The Key Keeper

Chapter 2

Ren's scream slowly died away as the light faded from view and she looked around at the place the door had sucked her into. It would one thing if the door had taken her to a completely strange or magical place, but as she glanced around her, she was still in the same exact alley that the door had appeared in. The door was now gone and she was a few steps further back in the alley than she had been. Other than those small changes, the world looked exactly the same. Same lumpy trash bags, same rough stone bricks on the ground, same road looming in front of the dark alley. Ren looked around in confusion. Did I hallucinate all of that? Maybe I am going crazy.... she thought. She got to her feet, brushing off the dirt that had stained her jeans, and ran out of the narrow alley. Ren dashed towards the vibrant bar to track down Aiya.

Turning the corner, Ren bumped into a slim man, about average height, with black hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Sorry! I'm in a hurry", she gasped, caught off guard. She continued to walk at a rapid pace towards the bar. Ren glanced back and suddenly hesitated for a minute. Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn that the eyes of the man she had run into glowed in anger. She stared for a moment. His light green eyes seemed completely normal now. The man gave a pleasant smile as he caught her looking at him. "Can I help you?" he inquired. She wordlessly shook her head and kept walking. Ren shoved open the door to the bar and looked around. Nothing seemed amiss. Aiya was still with the guy at the bar, the janitor was sweeping up broken glass, and the music was still blaring. It was like she had never left.

Ren backed out of the bar again and took out her phone. She sent a quick text to Aiya. "Gotta run, feeling sick and i need to get home..." she typed. Aiya was quick with her response, replying, "No problem girlie! feel better soon! <3 don't worry about me, i have an escort home ;)". Ren giggled a little at that and then started walking down the quiet road, looking up at the stars dotting the clear night sky. Her apartment wasn't far from the bar, it was a small town, and almost every store was within walking distance. It wasn't very busy outside, other than a few teenagers being loud in a small park nearby. Dialing 911 and keeping a finger hovering above the call button, just in case, Ren sped up and turned into the parking lot near her apartment. She pushed open the door of her apartment building, which sported a cat flap on the bottom corner,  and walked into the lobby, collapsing on one of the ratty green couches near the front.

Ren put her head in her hands and groaned, laying her head down with her blonde hair splaying over the ugly couch cushions. Nothing strange has happened since the door... maybe I just need some rest?, she wondered to herself. "That's it!" she exclaimed aloud to the empty lobby, smacking her fist to the palm of her hand. "It's just a side effect of the alcohol, no other way to  explain it!" Nodding her head determinedly to herself, she stood up and walked up the stairs to the second floor. Ren made her way to apartment number 8023 and noticed a small sticky on the floor with words written on it, laying in front of the door. In sloppy print, it read Gone to friend's house. Won't be back for awhile. Definitely Katashi's handwriting. Ren sighed and crumpled it up. She pulled her key card out of her jean pocket and put it into the lock.

As Ren made to open the door, she felt something wet touch her leg. "What the hell!?", she practically screeched, shocked. Ren looked down and saw a cat. Not a regular cat though. This one was made of WATER. Ren stared, bug eyed, down at the lanky cat, who was purring and looking up at her with big blue eyes. She yelped and quickly backed up a bit. The water making it up was splashing about, leaving small drips on the carpet and tiny wet paw prints dotting the hallway.

The cat let out an inquisitive "mrow?" and rubbed up against Ren's jeans, leaving the bottom of them damp. Ren hesitantly bent down and reached out her hand to pet it. The water on its head almost bounced a little, feeling very much like Jell-O. Ren allowed her lips to curve in a faint smile. Just another hallucination. With a little bit of sleep, this will be all gone, and I can handle it, no point of being scared of a hallucination, she thought to herself. Cautiously, Ren picked up the kitty, who was surprisingly light, not caring if her clothes got wet. They would dry quickly, anyways. The cat started squirming, so Ren opened the door and brought it in quickly.

She gently put the cat on the couch and sat down next to it, petting it. The cat laid down and purred contently. Looking around, the house was a bit of a mess. A few items were strewn, broken, on the floor and tables. Katashi must've gotten mad and taken out his anger on the furniture. Ren glared at the floor. She would have to clean that up later, he really needed to control himself. She fully laid down on the couch and picked up the cat, who pawed at her hands to let him down. Ren lifted the cat above her head, and smiled at him. "How am I going to fix all the broken stuff in this house?" she asked him.

Ren's hand slipped a bit, and she caught the cat, with her thumb pressing under his arm. "Oops, sorry, I'll let you down now-" she started to say, when suddenly, POOF! Smoke filled the air, and Ren thought, My landlord said I'm not allowed to smoke in the house-, moments before a gigantic weight hit her body. Her body automatically tensed up and she closed her eyes, the wind knocked completely out of her. Ren opened her eyes slowly and looked up. Staring her right in the face, was a white-haired young man with brilliant blue eyes, looking bewildered... oh, and also laying right on top of her.