Yo… for something that felt like hours, we were just chilling there in silence.
Then
BRIIIING!
The school bell screamed through the halls, followed by the old speaker cracking like it was dying.
School President (over the speaker):
"Listen, students lunch break is over. Please return to your classrooms."
We all stood up and dusted ourselves off
me, Nami, and Cairo.
And Kiki.
The damn cat.
Licking himself like he was doing skincare.
Cairo packed up all our lunch bags, stacked them on his arm like he worked at a restaurant, and got ready to head out. We were just about to walk outside when he froze.
Nami:
"Yo… what's up?"
No answer.
Renji (me):
"Bro, why are you staring at the cat like that?"
Cairo slowly pointed.
Cairo:
"Kiki… he's… uh… a ghost cat."
We all blinked.
Renji:
"…What do you mean ghost cat?"
Cairo:
"I mean he's a ghost who eats real food. Actual food. Real milk. Like how the hell does a ghost digest dairy? Isn't that weird?! A ghost shouldn't be lactose-tolerant!"
Nami shuddered, her arms covered in goosebumps.
Nami:
"Yo… damn. I just got goosebumps. This is creepy creepy."
I leaned closer, whispering under my breath so nobody else heard:
Renji:
"This is like… science and supernatural mixed together… A ghost eating real food? Bro, I might be the first man in the world to witness this."
Cairo:
"Seriously, dude if you're gonna nerd out about ghost biology, save it."
Nami:
"Yeah! And since when did Kiki even eat? This could be some National Geographic paranormal documentary stuff."
Cairo:
"Can you two relax for five seconds?!"
Then out of nowhere
A meow echoed.
But not a normal meow.
A soft… calm… human voice meow.
We froze.
Cairo:
"Yo… did you guys just hear that? And why haven't we been attacked by any ghosts this whole week? It's creeping me out."
Nami:
"You damn ghosts! Are y'all on vacation? Who said that?! Come out we're not scared!"
Renji:
"Nah, this isn't funny anymore. What's wrong with these ghosts? First that weird baby, then that pregnant lady"
Cairo:
"You mean the one from the house? What was her name again? Eli?"
Before I could answer, the voice came again:
Soft Calm Voice:
"Meow… it's me, guys."
Cairo screamed like a dying chicken.
Cairo:
"DAMN YOU GHOSTS STOP PLAYING WITH US!"
Then
We all turned.
Kiki was standing there. Calm. Tail swishing. Eyes glowing a little.
Cairo (terrified whisper):
"Dude… the cat. The dude cat. It just spoke."
Nami grabbed her shoe like it was a weapon.
Nami:
"I'm about to stone this damn cat !"
Kiki:
"This is why I didn't want to tell you guys! I wanted you to trust me before revealing I could talk!"
Cairo:
"What the hell is going on?! Do we burn it? Pretend none of this happened? What's the plan?!"
Nami:
"La la la la la I can't hear anything. This is fake. This is a prank. This is a hallucination "
But me?
I wasn't buying any of that denial.
Renji:
"Kiki… you could talk this whole time? The night Eli attacked us… you could've screamed. Or shouted her name. Or you know warned us. But you just meowed! My grandparents' house got destroyed! You piece of"
I was pissed.
Like… earthquake-level pissed.
I grabbed my shoe, pulled up my uniform, ready to throw hands with this ghost cat.
Kiki looked at me, eyes wide like he could literally read my mind.
Then he bolted.
Kiki:
"NOPE!"
He sprinted to the hallway and launched himself through the window.
I chased after him.
I jumped out behind him hit the ground hard but I didn't care. I was ready to teach that cat a lesson he'd remember in the afterlife.
Meanwhile…
Cairo:
"So… should we chase them? Or go back to class?"
Nami:
"Let's go back. My grades are already bad I'm not getting yelled at again today."
Cairo picked up my shoe and my uniform from the floor.
They walked off to class like this was just another Tuesday.
School dragged on until 4 p.m.
When they came out, they looked around the schoolyard.
No Renji.
No Kiki.
Just empty space.
Cairo:
"You think Renji's still chasing the cat?"
Nami:
"No way. No human chases a damn cat for four hours straight. That's crazy."
They both laughed.
But it was true.
I was still chasing Kiki.
All over town.
Like a maniac.
Nami and Cairo headed toward the street that led to my grandparents' house.
Cairo:
"By the way… who gave Kiki a bowl of milk?"
Nami:
"No clue. Don't care. We just need to find Renji and that damn cat."
Back in the classroom…
Near the chalkboard…
Behind the little storage closet…
A strange figure stepped out holding a phone.