"Hmph!" Tora scowled at her cousin as she drove the car to their destination.

"Stop being so grouchy Tora. Its just for two months. Its gonna be fun. No parents. No rules. Just us six and a lot of beer. What could be better than that?"

"Being hung by the neck and beaten senseless"

"Oh jeez"

It was summer holiday again. And as usual, Tora's wild cousin Venice, had the entire holiday pan out. Tora would prefer to spend the holiday at home, doing whatever she liked like most teenagers, but her cousin had other idea's. Every holiday was the same. Not that they always went the same place; they didn't. And there lies the problem.

Every year was a different thing. Last year Christmas, instead of just spending time with her family as she wanted to. She was on a plane heading to Florida. Summer, instead of hanging out with friends, she was heading to the Caribbean. She had learned long ago to give up arguing and just go with it.

But this, this was different. Going to the Caribbean last minute she could take, meeting the president of whatever and wherever she could handle. Heck! She was even fine with flying to the moon and back. But this was entirely different.

This year they were going there. To that forbidden place. A place that hold memories not remembered and life that once lived. They were heading to the place were she had sworn to her mother on her death bed, she would never dare go. A place that she faintly recalled visiting, which left her with a feeling of loneliness, despair and anguish, that she never wants to feel again.

Yes. They were heading towards uncle Trailer's cabin.

"Ven don't you have somewhere you want to go this year? Like Paris or Nebraska?"

"No. Why?'

" Well, because I heard you say how'd you love to visit those places sometime"

"Oh. Well no"

"But of all the places in the world. Why there? Why uncle Trailer's cabin? You know we're not allowed up here"

"Oh c'mon now Cat. You know he's been dead for seven years and we're already old enough to do what we want"

"Seventeen is old enough?!"

"Seventeen, eighteen. What's the diff. Plus, where already there anyways. No point turning back "

She knew this was pointless. Venice (whom they called 'Ven' for short) wasn't going to waver. She knew that once she referred to her as 'Cat' (her nickname given to her by her cousin and was only used when she was serious). She wasn't in any form of convincing mood. Even though she knew that no matter how much she grumbled and pleaded, her stubborn cousin would not relent, she still tried. If that was all she could do, she'll do it.

"Ven, I really don't like this"

"You don't like anything that has to do with fun Tora"

"That's not true" was going to be her response but she was stopped by a loud screech and sudden jerk.

Venice, out of the blue, jammed her foot on the brakes which caught her off guard jerking her in the seatbelt strapped to her.

"What the hell!!" yelled Tora.

" I think I hit something. Or someone!" Venice shouted.

"W-what?" replied Tora nervously. " Are you crazy? Don't do that. There's no way you could have hit someone out here. People around won't stay up this late I reckon. Its already dark out see?" she said trying to sound knowledgeable.

"But I know I hit some..."

"Well go out and look for Pete's sake!" demanded Tora. She was panicking as much as her cousin, but she didn't show it. At least one of them had to keep a level head.

" O-okay. Your right. But come with me"

"Oh for crying out loud! What are you? A child?"

With that said, they both went out to the front of the car to see what Ven had hit. Their lying lifeless in the middle of the road with the light from the car on it, was a cat.

A rather small cat, thought Tora. It has a golden-black colour, with its paws and underbelly a dark gold colour; and the rest of it black. Poor little thing.

"Oh. Its just a cat!", exclaimed Venice with a sigh of relief. "No big deal"

"Huh? What's that suppose to me-"

Just then, as if some sort of evil force in the world was toying with her, Venice's bitchy friends appeared. And when she said bitchy, she meant it.

Jim, who was always the first to do anything spoke first.

"Hey whats the hold up? If you girls are having trouble with your car, let us guys handle it since, after all, it is a man's job", said Jim with such a disgusting and cocky look on his face it made Tora sick to her stomach.

"I hit a cat" Venice replied instantly. Tora always noticed that whenever Jim was around Venice would act helpless and scared. She guessed her cousin liked Jim, but she couldn't figure out why.

Jimmy Reliart was the sort of person you wouldn't want to introduce to your parents as a boyfriend, much less a friend. He was loud, arrogant, rude, obnoxious and he always seemed to know best how to annoy Tora.

"Well we need to pass. So I say we drive over the damn thing and get moving"

"Good idea Jim" said Danny. Danny was one of Jim's followers. Of course he's in the same social circle, but he's the type that listens, does and agrees with everything Jim says. The other lacky was Steven. He has a mind of his own, but rarely uses it.

..."well just throw it over there"

"No you can't!!", yelled Tora at the top of her lungs. Everyone was surprised at this. She even surprised herself. She usually just went along with the groups plans.

"What do you mean we can't? asked Jim.

"Huh? Oh, I mean you can't just throw it away like that. That's a precious life that we've just taken away and we need to show respect"

Hahaha!! Everyone burst out laughing. The boys, Venice and her friend Daola.

"What's so funny?" Said Tora angrily.

"Its just a dead cat", replied her cousin. "An ugly, mangey and unfortunate, dead, cat"

"But Venice, we can't just throw it away in the bushes. It should be buried", she responded. Half commanding, half pleading

" Ven, darling, let me handle this", butted in Jim. "Let me make this simple Tora. The cats dead; we're throwing it in the bushes and moving on and that's that. Everyone back to their vehicles"

She knew that was it. That was the end of the discussion. Even if she pleaded with Venice, she would take Jim's side over hers any day. She slowly walked back to the car, got in and buckled up. The cat was tossed aside as they said and she couldn't help but feel sad. No! More than sad, she felt distraught. As a #1 cat lover and a person for 'all life is equal', she felt torn. She couldn't do anything to help that poor cat. Not even to give it a proper burial.

As they drove on up to the cabin, the mistress of the night seemed to welcome them with a cold grasp of her icy hands. So she thought. She no longer felt compelled to keep up appearances or to pretend to care about such people who disregard life as precious other than their own. She thought them selfish and cruel, and as they drove in to the yard, went straight inside, chose a room and changed into her pyjamas.

As she turned off the lights, she looked out the window and all she could see was a black nothingness of trees. Shadows formed from the light of the moon, and the wind blew coldly and gently giving form and shape to things that remained unseen.

It gave her an eerie feeling and sent a chill down her spine, that even with the window close and curtains drawn, still left a fresh vivid image of the golden-black cat killed and tossed to the side of the road. In the far distance she heard a long deep ominous howl.

Must be coyote. She thought. No. Coyotes don't live around here. I guess its some sort of animal. They must be howling at the lost of a life. It sounds as bitter-sweet as honey and vinegar tastes.

How fitting. She drifted off to sleep.

____________≤___________≥__________

With lots of love, Nuttyweird😘

Its always sad to lose the one you love😢