The Vampire's Apprentice

"Miss Kitty," Clancy said, a note of warning in his tone. "You did not truly tell me anything, and you know it. What was the cause of your panic?"
 
Clancy stood, taking his cup in his hands. "Very well," he said simply. "Good night, Miss Kitty." He walked out of the kitchen and up toward his office. It was not so much what Kitty was not telling him as the sheer fact that she was defying him and refusing to tell him something he wanted to know. That kind of defiance needed to be addressed in a stubborn familiar.
 
Kitty glared at the wall opposite to her for a good while after he'd left. Then she found some dinner and went to bed. No questions tonight.
 
Clancy worked through the night. Then, before he went to bed, he checked to make certain there was food in the refrigerator. Satisfied she had enough, he keyed a code into the home security system. By the time he went down for the night, every door and every window was locked tight. Kitty would not be able to leave unless she chose to break a window, which would set off the alarm and get her arrested. That was up to her.
 
Funny. He thought he was funny. Just hilarious. Kitty was clearly laughing. Very clearly laughing.

It was too bad her sarcasm wouldn't work when it was only herself.

Too annoyed for breakfast, she plopped down on one of the kitchen chairs and snatched the note off the table to read it.
 
Miss Kitty,

Please ensure you keep the floors clean from the dog. Also, most of the surfaces are dusty in this house. Please sweep and dust. The books need re-shelved and properly orginized. If you have time after cleaning the house, catalogue them.

I noticed you have not gotten the dog a bone. Please do so next time you go out.

CMC
 
She scoffed. What had she expected? An apology? This was intentional, and she knew it.
Kitty nodded. She'd play along. Spend her day being thorough, cleaning the nooks and crannies and keeping the house relatively spotless from the dog. She organized the books and still had time, so the girl decided—in defiance more than recompense—to clean more than he had asked of her. For instance, the glass on the windows, doorknobs, the general carpet. She was not to be broken so easily.
Evening dawned and the entire place smelled more of cleaning fluids than anything else. Kitty was asleep on the couch, completely exhausted.
 
Clancy rose to find everything sparkling. Everything... except for a mess on the floor Sam had apparently made shortly after Kitty had fallen asleep. Clancy shook Kitty's arm. "Miss Kitty. Wake up."
 
Kitty swatted at his hand in reflex and sat up, realizing a half second too late that it was him. She sighed.
 
"Your dog made a mess on the floor," Clancy said cooly, indicating the very sheepish looking hound. "Clean it up." He turned and walked away."
 
Without grumbling, she did as had been asked. Kitty did not question him or his reasons for locking the house; if he was to tell her, he would, yet there was no expectancy for him to. What little resentment there was to have, Kitty kept it to herself.
 
Clancy completely ignored her as he workex. He waited until she seemed about ready to go to bed before saying, "I am displeased with your ordering of the books. Tomorrow, do them all by the Dewey decimal system."
 
"I will." Kitty had stopped by his work space before bed. From the sound of things, he did not intend to let up any time soon. Not until some obscure point was proven to her, which, at the moment, she did not appear to see. This silent dare she took willingly, having survived far worse. "I have three questions to ask before bed. Assuming you'll still answer them." What with being annoyed at me and such.
 
Clancy took off his glasses. "Certainly," he agreed calmly. "That is perfectly fine with me. I shall go first. What caused your panic attack?"
 
"We're still doing this, huh?" Kitty understood, now. He wanted an answer. "Something from my past, and I'm keeping it to myself."
 
"I suppose this is the exception." Kitty replied evenly. She turned away as well, removing herself from his presence.
 
"You will learn there are no exceptions," Clancy said calmly even though he doubted she could hear. He was patient. You couldn't get to over two hundred years old without learning patience.
 
The next day was more of the same. Most of her time was spent organizing the books—a considerably easy task, having spent a lot of time in the library. That and any other strange objective he might have set before her. In whatever free time she had, Kitty spent it reading or playing with Sam; though one prevailed more than the other. She waited on her bed until dusk.
 
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