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Ruby must have been squeezing Pluto too hard because he was scratching her arms. The little girl let the cat go and huddled further into the closet. It was past bedtime and Mommy was yelling. Ruby clapped her hands over her ears. Feet stomped down the hall, and Ruby could feel it through the floor. She shook when Mommy banged on her bedroom door. Ian had told her to lock it, and now her big brother was yelling, too. There were mean words she was never supposed to say, a scuffle, and then a stampede of feet down the stairs. Ian was bigger than Ruby, but Mommy was bigger than both of them.

           Pluto pawed at the door. She opened the closet, and he trotted to her bedroom door. Stepping out of the closet, Ruby rubbed her arms. Her bedroom was dark and the corners darker. Even the sunset Daddy, Mommy, and Ian painted above her bed didn't warm her up. The bright blend of red, yellow, and mandarin -- she loved that fruit -- was a faded stain on her wall. Ruby ran over to Pluto. The cat scratched at the bedroom door and looked up at her. The girl put her ear to the door. Mommy and Ian weren't upstairs anymore, so she turned the lock and pulled the door open.

           The lights were off and the TV was making noise in the living room downstairs. Pluto slinked toward the staircase and down them. Ruby snuck down too, but she couldn't go as fast as Pluto. Her knees were shaking. The cat waited at the bottom, his stare persistent. She could see the front door just a few feet from the bottom of the stairs, but outside it was dark. Little hearts and wildlife animals decorated the windows. Daddy had helped her put them up so the birds didn't fly into the glass. Ruby had seen it happen once. He'd run his hands through her hair and wiped the tears off her cheeks. She missed him.

           Ruby peered into the living room off to the left. She was too short to see if Mommy was sitting in Daddy's La-Z-Boy recliner. Ruby ran to the front door and tried the knob. It didn't open. Pluto hurried into the living room, and then she heard the fridge open to her right from the kitchen and the clinking of glass. The little girl followed her cat. She saw Ian lying on the carpet. He groaned. Ruby wanted to grab him and take him with her, but Pluto was already disappearing into the family room. Ian made a sound and she looked back at him. He waved at her to go, glancing toward the kitchen. Mommy was coming back.

           So she caught up to Pluto, his reflective eyes guiding her. Her heart was pounding in her chest like it did when she played hide-and-seek with Ian. But that was fun. This was not. She wanted to go back and hide in her closet again, but Pluto led her on. They passed through the family room and entered the dining room, where a big table sat lined with eight chairs. Her friends and cousins sat in those chairs when they came over to play, but that was a long time ago.

           Pluto trotted into the kitchen, and Ruby wished she had his bravery. Daddy's recliner squeaked, as it did whenever it rocked back and forth. Then it stopped and Mommy got up again. Ruby ducked against the island. Feet trudged back into the kitchen, and this time Mommy turned on the light. Mommy hissed -- like Pluto did when he got scared -- and opened the fridge again. The fridge closed and a glass clinked. Ruby peeked around the corner of the island. But she didn't see Mommy head back to the living room. Mommy walked the other way. Pluto scurried over to the basement door and Ruby whipped her head around. Mommy appeared around the island and looked down at her. Mommy's eyes were red and weepy, and she had another glass of crimson in her hand. Her face flushed and her chest puffed out.

           Mommy hollered and the little girl screamed and bolted back into the dining room. She pushed her way past the tucked-in chairs and under the table. Like a bear, Mommy grabbed the chairs and started yanking them away. Wood cracked against the floor. Ruby crawled to the far end of the table, but Mommy's stocking feet rushed over to that end. She pulled a chair out and reached for her daughter. Nimble as a mouse, Ruby crawled back and skittered toward the basement door, where Pluto paced. Mommy slipped on the hardwood floor and cursed.

           There were many places Ruby loved to play around the house, but the basement was not one of them. She opened the door and her cat bounded down the steps. They creaked as she descended, hanging on to the railing. It was pitch black at the bottom, but Ruby could see Pluto's glowing eyes and a small window at the far end. Piles of unwashed clothes sat like mysterious mounds next to the washer and dryer. Blood rushing in her ears, Ruby tried not to look at anything but her feline guide.

           A hand grabbed her wrist. Mommy's silhouette loomed over her. The little girl's heart jumped up to her throat. She hadn't heard her come down the stairs, and now Mommy dragged her daughter back up them. Ruby's feet slipped on the kitchen floor as they passed through it, and she called for Ian. He didn't come. When Mommy dragged her up the second set of stairs, Ruby hit her knees against the carpet. Ruby cried. But it wasn't because of the rug burn on her legs or the bruising on her wrist. Punishments were all the time now.

           They headed toward the bathroom. Would it be the soap? An ice bath? The blue liquid under the sink that made her belly burn? Ruby begged her to let go, but Mommy told her she was bad. Then she remembered Pluto, and what he did when she was really little and didn't let go of him. Ruby bit Mommy's arm. It worked. She yelped and shook, and Ruby was free. Footsteps clambered up the stairs. Mommy lunged for her. Ian lunged for Mommy. As her brother tackled her to the ground, Ruby dashed down the hallway. Mommy and Daddy's bedroom door was ajar, and she ran inside. She wasn't allowed in here anymore. Memories of sunny mornings and jumping into bed to wake them up flooded her body. Distant cuddles and the smell of pancakes made Ruby's chest ache.

           A meow to her left brought her attention to an open window. Pluto sat on the sill. It was only opened a crack, but Ruby rushed to it. She yanked it up. Mommy burst through the door. She gasped as Ruby climbed onto the sill. Pluto jumped down into the blackness. There was moonlight, but Ruby couldn't see the moon. Mommy begged her to stop, to come down off the sill. Mommy said sorry, and she softened her voice. It was soothing now, the way it used to be when Daddy was still home and healthy. Ruby glanced behind her. Then her hand slipped. Mommy screamed.

           The little girl fell, her head spinning in the dark. She'd fallen out of a tree before. It had hurt. So she squeezed her eyes shut.

           Pluto licked her fingers and nipped at her hand. Ruby opened her eyes but couldn't see anything. She rubbed her cat's fur, and Pluto started pawing at something. The little girl reached out and felt smooth wood.

           She pushed and the door opened. The rising sun lit up her bedroom. She was in her pajamas. Ruby crawled out of her closet and Pluto jumped onto her bed. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and her door opened. Mommy appeared.

           "Hey, Sweetie. Daddy and Ian are waiting for you. We're gonna eat," she said. When Mommy smiled, Ruby smiled. When Mommy picked her up, all Ruby could smell was warmth and softness and pancakes.

           "What happened?" Mommy asked and touched her daughter's scuffed knees and the bruise on her wrist. Ruby shrugged and picked at the Band-Aid on Mommy's arm. "Still waking up, Baby? Well, blueberry pancakes will wake you right up!"

           Ruby giggled when Mommy tickled her, and she leaned her head on Mommy's shoulder. As they walked out, Pluto stretched lazily on her bed and watched her go. Ruby glimpsed the horizon painted on her wall, brilliant and like new.