Work Text:
"Can we keep her Mama." Laura's voice had a softness to it, when she ask her mother for favors against her father. He disagreed about whole matter, in having a cat inside the estate. However, Laura was his precious princess. Ernesto had a hard time saying no to his daughter, she had been given anything she liked as child. Nonetheless, an animal was something else. Ernesto disliked dogs, because they were smelly and wild. A cat was nothing better, they made noises and they got into trouble. But the small creature in Laura arms, look adorable in it own right. It was black by nature, with deep blue eyes that made hearts melt. "Do you plan to take care of it alone Laura, because I will allow it as long as it stays in your room." said Beatriz, she was fast to be pulled under by the small kittys charm. But Laura still need her fathers approval. "I promise to keep her in my room, can I have her now Papa?" Asked Laura, she looked her father with an innocent expression, hopping to win her father over. "Fine, but you keep her in you room Laura." Ernesto gave in, he allowed his daughter to have the one delight in her life. Laura rarely asked for much, anyway. Laura was sixteen years old, and cable off taken care of cat. "Thank you Papa!" Laura felt overjoyed by her fathers decision, she finally had a chance to keep a pet in the house without having to go down Ruben to keep it safe.
Laura held small creature to her chest, she taken the small kitty from box that been left on a country side road. While other kids had pick every kitty in the box, the small black creature had been left behind. They probably thought that she was bad luck, Laura knew that people had superstition to black cats, even out here people believed such nonsense, and so the small kitty was all alone when Laura had taken her home. Laura moved a hand up to touch silky fur, she looked down into two blue eyes that almost match her own as she smiled to small kitty. "You going to stay here, did you hear." Said Laura, she was about to head down the stairs, as she wanted to introduce her new friend to her younger brother. Ruben, he was not much off an animal person. However, Laura surely believe that if he help her with the kitten, than he like animals more. Regardless, her bother need something else to ease up on, and what better way than having a small pet to play with?
Laura passed down halls that lead her to the basements, she knew that Ruben was busy with some experiment, but she still wanted to see him. It was always cold and dim in the basement, ideal temperature for his experiments, the moldy walls gave the basement a smell off rooted plant live, while the cold kept the corpses fresh. Just earlier that morning, Ruben had slip outside through the kitchen back door. Out behind the estate Ruben kept small cages and traps, he check them each morning to make sure that no one knew about the animals that he so often killed behind closed doors. He had been so luck to find another stray dog in cage that morning, as he lured it to the basement with some left out meat, Ruben found that this dog had been a lot bigger than any other dog that came before it. Normally stray animals were skinny, sick and weak from weeks without proper food. But this dog, beat the odds. It did not take much of an effort to bring the dog into sedation, just a double dose of what he gave the cats, and than the dog slept silently.
With blood selves, and a scalpel in hand. Ruben had been fast to make a mess, he was about make another cut into blood stained fur when knocking sounded on steal doors. "Who is it, I am kind off busy right now." said Ruben, he did not even bother to look at the door. "It me, Ruben. I have something, or rather someone I want you to meet." Laura voice sounded from the other side off the door, she was already here. Well it was not early, and Laura always came down in the afternoon to spend time with Ruben. "Who? You know I don't like people in my laboratory, and this is not a good time Laura." It really wasn't, Ruben had stains of blood all over his hands and arms, he looked liked a murder, a killer. And he was not a sight for his sisters eyes, she yet to see that her brother was a morbid child.
"Well, it a new member of the family. Someone rather cute, who I want you to help me name." Laura's voice echoed from the other side of the door, she had hope to see Ruben, but he had not let her in. "Can I meet you upstairs in a bit Laura, I just have to finish up on something, and I will be ready?" Ruben went to the door, starring up at the small caged window at the top, Laura had no way off seen what he had been doing all day, but he still preferred that she did not see it. She had not seen death like he had, she did not need to see the sight off his cruelty towards living animals that walked onto estate ground. "Alright, meet us in my room when you are finish up Ruben." Laura called, she turned back, walking upstairs. "Now what are we going to name you?" Lauara said, more to herself than to the small cat in her arms. She flashed back up into her room, closing the door behind her as she headed to her bed, to give the small kitten sometime to move around. It was such cute creature, with the prettiest eyes that she had ever seen, even the fur was rather pretty for a small creature that lived in box for a while.
Laura had been struck with a feeling of love for the tiny cat, she simply had to bring it home. Nothing else, had been acceptble in her world. As the kitty began to move, it came up to cuddle in Laura's lap, purring softly as it automatically felt a sleep in Laura's lap. Laura's smile grew big, she let her fingers rest in the kitties fur, humming softly. It about five minutes later that a knocking sounded on the door to her room "Come in." Laura said, she looked to the door as Ruben came into the room, door closed behind him. He looked her with soft smile as he came up close "What did you want to show me?" He asked, it wasn't until he was up her side, that Ruben noticed the small cat in her lap. "Laura what is this?" Ruben asked. "Well it is cat, Ruben. I found her at the road that leads to Mr. Williams farm, they had been given kittens away and she was so small and cute that I simply had to give her a home." Said Laura, her eyes flashed with a bit of sadness. "It just did not feel right, you know to leave her alone like that, all the other ones had been taken away and she was all by herself with little food and water." Laura pet the kitten again, it opened its eyes, licking on her fingers with small meow. "Did you tell dad and mom about her?" Ruben asked, he sounded displeased, but he tried to hid it with a neutral voice. "Yes I did Ruben, they both agrees that I could keep her for as long as she stayed in my room." This was hard to believe, father had never said yes to any pets in the house, he hated dogs and he did like cats much either.
