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My hands were in search of a stable ledge; some resting place of a kind. There was blood encrusted under the nails of my fingers, and that which was already peeling off from the last of my tasks. I hoped that finally, I’d have succeeded in my doing for Nathan, but I could never know fully. But whatever it may be that he commands of me, or rather expects, it will be me and only I to do it.
“Relax, Hyphen.” I could feel his hands on my shoulders before I could hear him. I turned around to face him; my stout figure barely rising to the height of his chin. I looked up as he was looking down at me, as he should. “Have you been a good kitty?”
“Yes.” I replied, purring as he ruffled my cat ears. He was one of the first to know about mine and Levi’s existence, but he didn’t seem to mind it. He was easily one of the best people on this planet. I was sickly lovestruck with him, but he didn’t know.
“Very well, I am off to greet that lovely accountant,” he winked at me, and I concealed my internalized hatred and jealousy for that whore, but I didn’t do anything for the sake of Nathan. I did most of everything I do for the sake of Nathan, and if only he knew that. “Be on your best behavior for Levi and Tyrone.”
“Of course. I will do as commanded.” I said, and stepped off the ladder, resting my hand against the tabletop and letting my tail wag behind me. He chuckled at me, and then walked towards me.
“I trust you.” He whispered to my ear, then left, giving me another of those enticing winks he often spares for just me in our alone time. Not like our alone time is any special, mostly upon topics of my obedience, or what should be done next. But even as he was straightforward, his silly nature was always, and will always be reserved for me. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcmzYeGd1x
I found my brother with his best friend, sitting under a tree and talking. Their smiles could be seen from a mile away, and I always gave Levi credit for being able to smile in the worst of situations. He was one of the brightest cat-hybrids to survive the Planetary Dissect, and he and I being the only ones of human DNA.
“Saludo,” I greeted Tyrone, who wasn’t great with English.
“Hola!” He said happily, and I sat beside them, giving my brother a polite wave before zoning out of their talks. I could only think of my darling Nathan. He was the one I needed, and anything or anyone to take him from me will surely—
“Andale, Hyphen! Nosotros vamos entramos en la casa.” Tyrone said to me urgently, and I could understand why. Behind us, the sun was setting and soon the purgatory offenses would rise from their daylit slumber.
“Perdón . . . .” I said quietly, and he gave me a pat on the head, right in between my cat ears. “Iré a mi habitación ahora.” I trudged into my room, locking the door behind me and feeling sorry for myself and wishing that I could be with Nathan, but remembering that he was with that fake-ass bitch that nobody liked. Well, except Nathan . . . .
“Hyphen? May I come in?” It was Levi. I sighed, and drearily walked towards the door, sulking and sniffling as I let in my older brother. He saw me, and gave me a hug. “He wasn’t trying to be mean, it was for your own safety, my luv.” He gave me a small kiss on the forehead and rubbed my cat ears with a tranquil hypnotism.
“I love you.” I said, but it felt like I had choked on something as it came out; choppy and insincere. “You are my brother.”
“Do you love another?” He asked me seriously, his eyes full with concern and curiosity. “Is it Tyrone?”
I almost vomited in my mouth when he said it. Of course it wasn’t Tyrone. I shook my head, unable to speak without coughing and choking. He hummed, and stayed silent.
“Is it Nathan?” He asked quietly, and I nodded, my cat ears betraying my lack of emotion; wiggling with wonder at the thought of my beloved.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9O2nMgKUU
I looked at him sheepishly, and he smiled at me. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” But the way he said it gave me to know it wouldn’t be fine. Not for a long time.
My eyelids drooped in disagreement, and I laid back down on the comfort of my blankets. The ones Nathan had given to me.
He sighed and walked out of the room. “Tyrone said he’s sorry for yelling at you.”
I pouted and whimpered into my pillowcase, feeling as if I could rip my heart out of my chest. I was angry, and yet I was still sad. I wanted to hit something, to throw something across the room. I wanted to cause harm.
I heard a screeching sound from the hinges of my window, and looked at it, almost immediately sensing it. I hissed, and all the hairs on my body—which weren’t much—and I began to wind my rear upwards, ready to lunge at the creature if necessary. I so wanted to, it would be great to relieve stress, but I knew I couldn’t just embark on a fight with a skeleton, for they can’t be killed. Only reanimated.
Levi and Tyrone bound through the doorway, knowing how easily upset I can get, and wanted to stop something from happening, when they saw it. A small anomaly growing slowly and enhancing closer to me. My fangs were visible now, and I was ready to jump on cue.
“Stay back, Hyphen. We don’t want you getting hurt.” Levi told me warningly, but I hissed at him. He didn’t protest, but instead shrugged as he lunged at the creature, whose expansion completed into the size of a babydoll. Its empty eye sockets were filled with the blood of its most previous feat. A little girl, most likely.
Tyrone was after him, planning his advances far ahead of Levi’s blunt nature, but who was I kidding? Everyone in this room is just as hot headed and arrogant as the next fool. Even myself, which was I wanted to get in on the action, save myself the thoughts of Nathan. I pictured that this babydoll was that accountant he’d be seeing, and maybe even more than just sight.
