Alley Cat
Black Panthers

I was confident that I could find Todd. How, you may ask? That’s because I spent the last three years keeping tabs on everyone.

I knew exactly what everyone was up to. Not too long after I left, Todd discovered that he had an immaculate tongue, the gold standard of taste buds. With one small lick, he knew how to make food taste better. It was as if by magic he could transform a cold burger king sandwich into a Michelin Star cuisine. Restaurants all over New York City vied for him. I even had to knock out a few knuckleheads to keep them from touching Todd (he didn’t know of course). Eventually, Todd settled on a humble family-run restaurant on the outskirts of Queens where he had continued to work for the last three years. The family treated him like he was one of their own. They owed it to him for transforming their little business into a booming sensation.

And when he wasn’t working, Todd returned to his other loving home with Maria, Rafik, and Raphael. Todd likes to revert back to his cat form at home. He believes that it makes him appear cuter (it does). Consequently, Maria and Rafik spoil him to death with cat treats and raw tuna. Together, they’re a happy family of four...turning five. Maria and Rafik are expecting a child after trying for more than ten years. That means Raphael is going to be a big brother, the first time he’s been a brother since his last brother got shot during the Civil Rights Movement. And Todd is going to be the official babysitter.

My pace slows as I cross the street, and it earns a few impatient glances from the pedestrians behind me. I don’t care. My lips stretch wide in a smile as I think about how happy Todd has been without me. I always knew I was a burden. It’s a curse. When people are with me, they’re forever stunted until I leave. Without me, people are free to grow and flourish as they please.

The revelation crushes me. It’s an invisible weight that makes me walk just a little more slower and my feet a little more heavier. My shoes scrape the concrete as I drag my feet. It’s a scathing sound that fails to pierce my ears.

I’m saved by the sound of an opening door. I awake to a new scene. I stand outside of a gargantuan hotel. Its glass windows are freshly buffed and polished; they reflect back a murky figure that I recognize as me. My focus diminishes as a new sensation bugs me. I’m being watched. She’s staring at me by the doorway. Her intense amber eyes that remind me of the golden sun rising in the savanna. There’s something fierce about her that I crave. Her black skin and twisted hair add balance to her brilliance. She is darkness and light encapsulated into one.

“Helene.”

I never thought that, of all people, I would miss her voice.

I turn away from the windows to face her. My expression flips like a switch. All the pain that I’ve felt, the longing that I endured, melts away. The girl that greets her can’t care less. She’s unsurprised and seems to find humor in everything ironic.

“Kaya.”

She’s dressed head to toe in formal attire. A striking blue blazer drapes over her iron pressed top. Her strappy six inch heels adds extra height to her already elongated frame. A string of pearls stands out against her collarbone. The shimmer softly with their milky color. I’m standing before a queen.

“What are you doing here?” Kaya asks and she comes towards me. There’s nothing in her tone that suggests she’s annoyed. If anything, she’s just as amused as I am.

“I’m...going to see a friend.”

Kaya crosses her arms across her chest. “Hmph. I didn’t think Helene Singh had any friends left.”

“That’s fair.” I say with a haughty smile. “I guess it is hard to make friends when you’ve murdered just about every rogue supernatural in the city.”

“I still can’t believe you’re the Helene Singh everyone’s been talking about. Just look at you!” Kaya gestures to my entire...outfit. If you could even call it an outfit. After I knocked Luka out, I rummaged through his closet to find anything that could pass as an attire. I settled for some oversized khaki overalls and an even larger button up shirt that refuses to have its sleeves rolled. “Nothing about you screams bounty hunter.”

“You know what?” I throw my hands up in submission. “You’re right. You caught me at a really bad time. Usually I have a gun loaded with silver bullets, a belt of wooden stakes, and a vial of wolfsbane on me but not today. Now what’s going on with you?”

Kaya nods towards the hotel. “I just got done with a business meeting.”

“I hope it went well?” My voice strains into an unbelievably high pitch. Decorum was never my strong suit.

“Ah.” Kaya shrugs. “Not really.” Kaya’s eyes squint at something far away. Upon distinguishing some entity, her eyes widen with alarm before returning back to me. Her fear is contagious. Without a logical reason to hold onto, I start panicking too.

“Helene?” Kaya plasters on a rigid smile and begins kicking off her heels. Without the extra lift, she’s now my height. “I need you to stay calm and stay right where you are.”

“Kaya? What’s going on?”

“Please, Hel!” Her voice turns hoarse. “I know I was kind of a bitch to you before but if you do this for me, I’ll suck up to you for the rest of my lives!”

I arch my brow in suspicion and attempt to look over my shoulder to find out the cause for Kaya’s strange behavior. Kaya stops me by pulling my face towards hers for a kiss. I fight back by straining my neck. Kaya whimpers in frustration. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her so worried.

“Stop playing around and tell me what’s going on!” I hiss.

