Chapter 205: The Past [11]

"Kittens?" Annabeth said, puzzled, before looking at me as if I had to explain myself, but I was just as confused.

"It came with a note, young miss."

Young Miss. She was talking to me.

I gulped and pushed to my feet, walking to the door. I took the basket from her, and my heart melted when I saw the kittens inside.

One had brown fur, and the other was pure white. They both had blue eyes too.

"Are you sure this is for me?" I asked just to be sure, even though I was so close to cuddling these beautiful tiny creatures in my arms.

This could be for Annabeth. It wouldn’t be the first time gifts have been sent to her from a secret admirer.

"It’s yours."

I shot my eyes at the maid. Then who could—!

"Are you sure that’s for her?"

At the sound of the voice, I looked to my sister.

"I’m not expecting a package, but that doesn’t mean they are not meant for me." She rested her hands on her thighs. "Bring it here, Ana. I think I had someone who promised me kittens and I’ve been waiting for them like forever."

"Oh..." I murmured.

I knew it was too good to be true.

"Actually, it’s for Miss Anastasia," The maid said with certainty. "The note has her name on it."

Annabeth’s smile faltered momentarily; she pushed to her feet and took three steps to us.

"May I?" She stuck out her hand for the note, and it was given to her. "Thank you, Mary. You may leave."

Mary nodded and left us.

Annabeth saw the name written on the note with a beautiful handwriting of my full name. Anastasia.

Annabeth giggled. "I don’t understand, Ana, why would anyone send you this? Must be a prank, right?"

She opened the note, reading the contents. "Who is Z?"

I froze. Z? Wait, that’s not possible! I took the note and read it for myself.

It was a late birthday gift from Zade, but he just used the initial Z, making it more mysterious... and kinda romantic.

Wait, wait, wait! How does he know where I live? I never told him that!

"Ana?"

I blinked at Annabeth. "Hm?"

She smiled softly at me before taking the basket, walking to the bed, and sitting down. She took them out one by one.

"Aww, they are so tiny and so cute! What are you gonna name them?" She brushed their fur.

"I-I haven’t thought about that yet." I sat opposite her, eyeing the kittens.

My mind was still trying to process this.

"Come on, you have to!" She reasoned. "After all, you were expecting this... package."

I scoffed and mumbled under my breath. "No, I wasn’t."

"I have an idea," Annabeth said, holding the kitten that looked like a fluffy chocolate. "Remember that game we played when we were little? We had boba tea for the first time."

I couldn’t help smirking at that memory. "And I kept leaving the boba balls out so that I could shoot them at you with the straw."

"Yeah, and Jacob ended up being the target."

"And I ended up choking on one of those boba balls. It was really terrifying."

"Oh, and Jacob kept screaming—!"

"I’ve been shot!" We both pitched in unison before laughing.

As the seconds passed, my laughter dialed down to chuckles, and I realized how much I’ve missed this.

"So there you have it. Coco..." She raised the kitten and then nudged her head at the white kitten. "Boba. You love that tea after all, as long as you’re not trying to weaponize it."

I snorted, but then my throat felt tight. "Annie..." I began.

"Oh, Annie? Been a while since I heard that. Am I safe?"

"Look... It still hurts... what you did."

Her expression saddened instantly. "I know. And I know there’s nothing I can do to erase that." She placed her hand on mine.

"But you’re right," I replied. "I can’t let something like that get in the way of us. Ever since Mother died, we have only had each other. You’ve always been there for me even when Father was so busy trying to run the docks. Which is why it hurts so much, Annie. I felt betrayed."

"I’m never gonna forgive myself for that..." she murmured. "But look at the bright side. You forgive me, right? And that’s enough for me."

I forced a smile in reply.

"So are you gonna tell me?" she changed the topic so fast it felt as though she had been waiting for this moment.

"Tell you what?" I scooped Boba up, who was trying to get to the edge of the bed.

"Who Z is?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"He sounds like someone important. He sent you kittens after all. That’s a bold move."

I gulped. "A he? That’s a pretty wild guess."

"Oh come on, Ana." She rolled her eyes. "You’re obviously not into girls. So tell me, who is he? What’s his name? What kind of person is he? Is he rich, handsome?"

I pushed to my feet. "What do you think about a scratching post right here or a cat bed over there and maybe the water bowls?" I pointed at the areas. "They eventually get one, right?"

Annabeth still kept her smile when I faced her. It was very clear what I did there, and it got awkward.

She laughed.

"What’s funny?"

"Come on, Ana, you know there are no secrets between us." She stood and came closer. "Why start now?"

"This is something personal, alright? I’d appreciate it if you don’t try to pry."

She sighed, taking Boba from my hold and ambled toward the bed where the basket was. She placed them inside and then came back to me, holding my hands.

"You’re an adult, which means there can be things we can’t completely tell each other." She began in a sweet tone. "I understand that."

"But this is different. You’re my baby sister. The least you can do is tell me so that I can know you’re safe. That he’s safe." She shrugged. "Whoever he is."