Love and Whiskers

by Olivia Myers

  “Where you planning to take them on with that?” Carol sneered, pointing to the wooden coat hanger she was raising like a baton. Sweeping the clay pieces under a straw mat, she continued, “If you must know I’m going to O Javali - the best club in town.”

  “What time is it?” Felicity asked, rubbing her eyes.

  “Only a quarter to eleven. It probably just opened.” Slinging her handbag over her bare shoulder, she began to walk out.

  “Wait. I’m coming with you.”

  “Ha! I knew deep down you were a party girl!” Carol cried.

  “No… But I’m not going to let you go by yourself! You could get kidnapped!”

  Carol rolled her eyes. “Oh, my hero. Whatever. Hurry up then. The cab I called is probably close.” Looking up and down at Felicity, she quickly went through a duffel bag and threw clothes at her. “Here, wear these so you don’t embarrass me.”

  “I am not wearing this!” Felicity exclaimed in disgust. The clothes would barely cover anything.

  “Then I guess you’re not coming,” replied Carol with her arms crossed.

  Grudgingly, Felicity put them on quickly and went to catch up with Carol. The cool night air made her feel even more self-conscious about the skin she was exposing. I can’t believe I’m doing this. What if the professor finds out about this? We’re not supposed to do anything that wasn’t on the waiver.

  “Geez, will you relax and try to have some fun?” Carol asked impatiently. “Maybe you would’ve felt better if I’d let you bring the coat hanger for protection.”

  The darkness hid the dirty look that Felicity shot her from across the cab.

  ***

  What had seemed a peaceful city in daylight had turned into a collection of menacing, decrepit buildings after dark. Felicity spent the entire ride clutching the mace within her purse while Carol flirted incessantly with the cab driver. She only stopped to squeal in excitement at the bright, flashy club.

  Once outside the cab, she grabbed Felicity’s hand and dragged her toward the club’s front entrance.

  “Sorry ladies, go to the back of the line,” the burly club bouncer said flatly.

  “But surely you can make an exception this time,” Carol purred while accentuating her cleavage.

  “Nope. Now get to the back,” he repeated.

  “Now, Bruno don’t be too hasty,” a smooth voice said behind him. Stepping out, a well-dressed man looked Carol up and down. “How often do you come across such a beautiful woman? Of course she doesn’t have to wait with the common people.”

  “Whatever you say, Davi,” Bruno replied, removing the velvet rope blocking the entrance.

  Smugly, Carol sauntered inside following the handsome man’s lead. Felicity reluctantly went along. Glancing back at the bouncer, she could have sworn he was grinning. The cold look sent chills along her spine and she hurried to catch up.

  Not wanting to be bothered by anyone, Felicity sat alone in a dark corner, only moving to keep an eye on Carol. Despite the language barrier, Carol was thriving. Her body looked at home writhing next to Davi’s, as well as several other men on the dance floor. Felicity could feel her face flush as they started to gyrate. No longer able to watch the shameless displays, she made her way to what she thought was the bathroom. Felicity tried to ask around, but she was either brushed off or not heard above the pounding Funk Carioca music.

  Instead of a bathroom, what she found were several couples in the midst of extreme passion. Blushing madly, Felicity ran back to the main room and tried to find Carol. She was no longer there. Panicking now, she tried to call her only to realize that she had Carol’s purse and cell phone. She ran towards the bar and saw Carol there, talking with Davi. There was a peculiar tattoo on Davi’s neck. It looked like the head of a biting snake. Felicity then saw as his hand, behind Carol’s back, placing a white pill into her cocktail.

  Carol lifted her drink for a sip. There was no way Felicity would reach her in time. “Carol, don’t!” she shouted, but Carol couldn’t hear her over the pounding bass.

  Felicity looked around, desperately seeking a way to stop Carol. Her gaze landed on the fire alarm. This was an emergency, after all. Felicity wrapped her right hand in the thin shrug she was wearing and slammed the glass covering it. It took two tries, but she was finally able to pull it just as Carol’s lips touched the edge of her glass.

