Chapter 2The Midnight Bellhop

I stared at the cat, wondering if the two sleepless nights I’d just pulled had finally made me hallucinate. A talking cat? A cat demanding a hotel room? Either one was enough to get me committed.

The cat, seeing my inaction, impatiently pawed at my arm. “Are your ears broken, human? This cat said, this cat needs a room!”

It was real. The cat was really talking.

Just then, the hotel’s resident calico, who had been dozing at my feet, tugged on my pant leg, signaling me to step back. He then gracefully leaped onto the counter.

The calico cleared his throat. “Meow. She’s new, hasn’t been trained yet,” he said to the tuxedo. “Respected feline guest, please direct your requests to me. I will see that they are met.”

The tuxedo cat began licking a bloody patch of fur on its paw. “This cat’s room needs to have pine litter. This cat can’t use anything else. And a tall cat tree. And some lukewarm spring water. This cat doesn’t drink purified.”

The calico sat primly, taking mental notes. The tuxedo’s voice grew more agitated as it spoke, its fur starting to stand on end. The calico quickly put a paw on its shoulder.

“This cat understands your requirements. Is there anything else?”

The tuxedo cat stopped, thinking. Suddenly, its whole body went rigid, fur bristling. “Meow! You have to tell this cat’s human to run! Now!”