I had been lying on my stomach on my bed with my feet in the air for over an hour when something shifted in the bookstore. The longer I lived here, the easier it was for me to tell when things changed. The book on candle magic was interesting, but I needed to grab some candles from below anyway, plus maybe some oils, if I could find them. Part of me wondered how real it was. The book felt cheap and it was published on Earth. Or at least, somewhere that had a London, England.

I hopped off the bed and walked to my open door. Once I peered over the balcony, I immediately spotted what was different. The orb was now sitting in the center of the table below. Nothing else had changed. “Cat!” My voice sounded loud in the space, but nothing answered. That orb should be in storage and protected. My eyes narrowed as I walked toward the stairs. We needed to have a talk, and this time, I was not taking silence for an answer.

The storefront was empty, including the chair in the front window. Usually, it dripped in sunlight, but now the skylight showed clouds. The dark store was different. Sconces that I hadn’t noticed before flickered on and brightened things up a little. Still, the gloom fit my mood.

“Cat! Where are you? We need to talk!”

I stopped in the kitchen, but again he wasn’t anywhere. “This isn’t funny…”

The bells on the front door rang, and I froze. This wasn’t how things worked. People didn’t randomly come into the shop unless we were behind the counter. My anger fled as anxiety washed over me. I darted down the hallway and to the register. The memory of the fake John grabbing my wrist flashed before me, but I pushed it away. Two young ladies were peering at the dusty tomes on the bookshelves. One wore a blue dress, while the other had on slacks. They both had their hair braided and pulled back from their faces. Given how similar they looked, they had to be sisters. Both had brown eyes, though one had eyes that were a bit closer to green. They giggled as they pointed at various items before turning toward the center table that held the orb.

“Welcome to the Magical Emporium of Wares,” I said before they saw me. Both jerked in my direction. “Let me know if I can help you with anything, or get you a drink.” The one with the hazel eyes headed my way. Where was the cat?

“What do you have to drink?” she asked.

“I have coffee and teas,” I motioned over my shoulder to the shelf of teas, which were still there. She leaned forward on the counter and peered at the wall. She had to be about my age.

“How about a coffee? Andrea, do you want anything?” she called over her shoulder.

The other girl jerked from touching the stack of candles. “I’m good, sis.”

“What type of coffee do you want? An Americano? Latte?” I asked with a forced smile.

Her eyes drew together. “I don’t know what that is… just a coffee?”

Okay, so we still weren’t back on Earth. I should have gotten the memo since they weren’t wearing jeans, but then again, who knew? I turned back to the coffee machine and grabbed the container of instant coffee next to it. I quickly made a mug with some hot water, mixing the finely ground beans in. Where was the cat? I didn’t want do this on my own.

“Here you go.” I set the coffee in front of her. “So, where are you from?” I asked. The young woman in front of me was the one wearing the pants and a linen shirt. As she reached out for the cup, I noticed a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. It was a compass rose, with something trailing off of it.

“You could say I’m from everywhere. I travel a lot.” She took a sip of the coffee and smiled. “This is really good. I haven’t had it like this. Usually, it tastes almost burnt.”

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“It’s better with some cream or some vanilla, but I kept it basic since I wasn’t sure what you liked.” I couldn’t help but smile. Coffee was something I could talk about all day. Now, instant coffee wasn’t my favorite, even though it had improved quite a lot since the original Folgers days. Normally, I made people an Americano when they just asked for coffee, but I had been grumpy, so she got instant. Now, I wished I had made her something special.

“I haven’t ever seen the shop before. Is it new?” she asked.

I shrugged. “You could say that. It’s hard to find. Can I help either of you with anything else?” It was difficult to monitor the other woman with her sister right in front of me. The woman took another sip of her coffee.

“We’re just looking, trying to get a feel for this town.”

“Good to know,” I said. I spotted a streak of black near the sister and relaxed. The cat had to be near the second woman. He could take over this encounter. “When I move somewhere new, the first thing I do is look for the best places to eat. While I make good coffee, cooking is not a strength of mine.”

“Ugh, cooking is the worst. I hate it. Give me some other project or task any time. I am much better at those. Isn’t that right, Andrea?” Her sister murmured in agreement. The young woman set the mug down and stood up. “Well, we better get moving. We don’t want any of our stalkers to catch up with us.”

“Stalkers?” I asked, looking up. I paused in surprise when I realized Andrea was already near the door. What had happened to the cat?

“Of course! Hopefully, I threw them off our trail.” She waved at me, and the bells rang at the door. The first woman was out before I could blink, and her sister quickly followed. My eyes landed on the table—the table that was now missing an orb.

I didn’t stop the swear word from passing my lips as I raced to the door. “Cat! They stole the orb!” The door wouldn’t open.

“I know,” his voice sounded sad in my head.

I spun, almost tripping on my feet. He sat on the counter. “How could you let them steal it? We were supposed to protect it!”

“I protected it and made sure it got to the person it needed to.”

“That girl? The one on the run?” I stomped over to the counter and towered over the cat. “She didn’t have green eyes or blonde hair!”

His tail flicked in agitation. “No. But it will go from Andrea to the one who needs it.”

“But how do you know that?!” I slammed my hand down on the counter, shaking. He had promised that old woman!

The cat let out a sigh, and his head hung. “I just do,” he said. “Today has been a hard day. I’ll close up. You should get some rest.” He turned and padded to the edge of the counter.

“I… I…don’t want to rest! Cat, I need answers! I feel like I broke a promise!”

“You did not break your word.” He paused. “I would not put you in a situation to tarnish your honor. This I swear.” He glanced at me. His eyes glowed in the darkened store. “The fates are fickle, and we do their bidding. Some days are harder than others. It’s the curse of this place.” He jumped out of sight, but his voice continued. “Order pizza, take a bath. Try to let it go. That’s all we can do.” He sounded tired, more tired than I was angry, and that gave me pause. He padded off toward the kitchen, moving slowly. His fur seemed dull in the flickering sconces as he walked away.

#

She knew it was a bribe. We both did. Yet, I didn’t know how else to comfort her. Today, we both walked the fine edge of truth and honor. I couldn’t stand to see the accusation in her eyes. I turned before I entered the kitchen and climbed the stairs. These days didn’t come often, but each time they did, it hurt.

Sable moved around the counter as I padded down the balcony and around the corner toward the conservatory. Her voice rose as she made the call to the pizza place. It was the only good pizza that delivered to the store. We had shifted to Earth as soon as I had mentioned her ordering pizza. The shop wanted her to be happy as well. Her anger had darkened the windows and chased away the normal sunshine. The shop didn’t like it.

Green leaves and the smell of dirt filled the room. Potted plants were scattered all around under the windows and near the window-filled wall. I stopped in front of one little pot. The pot itself looked like all the others; it was a deep green. A small oak tree grew out of it, still missing a leaf. I stared at it, taking a breath. “You are worth it. Someday, I will return home…” I couldn’t even touch the pot before I fled back the way I had come.

Someday, my debt will be paid, and I will once again be what I was.