Chapter 1
Ari didn't believe cats can be pure evil.
The point of emphasis is didn't.
The last time she checked on him was about thirty minutes ago, in that short duration of time, he had already unleashed it's full fury upon the poor roll of toilet paper.
"Captain Sushi!" She chided as she picked up the fat tabby from the sea of shredded paper.
Captain Sushi, however, did not seem to share her exasperation and peered up at her with wide glossy eyes before meowing indignantly and twisting out of her grip. Landing on the wooden floor once more as light a feather before trotting off, pleased with his handiwork.
Rolling her eyes, Ari sighed and glanced at the entitled tabby perched on cat tree back in it's play pen. It seemed to have lost interest in the paper and opted to play with his cat toys instead.
"Cats are such a pain..." She murmured as she gingerly cleaned up the wads of paper while breathing in expensive toilet cleaner.
Ari has no idea why she agreed to be a pet-sitter for some snotty rich family's spoilt cat. Not only is she allergic to them, she doesn't even like them in the first place!
Keep lying to yourself Ari. You know you need the money. A tiny voice in her head said and she batted it away. She doesn't need it reminding her of the reason why she's here working a full time job when people her age are on holidays right now.
Like the house itself isn't enough of a reminder itself.
The glassy windows of the magnificent penthouse displayed the stunning view of the cityscapes, right in the bustling heart of the city, high up enough to not hear the noise, but low enough to see the passing pedestrians. The indistinct lapping of water from the built in pool aka jacuzzi played in the background.
This house itself must have cost millions, heads and heels over the shabby apartment building she lives in. She wasn't ashamed of the way she lived, but it sure is quite a comparison. Especially since her car is almost as old as she is.
The idea of going to her dream high school as soon as the holidays end is the only reason she's still clinging on right now. Watering the plants, pet-sitting the cat and even cleaning the house daily without fail and writing reports after reports and sending pictures and videos.
After she had finally gotten the mess cleaned up, she was debating on if she should watch TV or read a book when the crisp doorbell of the penthouse rang. The penthouse occupying the entirety of the top floor, did not welcome much visitors, so she was curious as to who it might be.
Captain Sushi hissed at the door as it opened, revealing a handsome guy with pure golden blond hair which can also be described as cheerleader-pompon-shade golden. The most startling feature about him, however, was his baby blue eyes, so faint it looked almost grey.
"Err, you must be the pet-sitter. I'm Evan, you can call me Van or literally any other variation of my name if you want. I'm Maddy's brother" He introduced, but reiterated when he saw the look of confusion on Ari's face.
"Madison's brother. You know the one who hired you? Yeah, that one. Just wanted to let you know that she's coming in like... ten minutes." He said and gestured, trying to get his message across.
In all honesty, Elias was cute. He's all tall and proper but acts all awkward when it comes to social interactions. If you squint hard enough, you might even see a tail because of how much golden retriever energy he gives out.
"Okay? Erm... thanks? Are you coming in or?"
"Nah. I'm good. I live downstairs. Siblings stuff. Just here to give you a heads up." he said and stepped back into the elevator which he had been holding open with his extremely long legs.
Watching him disappear behind the closing doors, Ari stood in shock for a bit for her brain to recalibrate. She came back to when Captain sushi decided he had enough and meowed loudly in the background, reminding her of all the things she procrastinated out of doing.
She is screwed, big time...
