Precious found herself in a state of starvation as the rain poured outside. Surprisingly, she had adapted quickly to the unfamiliar surroundings, or at least she wanted to believe she had.
The combination of the current weather and her gnawing hunger only intensified the exhaustion she felt.
Morning came and went, leaving Precious desolated.
Reflecting on her movements within the new house, she resolved to heed her father's advice and mind her own business.
Consequently, Precious remained confined to her room for two consecutive days, feeling trapped, famished, and weighed down by sadness
In an attempt to distract her mind from futile wishes and uncertainties, Precious occasionally drenched herself in water, exacerbating her distress. Despite her hunger, she resolutely stayed within the confines of the room.
"No one even bothered to check up on me," she thought with a tinge of bitterness, as she slowly rose from her bed and made her way towards the balcony, seeking solace in the sight of the rain.
It seemed that her fellow house residents were indifferent to her existence, displaying a callous disregard for her well-being. Precious had spent two days locked away, deprived of food and cut off from the outside world. It felt as though she were isolated, like a captive animal in her surroundings.
Initially, Precious had yearned to explore her new environment, but upon awakening, she confronted the harsh reality of her father's absence. She was now entirely alone in a domain belonging to a beast, surrounded by strangers who were likely no different from wild beasts themselves.
*Grrrrr
As Precious's stomach emitted an embarrassingly loud growl, announcing its desperate need for sustenance, she helplessly placed her hand on her abdomen and gently rubbed it. The pangs of hunger were unbearable, leading her to question how her father was faring while she suffered, seemingly surrounded by luxury.
Feeling lightheaded, Precious shook her head. It was a few minutes past eight, and though she desired sleep, she opted to spend a little more time observing the rain before retiring for the night. Without her phone as a source of entertainment, it had become somewhat of a pastime.
Opening the curtains and stepping out onto the balcony, she was greeted by a stagnant breeze that coldly embraced her, causing her to wrap her arms around herself. Despite her teeth chattering from the chill, Precious found a peculiar delight in this frigid state.
"So cold," she murmured, although she remained still, punishing herself by standing in the cold without adequate clothing.
Aware of the risk of catching a cold and falling ill, she reminded herself to stay confined within the room, minding her own business. If she allowed the sickness to worsen, it could ultimately claim her life, leaving her father grief-stricken.
"What am I even thinking?" Precious laughed at her negative thoughts, releasing her body from her own embrace. Taking a deep sigh, she moved forward to touch the rain.
How beautiful and magical it seemed. Looking up at the sky, she had often pondered how water descended from above, but despite growing older, the true mechanics of it eluded her, even though she had learned about it in the past.
Precious simply assumed it was a wondrous and divine creation of God. As she reached out to touch the rain, she shivered once more, hugging herself tightly in an attempt to find warmth within the cold. Nevertheless, she remained rooted on the balcony.
Suddenly, she heard sounds that piqued her curiosity. Letting go of her embrace, Precious scanned her surroundings to discern the source of the noises.
"Why does it sound like an animal crying?" Curiosity urged her to step further into the rain, hoping to uncover the origin of the melancholic melodies.
She believed that upon reaching the edge of the balcony, she would be able to spot the creature responsible for the serenade. Thus, she ventured into the rain, moving forward with determination, only to be greeted by the familiar sound of a cat's meows.
"A cat?" She wondered aloud, perplexed as to why a feline would be near her room. Drenched in the rain, Precious searched high and low, scanning the edges of the balcony, but couldn't locate the elusive creature. Yet, as she glanced towards the sides of the balcony, she discovered a cat perched on the rail by the corner.
"Did I miss it?" Precious pondered, her heart melting at the sight of the thoroughly soaked cat. "Oh, poor thing!" She approached the feline, only for it to walk away, evading her reach.
"It is warm inside my room. Don't you want to come with me?" she softly stated, disregarding her own wetness as she followed the cat's lead. The feline continued to emit cries as it tried to evade her touch.
