My husband and I just got a cat, so that's where I got the idea for this chapter. She's a grey tabby, not a black cat, but I owned a black cat growing up.
~ ~ ~
Well, maybe I should humor him. But I would wait until tomorrow to do so. Knowing him, he would go out to the thorn bush and look at that flower and watch a petal fall. He would feel the time passing, as he thought. That wasn't me, it was just him focusing too much on the time he had left.
And what was I doing? Focusing too much on him. I should get my mind occupied. As I sat on the sofa in my apartment, I took up the paper and looked through it. I saw several things regarding Elvis. That figures. It was seeing an article in the paper that first sparked the idea of me helping him out a bit. I turned the page and saw advertisements. Something caught my eye.
"Four-month-old kittens for sale..." I read. "Huh. Four tabby kittens and one all black. Go to this address or call this phone number."
I looked around my apartment that was full of all my knick-knacks, then back at the paper. Maybe some company would be nice, and from an animal, one that was different from the rest of its peers, just like me. Plus, a cat wouldn't judge me.
I took up the phone that was made to look like it came out of 1910 and called the number. The lady on the other end said I could come and visit tomorrow morning at ten to see the litter. I made the appointment, and soon, the time came. I stood in front of my mirror. With a wave of my finger, my appearance changed. Gone was all the black. I couldn't scare these cat owners away and have them think I was some freak who loved to wear black. No. I would go "normal."
Loving that I could just go places without a car, I thought of the address and was there in a few seconds. I saw my reflection in the window on the front door of this little one-story house that looked like it was built in the late 1800s. My hair was long and brown, I didn't have makeup on, and I had on a white blouse and black pants. I couldn't completely forgo the black. Black slacks were classy on a man or woman.
A woman answered the door, and I saw that she was this sweet older gal that reminded me a little of my grandmother, even down to her white hair that sat on her head like a cloud. She gave me a wrinkly smile.
"Hello, dear. You must be Ignis, correct?"
"I am."
"Come in, come in."
She stood out of the way, and I went on into a house that very much looked like a grandmother's house with the dated furniture, phonograph, typewriter on a desk, both of which looked like they came from the early 1900s when this woman was most likely a young woman. I smiled. I was a fan of things from that time, hence my dated dresses and phone I used.
I heard little meowing coming from the hallway.
"Follow me," said the lady. "And my name is Mildred. I have to say... I have never heard the name Ignis before. How unique and lovely."
No one had called my name lovely before. "Thank you. My parents were unique people themselves. My name is Latin for fire."
"Is that right? Such a pretty name for such a pretty girl."
She was most likely just saying that to be nice. I didn't look horrible, especially without all my enchantress get-up. But I didn't think of myself as any real beauty. I learned that I could improve my appearance with magic, but I decided not to be vain and selfish and use my powers on myself.
We came to a door, and Mildred opened it. I instantly saw a room that was bare, aside from a few cat towers and scads of cats. A couple of them were grown, but all the others were smaller. They were the kittens. One was black while all the others were tabbies.
"Oh, wow, look at them all," I gushed.
"Indeed," said Mildred. "I normally have two cats, but one of my females frolicked with a male black cat, so... there you go. Kittens, one black."
"I'm interested in the black one."
"Oh? Well, here she is."
The seven cats were all making a ruckus since we were in the room, with the door shut, and Mildred went to get the black kitten that was a little smaller than a normal loaf of bread. It let out a squeaky meow as it was being picked up. I couldn't help it—my heart melted at seeing its cute little nose and big golden eyes. They stood out in the black fur like headlights on a car.
"Here you are, dear," said Mildred, and she handed me the cat. "She's very sweet."
"A girl, huh?" I asked as I held the kitten, and she started purring like a car motor. I almost felt my heart dripping with this cuteness.
"She seems to like you," Mildred commented. "You can have her for forty dollars, not including what you would need to buy to keep her happy and fed."
When I left home, my parents gave me a sum of money to use until I found a job. Well, I hadn't found one of those yet. I had no idea what I would do for a living. Sell witchcraft items? Teach people spells? I had no idea. I just knew that I wanted to help people with my magic. It was a hobby of sorts. Or more, it was my life at the moment.
