A man stood in the night on a grassy lawn. He extended his arm and signaled for another to join him. “Hey Jacob, look up!”

  Two others appeared, a pregnant woman and a young boy. “Wow, Dad! Is that a meteor shower?!”

  “It appears so! I’ve never seen one like this before!” the woman chimed in.

  They stood and watched a small corner of the night sky. Distant lights scattered in different directions. It was a chaotic, yet beautiful sight. The small family gazed in awe for ten full minutes before retiring for the night. It was the perfect Friday. The start of summer vacation and two weeks until their trip to CosmoWorld, home of the second largest rollercoaster in the world, ‘The Brain Scrambler’. It was the largest, until ‘Frantic Fun World’ opened their new ride a month before school let out. Still, Jacob was excited. He was finally tall enough to ride it and nothing was going to stand in his way.

  “Jacob, make sure you take a shower tonight. You don't wanna wake up a giant piggy tomorrow…” the woman said.

  “Mom, I’m 13 now. I’m not a baby anymore! Besides, you have a brand-new baby to replace me…”

  “You will ALWAYS be my baby, baby! Even if you do want to smell bad, but I’d prefer you smell clean.”

  Jacob groaned and grabbed a towel. He turned around, nearly running into his mother. She bent over, putting her hands on his cheeks.

  “She is an addition, not a replacement. I can have more than one baby, and I will!”

  Jacob processed her statement, trying to avoid eye contact. He eventually gave in, receiving a tight hug. She gave her best pig impression and snorted into his cheek. Trying his hardest not to laugh, he caved.

  You are so weird!” he said, running away into the bathroom.

  He showered, taking time to enjoy the warm water. He stepped out and grabbed his towel. He dried his walnut brown hair first. Wiping his mirror to see his face, staring back at his emerald-green eyes. He paused and noticed a small red bump on his cheek, it stuck out like a siren against his somewhat fair-skinned complexion. and changed into his pajamas. As he walked into his room, he found his parents sitting at the foot of his bed. His mother holding her guitar and his father's arm around her. He raised an eyebrow, walking over his bed and getting under his blankets.

  “Uh, what’s going on?” he said.

  “Well, your mother and I wanted to just hang out for a bit. Sing to you the way we used to when you were younger.”

  “I don’t even remember that…”

  “We thought it would be good to practice. In order to be ready for your little sister.” mom said while tuning her guitar. She looked up and strummed a tune. “This one is called ‘bruises’ by Chairlift.”

  The father chuckled. “Ah, that one takes me back! The radio of my mighty war horse blessed us with it on our first date!”

  “War horse?” Jacob asked.

  “He means a beat up, hand-me-down station wagon that squealed when he put it in drive. So, it was more of a ‘war pig’ if anything.” The mom said jokingly.

  “Hey now, we had a lot of fun memories in that thing! Our first date was Taco Horn, but they closed the dining room for whatever reason. So, we went to the drive-thru, got our dinner and ate in the parking lot,” he said with a smile. “I remember the moon being so bright that night, it made your mother glow. She was the most beautiful ‘creature’ I had ever seen!”

  “Creature!?” she chortled and playfully jabbed him.

  “I knew she was the one at that very moment. My love, my moonflower,” he stopped to kiss her head while she lovingly cradled her guitar. “At that point, we had so much love give, you came along! With the three of us now, we feel there is room for another.”

  Jacob cradled his knees. “I guess I was worried you guys wouldn’t have time for me too.”

  “Nonsensical, silly, ridiculous! You are my buddy till the end of time!” dad said.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah really! Would a non-buddy get tickets to the 6pm showing of ‘Kill Carter 6” tomorrow night?”

  “What!? No way!”

  “Oh…way!” The dad said with a smug smirk.

  “WITH a popcorn boat, and we’ll even let you mix whatever flavors you want on the drink machine!” mom chimed in.

  Jacob threw his fists to the ceiling with excitement. “Best summer ever, calling it now!”

  “I think so too! Now, let us celebrate with our song!”

  Jacob watched as his parents serenaded each other, trying to include him in some verses. He watched as they stared into each other's eyes his father stopping mid-verse to kiss his mother's belly. The love seemed to fill his room, and his heart. He would never have a reason to doubt again, and it felt nice.

