I rescued a little cat who could turn into a boy. To thank me, he offered to set me up with his uncle. Things heated up, and one thing led to another. As the passion peaked, he whispered in my ear. “A leopard’s… equipped with barbs. Tell me if it hurts.” Lost in the haze of desire, I heard those words and violently shoved him off me. “What leopard? Aren’t you a cute little kitty?” Professor Streep, now sprawled rather ungracefully on the floor, picked himself up. His brow was furrowed, his expression one you’d give a complete idiot. “Nora, you can’t tell the difference between a house cat and a leopard?” 1 “Miss, are you going to send me to a lab to be cut open?” I stared down at the little boy, my expression grave. “Please don’t send me away. Pip’s scared of pain. Pip doesn’t want to be a science experiment.” Before I could even respond, the boy, a fluffy tail swishing behind him, burst into tears. He looked so utterly pathetic that my heart melted on the spot. There was no room for hesitation now. I scooped him into my arms. “I’m not thinking that at all. Don’t cry, don’t cry. I was just wondering what exactly you… are.” The words died on my lips. That didn’t sound right. But I was genuinely at a loss. What kind of creature was he? A little cat-boy, with actual ears and a tail? “No, no, I’m not sending you to any lab,” I soothed. “But you have to tell me… what’s the deal with…” I gestured toward the tail behind his back and the furry ears atop his head. “Is this for some kindergarten play or something?” Though, I knew no costume prop could ever be this realistic. When I’d accidentally brushed against it earlier, I could have sworn I felt the warmth of his tail. Sniffling, the little cat-boy pulled away from my hug. 2 Though his face was streaked with tears, he managed to reach up and touch his ears and tail. “These?” “Yes.” “Everyone in my family has them! Don’t you, miss? Oh, wait. A grown-up like you should be able to hide your tail really well.” He added, “Mommy says I’m still little, so my control is not so good.” My brain short-circuited. Everyone in his family… so… He wasn’t the only cat-person out there? Had the world gone mad? Or was it me? Before I could fully process this new reality, Pip patted his small stomach. “Miss, I’m hungry.” I sighed. Fine. Human or cat, a hungry belly was a hungry belly. I wasn’t sure what Pip could eat in human form, so I avoided anything that might upset a feline stomach. Watching the little cat-boy happily munching away, I felt a wave of helplessness wash over me. What was I even doing? I’d found Pip in a back alley. I was just passing by when the heavens opened up, a torrential downpour. A strange noise from the alley had caught my attention, and when I went to investigate, I saw Pip, his little cat ears and tail peeking out. So how was I supposed to contact his family now? Surely his kind had a way of finding each other, right? “Miss, are you single?” Pip suddenly leaned in close, his beautiful eyes fixed on me. “S-single, yes. Why?” “To repay you for saving my life, I want to introduce you to my uncle! What do you think?” “Huh?” Kid, you can’t even fend for yourself right now, and you’re already worried about your uncle’s love life? 3 I placed a hand on Pip’s forehead and gently pushed him back. “You just focus on your dinner. I’ll figure out how to get you home later.” “Oh, okay. But my uncle is really handsome.” “Right.” “And he’s rich! Not stingy at all! He’s the most generous person in our whole family!” “Zip it.” “You really don’t want to meet him?” “Tuck your tail in.” He finally quieted down, and I could think. Just as I swatted away Pip’s tail from my ankle for what felt like the tenth time, the doorbell rang. I had no idea who was outside, but one thing was certain: no one could see Pip like this. I wouldn’t turn him over to a lab, but that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t. I grabbed a blanket and draped it over Pip from behind, completely hiding him from view. “Be a good boy. Don’t take this off, or I’ll be very cross.” “Okay!” Once he was hidden, I went to answer the door. The moment I opened it, I was completely intimidated by the man standing there. He was imposingly tall; I had to crane my neck just to look at the buttons on his chest. His gaze was unnerving. He had the aura of… my old high school principal. I instinctively took a step back, putting some distance between us. “Hello, can I help you?” The man’s gaze swept over me, cold and indifferent, before landing on the spot right behind me. His voice was firm, a statement, not a question. “You found a child today.” His tone made me feel guilty, as if I’d stolen the kid instead of rescuing him. But I quickly composed myself. 