Chapter 24

That night, Amelia flopped onto her bed with an exhausted sigh. Between Lena's meddling and Oliver's teasing, her emotions had been all over the place.

She turned onto her side and looked at the small chair by her window—Whiskers' usual spot.

"Alright, Whiskers, go ahead, tell me I'm an idiot."

Silence.

She frowned. "Whiskers?"

Still nothing.

A strange feeling settled in her chest as she sat up, glancing around the room. "Whiskers, stop messing around."

No sarcastic remark. No dramatic sigh.

Nothing.

Her pulse quickened. She jumped out of bed, searching under her desk, behind the curtains, even inside her closet.

"Whiskers, where are you?"

Panic crept up her throat as she ran out of her room, searching every corner of the house.

"Whiskers!" she called, voice cracking.

Her feet carried her back to her room, heart pounding. And then—

A familiar shape sat on the windowsill, tail flicking lazily.

Relief flooded her. "There you are! What the hell, Whiskers? You scared me!"

She was about to scold him when she noticed something… off.

He wasn't looking at her. Instead, he stared out the window, ears twitching slightly.

"Whiskers?" she said, softer this time.

Finally, he turned to her. His usual smug grin was missing. His golden eyes, always filled with mischief, looked sad.

A lump formed in her throat. "What's wrong?"

Whiskers exhaled, shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Look at you, kid. You've come so far."

She swallowed. "What are you talking about?"

He gave her a wistful smile. "You don't need me anymore."

Her stomach dropped. "Wait—what?"

He stood up, stretching like he always did, but there was something different about the way he moved. Like he was… fading.

Her breath hitched. "No. No, no, don't do this. You can't do this."

"Amelia." His voice was gentle. "I was never meant to stay forever."

Tears welled in her eyes. "But you have to stay! You can't just—just leave me like this!"

He let out a quiet laugh, but she saw the shimmer of tears in his own eyes.

"I love you, kid," he said softly.

Her chest tightened. She let out a shaky chuckle through her tears. "I hate you too," she whispered.

Whiskers smirked, his usual self for just a moment—before his form flickered like a dying light.

And then… he was gone.

Just like that.

Amelia stood frozen for a moment, staring at the empty spot on the windowsill.

Then, slowly, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto her knees.

The tears came fast and heavy, her sobs muffled against her hands.

For the first time in a long time… she felt truly alone.