His honey eyes glimmered like amber as he looked up to the woman, his head flopping over as he tried to peer through his cage bars.
The jewel like eyes snapped her from the daze she felt lost in, blinking owlishly as if she had just woken from a dream, "what was I doing again..." The nightmarish daydream began to ebb away from her mind, the dark computer room melting into a bright sunny day.
As if the world built itself around her, the woman found herself standing in a local pet shop, bags of food lined behind her colored by greens and blues as in front of her was a jungle gym of sorts. Behind thin metal bars were floors of ramps and pillows, litter boxes and small jingling toys with feathers on them. Within the cute prison danced a few small kittens, two red tabbies tousled with one another, pulling at one another's ears as they rolled down a ramp. There was a small silver one in a high corner, grooming his long silky fur in a ritualistic way. Across from him was a small she-cat with short chocolatey fur, staring intently with sparkling little gold eyes. Sadly, she was being prodded by another tom, his fur pattern fitting of a tuxedo cat. On the bottom floor were three small kittens, two vying for a long blonde furred she-cat who simply watched the two tiredly. The ones fighting for her were a small calico and a rather large Russian blue.
Yet in the center of them all, hanging absently on the middle floor was a runtish black kit. He entranced himself close to the bars, his small sooty paw reaching out at the woman who stared absently into his tawny eyes.
"Ah!" the woman suddenly jolted straight up, her shoulders rolling back to be soldier like in stance, "I was picking up a flea collar for Lynn's dog!" The woman began babbling her thoughts as she finally recalled her neighbor's little Pomeranian pooch. Lynn couldn't go out and pick one up herself and asked if this woman could swing by the pet store on her day off.
She was about to rush and grab one, her feet already slipping into motion ahead of her thoughts before her eyes caught the small bag rolled up in her hands. Her body stopped moving with immediate action as she slipped a peak into the bag. She'd... Already bought it.
Must of slipped my mind... The brunette thought quietly to herself in a quite shaken way. She was all ready to begin her walk from the store when a small voice lured her back.
"Mew,"
Shooting a small glance, the black kitten in the cage was fixedly gawking at her with an, almost heartbreaking, desperation.
The woman found herself taking steps back, slipping her finger between the bars to reach the kitten, "...meow?" she smiled to the little cat.
"Meow-w-w-w!" The little kitten responded cheerfully as he brushed his little skull into her finger playfully. The brunette found herself giggling at the little guy, a smile filling her face quickly.
An employee began to walk down the isle, and the woman took no moment to hesitate, "uh, excuse me! This little guy right here, the gorgeous black kitten with perfect eyes, I have a question about him. What's he like?"
Quickly pacing over, the throughly confused employee with a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead took a small look at the cat he assumed she was speaking of, "ah... Yes, he's been in and out of foster homes, adopted three times but always brought back. He's," the little kitten began to hiss at the man, batting his claws through the cage, "not very sociable with people. He would attack his owners, guests or just hide under all the furniture. Erm, but," The employee immediately fell into his scripted words and forced the most plastic smile one could imagine, "all he needs is a loving and nurturing home that would acclimatize for his needs. Are you looking in about adopting him?"
"Hmm," the woman tapped her chin quietly in thought, her mind running with the idea of living with another creature. She soon started to daydream absently, her entire body beginning to sway as she pictured cooking, the kitten weaving between her feet. Or when she's sleeping, the kitten cuddling up beside her in the dark night. Or playing with yarn together when she got home from work. It took a couple snaps in front of her face and a quick apology to pull her back into the pet store, "ah, well my apartment complex does allow pets, so it would be okay, and..."
She silently wondered off into a dark corner of her thoughts, shaking them briskly away as she grinned too brightly.
"I'll stop this adoption cycle here and now! He'll come home and stay with me... Fur-ever!" She began to crack up at her own pun, her body moving to stand like a superhero in pride as she thought up that one. The employee broke his cheerful work code just so he could facepalm in disappointment with the customer, "get it? Because... He's a cat..."
The poor employee tiredly waved her off as he turned away, "I got it, I got it... Let me just get the paperwork for you, ma'am."
Once the employee was gone, the strange woman began to wiggle her finger between the cage's bar again as she smiled at the cat blissfully. The kitten jumped and playfully bit her finger, though it didn't hurt. "You'll have a permanent home, don't worry."