"I'll take her," I said, and I got my wallet out. It matched me, meaning it was decorated with black lace and had red roses embroidered on it. I pulled out two twenty-dollar bills. "Here you are. I don't live far, so I'll just walk her home."
Mildred nodded. "Alright, then. I don't normally just let people take the animals since isn't my first rodeo with kittens. I usually ask them all sorts of questions, but I feel that you're a good person who will take care of this little love."
"I will, I promise. She will want for nothing."
"What will you name her?"
I thought a moment. "Lux. It is Latin for light. I figured it fitting on account of her bright eyes."
"I love it. Lux it is. And, dear, would you like to stay and have some tea and raspberry tarts?"
"Oh, no, but thank you. I should get going."
"Alright, then."
We went out of the room and back into the dated living room. "Thank you, Mildred. I live on my own, so I think Lux will be a great companion for me."
Mildred smiled, creating wrinkles. "That's wonderful. And when the time comes, she can be a friend to you when you start seeing a young man, if you aren't already."
She winked, and I broke a smile as heat flushed my cheeks. "I don't have one of those at the moment."
"Someday, a pretty little thing like you. You must have a young man in mind. Every woman does, no matter her age. For me, it's my Henry who passed five years ago. For a young thing like you, it's probably a friend or neighbor."
Or someone I put a spell on. I shook that thought away. "Maybe there's a man on the mind, but he's untouchable. Anyway, thank you again. I'll be going now."
"Feel free to call me to tell me how Lux is doing."
"I will."
We said our final goodbyes, and I exited the house. I started down the sidewalk, and when I was behind a tree, I zipped to my apartment. Lux didn't seem to notice what happened. She immediately saw everything I had around. I found a box to put her in, and off we went to get some cat supplies.
~ ~ ~
A week passed, and I saw in my mind's eye Elvis walking out to the back of the house. Every day, he did that, right on to the thorn bush. He was shouting at me in his mind to show up so we could talk. He did that quite often. Maybe I should humor him and show up. I made sure that Lux was settled and playing with a mouse toy on the floor of my bedroom, and I left and stood right against the fence facing the thorn bush. And... there was Elvis, dressed in sliming brown pants and a blue polo shirt.
He had a rather attractive build.
No, I shouldn't think that! I cleared my throat, and he turned his head around, and those shocking blue eyes almost zapped me. It was the opinion of many women, or most, that he was a very handsome man, but I couldn't entertain such thoughts since he was the subject of this spell.
Those blue eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Ignis, you finally show up! What the heck took ya, huh? I know you heard me yelling at ya in my mind."
"Yes, and you could've used a softer tone. When I hear thoughts, I actually hear them. I would rather not have to cast a healing spell on my eardrums. I can't do that, anyway."
He huffed through his nose. He was pretty upset with me. "Why not come when I first asked ya, huh? When I asked nicely."
"You were doing fine on your own." I leaned off the fence and walked up to him and stood just above his shoulder, and I was in my usual get-up. "You figured things out." I pointed to the flower. "You figured out that a petal falls at exactly 7am each morning and that the spell didn't affect your family and friends."
"But I have other questions."
I heard his thoughts. "Don't worry so much about the time. Just let things happen how they should."
"But I can feel it passin'. That's not the spell, is it?"
"No, just you being paranoid. And along with that, leave Sam be."
He folded his arms and rose a brow. "So, you've been watchin' me, huh? You can see me and read my mind, too?"
"I can only hear your thoughts, not see you. And you've been stressing about Sam this passed week after she left the dinner party you all had. If she wants to keep her distance from you, let her. Just let her come to you. She has already warmed up to you in some degree since she loves riding horses. I understand that she's been riding with Priscilla every day after her work shift."
"Yeah, without me. She won't do it if I go out there."
He was looking off in the direction of the stables, a frown on his face. I couldn't help but snicker. "Oh, boy... You're hooked to Sam already. You were from the very beginning. I guess what they say regarding how Elvis Presley loves women is true. He loves all women. I supposed you caring about her is a check off the list. Now, she just has to care about you."
"You're soundin' like my father and Gertrude. They've told me the same thing." He paused and looked back at me, those blue orbs wide. "Wait, you know that..."
"I can read your thoughts, remember? And your feelings are there since you think them. You're crazy about Sam."
Saying that out loud and knowing I was right irked me a little, but I didn't dwell on it. Elvis defended, "I'm just concerned for 'er, that's all."
