My eyes drooping shut, ready to fall asleep.
When a menace comes by. Pouncing on my back. A tiny white kitten with greyish spots. Things rapidly change, though, as I have his paws pinned to the ground, sitting on top of him.
“What the fuck was that for?” I stare in a fury at the small four-legged kitten that Hector must have been telling me about. The little one must have gotten out of the apartment—an explorer. The worst.
“Let me go!” He wails his paws around in protest. Trying to gnaw at my legs or face. Or anything he can sink his teeth into—him being too young to do actual damage, though. “I just wanna play! Play! Play! Play!” His green eyes looked much too big for his small face.
That’s all kittens want to do is play. I would like to think I was more dignified than that when I was his age.
A sinister thought crosses my head. He undoubtedly shouldn’t be running around like a hooligan with Dr. Susan and her experiments running rapidly. Cats usually got the warning to run far away from her. But a mischievous kitten wanted to say hi to everyone. And twelve-foot tall kittens? Bye-bye humans. Bye-bye everyone in existence. At least I’d have my peace.
I don’t think she would be foolish enough to go that direction though, they could be hard to control.
The kitten weeps. Oh god... “Where’s my mommy? And my siblings?” I don’t know despite, maybe where you left them when you ran off. “Are you my new mommy?” A glint of hope in his eyes at the thought, one that would soon be immersed.
FUCK NO!
“They all got into one of those big scary things.” He points towards another car to make his point. They took all my siblings, but I was hiding, hoping they would catch me, thinking we were playing a game. And then they disappeared. Then I met you,” he explains, attention going away from me when he sees a bird flying past.
He intends to clamber up the tree, but I grab him by the neck in the nick of time. I loathed the notion of him being around, but I knew I would never hear the end of it if I just carelessly left someone to become swept up by the Dr.
“Why did you do that? I was going to catch us lunch.” He pouts. He could keep telling himself that, but it didn’t make it any truer. Causing a spectacle as I force him into the apartment. Cat could re-home him, let him be her headache.
His cries stop as we enter the residence. “Food. Toys!” He zooms around all over the place, making me wonder if I really made the right decision after all. Maybe I should have left him there. I would have never heard the end of it from Cat if I did that, though.
Chapter 5
Cat
“Come on, you can hit harder than that!” Lucky me. Brian was the one who would train me for this new job. I took off my day job with a sabbatical, as I was stuck here. Hopefully, that didn’t ruin the nearly perfect attendance I’ve had for the past few years. After being there for almost a decade, it was nearly a second home.
Brian... There was this guy I was classed with in middle school and high school with that name. He was a dick. Getting in trouble at one point because he filled my locker with grubby earthworms. That was the final straw when I got him back...
“I’m trying!” I screech at him, exasperated. Tired of this game. Exhaustion running through my bones as I attempt to kick at him to just have it blocked. My leg was trapped in his arm as I stumbled down on the mat. Ouch. I run up, getting another swing at him, but am blocked as always. Fuck this guy!
“You hit like a girl.” He remarks, pissing me the hell off—a sexist piece of crap.
“I. AM. A. GIRL.” I punch at him with every word, making my damn point. Why did that have to be the asshole remark they go to? My lungs felt like they’d nearly collapse from the amount of tireless effort. Grabbing the bottle of water from the sidelines. “Can we take a break?” He nods. I graciously go to sit down but am immediately interrupted.
When I’m least expecting it, he strikes again. My cat like reflexes grabbing his arm and pulling him over. “That was a good block, Cat.” He groans as he gets up. Me taking the chance to take him down once again, boot straight under the chin. Severed him right. “Good one.” He wipes a slight tinge of blood that drips down his lip. A look of contempt in his eyes.
“What the hell? I thought we were taking a break?” I scowl at him, pissed as all hell.
“Bad guys aren’t going to stop and take a break just because you decide you need to take a few minutes.” Bad guys will keep coming at you until you’re dead and gone. Just preparing you for the inevitable.”