Soon, the employee returned with a thick packet, and an almost completely dried out pen. It didn't cause any waver in the woman though as she flicked back a long lock of dark brown hair. She was guided to a small table where she determinedly raced through each page, tracing her signature over and over. Pasting her address and phone number where it was needed. When she was finally done, she dropped the pages down to the same employee who gave her papers with a tump into his hands. She was practically radiating confidence as she beamed at the employee.
He flipped though the pages almost uncaring, though, before giving an affirmed nod, "everything looks in order, Ms..." He knew there were many strange last names in the world and he constantly butchered them but he couldn't even start the string of X's and E's and just defaulted to saying her first name, "Era. Give me a bit of time to process this. In the mean time, I suggest you buy the necessary supplies to take care of the cat. Such as food, food bowls, litter, litter box, litter scooper."
Era simply nodded as she watched the worker walk somewhere else in the shop. She then moved in immediate action, eyes scanning the overstocked shelves where bags threatened to burst from how tightly they were packed. Colorfully painted bowls stacked one on the other with fluffy, feathery, rubbery and shiny toys falling onto the ground. Her blue eyes locking with each piece, analyzing and deciding before she could take another step. Of course, the process was almost instant. Each item triggered a daydream, what it would be like if she brought that one into her little apartment. The cold ceramic checkered floors blurred under her feet as she sped down each isle to decide what was and wasn't needed.
Soon, she had an CatzGood 10 lb food bag, a FreshCat litter supply, a simple grey box, a pain poop scooper, a cute matching food dish set with fish skeleton painted on it in a pastel brightness, and an adorable abundance of cat toys all jumbled together as she hobbled her way to the counter.
Era dropped it all on the convertor belt and watched as each item popped up on the monitor to show the price. Each item causing more and more color to drain from her face. The cost of things for the cat was almost triple the price of the little kitten himself.
She awkwardly coughed as she handed over her credit card to the cashier, "I didn't need food this month anyways..."
Finally, she was off. Loading everything into the trunk of her economic-sized car. Small tan rust bucket most wouldn't trust with their lives, but it was hers. She took her cat carrier, which held a very petrified black kitten curled up on a towel in the corner, and fit it snuggly in her passenger seat. The leather was cracked and the seat foam was poking out, but the seatbelt was trust worthy enough to wrap around the crate for safety.
Era gave the little kitten a warm smile, trying to calm it down as she spoke, "meow!"
Strapping herself in, she cautiously pulled from the parking lot and drove on. Back to her apartment. Back to Ms. Lynn with the flea collar. Back to her constantly looping routine. Just imagining it felt stale. Her stomach turned as her boring life fostered unwanted feelings.
At a stop light, she tapped breaks and was able to give another beam to the young kitten beside her. He was new. He wasn't boring. He was alive and depended on her now.
"You need a name," she began to muse, thinking on anything she imagined black. "Smoky? Soot. Shadow? Hmmm."
Roaring horns behind her though quickly broke her concentration as she recalled that she was driving, her foot suddenly jumping onto the gas. Then back into the breaks with an organ killing jolt as she thought she saw a squirrel crossing the road and then flooring it once more to drive forward.
"Gah! Sorry, kit!"
She paused for a brief moment, still driving, albeit, at a safer, more attentive driving form.
"Kit! That's a cute name. How about Kit?"
The petrified tom cat simply shivered out a mew of response. Era took that as a seal of approval.
A few months have passed since that day. Era had taken home little Kit who warmed up to her almost instantly. She had mentally laughed maniacally at the employee (who was far away, living his own life) that detoured the cat away from her and she'd state, "take that!" every time Kit snuggled up for morning scratches between the ears when her alarm went off. Then off she'd be to the Neurology office in a local hospital where she worked as a P.A.. It wasn't exciting, but it was interesting enough. Studying MRIs, collecting patient info, working with the computer systems in programming and reading certain scans. Since though it was a hospital job, she didn't have very block-like hours. Early in the morning, late in the night, that was the gist of it. She'd see tragedy cases come through now and then. But she always turned a blind eye and just filled out what she was told.
Of course she wanted to help.
She just didn't know how. Her job. Helping people... That's what she thought it would be in college.
But every day, like clockwork, she'd come home to see her little Kit waiting for her, curled up on their cheap couch, radiant eyes fixed on the door for when she'd walk in late in the deep night.
It was one of these nights, when it was all broken.
It was earlier than usual when she finally got home, roughly 11 PM. The hall lights of her apartment building flickered slightly as Era shook through her assortment keys, trying to figure which was for her apartment. Finally, hopefully, finding it, she pushed it into a lock with a mechanical slide. A forceful turn, and the locking mechanism clicked in a hushed noise that just reached Era. Shouldering her way in, Era flipped on the living room light for herself and tapped the door closed behind her. She, not so gracefully, tossed her keys onto a greeting side table beside the door as she lucidly dragged herself through the home.