I slashed.
I hissed.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2Ki3KBC2q
I was livid. I wanted to end her life. Who did she think she was, taking away the only person I cared about more than my own brother; my own other half?
I clawed that skeleton, as if it were a true person, and wanted it to pay for all that Marissa had done to me. Once I saw to it that the skeleton was weak enough to leave alone, I threw its remains into the garden outside of my window. My nostrils flared, and my features began to calm. Levi and Tyrone looked at me with concern, but whatever it was that they were thinking, they didn’t seem to find any reason to bother me with it, because they left, each giving me a kiss on my forehead.
I stared down at my palms, looking at how badly I had been bitten by the foul creature. I pulled out a tooth and threw it outside with the rest of the bones, and shut the window, making sure it was locked this time.
“Ugh, where the fuck is Nathan?” I said to myself in frustration, wanting him to calm me.
“Right here.” I heard someone whisper in my ear, and I felt a chill run down my spine. Nathan. My Nathan.
“Hi.” I said, turning around to face him. He had a smirk on his face, and I wanted to kiss him so bad. He looked so hot. “How did it go with that lady?”
“Marissa de Vorgsanda? She’s amazing.” He said, and I felt my hands clench in my pockets, and I tried to hide my rage.
“I’m sure she is, she sounds like a wonderful woman.” I said, almost growling in that sentence.
“Yeah.” he agreed, and we just stared at each other awkwardly; me wanting to beat the shit out of the skeleton again, and Nathan probably daydreaming about Marissa de Vorgsanda.
I sat on the bed, and began to pout, and he sat next to me. “What’s wrong, kitty?”
“You never call me amazing.” I said with a hint of jealousy, and hurt in my voice.
He looked amused, as if I were just joking. I wanted to die, but I wanted to be in the same coffin as him. I wanted our bodies to be together forever.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSv5TROMVI
And I didn’t want to think of any other possibility.
“Have you done anything ‘amazing’ recently?” He asked with one of his beautiful and genuine smiles that I adored.
“I . . . . uh, I attacked a skeleton?” I said uncertainly, and he laughed at me.
“Did you?” He chuckled, and I nodded. He smiled at me, then said it. The words I was desperately trying to hear, even if it wasn’t enough for me. “That’s amazing.”
I felt my heart flutter in my chest, and in my head, he loved me. In my head, we were together. In my head, I was hunched over Marissa’s dead body, a knife in my hand and a grin on my face. And we were together again, a sweet nostalgia of something that never happened.
I rose to my feet, and he stood with me. “Are you planning to leave me again?” I asked him, daring to speak out of line in such a way, despondent on his kindness and his forgiving nature to let it slide.
“Not if I can help it.” He said, and led me to the door, opening it and watching a blushing Levi standing in front of us, staring at the doorknob with a plate of sandwiches in his left hand. “May I help you?” He asked my brother, who shook his head and handed Nathan the sandwiches, and rushed to the other side of the house, where he could gossip with Tyrone.
I laughed shakily, and felt him squeeze my shoulder reassuringly. “Is Levi in . . . . trouble?” I asked warily, and he shook his head and sighed.
“In trouble for what?” He asked me, setting the sandwiches down on the counter once we arrived at the kitchen. My blood ran cold through my face, and I was pale, aside from the blush that settled on my face. My cat ears wiggled, and my tail wrapped around my leg.
“N-nothing.” I said, and he grinned at me. He walked closer to me, and I found myself staring at his chest and his breathing pattern. I could hear his smooth heartbeat from how close we were, but I didn’t look at his face. I didn’t want him to see how flushed I was.
“Do I make you nervous?” He said, smiling into my ear as he whispered seductively, and I whimpered. Of course he did, and if he didn’t know before, he knew it now. “Do you love me, kitty?”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TxhFFDkmy
Before I knew it, I was being lifted onto the counter beside the forsaken sandwiches, and I gasped as he cupped my face into his hands.
“Do you?”
He seemed to be staring straight into my soul, right through my eyes, and I was so nervous. I nodded breathlessly, and felt him set me down.
“I thought so, but I apologize. It isn’t you whom I love, ’tis Marissa de Vorgsanda.” He said, and walked away, taking a sandwich off of the plate and biting into it.
I felt completely crushed. How could he say that? How could he fucking say that!?
I bit the bottom of my lip hard, making myself bleed. I scratched my arms, pulled my tail, and bit my lips, all until I was rigid with agony. I laid on the kitchen floor, sulking at my despair, and repeating to myself the same things over and over again: ‘how could he say that?’
I rose, feeling myself walking over towards where he sat on the living room sofa, though everything seemed to be in slow motion. I wasn’t in control of myself anymore, and I seemed to be in a distant, fourth point of view.
“Would you love her . . . . even if she died?” I asked him, the words escaping my mouth and sounding like sandpaper.
He stared at me wide-eyed, taking in my appearance without hearing what I had said. “P-pardon?”
I sighed. “Would you . . . . love her . . . . even if she died?” I asked.
He shook his head thoughtfully. “No, I suppose not—”
I smiled wickedly. “I’ll be back.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG48OaGZzb0
