Chapter 2

They arrived at the beautiful location. The grass was a little overgrown, but she could fix that easy enough. But in all everything looked beautiful, the overgrown garden was full of wild flowers.

The caretaker cottage was just as described. If she couldn’t live in the main house, she and her cats could happily live the caretaker’s cottage and still have more space than her flat. She had already decided, even before getting to see the main house, she would move in. She wouldn’t get a job. Instead, she would spend her time getting the house and the grounds in shape and then, hopefully, move into the main cottage eventually.

Soon she was stood in front of a large five bedroom cottage. It was covered in ivy, but she could see past that to a beautiful house.

But that wasn’t all she saw. Out of the corner of her eye in the tall grass she could see a small group of cats, sat watching her.

Walking over, the man with her stayed where he was watching her.
“There are a lot more,” He told her. “They are probably hiding. But be careful, they are not the nicest,” He warned.

“It’s alright,” She continued walking. “I grew up with cats. They don’t bother me.”

Once in front of them she kneeled down. Instead of backing off like most cats would, the group stood their ground.

“Hello guys,” She reached out and stroked their heads. “Aren’t you gorgeous?” She reached in her pocket and pulled something out for them.

They sniffed her hand but didn’t take it. But she was prepared for that. She took one of the treats out of her hand and put it in her mouth eating it herself.

Not the healthiest thing for a human but one wouldn’t hurt her.

Soon the smallest of the cats was joining her until all of the small group were with her.

“Tasty, hey?” She fed them more. Having three cats of her own, she loved them and always had. She always carried a pocket full of cat treats.

She was so busy speaking and bonding with the cats that she completely forgot why she was there.

“Having fun?” She turned head to see the rep looking at her amused.

“Oh, sorry, Mr Raymond. I forgot about you for a minute,” She admitted honestly as she stood up.

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I kind of guessed that when you started having a conversation with them. But call me Clint. If your reaction so far is anything to go by, it looks like I’ll probably see you around a lot more.”

“Yes. Me and my cats,” She laughed walking over with the smallest of the group followed her. A small ginger cat. She bent down once more and gave it another treat. “Wait here and I’ll be back in a while and give you something extra special,” She spoke to the cat as if it were her child.

As if understanding her the cat nuzzled her hand and then went back to the rest of the group.

Clint gave Bee the keys, so after unlocking the main houses door she turned to him.

“Are you coming inside?” She asked him. He shook his head.

“I’ll wait out here for you. Have a look around and if you decide to stay I can help you get a gas man and someone to look at the water fittings for you.”

“But that isn’t actually your job?” She questioned.

“Not really. But I am a nice guy who wants to help,” He gave her a flirty smile.

She smiled back but had no interest in starting a relationship with him or anyone. She was more than happy growing old and being a cat-woman.

“Thanks, Clint,” She said before walking into the house.

“Wow,” She was astonished as she turned on the torch Clint had given her. She felt almost like she had stepped back in time.

“Net should have come here. She would have loved it,” She spoke to herself as she walked around the house.

She felt herself being watched, but knew it wasn’t Clint.
“You have a beautiful house, Oliver,” She guessed. She knew there was a chance she was speaking to herself. But she spoke to Net and Billy all the time too, so it didn’t bother her.

**

What she didn’t know is that Oliver really was listening.

He was still angry after the two girls stole the portrait, but something about this woman, despite him trying to be angry, he couldn’t be. There was something different about her. He had also watched her with his cats.

Few people interact with them, the ones that do normally aren’t kind. The cats mostly lives off mice and other things they catch. But she had happy speaking to them, forgetting about the man who came with her.

He could have laughed. The man spent several minutes clearing his throat and waving his hand to get her attention, but she seemed to not notice and to prefer the cats.

Then when he did get it, he tried to flirt, but again, the woman didn’t seem interested.

Now, here she was speaking to him as she walked around his house.

“I don’t know if you know who Net is… I think she was your great, great, great, great niece or something like that,” She rambled. “But anyway, she died recently. She was great, the nicest woman you could ever meet. She and her husband, Billy were like my parents. I took care of them and they took care of me.” She looked around the rooms as she spoke.

“They didn’t have any child or family, so they left everything to me. If they had more family, I would have happily given them it all, but they don’t. Even though the living world says the property is mine now, it will always be yours. I am just here to take care of your cats and cottage. It is my choice, I don’t have anything else to do, I have no family, but I do love cats.” She smiled to herself.

“I have three of my own Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, all girlies. I named them after the good fairies from Sleeping Beauty. I don’t know if you know what that is…” He felt like laughing as she rambled on to the invisible presence about the fairy tale.

“It is my favourite and was my mum’s. So my Gran named me after Princess Aurora. My name is Briar Rose Clifford, but everyone calls me Bee.”

He knew the story because it was one of his two sisters favourites.
Despite him finding her presence amusing, he watched her eagle-eyed, making sure she didn’t steal anything as the girls did.