A ceiling light illuminated the space, three connected rooms building her apartment. The largest of all being the living room, where a busted up red couch sat across from a wall mounted TV, a stained coffee table sitting in between them. Littered about were empty styrofoam ramen cups, chip bags, a soda or energy drink can tossed onto the floor for the cat to play with. Jackets of different make found themselves hanging off the couch, dragged under the table and by her feet. A few science journals were scattered, askew from each other, on her coffee table. All still half read with sticky notes flying out in all directions.
Of course, Kit was snuggled between jackets on the couch when he heard Era come home, his head lazily rising in greetings to his owner. He knew her routine and was began stretching is leg muscles up, jumping from his comfortable spot to trail behind his brunette. The pair made their way to the just-as-clean kitchen, a narrow room just branching off from the living room. The tiles were cracked, but still functional for holding her light weight as Era padded through.
"First order of business," she mumbled, "to take care of you, Kit." She smiled beautifully to her furry bundle of joy. Era bent over, her greasy locks of hair tumbling around her like a veil as she swept up the cat dishes. She was ready to scoop up the food pellets from her cat bag when she realized it had been tipped over some time during the day. Giving a sharp glare to Kit, she couldn't suppress a chuckle, "Clever cat... Couldn't wait until I got home?"
"Nya."
"I thought as much," Era rolled her eyes with a slight huff of air, she still filled the bowl, and its twin with water before setting them both down for Kit. The feline purred with gratitude as he scampered over, plunging his face into the bits. Era just continued to smile as she rubbed him down the head to shoulders.
Now, for herself. She swung open her eggshell-white fridge to see barren plastic shelves facing her, excusing the soda can here, the cup of (most likely expired) yogurt there. She gave an exhausted sigh, caving as she grabbed a PhD. Pepper soda can, the chill spreading up her hand. She slipped over to her, just as empty, pantry and grabbed a Family-sized bag of potato chips to complete her gourmet dinner.
She drew herself back into the living room, collapsing on her couch as she began to eat at her chips. Kit bound back in after her, pouncing onto her lap with no regard for the food in her hand. Era gave him a friendly pet, "remind me to go grocery shopping later, okay?"
Kit didn't really respond, just continuously smoosh his head into Era's palm with a gentle purr. The little action of affection still painted Era's expression with a little joy, "you know I love you," after the little petting session and "meal" the woman gave a hearty yawn, glancing at the inky sky outside her window. "Time for beddy-bye, Kit."
Carefully cradling the snoozing cat in her arms, she wandered over to her bedroom, just parallel of the kitchen. She needn't turn on any lights to know how the clothes littered all of the floor, not an inch of carpet being seen. And she knew her blankets were as if a tornado took over, but she had not been having a good sleep lately.
Her colleagues attributed it to her messy room. Studies had shown disorganized habitats impede one's sleep.
Placing Kit on her pillow, Era bellyflopped onto her bed, the spirit of sleep begging her eyes shut as she still was in her work clothes. She was fully prepared to just curl up and sleep there until her butt began to vibrate.
Her entire body jumped before she realized her phone was still in her back pocket.
Era, with lightning fast reflexes, snagged her phone, tiredness making no difference. Jotting in her password, it showed a message from an app she had downloaded just a couple days ago.
She never found the time to check it out up until now.
She clicked on her notification to open up the private message. She expected to see a basic white background and a usual speech bubble.
Instead, her smartphone started to tremble in her hands, streams of binary codes flooding her screen. Era could feel her heart accelerating as she began trying to exit the app, to no avail.
A bug! A spam! A virus! Era couldn't stop her panic as she lost control the control of her greatest spendings, what if they hacked my phone? All my contact info! No. Oh my god, my search history! All of the cat memes!
Finally though, everything froze.
It still wasn't comforting, but at least she wasn't getting a headache from the fast flowing numbers as the only light in her room.
And then the message popped up.
A blank icon with a simple message,
Unknown: ...Hello...
A/N: I'm alive! Kinda. I may, or may not have forgot about this site XD I'm sorry! I mostly publish on Wattpad. Anyways, new book! Because I'm Mystic Messenger trash! The beginning is going to be really to the T of the game, but please bare with me! Thank you! Please leave your honest reviews of the story so far! I don't really like editing on this site but I will try.