The Other

“For three years, I’ve done exactly as you said. I’ve completed every task, done every deal. I’m no longer yours. You took me in, yes, but only because you got money for it. That’s what you do, you scheme and tower, but you no longer have any power over me.” My breath ran short, cutting off my tirade. He stared at me. The man who had called himself my father for three years, but had treated me horribly, the man who had towered over me, controlling me. Now that man cowered beneath my glare, and I felt powerful. 

Holding my bags directly under my shoulders, I walked out of the house, cooly and calmly, while he shouted after me. 

I knew that eventually, he would turn up again, and try to get me back, he would follow me, because he knows that I am valuable. But when that time comes, I will be prepared.

         -

That was seven years ago. Now I live above a shop, a small shop to be sure, but it is home.. It’s a bakery. I have a husband who loves me, and a baby son, and they keep my power a secret. But every day now, it grows, pulsing, enlarging, ready to face the world in battle, and utterly destroy it. I can sense it, like sensing that your hair is there, even if it’s pulled back, away from your neck and face. The way you can sense every part of your body and where it is in space. My power is a part of me, and though they might try, they can never take it away from me. 

         -

I have a daughter, and I thank the heavens that she has not apparently inherited this power of mine. Every day I grow more catlike, I can feel her pulling at me, determined to haul herself onto shore and drown me. I find that I can see in the dark, though it is colorless. For what is color but light refracting? If there is no light, then everything is dark. Ears have started to poke out of my head, I rather like them, actually, they are silky and soft, and my children play with them.

        -

I am in hiding now, too much of me has changed, my arms and torso are covered with soft fur. I look hideous. My family doesn't care. The children are used to it, and my husband loves me so much. I am scared though. In the pit of my stomach, I can feel the power directing me, telling me what to do. It is a second brain, contradicting my human brain. The cat-like part of me is tearing to get out, to escape. I push against it. 

At first, I thought that this made me powerful, but it makes me weak. I am using all of my energy to keep the cat down, but she rises up within me. 

    -

“Mother?” their soft voices call. They want me to come sing them to sleep, but my head and stomach are racked with the pain of resisting. My body has grown longer, leaner. Her muscles are coming out. At least she cannot kill me without killing herself. 

When they put our DNA together, they thought that they had made sure that we would balance each other out, but she is winning. My strength is waning. The children’s calls fade to science as my head throbs. Nevertheless, I hear my husband calming them, telling them that their mother is sick. 

There is a rapping on the door. It pounds in my brain. The door of the apartment bursts open and he walks in. The memory of him is so fresh in my mind, I remember what the scientists did to me under his command. It is his fault that I am this way. It is his fault that I am trapped in this monster.

I run to the children’s door, determined to protect them. Two more shadows grow behind him. His thugs still haven’t left. Even after ten years, he seems to loom over my life. I lock the door, he will never hurt my children. I cannot afford to lose my family. They are my last sure anchor. I am drowning, being pulled under. 

Then it stops suddenly. She stops pulling, stops tugging, and for the first time, I stop struggling. It’s as if she finally gets on shore, but she pulls me up behind her. For the first time, I realize that we could be friends, we could work in harmony, and we would be powerful. If we truly worked together, no one could stop us, especially not him. She seems to have realized this as well. 

I turn my head from the door to stare at him, eyes turning yellow.

He backs up against the door, his thugs cracking their joints threateningly, but we stand and say, “We are powerful, we will not be defeated. You have kept us caged with each other for too long, we know that you are our common enemy. We will destroy you without remorse, as you did to us.” I can hear her rasping voice behind mine. We both snarl, and the brutes flinch, unnerved, as they should be. 

We attacked in one fluid motion, but we could see that we were slightly disconnected, therefore, each of the brutes got double the hits that we meant to give. Our enemy had called in more troops, and we straightened. 

“Do you wish to die?” we yelled. “We killed three brutes like you with one punch each.” They cowered and ran out the door, closing it behind them and leaving our archenemy in the room with us. 

“Do you know that we never actually learned your name?” we said in unison. “Go. And never return, we have no wish to kill anyone.” He scrambled out of the room, fumbling with the door knob. We lifted his brutes and threw them out after him. 

   -

I felt a shuddering feeling. Vibrations racked my body. Then they stopped, and as my vision cleared, I could see her standing before me. She looked somewhat like me. She was covered in fur as I had been. Then I realised I couldn’t feel the fur anymore. I looked down, it was gone. It had been there for thirteen years, and now it was gone. Strangely, I felt sad. 

She looked not altogether happy either, but she smiled at me. Weird. I’d never even considered the option that we could be allies, much less friends. 

I blinked and she was gone. I could see her climbing the outer wall in the distance. I almost longed for the power again, but I shook my head. 

I went to the bedroom door and walked in. The children were cowering in fright. My husband was holding them, comforting them, but he looked up when I entered. He stared at me. I knew I looked different, but when the children saw me, they hid even further.

“Kate?” he said, he obviously thought it was a trick. He knew about the people who had bound me with the Cat, but he’d never seemed to really process it before. 

“I made friends with her. She helped me, and he is gone. She left as well. We realised that the only way one of us would win is if we agreed, we balanced each other perfectly.” then they all seemed to realise it was actually me, and the two children jumped all over me. I smiled. Life might finally be normal for once.