Alley Cat

Seven Lives Left

"Hey wake up! Wakey-wakey!" I whimper and try to curl farther under the covers only to blink sleepily when I find I'm not in bed. My eyes fly open and I find myself staring up at the girl in the yellow rain jacket. She's holding the umbrella up over both of us and it smiling down at me. "See I told you it might rain."

Startled I jolt back only to find that my entire body seems to be aching. "Wha?"

"Here come one," she reaches down and grabs my arm helping me to stand and making sure I don't fall even though I'm swaying. "Come on take my arm, that's it."

I take her arm and let her lead me away from the edge of the river. My eyes sight keeps going in and out and I stumble more time than I can count. Sounds assault my ears and the feeling of wind whipping against me makes me feel buffered. Mumbling to myself I follow blindly only to black out after only taking a dozen steps. The last thing I hear is the girl groaning, "I knew it was too soon to move her."

Next thing I know I'm lying in a bed in new clothing and surprisingly warm. Blinking I sit up to see a fire crackling in the fireplace and the yellow raincoat girl sitting on the ground next to it warming her hand. "Sleep well?" she asks not even turning around.

"How did you know I was awake?" I ask knowing that I didn't make a sound as I sat up. "In fact how did you know where to find me? Who are you?" I move to get out of bed only to see her jerk around and pin me with a glare so intense I gulp and slide back into the bed. Her eyes flashed silver so bright they looked almost white. "What are you?"

She shrugs and turns back around, "That's not important right now. Who and what I am are inconsequential. The real question is why - Why am I here?" Her fingers move quickly as she begins to unbraid her wet hair so that it falls in wet strands down her back. She looks so innocent, so human but it's obvious from her actions and her words that she isn't.

I sit up and lean my head back against the headboard, "So why are you here?"

"For you," she wrings out her hair and then turns her back to the fire to let it dry as she faces me.

"Huh?"

She smiles and laughs, "It's been a long time since I met a nightwalker as interesting and kindhearted as you. If there were more like you then perhaps the world would be better off than it is. Most of your kind vies for power and more power with no care for who they trample on their climb to the top. But not you. You care for a family of humans who you love and seek justice for a wrong done to you. Some might see you as power hungry in your own right but your actions are pure. I like that... It's refreshing."

"But what does that have to do with you coming and saving me? I was perfectly happy to die! I wanted to die!" I'm yelling now but her gaze never falters and her expression never changes from it's passive contemplation of me.

She chuckles at me, "Don't be silly you wouldn't have jumped if you really thought you were going to die. You jumped to feel like you had control over when you would die. To take back the life you lost when the twins killed you. They took the choice from you when they killed and turned you and you just wanted it back. So you jumped and regained control over who can tell you when and if to die. It's up to you to keep on living though. There are people who depend on you and it's not fair to them if you go jumping off bridges as a new hobby, understand?" I nod weakly as I try to comprehend what she's saying.

She stands and quickly twists her damp hair up into a bun before shoving her rain hat back on. Donning her coat and grabbing her umbrella she comes over and pats my cheek like an indulgent mother or big sister. "Remember Alley Cat, cats have nine lives. And no matter what Bishop says you don't just live, you survive, and that's what makes you strong. Bye-bye Alley Cat."