  Immediately, the music shut down and an alarm started. People began to scream in panic and rush toward the exit. Davi looked enraged and began to yell at a nearby security guard. Meanwhile several partygoers fell, knocking over a table of flaming shot glasses. The pool of lit alcohol quickly spread up a curtain and set off the water sprinklers.

  Taking advantage of the chaos, Felicity grabbed Carol’s hand and ran out of a back exit. Carol was far too groggy to rebel. Felicity forced herself not to glance back as she led them to the nearest lit area and called for another cab.

  ***

  Carol seemed to have little recollection of the previous night’s events. However, she did have a massive headache. She also waved away any accusations that Felicity made about Davi, claiming that she was just jealous.

  “I’m not jealous!” Felicity shouted in exasperation. “He tried to drug you! And I’m pretty sure the bouncer was in on it, too.”

  “Davi Álvarez is a lot of things,” Carol mumbled, while sipping coffee. “Like a hell of a kisser. Or the super hot manager of a club. Or a freaking amazing dancer. But he’s no date rapist.”

  Felicity shook her head. “You don’t understand. I watched him put a pill in your cup.”

  But it was like she hadn’t said anything, because next, Carol squealed, “And he just texted me! He wants to take me to brunch!”

  Throwing her hands up in the air, Carol grabbed her bag and walked away. The class van for their trip was waiting outside. Felicity explained Carol’s sudden “illness” and her inability to make the trip. Professor Johnson didn’t doubt the lame excuse for a second and merely said he hoped she recovered soon. Rolling her tired eyes, Felicity jumped in the car and slept the entire way.

  When they got to their destination, Felicity clambered out of the van with her fellow students.

  “You look like hell,” Ling said as the group walked down the trail. There was a smile on his face, although really, there was no softening the truth. Felicity did look like hell.

  “Thanks,” she replied dryly.

  “What did you do?”

  “Babysat a 22 year old child,” she muttered bitterly. “Who almost got herself kidnapped.”

  “Why do you waste your time on her?” asked Rochelle. “She doesn’t even belong here.”

  “Because Felicity is a decent person,” Emilio answered, receiving a playful shove from Rochelle. “And also a doormat,” he added, earning another hit from Felicity.

  The class continued the five mile jungle hike toward the first ruin site in silence, only interrupted by short interludes from Professor Johnson or the guide. Feet aching, bodies sweaty, and sporting several dozen mosquito bites, they finally arrived.

  After the obligatory lecture, Felicity went off to document the different types of hieroglyphs in each location with her camera. She was entranced by one area in particular which had one of the few structures left intact. A giant, stone wall, covered in engravings of leaping jaguars falling from the sky. At the top of the image was the head of a large jaguar above the clouds, its gaping mouth spewing the other jaguars onto the world. While running her fingers over one jaguar’s ears, Felicity heard the snapping of a twig. A flock of green parrots then scattered into the sky, squawking in fright. She turned quickly, but nothing was there. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck lifted, although there was no breeze. She had the feeling of being watched.

  Suddenly realizing her class was gone, she ran around the ruins. “Ling! Emilio! Rochelle!” she called. The loud cries of birds mocked her from the foliage. Her friends were gone. Had they left without her? Surely they’d notice if she wa
sn’t with them on the trail.

  Sitting down on a rock, Felicity held back tears while trying to calmly assess her options. Hearing human voices nearby, she thoughtlessly ran towards them. Puzzled the sounds were off the trail, she continued slowly. However, she stopped once she saw that the people were not her classmates. Crouching behind the trunk of a thick tree, Felicity saw they were actually armed men in dark green regalia. They were transferring white, rectangular packages into a black jeep.

  With a shudder, Felicity read the name sloppily painted in white on the vehicle: Selvagens Verdes. She held her breath as one man passed by her, only five or six feet away. Near the base of his neck, partially covered by a bandana, was a familiar tattoo from the night before – a biting snake’s head. Looking at the other men, she saw that all of them had it.

