MADE FOR YOU
BEFORE I KNOW IT, MY LAST DAY ON THE JOB CREEPS AROUND THE CORNER.
In just two hours, my shift will end and I"ll never to see any of the Abernathys again. Unless, that is, Aunt Mae invites me back for another shift.
I'm not as relieved as I thought I would be. As stressful as this job was, it pays incredibly well. I got a peek at my paycheck that I'm getting at the end of the day and - well, let's just say that it'll allow me to pay the next three months of rent in advance. Maybe I can even get a new toaster oven for Wasteland. Maybe I can buy some of those cute fuzzy socks I've been seen in the stores.
I allow the possibilities to fill up my mind as I unpack the crystal wine glasses.
Rome's birthday party is tomorrow. Although I won't be present for the festivities, I still have to help set up the decorations in ballroom of a hotel called Five Stars. It's the most expensive hotel in Capital City and they've booked out the main ballroom for six hours.
It's going to be quite an event. A part of me wishes I could see it.
I admire the way the white light hits the crystal wineglass, sending rainbows across the golden marble, and set it down next to the others. Once I'm done with the box, I walk into the garage to grab the next one.
"Winifred Hart?"
Madame Abernathy steps out of a low, sleek, car with her chauffeur opening and closing the door for her. She holds up a hand to signal me. I pause in my tracks, then head in her direction.
Clad in a snug, white fur coat and high black boots, Madame Abernathy looks as elegant as ever, even in this dreary weather. She shakes out her golden waves, which are slightly damp from the rain outside, and gives me a pleasant smile.
"Good evening, ma'am," I say, crossing my arms behind my back. "Is there anything I could do for you?"
"As a matter of fact, there is," She tells me. "From what I understand, you have managed to deliver items to Rome Abernathy without any incidents, correct?"
I swallow. "Correct."
"I want you take this briefcase," She holds up a brown leather case the size of my arm. "And deliver it to Rome Abernathy. Be careful with it, as it contains some dangerous contents. As per last time, I don't want you to talk to anybody besides his bodyguards."
"Yes, ma'am," I begin to turn away.
"And Winifred?"
"Rome has told me that one of the maids here is pregnant and does not have enough money to pay her medical bills," She picks off a piece of blonde hair off her coat with a frown. "Would you happen to know of whom is he speaking about?"
"No, ma'am," It's hard to force out the words. I thought he had forgotten all about my pretend baby. "I don't think so."
"If you hear otherwise, let me know."
"Yes, ma'am."
She hands me the briefcase, along with a slip a paper with Rome's room number on it. I glance at it on my way, just to make sure - even though everybody knows that he's inhabiting the King's Suite on the top floor.
I step into one of the main elevators, since I don't know where the servant ones are. The doors start to close but the man already in the elevator holds them open for me. I hurry inside.
"Thank you."
"Of course," His eyes land on my maid uniform, the silver-plated name tag above my chest, and finally lands on my face. "Which floor?"
"Eighteen, please."
The man slides his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "You must work for a powerful person."
"You can say that," I keep my answer vague, just in case. "Which floor are you in?"
"This one," He says as the elevator dings. It's the fifth floor. "My wife and I are having a honeymoon."
"Hope you enjoy."
"I hope so too," He strides away, knocking on the third door in the hall.
I have enough time to see his wife fly into his arms before the elevator doors slide shut. With a small smile on my face, I look at the mirror in the elevator. The bags under my eyes are terribly large. But after today, I'll sleep for twelve hours straight. No, fifteen hours.
It takes another minute before the doors open again.
I enter a thin hallway, with the King and Queen suites at the end, filled with shimmering crystals and thick black carpet. As per usual, Rome's two bodyguards stand outside of the door. I skim over their faces. The first one on the left I don't recognize, but the second -
Something about him sticks out to me. Maybe it's the face tattoos. He has a picture of crescent moon and clouds on his right cheek, a blackened heart below his left ear and something written across his forehead. As I grow closer, I see that it says DOWN WITH THE GODS.
Something nags at my brain.
I've seen him before. Where? On TV? In Wasteland?
"Hello," I greet them with a smile. Maybe the bodyguard with the face tattoo will recognize me and smile back.
