Raeha
On the same night, I went to the roof and lighted a cigarette. It was the first time that something actually got on my nerves other than my father dearest. I gazed at Sky's window. I didn't know what had gone through my mind, but I turned into my cat form and went by her window. The cute-faced girl was sleeping with her back faced to the window while her guitar lay beside her.
The way she was dressed, it was obvious she had just come home from work. Maybe, I was wrong. Sky did go to the bar today. The window to her room was slightly opened too.
This clumsy girl!
I curled up by her window. Maybe I'll guard her until she wakes up. I didn't know how much time passed; maybe an hour or so. I was woken up by Sky's faint cries. When I peaked, I saw Sky talking on the phone while bawling her eyes out.
Now that I noticed her face was tear-stained, and her eyes were puffed red. She had been crying...
I mentally cursed myself for not noticing it first. I normally didn't pry on others privacy but I couldn't stop myself from wanting to overhear Sky.
"I'm the victim here, Mom."
My eyes widened in shock along with my heart aching at the miserable voice of the girl I loved. I listened more intently frozen on my spot. Sky was harassed again, but she was falsely accused, and there was a video on the internet about it. What was going on?
I quietly climbed back to the roof. Shifting back to my human form, I searched through the Internet for the video of Sky in question. It didn't take me long 'cause it was already being shared at the university's Facebook group.
My heart pounded as I clicked on the video. It was 5 minutes long and surely, did a good job in making Sky look like the assaulter. But it was impossible! My sky would never do that! This was 100% fake!
I might've looked calm when calling a certain number right then. However, my teeth clashed with each other in rage, and veins popped out of the side of my forehead as my brain desperately told me I needed to fix this. An innocent person didn't deserve such online bullying, hate comments and trolls!
"Hell-
I didn't let the person finish on the other end.
"Six figures will be transferred right now to your bank account. Listen to me closely; there's a video regarding a student of our university going viral on social media. I want that video, including its copies, removed within the next hour. Find the account that initially uploaded it. There's also this bar called 'Divine Liquore' at St. Joseph Road, 8. I want the bar's CCTV footage from yesterday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM sharp, within a few hours."
After I finished what I said, the man on the other end stayed silent, probably processing the information I rapped out, but eventually, he cleared his throat and spoke out with a tired voice.
"We can probably remove the video within the next hour, but the CCTV footage might take a bit longer, considering a few of our hackers are unavailable at the moment."
"How much time do you need?"
He thought for a bit before answering.
"Most probably a day."
"What if the footage is tampered with by then?" I tried to keep my cool.
"Please don't worry, miss. We'll do our utmost best."
With a frustrated sigh, I hung up the call. I paced back and forth with restless steps. Sky must be feeling awful right now. Maybe I should check up on her as Raeha. I ran downstairs to Sky's studio. Before ringing the doorbell, I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart down.
A few seconds passed. A few minutes passed.
"Sky?" I called out but no answer was heard.
Shit. I mumbled.
I went to my studio and shifted into my cat form before carefully jumping onto Sky's railings. She wasn't inside, her studio was empty. It was almost 1 in the morning. Where could've she gone at this hour?
I jumped back to my railings in haste but unfortunately, I messed up my footing. Before I knew it, I was on air falling down from five stories. I dug my nails on the nearby wall in hopes of slowing my fall but ended up hitting my head on a water pipe and drifting apart.
What a nice timing to have a concussion.
...
I felt the moist grass beneath me as I opened my eyes. I was back to my human form. I had a slight pain like a migraine in my head, probably a bit of fall damage. I slowly got up and dusted off my clothes. Right, I have to find Sky.
Looking at my wristwatch, I sighed in frustration. I was out for almost 20 minutes. I quickly staggered to the entrance of the complex. I had to go back to my studio and get my car keys.
When I was in front of my studio, I saw someone standing in front of my door with a polythene bag in hand. It gave me a sense of Déjà Vu.
"Sky..."
The cute-faced woman jumped a little, looking surprised. She looked at me before smiling.
"Are you a cat or what? Why don't I ever hear your footsteps?" Her humourous tone caught me off guard.