"You're already in love with her. Show it without being pushy."
"And what makes you the expert, huh? How many boyfriends have you had in your life?"
My brows creased and heart stung. He saw my expression, and I talked over his next comment and shot, "How is that any of your concern? I'm merely here to help you."
"Yeah, against my wishes. It is what it is now, but you didn't have to put me under a freaky spell."
"You need it. Everyone who personally knows you would agree."
He thought, and I heard it like it was out loud, Daddy said the same thing. What's with this girl, anyway? What does she even do when she's not readin' my mind and interferin' with my life?
"I have my own life, you know," I defended, and he looked over at me.
"You need to stop readin' my mind."
"I can't help it. It's just there." Something hot seared inside of me. "And for your information, not that it's any of your business, I've had a boyfriend before, but it ended in a trainwreck. In fact, my whole family disowned me after they found out that I was the freak of the family that got the powers from my twelfth-great grandmother. That's why I live alone... or lived alone. I got a cat a week ago."
He stared at me for a moment, and I felt that stare, and I could sense why Sam was so self-conscious of people staring at her. Elvis's grim expression softened a little. "You got a cat? There's a human side to ya."
"I'm not a ghost, you know. I'm human who has human needs."
I turned away from him and saw a blue butterfly fluttering by. It wasn't that same one that was a spider once. I huffed. Maybe I shouldn't have come. Seeing Elvis was making me feel irritated and hurt. I saw a dandelion puff on the ground and pointed my finger at it. It turned into a little thorn briar.
"I'm sorry you had a sour past, Ignis," Elvis said behind me. "Gertrude said somethin' to me about Salem and all that, from when she talked to ya. I gather you knew that I heard all that."
"I know you did. I heard your thoughts."
"Figures. Look, I'm just high-strung with all this. I don't not want to be famous. I'm just feelin' the pressure, and I took it out on ya. I sense that you're not a bad person, just troubled. And... you're pretty, too. I can see it under all that black."
My heart jumped and started beating faster. He thought me attractive! Well, I heard him think it before, but saying it out loud solidified it. "Don't focus on me, focus on what you have to do with Sam. I can't read her mind, but I think you know that she's keeping her distance since she doesn't want to fall for you. Even Priscilla said she wouldn't mind if it happened. That's saying something, coming from her who wanted to murder Ann Margaret."
He smirked, and he didn't question my knowledge of his past girlfriends since he thought about them a lot. "Yeah, she did, and... I have a feelin' that Sam feels somethin', she's just pushin' away. I guess I have the whole summer to figure somethin' out. Now... enough of that. So, you got a cat, huh? What kind?"
"A black one. I named her Lux, Latin for light. I got her from this old lady on the other side of town."
"An all-black cat fits ya, along with the Latin name. I had a cat once, but I wasn't thrilled. I'm a dog person."
"As is evidenced by the couple dogs you have here." I cocked my head at him. "You're making small talk with me."
"Why not? You're a person and one of my only confidants with what's goin' on. Cilla doesn't even know about this."
"You should tell her."
"When the time's right, I guess. Wait, you said you went to that old lady. Like that?"
He indicated the whole of me. Should I show him my disguise? He loved women and even fell for a girl who most other guys called ugly. How would he think of me when I wasn't in all black? Better to be on the safe side. I didn't want him falling for me. I was already falling for him against my will. It was horrible, that my powers couldn't produce or take away romantic feelings. I could only aid in them being or not being there. I would take away this pull I have towards him if I could.
"No, I have a different look, but one you're not seeing," I told him, arms folded over my black, lacy Victorian dress. "Now, I should go. I may or may not be back soon. As you said, I'm like a stray black cat who comes and goes as she pleases."
He let out laughter, creating a very attractive smile. "Did you choose a black cat because I compared you to one?"
"I chose her because she was the only different one in her whole litter," I defended. "I related to her. It had nothing to do with you. See what I mean about you being self-centered?"
That smile didn't go away. "Whatever you say. Now, I wanna see this other look."
"No, you're not."
"C'mon. I'm curious. I have an idea, but I wanna see the real deal. Knowin' you, you can change your look with a snap of your fingers, huh?"
"In a matter of speaking."
"Then do it. Let me see. C'mon."
"I don't want you to see."
