“Banjo?” Gareth raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah.” Sky returned to her meal.
Gareth wiped his face and pushed back from the table.
“I’ll be in my office,” he said softly and walked out of the dining room.
Sky took one final bite and washed it down with the rest of her water. She went up to her room where she had shut the door to contain Banjo. There was no cat to be seen, so she slid in and shut the door quietly. The food bowl was half empty and droplets sat on the rim of the water dish. Sky tiptoed to the bathroom and found a lump of cat litter in the box. The small mat had gray litter crumbs on it, but the rest of the floor was clean, as though Banjo had wiped his wee paws when he was finished.
Sky checked the closet, but there was no pair of glowing yellow eyes. She turned to her cage. Curled up in the blanket that had been piled to one side a small black kitten slept soundly.
- -
For three weeks and two days Kitty hung out at the mailbox and harassed every courier who showed up, desperate to hold her first bathing suit sample in her manicured hands.
On the day it arrived Kitty skipped about the apartment with a padded envelope clutched to her chest.
“What are you so happy about?” Daniella asked as she dried a cup with a dish towel.
“My first sample arrived! This is better than Christmas!”
“What if it looks like shit?”
Kitty rolled her eyes at her roommate. “It’s not going to look like shit. The worst thing that could happen is it doesn’t fit. But that’s not a big deal, I’ll simply adjust it,” and she skipped off to her room with her package.
Seated on her bed, Kitty ceremoniously peeled open the envelope to reveal the signature product of Karnivore by Kitty: a white, one-piece suit with a little gathering near the waist and a plunging neckline. Kitty held it up to admire it, her mouth gaping in awe. She felt the luxurious fabric between her fingers and tested the stretch of the material. Kitty hopped on one foot as she slipped the other into her new suit, pulled it on, and fastened the clip behind her neck. In front of her full-length mirror she twisted and turned, trying to catch herself from every angle. The fabric was soft and flattering, thick enough not to show through, and highlighted her hourglass figure. Kitty turned to see the back, a deep V-shape that ended in a point just above the small of her back. She flicked and fussed with her hair, holding it up and then letting it down to see which looked better.
Sunglasses. She needed sunglasses. She grabbed a large white pair from the top of her dresser and returned to the mirror, now admiring herself through tinted shades. “Why yes, Mr. Investor, I’d love to join you for a cruise on your new yacht,” Kitty said, her hand on one hip and the other holding up her hair.
Kitty snapped a few selfies and sent them to Creep, who responded right away with a phone call. “Kit, it’s spectacular. I’m so excited. What’s the quality like?”
“It’s beautiful, thick and stretchy, but not too loose. It’s really comfortable.”
“So, it fits like it was made for you.”
“It was,” Kitty smiled as she sauntered back to her bed where she lay on her back. “Do you think Gareth will like it?”
“Kit, who wouldn’t want to see a hot girl in a bathing suit?”
“So you think I should send him the pics?”
“No. I think you should show him in person.”
“There’s no way he’d go for that, he hasn’t even talked to me since the dinner disaster,” Kitty said, distraught.
“Find a way to go and visit him.”
Kitty paused. “I don’t even know where he lives. And I’m pretty sure he won’t tell me.”
“Hmm,” Creep said.
“Hello?” Kitty said.
“I’m thinking . . . What if you got in touch with his partner Louis. Maybe he can take you there, or at least tell you where Gareth lives.”
Kitty sat up. “That’s a great idea! I don’t think I have a number for him though.”
“Find an e-mail address. That should be easy enough.”
“OK, I’ll try that.”
“Good luck, babe. I’ll talk to you soon. Let me know how it goes.”
“Bye, Creep.” Kitty went straight to her computer.
- -
The sun was strong, a final blast of summer, and the garden had begun to fade for it hadn’t rained in weeks. In the shade of a tree, Gareth sat with a glass of lemonade, reading the morning news on his laptop. He was engrossed in the daily stock reviews when a sharp scream came from Sky’s open window. He put his computer aside to run into the house.
