I was sat at Edna's kitchen table finishing my tale of everything that's been happening to me Edna is pulling out teacups as a teakettle hums on the burner.
You're afraid of what you are?
"No, I mean, I remember doing it, but it wasn't really, you know, me. God, I don't understand what's happening. I looked at book in the library but I just can't make sense of it"
"I'm not sure how to put this it may be hard for you to accept but I'm something of an expert in these matters Vampirism, lycanthropy, feligyny." At my confused look she explained "Feles, Latin for cat. Gynos is Greek for female. I'm a professor of folklore and mythology that is I used to be until I was denied tenure. They said my work was frivolous but it was an all-male department and well, it's a long, sordid story" she shook her head going somewhere for a moment before continuing "Oh, yes. The other night I think you may have had an accident a very serious accident fatal in fact."
"But - I'm not dead." as if I was talking to a child
"Not anymore dear. After you died, you were reborn as a cat woman." A teakettle let off a loud whistle and Edna moved to take it off the stove. Do you prefer mint or chamomile?"
I'm beyond speech what she just said is impossible right and yet makes sense to me i look over her information she had grouped together of figures half-feline, half-female. "The cult of cat women dates back to Ancient Egypt where felines were first domesticated. She handed me my cup of tea "The temple of the Cat god Bast. A Persian army destroyed it in the fifth century BC." My dream that was what i dreamt about the night all this weird stuff started.
Her tone is sad as if this memory were fresh and painful "Legend has it that the priestesses became the first cat women. The cats they'd worshipped Midnight's ancestors each gave up one of its nine lives to bring them back from the dead." I look to the book of medieval witched with their cats.
"In the middle ages cats and cat women were regarded as evil. Nonsense of course witches were just single independent women who broke society's rules. There were reports of a cat woman a while back on the East Coast like many she turned to a life of crime but apparently she's disappeared or died.
I study the photo. "How many have there been?"
"No one can be sure. I've found references scattered through history but cat women tend to lead solitary secretive lives. Hard to blame them it seems most were murder victims."
I had heard enough I get up freaked out "I was murdered? Why would anybody kill me? No, I never did anything to... I don't want to break the rules!"
I start to pace the room Edna look at me sympathetically.
"She's like some demon possessing me but I can't keep it under control. When she takes over it's like, she just does whatever she feels like she doesn't care what people think."
"Is that so bad?"
"You don't understand I'm afraid she's going to hurt someone or get me killed, again." I near to tears as Edna put her arms around me. "There's got to be a way to make it stop. Some kind of, I don't know, garlic or wolfs bane or something..."
She thinks "A domestic cat can return to its natural state effortlessly but once a cat's gone feral, it can never be tamed."
"Okay... that isn't helping." I sighed
Edna pulls back looking me in the eye "Relax a little, learn to live with your inner cat even love her she has many admirable qualities integrate her into your life. If you accept the darker impulses try to channel them maybe she'll come to be domesticated"
"No. I'm going to fight her. I'm stronger than she is"
"But don't you see? You're only fighting yourself..."
"And I'm going to win." I head out the door
-x-
I head home and get on with my chores like any normal person would I take the rubbish out of the back door of my building looking around nervously moving toward the dumpster in the alley I toss in the bag.
"We've got to stop meeting like this." I look up to see Ashley approaching from her car parked in a lot off the alley she seems casual, smiling glancing at the dumpster anxiously she follows my sight-line, snooping as always. "Doing some spring cleaning?"
"I'm emptying the cat box actually." She quickly takes a step back from the dumpster.
"So that was a surprising message you left for me." Oh god what has Midnight made me do now?
"Oh, well uh must of been my cold medication talking." Embarrassed I sniffle and cough very unconvincingly.
"Well anyway if you wanted to get together again maybe we could get a bite to eat Friday night?"
I pretend to think it over "Yeah, maybe call me" I smile and go back upstairs to my apartment scooping up Midnight dancing around with her overcome with joy.
I hold the cat at arm's length singing a tune of her own making "Ashley Davies, Ashley Davies when I kiss her I'll give her... rabies?" I stopped for a moment actually considering this I look at Midnight who is clearly not enjoying this she squeals and squirms free.
I sat down on my couch "I wasn't myself when I made the call. What's she ever gonna see in me?"
Midnight turned her butt to me tail twitching angrily I glance out of the window into Ashley's apartment getting a glimpse of her as she enters her apartment, I quickly close the blinds.
-x-
I enter the building and move quickly and agilely keeping my head down not wanting to be noticed. Sally spots me following me through the showroom toward the elevators.
"Spence, what are you doing here?"
I shrugged "Just came by to clean out my desk."
She studies me "Hm. Did you dye" I look at her alarmed "your hair. You look different somehow, cooler." I shook my head uneasy. "Are you going to the funeral? Wait I know tinted contacts?"
"What funeral?"
"You didn't know? Dave Berger the boss his whole place blew up gas explosion the night you got fired."
"Oh my God" I say reeling
"Yeah, life's short, huh." She snaps her fingers "The hottie neighbour! That glow you're getting some, aren't you?"
I wave her off and she grins figuring she's got it right and walks off back downstairs to work. I start dumping all my stuff in a cardboard box cleaning out my cubicle in the office. I notice a flashing light on her phone I hit the message button and pick up the receiver.
"Spencer, its Dave..." I wince at the voice from the grave and cast a sad glance toward his empty office. I called the CEO about your YP-3 numbers he went ballistic. I'll have to redo the spreadsheets you must've screwed up somewhere."
"Like hell I did" I whisper
I sit down and turning on my computer I read aloud ''Miracle ingredient just a drop makes wrinkles vanish, blah...' but what is it?" I type away searching focused on the screen when I find something. Dr. Ivan Nevski was in charge of development. His not company staff who was he?
I Google his name and find a head shot of him under his photo were words like "Soviet Defence" "Secret Research" even "Chemical Weapons," and "Bacterial Warfare" came up.
I sit back baffled and disturbed giving up I head home.
-x-
I stretch as I feel the feline in me take over, my eyes pop open my back arches, I needed to get out.
I use my new found talents to vault over the side landing hunched under Ashley's window letting out a sexy growl I scratch at the window the place is dark I punch out a pane of glass and slither in.
"Girl, you don't know what you're missing..." I smirked as I move through the dimly lit environment, able to see easily in the dark I run a claw over the strings of a guitar and find a discarded button-down shirt to slip on.
My eyes narrow when I see a framed photo of Ashley with her arm around a pretty girl, letting out another growl I slash out the girl's face.
In the bathroom I open the medicine chest picking up her bottle of perfume spraying it in the air and sniffing it urgh gross I thought looking at the bottle almost laughing when I see that it's by the company I used to work for.
I close my eyes thinking about everything, Lauren chewing me out in the elevator Edna had said most cat women were murder victims. I think back to the black Mercedes coming at me. Why would anybody kill me?
I hear Berger's voice in my head 'YP-3... YP-3...' Avenal went ballistic...' They must think that I know something's up. That's why I was murdered to keep silent! That's what this was all about? Stupid make-up? I throw the bottle against the wall.
-x-
