Chapter 1

It was already turning dark as I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed home from the gym. Sometimes, I looked back on that evening, wondering if I would have made another choice if I had known what awaited me. But no, I wasn’t one to regret my path. What was done was done, and there was nothing left for me in this town.

I took my usual route home, the one that took me away from the busiest neighbourhoods. That’s where the rich creeps and wannabe celebrities sniffed each other asses to find where they belonged in a social hierarchy I had no place in. Not that I wanted to be part of their laughable games, even if I could.

The streets were unusually empty as I hurried through them, and my backpack rattled with the cat food I’d always carry with me. It was ridiculous how I would rather be walking home than spending my scant wages on public transport, but never blinked an eye at emptying the pet shelves at the local store. I couldn’t remember how I had first found the cats, but I guess it wasn’t difficult. People abandoned pets all the time, the bastards.

I paused as I came to the alley, catching my breath. It was one of those warm evenings in the late spring that heralded a hot summer. I knew it would be a sweltering couple of months spent in my tiny room. Air conditioning wasn’t on the map, of course, not in my area and not with my wages.

Once I had recovered, I slipped off the backpack and stepped into the alley. The walls were covered in graffiti, and the pavement was littered with rubbish that spilt from the overflowing bins. I put my backpack on the ground and pulled the bag of kibble from it. They must have waited for me because the first cats emerged from between the bins before I even had a chance to rattle it to announce my arrival.

I stooped down and poured the kibble onto the ground amid their desperate meowing before retreating to the other side. They never let me pet them, and I suspected they only cared about the food, not me, but I didn’t mind. I watched them as they ate. They looked well, as well as street cats could be, and at least they were still alive. Even the grey one had come this time.

I was just about to pick up the bag to head home when I spotted her. She was hiding behind a pile of rubbish further away, and I sighed. Someone else had decided to abandon the pet they’d once decided to care for. I took the bag and gingerly approached her. She looked larger than the others and appeared to be in better shape than them as well. She must have been left recently.

“Hey kitty, come, you must be hungry,” I said, shaking the bag of cat food to emphasise my words.

She looked at me, and for a moment, her golden eyes glimmered in the dark alley.

“Come, little one”, I called and took a few steps towards her. “Come, you must be hungry.”

She glanced at me before stretching leisurely and disappearing further into the alley. I sighed. Not that I would have anything to do at home, and trying to feed another stray cat was better than staring at the wall, so I followed her, shaking my bag.

She wouldn’t make it easy for me, though, and she didn’t stop, regardless of how much I rattled the bag. As I came to the end, the little rascal suddenly jumped and ran, and I lost sight of her. I sighed and poured some food on the pavement in case she would come back once I was gone.

I turned back when, suddenly, a strange calmness filled me. When I lifted my gaze, she stood before me, but this time, she was bigger, as big as the cats from the jungle I’d seen on TV. I blinked, but it didn’t change what I saw.

“I don't think I will have enough food for you”, I said in a daze.

She looked at me with her golden eyes, and I stumbled forward and halted in front of her. She looked at me, and I dropped to my knees as the soft calmness flooded me, bringing tears to my eyes. Without thinking, I leaned over and buried my face into her sleek fur.

“Am I dead?”, I whispered.

I couldn’t imagine any human could feel this way and still be alive.

“No..”, her soft voice echoed in my head.

“What a shame..”, I whispered and closed my eyes, wishing to stay in whatever dream this was for as long as I could.

“I know that’s what you wished for, Rina.”

I sniffled.

“I can take you to another place…”

“A happy one..?”, I whispered, hopefully.

“No..”

I frowned and shuffled back.

“What’s the point, then?”, I snapped, clenching my fists. “Don’t I have enough of the crap here?”

She looked at me softly, unmoved by my outrage.

“You will have a chance to make it a happy one, Rina.”

I frowned, and the moment our eyes met, my anger was gone.

“And I will give you a wish. A wish I will fulfil to the best of my abilities.”

I wiped my cheeks and nodded.

“Do it.”

“And your wish, Rina?”

She looked at me curiously.

“Look after the cats when I am gone.”