Picking a teaser scene from the complete Grimalkin Academy: Kittens series is hard - which is best? A best friend scene, a romance scene, a kitten scene? There are just too many to choose from! I ended up picking a romance-kitten scene (which sounds wrong, but it isn't, promise!)
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Copyright 2019 Laura Greenwood
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A knock sounds at the door, drawing me out of my little kitten loving haze. I don't know what it is about them, but I'm captivated. At this rate, I'm going to start thinking I somehow imbued them with a love potion.
"Coming," I shout, wondering who it can be. Daphne would just have walked in. She has no respect for personal space, something I definitely expect from having a best friend.
I pull the door open and blink a couple of times.
"Can I come in?" Caspian asks, his voice rasping through me and making my heart do a weird somersault.
"Erm, sure. How did you get into the flat?" As far as I know, the front door has a lock on it just like my bedroom does.
"Your friend let me in. She called me Thomas." He frowns.
"That's Mr Smith," I say. "I told her he was helping me with the kitten situation."
"Ah, that makes sense. So, may I? Or would you prefer to have this conversation in your doorway?" The words should sound sarcastic, and yet they don't. I think he probably would have this conversation right where we're standing if he thought it'd make me more comfortable.
"Come in, but watch out for the kittens," I warn.
"Kittens? As in more than one?"
I sigh. "I made another one in potions," I admit.
"That only gives me more questions."
I chuckle. "I was cleaning up my friend's mess. Or trying to."
"Ah. Do they have names?" He sets the bag he's carrying on the floor, and both kittens run straight over to it, sniffing and pawing at the plastic.
"The one from yesterday is Rhubarb. The ginger one is, erm, Ginger." Now I'm telling someone, it seems like a stupid name. And one that's far too obvious.
"Was one of the ingredients you used today ginger by any chance?" he asks.
I nod. "I think that's why it came out this way."
"You don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, do you?" he teases.
I hang my head in shame. "I don't have the first idea about where to start." And my online searches just led to me staring at cat memes for three hours. Hardly productive research.
"Luckily for you, I do. I brought you everything you need."
"You...what?"
Instead of answering, he dug into the bag and pulls out what looks like a cushion. He places it in the corner next to the radiator, and both kittens plough into it.
"They really like what you brought."
"They should, everything is designed for kittens." He hands me a book from his bag.
"A beginner's guide to kittens?" I read the title to him.
"You said you didn't know anything about them, it seemed sensible to start at the beginning."
"I'm not going to lie, you may be on to something there." I sit down on the floor and cross my legs, aware of how low down it makes me compared to him. I hope he gets the message and sits with me, it could be awkward if not.
Thankfully, he does, and our knees brush against one another as we sit side by side.
"What else did you bring?" I ask.
"Not much. Some toys, kitten food, a food and water dish. Just the stuff you need to get started."
"Thank you," I whisper. "I don't understand why you're doing this, but thank you." My hand almost flies to my mouth in an attempt to shove the words back in, but I refrain. I don't want to draw any more attention to what I'd said than I have to.
"Maybe I saw a pretty girl in need and I wanted to help. Or maybe I really like cats. Or, there is this remote possibility that I'm just a new guy here who wants to makes friends rather than be the odd one out."
"And your choice of friend is a girl who magically creates cats when she tries to do magic?" I raise an eyebrow.
Rhubarb chooses that moment to come up to the two of us and jump about. I think he wants to play, but I'm still learning his mannerisms, so I'm not entirely sure about that.
Caspian isn't phased, and picks up one of the toys, moving it back and forth so the stuffed mouse on the end wiggles about in front of the kitten.
"Is that a mouse on a stick?" I ask, completely forgetting about my other question.
"Yes. And as for making friends with a girl who conjures cats...I think there's more to people than what they can and can't do. Just because your magic does this, it doesn't mean I shouldn't be your friend. Nor does it mean we won't get on well. I'm more interested in you than in your magic, Mona."
Grimalkin Academy: Kittens
Paranormal Academy, Complete Series
A completed paranormal/fantasy academy (non-bully) series following witch, Mona, as she battles with a curse that leaves her producing kittens instead of doing spells, black magic, and a jailbreak. Part of the Obscure World.
Series Overview:
Heat Level: Low - Relationship Type: Whychoose - Build: Slow - Point of View Character: Single first person POV, same throughout the books - Cliffhangers: Yes (complete series) - Tense: Present
