She didn’t even bother hopping back to Las Vegas. After calling a few key people to let them know what she intended to do, Cat took her travel luggage and Mr. Mouser to the airport and changed her ticket destination to New York. After a heavy fee that was almost as good as getting another ticket and two hours waiting at the terminal, she was on her way to the East once again.
She felt electrical. Instead of running away from the demon, she was going after him. Her mind ran at full speed on how she could defeat the demon without surrendering Catherine. The plane landed and the girl was still empty-handed. Daniel Webster appealed to the patriotism of his fellow Americans but she doubted that would be the case nowadays. Several American citizens now worked for foreign princes. She had to find her own way.
It was already night as she crossed the endless corridors of the terminal. Out in the public area, she found that Oliver came to pick her up at the JFK.
“Catherine!” He hugged her like a father ough to. It felt warm and comforting. “Welcome back. I missed you so much. And you too, Mr. Mouser.”
“How are things? What about Esmeralda and Jake?”
“They’re fine. They are employed by some partners at the firm. If anything, it will be hard to bring them back once you return home.”
She chuckled, “I don’t mind a bidding war on their wages. God knows they deserve it.”
There was a traffic jam at the bridge toll road so they decided to take the subway.
“The new Supreme Court is slowly unblocking the trusts. We know what the IRS told you about yours but we’ll keep on fighting to restore it in full. We have all the reports and documents.”
She didn’t have much hope to recover the Wallenstein fortune. Maybe it would come back but she vowed to earn tenfold that amount in a few years. Her main worry was the mansion as it had sentimental value to Catherine. There was an injunction on the property, forbidding anyone from entering or using it. Officially, it should have been left untouched, but she was pretty sure it had already been pillaged and vandalized. She didn’t send anyone to check because Catherine wanted to cling to that illusion. That everything would go back to normal.
What was normal? Would she become William again? Dahlia has moved on. She survived his death and kept on living as he wished she would. Reappearing in her life would reopen all those wounds. And what about Catherine? Would she find her way to Heaven? How? Neither of them felt like they’d done enough good deeds to redeem the ghost.
She closed her eyes and lowered her head, listening to the train and the din of people crowding the subway. [We’re going to make it through. You’ll be fine, Catherine. I promise that to you.]
[I said we, dumb ghost. We. You, me, Mr. Mouser. And Alice and Shinji too. Jack, Agatha, Oliver, Theresa, Martha, Esmeralda, Jake, everyone back in Vegas. I can only accept a happy ending where nobody dies.]
They both stayed in silence for a few minutes when Cat added, [mom too.]
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Oliver lived in Upper East Side. If you looked from the balcony at a certain angle, you could even see a smudge of green from Central Park. Once they were in the apartment, Mr. Mouser jumped off to explore the house.
“Take the guest room, you were supposed to stay there but you decided to run away to Vegas anyway. Some of your things are there.”
Cat grinned, “At least I didn’t become a stripper or worse.”
Oliver stared at her, “Or worse. I’m glad you managed to make a living with your clothes still on.”
She poked her tongue at him, “Me too. And I didn’t make a living, I started a business. One that will make sure the clothes remain on. I’m already worth more than before.”
The SPAC shares kept raising. The day she’d exercise her options regardless of the intent of the sellers was getting near. The ship with the solar panels was already in the Mediterranean. Once installed and generating energy, it would sell both electricity and carbon credits to the EU. The latter was basically a premium for clean energy. Countries would purchase those to offset their emissions and meet their quota. Depending on the competition, it could be more profitable than selling electricity.
“However, you might consider taking them off for a well-deserved shower.”
Catherine protested and Cat repeated the words to stay in character.
Oliver chortled and fetched a towel and a spare toothbrush for her. “Off you go!”
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Two days later, Alice and Shinji arrived. They decided to take the old gang (plus Oliver, minus Jack that was still stuck In Nevada as a glorified silver mine foreman) for a walk in the twisting paths of the Ramble at the Central Park. Fewer bystanders to eavesdrop on them and any drone would be fighting the tree branches to get a good angle, not to mention they would stick like a sore thumb.
Cat hugged the two, who she hadn’t seen since she ran away from Fort Hamilton. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Oh, God, I’m so happy to see you two! What a wild ride!”
Cat looked. Shinji blushed. Alice laughed and swung the interlaced hands. The orphan who fell into another world dared Cat to say something.
“Congratulations?” She said something. The first thing that crossed her mind.
“Winter in New Hampshire is very cold,” Alice replied as if that was enough of an explanation.
Cat opened her mouth and nodded silently, her mouth curling into a knowing grin. “I see. And the four walking fur coats weren’t enough.”
Aura barked at the reincarnator to protest.
“Isn’t Mr. Mouser bigger?” Detective Martinez said to defuse the awkward situation.
“Is he?” Cat asked Oliver.
“He seems so,” the lawyer answered.
Now that they mentioned it, the Wirehair did feel heavier. She thought he was putting on weight because they no longer had a huge backyard for him to play with.
