'All Pets Must Be Microchipped', the newspaper announced the most recent law passed. The government folk cited concerns for safety, as three pets had 'disappeared' lately. The law stated that all pets in the city and surrounding areas had to be microchipped by the season's end. There were no exceptions to this.
Saoirse had read the article twice as she sat at the table, her lips pressed thin and her skin pale. This was bad. This was worse than bad. The government had taken notice of HR's doing, snooped about even. From this, they then stated a new law to keep track of each pet…so none could escape.
And somehow Saoirse seriously doubted that anyone on HR was a whiz at technology or hacking.
Well, there went that. Humane Rebels started up again with a bang and went out in a fizzle. Temporary, she felt, but still, it was disheartening. Not only that, but it meant that even she would have to be microchipped. She shuddered.
"Beastly idea, not the best they've had." Katz mused over her shoulder, startling her. In his hand was a cup of tea while his free hand rest on the chair. "Hm. I suppose we'll be ducking the city for a while." He mused lightly. "At least after the 'deadline'." He looked down at her. "Well? Take your tea, I'm not your tray, girlie."
Setting the newspaper down, she took the cup of warmth and watched as he sat across from her. Sipping the drink, she calmed slightly. "So no microchip for me then?" She inquired, leaning against the chair. A bit of her robe opened, revealing a glimpse of a thigh.
Katz' eye followed the unintentional glimpse. He smirked into his cup of tea. "The only marks on your skin will be my teeth."
Saoirse nearly spat out her drink, pale skin flushing pink immediately. "Don't look so satisfied with yourself." She mumbled, looking away. At least he had snapped her out of her concern. "I'm glad to hear it. By then," the end of the season at least, "we should have a decent amount of food in the garden to be self-sufficient. Baking bread is easy with a machine too, I recall some of Sheila's recipes. As for meat…"
Katz made a slight face. "We will buy frozen, although I highly doubt it'll be a common staple." Neither were huge meat-eaters.
"It would help," she muttered as she took another drink, "if we weren't on the government's list already."
Katz didn't respond. He didn't need to. His silence spoke his thoughts.
The law was to be in effect at the end of the season, a few months from now. That gave Katz and Saoirse the opportunity to travel to another party – a sophisticated one, no night club. Saoirse dressed well, a deep blue gown. Like before, Katz brushed her hair before placing it into an intricate bun. This time, given their new level of intimacy, she did not hesitate to melt at his attention.
When they arrived, Katz mingled with a few people. They were customers, of course, and Saoirse knew it. She spent her time looking around, grabbing a glass of water rather than wine or champagne. After a while, the music started to play.
She heard Katz pause in his speech, mutter 'excuse me', before he turned to her. He held his arm out. "Would you care to dance?"
Saoirse felt more than his eyes on her though she willed it away. Setting her glass aside, she smiled softly. "As you wish." She said softly, mindful of where they were. The pair took to the floor and performed a simple waltz amongst the other couples.
Her hand rest on his shoulder, their bodies close together. As they moved, she kept her eyes mostly on his face and his on hers. It was only the soft clink of her tag against her collar that kept her from drifting into a serene trance.
"Will we have to stay here long?" She asked quietly.
Raising a brow, the smug man asked, "Tired?"
He spun her around. When she returned to his arms, she scoffed. "Your fault."
Katz leaned forward, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, "I know." Then he stepped back to lead them away from colliding with other dancers. As the song went on, he stated, "Perhaps another half hour. I'm about to win a negotiation with a client."
Saoirse nodded as the dance ended. She gave a quick curtsey and he a bow before the pair split up. She needed to use the powder room, as it were. As she traveled down the hall, she paused at the sound of a familiar name. "Did you see Katz and his pet dance?" She pressed herself against a wall to listen to the gossiping women better, in secret. "I swear, if a pair were ever in love…"
Saoirse tensed. Love? Her and…Katz? Nonsense, she thought, they were just…in sync. Aside from the sex, which was occasionally aggressive, the pair only annoyed one another. They tolerated one another, nothing more.
Although…Saoirse thought back to all the books she had read before. She had developed her own idea of what love was and felt like, but she had never really had a chance in her life to experience and develop the idea of romantic love. After all, weren't there many types of love?
So…how could she know if she felt lust or love to the man who tried to call himself her master?
She went to get fresh fish from the market the following week. The craving of salmon had hit them both, after a bit of detailed recipe reading. As Katz was across the way getting supplies, within sight in case someone tried to get after her for the leash-sans-owner, Saoirse went to bargain for seafood.
