.” The figment of her imagination meowed at her again. She grabbed her water and moved to her chair, giving the cat a wide berth. She collapsed into the chair, having forgotten about the mouse, until she was forced to remember by sitting on it.

    She jumped back up, looking in her chair. The mouse lay there, unmoving, looking almost pitiful. She looked at the cat. The cat stared back. She grabbed the mouse and slung it into the trash, hoping that she’d remember it in the morning. 

    “Jesus fucking christ… can you get out of my room?” She asked, looking back at the cat. The cat was gone, as if it’d never been there at all. She closed her door and her laptop before turning off the lamp. “That’s what I get for going to bed early, I guess.” She curled up on her bed, trying to ignore the memory of the cat.

    The next time she woke up, daylight was just beginning to creep into her room. She got up and stretched before heading into the kitchen to make coffee. As she did her phone rang. She yawned and answered.

    “Hey, Lizzie. Thought I’d check up on you,” her friend immediately said.

    “Hi Tom. I’m ok. Just making coffee.” I put the phone on speaker and set it on the counter.

    “I still can’t believe you drink the devil’s bean juice.”

    “What? It keeps me awake.”

    “I guess. Hey, I had the weirdest dream last night…”

    “Yeah, me too.”

    “All I remember now is watching you walking somewhere. Following this… cat?”

    “What?”

    “Yeah… it looked like a calico but a bunch of shades of blue.”

    “Tom…”

    “What?”

    “That cat was in my room last night.”

    “Really?”

    “Yeah. 

    “Freaky.”

    “No kidding.”

    “Want me to come over there today?”

    “Maybe when I’m awake.”

    There was a knock on her door. She answered it, and there stood Thomas, grinning obnoxiously. SHe walked back into the kitchen, leaving the door open. “Rude,” He said, walking in after her.

    “Yeah.” She looked down at her pajamas before hanging up the call. 

    Thomas followed her in, leaning against the counter, watching her start the coffee brewing. “So, how are you actually doing?”

    “I slept horribly. Aside from that I’m not looking forward to doing any school shit.”

    “Yeah, I feel you there. I still have a paper to write…”

    “Then why come over? I’m glad you’re here, I’m just curious.”

    “I’m bored of class.” 

    “Already? It’s only… 8 in the morning.”

    “Bold of you to assume I slept.”

    “But- You said the dream you had?”

    “That was yesterday afternnon, if I’m being honest.”

    “So… You’ve been up all night?”

    “Basically.”

    “I think you need the devil’s bean juice more than I do.”

    “Never.”

    “Fine. How’d you call right after I woke up?”

    “Magic.”

    “Uh huh. Ok then.”

    “I don’t know, just lucky.” He reached towards her and she realized she hadn’t showered in… how many days now?

    “Uh…”

    He tugged on her braid lightly. “Go take a shower, I’ll make you breakfast.” He got up and headed into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

    “Tom?!”

    “Go ahead!”

    She sighed and went into her room, getting a towel and a change of clothes. She could hear Thomas in the kitchen as she walked into the bathroom and locked the door. 

    When she got out, Thomas was still in the kitchen. She wiped off the mirror and brushed her hair, wincing at the tangles, before drying it with the hairdryer. She brushed it again and dried off before getting dressed in a hoodie and jeans. She hung the towel up and took her dirty clothes to her room.

    Thomas was in the kitchen, singing Counting Stars. She stopped, listening, before going into the room. 

    “Oh, there you are,” he said, holding out a plate of pancakes. 

    “Yeah.” She took them and sat down.

    He casually braided her hair as she ate, braiding it and unbraiding it. It felt nice having him play with her hair, not that she’d ever admit it. He took her plate when she was done eating, despite her protests. “I got it, Lizzie. Consider this a rest day.”

    “Uh… Ok.” She walked in the living room and sat down, checking her phone. There was a text from her father, saying he paid the bills and he was staying with his girlfriend for at least the next week. 

    “Anything interesting?”

    “Huh? Oh, no, just my dad. I guess I’m watching the house for a few days.”

    “Sounds like fun. Can I stay a night?”

    She looked at him. “I love you, but hell no.”

