"Greenslie (3)" by Keri Ann: Keritsubo

The soft sound of rapping on the bedroom door awakened Joan. She groaned softly as the muffled voice of her mother called from the other side.

"Joansy, come on, dear. You don't want Alex to leave you to the bus stop again."

The five-year-old girl opened her eyes and looked at the door. However it wasn't the knocking that came again that caught her attention. It was the blurred mass of black at the foot of her bed. A pair of golden eyes stared at her from what appeared to be a furry heap. She gasped suddenly and sat up, rubbing her eyes as her mother called again.

"Joansy, are you up?"

The young girl's gaze met the almost pure green eyes of Amelia who appeared to be comfortable curled up at the foot of her bed. Joan sat in silent confusion for a moment until the impatient knocking came yet a third time.

"Coming mom!" She said loudly and listened as her mother replied and then walked down the hall again.

Amelia tipped her head in slight question at Joan's staring but after a moment casually slipped from the bed and stretched. She was still dressed in the clothes she'd worn the night before.

Except they weren't wrinkled and she could have sworn it was a tank top not a t-shirt the woman had gone to bed in. But Joan couldn't be sure and it wasn't of much importance. It fascinated her the way Amelia's thick black hair seemed to have already been brush carefully through despite the fact she'd just gotten up.

"How come you don't got bed head?" The little girl asked the woman, who was already digging carefully through Joan's closet. Amelia didn't answer, instead she turned around with a blue dress in hand.

"Come along, your mother said to hurry."

Downstairs Alex sat at the kitchen table, finishing up a bit of pre-calculus he hadn't been able to do before the game. He glanced up as his mom came into the kitchen before returning to his breakfast and homework.

"Alex, I told you to get that done before you left last night," She scolded as she took out the blue plastic lunch box from the refrigerator and set it on the counter. "Now be sure Joan takes this."

Alex nodded and closed his book, standing he put his plate in the sink, "all right, is she ready? I leave in five minutes."

"Yes, she's getting ready now. Be sure to tell her if you're leaving before she's ready. I don't want a call saying she's missed the bus again."

Alex was about to respond but a figure in the doorway caught his attention. Amelia stood silently, staring at him with bright green. Once again he noticed the golden flecks that seemed to catch the light every once in a while but just as he stood there looking at her a car horn blared.

"Oh that's my ride. Be nice to your sister now, Alex. I'll see you tonoight." She turned and kissed him on the cheek before grabbing her own lunch.

Alex looked at her horrified as it suddenly hit him. Amelia had slept over night and she was standing there in the kitchen right now as he's mom is about to leave.

"Alex are you sick?" She looked at him curiously but he was looking at the door again.

"No," He said as relief washed over him. Amelia was no longer standing there. Where she had gone he wasn't sure but he was glad she was. Another horn blared and his mother turned suddenly.

"Take care of Joansy, Alex," She hurried out to the front door, giving the litlte five-year-old a hug before she left. Joan waved after her mother and shut the door before bounding into the kitchen.

"Where's my lunch, Alex," Joan set her bookbag in the chair Alex had been occupying just moments before.

"Here," He said, handing her the lunchbox and staring at the doorway as he wondered where Amelia had gone.

As he watched the woman made her appearance once more. She almost slipped into his vision again, though in truth just stepped into the door way from around the corner. She stood there silently, her head tipped to one side in question. Alex just looked at her, still wondering, until a flicker of orange and a sharp hiss caught his attention. All three looked down just in time to see the tabby scamper past Amelia.

"Dipsie, what's wrong, girl? Its just Amelia," Joan said as the cat ran under the table and past her legs to the other side of the counter where her food dish was.

"Odd, Dipsie likes everyone," Alex said as he picked up his books from the table and shoved them in his bag.

Amelia was looking where the cat had gone silently, though her green eyes were every once in a while darting back to where Alex stood and Joan sat. He found it odd how she seemed to watch everyone and everything at once.

"Except dogs," Joan chimed in, but Amelia just shrugged at their explinations and pulled on her coat. Alex wondered silently where she'd gotten a coat. He didn't remember her having one last night and it didn't look like anyone they had.