Sky sat on the floor of her room holding a tissue to her cheek when Gareth found her.
“What happened?” he asked, breathless.
“Banjo scratched me.”
“That’s it?”
“It hurt, he scared me. It was completely unprovoked.”
“Well, that’s a cat for you,” Gareth said. “Let’s see.” He motioned to Sky’s face.
She took the tissue away and turned her cheek to him. Right below her scar were three red stripes, deep enough that blood continued to flow when Sky removed the tissue.
“Those are deep,” Gareth said, mildly surprised. “I’ll get the kit and clean you up. Where’s the cat now?”
“Hiding in the closet.”
When Gareth left, a little black head with pointed ears peeked out at her. Sky glared at Banjo and he jerked his head out of sight.
“Cute little shit,” she mumbled, checking the blood-soaked tissue. She went to the bathroom for a clean one.
Gareth returned with a bag of first aid supplies. He placed it on the bathroom counter and used a little iodine on a cotton pad to clean the wound. Sky winced as he gently dabbed at her cheek and then patted it dry with gauze. He smoothed on ointment and cut a few short pieces of tape to hold a fresh piece of gauze over the scratches. “This won’t look pretty but it’ll keep things clean.”
“That’s OK,” Sky replied. “There are no mirrors here anyway.”
Gareth looked away and tidied up the bathroom.
“I’m going to leave Banjo here alone tonight. To teach him a lesson.” Sky said.
Without a word, Gareth picked up the first aid kit. “You should come outside and get some sun,” he suggested.
“What about the cougar?” Sky said.
Gareth shook his head. “Wisdom took a few good pieces of him. I don’t think you need to worry.”
Gareth held out his hand and Sky offered her prosthetic arm for him to hold. A small smile crept onto his face and led her out of the room.
He returned to his shady spot outside while Sky stopped at the library to choose a new book, an Agatha Christie classic. She paused to look out the hallway window at the garden bathed in a safe, bright light. She scanned the wilderness as far as possible before she ventured outside to join Gareth in the garden. Making her way along the cobblestones in her bare feet, she kept her head down, while Gareth watched her. She looked up suddenly and caught his gaze for a moment before she looked away and sat in the shaded empty chair next to him.
- -
Though Banjo seemed to enjoy curling up with Sky while she read during the day, he tended to be unpredictable at dawn and dusk, leaving no one in the house free from his random attacks. Rose had bandages on an arm and a leg, while Takao got off easy with just a puncture wound in his hand after trying to feed Banjo a fresh piece of fish for breakfast.
Sky began to let him out in the garden early in the morning, mostly to protect the household from his wrath, but also as an experiment to see if a little wild air would cure his urges. “It could make things worse,” Sky said to Gareth as she stood watching Banjo from the bedroom window. “But, I’m trying to treat like with like. It’s a homeopathic technique I read about in a magazine.”
“I hope it works, for his sake,” Gareth said as he pulled a shirt over his head, “or he’ll end up in a grave next to Wisdom.”
Sky turn
ed toward Gareth, her face concerned. “You think something is going to happen to him out there?”
Gareth chuckled. “No, but I’ll make sure something happens to him if he doesn’t settle down.”
Sky turned back toward the window and glared at Gareth’s reflection. He went downstairs for breakfast. She decided to shower and wait until he was finished before she ate.
When Sky was sure Gareth was at work in his office, she went for her own breakfast. She opened the front door on her way, deciding to check if Banjo was around. She could see the green and gray woods, but there was no little black cat with two white paws in sight. As she was about to close the door she glanced down and saw a neat row of four dead birds laid out on the step as an offering. One oriole, two sparrows, and one robin. Sky smiled, looked back out across the field, and closed the door.
Later in the morning, when Sky was curled up with a book in the sitting room, Rose poked her head in the doorway.