  The very next morning, Jacob woke to his sun-filled room. He stretched and sat up, looking around his cluttered room. As he stood, he suddenly remembered the meteor shower last night. The young man scrambled to his computer, first ritualistically crossing off another day off his calendar. Staring lovingly at the big, red ‘COSMOWORLD!’ On the 13th.

  Jacob turned his computer on, scanning his home page for any news on what they saw last night. News meant an explanation, something he could talk to his dad about. “A-HA! ‘Unexplainable lights in the night sky. Scientists are baffled at the cosmic display in the northeastern sky last night…’ Well, I guess answers will come later,” he said. His silent reading was interrupted by a sudden ping. An instant message from his best friend Katie.

  ‘Hey, you up for some kickball and maybe some adventure today?’ the message read.

  ‘Yeah! I gotta be home by 5 tho ;-)’

  ‘Why 5? :(’

  ‘Bc im gonna go see KC5! ;-D’

  ‘SHUT UP NO WAY! DONT SPOIL IT, LUCKY!’

  ‘NEVER! :-z’

  ‘Me and Billy are coming, so get ready!’

  Jacob jumped up and got dressed. He ran downstairs toward the back door, through the kitchen. His mom and dad were making breakfast.

  “Hey champion, come get some breakfast before you head out!” his dad said.

  “Okay, I’ll have to gobble it before —”

  A sudden knock at the door interrupted him. His mom opened it, greeting Katie and Billy. “Right on time,” she said. “Good morning. did you guys eat breakfast?”

  Katie stepped inside first. Her frizzy red hair was barely contained by her ponytail. His mom affectionately called her ‘Miss Frizzle’ after her favorite childhood cartoon. She wiped her hands on her overalls, before putting them in her pockets. “Good morning, there was no time!”

  Billy stepped in next. His straight, raven black hair nearly covered his eyes. He had on one of his trademark black heavy metal band shirts with aggressive scribbling. As always, only he could decipher the band's name. “No way, it’s summer vacation. Breakfast was created by Big School to make you sleepy during class!” Billy said.

  Jacob's dad shook his head, trying not to laugh.

  “Yeah, well, we’re employed by ‘Big School’ so wash your hands and park it, you two. There’s plenty to go around!” Jacob's mom said.

  “Jacob told me you guys were going to see the new ‘Carter’ movie tonight! I am so jealous!” Katie said.

  “Hey, maybe you can ask your parents and see if you guys can tag along?” dad said.

  Jacob, Katie and Billy’s eyes lit up as they stared at each other.

  “Next stop, my house!” Katie shouted.

  Jacob's dad kissed the back of his mom's head and pulled out a chair for her. He laid out plates for them all, serving the breakfast they cooked together. Bacon, eggs, toast.

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  “OJ for the rest, cranberry cocktail for my Queen mother,” he said.

  “What is the riddle of the day, today?” mom asked.

  The father stopped to ponder, slowly sitting down to his plate of food while looking around the table. “You see a ship filled with people from shore at one in the afternoon. By two, you look again and don’t see a single person left, the ship has not sunk, no one has jumped and they have not docked…how could this be?”

  “What!?” Katie shrieked.

  Jacob’s mother chuckled through a closed mouth full of food.

  “The answer is simple,” Billy said.

  “Oh, explain! This should be good!” the dad said.

  “Clearly, VERY clearly… they were all abducted by otherworldly visitors from beyond the moon.”

  “I’m afraid not!” he said, amused.

  “I don’t know!” Jacob said with a laugh.

  “They were all married!”

  Everyone at the table collectively groaned.

  “One more, one more!” Katie said.

  “Okay, here’s another tough one. ‘I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish…what am I?”

  They ate and chatted about the possible answer and the new movie they were going to see. Discussing the cliffhanger from the last, making predictions on where the story will go next. If he will get his revenge on ‘Morgan’ the partner turned villain, a twist they never saw coming.

  They wrapped up their meal, making sure to put their plates in the dishwasher and waved goodbye.

  “Okay, first things first! Let’s go get some permission so we can see that movie later!” Katie said.

