U-turn

Gideon froze in shock as I bent over to study the strange mark on the cage.

“Our father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . .” Gideon continued to say his prayers as I glared at him.

I aimed the gun at the deadbolt lock in front of him, interrupting his prayers and making him hysterical while raising his “hands.”

“Oh no, no, no, don’t shoot me! I promise to be a good cat. I-I promise, I promise, I promise . . .”

The cage opened with a clang. I took Gideon out and hurriedly went out of the basement to the streets, carrying him in one arm.

“I don’t understand you, Micca . . . Amber . . . or whatever. In a minute, you are the sweetest Micca I know but then suddenly changes to this kickass red-haired teenager, which is wow by the way, but hey, could you please at least tell me before you switch to Amber just to avoid my brain from—”

I cocked the hammer and pointed the gun at him.

“Meow!“ His eyes went wide as his tail stood straight and jumped out of my arm. Shaking in fear, he hid behind a water hydrant.

"You shut the hell up, or I’ll pull the trigger!”

“Oh, oh okay. Yeah, I’ll shut up . . . Amber.”

“And you change your vessel, do you hear me? Unless you want your body to explode, then stay in that stinky body of a cat!”

“I-I’m sorry . . . Amber . . . Yeah, yeah I’m gonna find the little boy—”

“Do not . . . use the boy! There are millions of humans in the world that you can possess without using an innocent boy.”

"Oh, okay. Yeah . . . just . . . take the gun away from me . . .”

A moment of silence passed by.

“So . . . Do I have a chance to know where we are going without you killing me?” Gideon asked and went silent after earning a glare from me.

“Shut up, Gideon! Or you’ll end up dead meat,” Gideon said to himself in a loud voice.

I opened the glass door of a shop and went inside.

“Amber, it’s good to see you,” Greg said.

“Good to see you too, Greg. How’s your shop going?” I asked.

“Well it’s been great, thanks to you. The business is slow though, but it’s no big deal as long as I’m breathing.” He laughed.

“I guess that’s better than seeing those demons anyway,” I said, looking around and admiring the shining rifles on display.

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for killing those demons. I would have been dead without your super pistol,” he said, smiling.

‘Don’t mention it.”

So, what brings you here? Anything I can help? Do you need a new ‘baby’?”

“No thanks. Ah . . .”

I took a photo from a pocket in my pants and opened it before handing it to Greg.

“Do you know who this is?” I asked, placing Riley’s photo on the counter.

“Hmmm . . . I haven’t seen him in the shop, but I’ll tell you once I see him,” he said, returning the photo to me.

“Thanks. Call me please.”

“Yup! Surely—Damn!” he exclaimed going to the door.

I turned around and followed Greg; only to find Gideon outside, scratching the glass door.

“Ah, that’s my . . . cat. Sorry, I forgot about him.”

Carrying Gideon, I walked down the street and saw a cabriolet, parking outside a grocery store. I opened the car, hoping it wasn’t locked when suddenly it’s alarm started to emit a high-volume sound.

“Hey! That’s my car!” A man came rushing to me.

I looked at him and looked straight into his eyes. “This is mine,” I said in a low voice.

The man seemed to follow my words.

“Ah . . . sorry,” he said as he stepped backwards and ran his hands through his hair. "That’s actually mine,” he said, pointing at a bicycle.

“You crazy?” A teenage boy interrupted and walked away with the bicycle. The man smiled awkwardly.

“Bye,” I said, opening the front door. Gideon hopped in after calling him by making a whistle. I winked at the man and drove off.

***

“Ah . . . Amber? Will you please drive slowly? We might be arrested for over speeding,” Gideon said, but I ignored him.

His grip onto the window was so tight that the sight made him look funny. I drove faster to tease him until we arrived at a familiar place. I parked the car and looked at the building for a short while.

“You stay here. Until you find a better vessel, you cannot show yourself to anyone. But if you could shut your mouth, I might change my mind,” I said before getting out of the car.

“But, what about me?” he asked.

“Think about it,” I answered and turned away.

“Oh man! This is ridiculous. This woman is a headache!” Gideon whined.

“I heard that,” I said as I walked towards the gate.

“Hi, can I help you?” the lady at the information desk greeted me.

I looked around before landing my eyes on her. “Hey, can I ask for information about one of your patients?" I asked.

“Ahm . . I’m sorry Mam, I don’t think I can help you with that. Our records in this orphanage are strictly confidential, and we cannot just give out any information about—”

“Is that so? What should I do to get what I want?” I said, looking into her eyes.

“Ah . . . Yeah! Of course. Can I have the patient’s name please?” she asked with a smile.

“Amber Greene. I need you to give me her files. Who her parents are ,how she got here, when she got out, who took her out, everything.”

“Sure. Give me a sec,” she said before turning to a drawer behind her.

She opened it and scanned the folders while I waited, tapping my fingers on the counter. An oversized man, wearing sunglasses came up and looked at me from head to toe. I started to wonder why everybody hated what I was wearing in just a piece of leather jacket and pants. My spiked boots, on the other hand, were made by Christian Louboutin. Ah . . . Luxury.

“Need anything, Mister?” I asked.

He lowered his glasses and smiled. “Have I seen you before?” he asked.

I looked at him and smirked. “I don’t have your eyes, do I? So why the hell ask me when you can ask yourself, you idiot.” I rolled my eyes.

He smirked and walked away.

“Here they are,” she said, placing a folder on the counter.

I opened it and scanned the pages as my eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Are you sure these are Amber Greene’s records?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s hers. Is there something wrong?”

I scanned further but ended up disappointed.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked, continuously scanning the papers.

Amber Greene: 13

Admitted: 2016

Released: 2016

Reason for dismissal: Death

Returning to the parking lot, I was scanning the folder over and over. I kicked the car before opening the vehicle, causing the alarm to scream.

Gideon was awakened from his slumber in shock and jumped out of the car. .

"Gideeooon!" I shouted, stretching his name. "Get in the car!"

"E-Excuse me? You just gave me a heart attack! Could you be a little gentle on me, please?"

"Damn it! I said, get in the car right now!" I shouted, ready to drive off.

"Okay, okay. Don't leave me. Here I come, here I come," Gideon said as he hopped in, shaking.