by Kaylee Kane
Pussy meowed back at me.
I glanced at my email inbox and saw four hundred unread emails. The sticky notes on my screen screamed ‘4 papers due Monday, 2 conferences next week’. I was way, way, way behind my tight schedule and I was too busy fucking a young, hot supervillain.
I glared at the footage of the burning building as I remembered Manic Mansions, where Xavior lived. I let Pussy off on the ground and walked over to my immaculate window to look into the far east of the city.
Manic Mansions was thrown far from the city center. The Pandemonia was out of my league. Manic Mansions was out of the world.
I couldn’t even imagine how these people could afford houses that cost way more than I could ever make in a lifetime. The richest moguls and tycoons had not only one but a couple of these sprawling mansions to house their mistresses and boy toys.
With a big sigh, I went to my room and looked up at my wall of fame. I picked up yesterday’s paper and studied Xavior’s notice again.
It wasn’t even personal anymore. It wasn’t about the chicken tenders or the reward money. It was about the five hundred lives lost in the Pandemonia because of his selfish acts.
Swinging my closet open, the refreshing lavender fragrant wafted into my nose. With all my clothes hung in color codes, my closet looked more organized.
It also helped that I donated half of my closet to charities. At least that made me feel better after betraying my vigilante professionalism by fucking the supervillain.
Sliding all my clothes to the left to reveal my Mysterious Kitty catsuit, I grabbed it and tossed it on the bed. I stared at my superheroine guise and said, “No more jumping on supervillains. Even if they are hot and young ones.”
Stripping from my working from home uniform A.K.A. oversized shirt and sweatpants, I changed into my guise.
Picking up my phone, I messaged into my lab group telling my students that I wouldn’t be in today. I felt terrible. Even the smiley face reply from my student didn’t help make me feel less guilty.
Pocketing my phone, I threw on my khaki trench coat and left the apartment. People were still bustling around the city at midday when they were supposed to be at work.
My mind was with the five hundred lost lives and I felt worse thinking about the shit I did with Trixter. It cost five hundred innocent lives.
I was walking towards the cab station when someone called my name from behind. I turned around and was met with a woman my age. I peered at the woman who waved frantically at me for five minutes before I recognized Cecily.
“Katrine? Do you still remember me?”
“Hey, Cecily? Yes, of course. What are you doing here?” The memories of high school came flooding back into my head, filling my heart with all its sorrows.
Cecily was the hot stuff, the most popular girl at school. All the hormone-raging teenage boys were all over her hourglass body and model-like slender legs.
I scanned her up and down. She still looked hot.
Though she was the same age as me, her big brown eyes and small dainty nose made her look ageless. Her lips looked poutier. She must have done something to it but maybe it was her glossy pink lip gloss.
“Just doing some shopping around her. What about you?”
I glanced at the shopping bags in her arms. All from lux brands. Who was she working for? How did she afford all these? What about her student loan?
“Um, me? I was just going to meet up with a friend,” I quicked a lie.
Cecily smiled warmly at me and patted me on the arm. “It’s so good to see you again, Kat. You never turned up in any alumni gathering, so people were wondering what happened to you. We all miss you so much.”
I fought not to make a twisted face as the revolting feeling built up in my throat. Some people said alumni gathering were there for networking reasons, I thought it was just a platform for the more successful students to boast about their lives.
“Yeah, it’s great to see you again too, Cecily. You look wonderful. So what do you do for a living?”
“I am a homemaker, Kat.”
My vision darted between her cute face and the expensive shopping bags. Not surprising with a face like that she could easily swoon any billionaire bachelors.
“So what does your husband do?” I asked.
“My husband is a multibillionaire tycoon and developer. His company built most of the houses around here,” said Cecily.
She said it so casually as if anyone could do that. Even she didn’t have the slightest hint of arrogance, I couldn’t help feeling the envy building up in me.
Why did I feel like everyone around me was doing way better than I did?
What did I do wrong?
“I met him in university. After dating for two months, we thought we were meant for each other, so I dropped out to marry him.”
“So you guys went to the same university?”
“Yeah,” said Cecily, blushing slightly. “He’s my professor.”
“Oh. Wait! Did you just say that your husband is a developer?”
“Yeah, why?”
I bit my lip and braved myself to ask the question. “I am wondering if he happens to build Manic Mansions too.”
“Yeah, that’s by his company. Why? Are you looking to buy a property?”
My heart jumped in joy. “No, not yet. I am just wondering if you want to come up to my apartment just around the corner for a cup of tea.”
Cecily’s eyes brightened up. “Sure. Why not?”
“Your place is lovely, Kat,” said Cecily after she decked her shopping bags on the floor next to the lounge. Sitting next to me, she lifted and sipped the cup of tea I made for her.