Instead, giving away nothing, he rumbles, "I'll need your identity, ma'am."
"Sure," I take my tablet out of my pocket and hand it to him.
He must be on TV then, because I know I've seen that tattoo before. But where? What could Down with the Gods even mean? It sounds sinister -
oh my god.
It's the Anti-Super.
The Anti-Super that Nick and Elliot Abernathy were talking about back in the bar the other day. They were hunting him down. What was his name? I can't remember. What's he doing here? Why is he guarding Rome's suite?
"Ma'am," He directs my attention back to him by reaching for the briefcase. "We'll take it from here."
"N-no!" I tuck the briefcase under my arms. He narrows his eyes at me, making the letters on his forehead scrunch together. My heart beats relentlessly in my chest. I take a deep breath, then stutter out, "A-actually, Madame Abernathy ordered me to deliver this to Rome Abernathy in person."
He eyes me for a second, then steps aside. "I see."
"Thank you."
I step inside the room, making sure they close the doors properly.
I've never been inside a King's Suite before. All I want to do is take in the marvelous sights - the twisted silver and gold lights, the glass staircase, the milky marble floors - and revel in them. But I can't. Instead, I drop the briefcase on top of the grand piano and search for Rome. He's not in the kitchen, the lounge, the balcony or anywhere on the first floor.
As I reach the second floor, I hear sounds of running water coming from the bathroom. Heavy mist streaks from the bottom crack of the door, letting steam rise.
Damn it!
Rome's taking a shower. Unless I knock on the door and yell, I won't be able to warn him.
New plan. I take out my phone and Nick Possum.
"...always have to tell me off about everything. It was just a question..." Nick grumbles more insults about his mate, then clears his throat. "Um - hello - I don't know who you are because I forgot to look at the caller ID -"
"Nick, it's Winnie. Your main suspect is here."
"Eh? Winnie?"
"Yes. Nick, the man you were hunting last week - the one with the forehead tattoo - is in the hotel I'm working at. He's pretending to be one of Rome's bodyguards and I don't know why. You need to come as fast as possible."
A pause. Nick's voice is clearer when he speaks again, "You're talking about Christian. Are you sure you saw him?"
"Yes," I glance at the door as the sound of water fades away. I hear the shower door open, then Rome's soft footsteps as he walks across the bathroom. "He looks exactly like him. You need to come right now."
"Okay, okay - Elliot, start the car! - we'll be there as soon as possible. Where did you say you were?"
"The Five Star hotel. What should I do?"
"Avoid Christian's attention so he doesn't suspect that something is off. And try to - I'll explain later, just do what I say! - try to warn Rome Abernathy - not the red one, it's slow! - I'll catch up with you later, okay? Just warn Rome and stay away from Christian."
"Okay," I massage the back of my neck. "And what if -"
A voice from downstairs makes me pause. It's Christian talking to his partner, "How long has the girl been inside the room?"
"A couple minutes now."
"It doesn't take that long to drop something off..."
Shit. I turn back to the phone, "Nick, I have to go."
"Just be careful - "
I hang up. Downstairs, there's a soft click as the door opens. Christian, the bodyguard with the face tattoo, enters the room with a dangerous scowl in place. Heart hammering, I turn and run to Rome's bathroom. His door is locked.
Using all of my strength, I slam down on the handle and bust the door open. Embarrassment of what I'm about to do creeps up on me. But I push it away and enter Rome's bathroom.
Luckily, Rome's not completely naked. He has a fluffy white towel wrapped around his hips, tied up in a knot to the side. Steam and moisture makes the air sticky. Wafts of lemon-scented hotel soap and cleaning detergent circle the room. I close the bathroom door behind me with a soft click.
Rome turns around the noise. His eyes search aimlessly for the source. I sneak over to him, just as his lips begin to part and clap a hand over his mouth before he can alert the guards -
- and I open my mouth - to say -
- that he's - that I -
- oh -
The rustle of mint leaves in a moonlit meadow. The smell of a fresh chocolate cake coming out of the oven. Teasing laughter and seductive whispers. My whole world's being picked apart before my eyes, and put together with brighter colors and musical sounds. Rome's lips press against my palm, soft and warm and sweet. The connection between us tangles up, vibrates.
