The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Author's Note: Sorry I took a few days to update, my mind is set on 'scramble' right now, so please bear with me. Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated, and I would be happy to answer any questions about the story. So here's chapter five, read on fanfic lovers!

Disclaimer: I own Kat only; all original characters and Itex belong to the genius that is James Patterson.

Chapter 5: Hybrids Just Want to Have Fun

She was finally here, in Seattle, her own personal city of dreams. She ignored the strange stares she was getting from passersby, most likely because of her soggy ragged clothes. She was thankful that her ears were covered by her knotted hair, and decided to stop and try to plan. She sat down on a cafe table and took out Feng Chi's wallet, her only possession. She carefully opened it and began gently shuffling through its contents. There were limp folded green papers--Feng Chi had called this money, and had even taught her how to use it--and the there were some plastic cards--credit cards, if she remembered correctly--and some other papers. She found a picture of his late wife, CeeCee, and him in Hong Kong a year before she died. There was even a picture of her, Kat. It showed her two years ago, when she was twelve. Her ginger and black striped ears and tail were still a little big, just like now, and her amber eyes were more lively, still hopeful that she had another life to look forward to. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, one wrist grasping the other over them. She had even smiled for the occasion, her fangs showing over her other teeth.

Kat carefully tucked the photos back into place and shoved the wallet back into her waistband, not having any pockets. She sighed, closed her eyes and leaned her head back a bit, basking in the warm sunlight. She debated what to do next; she needed new clothes, that was a no-brainer. And--more importantly--she needed a safe place to hide for a while. Well, first thing's first, she thought; shopping it is.

Feng Chi had, of course, taught Kat all about life in the city, and that included shopping. "You need to be careful not to get lured into a bad deal, but that's usually only from private sellers. In a market or department store you're usually okay."

Kat walked lightly down the sunny streets, glancing at the huge apartment complexes, and wondered where to start. "If I were a shopping location," she muttered to herself, "where would I be..." Her was answered when she wandered into some kind of street fair, full of stalls and booths, and--to Kat's relief--clothes. She walked over to the one of the booths selling cheap clothes and started sifting through the shirts.

"Can I help you with anything today?" Kat turned her head in surprise and saw a teenage girl a few years older than herself standing behind her. She had a black haircut that reached her chin, its deliberately choppy ends highlighted in a bright neon blue. She had an easy grin and seemed curious of Kat's current apparel.

Kat replied with an easy tone, hoping she sounded like a local. "Yeah, sure. Just the usual; you got any suggestions?"

The girl smiled. "You bet."

Forty-five minutes later, Kat walked away from the booths dressed in her brand new apparel. She had exchanged her tattered gray ensemble for a small light blue t-shirt, faded jeans, combat boots, and an olive green pinstriped pageboy cab, her ginger hair twisted up and stuffed into the cap. She had also bought herself a cheap blue bracelet and a key chain ring with a beaded butterfly dangling off of it. She had clipped it onto her front left jeans belt loop, and proudly displayed it. Feng Chi's wallet was now safely tucked inside her back-right pocket, in a safer place than her waistband. All in all, she was rather pleased with herself; she had successfully negotiated her first deal of her new life, and she had done it all on her own. She missed Feng Chi very much, but she was also glad to be on her own, where she could do what she wanted and when she wanted to do it. She was the one pulling the strings.

She was surprised to find that she had liked shopping; it was fun to do something for herself after fourteen years. She walked down the street along the bay, Alaskan Way, and decided that it was high time to she had something to eat. She stopped at a half-outdoor restaurant on Pier 56, a place called Elliott's. There wasn't much of a line, just one person, and Kat glanced up at the menu and encountered another problem.

She couldn't read.

Feng Chi had taught her English, Chinese, and even a little Latin. But he had taught her how to speak it, not how to read it. After all, it wasn't as if he could just loan her copies of Jane Eyre and Moby Dick. She decided that she was hungry enough to bluff her way through this. She stood behind the man at the counter and picked up what he was saying. "...I'll take a medium fish and chips with a soda, please."

"All right," said the girl at the cashiers desk, "that'll be $6.94 please." The man handed her a ten, and Kat memorized the look of the bill, deciding to imitate him. The girl gave him his change, and a plastic plaque with a number of some sort on it. He thanked her, and sat at a table outside, setting the plaque on the table. "Next?" Kat took a breath and walked forward.

"One medium fish and chips and a small soda, please." The girl didn't look suspicious, but Kat didn't want to take any chances.

"Okay, that'll be $6.94, please." Kat took out Feng Chi's wallet and produced a bill with the same design as the man before her had. Judgment time, thought Kat. But the girl just popped the register, placed the ten inside and counted out Kat's change. "$3.06 is your change," she said, handing Kat the money, which she stuffed in her pocket; she would put it in the wallet later. "Here's your receipt, and here's your number, thirteen. Please take a seat inside or outside and we'll bring you your food momentarily. Here's your glass, the soda machine is over there."

"Thank you," said Kat, very nearly sighing in relief. She had seen someone use the soda machine before her, and imitated her as well. She pulled the lever on the ice dispenser, letting a few ice cubes fall into the bottom of her glass. Then she pushed one of the drink buttons, not knowing which one it was, and filled up her cup. Then she walked outside and sat at the table nearest the waterfront. She set the number and her glass on the table, and relaxed in her chair. She had done it again; she was on a roll. She stared out at the glistening water, enjoying the suns heat on her back and on the top of her head. She wondered how often Feng Chi had done this; spent a day buying clothes and food. It felt good to do something by yourself, without any help. She wondered how it would have felt like to have grown up in this city; to go around and do this kind of thing all the time.

She was still contemplating while drinking her soda, surprised at the carbonation and the taste, this when a teenage boy in a black apron walked over to her and set her plate on the table, along with a plastic silverware set. "Here you go, enjoy," he said, then he walked back inside to the kitchen. She took out her knife and fork and cut herself a healthy piece of fish, popping it into her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise; it was the most delicious thing she had tasted in her whole life--she thought--and it was so different than anything she'd ever had before. The chips were the same way, and soon her plate was empty, along with all of the tarter sauce. When she was done, she took out her change and put it, along with her receipt, in the wallet. Then she reluctantly and regretfully picked up her paper dishes and threw them away, walking out of the restaurant. It was a good start to her life.