As she went from stand to stand, she caught sight of a familiar face. She had to fight the urge to turn away, ignore her churning stomach and sweaty palms. It was Stoker! Of course he was here, shopping for fish…but really, how…coincidentally timed it was that they were there together.
Swallowing thickly and looking around to ensure no one was watching, she walked over to the stand he was surveying. "Stoker?" She whispered gently. Every cell of her body was on alert for any trouble.
The old man turned around, his tail curling slightly before he relaxed. "Ah, Miss Saoirse." He greeted her just as softly. He quickly turned back to the fish. Saoirse joined him, looking through the selection as if that was all she cared for. "What a surprise to see you here."
"Fate would have it." She muttered. "I had wanted to talk to you about my parents…"
He reached over and picked up a small package, sniffing it. He placed it back down. "I wish I could tell you more, but it would seem this chance meeting will be our last."
Saoirse nearly snapped her head around to look at him. Instead, she quickly picked up a packet of salmon and then one of tilapia, as though debating. The chill that came with the fishes also clung to her afterwards.
Stoker explained briefly, "Even if the HR returns, I'll be retiring. My bones…and my memory…just aren't what they once were. Surely you noticed." It wasn't a question. 'Claire'…her mother who she looked so much like. He hesitated before picking up something for sure. His voice was deeper, more hushed this time. "I have one more boat trip in me, Missy." His tail wrapped around his waist. "It would be my honor if I could reunite you with your parents, even if I won't be able to recall it in a few months."
Saoirse had stopped moving. She was frozen. Static had started to fill her ears, a sure sign of being numb, when he spoke again. "Next Thursday at five in the morning." He leaned forward and paid the shop owner for the fish he had selected, smiling. As he turned away, he added, "It's what Miss Sheila and Oliver would have wanted."
Then he left.
Saoirse set the fish back onto the ice in the brown wrapping, her limbs freezing now. Her lips parted as she struggled to breathe. A boat? A trip to…for her? Her parents…the Terriers…Saoirse closed her eyes. She had to fight to get her heart to slow it's racing pulse. If she didn't adjust to the shock, she would…
A warm hand startled her from her moment. She looked up to see it was Katz who had his hand on her shoulder. He raised a brow. "How long have you been standing here? You're as cold as ice."
Saoirse stared up at the crimson-haired man. Katz…her owner. No, she couldn't mention this to him. She couldn't even mention that she ran into Stoker. She swallowed thickly and shook her head. "I got distracted." She turned away, both relieved and agitated at how his hand remained on her.
"We'll take these two." Katz said before placing the salmon in a bag, hanging the shop owner some money. "Come along, dear girl." Katz encouraged as he turned. With great effort, Saoirse forced her feet her move.
She had a week to figure out what to do.
To have a routine was to be familiar. This is what Katz and Saoirse had. The business ran as it did, Saoirse's free time was often consumed with on-the-side reading of both the legal and illegal variety. Katz sat in the back figuring out accounts, ordering new books of both varieties, and contacting customers when needed. In the evenings, they made dinner and had a spot of tea afterwards. If it were a cool night, they would meander outside. Up until recently, Katz had always pretended that he was joining her outdoors just to ensure she wouldn't be devoured by some wild creature passing by. As of late, however, he joined her in her quiet stargazing without a poor excuse. If it were too warm outdoors, they would stay inside and carry something of an intelligent conversation about some book or another, perhaps even a memory of the past. Well, of Saoirse's past, as Katz' was off-limits.
This mixed with the upgrade of their relationship resulted in a mixed sort of feeling to Saoirse. True, she wore a collar with his name on the tag, but he hardly treated her badly. She even found a sort of affection for him at times as well. While it was never said out loud, there had been, between the pair, a bonding of sorts.
Not to mention, their twice-a-week dinners with Courage, Muriel, and Eustace were lovely additions to their weeks. Courage was an old friend who she could gossip, rant, ramble, and speculate with – about anything, really. He was a fantastic writer who would often honor and tease her with snippets of his upcoming stories and potential endings for characters. He was, in all honesty, the only remaining link she had to the Terriers.
The very same Terriers who had kept the truth from her, as least as far as she could tell. The very same Terriers who raised her as free as they could when bad luck happened at the coast. The very same Terriers who, even now, she could not find it in herself to regret making a deal with Katz to try and save.
To leave all of that, all of them behind…
To this 'Paradise'. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of it. This Paradise was full of humans who were free, who had built their own versions of government, economy, and values – a human society. They could do as they liked, they could wear, be with, and act as they pleased without needing permission from some animal. It was a thrilling prospect.