Kaya’s eyes dart upwards which tells me she’s looking over at a building. “Don’t freak out.”

“I won’t!”

“You’re going to freak out!”

“I’m NOT going to freak out!”

Kaya ducks her head so that I’m taller than her. She’s using me as a shield. “There’s a sniper on the roof and I have a really good feeling that it’s aimed towards me. Guess that business deal went a lot worse than I thought.”

“You fucking bitch!”

Kaya sinks her claws into my shoulders to keep me in place. I try to fight her off but every move serves to dig her claws deeper into my flesh. A sharp and burning pain motivates me to give up.

“C’mon Hel. Just this one time!”

“This is so not fair!” I say with a searing glare. “I’ve only got one life left! ONE! And I’m saving it for a much more dignified cause than die being your living shield!”

“No one’s going to die!” Kaya’s firmness slows down my heart rate. She looks over her shoulder at the hotel doors. Confidence solidifies her shaky words. “Walk towards the hotel.”

I don’t waste time arguing and do as she says. Kaya treads backward with her hands on my shoulders. From far away, it looks like we’re waltzing. I lead her towards the doors and try to pull one open. Both doors refuse to budge.

“They locked us out.”

“Damn.” Kaya cusses under her breath. She looks down at her feet with all the signs of defeat. She’s terrified. I remember that Kaya died in a driveby in her first life. The similar situation reverts her back to the scared girl that she was...that she is. I think Kaya always tried to act tough and untouchable because her survival counted on it. The weak never last long.

An idea infiltrates my mind. “Hold on.”

I reach around Kaya to grab a door handle. Heat radiates from my hands, warming the metal door handle to a scorching hot temperature. The smell of hot metal makes my mouth taste weird but I endure it. Eventually, the door handle softens and I easily push through.

“Cool,” Kaya whispers.

I let her enter first. Once we make it past the doors, we’re able to see a hoard of businessmen crowding around the lobby. They have chairs pulled and coffee tables arranged to speculate Kaya’s assassination. If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed they were having a little luncheon event or something.

Kaya and I linger at the doorway impatiently. Upon seeing our faces, theirs drains of color.

“Alright!” Kaya and I stand shoulder to shoulder. Our silent confidence lifts each other up. “One of you guys put a hit on my friend! Who is it?”

A man sitting at the center of the lobby rumbles with a vibrotic purr. I could recognize a cat’s purr from anywhere. The man sets down his cup of coffee before flashing us both a chilling feline grin.

“That would be me.” His eyes flash a brilliant green; it stands out against his caramel brown skin. He’s surprisingly young, about twenty-five years of age and of Indian descent. My werecat radar goes off in my head when I take account of the sniper and his many henchmen. Of course. It had to be a panther. They never liked getting their hands dirty.

“Antoine. I’m disappointed.” Kaya says with a huff. “Do you always send hits for every person who turns down your business deals?”

“Only when I’m feeling a bit spiteful.” There’s a playful chime in his tone that I would only associate with cats. Antoine hides his muscled body under layers of suits. It’s not like panthers to attack head on. I sneak glances over my shoulder to check for any sneak attacks; there’s none.

“I thought we had something going for us, Kaya. Together, we can knock the Russos off their high horse and replace them as America’s head drug distributor.”

“Not a chance. I know all about your deal with Daphne and your human blood bag project. There’s no way in hell I’d tarnish my company, my name, over shady business like yours. Now call off the hit so we can forget about this.”

Antoine generates a low laugh that rattles his barrel-like chest. “Eh. I was hoping you’d say that.”

The sound of bones snapping comes from every direction. The men bow down onto all fours as their transformation takes place. Black fur sprouts all over their skin, covering every bare patch until there’s nothing left. Rounded black ears point towards the ceiling. Long swishing tails sway back and forth to convey the cats’ thrill. Their beauty takes my breath away...maybe because they’re just bigger versions of me.

“Maybe now you’ll learn better to turn down a deal with me.” Antoine says as he sheds his clothes to take his feline form. Black fur sprawls across his face, blurring his human features to oblivion.

I grab Kaya’s hand and we run for the elevator. Kaya jams the elevator button about a hundred times before panthers jump us on all sides. I pick up a coffee table and swat the cats like they’re furry tennis balls and occasionally blast them with fire.

“SLOWEST. ELEVATOR. EVERRR!!!”

I break off a curved table leg and throw it boomerang-style. It sweeps through the lobby and knocks out ten panthers unconscious. Humor returns to Kaya’s eyes.

“Five more floors to go. And hey! Shirisha taught me that move!”

The table leg returns to my hand and I pass it to Kaya. “What can I say? She wasn’t the greatest girlfriend but man was she the greatest mentor.”

