Chapter 127 - Cat and child abuse

"What's going on?" Clara stared at her own reflection in the mirror and splashed her flushed face with water repeatedly.

Even though she asked herself what's going on, she couldn't find an answer to it. She knew it's nothing serious if she just pointed out the shirt to Leo, she's the one that's taking it as a big deal, or perhaps her heart that's beating like crazy and still refuses to calm down.

She bit down on her lower lips and began using her elemental powers. She controlled some of the water from the tap, making it floating above her right hand.

It formed a ball shape with ripples in between, looking kind of blueish, unlike the white liquid that was dripping from the tap a while ago.

She smiled softly and created a fireball with her other hand, controlling it to circle around the water ball in a fast motion and seeing the water starting to boil hot.

"Clara are you there?"

"Mummy?"

Clara didn't know how long she had been there, but quickly extinguished the fire and let the water down.

Her head is all cleared now, "I'm here." she said and splashed her face with water before opening the door and this annoying Leo seems to want her to turn pink today.

He has changed into the shirt she chose before running away.

Her deep black eyes bored into her own, with his broad chest and dreamy body being hugged tightly by the shirt.

Leo grinned making her realize that she's drooling right now. It was just as she imagined.

The shirt is perfect.

Oh lord! When did he get so handsome. It's not like I'm seeing him for the first time, yet he seems to look so different.

Or is there something wrong with my eyes?

"Mommy?" It was Belle who called her name this time, not seeming to understand why Clara had her lips parted and just staring at Leo.

Clara realized that she was dazed for the second time and cleared her throat, "hmm hmm. You changed into it." she stated the obvious.

Leo could tell that he's blushing right now, as he smiled with his eyes and had his lips in a thin line, "what do you think?" he asked.

If someone told him Clara could look like this in front of him, he would deny it with his life on the line.

But he knew that he shouldn't push her. He wanted her to slowly fall for him to the extent that she will be the one waiting for him to confess.

He could tell that she's just starting to notice him and might also be related to Belle, so he didn't want to make a mistake and decided to let nature take its course.

"It's perfect." Clara said and offered him a tight smile, which he responded to, with a sweet one.

"Let's go and get something to eat. We've been on this all morning." Leo said and picked up Belle, who has been staring at them with a confused expression, but knew when to stay quiet.

Clara saw how Leo's arm muscle rose and fell during the stretching as he picked up Belle and gulped.

Why on earth is she noticing all these now?

They trained together and those didn't bother her when it's exposed. 

Why now?

Clara shook her head and felt pissed at herself. She walked past him and headed out, while Leo followed behind.

...

Inside a brown average house, that didn't exude wealth nor poverty, but could be considered okayish, a little girl around 7 years of age was sitting down on a green couch with her iPad in her hand.

She had a brown cat in her embrace, who concentrated on what the girl was doing on the phone, as if he understood what she's doing, while enjoying the constant rubbing of his fur, by the girl who's giving her attention to the cat and her phone.

The little girl who has blonde wavy curl hair, and cute petite face, had her blue eyes widened as she heard the voice of her stepmother behind her.

"Your father just called that he won't be coming home today Rachael." That was what the woman, who has shoulder length black hair and light brown eyes that was looking sharp at the little girl, said.

The girl knew that hell will rain on her today. That's what happens when her father isn't around, but she never gets used to it, as it hurts a lot.

Her heart beat loudly against her chest as she slowly set the cat on the couch and stood up to face her evil stepmother who was walking closer and closer.

"Ha! Ha!..... please." The little girl named Rachael pleaded as the woman just got hold of both her ears and squeezed it.

"I told you not to let this cat step on the couch that I clean. Are you deaf or what?" the woman said and squeezed her ear more, which earned her a loud scream from the girl, which in turn earned her a threatening growl from the cat.

The little girl felt her heart skipped. She's not the only one that's getting a good beating, her cat isn't safe from her harassment as well.

She threatened to kill the cat if she breathed a word to her father, and the girl could only find one lie or another to cover up for her fever and light bruises.

"Did he just growl at me?" the woman asked in disbelief, releasing the girl's ears, which has turned red in hue.

With tears in her eyes, "no, he's not growling at you." she said, but the cat is still looking so furious and glaring at the woman.

Within a blink of an eye, the woman grabbed the iPad on the couch and aimed at the cat, managing to deal a heavy blow, which sent the cat rolling onto the floor and making a weak growl.

"Pompom!" the girl screamed and tried to go carry her cat, but the woman pulled her by her hair.

Immediately the cat saw this, it sprung up and jumped at the woman with his claws raised high, which delivered a scratch to the both sides of the woman's face.

She screamed in pain and quickly released the girl's hair and reached her hands to her bloody face.

The little girl picked the cat and ran, crying as the cat was bleeding as well. 

Immediately she opened the door, her hair got grabbed again, "Pompom run!" she screamed and released her cat, before turning to face the woman and prevent her from following her cat, because she knew that she would kill it.

Her usual fearful eyes were nowhere to be found as she glared at the woman and breathing heavily. "I won't let you hurt pompom." she said threateningly, not caring that her hair is still being pulled.

…..

It was late and Leo, Clara and Belle were just returning home when Belle screamed, "daddy stop the car!"

Leo did as she said, while Clara looked outside the window and saw a ferocious looking cat that was bleeding.

Her eyes marred with anger immediately.

"Is that a…" Belle searched her head to recall the name for this species that she had seen from one of the drawings from her grandmas'.

"Cat." Clara said and opened the door.