“Uh-oh,” he said. “I don’t like the sound of this.”
She gave him a look, which meant comply or get slashed. A second later, he changed his mind. Make a commitment and carry on through. There was no need to be afraid, not any longer. Excited by the possibilities of being with her and just being, he threw on his clothes and joined her in a walk down the hill.
A few cars passed them by, slowing down long enough for the occupants to gawk, but no one yelled out any insults. After a leisurely stroll, they reached the bottom of the hill and walked into the convenience store. The same two large men who’d gotten their butts kicked the first time lounged against the counter.
Once they got a good look at Harry and Anastasia, though, they stood upright, and shock appeared on their faces. Apparently, they weren’t the types to watch news. Harry jerked his thumb at the door. “I suggest you guys use it.”
Instantly, a wet stain appeared at the front of their trousers and they took off through the door, stumbling over each other as they went. The same snotty clerk as before sat at the cash register, leafing through a magazine. He didn’t even appear to have noticed his backup’s departure. “Yeah, what is it?” he asked, eyes on the page.
“Service,” Anastasia stated, rapping her knuckles on the counter.
When the man didn’t respond, she extended her claws and slashed the magazine in two. That got his attention. He dropped the torn halves and his manner got all self-righteous at first. “What in the hell...”
When he saw her, though, he did a double take. “What... what’s going on here? Is this for real?”
She leaned in closer and beckoned him with her forefinger. His eyes grew wide. “If you say one word about kittens or cat food,” she said in the sweetest of all voices, but with a hint of iron underneath, “guess what’s going to happen?”
He gulped and nodded respectfully toward them. “Can I get you something... Miss... or is that Ms.?”
Anastasia winked at Harry. “I’d call that a good start.”
The End
About the Author
J.S. Frankel was born in Toronto, Canada, many moons ago and managed to scrape though the University of Toronto, earning a BA in English Literature.
In 1988, he moved to Japan in order to teach ESL and taught anyone who dared to enter his classroom. In 1997, he married the charming Akiko Koike. Their union produced two sons, Kai and Ray. Frankel lives with his family in Osaka where he teaches English by day. At night, he strives to write the best Young Adult novels possible and continues on until the wee hours of the morning. He is the author of Catnip, Catnip 2: Rise of the Transgenics, Death Bytes, Twisted, and the Lindsay/Jo trilogy.
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