  “Right! Put on your best tearful performance, so we can all see that movie!” Jacob said.

  “Oh, psychological warfare! I love the way you think!” Billy said.

  They ventured off towards Katie’s house first. Along the way, they noticed a missing pet flyer. A picture of a beautiful, white, odd-eyed cat wearing a pearl necklace collar caught their eye. Under the picture was a five-hundred-dollar reward and info. They crowded around it.

  “500 dollars!? We could fund our whole summer snack and comicbook budget with that!” Katie said.

  “She responds to ‘Mimi’ or ‘Mimi Le Mew’. I guess we’ll keep an eye out.” Jacob said.

  “Guys, you are not gonna believe this, but I saw this cat in my backyard this morning. So, she is definitely close!” Billy said.

  “What, no way!? Okay, since my house is on the way, we’ll stop and get permission first. Then we’ll go to your house, get permission then paid!” Katie said.

  “Hopefully,” Jacob said with a chuckle.

  They ran to Katies house first, entering through the front door. She looked around for her father, finally locating him in the dining room. He sat at the head of the table, sipping his coffee from an oversized mug. He was a large, burly man that spent his free time power lifting. Current state record holder, gunning for the national record next. He looked over his glasses and saw the three approaching him, gently placing down his paper and stroking his thick brown beard.

  “The infamous trio, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he said in a deep voice.

  Katie pouted her lips and fluttered her eyelashes, an absolutely pitiful display. “Papa…” she sighed, “Jacob is going to the movies with his parents tonight, and it would be ever so lovely if I could join them...” she said, fluttering her eyelashes some more.

  He stared at her, then at the two boys. Jacob flashed an innocent smile.

  He pulled out his wallet. “Sure, I at least know you’re in good hands and will be back at a reasonable time,” he said with a sigh.

  That pitiful display worked every time.

  She gratefully took the money and hugged him. “Thank you, papa!” she said with a mischievous smile.

  “Yeah, yeah. Don’t tell your brothers. What are you going to see?”

  “The new ‘Kill Carter’ movie!” Billy said.

  “If you spoil it for me, you will never see another movie again without me!” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

  “Never in a million, billion years! Thanks Dad, I love you!”

  “Love you too, pumpkin pie. Be careful out there, guys.”

  They all ran out of the house with excitement. Their plan was all coming together and one more stop remained. As they made their way to Billy’s house, they spotted more Mimi Le Mew signs.

  “She must really be loved,” Katie said.

  “Which is why we need to find her! I hope she’s staying safe,” Jacob said.

  “Yes, and the money sweetens the deal…” Billy said.

  They arrived at Billy’s part of the neighborhood. Cars blew through the posted speed limit on the main road, as it was adjacent to a major section of highway. It has always been a problem…and why they were forbidden from riding their bikes in that area. As they reached his house, the raised, overgrown lawn was teeming with grasshoppers and other bugs. Katie and Jacob looked at each other.

  “Uh, Billy? This won’t be a problem, will it?” Katie asked.

  “Yeah, we know how your grandma can be…” Jacob added.

  “Don’t worry! I’ll just use it as a bargaining chip!”

  Jacob sighed and they followed him to his front door. He watched as Billy knocked on his screen door, then opened it.

  “Hola Abuelo!” he said cheerfully.

  He was met by an angry, middle-aged woman staring at him with her arms crossed.

  “Can I go to the movies with my friends tonight?” he said with a hopeful smile.

  “??El cine!? Memo, I have asked you to mow the yard so many times. And now you come to me with this?”

  “I promise I will do it!”

  “Promises, promises. Like all the other times. I’m sorry Hacob and Katie, but after repeatedly putting off his chores, Memo will not be going tonight!”

  Billy’s arms dropped with defeat. “I’m sorry, guys. You’ll have to tell me all about it,” he said.

  Jacob and Katie looked at each other again, he noticed the frown on her face then Billy’s slumped posture. His eyes darted around as he thought of an idea. They widened, before he spoke up.

  “Mrs. Ramirez, what if we helped Billy catch up on all his chores? Can he still come?”