I feel safe and comforted and joyful all at once. I've never felt so at peace. Beneath my hand, I feel his lips curve into a smile.
"Rome," I mummer helplessly.
Something grinds. Then, a bang. Footsteps. Yelling. Somebody grabs my arms and forces them behind my back. I tear out of my euphoria in a rush, blinking into reality. What was that? What just happened? What's happening?
"No," I realize what's going on. The bodyguard - Christian - has his hand wrapped around my arm. "Rome, watch -"
Christian backhands me. My teeth clamp together, my eyes swivel and my bones clatter at the sudden rush of my pain. I topple to the floor, catching myself by the palm of my hands.
Before I can regain my senses, Christian hauls me up and drags me out of the bathroom. He nods to the other bodyguard, who steps in the bathroom with a solemn expression.
"Rome," I scream, but my voice is muffled by Christian's palm and my own blood.
Fueled by panic, I twist and turn against his grip. But he's strength overpowers mine. Once we're out in the hallway, he slams me against the wall.
"Who are you?"
My cheek still burns from where he slapped. Out of breath, I just glare at him.
"How did you figure out who I am? What did you tell him?"
I think quick, recalling my lessons from the days in the superhero academy. What did Mr. Johnson tell me to do when I was trapped in this situation? Twist his hand, stomp on his foot, and fight your way out of the grip, using every tooth and nail you have. I grab Christian's right hand, and twist it away from his body, then stop on his foot with my heel.
He winces automatically. I use the moment to slam my own fist against his cheek, wincing as flesh meet flesh. I never was a fan of violence.
But it does the job.
Christian topples backwards, leaving me enough space to wrench out of his grip and run. The elevator's too slow so I take the stairs, thinking frantically with every step. I need to get down. I need to find somebody - anybody - and warn them about Rome.
His footsteps sound right behind me. With every step we take, he gets a little bit closer. But I manage to sprint down all twenty floors. By the time I rush into the hotel lobby, I'm breathing so hard it feels like my lungs are about to collapse. Unable to go on, I stumble to a stop.
Which is a mistake.
Before my ears have to time register the closing footsteps, Christian slams me to the ground, pinning my wrists to my side. Some of the entering guests give us alarmed glances. I open my mouth, ready to scream, for help, when somebody interrupts us.
Madame Abernathy saves the day by stepping forward. "What is going on here? Christian, what do you think you're doing?"
"Madame Abernathy," Christian pulls me up again, his face going dangerously blank again. I open my mouth, ready to defend myself, only to freeze once I see who's standing there with Madame Abernathy. "Please excuse us."
Ava Abernathy, dressed in a beautiful sunset-orange gown, stands beside her mother. Her lips, plump and glossed with red, turn down into a sneer as she appraises Christian and I. "Answer my mother, you imbecile. What do you think the two of you are doing here? Especially you - you're supposed to be guarding Rome right now."
"We apologize for interruption, ma'am, and we had been guarding his door. It's just that we caught this maid," He raises me up by my shoulders, making me jerk painfully. "Stealing."
"No," I choke out through the pain. "That's not true -"
"It is true, ma'am," The second bodyguard steps forwards. He must be in cahoots with Christian because I see him give Christina nervous glance before speaking again. "She asked to enter Rome's room and when she didn't come out, we entered the premises, only to find her thieving away with some of his watches. You can check her time records and verify our statement."
"Fine," Ava takes out her own phone. "I'll check it out."
"Ava, this isn't -"
"Shut up," Her voice cuts me off faster than it should, mostly because it takes me back in high school. She'd use the same words, the same tone, when warning us not to tell the teachers about what she did. What she would do. "Mom, they're right. She did enter the room."
"I didn't steal anything," I turn my attention to Madame Abernathy. "I swear. They're lying."
"It says it right here, Winifred," Madame Abernathy's face is cold. Her green eyes, which seemed full of life just minutes ago, begin to remind me of poison ivy. "Did you or did you not enter the room even after I specfically ordered you not to?"
"I did, but I have an explanation -"
"Did you say Winifred? As in Winifred Hart?" Ava's voice is like a knife, jamming into my sides painfully. My ears ring as she fully turns her attention to me. "Huh, I knew her."
