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outstretched sharp claw. He watched his brother’s passionate grooming of my right hand and stretched his tongue tentatively towards my cheek. Disgusting ... He pushed his head under my fingers. Simply disgusting, grooming these hairless wonders.  
    I chuckled quietly at his revulsion and let these two fine felines soothe me into a restless sleep.

Chapter 2
    The next day, Cam was the picture of sweetness as I got ready for class. He brewed my favorite tea; Mountain Tea Song, a sweet mixture of green tea swirled with fragrant jasmine flowers, and handed it to me with a huge organic blueberry bran muffin, dripping with butter and honey.
    “Why so sweet?” I asked shyly, reaching for the muffin with a smile.
    “Oh, no reason,” he answered, grinning back at me. “I guess I just decided to man up, change my schedule, and look forward to a weekend away with my pretty Chérie.”
    I sure didn’t feel pretty. I criticized myself on a daily basis. But I gamely said, “Why, thank you. I look forward to it, too, and will try hard not to think about that stupid fundraiser.” I pursed my lips and made a sour face.
    “I heard the cats jump on you last night,” he said. “Why do you put up with that?” He gave a small chuckle.
    Hearing him, I was reminded of the disturbing fingers and whispering taunts that crept up my arm last night. I shuddered at the thought. “Cam?” I brushed my fingers along his strong arms, delicately tracing the golden hairs. “Do you ever feel things…strange things…like weird darkness trying to get at you?”
    “What are you talking about?” He glanced over at me with a perplexed frown.
    “Oh, I woke up last night after we first fell asleep. I felt there was something in the room with me…something creepy, trying to get my attention. I think the cats jumped on me to chase it away.”
    “So those two cats are now ghost busters?” Cam turned to me and smiled. “I hardly think so. They probably wanted a midnight snack.” He ruffled my hair affectionately and turned to get a glass out of the cupboard. “Don’t worry about it, babe, it was probably just a bad dream.” He opened the Frigidaire and took out a carton of orange juice.
    “Yeah,” I replied, unconvinced, and reached down to scratch Mac’s head.
    More , Mac purred.
    The sound of Porky Pig stuttering “ Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-That's all, folks !” made me spring for my Guatemalan bag, pushing things this way and that to retrieve my cellphone.
    “Hello?”
    “Chér, it’s me.”
    “Hi, Z!  What’s cooking?” Zuri Davidson was my best friend. A mahogany-haired beauty, with a Rubenesque womanly body, deep set summer sea eyes, and a slightly crooked smile, she had been my closest ally since we were 20. We gabbed, gossiped, supported, and shared as we sipped tea downtown or shopped thrift stores and boutiques for clothes.
    “Well…” She stretched the word out, full of suspense. “I’ve got these two tickets to go see the Sungods tonight and wondered if you would like to go with me.” Zuri and I loved to go out dancing on the weekend while Cam was in his groups.
    “I’d love to! Cam’s at work tonight so I can swing by after dinner, and we can go from there.”
    “It’s a deal! We’ll work out the details this afternoon. Ta!”
    Cam looked over with a grin on his face. “You two Wonder Women going out on the town again?” 
    “Looks like it. You can meet up with us later, if you like.”
    “Nah. Not tonight. I’ll probably be bushed after group. I’ll see you when you get home. “
    He gave me a quick hug and rushed out the door.
    In the stillness of the big house, I wandered into the living room and fell back onto the oversized couch. A gift from Cam’s grandma, the couch was a puffy sectional of soft green fake suede, inviting languor. It was the perfect perch to mull things over. I looked out at the evergreen trees and sky. A soft mist left water drops lining the branches, twinkling in the sun that peeked