“This house is great, other than the dust, you would never know it had been empty so long. I will definitely be back and clear up. I can clear the windows to let light in too and maybe if you want I can bring some of your cats to see you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they don’t break anything. I can talk to cats too, you know? I was brought up by them.”

Oliver was unsure what she meant, but was happy at least his cats would be well taken care of.

“Net left me lots of money, so I can feed all the cats as well as mine. She and Billy are probably watching me now thinking I’m crazy, but that doesn’t matter. My cats are like my babies, family and only friends.” He was surprised by that. Surely such a friendly, beautiful woman would have many friends. Though in his time her mother probably would have scolded her for talking so much. But he enjoyed it. He had never met a woman quite like her.

“Before I forget,” She seemed to sober.

She reached in her pocket and pulled out an object which had made him want to kill for the first time.

“I guess this is yours,” She place the small portrait on the side table by the bed.

“I found it in a store in town. The shop keeper just had it on display to everyone. He didn’t even ask the girl where she got it, he just brought it from her. Bastard!” He was shocked by her words but more thankful she was returning his sister to him.

“I found it by accident. But I was drawn to it. I had to buy it. I was going to return it to her family, but I guess you are her only family now. So…” She trailed off.

“She was very beautiful,” She added before leaving the room and then the house. He didn’t follow this time.

**

Clint seemed surprised to see her come out smiling and unharmed.

The pair returned to the caretaker’s cottage and spoke about what she was going to do. She told him she was returning to the city tomorrow and she would be back in about a week maybe less. He gave her his number told her when she returned to contact him and he would help her with the gas and other stuff she needs help with.

After about an hour he left, leaving her alone. She decided to stay in the caretaker cottage for the night. Apart from needing a little airing it was fine.

As promised, she returned outside to the cats after he had gone, with four large bowls of cat food in hand. She had brought the food when she brought hers earlier remembering all the strays.

Only this time instead of several cats, there was a dozen. Including the small one, she had named Ginger. Ginger was the first to run over to her. The others seemed more cautious, but when they saw their little friend eating they soon joined.

“Aren’t you just the most handsome little kitty?” She now sat on the grass with the cats chatting away and with Ginger sat on her lap.

**

Oliver found himself watching Bee for the rest of the night. She spent hours playing and feeding the cats, before heading inside the smaller cottage.

When she said, she could speak to the cats he didn’t actually believe her. But watching her earlier he was beyond shocked by what he saw. She spoke not only English to them but also spoke to the smaller ginger in a series of meows and similar noises. The ginger cat replied, meowing back.

What on earth? He had thought at the time. He had no idea what or how she did it, but by the time she left the next day she had half of his cats in love with her.

**

She didn’t return for five days. He didn’t know why, but he and the cats had all been awaiting her.

Will she even return?

Maybe she had found something better to do?

Maybe she had found a husband?

She was the right age, what man wouldn’t want to marry a beautiful person such a Briar Rose? He had thought all these and more.

Normally he would spend his time roaming the grounds of his property in the guise of a black tom cat. That way he could be with his beloved animals. Being dead was lonely. But not so much when he had his cats.

He, like Bee, could speak to them and the ginger tom impartial had told him about what the woman spoke about.

Apparently, she had literally been raised by cats. Her parents had been killed in an accident. But at the time her mother was actually still pregnant with her. The Doctor’s managed to cut the baby out and save it before it too died.

She was given to her only living relative, her grandmother.

The first year or so was fine. But soon the old woman started forgetting things. Quickly, it became so bad that she even forgot her granddaughter.

Thankfully, the old woman was a bit of a cat lady and had several cats, which she never forgot to feed. Bee along with the cats lived in a dark, small room. The old lady had dementia and didn’t know what was happening and never realised one of the cats wasn’t normal.

Four years later the social services came to put the grandmother into care. But also found a five and a half year old girl naked, on all fours and living with the cats.

Oliver thought for sure his small friend told him was wrong, he must have misunderstood.

That could never happen, surely?

He had never heard anything like it.

He was sat in the sun with his friends when, only five days since she left, when Bee returned.

He sat back and watched as she moved a dozen boxes into the small cottage. But not before letting three fat cats out, telling them to stay nearby. They meowed a yes back and explored the garden, whilst their master moved boxes.

Surprisingly, his cats approached the three and in minutes it was as if they had always been friends.

The fat cats were very happy and friendly, speaking a lot, just like their master. Oliver could almost laugh at that. But approaching them he soon found out what Ginger had told him was true.

She was taken out of the house after that and the cats re-homed.

Bee spent a lot of time with Doctors and people learning to be a real girl and learning to talk.

At the age of eight when she had finally caught up, she was put in a group home, where she lived until she was eighteen. That is when she first met his relatives.

They had refused to let her have cats at the home but as soon as she left she got three. Three sisters.

Oliver took a step back and watched the woman for the next few hours prepare the dozen bowls of food for the cats and a large trough of water.

That night she went to sleep with not only her own cats, but Ginger and a couple of others all curled around her on the bed.