"Alright, as long as she keeps out of my room." Ruben said, he was not happy about this at all. How dared this creature take Laura attention. It had to be disposed of soon, or he lose his time with Laura, and Ruben did not want that, after all Laura was only home for the summer, she had moved to the city to attend a normal school for young girls. Ruben was going through an amount of mental plans as to how he could get the cat away without Laura knowing. "Ruben that is rude, but fine if you want it that way than fine I will keep Talia to myself." Laura said, she was to surprised to see Ruben behave like that, after all Ruben meant the world to her, however he had to learn that she was not his alone. "If that all than I like to spend time alone with Talia, she will need a bed and some toys to play with." Laura said, she looked at her brother with face that said that she wanted to be alone. "Alright, you know where to find me." Ruben said, he turned around leaving into his own room through the door that ran between their rooms. Ones it was closed, Ruben went on to throw a book onto the floor. He was anger, not a Laura but at the cat, it was in the way for the perfect summer that he wanted with his sister. Why did she have to take it? Ruben did not understand it, it was not fair that an animal had taken his sisters attention. He needed to find a way to kill that stupid creature.
Ruben walked over to his writing desk, sitting down Ruben found one of his journals, he began to write ideas down, plans. If he was going to dispose of the cat, it would happen at night while Laura slept. After all, he stay up late at times and she could not blame him if the cat simply had wondered off in the night, it was a perfect setup. Ruben did have some poison that he could mix into some milk and the cat would drink it without know, after that it would take no time to dispose of the cat.
In the late afternoon, Laura finally left her room to be with her brother. She felt that he owe her an apology for what he had said, so she went to find him. He was not in his room, so where had he gone. Laura began to look around, checking his usual hidden spots, Laura found Ruben down in the music lounge. He was sat by the piano, playing a favorite musical piece from Claude Debussy, Laura smile as she neared him, she came up and sat right next to him looking at his hands as they worked ivory keys. "I think you owe me something from before Ruben." Laura said, her tone polite and calm. "Like what? An apology? I still don't like it, sorry Laura." Ruben said, he turned his head to look at his sister, playing nice as something that he had got quite good at, and lying was almost second nature by now. "Next time, try to be a little more open minded Ruben, it can't hurt." Laura said, she lifted herself from the stool walking over to get her violin. "Now shall we play together?" She ask, Ruben made a nod as his eyes returned to the piano.
Dinner was past do, as day had turned to night. Ruben found himself in his room, Laura sitting on his bed reading fair tales for the both off them in German, they had spend the afternoon together with music, followed by Laura return to Talia. She give the small cat a meal, and sometime alone as she had gone to be with Ruben. They had played games for most of the evening, enjoying each other as time pressed on to nightfall. Laura yawned softly, she was tired almost too tired to get back into her room. "I think I return to my room for some sleep Ruben, don't stay up to late I want to go to the sunflower field tomorrow, okay?" Laura closed her book, placing it at her brothers nightstand, she drifted off his bed and into her own bedroom. "Goodnight Ruben." Laura said as she closed the door. "Goodnight Laura." Ruben's voice echoed from the other side, as the door closed. Laura was swift to change into her sleep wear, she sad down to do her hair by the mirror, fixing it into a loss knot so that it did not get to messy while she slept. Afterward, she made quick trip the bathroom and than she went to bed, bring Talia up with her to sleep.
Laura was blissfully asleep when Ruben opened the hallway door to her room, he picked into the darkness seen the small cat laying on her bed, awake from his intrusion. "Here kitty, come here." Ruben said, he placed a small bowl on the floor, it get the cat to jump bed from the bed and run into the hallway, Ruben left the door half open, after all he wanted it to look like Laura had forgotten the door. As soon as the cat was out, Ruben grabbed it by the neck, it made a low hiss but it was unable to harm Ruben in any serious way. Ruben ran off with it as fast as he could, he was fast to get down into his basement labratoty, throwing the cat to the floor. "You took her from me." Ruben said, door closed behind him. "You took her, and now you have to pay for it."
"Talia, please come out." Laura voice echoed as she looked all around her room, she has not been able to find the little cat since late night, and she was starting to get worried that she had got into trouble. "What with all the noise?" Ruben asked, entering her room, he looked tired, like he did not sleep at all. "Oh Ruben, it is Talia. I can't seem to find her at all, you have not seen her, have you?" Laura asked, she was looked sad, like she had lost something she really loved. "I'm sorry, but did she not stay in here last night?" Ruben ask, he only looked worried to play along, while he truly knew that the cat was not coming back after last night. "Maybe she ran off, I saw your door half open last night when I went to bed, she could have ran out, and the servants might have thrown her out because they did not know about her." Ruben said he came over to comfort Laura with a hug, which she seemed to need. "Oh Ruben, she was so small, she could not have taken care of herself, will you help me look for her today?" Laura asked, she let go of her brother as she went to sit on her bed "Sure, but first we need something to eat, and than we can look on the way to the bran?" Ruben said, he gave Laura a smile. "That a good idea, let get ready Ruben."