Chapter 5

The mood started to lighten, and Sarah carefully ventured, "Martin, Kitty's just a stray cat. She's fierce and not really the kind you'd want hanging around the house.

"I know you're not a fan of pets, so how about I take care of it? Once things settle down at school, I'll be back and..."

"No," Martin interrupted her.

Martin tightened his grip on her wrist, absently tracing the half-healed scars with his thumb, sounding nonchalant. "Animals are just animals. You can never really train or tame them. You go out of your way behind my back to find them homes, but in the end, they'll follow whoever feeds them. Isn't that right?

"Sarah, you're still too young. Let me handle these thankless strays for you."

His words had a double meaning, making Sarah instantly tense up. She caught a faint whiff of blood coming from him, and a few cat hairs were clinging to his black shirt.

"What did you do to Kitty?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Only then did Sarah realize she needed to get away, but Martin kept a tight hold on her wrist, not letting her budge.

"I never knew that filthy animal was so important to you," Martin said, a smile still on his lips, though his eyes were anything but friendly.

"What now? Looks like it's just as stubborn as you and won't obey me either," he drawled, his smile never reaching his eyes.

He leaned in close, pausing on every word. "I'm still just too soft. I should've gotten rid of them a long time ago."

Sarah's mind buzzed. Before she could even process what he'd said, her body moved on instinct, springing backward to get away from him.

Martin chuckled, taking his time straightening his cuffs. "I've told you before, you always have to put me first.

"I made it super clear I hate cats, but you still kept hiding them from me.

"What am I supposed to do, Sarah? They're stealing your attention from me, and it's driving me insane."

He closed in slowly and deliberately, his blue eyes deep and unfathomable. Lifting her chin, he kissed her lips and drawled, "Let me help you cut loose and get rid of those thankless strays. Wouldn't that be so much better?"

Sarah could only stumble back, dropping onto the couch. Her eyes traced down his sleeve to the black shirt, where a patch looked damp.

Her hand shook as she reached out and brushed it. Her fingertips came away stained red.

The metallic coppery scent exploded in her nose, flooding her senses, and suddenly, she was doubled over, retching uncontrollably.

Martin didn't react, just reached over and brushed her hair. "What's wrong? Need me to call the doctor for you?"

"Did you... Did you kill her?" Sarah choked out, her voice barely audible.

Martin just stared at her, not saying a word.

She knew that look of his all too well. Malice mixed with a twisted sort of pity, just like every time he'd forced her to bow her head.

Sarah stared at him, her body shaking beyond control. Her throat felt clogged, and all she could manage was a ragged, wordless noise.

She kept telling herself not to cry.

The long silence finally broke her. She seemed to surrender, sinking to the floor and kneeling at his feet, just like she'd done so many times before.

She murmured, "I'm sorry, Martin.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have stayed away, and I never should've made you upset.

"I lost myself. I promise I won't help stray cats anymore. Please, I'm begging you. Just leave them alone."

All these years, Sarah had been forced to become a puppet, never allowed to have a will of her own.

If she ever dared to show any sign of independence, it would be crushed without a second thought.

She tried so hard to please him, even wanted to repay him, but he never cared. All she could do was let him break her down piece by piece, until she was nothing but a vine, entwined around him, drawing every bit of strength from his existence.

Martin was like a kid who'd just gotten a new toy, eager to twist and turn it into every shape he wanted, just to show off how much he could control.

What he wanted was a body, alive, but with no soul left inside.

The hard floor pressed painfully into Sarah's knees, but it was like she couldn't even feel it. She just kept mumbling "sorry" again and again, her nails biting hard into her palms until she drew blood, lost in the numbness.

Every slow second crawled by, and Sarah was left hollowed out. Eventually, Martin, looking way too pleased with himself, spared her. "That's enough."

Martin leaned back on the couch, head in hand, eyes glittering with that familiar twisted smile. "Even if you really mess up, I could never stay mad at you, could I?"

"Thank you, Martin." Sarah managed, her voice barely more than a croak.

Still trembling, Sarah pushed herself up, swaying on unsteady legs before stumbling off toward the backyard.

The instant Sarah pushed open the door, something clicked, like a trap springing to life. A piercing, agonized feline scream ripped through the air as hot liquid splashed across her face, followed by a loud plunk into water. The sickening stench of blood filled the air, making Sarah nearly gag.

Kitty's body had dropped straight into the pool, staining the water with thick spirals of red, turning it into a messy, blood-soaked haze.

Her head was right up against the edge, and those glassy eyes blinked in empty terror. Kitty wasn't even fully gone yet.

Splatters of blood dotted the ground, and next to it, the kite string lay drenched dark red.

It was a crude trap. As soon as Sarah opened the door, the sharp kite string whipped down and sliced straight through Kitty's neck in a flash.

Kitty's body was split apart, head and torso separated. The scene was sickening, way beyond what anyone should ever have to see.

Sarah's vision blurred, her breath caught hard in her chest, choking her. She crashed to the floor, muscle memory alone making her gag and dry-heave, hot tears spilling down before she even knew what was happening.

"Oops, guess it's dead now." Martin's voice drifted over from behind her, flat and absent-minded.

Martin just grinned, not really bothered, and nudged Kitty's head with his foot. "Tough luck."

"You killed it yourself, you know," he said, almost taunting.

He sounded so casual, like he was talking about the weather.

For a moment, Sarah was in a daze, but somehow, trembling uncontrollably, she managed to stand and stagger over to him. Staring up at Martin, she asked in a shaky, barely-there voice, "Why?

"I... I already promised I'd do whatever you say. I apologized, and you said you forgave me..."

Sarah couldn't understand why he still did that.

Martin tilted his head with that infuriating grin, just shrugged. "Guess I forgot."

Those three careless words landed with a soft cruelty that stole every ounce of strength from Sarah's body. The world seemed to ring in her ears as she staggered back, numb and empty, before turning away and walking off, barely holding herself together.