The Mischief of Medusa

Yvienna's fingers tapped impatiently on the couch as she sat beside her cousin, Dashylle. Her frustration was evident, her eyes narrowing with every passing second. "Where's my gift?!" she demanded, her voice tinged with annoyance. For the past few minutes, she had been arguing with him, trying to get him to hand over the present he promised her. But Dashylle was taking his sweet time, teasing her mercilessly.

He looked at her, his smirk impossible to ignore. "Okay, fine. Open it before it dies," he said, pretending to act as though it was the biggest chore in the world.

Yvienna's anger immediately shifted into excitement. She was practically bouncing in her seat. "Finally!" she squealed, her hands trembling with anticipation as she reached for the box. But just before she could open it, she froze.

"Wait... what do you mean before it dies?" she asked, her brow furrowing in suspicion.

Dashylle chuckled, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Just open it already!" he urged, unable to hide his amusement.

Her heart raced as she carefully lifted the lid of the box. Her eyes widened when she finally saw the contents. "Oh my gosh…" she whispered, unable to contain her joy. A sleek black Persian cat, with fur so soft it could have been spun from silk, stared up at her with large, emerald eyes.

"Thank you, brother!" Yvienna's voice broke with excitement as she scooped the cat into her arms, cradling it gently against her chest. She brushed her fingers through its fur, savoring the softness.

Dashylle watched her with a teasing grin. "Do you like it?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Of course!" she answered, her eyes never leaving the cat. She carefully inspected the small creature. "Is it a girl?"

"Yeah."

Yvienna's eyes lit up. "What's her name?"

Dashylle raised an eyebrow. "What will you name her?"

Yvienna looked down at the cat, her thoughts swirling for a moment. She smiled softly as the cat looked back at her, its eyes captivating. "Medusa," she decided, her voice almost a whisper.

Dashylle burst into laughter as soon as the name left her lips. "Medusa? Seriously?"

Yvienna gave him a pointed look, clearly unimpressed. "What's wrong with Medusa?" she asked, though the question was rhetorical. "I love it."

"Pfft! Hahaha! What the heck, Medusa?" Dashylle couldn't stop laughing.

Her patience wore thin, her eyes narrowing. "Don't laugh or I'll cut your tongue," she threatened, half-serious, half-joking.

The laughter immediately stopped, and Dashylle zipped his lips, still holding back a chuckle. "Medusa is a good name," he said, patting the cat's head.

Yvienna smiled softly, her gaze falling on the cat. "Thank you," she whispered to Medusa, who meowed in response as if acknowledging her gratitude. Yvienna lay back on her bed, the cat curling up beside her. "Are you sleepy?" she asked, but Medusa just meowed again, settling against her side.

Her heart felt light. After all the teasing and frustration, this moment of peace was everything she needed.

Just as she was about to drift off, her phone beeped. She groaned and picked it up, only to see a message from an unknown number.

Unknown Number:

Save my number.

Yvienna frowned, unsure of who it could be.

Me:

Who are you?

Unknown Number:

I'm your baby ;)

She rolled her eyes, irritation sparking inside her. 

Me:

I don't have a child.

Unknown Number:

You're funny, baby. :)

Her patience thinned. Was this some kind of joke? She tossed her phone aside, deciding to ignore it. But then, her phone rang, and she groaned.

She hesitated but answered anyway.

[Hi, baby.]

Yvienna's blood boiled. She froze. No way. Not him.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she pressed the phone to her ear, trying to maintain control. [Stop calling me that. I'm not your baby!] she snapped, her voice laced with annoyance.

[Okay, honey,] Kyle's voice teased, his chuckle only making her more irritable.

[Stop irritating me! I want to sleep!] she nearly shouted, the frustration building in her chest.

[Do you love sleep?] he asked, his voice light, teasing.

[Yes, and so?] she shot back, confused by the change in tone.

[Oh, hi, I'm Sleep!] he said, the words so corny they almost made her laugh.

Almost.

She felt a chuckle slip from her lips before she could stop herself. [You're so corny. I'm hanging up now.]

But before she could hang up, she found herself saving his number. Why? she wondered, but the thought was fleeting.

She put her phone down on the side table and snuggled back into bed, wrapping her arms around Medusa. "Let's sleep," she murmured, her voice soft and content as she closed her eyes.

The next morning, Yvienna woke up to an unpleasant sensation. Something was sticky on her face. Groaning, she opened her eyes, only to find Medusa licking her cheek. "What the hell, Medusa?!" she shrieked, jumping out of bed and rushing to the bathroom to wash her face.

"Why my face?!" she muttered as she splashed water on her cheeks. She wiped her face frantically, disgusted by the cat's unexpected affection.

After cleaning herself off, Yvienna returned to her bed, still grumbling under her breath. "Don't do it again, or I'll eat you," she warned, but Medusa just meowed, blissfully unaware of her owner's frustration.

Yvienna glanced at her phone again. The screen lit up with more missed calls and messages from Kyle. Sighing, she tossed the phone aside and carried Medusa downstairs, determined not to let Kyle's messages ruin her day.

Dashylle, ever the joker, was sitting at the table when she entered. "Wow, look at you, Yvienna, up early," he teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't ruin my day, Dashylle," she grumbled, giving him a glare as she walked past him.

"Oh? Yesterday you called me brother, and now you're calling me by my name? What a grateful cousin." Dashylle feigned shock, clearly trying to get under her skin.

Yvienna's patience snapped. She picked up Medusa, her fingers itching to throw the cat at him in frustration, but Medusa meowed in protest. "Yah! Don't throw her! She has a life!" Dashylle said, alarmed.

Yvienna ignored him and walked to the table, gently dropping Medusa on the floor to roam around. "Do you want to go out?" Dashylle asked as if nothing had happened.

"No thanks." She rolled her eyes, trying to focus on the food in front of her.

Just then, her mother walked in. "Why are you two arguing so early in the morning?"

"Nothing, Mom. Just hungry," Yvienna muttered as she sat down at the table.

Her mother sighed. "Can you two go buy the groceries today? The maids are busy, and it's Sunday, so I'm sure you're free."

Yvienna immediately protested. "No! I'm busy!"

Her mother's glare silenced her. "You'll help Dashylle with the groceries. No excuses!"

Groaning, Yvienna glared at her cousin. "Eat faster!" Dashylle commanded as he dug into his meal.

Yvienna smirked, deliberately taking her time as she chewed. "Yah! Faster, idiot!" he shouted, but she only ate slower.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She sprinted toward him, grabbed a handful of his hair, and yanked it. "Ouch! Stop!" Dashylle shouted, pleading with her.

"Don't call me an idiot!" Yvienna snapped, enjoying the brief victory.

"Okay, okay! Aw, stop!" Dashylle begged, but she only let go once she felt satisfied. After minutes of fighting, Yvienna stood up.

"I'll just take a bath," Yvienna muttered, heading upstairs to prepare for the day ahead.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought about the antics of her cousin. Despite the constant teasing, there was no one else she would rather have by her side. After all, he was more like a brother than a cousin.