"Why?"
If he could read my thoughts, I would be mortified. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to let him see. "On two conditions, alright?" He nodded. "You tell Priscilla about all this, and..."
"And what?" He saw that my face was gaining color since it felt hot. "Ah, I see. Are you afraid that I'll fall in love with you?"
"You fall in love with women at the drop of a hat. Sam is a case in point."
"I'm not in love with 'er, Ignis. I told ya, it's concern and wantin' 'er to be happy here. Plus, I'm gonna keep with only one girl, which is Cilla. I'll drop the others that I have feelin's for."
Well, I should just let him think that. "Alright, then. I suppose I'll show you."
I stepped a few feet away from him, and I didn't make a movement as my appearance changed, and Elvis stood here, opened mouthed, as it was happening. I felt nothing as it happened, just the change of material on my person. I was in the same as I was when I got Lux.
Elvis stood there, staring at me, and he stepped up to me as a little smile lifted the corner of his mouth. "Wow. You look like a completely different person. And I mean that in a good way. You're..."
"Don't finish that. I'm changing back."
"No, wait," he said suddenly, stopping me. "It was somethin' seein' the transformation, but actually seein' what you look like under all the black... I'm just wonderin' what that guy was thinkin'. You know, the train wreck guy. How could he let you go when you're such a beautiful girl?"
"There's more to a person than appearance," I snapped then instantly changed myself back again, my face feeling hot. "If you haven't learned that still, you're in for a rough summer and possibly a life without being famous afterwards."
"Sayin' you're beautiful can go both ways, you know," he countered. "Yeah, you're a sight, but I think you're a good person, too. You adopted a kitten. A bad person with ill intensions wouldn't do that. You know? That guy you mentioned, if he dumped ya because he wasn't seein' the person you were, that's on him. You couldn't help the family you were born into, you know. I would know."
My back was facing him since I turned around as he was saying that, so he couldn't see me gulp hard and see tears form. What he said hit a chord.
"I think we should end this conversation. You need to stop getting to know me and get to know Sam. She's over on the other side of the house, trimming bushes."
And with that, I zapped myself back to my bedroom, and Lux saw and came up to me, meowing and rubbing against the bottom of my dress while purring. I took her up and sat on my bed, and I pet my cat as she purred away in my lap.
That guy you mentioned, if he dumped ya because he wasn't seein' the person you were, that's on him. You couldn't help the family you were born into, you know.
I heard that before, so what why was it impacting me more after hearing him say it?
I shook my head. "Just leave him be now. No more visiting him and especially no more transforming in front of him."
No man had looked at me like that before, though, not even Benjamin.
My heart started beating faster again. This was new and very alarming. I didn't even think that I would fall for my subject, but when he saw something about me that most people didn't bother to see, that he seemed to understand somehow...
"This isn't good, Lux. I didn't want him to fall in love with me, but with someone else. I'm such a hypocrite. This isn't how I planned this to be."
~ ~ ~
The image of Ignis standing there as a normal girl dressed in normal clothes without all that black get-up couldn't leave my mind. She had light skin that seemed to shimmer in the sun like that flower did, and her brown eyes stood out with that fair skin. And her wavy brown hair that shined a pleasant mahogany in the morning sunlight... And the cute little body of hers!
"Lord, have mercy," I enthused as I walked to the side of the house where Ignis said that Sam was. "I knew she'd be pretty without all that black on. But even with the black, she still is. In a scary kind of way."
Which was exciting, I couldn't help but think.
But I shouldn't focus on her. She was the one who put the spell on me. I needed to focus on Sam.
And there she was, trimming the bush that was right outside the window to the dining room. She was standing up and reaching for a tall branch with her shears, and her body stretching out like that made it more possible to see her form, which was rather attractive. I couldn't help but stare at the curves she had.
Was Ignis right? Had I fallen in love with her? I thought it was just a crush type of thing, and that was why I couldn't stop staring at her when she first arrived, on until now. I still couldn't stop staring... at her body, at her eyes when I had a chance to see them, at her shining dirty-blonde hair that had a natural wave...
Ignis and everyone else was right—I fell for women quickly, especially when I saw them all the time. I saw Sam everyday, multiple times a day, either through a window looking outside or in person when I was some feet away from her.
