The moon was full that night. Sam didn't usually pay attention to that sort of thing, but as she sat in the back of the cab staring out of the window she found herself looking up into the sky and seeing the completely full orb of a moon sitting in the sky. She looked at it for a few moments before she was able to take her eyes away from it and looking at the clock on the cab's dashboard. It was close to one in the morning. She was supposed to be home right now, sleeping or studying but around six that evening, about two hours after coming home for the first time and changing from her work clothes to dark wash jeans and a comfy dark green sweater, Jane had called and summoned her back to the firm to help her do some research for a case she was working on. Jane O'Donnell was an partner at the firm Sam worked at as her paralegal and assistant. Jane was almost double her age, rather young compared to the other partners, but was a tough nosed lawyer who had climbed her way up the ranks. "Get some dinner for us, Miss Shea. We could be here a while."
About six hours were spent in that office that evening. Sam running back and forth to the files room and the library, fetching and researching things for the law suit Jane was assigned to. Jane and her client were going up against some big company and it was a long shot. The sort of cases Jane loved and excelled in. There was no doubt in her mind that she wouldn't win. These were the sort of cases Sam would love to be able to tackle someday. If she ever manged to take and pass the Bar and become a lawyer herself. She didn't know what it was about tests but she just couldn't stand them. The anxiety that the mere thought of taking a test gave her was almost crippling. She had somehow managed to take the LSAT to even get into law school, but it was been an exhausting, terrifying experience and she had been so convinced she had failed during the weeks before getting her scores that it had almost seemed like a miracle to her that she didn't. Sam had told herself that if she could pass the LSATs she could pass the Bar and had spent weeks studying. But at the last moment she realized she couldn't remember any of the material she had studied and backed out of the test. Jane was promising her an associate position once she had passed, but she was getting impatient and Sam knew that if she didn't pass by the end of the year the position would be gone.
Which had been why she had planned on dedicating the night to studying, but then Jane had called. Now that she was going home again maybe she'd spend some time reviewing one of the books she had bought. Or maybe she'd fall over onto the floor once she walked through the door out of exhaustion. She supposed she would find out soon enough. Normally she walked to and from work, but walking alone at this time of night was stupid. So she had decide to blow a little money on a safe cab ride home. It was quicker this way, too. She got out of the cab once it came to a stop outside of her building and paid the man before he headed off to find a new customer. Sam looked up at the building she lived in, one of the oldest in the city apparently, and let out a sigh. Jane said might call her tomorrow, even though it was Saturday, but it was more likely she wouldn't have to. Still Sam didn't like the idea of working on her day off, no matter how much her job meant to her. Maybe she could fake sick so she could stay in bed.
Sam was too tired to even consider the stairs and leaned against the elevator as it ascended. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed again before hearing the elevator ding and the doors slide open onto her floor. She wasted no time striding down the hall and unlocking the door to her apartment. She wanted to be home, she wanted to sit down. The apartment was nice. Initially her father had helped her pay for it, but by now she had had enough checks from the firm to pay for it herself. It was pretty spacey, spacey enough for one person that is, and it had a pretty nice view. The only thing that bugged her was the giant old mirror hanging in the hall close to the door. The landlord had told her that the owners said it was not to be moved, and she had shrugged it off. Sometimes she glanced into her reflection as she was running out the door, but mostly she avoided it. For some reason she always felt like something was staring back at her. It was stupid, of course, but she still wasn't fond of the old thing.
She dropped her bag, keys, and coat onto a table propped against the wall opposite of the mirror and walked right on past it. She stifled a yawn as she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and purposefully ignored the pile of Bar test study books on the table. Tomorrow. She'd do it tomorrow. She opened up a cupboard to get a cup when she stopped, and focused her attention on her hearing. There had been a rustle in the other room. She listened a bit more and she definitely heard something swishing softly on the wooden floors. Sam took a hold of anything she could find on the counter, which turned out to be a rolling pin, and moved quietly to the doorway of the sitting room before turning the lights on.
A cat was sitting on the floor. One with black and white fur. Sam nearly dropped the rolling pin in surprise and couldn't help but ask it, "How did you get in here?" despite knowing that it was a cat and cats couldn't speak. Something fluttered at the corner of her eyes and she glanced up to see a window open, a breeze from outside disturbing the curtains. Ah. She had forgotten to close a window. Maybe this was a neighbor's cat who had decided to go on a little adventure. It was to late to go knocking from door to door and she didn't want to just throw it out. Sam looked back down at the animal and shrugged. "Don't get too comfortable here, Cat. Tomorrow we're going to take you back where you belong. But tonight..."
