Avatar: The New World

Chapter 7: Gods of Fire and Ice

Lula

"Are you watching this?" Lula asked.

"Watching what, sweetheart?" A tiny holo of Vince was projecting out of the table beside Lula's couch and his voice was filling the room. "They're all talking about you, every local network at least. A couple of the national ones are starting to pick up the story too."
Lula groaned. Her television had been sweeping from channel to channel for days, nearly every one of them was covering her and her charity work for Capital City in the wake of the inferno.

"What are we gonna do about this?"

"Listen, Lu, we don't gotta do anything about this! This is the best press you could hope for."

"I know, it just makes me uncomfortable."

"What? Is it the money? You worried about matching those donations?"

"No, it's not that, you know it's not that."

"You're still all worked up about Lee, huh?"

Lula didn't say anything. Her TV landed on channel 6 and she saw a familiar face. Yara Garlan, who had pushed for more personal details during her last press conference. "Attempts to contact Capital City Police regarding Mr. Bardello's whereabouts have so far gone unanswered--"

"I see Miss Garlan is still running with stories about Lee."

"So let her, what's it to you? Unless, like I said, you're still worked up. You can tell me, you know."

Just as she felt the crushing pressure of fear and anxiety hovering over her head, she heard a happy meow from her feet. She smiled down at Lucky, still hobbling in the cast the vet made for him. She bent over and scooped him up so he could lick her cheek.
"You really gonna keep that filthy thing?"

"Of course. I saved his life. How could I just let him go after that?" She scratched Lucky's chin but there was something different about the cat. He wasn't purring. "What's wrong, little guy?"

"Oh God, don't talk to it."

"Why not? He understands me better than most human men." She thought she was starting to feel the cat revving up his happy purr but it was different. "I think something's wrong with him."
Lucky was growling now. He pulled back his lips and hissed just as Lula heard a crash from the kitchen.

"What was that?"

"I don't know." Lula stood with Lucky in her arms. The cat was pressing against her and shaking. There was a second crash and Lula fought back a scream. "I'm calling the cops."

"No!" Lula was relieved to see her personal bodyguard come out of the kitchen. "It's just Jing. Are you okay? What was that crash?"

Jing looked at Lula and she could see he was sweating. He took a shaky step forward and it looked like the movement hurt him. "Jing? Are you okay?"

The huge man stepped forward again and fell to the floor. Lula wanted to run to him but something held her back.

"What's he doin? I can't see, is everything okay? Lu?"

Jing turned his face toward Lula. His arms moved like a rusted machine as he lifted himself up. As he got to all fours his face twisted and he struggled to speak. "R-r-r--"

Lucky hissed again and Lula held him tighter. "What? Jing, what are you saying?"

Jing was on his feet again. He looked like he was mustering every ounce of strength he had, like someone was controlling him but he wanted to fight it. Lula was suddenly overcome with a vision from her past that she had tried to forget. The night Lee attacked her, the way he filled her veins with pain, the way he forced her to submit as he stabbed her and danced in her blood.
"Vince, I think... I think it's Lee!"