“Asshole.”
Maori looking on from the sidelines, almost as if she’s bored. Laying on the ground, her feet at her side, playing the role of the kitty who was dying.
“Cat!” I hear my boss yell out as I’m lost in a daze. Memories of being in HQ, my training. They whipped my skinny ass into shape. Went into work with my oil can by my side. A purple monster. As I wouldn’t be able to stay up without it. It seriously needed to kick in sooner, though. I couldn’t be snoozing on the job.
I look up to see who my boss was referring to as there’s a young man at the counter looking to score some magic singles. How long had I been zoned out? How long had he been waiting? I know the boss man was here to do his own managerial stuff.
“Hi.” I throw on an embarrassed smile. “Hope I didn’t leave you waiting too long.” Hoping I didn’t appear as scattered as I felt.
The guy shrugs, not seeming to mind. “Wasn’t in a rush.” I feel some pang of sympathy.
“What were you looking for today?” The magic question.
He offers me a list of commander cards he’s looking to score. The deck has to be new build, with the length of the list. At least it would be something to cause the day to go by faster. Some of my stuff would just have to lie on the back-burner for a while.
I go to the computer. Looking them up one at a time. Before effectively searching for them in the cheapest set first. My daily dose of cardio.
“Do you play at all?” Jim, I think it is, asks me, trying to carry out some small talk with the card pulling. He was picking up an assortment of different demon cards. Rakdos, red-black fun. Most we had in stock, but a few of the high-end ones not being available. Maybe that’d have to be one of our magic weekly themes post some point in the future.
“On and off,” I answer. Used to be a commander player but haven’t had the chance in a while. Life picks up, and it happens. And Maori would prefer to be one of the creatures on the board by plotting down on it instead of participating in the actual game. Tell me this: what do you think would be the power and toughness of a chonky house cat?
“What do you like to play?” He asks to pass the time, as I’m flipping through binders.
“Commander,” I answer, not looking up from the book I’m sifting through.
“You could play with my group sometime. We’re looking to get something together.” He slips me his name and number on a sticky note. Yeah, that wouldn’t be happening. He was easy on the eyes, but not my choice of cake. Also, a tad bit on the younger side, I had an older soul for my 26 years.
“Sure. I’ll call you.” I put on a pleasant smile. Lies. Helping ring him up and be on his way.
“He’s cute.” One of my coworkers nudges me when he’s far gone. And he’s a, so no. I’ve been out of the dating pool for a while. That had its advantages, though. I didn’t have to worry about accommodating my schedule around someone else who wanted to drain up all my time.
I don’t know what it was with me, but I appealed to all the store’s weirdos. It’s like I was holding up a neon sign saying, hey, I’m lonely. Lonely is a skeptical term. There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with it. It could suck sometimes, but learning to enjoy one’s company is always needed. I had my few social activities of the biweekly D&D game with some really awesome people. And a few other events scattered here and there. Not really making much time for that stuff as I’m a workaholic who invariably has to have something occupying her time—much to the ex-room
ie’s defeat who was trying to make me more of an active gamer. I am a gamer; I just don’t spend as much time with video games.
The D&D game was entertaining. We were playing 5th ed, the latest addition at the moment. My character being guess what? Tabaxi! I realize it’s astounding that Cat would play a catfolk character. I was a fighter class who could take down virtually any bad guy. But checking something out and playing the part of the mystery game, I could not as well. While my cat was strong, what he had in that he lacked in smarts. He was your basic himbo.
Which actually made him quite fun to play, as I could do silly stuff. Like play in the snow, chase the butterflies. Even with his silly personality, his past is quite painful. He studied runes growing up with his twin sister. The sister perished in battle, though. And the friend that my character had died as well. Just like he’s some type of death magnet. My aim in the game was to eventually have a little party of kittens following me around. Hell, that would be an excellent target for reality as well. I guess I could try filling my pockets with catnip. I’m sure Maori would love the company... She’s more of a hermit, enjoying her time in a quiet abyss.
xxXxx
I glimpse at the time, 2pm. I already feel defeated for the day. Hell, I felt defeated before I got here. I started feeling defeated when I stared into the mirror with my pretty made-up face and showered body. Having a crisp three hours left in my workday. Just a little over the halfway point.