"You must be hungry," Precious said, shivering slightly, realizing that the weather was taking a toll on her, and she needed to seek shelter indoors to avoid catching a cold.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Precious to catch up to the cat on the spacious balcony. She managed to scoop it up into her arms and, drenched herself, entered her room. She dripped water as she closed the door and curtains, before guiding the cat to the bathroom.
"You need to stay warm and clean," she said gently, after entering the bathroom and placing the cat on the bathroom floor.
"Should I name you Rainey or Rainwater?" Precious asked, contemplating names as she felt uncomfortable in her wet clothes. Deciding it didn't matter since only the cat could witness her state, she undressed herself. Grabbing a towel from the cloth shelf, she covered her nakedness and tied her hair back before heading back to tend to the cat.
"Rainey," Precious called out the chosen name, stroking the cat affectionately. As she ran her hands over its body, she determined that it was a male cat, noticing the small, round opening above the genital area. This confirmed that the name she had given him was fitting. In response to her calls, the cat softly meowed.
However, its meows grew louder when Precious began giving it a bath.
Fortunately for it, the bath didn't take too long.
"Are you hungry?" Precious inquired, bringing Rainey out of the bathtub. She surmised that Rainey must be hungry, as her own stomach growled in unison.
"Well, like you, I'm hungry too," Precious pouted.
"Are you wondering why I haven't eaten, Rainey?" she asked, hearing another meow from the cat.
"Meow."
"Well, I don't like anyone here, so I'm scared to go out and communicate," Precious confessed, while using a hairdryer she got from the cabinet beneath the cloth shelf to dry Rainey's body.
"Meow~" Rainey responded.
Precious continued to use the hairdryer, simultaneously engaging in a conversation with Rainey. She asked him how he felt, even though she knew the answer.
"How do you feel now, Rainey?" she asked.
"It isn't cold anymore, right?" she added, relishing the experience of talking to a living being rather than to herself. Whether she consciously acknowledged it or not, the past two days of loneliness had been unpleasant for her. So when she found an opportunity to express her thoughts to another living creature, she could hardly contain her excitement.
After drying Rainey, Precious decided to do something she hadn't seriously considered until she had her new companion.
"Okay, let's face it and go out there to ask for food, Rainey. Just so you know, I won't go if you don't follow," she said, determined to find sustenance.
"Meow!" Rainey responded. Whether or not he fully understood Precious, he was hungry. Precious had given him the name Rainey because she had found him in the rain. It was a simple name that didn't require much thought.
"Let me take a warm bath first, and then we'll go out to find something to eat," Precious told the cat as she dropped her towel and stepped into the bathtub, which she had already prepared while drying Rainey. She had let the old water drain out and filled it with fresh warm water.
Once in the tub, Rainey climbed the rim and observed her. He walked around the tub, meowing, which evoked sympathy from Precious.
"He must be very hungry," Precious thought as she hurried her bath, even though the bathtub provided comfort and a place to get lost in her thoughts about her miserable life.
She had never gone two days without food, but she had experienced it when she was trapped in a beast's house.
After getting out of the tub, Precious turned to look at Rainey and wondered how he had found his way to her balcony. "Could he be a beast too?" she pondered, but when she looked into his magical eyes, she dismissed the thought. He wasn't a beast.
"You aren't a beast, no you aren't!" she reassured him, even though it sounded more like her words were for herself as she ran her hand through his fur and smiled.
"You are my friend now. I've never had real friends before, so I would love for an animal to be my first best friend. Isn't it lovely?" she grinned, expressing her delight at the newfound companionship.
However, Rainey meowed again, reminding her that they were both hungry.
"Yeah, yeah, I should get moving," she acknowledged.
Rainey watched as she began to dry herself, and his lips curled into a mischievous smirk. Maybe, just maybe, her new best friend wasn't just a cat but a beast, contrary to her earlier judgment.
"Come here, Rainey!"
"Meow~"