So much for only focusing on Cilla. And so much for allowing Sam to come to me. If I did that, the summer would be through, and my fame would be kaput.
I walked up to Sam, and she didn't even notice since her back was to me. I stared at her hair and noticed that she had some natural highlights, highlights that other women would pay to be put in their hair, and ones that were capturing the sunlight.
"Hey, Sam," I said, and she jumped and dropped her shears into the dirt at the base of this tall bush that was a couple feet taller than me. "Sorry to startle ya."
She quickly picked up her shears and started trimming again, her back to me. "It's alright."
She sheared away. "So, you doin' alright? I haven't talked to ya for days now. Your daddy's told me some things, but I guess I wanna hear it from you. Think of it as an assessment interview of sorts with your employer."
"I'm well enough. Just doing my job."
"And what a fine job you're doin'. I heard you plantin' some new plants on the property."
"If you're asking me to show you, you'll have to go ask my dad. I'm a bit busy at the moment."
She was trying her hardest not to look at me or do anything with me. That hurt a little. "I was just sayin', that's all. And I'm glad you're doin' okay. I'll leave ya now. Remember that you can come to me with anythin', okay? I'm your employer, but I'm also your friend. I can be a good listenin' ear if you want to vent about somethin' or if you just wanna talk. Okay?"
Her shearing continued, and I feared there wouldn't be much of a plant afterwards. "Thank you. I appreciate that, but I have other people I can talk to."
I really wanted her to open up to me, to be friends with me. It was a start since my heart was already going because of her. I was curious... "Who? I know you have your parents, but do you know people in the area?"
"I have a couple friends from home that I phone every so often, and they phone me."
It was a relief to know that she had friends. Everyone did. At least, I hoped. "I see. That's good. And... I'll just say this, okay? I know you don't like me much, but I'm here for ya, okay? I know Cilla has told ya somethin' to that effect this week." She said nothing to that. "Okay. Well, I'll see ya. Have a good day and take a break when you get tired. And careful with those shears."
"I've worked with shears probably as many times as you've sang in front of people."
I smiled. "A lot, then. Still. Those things are sharp. See ya."
I started to walk away, and when I was a good maybe twenty feet away, I looked back at her. She was reaching again with the shears as she stood on her very tip toes like a ballerina. I briskly walked up to her, and I had to speed up when she lost her balance and nearly fell over... since I caught her.
"Wow-wee, I knew that was gonna happen," I said as I held her form, and I could physically feel those curves of hers at her waist. She was looking up at me with those eyes. "Didn't I tell ya to be careful?"
"Um..." she started, but it faded.
Her face was gaining crimson, which was adorable. And her eyes in the morning sun were illuminating, and I could see the rich brown of one eye and the ocean blue of the other. The blue was the lazy eye, but it was fixed on me.
"Holy moly, look at those eyes..." I enthused, not being able to help my reaction to them. "They're beautiful."
She fumbled out of my hold and stood away from me. She suddenly picked up her shears since she dropped them, and she bounded around the corner of the house to the front of it.
"Sam, wait a minute!" I hollered and followed her, but once I came around the house, she was nowhere to be seen. Like a ghost, she disappeared. "What in the blazes just happened?"
I'll tell ya what just happened, bucko, my mind said to me. She was not a foot away from your face, and you could'a kissed 'er since you were so drawn to 'er in the moment. You're a liar if you say you weren't temped to kiss those little pink lips.
I couldn't deny it. Maybe I did want to. Did she want to? I couldn't help but be vain and guess that she did. She was trying to stay away from me since she didn't want to fall for me. Well, and I could see it in her eyes, she had already fallen for me. It wasn't love, most likely, just a bit of a crush it seemed like.
"Elvis!"
That made my heart jump. I turned to find Cilla walking up to me, looking as stunning as ever. "Hey, baby. What's goin' on? What's with the expression? Wait, did you see...?"
She planted her hands on her nice hips. "I saw something, alright. Who the heck was that girl earlier? I saw you talking to her behind the shed. She was wearing a long, lacy Victorian black dress, and she had shiny black hair."
My hear went from speeding to dropping. She saw me talking to Ignis. "Oh, dammit..."
"What? What's going on? Who was she?"
Well, time to tell her. "Cilla, baby, let's find somewhere we can talk. I need to tell ya somethin'."