Lost in Flight by Neeny Boucher Page A

her brother in disbelief.  “Boobs are women’s super powers against men, Dina, he said, “it’s simple.” 
    “You’re simple,” snorted Christina.
    “You are,” Johnny retorted.
    She glared at him, but he kept his face straight.  He had to be joking otherwise she was going to have to give him a smack down, so she tried a different track.  She went for the low-blow personal.
    “Really?  Most of your girlfriends have been pretty flat in that area, Johnny.  I thought you were immune.”
    She saw Johnny’s mouth quirk.  “Doesn’t mean I don’t look, Dina, or I’m immune.  I look .  It’s just what men do.  My women have other attributes.” 
    Christina stopped the sound that was about to escape her throat - the one that sounded like a cross between gagging on something and choking.  Attributes?  She didn’t know if she’d call those attributes.  Many of them were borderline psychotic, stick figures, with large dominant eyes, and serious mental health problems. 
    She could pick which woman Johnny was dating from all the gossip magazines just by looking at the pictures.  In the past, Christina had faced off with more than one of them and it hadn’t been pleasant.  Johnny was currently involved with an Italian model/actress named LiLi, but Christina hadn’t met her yet.  If she was anything like the others, Christina was quite happy to let the status quo remain. 
    As if he’d read her mind, Johnny looked up.  “You’ll be meeting her soon, Dina.  We’re planning on moving back to Seattle.  All of us:  Mandy and Dave, Sam and Lexie, hopefully, by the end of the year.”  Although he hadn’t mentioned the name, she knew that meant Riley would be moving back, too.
    She watched Johnny wipe his hands clean on a rag and throw it down.  “Well, that’s great news.  It’ll be nice for all of us to be in the same State.  Maybe we’ll get to see each other more often,” Christina said in her cheeriest, fake voice. 
    Johnny looked her directly in the eyes and smiled.  “That’s what I’m hoping for, Dina.  I want us all to be close again.”
    Both of them knew if Riley was in the picture that would be difficult or near impossible.  Unless, of course, they would both grow up and mend their differences?  Nope:  impossible.
     
    ********************
     
    As the day wore on, Johnny and Christina’s conversation took a turn into the twilight zone – not the one with sparkling vampires.  The other one: where things got weird.  “Dina, this is serious okay.  I’m not joking.” 
    Christina stared at her brother in horror and with increasing panic.  He was back on drugs.  It was the only possible explanation.  He had to be because this was just too bizarre – even for Johnny and Shanwick. 
    “So, let me get this straight,” she asked incredulously, “you are being haunted by an obese black and white cat?”
    “Not haunted,” Johnny groaned and rolled his eyes.  “More like visited.  It sleeps with me at night.  I was just wondering if you’d seen it too?”
    She rubbed her mouth and tried to keep her face impassive.  “Noooo.  I haven’t seen it, but it’s real right?  You can… touch it?” 
    Johnny gave her a strange look and screwed his face up.  “Of course I can touch it.  It’s not a fricking ghost cat or something.  It’s real.” 
    Trying to be diplomatic, Christina said, “I take a sleeping pill at night, Johnny, which is why I might not have seen the cat.” 
    Staring at her quizzically, Johnny asked, “Why do you do that?” 
    Christina shrugged her shoulders.  “To ensure I get a goodnight’s sleep.   Sometimes, I suffer from insomnia.” 
    She didn’t want to tell Johnny the real reason:  sometimes she suffered from nightmares and he featured prominently in them.  She hadn’t had one for a long time, not until Gabby’s misfortune brought them back.  The pills made sure they were kept at bay. 
    Christina was running