Chapter 24: Bad Kitty

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Chapter 24: Bad Kitty

I could've sworn I heard a sigh of relief as she rubbed herself against the warm cushions.

It is pretty cold outside, I thought with a frown before closing the window.

"You're here again," I greeted flatly.

The little black cat looked up at me curiously.

She tilted her head to the side as if to silently answer my question.

Yes, I'm here again, foolish human.

I found myself on my bed after getting the message. I crisscrossed my legs and stared down at her solemnly.

"You're an invasive cat, did you know that?"

She stood on her galloping feet making light steps, the self confidence and prideful glow being a vital part of such feline beauty.

For some reason, it was like a mockery to my intellect.

The way she carried herself.

I could hardly contain my reaction when she licked her paw and extended it as if to say, I know and what about it?

My jaw dropped.

I quickly collected myself, not wanting to look crazier than I already am.

I was talking to a cat for Christ's sake.

How much lonelier could I get?

Soon, I'll be on par with Taylor Swift and have two more additions to the family.

One is a happening, but three's a crowd.

I shook away my silly thoughts and tried to gear my attention away from the thing before me.

"Okay, so I'll take that as a yes." I noted slowly before checking my phone.

There was nothing—no one missed me.

Wait.

I scanned through my list of conversations seeing one I hadn't opened marked as read.

Okay, that's weird.

It was from Genie's boyfriend, Eric.

My hands held the phone a bit tighter out of anxiety.

Eric never called me unless there was something wrong.

And by that I meant between him and my best— his girlfriend.

"Hey, Eric, what's up?" I greeted feigning cheerfulness.

I could've sworn the black cat almost broke her neck looking up at me.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Hi, Isabelle. How've you been?"

"I've been doing good." I lied straight through my teeth.

After all, he was being polite.

As if he really wanted a synopsis of how my life was going which was equivalent to being depressingly chaotic.

"How about you?" I returned and I found myself grimacing at the heavy sigh he released.

As if the cat heard it too, her tail stood erected into the air and her round dark eyes were on me.

I was beginning to get creeped out as she waited for what seemed like Eric's response.

"Have you...have you seen Genie these days?" He asked, getting straight to the point. It was like talking about how he was doing depended a lot on the little mixed girl with an attitude problem.

Pot calling the kettle black, my subconscious snarked at me but I ignored it.

"I haven't been able to contact her for a while now and it's getting to the point where I'm becoming concerned. I thought she was busy with work but that doesn't seem to be the case so that's why I'm calling."

That selfish brat, I thought once I heard how she had the poor guy worrying his ass off for her again.

"No, I haven't seen her. Why? Is there something wrong?"

I tried my best not to cave under the guilt from our argument the last time I saw her.

Surely, she hadn't gone back to her old habits, right?

I knew I said some hurtful things I should apologize for but that didn't mean someone like her would break like that, did it?

I knew I meant as much in her life as she did in mine.

Or at least I could have made an oath on that before the entire she was assigned to be your best friend and guardian fiasco.

"I don't know if there's something wrong because I haven't seen or heard from her!" His panic allowed his voice to raise an octave and I could visibly imagine him cringe before apologizing softly.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell."

"It's alright." I assured him as that inquisitive cat found its way onto my bed, its eyes scarily busy surveying the room.

But I had a feeling I was still the center of her attention.

Should I kick her out? She's starting to give me the creeps.

My mental deliberation took a pause when I realized the seriousness in this situation.

Genie had disappeared without a trace.

"When was the last time you spoke to her?"

"Last week."

Around the same time we fought.

"Did you guys have a fight?"

How hypocritical of you, Isabelle.

It seemed like I wasn't the only one who thought so based on the little snort—

My eyes widened and I stilled.

Was that a snort from the cat?

And why did it sound awfully sarcastic?

"No, we didn't have a fight. We actually haven't fought in a while. We've been getting along quite well...as well as it can be with a short-tempered girlfriend like Genie. You know how she is."

I chuckled. "That I do."

He waited for my next words but I was gonna have to disappoint him.

"I'm sorry but I haven't heard from her either."

I could literally hear his teeth gnashing against each other in disappointment...or was that anger?

Whichever it was, it would be understandable.

I was going through something similar here.

Not hearing from a supposed loved one and being ghosted by them was not the most ideal situation in the world.

If I had a choice, I would've never wanted to experience it.