"Is that so?"
"At high school. Even back then, I had known that she would not amount to much. But she was kind then. She wouldn't have stolen from anybody out of petty jealously."
"I didn't steal anything!"
Neither of them pay any attention to me. I can feel Christian's triumph as if it's something tangible. My defeat tastes sour in my mouth. Everything is going wrong. And my head is spinning to fast to figure out how to fix it.
"I'm incredibly disappointed in you, Winifred," Madame Abernathy scolds. "I'll have to detain all your valuables just in case, as well as talk to your Aunt about this. She told me that you were a decent worker."
"You should fire both of them," Ava's eyes glitter and a very unpleasant sensation stirs in my stomach - a combination of fear and hate that only she could incite. "What kind of sick bitch steals from a blind person?"
"That's enough, Ava. Christian, have her detained. I'll deal with her later."
"Yes, ma'am," By the tone of his voice and the way he yanks on the handcuffs, I have a feeling that he's not going to just detain me.
I look over my shoulder. "Madame Abernathy, please -"
"Mother!"
The world brightens for a moment, just at the sound of his voice.
Rome.
Rome. Oh my god. I hadn't even thought about him, about what happened with him. I crane my neck to get a better look but the two bodyguards drag me away. Instead, I use my super-hearing to catch
"Rome, what's the matter?"
"Something has happened - I need to talk to you in private -"
"Of course, what is the problem?"
"I think I've found my mate -"
Mate?
No, no. Rome and I have known each other for years. But had we touched each other before today? Are we really mates? I think about his face and my heart flutters, my cheeks flame. No, no. Impossible. We can't be mates, can we?
Christian yanks on my chains, causing me to stumble. "Hurry up."
I look down at my wrists.
I push away my previous thoughts, focusing on the current situation. I need to find Nick and Elliot. Nobody knows about the danger besides them. And I can't warn Rome. Madame Abernathy would strike me dead before letting me near him again - and why does that thought make me wince in pain? - so I need to find Elliot and Nick.
But how? I could escape by transforming into a cat. My paws are too small for the handcuffs and I could easily escape in the dying light. But using my powers without a permit is illegal.
Then again, I'm already a criminal.
Christian stands on the side, motioning for a car to pull up.
It's now or never, Winnie. I make a decision and step back, just a bit, to let myself transform. I close my eyes, recalling the second form inside of me.
My body heats up, my heart twists and turns, my stomach flips over and then - and then - nothing. I'm out of practice. I haven't transformed into my alternative forms in two years. My heart races as I hear the engine come this way.
Come on, Winnie.
I let out a slow exhale, then a deep inhale, drawing the innate feline energy. I call on the dark creature of the night, the one with yellow eyes and long whiskers. And finally, something responds.
My skin burns, my heart compresses into a small form and each one of my organs begins to shrink. In response, I bend down into a crouch, letting my weight fall into my hands - which curve into paws and stomach. My vision sinks as my other senses expand. Each one of my bones shatters, reforms again, and sink back into their new muscles.
Phase two comes next.
On my next exhale, fur explodes out of me in a symphony of shimmering black. The world mutes in color, even as the volume of sound becomes louder. I become aware of the smell of wet pavement, of the oil of engines, and the stale dirt lining Christian's shoes. Viberations of the chilled evening air carress my fur.
It's been so long.
I test out each one of my long limbs, rejoicing in every movement. I stretch, arching my flexible back and tilt my ears to get a proper response.
Screams. Shouts. It's Christian's partner yelling out an apology, "Sorry sir! But her background check doesn't list any sort of superpower or permit."
"Does that matter now?" He growls. "Just take the cat before -"
Hands reach for me, arms outstretched. But they're no match. My instincts take over and I slink below, race across the road, followed by yells.
"Get her!"
"Don't let it get away!"
I escape into the night, not looking back. My thoughts fade away as I run. The only sounds I hear are the ones of my heartbeat and the only thing I know is that somehow, someway, I have to fix whatever this situation is.
CHARACTER FACT: Rome's birthday is on May 29th, because that's the date the Roman Empire will fall. And Rome will fall too... fall in LOVE, amirite?
Thanks for reading!