  Davi’s one of them, she thought with a gasp. She started to turn so she could back up the way she had come, but a large hand clasped across her mouth. Felicity shrieked, but her noises were muffled. She kicked and flailed but it was no use as the man carried her to the others.

  He forced her to the ground, and the dozen other men stopped what they were doing and surrounded her. The one holding her down addressed a person facing away from the group and smoking a cigar. Her Portuguese wasn’t the best, but she had prepared enough to get the gist.

  “What do you want us to do, Enzo?” he asked gruffly.

  Exhaling a plume of white smoke, the man turned around and walked closer. He had a cold expression on his scarred face and an eye patch over his left eye. The symbol on the patch was the same as the tattoos. Leaning towards Felicity, he held her face firmly with a gloved hand, making her look directly into his working eye.

  He let out another stream of smoke directly into her face, chuckling when she coughed. Finally he said, “Tie her to the tree and let the animals take care of her.”

  Within moments, two men had her bound to a trunk, the rope tight and rough. They gagged her with a filthy handkerchief.

  “Shouldn’t we take her to the base, Enzo?”

  “No, that one doesn’t have good meat,” he replied as he got into the passenger seat on one of the vehicles. Before closing the door, he flung his cigar in her direction. It landed with a hiss on the damp ground at Felicity’s feet. With a whistle from Enzo, the rest of them clambered into various vehicles and fled into the jungle.

  However, Felicity noticed a few of the men had stayed behind.

  One of them came near with a cruel smile. “I’ve never been one to waste, menina.” Laughing, he whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, I’ll try not to be too rough.”

  Closing her eyes, Felicity told herself not to cry. She braced herself for the cruel man’s touch, but suddenly, echoes of gunshot exploded throughout the forest. Felicity opened her eyes. One of the other men was shooting his rifle.

  “Why the hell did you do that, Ernesto?” the man growled.

  “I thought I saw something but I think I got it.” He edged into the trees until he was out of sight. “Yeah I –”

  His words were interrupted by a scream of terror. Suddenly it cut off, and he was silent.

  The leader now grabbed his own assault rifle. “Diego, go check it out.”

  The other man hesitated but a stern look finally forced him to follow Ernesto’s trail. As soon as he was out of view, he yelled loudly and shot several rounds from his rifle.

  There were the sounds of something rustling in the brush, and Diego crawled out on his hands and knees. Before he was completely out in the open, something grabbed him by the foot. Screaming, he was forcefully dragged back in. Felicity closed her eyes. His horrendous screams continued until they trickled into a gurgle.

  The man with the cruel smile was now shaking with terror and frantically pointing his gun in all directions. He then glanced upward over Felicity’s head. His eyes widened in horror.

  Fearfully, Felicity followed his gaze into the branches above. It was a great, snarling jaguar, and it was ready to strike. The man tried to ease his finger towards the trigger of his gun, but before he could fire, the beast jumped down in a blur of orange and black fur.

  Growling viciously, the jaguar bit at the man’s arms as he screamed and tried to protect his face. Felicity shut her eyes as the gruesome scene continued in front of her. The gag was the only thing keeping her from screaming.

  Suddenly the man’s screaming stopped.

  Felicity opened her eyes to find the jaguar leave the body and walk towards her.

  She stiffened as she felt its muzzle near her hands. She then heard gnawing as the ropes binding her fell slack. Within a few moments, she was free. She removed the gag from her mouth and looked at the beast. For roughly five minutes the two stood still, quietly staring at each other. She almost felt like the jaguar’s jade eyes were trying to tell her something. But that would be crazy. Illogical.

  The sound of people talking loudly in the distance broke the trance. Some of them were calling her name. Her classmates! As the jaguar leapt into the thick foliage, she saw it had a long scar from its back towards its flank. Felicity began to run toward her group.

  ***

  She decided not to tell them about what happened. It was a mixture of shame, panic, and lingering disbelief. She rationalized to herself that bringing it up would only cause unnecessary trouble. Her group hadn’t suspected a thing, and Professor Johnson had only chastised her for getting lost in such a dangerous area.

  Felicity spent the next two weeks silently sticking close by the group whenever they went out, or using free days indoors with her head stuck firmly in old textbooks.