“Sky, I heard meowing on the balcony, outside the master bedroom,” Rose said. “I let the cat in and he followed me here.”
With pristine timing, Banjo walked in and jumped up to make himself comfortable in Sky’s lap as she gave him an affectionate scratch. She smiled at Rose, who shrugged and left the room.
“Thank you for the little presents this morning,” Sky whispered in the kitten’s ear. “I’m starting to think we should change your name.”
The slam of the front door caused both of them to jump.
“Rose!” Gareth shouted from the front door. “I need a garbage bag and gloves.”
Sky pulled Banjo into her chest where he nuzzled his way between her breasts. They both sat quietly, Banjo drifting off to sleep as Sky stared out at the garden, unaware she was holding her breath. Gareth’s heavy footsteps grew louder as he approached. He blew into the room and stood before Sky, who did not move.
“I think you should give the cat a new name,” he said.
Sky looked up at him and blinked.
“Do you have any ideas?” he asked her.
Sky shook her head.
“What about, Annihilator?” he said, rubbing a strong-smelling sterilizing gel into his hands.
Sky smiled then looked down at little Annihilator, warm in the crevice of her chest and unmoved by Gareth’s presence.
“All right, that’s settled,” Gareth said and left Sky alone with her cat and her book.
Sky picked up the drowsy kitten and placed him on top of her knees so his eyes were in line with hers. “Look Annihilator, if you want to stay alive you need to listen to me.” The kitten turned his head away and Sky turned it back with her index finger. “You’re a carnivore, a killer, I get that’s who you are and that’s fine. I want you to be a cat. But you can’t leave four offerings on the porch every day. One is enough. Otherwise I might not be able to protect you from Gareth. Do you understand? No excessive bird slaughter. Is that clear?” Sky kissed its furry head. “I’m going to call you Anni for short, by the way.”
When Sky let go of his head, Anni shook off her scolding and hopped onto the floor. He padded out of the room with his tail high.
Sky tried to return to her book but ended up staring out the window instead, her eyes glazed and the cat’s future seeming bleak in her imagination.
- -
The following morning, Annihilator left only one chickadee on the front step. The next day, a mouse, and a toad the morning after. Sky occupied herself by digging a mass grave with the help of her new arm and a shovel from Gareth.
From his office window Gareth watched her work, and as she headed back to the house she saw him there. He turned away and checked his phone to read a message from Louis.
Your girlfriend just contacted me. She wants to surprise you with a visit. Knowing you don’t like surprises, I thought I’d let you know.
Gareth stopped right there and rang Louis.
“I see you got my message,” Louis said as soon as he picked up the phone.
“How did she find you?”
“She sent me an e-mail. I’m pretty sure she found it online somewhere.”
“Can you forward the message to me?” Gareth walked around the desk to sit in front of his computer.
“Yeah, sure. But hey, don’t get me in trouble for this OK? I don’t want her to yell at me for being a rat.”
“She won’t yell at you, she’s not that kind of girl. Besides, she needs money so she’s in no position to piss me off.”
“Hey I need money too!” Louis said. “If I start a bathing suit line will you give me money?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“No one wants to see you in conjunction with any kind of bathing suit.”
“Hey, whoa! That was harsh. Help me out a little here.”
“I’ve done more than enough for you, Lou.”
“I know, I know, I’m just taking the piss. Gawd, you’re so serious all the time. I don’t want to see me in a bathing suit either!”
“Thanks for letting me know about Kitty. I appreciate it,” Gareth said, his tone softening.
“Hey, no problem. I figured I’d be in big trouble if she just showed up. Especially with Sky there and everything. Boy, that would be awkward.”
Gareth was silent as he stroked his chin, thinking.
“Hello?” Louis said.
“Maybe I will have you bring her out here. But not yet. Let me think about it.”
“OK, but what should I tell her in the meantime? Do you want me to respond or are you going to handle it?”