Kaya and I take turns fighting the cats until the elevator doors swing open. We hop in, making sure to keep the cats far from the door. I blast the cats one more time with fire until the elevator door closes. Kaya pushes the button for the highest floor and we slump against the railways in exhaustion.

Kaya breathes a strong gust of breath and laughs. “Helene Singh. You really are something else.”

“I’m sorry.” I say with a half gasp. “Was that supposed to be an insult?”

“Not at all.” Kaya shakes her head. “I really underestimated you. Shirisha taught you more than she ever did with me.”

The elevator continues to rise. I could hear the rushing rails and the steady beep the elevator makes when it counts each passing floor. It takes us back to Antonio’s party when there were three of us. We were three excited girls, dressed in sleek satin. Even though it’s only been three years, I can’t help but feel like we’ve both aged decades.

“How is Shirisha, anyway?” I ask. I had to. There’s a huge space between Kaya and I that can only be filled by her.

“I don’t know.” Kaya says. Her gaze is set on the glowing elevator buttons. “We dated for a while after you left and it didn’t work out.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t like sex.” Kaya blurs out so fast that I barely catch it at all. Barely. Upon uttering her secret, her knees quake from underneath her. Her secret had burdened her for too long. It was her weight, her burden, but also her anchor. Without it, she had nothing to keep her from floating away.

“Oh?” I blink twice in disbelief.

“At first I thought it was because I almost got raped all those years ago, but I love Shirisha. I kept trying and trying...It just felt so numb. And I’ve tried everything. Everything works fine down there. I just don’t like it.”

“I see.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Kaya’s voice wavers. She holds me down with a desperate gaze, searching for answers that I don’t have.

The elevator beeps. We have two floors left before we reach the top. Kaya looks like she’s a broken string away from falling apart. And that’s when I feel it. It’s a fluttering feeling in my heart that’s different from sadness. It sends pinpricks to my eyes, but it’s not as painful. It’s a feeling that I thought I’ve forever lost.

Compassion.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Kaya. Some people just don’t like sex.”

“But everyone likes sex!”

I can’t help but laugh. “Who is everyone?”

Kaya is stunned into silence.

“Sex is great...but it’s not everything. You can still love someone without having sex with them. But knowing Shirisha, it wasn’t the sex that did it for her.”

“No.” The elevator beeps. We only have one floor left. “It was you. It really hurt when you left, but I guess it was my fault for pushing you away. You were right about the Russos. We should have gotten rid of them earlier. I was jealous that Shirisha always paid attention to you. You always seemed like her first priority.”

The elevator door opens. Kaya and I step out onto the highest floor. Hotel doors deck the halls on every side. The only sound that occupies the atmosphere is the gentle hum of electricity.

“Now what?” Kaya asks.

“We find a window and get the hell out of here.”

Kaya and I wander down the hall until we find a small window that showcases a magnificent view of NYC skyscrapers and expansive streets. A few pigeons fly past the window, releasing a meager confetti of feathers falling lazily in the air.

“How do we know it’s safe?” Kaya peeks her head towards the window only to have a bullet penetrate the glass. It flies through the window, shyly missing Kaya’s head by a couple inches. The bullet embeds itself in the hotel wall, leaving behind a tiny dark hole to remind us of what could have happened.

“Definitely not safe,” I say with a giggle. Kaya shoots me an offended look and I sober up.

We crawl past the window. Luckily for us, there happens to be another window on our floor just opposite to the sniper’s direction. I pry the window open and we scale the hotel building (all ten floors). By the time we reach the ground, Kaya and I are sore from our climb. Our hearts are still thumping wildly in our chests. Kaya stuns me by raising her hand for a high five. I clap her hand and we share a grin.

“This is the part where we tell each other that we had fun and go off on our separate ways.”

Kaya’s scoffs. It’s not a real scoff. I think Kaya and I are more similar than we both thought. Always trying to pretend that we don’t care when we care too much.

“Are you still going off to see that friend of yours?”

I nod. Our little adventure creates a new bond between us, and I find myself telling her everything. I tell her all about my plan to say my goodbyes and finally wipe out the Russos. Kaya frowns. Even she thinks my plan is suicide. Kaya refuses to let me go off on my own, but it’s not because she worries about my well being (at least that’s what she claims). She says that she’s tired of me hogging the spotlight.

“I’ve got like...five lives left.” Kaya says as she leads me to a cab. We both hop in and close the door. I give Kaya directions to Todd’s restaurant and we sit back to enjoy the ride. I finally have time to laugh at Kaya’s comment.

“You were using me as a living shield just an hour ago! And now you want to risk your lives wiping out the Russos?”

“It’s a chance to regain my honor!”

“What honor?”

Kaya smiles at me before shyly turning towards her window. I do the same. It’s a nice distraction for my nerves. I’m not naive. I’m not hopeful. I know that there’s a good chance that my reunion with Todd won’t be as easy and fun. But I can’t leave without telling him goodbye.

I love him.

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