It felt really strange. She looked a bit too happy than she looked an hour ago. No, she completely looked different as if her life were nothing but a bed of roses. Plus she never talked to me like that. Like she were free with me.
I shrugged at her.
"It is what it is," I replied.
"Haha right. You know I always wondered how your hair is so beautiful and not damaged by the dye."
My mouth twitched a bit, wanting to form into a smile. She repeated the question from that night.
"It's natural."
A hearty laugh escaped from her mouth, and I again felt a strange vibe from her.
"Never saw a natural silver-haired beauty before. So you'd like to keep the secret to that to yourself I believe?"
I rolled my eyes at her. She doesn't believe me...
"I don't know, maybe."
She chuckled.
"It's almost 2AM. What're you doing out this late?" I finally asked her.
Sky contemplated while scratching her chin.
"I could ask you the same thing."
She was awfully being a smartass tonight.
"What were you doing out this late, dear senior?"
I gulped hearing her tone again.
"I was...stargazing at the central field."
"Hmm, no wonder you smell a bit like grass."
We stared at each other without saying anything.
"What about you?" I asked.
"What about me?"
"Are you okay?" My voice softened as I asked her.
A sudden emotion passed through her face for a second before it vanished almost in an instant. Her hands clenched into a fist but nonetheless, she chuckled.
"A bit too late to ask that."
She took a deep breath.
"I went out a bit to buy beer and came home a few minutes ago. I bought too many, so I thought of sharing with my neighbour." She said before holding the polythene bag out to me.
I took it from her before checking it. It had two cans of beer.
"And also about our dinner appointment."
I looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.
"We'll have to cancel it. Please think of the beers as my apology." She nonchalantly said before giving a tight-lipped smile.
Sky didn't wait for me to say anything nor did she wait to see my reaction. She bid me farewell and went back to her studio.
I felt my heart tightened around my chest. Something felt very wrong with the way she said goodbye.
It took me a while to get into my own studio since I didn't have the keys. But when I was inside, I didn't waste my time going back to Sky's window in my cat form. But what I saw shook me to my core.
Sky was on her bed with a few dozen pills scattered in front of her. I hissed and quickly squeezed through the already-opened window.
"What the?!" Sky startled, jumped up.
The sadness in her eyes was visible this time. She had been acting all this time!
"Silvy, what are you doing here so late?"
I cried out to her, hissed and tried to scramble away the pills. From the smell, it was undoubtedly sleeping pills. Sky, however, held me down.
"Silvy, don't do that!"
I scratched her, trying to break free from her grip. There was no way I would let her do whatever crazy thing she was planning on doing. Please, she can't do that. I'm going to destroy these pills!
Sky hugged me tightly, caressing my fur.
"It seems at least you care about me, Silvy. But you know, you have an owner and one day, you'll abandon me too..."
Who's abandoning you?! You're the one abandoning me!!
I screamed but it only came as a violent meow.
"I'm sorry, Silvy, for not making you any dinner today, but this is goodbye."
She turned my face towards her; her tears streamed down her face, her pupils dilated, and her eyes barely open. Don't tell me she already took some pills before I came?!
"I love you."
Sky...kissed my lips before throwing me under her duvet. I desperately tried to escape the confined space, trying to find a way out. When I finally came out, half of the pills that I'd scattered were gone, and Sky was kneeling on the ground, barely holding on.
No, no, no, no! Please no!
She finally slumped back and lay on the ground.
DAMN FUCK IT!
I transformed back to my human form and ran to her.
"Why Sky?! Why would you do that to yourself?!"
I carried her in my arms and rushed outside. I needed to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.
"Sky, stay with me, please."
I ran to my car, biting my bottom lip as hard as I could.
"I'm begging you."
"Senior..."
"Yes, Sky. I'm here. I'm here, talk to me."
I laid her down on the back seat before getting in the driving seat myself.
"You...." She mumbled, barely audible to human ears but I could hear her.
"...cat..."
She stopped talking as I rushed her to the hospital.
TO BE CONTINUED...