“I can explain,” Alice said. “After we fought the demon, I gained a level and a new [Monster Tamer] slot. I decided to gift it to Mr. Mouser so he could keep you safe. I asked for his permission first!”
“Mr. Mouser, come,” Cat called. He obeyed and stood on his rear paws. She picked him up and asked Alice. “Is he intelligent now?”
“He needs to grow a bit stronger but he’s smarter than a dolphin now,” Alice explained. “Are you mad at me?”
Cat let Mr. Mouser rest his front paws on her shoulder and pulled Alice in. “Did you hurt him?” She asked staring at the other girl’s eyes.
“No!” Alice protested. “Of course not. If anything, it made him stronger, smarter, and healthier. Not as much as the wolves because he started as a normal animal but he’ll grow and level up fast. He even gained a few levels already.”
Cat remembered Alice telling her it was super hard to gain levels here on Earth. “How exactly did he get these levels. He didn’t have an ad… ven… ture.” He did. Everything fell in place like dominoes. “Alice, how exactly does one gain levels in your System?”
The [Monster Tamer] exchanged a few glances with Mr. Mouser. “He said he fought some bad people that took him away. They all smelled evil. Not like they stank or anything. Mr. Mouser can sense demonic influence.”
“I know that. We had a run-in with a guy… Hold. Can he grow his claws or something?” She asked, remembering the bear trafficking incident that was promptly covered up by the FBI.
“I can see his Status Window. Yes, he has a skill called [Claws of the Lion King] that makes his claws deal more damage. And grow bigger.”
Cat sent a guilty glance at Martinez. The cop crossed her arms. “You said the feds closed the case as it being a bear. I have no jurisdiction in Nevada, and you have no actual witnesses. Even if you tell me your cat killed those people, that’s inadmissible in court because you weren’t there. Right, Mr. McNamara?”
“I agree wholeheartedly,” Oliver boasted. “We can check Mr. Mouser’s claws for DNA evidence, but it’s been almost a month. I doubt we would find any evidence.” Mr. Mouser licked his front paw toes while staring at Oliver. “Well, bummer. There it goes. Lost forever.” The Wirehair chuffed and returned to laze on Cat’s shoulder.
A small portion of the girl felt frightened by the thought her animal companion was becoming sentient. One thing she’d never again do was to masturbate with the cat in the same room. But she trusted both the feline and Alice. Even before being “gifted” the power of the System by Alice, Mr. Mouser displayed unyielding devotion and willingness to protect Catherine. And Alice risked her life for them. Her hand reached up and grasped the Wirehair’s neck as she started to scratch it the way he liked. Mr. Mouser started to purr.
“There’s one more thing,” Alice confessed. “With the power of the System, Mr. Mouser will live many times the normal lifespan of a cat. Probably as long as a human, or more. Normal diseases won’t affect him as much, and he will recover from wounds almost as fast as you do.”
Cat understood why Catherine reacted as such. Every person that ever adopted a cat or a dog knew their animals wouldn't survive more than twenty years if that much, on average. Extending Mr. Mouser’s longevity might be the biggest gift in the package.
With the big reveal out of the way, the youths shared stories of their time apart under the watchful eyes of their chaperones. Finally, the conversation reached the reason they conveyed together again. The villain on the loose.
“He is still to the north, moving slowly toward us,” Shinji reported. His accent had improved over the months. “The military has his position and is tracking him. The two of us are supposed to join them for the offensive.”
Cat knew she had to be present. She had to use the chance to try and get the demon to relinquish the claim to Catherine’s soul. Unless that happened, it was a pointless battle. Even if they defeated Rorgramathan, they would just be trading him for a stronger demon with unknown tactics. No, she had to make sure it ended with Rorgramathan. At what cost, it was still to be seen.
“I’m coming with you. There’s no way I’m staying ‘safe’ in my ivory tower while you fight.” Their eyes told her they thought it was suicide. Rorgramathan had just knocked down several helicopters with one hellish spell. “I’m coming, and that is non-negotiable. This started with me, it is going to end with me. I’m no princess to hide in my castle. I am beginning to grasp the rules Rorgramathan is bound to. Please? I have to do this.”
The two returners softened their gaze. They were no stranger to the concepts of self-sacrifice and facing insurmountable odds.
“Well, that’s good we have room for four on the wolf-mobile,” Alice joked. “Hop on. We’re off to meet our fate, then.”
The four wolves came out from behind the hibernating trees and would’ve caught Cat by surprise if she wasn’t expecting them. Martinez moved closer to dash while Oliver embraced her.
“I won’t hold you back but stay safe, please,” the lawyer said. “You’re like a daughter to me.”
Cat buried her face in the man’s wool overcoat. She had a teenage girl’s body, mind, and some leftovers from Catherine’s psyche in her brain. She was so far removed from her previous Wall Street male banker self that she might as well be a different person. The girl relished that embrace, the warmth Oliver irradiated.
“Thanks, Dad,” the hopeful thoughts escaped as words via Freudian slip. She didn’t take it back though. “I’m off to save the world.”
“Godspeed, my child,” Oliver ruffled her hair.