“Just tell her the truth. Let her know I’ll contact her later.”
“OK, will do.”
They said good-bye and Gareth checked his e-mail for Kitty’s message, which Louis had just sent. There was a photo attached and he opened it to see Kitty standing in her bedroom wearing a white swimsuit. Her cleavage was prominent and her legs looked shapely and strong. A silver chain was draped around one slender ankle and her bare feet were smooth and decorated with glittery pink polish. She held up her bright hair in one hand to reveal the delicate line of her neck, and she smiled into the camera with a fresh face and glowing skin.
“Anni, no!” Sky screamed from down the hall. Gareth startled and snapped out of his lustful trance. Her screams were followed by pounding footsteps coming toward Gareth’s office. He went to the door just as she was about to burst in, wearing nothing but a towel and holding her prosthetic arm by the wrist.
“While I was in the shower, Anni got hold of my new arm and used it as a chew toy!” she sobbed.
Gareth took the arm from her and in the bright light of the office window, examined the teeth marks and scratches from the merciless cat. He held it out at arm’s length and scrutinized it again. Sky stood near his desk, clutching her towel. She glanced at his computer and saw a large image of a pink-haired girl posing in a white bathing suit. It was the same girl from his phone, the same girl she had seen many times before — the same girl she couldn’t seem to escape. The blood drained from her face and she felt dizzy. She stared at Gareth.
“It’s not that bad. You can barely tell from a distance. It’s a shame though. He better not do it again, because these are not cheap,” he said sternly, turning to face Sky.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I know, I’m so sorry. It was my fault. I need to train him better.” She took her arm back by tucking it under her stump and pulling it to her chest. She lowered her head, letting her tears hit her bare feet.
Gareth cradled her face in his hand, turning it up toward him. He wiped the tears from one eye with his thumb as Sky leaned into his palm. “It’s OK. It’s your arm, it’s your responsibility.”
Sky nodded and Gareth took his hand away and turned back toward his desk. Sky took the cue and left. As she made her way down the hall, she began to feel sick and picked up her pace. In her room, she tossed her arm on the floor and the towel fell off in the process, leaving her naked. She dove toward the toilet and lifted the lid ju
st in time.
- -
“Shit, Creep. He knows. Louis told him and the surprise visit is off. Now what the hell am I supposed to do?” Kitty said with her phone sandwiched between her shoulder and her ear. A shopping basket rested in the crook of one arm and she held a can of pasta sauce in the other.
“I don’t know, it was just an idea. How was I supposed to know his partner would be a snitch?”
Kitty wandered up and down the red-and-white checkerboard aisles of the corner grocery mart, where rows of goods were lit by poor fluorescent light. “I think I should just send him an apology e-mail. With pictures.” She said. “All I want to do is show him the results, show him what he paid for. I shouldn’t have been so . . . covert. I know he doesn’t like that sort of thing. I just don’t want to upset him again. I don’t even know if he’s still willing to invest.” She bit her lip.
“Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do to make this happen. You know him better than me.”
“Yeah, well, if he’s not on board, Angelo isn’t either. It was only when I said I had another investor that he finally took me seriously.”
“Well, you can always pretend you have another investor just to secure Angelo,” Creep offered.
“Isn’t that called lying?”
“No, I think that’s called business.”
Kitty sighed. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this business bullshit.”
“It’s not for everyone.”
Kitty frowned and stared blankly at a package of mac and cheese on the shelf in front of her. “I gotta go.”
“All right babe, chin up. OK?”
“Yeah,” she said weakly, “OK.” Kitty dropped her phone on top of the bananas in her shopping basket. She brought her random goods to the checkout and paid with her credit card, her breath on hold as she waited for it to be approved.
Kitty released her breath only when the cashier handed her the receipt. With the bag over her shoulder, she walked home in the relentless sunshine, her earphones blasting a chipper pop song and her eyes on the pavement.
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