I sighed in relief thinking how clever it was to clean up the apartment. Who would have thought I had a visitor today? I unfolded yesterday’s paper and laid it on the coffee table.
“Do you think your husband may have known this person?”
“Xavior? I think he would have. He’s all over the news for the alleged bombing of the Pandemonia. My poor husband. His company has to bear all the costs just because some psycho villain thought it was cool to blow up someone’s house.”
I frowned. Wasn’t she supposed to sympathize with the lost lives more? “Well, I am really sorry to hear that. But five hundred people died, so it’s terrible.”
Sweat tingled my skin. My body was boiling in the catsuit and trench coat and screamed to be let out of it. “Anyway, back to the story. Xavior lives in the Manic Mansions. I want to know which unit belongs to him.”
Cecily’s eyes sparkled. “You know him personally? Kat, you have expensive taste.”
I shook so quickly, my head jerked back. “Wait, what?”
“Wait, why are you looking for him? Don’t you know him personally?”
“Well, if I do, I wouldn’t ask, right?”
Cecily nodded in agreement. “But why?”
“Just look at this!” I waved the paper in front of her. “There is a reward for anyone who has any information on Xavior. It may look like a small amount for you but it is going to help me pay off my student loan!”
“Student loan?” Cecily frowned. Her face contorted that she looked almost disgusted. “Why are you still having student loan debts?”
Did she really have to start with this?
“What do you do for a living?”
“I am a researcher,” I said, adjusting myself on the couch uncomfortably. The leather was baking me alive and going to suffocate me soon.
“A researcher? You’re a scientist?” Cecily’s eyes widened in awe. “That’s amazing, Kat. I didn’t know scientists were real jobs. I mean, I saw them on movies and they were like really cool with all those white coats and stuff. It’s really cool, Kat. I wish I were a scientist too.”
I wasn’t sure if Cecily was mocking me or genuinely being dumb. Either way, it was getting on all my nerves.
“So you got a boyfriend?” asked Cecily,
continuing her dance on my raw nerves.
“No, my work is quite demanding, so I don’t really have time for petty activities like that.” My mind went to the wild ride I had with Trixter. Hypocrite! My conscience was screaming at me.
Why settle for one when you can jump on every hot villain you meet, right? It didn’t help me feel any better when the footage of the burning Pandemonia building flounced in my head, reminding me of the lives lost because of my selfishness.
“Look, Kat. You are not young anymore,” said Cecily.
I held my breath as Cecily’s verbal daggers continued stabbing through my young heart.
“Look at yourself. You look really great for someone in her forties.” Cecily got on her feet and pulled me up with her so that we were both staring at our reflections on the windows.
Her dainty long fingers moved from my shoulders down the length of my arms. “If you flaunt a bit of your greatest assets, all the men in the world would go nuts for you. It’s not too late to change your life, Kat. Get yourself a rich man and you don’t have to work for another day in your life. Xavior is a good start.”
My eyelids twitched as I fought to not roll my eyes.
“Imagine having no worries about your bills. You want something? Just say it and your wish is granted!”
My thoughts wandered off to Crisps N’ Chips. Oh, those smoking delicious chicken tenders dipped in barbecue sauce. My mouth watered just thinking about it.
Then, the footage of the burning building came haunting me. No, I couldn’t do that. I worked so hard to build Mysterious Kitty’s name to be where she was. I couldn’t just throw everything into the drain for a man. A stranger supervillain I had never met before.
Not especially when Xavior killed five hundred people in one night. Mysterious Kitty was the heroine and idol of Corn City. She couldn’t betray her people’s trust for her own selfishness.
A sigh escaped from my mouth. “I don’t think that is the lifestyle for me, Cecily.”
Cecily looked almost devastated if not offended. “What do you mean it’s not for you? It’s for everyone. Who doesn’t want to be rich and famous and be happy for the rest of their lives?”
“Xavior is a serial murderer. There is no way I am going to seduce him.”
“Okay, maybe not Xavior. I was just giving an example.”
“Look, it doesn’t really matter who, Cecily. I am a strong, independent woman who needs no one, do you get it?”
“No, I don’t.” Cecily pulled her hands back, caught on my trench coat, and undid the first two buttons, revealing my catsuit. Her eyes widened in shock as she gawked at my face and the catsuit in turn.
Her hand flew to cover her open mouth. “Oh my gosh, Kat. Oh gosh. You are the Mysterious Kitty! Is that why you wanted to find Xavior? Oh my gosh, it’s all so clear now!”
I never felt so exposed in my life as I scrambled to button up my coat again. My thoughts went amok. No one ever knew I was the Mysterious Kitty. Not even my dead mother. Now, Cecily, a friend from the past, coming out of nowhere and discovered my biggest secret.