It got one thinking too much.

About different scenarios at that.

Eric was going through the same thing but his concerns were much darker. "Do you think something happened to her?"

My heart skipped a beat at that for certain.

"What could've happened to her? She's Genie. Nothing ever happens to that girl unless she wants it to."

He sighed, becoming pensive.

Of course, I was right and I didn't need anyone to confirm it but he did.

"I know but it's kind of strange how she hasn't even talked to you. Usually, she's stuck to your side like a second layer of skin."

"What a graphic description." I mused.

He chuckled awkwardly.

"Should I have said glue instead?"

"That would've been much better."

And I swore I heard the cat choking up on something.

Maybe she was gonna puke out her hairballs.

"Yes, I guess that would've been a more predictable or typical comparison."

"What can I say? We're talking about you here, Eric. Nothing you ever say is unimaginative."

"Genie always says I'm too much of a nonconformist. I guess she was right."

"Hey, that's not a bad thing. She's just giving you hell for not understanding your fancy words and theories."

He cracked up with laughter.

It seemed his panic had gotten a lot better from earlier.

Maybe it had something to do with how unaffected I sounded by my supposed best friend going missing.

It probably had him thinking he was overreacting.

But I didn't think he was.

I thumbed my fingers mid-thought knowing that there was something amiss with her disappearance.

"If you ever let her hear you say that she'll bite your head off."

As if he had jinxed me, I felt a row of perfectly sharp teeth bite down into my bare calves.

I squealed in surprise.

Eric was asking what was wrong but I was too busy gaping at the cat.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked the black demon, echoing the same words Eric was.

The cat only huffed—huffed—before making her way off the bed.

"Once I'm finished with this call I'm gonna throw you out!" I threatened.

She didn't seem fazed by that.

I'd like to think it was because of her being unable to comprehend the English language.

It was getting harder and harder to convince myself of that and other coincidences regarding her as she full on glared at me.

What the fuck?

I was barely able to get out a small "I'm okay," to Eric during all of that.

I heard him let out a sigh of relief.

"Gosh, Isabelle. Way to make a man almost get in trouble for a false alarm. I was this close to calling 911. You know that they have fines for that, right? And I mean up to one thousand dollars."

"You're rich, Eric. You don't have to worry about that." I said mindlessly as the cat disappeared into the kitchen after breaking eye contact with me.

I felt my shoulders loosen with relief.

Wow, Isabelle. Even a cat has you on your toes and scared as hell?

It was a creepy ass cat though.

Eric was sputtering for a comeback to my last words of his financial privilege.

When he came up short, he let out a defeated sigh. "You sound like Genie."

"I am her best friend." I said proudly without much thought and my smile fell off my face almost instantly.

Were.

You were her best friend, Isabelle.

The reminder felt like a punch in the stomach.

I heard a loud crash coming from outside my bedroom and had a feeling it had something to do with a certain feline.

With furrowed eyebrows, I hopped off the bed and in the direction it went.

"Isabelle, just what exactly is happening at your apartment?" Eric asked, letting me know he had heard the commotion as well.

Just as I opened my mouth to convince him everything was fine, I snapped it shut in a tight line at the sight before me.

Cupid, dressed in colors that were unfittingly on a much darker side of the spectrum, held up the cat in his hand flimsily. It was shooting him daggers through those eyes that were worth a thousand words.

"Bad little kitty," he purred while holding her by the tail.

I brought the phone back to my ear and simply said, "Eric, I'll call you back."

Before even hearing his response, I hung up and fixed Cupid into a strong stare. "What the hell are you doing in my apartment? And why are you harassing a poor little cat at that?"

He gave an all knowing smile before dangling the animal again.

I felt my jaw tighten at the display of borderline abuse.

Feisty or not, no cat deserved to be manhandled.

"Put her down," I hissed.

Cupid looked down at the cat with an impressed look. "Wow, who would've thought? You've managed to get back on her good side in such a creative way. I bet she won't be too upset now that you've created a bond again."

I couldn't get to ask him what he meant and why the hell was he talking to a cat like a person before he let go of her.

My scream was muffled in my throat as I remembered cats have exceptional landing skills.

In that split second of her paws meeting the floor, a cloud of dust formed and when it cleared, I felt my heart stop.

In a crouching position, there was Genie with wide and guilty brown eyes.


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