Why was she talking to the cat? Sam immediately fell silent and after a few more moments of eye contact with the cat she shrugged again and moved back into the kitchen. She got her water and then poured a bit of milk into a little bowl and set it down on the floor in the living room. In case it was thirsty. Deciding she was too lazy to fight the darkness to find her bedroom, or to take her boots off, Sam lowered herself onto the couch and turned the television on. That helped her sleep sometimes. Some late night show was playing, and she decided that was better than nothing. She lowered the volume and curled up on the couch, but was only able to keep her eyes open for a few minutes. Sam rested her head against a throw pillow and entertained herself with the idea that the cat would curl up on the couch with her as she dozed off.
About six hours were spent in that office that evening. Sam running back and forth to the files room and the library, fetching and researching things for the law suit Jane was assigned to. Jane and her client were going up against some big company and it was a long shot. The sort of cases Jane loved and excelled in. There was no doubt in her mind that she wouldn't win. These were the sort of cases Sam would love to be able to tackle someday. If she ever manged to take and pass the Bar and become a lawyer herself. She didn't know what it was about tests but she just couldn't stand them. The anxiety that the mere thought of taking a test gave her was almost crippling. She had somehow managed to take the LSAT to even get into law school, but it was been an exhausting, terrifying experience and she had been so convinced she had failed during the weeks before getting her scores that it had almost seemed like a miracle to her that she didn't. Sam had told herself that if she could pass the LSATs she could pass the Bar and had spent weeks studying. But at the last moment she realized she couldn't remember any of the material she had studied and backed out of the test. Jane was promising her an associate position once she had passed, but she was getting impatient and Sam knew that if she didn't pass by the end of the year the position would be gone.
Which had been why she had planned on dedicating the night to studying, but then Jane had called. Now that she was going home again maybe she'd spend some time reviewing one of the books she had bought. Or maybe she'd fall over onto the floor once she walked through the door out of exhaustion. She supposed she would find out soon enough. Normally she walked to and from work, but walking alone at this time of night was stupid. So she had decide to blow a little money on a safe cab ride home. It was quicker this way, too. She got out of the cab once it came to a stop outside of her building and paid the man before he headed off to find a new customer. Sam looked up at the building she lived in, one of the oldest in the city apparently, and let out a sigh. Jane said might call her tomorrow, even though it was Saturday, but it was more likely she wouldn't have to. Still Sam didn't like the idea of working on her day off, no matter how much her job meant to her. Maybe she could fake sick so she could stay in bed.
Sam was too tired to even consider the stairs and leaned against the elevator as it ascended. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed again before hearing the elevator ding and the doors slide open onto her floor. She wasted no time striding down the hall and unlocking the door to her apartment. She wanted to be home, she wanted to sit down. The apartment was nice. Initially her father had helped her pay for it, but by now she had had enough checks from the firm to pay for it herself. It was pretty spacey, spacey enough for one person that is, and it had a pretty nice view. The only thing that bugged her was the giant old mirror hanging in the hall close to the door. The landlord had told her that the owners said it was not to be moved, and she had shrugged it off. Sometimes she glanced into her reflection as she was running out the door, but mostly she avoided it. For some reason she always felt like something was staring back at her. It was stupid, of course, but she still wasn't fond of the old thing.
She dropped her bag, keys, and coat onto a table propped against the wall opposite of the mirror and walked right on past it. She stifled a yawn as she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and purposefully ignored the pile of Bar test study books on the table. Tomorrow. She'd do it tomorrow. She opened up a cupboard to get a cup when she stopped, and focused her attention on her hearing. There had been a rustle in the other room. She listened a bit more and she definitely heard something swishing softly on the wooden floors. Sam took a hold of anything she could find on the counter, which turned out to be a rolling pin, and moved quietly to the doorway of the sitting room before turning the lights on.
A cat was sitting on the floor. One with black and white fur. Sam nearly dropped the rolling pin in surprise and couldn't help but ask it, "How did you get in here?" despite knowing that it was a cat and cats couldn't speak. Something fluttered at the corner of her eyes and she glanced up to see a window open, a breeze from outside disturbing the curtains. Ah. She had forgotten to close a window. Maybe this was a neighbor's cat who had decided to go on a little adventure. It was to late to go knocking from door to door and she didn't want to just throw it out. Sam looked back down at the animal and shrugged. "Don't get too comfortable here, Cat. Tomorrow we're going to take you back where you belong. But tonight..."
Why was she talking to the cat? Sam immediately fell silent and after a few more moments of eye contact with the cat she shrugged again and moved back into the kitchen. She got her water and then poured a bit of milk into a little bowl and set it down on the floor in the living room. In case it was thirsty. Deciding she was too lazy to fight the darkness to find her bedroom, or to take her boots off, Sam lowered herself onto the couch and turned the television on. That helped her sleep sometimes. Some late night show was playing, and she decided that was better than nothing. She lowered the volume and curled up on the couch, but was only able to keep her eyes open for a few minutes. Sam rested her head against a throw pillow and entertained herself with the idea that the cat would curl up on the couch with her as she dozed off.