Carmen swallowed the lump in her throat when she heard the sounds again—rustle, rustle, thump—coming clearly now from the opposite side of the room. she pulled her toes in tight, as if that could prevent something from grabbing them. her mouth opened as she prepared to yell, because there just shouldn't be anything rustling in her room in the night. and then—rustle, rustle, scratch—carmen's cat finished pushing its way out of the bottom drawer of her dresser! carmen's near-yell turned into a laugh. "dandy-lion, you must have been more scared than i was! "