Mizuki was sprawled across the floor, her tail flicking left and right and spiraling at the end like she was romancing the chin of a lover.

I jammed the door shut and she raised her head and turned to look at me. The ray of light that filtered into the room hit her eyes so that her whiskey irises glowed and her pupils expanded in them.

I turned the key in the lock—jingle-jingle, snap, jingle-jingle, snap—and threw my knapsack to the felt sofa. Then I sat cross-legged on the floor strewn with clothes and books.

Mizuki tilted her head to the side like she was asking “Where the hell are you coming from?”.
In less than a second, she was on her feet and was sashaying towards me like a model on the catwalk. Four legs made her more graceful, and her tail which was dancing left and right gave her the illusion of floating.

“What are you looking at?” I ask when she paused in front of me with one of her front paws in the air and her large eyes peering into my soul. “What?” I pinched my shirt and examined myself, then I looked around at me. “Do you sense something I don't?”

She purred and gingerly dropped her paw into the cradle my crossed legs made and curled up on me, tail caressing my chin.

“You sweet thing,” I crooned and smoothed her fur.

Sitting like this in my apartment with Mizuki's warmth on my legs, I could have drifted to sleep and be pleased then and there.

But living in the city only confirmed one thing that I've come to learn the hard way, you could never find absolute peace.

On cue, my cellphone jarred and both Mizuki and I jumped. She scampered away hissing with her hair in spikes and her back curved.

Yep. That was my fault. I'd changed my ringtone to the discordant noise that was issued out of boy bands in the eighties just so I wouldn't miss when it rang.

I crawled over the felt sofa, rummaged in the knapsack and pulled out my phone.

“Court, shouldn't you be asleep?” I asked the moment I picked up.

“Not when these no-brain brothers of mine are seeing a biking championship on full volume!” She screamed. “Turn that shit down, you bastards!”

“Hey, she called you a bastard,” a male voice filtered in and male laughter burst through the room even louder than the television.

“It's not funny! I pay good money at the spa every two weeks so I can look my best! Your stupid habits are messing up my beauty routine! And hold me to my word,—”

“We're gonna regret it,” the male voices chanted in bored timbres.

“That's right, you—”

“Bastards?”

“Argh!!” She groaned in frustration and I heard her stomping away, the rumble of their laughter following after her like a swarm of buzzing insects.

A door slammed.

“I have news,” her voice echoed as she began and I imagined that she'd raised her fingers up to the light to examine her nails. It was as though she had been speaking about fashion magazines instead of yelling at her brothers just a few seconds ago. “I'll be visiting this weekend with the rest of our study group. We're having an all night study session and you will be our host.”

“But…” I wondered whether it would be wise to speak up, shook my head and straightened my shoulders to usher in confidence before I said, “We agreed that one time, Court. That we would never use my apartment for our study dates. It's cramped and tiny and you girls are used to more luxury than my home can provide.”

“And for the millionth time, there's nothing wrong with your apartment. You just don't hide things well is all. It's not that small.” I imagined an eye roll.

“Hey. Mom and dad are on the phone,” a guy's voice echoed in the room. It sounded like Taylor, a dark-haired, poker faced young man who was always leaning against walls or sitting at his console.

“It's settled, Netty. Saturday morning. Plus, I need to set these bozos straight.”

The line went flat.

I sighed and replaced it into the knapsack.

“Mizuki,” I called and half of her white fur appeared around a corner with one eye wide open, searching for threats.

I reached into the bag again, picked up the phone and put it on silent.

“It's gone now.” A barely noticeable smile curved my lips. “Come here. Come here, girl.”

She jumped onto my bed and curled to sleep.

I was used to her doing that on some days, so I laughed, sitting there on the floor.

After an all night study at Courtney's place, I was ready to be swallowed into an abyss. Too much socializing. It felt as though I would power down anytime soon.

The night had been spent with study happening only quarter of the time and gossip taking up the rest of it.

Well, not for me, though.

I'd been torn between listening in and plugging my ears so I could finish a page of theorem.

My stomach grumbled and I lay spread-eagle on the floor and began to count the ceiling tiles. It was either the hunger forgot its mission and died down, or I got up to count my change or check the dust sitting beautifully in my kitchen cupboards.

It was an easy choice.

I rolled over and closed my eyes.

The world is as vast a place as the sea of your mind. Ever tumbling, ever stirred. Great men are like pirates who learned to tame this sea. They feed their minds with…

Baloney. Eggs. Dumplings. Pizza. The echoing voice of the Chancellor during his speech faded from my mind and was replaced with my hungry thoughts.

I saw eggs underwater, dancing with a pair of sausages. A slice of bread strutted by them and they paused to watch as the bread walked away and went deeper into the sea. It wasn't in the least bit soggy.

Immediately, the eggs and sausages looked at themselves then at the bread.

The eggs cracked open and were cooked into sunny side perfection, and the sausages were browned all around.

Harmonized in an unspoken alliance, they chased after the bread and my mouth watered, hoping for when they would catch the lone slice. They smelled so good.

Suddenly, several slices started raining down into the sea and someone said,

“Now that's a perfect breakfast if ever I saw one.”

Something smacked my cheek and I opened my eyes.

“Geez louis. That baloney's perfect. Imma throw it back in the pan and—”

“Baloney?”

I sat up and there was a woman in my apartment with wild brown hair and a sassy smile on her chocolate face.