The Art of Relations Prologue

I smiled a bit as my cat, Arina, swatted at the feather on a string I was dangling over the side of my bed. Her yellow eyes were fixed on the bright green feather and I could tell she was getting annoyed with her inability to catch it. She lunged and clamped down on the feather while her front paws tugged the string out of my grasp completely. I laughed a bit as I watched her fight on her back with the string and feather, gnawing on it as if it were alive.

Downstairs I heard the phone ring and looked over at my door instinctively. I heard my mother answer it and turned back to watching Arina maul the toy. I reached down and tugged the string and she instantly pounced. It was more than a bit funny watching my heavily pregnant cat still acting like a kitten. It was bad enough that she waddled when she walked but now she was pouncing and leaping like an animated rolly-polly.

After a few minutes, Arina gave up and waddled off to sit on a pile of books and lick her paw with a great deal of cat-like dignity. Suddenly, my cellphone rang and I rolled over to reach to the other side of my bed where my jeans from yesterday were laying. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and glanced at the caller ID. It was my soccer coach. "Hallo?"

"Serj, I'm calling a team meeting tomorrow after school. Just come straight after last period. We'll have our meeting and then get straight to practice." He informed. "Would you call the others and let them know?"

"Ya, I shall call them." I agreed.

It only took me about half an hour to inform everyone on the team that there was a meeting tomorrow and by that time our cook was calling my family for dinner. I tossed my phone onto my side stand and got to my feet. I saw Romani running past my bedroom door and rolled my eyes slightly. Sometimes I wondered about that boy. I.E. is mother even sure we have the same father? But then our nearly identical dark blue eyes pretty much sealed the deal as mother had typical brown eyes. So much for that idea...

I glanced at myself in the hall mirror as I passed and made sure my black hair wasn't so messy that mother would make me do something with it before letting us eat. It looked fine to me and my white button down wasn't completely open or anything so I continued on down to the dining room. Mother scowled a bit at how my shirt wasn't tucked in but didn't outright say anything, for which I was glad. Sometimes she could just be so fussy and uptight. It got on my nerves.

I sat down just as the cook was setting the last dish on the table. Dinner started off, as it usually did, a bit tense. But once Romani started talking things relaxed several degrees. Mostly because he was taking all the attention off the fact that there was an open seat at the head of the table. Mother hated it when my stepfather was off on a business trip. Though why I didn't know as they fought plenty when he was here. I'd figure she'd enjoy the time to rule the house like she wanted to.

Arina rubbed against my leg and I glanced down to see her giving me that begging-but-not-because-I'm-a-cat-and-far-too-dignified look. I glanced up and saw that my mom was paying complete attention to Romani's story. I quickly took a piece of chicken and held it down. Arina instantly attacked my finger, her tongue licking at the greasy residue and her teeth nibbling slightly on my fingertip.

"Sergej!"

I winced a bit at my full name and straightened. My mother was glaring at me. "Yes, Mother?"

"Do not feed your cat at the table! You weren't raised in a barn!"

"Yes, Mother." I said while trying to stifle my sigh. I saw Romani snickering. "Roman! Were you riding your bike in the street earlier?" I smirked as my mother's attention instantly snapped to Romani. I had no idea if he had been riding his bike in the street but just the thought would give him a good reaming from Mother.