Bella's Arc

Chapter 5 of 13

Bella sat in the mess of pillows and stared at the closed door. A new plan rose in her small, stubborn heart. If they would not come out, she would go in. She crept to the clock and pushed her paw against the tiny door. It swung open with a soft click. Warm light spilled out. Bella blinked. Inside the clock was a room — a real, tiny room. A little iron stove glowed with a candle flame, throwing soft heat onto the wooden floor. Beside it stood a strange shower made from an old coffee press, water dripping in thin, sparkling lines into a copper dish. In the corner sat a woven basket. Two purple grapes leaned against two foil-wrapped chocolates. Two strips of beef jerky stuck up like little logs. Bella's whiskers twitched. They had food. They had warmth. They had water. They had everything. The boy twin peeked from behind a tiny doorway inside the clock. His tongue stuck out at her. His cheeks were pink with laughing. Behind him, the girl twin sat high on a small shelf, knees pulled up, giggling so hard her shoulders shook. Bella's tail drooped. She understood now, deep in her bones. The twins were never coming out. They did not need to. They had built a whole life in there, snug and safe, where her paws could not reach and Marella would never look. She backed away from the little door. It swung shut on its own, soft and final. Bella sat on the carpet, alone in the quiet room. Catching them was over. If she wanted Marella to see, she would have to bring Marella to the clock itself.