    He put his hand over his heart, feigning shock. “You love me?”

    She snorted. “Yeah, you’ve been my best friend since I moved into this godforsaken house. Of course I love you.”

    “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

    “Don’t get used to it.”

    “Oh?”

    “You heard me.”

    He reached over and tugged on her braid. 

    “Stop it.”

    “Why, you like it?”

    She pulled away from him, glaring.

    “I’ll take that as a yes.”

    “Why are you really here?”

    “I missed you.”

    “Thomas…”

    “Oh, pulling out a full name, Elizabeth?”

    “Stop it.”

    “Teasing you is fun.”

    She stood up, backing away from him a bit.

    “Alright, I’ll stop. I’m sorry, Lizzie.”

    “Please… just get out.”

    “Lizzie, I said I’m sorry!”

    “I’ll let you know when I want you around me again.”

    “Lizzie-”

    She shoved him out the front door, flinching slightly as the door slammed. She might have been overreacting, but she was alone in the house. If Thomas tried anything, she would be completely defenseless. She locked the door.

    Her phone rang and she silenced it. 

    Outside, Thomas was sitting on the porch, trying to call Elizabeth. She wouldn’t answer, instead, she went into the living room and sat on the couch again.

    When she looked in the kitchen, the cat was back, laying in a patch of sunlight, nearly transparent. She stared at it for a while. This time it didn’t scare her, instead, the cat felt more like a friend.

    Her phone lit up with a text from Thomas: Be careful.

    She ignored it, watching the cat sun itself. It was laying on its side, its tail tip curling and uncurling. She yawned quietly. The cat’s ears perked up and it lifted its head before trotting over.

    It brushed against her hand, feeling cold, but there was still nothing, no actual contact. She sat up and the cat curled up on her lap. She felt the slightest bit of pressure on her legs, as if the cat weighed barely anything. 

    Outside, clouds were gathering as Thomas walked to the park. He looked up at the sky in time to trip over a wide crack in the road. He landed sprawled on his stomach, his breath knocked out of him, and could barely sit up. 

    His hands were scraped lightly, along with his chin. He licked the blood trailing from the cut on his lip, standing carefully. He made his way towards one of the benches and collapsed onto it, trying to get his breath back. He had just been walking, if he’d been running and tripped he’d probably have gotten at least a few more scrapes.

    Elizabeth watched the cat curiously. It was seemingly asleep again, relaxed on her lap. She undid the braid in her hair, combing it with her fingers. The cat stirred slightly before opening its eyes and meowing at her.

    She started humming and the cat jumped down from her lap. “What, is it that bad?” 

    The cat walked in the kitchen. She got up and followed curiously. The cat was gone. 

    At the park, it started to rain. Thomas moved, sitting in the middle of one of the shelters. Scratched into the wooden table were multiple phone numbers, hearts, and random drawings. 

    Thomas shivered, looking out. The blood on his hands was dry when he looked at the scrapes. He ran his fingers through his hair before pulling his jacket tighter around him. The rain fell much faster, the drops getting heavier as the time went on.

    The longer he sat there, the colder it seemed to become, until it felt like it shouldn’t be raining but snowing instead. His phone rang.

    Elizabeth held her phone to her ear, waiting to see if Thomas would answer.

    “Lizzie?” He asked as soon as he picked up.

    “Where are you?”

    “I’m at the park.”

    “I’ll be there soon.” She hung up and put on shoes before grabbing an umbrella. 

    A minute later she was walking to the park, the umbrella open above her. She walked quickly, making the trip in barely ten minutes. 

    Thomas was sitting where he’d sat down earlier. He looked up, surprised to see her after what had happed earlier. He nearly ran to her, but at that moment the rain was falling even more heavily. 

    She walked up to the shelter, stepping out of the rain for a moment. “Come on, it’s getting colder.”

    He approached her, blinking, as she offered the umbrella. He stepped under it before she started walking towards the road again, him walking close by. “Thank you…”

    “Just remember that I’ll throw you back out if you touch me again.”

    “I… Alright”

    They walked slower, approaching Elizabeth’s house. She unlocked the door and nodded for him to go inside.