“You cannot tell anyone about this, Cecily. Not even your best friend. Not even your husband, okay?” I said sternly. “This is for our safety. If the wrong party should know you are involved with the Mysterious Kitty, there is a high chance the bad guys are going to use you against me.”
Cecily nodded frantically and grasped my hand. “I cannot believe this, Kat. I can’t believe you’re the superheroine of our city. I admire you so much!”
I nodded, unable to conceal the pride swelling in my chest. “Now you know why I can’t just get a daddy and call it a day. I have social duties and responsibilities over the city. I cannot neglect the safety of my home, Corn City.”
“I know,” said Cecily. “About Xavior, I think my husband might have the information you need but I need to do a bit of hacking into his computer. He’s outstation tonight so I might be able to dig out something for you.”
I raised one brow at her. “And how exactly are you going to hack into his computer?”
“Well, I have some hidden skills up my sleeves too.” Cecily winked at me. “I’ll keep you updated on the good news.”
4
I had the blueprint of Xavior’s lair imprinted in my head. Not with my diminishing memories. But via with information installer device I got from Superhero Co. Geared with the knowledge, I put my catsuit on and went out for my vigilante mission.
The cab took me to the security checkpoint of Manic Mansions. There, the lux, sprawling mansions of the rich and notorious loomed in the skyline.
“That will be forty dollars,” said the cab driver.
I reached for my purse and gave him a fifty. “Keep the change,” I said, being generous, confident that I would be pocketing more after the mission. Sometimes you need a pat on the back.
The cab sped off and I found myself standing before the ten feet silver automated gate that glittered in gold from the setting sun in the horizon.
Beyond the gate was a tiled road leading across the manicured gardens where the flowers bloomed. Cecily’s words about getting a rich boyfriend echoed in my ears and I shook her out of my head.
No time for a daddy. It’s time for justice.
“Hey, what you doing here?” The two buffy security guards appeared. In their brawny arms wielded machine guns, ready to shoot at any intruders that dared to interrupt the bubble of peace of the billionaire residents of Manic Mansions.
“Hello boys,” I said with a grinning smile, revealing my perfect white set of teeth.
“Well, well, look who’s here,” said the first guard with a lewd smile that revealed few missing teeth. He scanned me up and down. “Are you lost, pretty thing?”
“Not really. I am looking for an old friend here. Mind opening the gate?”
“Not before you tell us who you are looking for.”
“Xavior.”
The guards looked at each other, lost. The second one said to me, “Xavior does not accept any visitors. Who are you?”
“What about now?” I dropped my trench coat on the ground and put my fists on my waist, pushing my chest up as I showcased my Mysterious Kitty catsuit. Its black leather glistened under the sun.
The looks on the guards were priceless when they stammered, “You–you’re the Mysterious Kitty!”
I liked watching how people’s attitudes towards me changed when they found out that I was the Mysterious Kitty. That, ladies and gentlemen, was how important your social status was.
I already whipped out my two stunner dart guns. The guards had no idea what hit them when I pulled the triggers. The two darts catapulted out of the muzzles and hit their chests.
The guards groaned and collapsed with a loud thump on the ground, their tongues sticking out of their mouths.
All their memories about my appearance would be wiped clean from their minds when they regained their consciousness in three hours. They would not remember seeing the Mysterious Kitty or me.
I also got these babies from Superhero Co., the secret pop-up shop down the street where I lived.
Pocketing the guns, I went on one knee next to the first guard and snatched the keycard to open the gate. The electronic gate slid open and I snuck in and closed it from inside.
“Alright, now the next challenge,” I said to myself, contemplating how to skip the five miles walk in high heels. When I turned around, my eyes caught the large bike parked next to the guard house.
A smile quirked my lips. “That’s so convenient.” As if I was made for this mission. Retrieving the keys from the drawers in the hut, I hopped onto the bike and zoomed into the street.
Unit 24-A was a white cubic house with a strip of tinted windows on the second floor that made it look like a robot head. Cacti planted around the circumference of the manicured lawn, fencing the house from outsiders.
I got off the bike and fixed my Mysterious Kitty face mask. Running my
fingers through my hair, I strutted towards the mansion when I heard a dog barking from behind me. It was the Chihuahua.
Cecily mentioned that Xavior had a Chihuahua as a guise. The tiny teacup dog was tied to the doghouse which looked like the miniature model of the cubic house. The yappy dog leaped as it barked.
I reached to my back and turned on the invisibility mode on my catsuit and somersaulted to the front door. Just then, the heat-sensor camera turned in my direction. I quickly switched to heat-cancellation mode and held my breath.