Encounter

Bones leapt from my arms and slithered around the legs of a decorative table to the door. His tail sashayed as he slinked against its extravagant frame. Natural wood molding framed the sides with two curved pieces carved into cattails atop the entry. A cardinal sat majestically in between the two cattails. I was in awe at it's beauty and didn't dare move forward. The room smelled familiar but I couldn't quite place it. It was a flowery fragrance and brought back memories of home. The image of my mother spending long Summer days tending to her gardenias came forth to my mind. It left me quickly as I noticed Bones scratching at the elegant door.

"Don't do that," I said crossing the room, "Your claws will leave marks." I guess it doesn't really matter though since this is my dream anyway. I scooped him up just as the large door swung open. A man, Arkis, met my eyes. His handsome face a perfect replica of the photos on his profile. Damn my memory is good. I stood hunched over gawking at his gorgeous blue eyes. He peered into mine then lowered his gaze to Bones. My heart twinged at the awkwardness.

"That is the cutest cat I've ever seen. I had no idea we were bring pets or I would have brought my cat Bravo. Can I pet him," he said excitedly, his voice deep and endearing. He reached for my cat, who hopped freely into his arms.

"Um...hi." I fumbled, standing straight up. A knowing smile spread across his face as he pet Bones. He stepped to the side inviting me in. My body moved stiffly, hand over foot, hand over foot.

Then the door shut behind us. I now stood in a large suit. Off the the side I could see a set of French doors left open to see a large king side bed. In front of me a sitting room with frilly furniture and the other side a kitchen. The kitchen extended out into a dining area where another set of French doors led out to a balcony. My brain felt overwhelmed.

"How was your trip?" He asked letting Bones down. Arkis turned to face me but my eyes were still locked on my little traitor. Words had left me.

"Since she seems unable to answer I will, our trip was fine." The cat spoke in a monotone voice. The cat can talk. A cat can speak. Speaketh doth the cat.

"I don't think she knew you could speak my friend. You're scaring her look at her face. She's gone pale." Arkis scolded the talking cat. My talking cat.

"He talks. Since when does he talk? This is the weirdest dream of my life. I need to wake up from this dream." I pinched my arm fiercely. Pain. Arkis reaches for my hand swiftly. A deep red mark was left behind. It would probably bruise.

"Don't do that. He can't normally talk. Don't freak out." He calmed though it didn't really do anything.

"He just talked. I passed through a mirror from my apartment and came to an elevator. It's a dream. Tell me this is a dream. You can't walk through mirrors with your talking cat sidekick. That's like not a thing right." Word vomit spewed from my mouth. There was no controlling it's spillage as I began to process.

"It's not a dream. Though I am dreamy," he snickered, I glared at him, "Right not the time for flirting. Your cat can't like speak English. He's just speak in his native tongue. My home has the latest translation technology. I am also not speaking English but I sound like I am. Listen to me carefully, I know you're a little bit confused since this is your first time using Portal."

"Confused!? The cats talking and you're telling me I'm confused. My mind is blown. Translation technology, I've never even heard of that." I interrupted. He stood quietly for a moment. The gently he took my hand and guided me to sit on one of the chair in the living area. He placed a small blanket on my lap. Maybe he thought I was cold because I was shaking so much. Then he took his seat next to mine. A small table sat between us holding a small fake plant. I looked around for Bones but he had run off somewhere to hide.

"Well the cat talking isn't the only big change for you. Right now we aren't on Earth," he paused long enough for my face to shift though several emotions, "Portal allows users to meet people from different planets. You are on Nova. That is my home world. Nova is also the base world for Portal. If you read the terms and conditions it would give you all this information. I mean seriously what's with Earthlings." He fell silent. I suppose it was so I could process things.nothing he said really made sense to me. Maybe he's delusional. Can I even trust this guy?

"No one reads the terms and conditions. Anyone who says the do is a bold face liar. Why would you put it there. Who wants to sift through eight pages of legal jargon. No thanks." I spoke calmly. His eyes glistened under the bright sun. No suns. I could see the outline of two in the distance, though I didn't look directly at them.

"If you read it in this instance it might have saved you some trouble." He flashed a sarcastic smile. My heart fluttered for just a moment but my skepticism returned. Something about him made me want to trust him. He was extremely charismatic and that is a quality I really like in men.

"So like, if that's true how do I get home?" Now somewhat worried this would be a long term thing. I still had to finish my rough draft for the article and rent was due soon.

"You just click return home on your app. Don't worry I'll walk you though if. I understand if you want to reschedule since you seem a little bit overwhelmed by everything." He said confidently.