In All of Infinity by H. R. Holt Page A

and stood on the porch, a puddle gathering around her.
There were three cats gathered on the bench, two of which were wet.
She laughed at Euclid, the only one who was dry. He was the smart
one of the bunch, and the only surviving cat that had belonged to
her mother. The other two were younger, one, Apollo, was white with
a bushy gray tail and face; the other, Aries, was orange and slim.
They had sparked her interest in animals.
     
    She opened the door for them, waiting for
each cat to step inside and rush towards the fireplace. As soon as
they did, she walked in and lit up the fire for them, then rushed
upstairs, bag and all, to her bedroom. She checked the books to
make sure they were dry and changed her clothes, still smiling
about her run through the rain.
     
    When she stepped from her room, she heard a
shuffling noise from upstairs. Unable to avoid her desire to check
the attic any longer, she took the necklace from around her neck
and began walking down the hall, still drying her hair with one
hand. The hallway wasn’t completely dark because of the windows
looking towards the yard, but she still had to strain her eyes to
see.
     
    Before she could turn the key, her heart
pounding a mile a minute, she heard a knock on the door. She jumped
and flung the towel onto the stand beside the door, knocking over a
candle. Retrieving it and picking up the candle, she rolled her
eyes and began making her way down the hall, wondering who would be
knocking. Virginia? Oh, she hoped not.
     
    Reverie smiled as she imagined how her
outfit would sicken the pompous “lady.” Her father wouldn’t mind
her being dressed in blue jeans, a black button-up blouse, and last
year’s worn-out shoes because he knew she felt comfortable in them.
The school uniform was uncomfortable, almost as if they were
designed to make you feel awkward.
     
    Reverie hated the uniform, told her father
so at breakfast, and he smiled. He had figured such was the case,
even though he’d refrained from asking her. Whenever he asked her a
question, she was tempted to give him the truth. Of course, last
night had been different. She’d told him the truth, but he’d gotten
onto her anyway. It wasn’t like she questioned him about every
little thing, but she could tell when he wasn’t telling her the
truth.
     
    When she reached the front door, she pressed
her head to the door and asked who was there while her hand rested
on the doorknob. She didn’t hear anyone. Instead of waiting for a
response, she opened the door and a hand came out of the darkness,
grabbing hold of her neck. He raised her into the air and she
looked down at him, realizing she’d never seen him before. Most men
she knew had hair, but this man was bald and had dark green eyes
that stared at her, not caring in the slightest that he was choking
her. He smiled.
     
    Reverie kicked his face, his stomach, but he
wouldn’t let go. He squeezed tighter. As she used her hands to try
and release his hold, he threw his head back and began laughing.
She felt herself growing weak, wanting desperately for her father
to return. She began crying and she realized that she could no
longer kick, merely flail wildly without any results. The man
laughed louder as she closed her eyes, slipping into what she was
sure was her death.
     
    “Hey, Goliath!”
     
    She opened her eyes and saw Isaac standing
at the doorway. He looked at her for a second, offered a smile, and
then turned back to the man. The expression he wore on his face was
one she hoped he would never use on her, wondered if he’d ever used
it on the opposing team before. After all, didn’t one have to be
aggressive to play sports, especially football? Reverie blinked,
realizing the oxygen to her brain was almost diminished. She didn’t
care about football.
     
    “I tell you what, Goliath: I’ll let you walk
away without any serious injuries if you put her down,” Isaac said
and grinded his fist into his hand. Did he know what he was