Even more enticing was the possibility, the simple, sheer chance, that her parents may still be there, waiting for her. Claire and her father. She knew nothing about them, about her origins other than one of their names and the appearance of her mother. Had they had another child? Did she have many siblings? Were they still in love after losing their first born?
The questions haunted her. The questions lingered so fiercely in her mind night after night that she found herself distracted when Katz did his best to make her a puddle of sensations.
How was she expected to make a choice that would change everything about her life, about others' lives, by herself? Within a week, at that! And then of course there was the question of how strong Stoker's mind really was…
Wednesday night rolled around, much to Saoirse's horror.
It was then that Katz, who had been aware of her pensive mood since the market, voiced his concern. "Is there something that I can help you with, dear girl?" He finally asked as she finished washing dishes. He sat at the table, tail moving fluidly.
Turning off the water, Saoirse stared out the window for a moment, catching him in the reflection. "Why do you ask?" How enticing it was to ask him…but she knew his answer. She knew he would say 'no' and then proceed to keep an eye, if not hand, on her throughout the night to ensure she didn't run off.
As much as she knew this and expected it, she was startled to find that it hurt to think it. Even Courage would debate what was best for Saoirse and no one else. Courage, while heartbroken, would help her with whatever she chose…he would understand there was no clear 'winning' or 'losing', but a fierce mixture of bittersweet in whatever she decided.
Not Katz though…
He couldn't stand to let go of anything without a price.
"You've seemed rather distant lately." He stood and walked over, slow and leisurely. "It cannot be an issue of pregnancy as you've been on the pill for several months."
She couldn't help but grin a bit. Even in the reflection, she caught a hint of a blush in his face. As he stood behind her, both staring at each other in the window, she inhaled slowly. No words left her lips though. She gripped the sink tighter.
After a moment, Katz' hushed words purred at her ears, "Saoirse…you can tell me anything." Such hypnotism, she thought.
Saoirse…Saoirse…how rare it was to hear her name leave his lips. How rare that she should hear it at all.
Saoirse…
Her eyes closed. She made her decision then. There was no going back now.
When she opened her eyes once more, she offered a small smile. "Hormones." She lied. "I'll make us some tea, if you'd like."
Over the past few weeks, his trust in her ability to boil water, as well as keep things safe, had increased. He nodded after a moment of hesitation. "As you wish." There was the tiredness in his voice, the thing he often hid. Any weakness was something to hide to him – she was touched to hear it. "I'll be in the living room." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her cheek before departing.
Only when he was gone did she steel herself to do what she had to. Setting a kettle to boil, she went to perform drastic, if not ironic, measures. Tea cups set out, a fine powder in only one of them, she went to the living room all while avoiding her reflection in the windows.
It was rather poetic that they should part the way they first came together. One of them was drugged into a deep slumber, not from the tea, but from a fine powder in one of the cups. The person drank the tea without hesitation, drugs farthest from their mind, watching their company consume the same liquid.
Only this time, it was Katz who woke up with a headache and a dry mouth.
Next to him on the bed was not Saoirse, his darling pet, but her collar. It lacked the tag that said his name. By the time he would touch it, it would be cold, clearly abandoned from many, many hours before. If he were to sit up and look outside, he would see an empty spot where the truck used to be.
He would eventually realize that he was alone.
By the time he came to grips with Saoirse being gone, she would be on the boat. She would be sitting in it, watching Stoker row away, the shore shrinking. She would be sitting there in silence, worried and relieved. She would be tired but still running on the excitement of escaping, of drugging her lover and owner.
She would wonder if Paradise was real. She would pray that Stoker recalled the way. She would wonder what her parents might say when they set eyes on her – she would question how she would find them. She would cry a little when she thought of Courage, she may even shed a tear or four for Katz. She may not even make it to Paradise, but get picked up by the government or simply drown somehow.
Or…or maybe she would arrive at Paradise, to find her parents, and to be free. Perhaps she would be…free. That possibility, no matter how small or how big, was what drove her decision just an inch over the edge. The chance of being free was everything…
And it was a decision she had made herself.
It was her choice to live up to her name, Saoirse, liberty.
No matter what came next, no matter the joy or sorrow, she would never regret her choice and her name.
Fin.
Yes, it was rushed...but I do not, unfortunately, have anymore time to work on this. My apologies. I had the idea and the entire story play out in my head and knew I couldn't wait til December to finish it. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.