  She sighed. “Ay, Hacob, I…” she looked at the kids' hands clasped, silently pleading for her to reconsider. Katie fluttered her eyelashes, eventually causing her to give in. “Dios mio, okay. This ONE time. But if he does this again, you will not see him the rest of the summer!”

  Billy rose up and turned around. “You saved me!”

  “Yeah, well, you only get this one time. You gotta stay on top of your chores, man!” Jacob said.

  “Make sure to get the edges and clean the yard before mowing!” she yelled as they ran out the door.

  They arrived at the shed in the back. Billy unlocked the door with a key, revealing a dank, dimly lit interior.

  “Okay, we can knock this out, then look for Mimi! It’s only 11:30, so there is plenty of time!” Jacob said. “Katie, will you help me clean the yard?”

  “On it!”

  “Since Billy is more familiar with the mower, he can mow!”

  “Way ahead of ya!”

  They scattered, cleaning the yard while Billy started the mower. With teamwork, they had completely knocked out the yard in two hours. Longer than they thought, but in less time than if Billy had to do it himself. It really made him more appreciative of Jacob saving him. They presented they yard to his grandmother, who approved it. They wrapped their arms around each other and jumped up and down in celebration.

  They went to the back yard to put the mower away. Jacob and Katie watched Billy roll it into the shed and lock the door. He put the keys in his pocket and leaned on the old shed, wiping sweat from his eyes. His face suddenly turned serious.

  “What’s wrong, did you forget something?” Katie asked.

  “No, look! It’s Mimi again…!”

  Jacob and Katie slowly turned around. Sure enough, it was her. A beautiful, white, odd-eyed cat. Her pearl necklace gleamed in the sunlight. She sat and stared back at them.

  “Okay, okay, everyone stay still. We have to think of a plan!” Jacob whispered.

  “Um, well…My uncle has a cat that when he needs to catch her for a vet trip, he will pretend to eat something. Maybe that will work?” Katie said.

  “It’s worth a try!” Billy said.

  Jacob nodded his head. “We’ll follow your lead.”

  Katie slowly sat down in the grass, Billy and Jacob looked at each other and followed. She pretended to pull something out of her pocket and hand it to the two boys.

  “Mmm, yum!” she said, chewing loudly. She looked out the corner of her eye at Mimi, then back at the boys. She motioned for them to do the same.

  “Oh, God! This is sooo good!” Jacob said.

  Mimi perked up, tilting her head with wide eyes.

  Billy followed suit, soon the munching noises from the three of them piqued Mimi’s curiosity. She too, wanted to partake in this sudden snacking session. She trotted over to them, sniffing Katie’s hand. With a gentle swoop, she was taken into her arms.

  “I cannot believe that worked!” Billy said!

  “This is the craziest Saturday, ever!” Jacob added.

  “Do you think she’s hungry? I have some tuna!” Billy said.

  “Good idea! Let’s treat her to a lunch to make up for our deception,” Katie said.

  Billy ran up the stairs from the driveway and into his house. Katie and Jacob stayed behind, providing gentle pets and praise. Mimi seemed to be enjoying it, most likely used to the pampered lifestyle full of attention. She turned to Jacob and reached her paw out, eventually climbing over to him. He smiled and kept her close.

  Billy returned with an opened can of tuna and a footed crystal bowl.

  “Look guys! It’s like the Millionaire Meal cat food commercial!” he said, presenting the crystal. He lost his footing on the stairs and tumbled down. The bowl crashed to the ground, spooking Mimi. She clawed her way out of Jacobs arms and jumped down.

  “Oh no, Mimi!” he shouted.

  He ran after her, calling her name. But she fled toward the street. Jacob could hear a car speeding down. Even if he didn’t get the reward, he still wanted to make sure she survived. She arched her back, stopping in the street.

  “Mimi!” he yelled. He pumped his legs harder, making loud noises to scare her into running the rest of the way.

  “Jacob!” Katie and Billy shouted in unison.

  The driver swerved to avoid the cat, hitting two cars and Jacob instead. His friends watched helplessly as he was flung into the air, landing on the road behind the car. Jacobs eyes focused on Mimi, staring back at him from under a parked car. His vision tunneled and everything went black.