Date: June 19. 2067
Time: 3:35 am
Subject: Return
----Elijah----
I kept replaying the past events in my head. The commanding officer coming into my cell, lecturing me on my events, then shooting me in the forehead. My life had replayed in my head all in an instant like they said it did. I saw my family, friends, enemies, all my memories gliding through the corners of my brain like a river. They were so close; as if I could reach out and touch them. When it faded there was nothing, but blackness then a flickering of my eyelids. I was in the house I am always placed in when I teleport from one place to the next. Instead of cats coming and going to and fro they were all standing around me.
“Where am I?” I had asked. I was confused. Shouldn’t I have been dead? The cats began to push themselves aside, and my cat made its way through the crowd. “Maple! I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m sorry I left you alone at the house, I was taken. There was not much I could do.” I cried out and leaning over to stroke her head. She let out a faint purr of acceptance.
“It is alright.” My cat surprisingly told me. I knew I could understand the cats in the house, but I had never imagined having a real conversation with one. I had so many questions. Was it possible that this was my afterlife? “We need to get you freshened up soon or you’ll be buzzard food.” Maple murmured. The cats did not really speak English, they still mewed, but somehow I was able to understand what they were saying in my brain. It was like my brain was my very own translation device. My cats voice was just how I always imagined it to be; a scratchy daring kind of voice. Like you would imagine a biker girl to have. I always imagined this mainly because my cat hated everyone except me. She bit and scratched whenever she got the slightest bit pissed off.
“What do you mean?” I asked. Buzzard food? I must really be dead. Where was my body? I was so confused. I had only briefly researched otherworldly travelling and I was not very acknowledged in the subject.
“You’re dead.” She spat amusingly. I stifled a laugh.
“Well, what happens next?” I asked.
“You’re like us now; which means you got nine lives. Don’t use them stupidly or you’ll be dead rather quickly.” A fluffy white female cat spoke calmly to me. Her mews were patient and so was her voice inside my head. I could have never imagined something like this before, and now it’s like it was natural.
“So don’t be doing normal Elijah stuff with them. I know how you are; once you get something cool you tend to be crazy with it.” My cat advised. I laughed.
“Not if it’s my life.” I told them. A black tom cat gave a curt not in the back.
“Alright well, you’re right through that door.” My cat told me as she licked her paw and then sprung out the door. I hugged a few of the cats and whispered “bye” as I fled out the door. She had forgotten to mention it would hurt like hell when I came to.
It felt like someone had dug nine inch nails into my head and burnt my skin. It was even crazier when my cat had come from behind a rock and was communicating with me. I thought that could only happen in the house. She told me that since my brain had inherited feline skills; my brain was partly feline as well, which gave me the abilities to travel throughout time and space as well as understand their kind. It was remarkable, simply astounding. She told me how cats were so intuitive with the world around them, because unlike humans they didn’t change. They didn’t have new machines or cities. They had stayed the same for generations living in the wild and living off the land. They knew when disaster was coming, and when the seasons were changing. They were intuitive with everything around them unlike lazy humans. Only cats were able to travel through rips in time or space though. Unlike other animals cats perceived a wide expanse of knowledge. They had very smart minds just a little higher than dolphin minds or possibly on the same scale. Dolphins couldn’t breathe out of water though so instead they would swim to the deeps during disaster.
I had asked where all the animals had fled and she told me felines went to other dimensions and all the rest hid in various places underground. I could since someone around me watching me. My feet shown someone behind a rock, and as if on queue they appeared.
Now I was pacing side by side with Alexander. Maple was at my heels. He had tried pushing some information out of me, but I told him right away I was not stupid and anything he threw at me I would already have dodged. He had no business knowing about me. I didn’t trust him at all. I was unsure of what he was capable of. “So we are nearly here.” I told him. I saw the camp about 20 yards away in the distance. Griffin illuminated the camp as well so I didn't really need my night vision for that. It really sucked that Griffin glowed. It was like a zombie magnet. The radiation affected his skin that bad which made him glow in the dark. It was a rare effect for survivors. It mostly occured on dying or changing bodies.
“Ah, nocturnal vision is handy in these situations.” He commented. I nodded. “My sonar is like nocturnal vision. I’m glad I’m not actually blind like bats are. That would be awful.” He told me. I sighed.
“We really don’t need small talk you know?” I rudely said. He began to look straight ahead like I was. I knew I was being rude, but I didn’t trust him. There was something about him that was iffy.
Everyone was sleeping at the camp, except Jedidiah. I peeked around the hanging cliff. The slight breeze ruffled my red lochs. “Psst, Jedidiah.” I whispered. His head perked up and looked around. I slipped around the corner suddenly not caring where Alexander was or what he was doing. I hesitantly sat down in the sand next to him. Jedidiah’s muscles were tensed and his hand lit aflame for light. His green eyes stared into my eyes in shock, but mine stared back flirtatiously. I tried to subtle their gaze, but it was impossible. My heart was racing and I couldn’t deny it.
“Elijah… you were dead?” He asked immediately.
“Were is past tense darling.” I whispered with a smile. He stared at me for a while longer and then hugged me tight after extinguishing his flame. I laughed and wrapped my arms around his back as he fell atop of me. It was disgusting how all this sand was touching me, I hated sand so, so, so, much. At this moment I supposed I could deal with it though. Jedidiah squeezed me tighter now and then sighed. “
“I don’t know how you did it, but I’m just happy you’re here. I thought it was my entire fault.” His voice was serious and relieved at the same time.
“I’m a cat-girl remember? I got nine lives.” I told him playfully jabbing him with one of my claws gently in the side. He twitched, because that was his ticklish spot.
“Do you really?” He asked smiling.
“Indeed.” I felt so cool saying that. I had nine lives. I felt unstoppable. I heard my cat’s thoughts telling me not to get a big head, but I shrugged them off.
“So I could shoot you right now, and it would be okay?” He asked with a huge smile. Typical Jedidiah. I laughed and pushed him off me.
“No, I need those!” I exclaimed laughing. He laughed as he pulled me back down to him. “I just knew I had to get you out of there. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I left you there. Bliss tried to get me to leave, but I couldn’t.” I whispered staring at the Hollister logo on his shirt. I watched his chest go up and down from his steady breathing.
“When I thought you were dead I wanted to die. I couldn’t imagine my life without you Elijah. You’re my best friend.” He whispered. I looked up into his green eyes and stared at him.
“You’re my best friend too.” Was all I could push out of my lips. His head seemed to slowly make its way closer to mine. Oh God, no. I wasn’t going to do this. I stood up before he could get close enough to kiss me. I brushed the sand of my pants. “I’m exhausted. Dying takes a lot of energy out of your body.” I truthfully said with a fake smile and went over to lie down byGriffin. I would have lied down next to Akemi, but that would seem like a slap in the face to him. I felt torn. I wanted Jedidiah to be happy more than anything, but what if he was happy with me? I couldn’t be with him. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. I needed him more than ever right now, there was no time for a relationship. It would ruin us. I noticed Alexander sleeping all alone over in the corner. I felt a pang of sympathy but it dissolved as quickly as it had begun, and I drifted to sleep.