A few magic lists here and there. Trying to go through the shipments and stuff. Our store has an online presence. Ever since covid started/ended a while back ago, that was a new element we added.
I try to jam one of the magic products in a bubble mailer, but it won’t fit no matter what I do. Just slightly big enough to be a pain in the ass. A box? It still won’t fit the fucker. I look in relief. There are boxes saved upfront from shipments we received. Boxes that this pain of an item should actually fit into. Maybe I would have to order more of a variety of shipping sizes from Amazon when I had the chance.
The one-woman commenting that I should hook up with prince charming is gone for the day. She had an earlier shift, getting some necessary ordering/set up for the store done. We would finally have a label printer. Though that took some arts and crafts out of the job of printing off the labels, cutting them out, then putting so much tape on them, they looked like they were packaged by a psychopath. In a few of the reviews we had, it was observed we went a little overboard with taping the top loaders of cards shut. What can I say? I never half-ass anything.
“Cat, there’s a message on TCG player.” My boss lets me know.
“Got it!” I answer, going to spin around to face someone I wasn’t expecting to see so soon. Or ever again, really. “Susan.”
“Cat.” She confirms seeing me. “You look good.” Her indigo eyes skim over me, and I try to stop my body from involuntarily reacting to it. Some good that does, as I feel the sharp intake of breath overtaking. Even after all this time... “Can we talk?”
She looked stunning. More beautiful than the last time I saw her, if possible. In a tight-fitting black dress that was molded to her frame. I chew my lip, keeping my fingers interlocked to avoid touching her. I had to stop myself from gawking at her. She was the bad guy; I couldn’t be getting swept up by these swooning feelings. Too bad Maori wasn’t here to smack some sense into me.
“Outside if you don’t mind.” She taps impatient nails on the magic counter. Her cat-like talons in their brilliant red. Matching her cherry-stained lips. I wonder if she still tasted like strawberries. God, I was pathetic. “I realize I’m gorgeous and all, but I would prefer to get this conversation out of the way sometime today if you don’t mind.”
I feel my face burn tomato red in embarrassment. “I’ll be back in a few," I holler to my boss as we take out the door. Then sit on the stoop a few feet away from the front door. “What draws you around this corner of town?” I don’t want to sound flirty. Or timid. This was just too much of a reminder of the past.
“Cat, I recognize we’ve had a past, but you need to stay the hell out of my way!” Once again, the illusion seems to be lost as soon as she opens her mouth—that irritating, demanding voice.
Well, I didn’t fall for her with her ability to beat around the bush. She was always direct, and brutally honest… something my trust issues appreciated.
“If you wouldn’t be experimenting on animals, Susan, this wouldn’t be an issue. If you didn’t want me in your way, you wouldn’t be doing this in my town!” I reason. Why did she have to do this here?
She scoffs. “You’re town! You think anybody recognizes you with your weird blue hair and off-center smile?” Her perfect teeth mock my imperfections. “You are a nobody, Cat. You’ve always been a nobody. The only time you weren’t is when I felt bad enough for you to give you the best few months of your life!” Her anger lashes out at me, as I feel the water filling my lungs, as if I were about to be dragged under the water.
“You’re a loser. Nobody could love you. All you have is you and your cat, and she tolerates you. You’re hideous!” The venom spews from her mouth as I aim to not cry around her. I didn’t need to give her the satisfaction..
The class sits on the stage, looking down at me. All laughing at me as I break down and cry. Except one who went by to get the gym teacher to stop this idiocy.
Fourth grade. Though it proceeded on until the 11th. Kids constantly being mean.
