Worried, she hurried through each room, peering under furniture and behind doors. She opened the bedroom closet—no cat. She checked the laundry hamper—nothing but crumpled shirts. Even the space beneath her bed lay empty. Panic rose in her chest. Orion was gone.
Ignoring her exhaustion, she yanked on a raincoat and dashed out into the storm. Rain lashed Maplewood’s streets, turning them into glistening ribbons under the flicker of weak streetlights. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Eliza braved puddles that splashed against her ankles, her voice echoing over the steady downpour: “Orion! Here, kitty!”