  Despite Pedro’s numerous pleas to visit the Cesta de Lenguas, she could not bear the thought of going anywhere near the jungle without her group. However, as the midpoint of the summer semester passed, Felicity knew that she needed to get some actual hands-on research done. Most of her classmates were already nearing the completion of their own projects.

  She couldn’t even tolerate Carol’s strategy of working. That consisted of shopping with her new boyfriend, Davi, and claiming to be gaining insight into local, modern culture. (Which of course Professor Johnson had given his full support to.) Thankfully, Davi’s club had been shut down after the fire for renovations. It didn’t take long for the police to postpone its reopening, because as they investigated the fire, they found numerous amounts of drugs and paraphernalia at the scene. Of course, the smooth talking and wealthy man had gotten out of the matter unscathed. Felicity knew it would only be a matter of time before the party house was open again. However, for the moment it seemed the threat of police surveillance was keeping Carol safe.

  In the end, Felicity had no choice but to face her insecurities and travel to the isolated area. Pedro Gutierrez had decided to come along, but she knew he be of no help if they came across Selvagens Verdes. Making their way towards the facility, her violent memories began to plague her. She’d nearly been raped and killed by the ruthless gang, which made sense in their twisted world. But Felicity could still not explain the beast that had spared her.

  Had the jaguar knowingly saved her? Felicity’s scientific mind couldn’t fathom this notion and she had spent nights afterward maintaining that it had been planning to eat her, but had been scared off by the sound of people. Of course, it had no trouble attacking armed men and there was no reason why a hungry animal would set loose easy prey. Perhaps it was just one mystery of life she would never know.

  Except, it had freed her. That had made no sense at all. Felicity shook her head. As long as she never had to see the jaguar again, it was a mystery she was happy to leave unsolved.

  Pulling into the muddy parking lot, Felicity pushed aside the intrusive thoughts. Pedro ran up to another middle-aged man, who he introduced as his old friend Joseph Rivera. Felicity shook his hand. While explaining the reason for her visit, she noticed Joseph’s smile become less enthusiastic.

  “Is something wrong?” Felicity asked.

  Joseph responded, “No.
Well…you see, the only Barasana interpreter we have left at this location is Jebá, and he can be a bit…difficult.”

  “What do you mean?” Pedro asked.

  “Most of our translators are friendly. They do their best to ensure peaceful relations on both ends.”

  “Is he cruel to the natives?” Felicity asked.

  “No, no! Actually he’s very good at making sure there are no culture misunderstandings,” Joseph replied. “It’s mostly our end that he can be a bit temperamental with. Jebá doesn’t approve of the modern encroachment into native territories. However, a few of our sponsors endorse it.”

  After her violent experience in the jungle, Felicity didn’t think there should be modern encroachment into the native territories, either. “You don’t think he would work with me?”

  “Tough to say, He’s not a big fan of outsiders.” Seeing her disappointed look, he added, “But you know, it never hurts to ask. I’ll be back in a second.”

  He disappeared within the former mission, and Felicity began to speculate what backup projects she could possibly complete on such short notice. While cursing herself for not checking with the facility sooner, she was relieved to see Joseph return beaming in delight.

  “We must have caught him in a good mood today because he said yes!” he exclaimed.

  “Did he seem eager to work with her?” Pedro asked.

  “Well…no. But I made sure that he would be polite and professional.”

  Excellent, Felicity thought. Not only had she almost been murdered, now she was going to deal with an uncooperative subject. She reluctantly entered the building and went towards the designated room. There she found a man whom she presumed to be Jebá, finishing up a conversation.

  She introduced herself in Portuguese, and asked if she could speak with him. The tall, dark-complexioned man said nothing, but merely nodded as he took a drink from a canteen. The primary interview ran rather quietly as Felicity stuck to yes or no questions. These elicited only nods, head shakes, or disinterested stares. He never offered any sort of vocal expansions to his answers, when he actually gave them. Once she finished the primary interview, she went on to the questions that would make up the majority of her report.