I loathed being called ugly.
“I won’t stop until your operation burns to the ground!” I stab my finger at her chest, leaving a slight trail of blood burning down that porcelain skin. “And at least I don’t go experimenting on my loved ones!” I don’t allow her to respond as I go back to the store, back to my job. If she even had enough of a heart to have loved ones. Sure, today was slow, but I had more than enough to keep me busy.
“You alright, Cat?” I get asked as I storm past.
“I’m fine.” Momentarily closing myself up in the office, letting a few tears fall before clearing them. I wouldn’t waste too many on her. I couldn’t let that bitch get to me. Hell, for all I knew, my feelings for her weren’t true. With all the toxins she mixes stuff with. Maybe that was just a figment as well.
The store fluff-ball jumps into my lap, granting me comfort. Humans were monsters.
Chapter 6
Cat
I did not foresee this coming back to my apartment after work... Seeing everything knocked over. Sure, Maori would take the liberty to do a few things. Usually, that included some scattered dice, or maybe even a few leaves in the apartment. Never this, though. She would always usually use the box. Sure, there was a day or two in the introduction when kitten Maori was adjusting, but that was quickly remedied with a litter box with a cover. Being the queen she is, she needed more privacy.
"Fuck!" I groan, having walked in a heap of cat shit. And here I thought today couldn't get any worse. Never count your eggs before they hatch.
What the hell was amiss with her if she was going on the carpet? Did I need to set up an emergency vet visit? If so, I needed to pick up an extra job from HQ fast.
"Maori. Where the hell are you?" I shriek out. Wanting some rational explanation for this instead of relying on my cat is an asshole technique.
Instead of Maori running in, it's a lighter set of paws. Claws causing a slight hiss of pain as he runs up my heart leggings and up my back. Until he's perched on my shoulder, smelling my face. Zoom, zoom as he shows he's the fastest, most capable kiddo parrot around.
"Hi." He greets me. Once, we were face to face. His emerald eyes twinkling with excitement.
"Hi." I'm puzzled why he's here. Did Maori decide to abduct her own child after getting fixed several years back ago? Funny, I never took her as one to want the company of other cats as she was a bit anti-social. Hell more than anti-social, outright hateful towards other cats. She met up with me at work one day and ended up nearly killing the store kitty.
"I love y
ou!" Cute. He nibbles at my fingers before seeing Maori leery making her way into the room, scanning him skeptically.
"Look who chose to join us." I give her a querying look, clearly indicating towards the small fluff-ball. He couldn't be more than three months old. His tail is not yet catlike, his legs short. And sees the need to get from place to place by only moving the swiftest he can. "Care to explain?" I look at her as she has a 'fuck off' expression on her face. Clearly not wishing her new child to be tormenting her constantly.
"The neighbors whose kitty had a litter of kittens recently drove off and left him behind. I saw him while I was sunbathing. He ruined my nap." I bite back the urge to snort. No motherly affection there, just looking like he's some type of parasite.
"So you were outside despite what was going on." I placed 2 and 2 together, giving her a scolding glare. She shouldn't be putting herself at risk there, not when Susan has a red bullseye target on my back.
"I'm not going to let some bitch dictate how I can live my life." She regards Susan as someone who is a bit of a pain. But that's not the point, anyway. He was running around outside like a fool trying to get himself trapped. So I brought him in so you can rehome him." I'm lying on the couch, the kitten snuggling up to my side. "I'd rather him not linger here, so don't be getting too friendly." She scowled at him for being all attentive. Yes, that was her spot for when she decided to take it.
"I don't wanna go anywhere. You two are nice." He rubs into my side. "I miss my siblings." He cries as Maori rolls her eyes at the interaction. Having long forwent her family. She was the litter's runt when she was born, though, so things weren't as easy for her.
Dr. Susan's Reign: Cat Johnson series (Cat Johnson Chronicles Book 1) Page 3