4 “Who are you?” His eyes returned to me. He wore a khaki trench coat over a neatly pressed white shirt and dress pants. A look that was formal yet with a touch of casualness. But the longer I looked, the more my own confidence seemed to shrink. “That’s none of your concern.” Hey! What did he mean, ‘none of my concern’? I was the one who found the kid. I couldn’t just hand him over to some stranger without knowing who he was. What if something happened? It would be my responsibility. I stepped forward, blocking his path. “If you don’t explain yourself, I’m calling the police.” The man seemed surprised by my assertiveness. He glanced at his wristwatch, a flicker of impatience on his face. “Pip Lowell. If you don’t come out now, you can forget about ever leaving the house by yourself again.” Before I could make sense of his words, a small figure scurried past me, clinging to my leg and looking up at the man. “Uncle!” Un… cle? My astonished gaze shot to the man’s face, but he only gave me a fleeting, dismissive glance. Then he knelt down to the little cat-boy’s level. He ruffled the blanket-covered head without trying to look underneath. His tone was a mixture of sternness, threat, and a strange hint of gloating. “You got caught, didn’t you? When we get back, your mother is going to ground you for a month.” Pip’s face fell instantly. He pouted. “Can’t you not tell Mommy, Uncle?” “And what’s in it for me if I don’t?” Pip, still clutching my hand, darted his eyes around before they landed on me. He tugged excitedly at the man’s coat. “Uncle! I found you a wife!” The boy’s declaration plunged the hallway into a sudden, icy silence. The man on the floor slowly rose to his feet. His perpetually frosty expression finally cracked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “My wife?” 5 I held the little cat-boy’s hand, grinding my back teeth. If his guardian weren’t standing right here, I’d be giving this kid a serious talking-to. And him! What was he smiling about? Was this funny to him? So what if he was handsome? “Haha, he’s just kidding. I’m not.” The man, whose name I still didn’t know, just nodded, his expression unreadable. “Alistair Streep. I’m Pip’s uncle.” I nodded back. “Nora Hayes. I’m…” The words “your wife” almost slipped out. Thankfully, I caught myself in time. But I had a sneaking suspicion Alistair knew exactly what I was about to say. Well, if he didn’t call me out on it, it meant he didn’t know. Yep. He definitely didn’t know. “I found Pip in an alley near the university. Don’t worry, no one else saw him. You can take him home now.” I gently nudged Pip toward Alistair, then ruffled his little head. Even though we’d only known each other for an hour, I’d grown quite fond of the little guy. But given our circumstances, this was probably the last time we’d ever see each other. Alistair took Pip’s hand but didn’t leave. Instead, he turned his gaze back to me. “If you have a moment, I’d like to discuss what happened with Pip. I hope I’m not imposing.” It clicked. I understood what he wanted to talk about. It had to be about keeping their secret. I stepped aside, holding the door open. “Come in. Don’t worry about your shoes. It’ll only take a minute.” I saw Alistair hesitate for a second. 6 In the end, he decided to take my advice and walked in with his shoes on. I gestured for the two of them to sit on the sofa. My apartment wasn’t very big, and suddenly having two extra people in it felt a bit strange. The sofa was now completely occupied. Fortunately, I didn’t mind. I pulled up a chair and sat opposite them. “Don’t worry. About Pip,” I glanced at Alistair, “and your family’s situation, I’ll keep it a complete secret. I promise I won’t tell a soul.” Hearing this, Alistair pinched Pip’s cheek. “You told her?” Pip gave a sheepish, guilty little smile. “Nora’s a good person! I knew she wouldn’t tell. And Uncle, please don’t tell Mommy.” Alistair ignored Pip’s plea, tapping him on the head. “No negotiation. Do you have any idea how serious this was? Go home and accept your punishment.” Watching them interact, I suddenly felt that Alistair wasn’t as unapproachable as he’d seemed at first. A small smile touched my lips. The next second, my eyes met Alistair’s. I quickly wiped the smile off my face. “I do trust you, Miss Hayes. But as you can imagine, a family like ours has… a great deal to worry about. Forgive me for asking, but did you happen to take any photos of Pip?” I shook my head. As shocking as the whole thing was, I never once considered telling anyone. So, taking pictures had never crossed my mind. Fearing he wouldn’t believe me, I unlocked my phone and opened my photo gallery, placing it in front of him. “You can check for yourself.” Alistair didn’t even glance at it, pushing the phone back to me. 7 “If you say you didn’t take any, then you didn’t. I believe you.” I nodded and put my phone away. So, what now? Alistair didn’t seem inclined to speak, so I hesitated for a moment before asking, “Can I ask you a few questions? They might be a bit… personal.” Alistair nodded. “You can ask. If it’s something I can’t answer, I simply won’t.” I was a bit taken aback. Professor Streep was certainly direct. But direct was good; it made communication easier. I pointed at Pip. “So, people like you… non-humans… I guess that’s the right term? Can you live among regular humans?” Alistair rested his hands on his knees, his posture impeccably elegant. He made my cheap sofa look like a luxury item. “There are more of us in this world than you might think. You just don’t know it. We all hide our true nature when living in human society. We also have our own governing bodies. If there’s an accident, or if someone uses their abilities to harm a human, they are punished. So you have nothing to worry about.” I felt like my brain was overloading with new information. But then again, it’s a wide, weird world. It was plausible. But… if Pip said his whole family was like him, then… My gaze drifted to the top of Alistair’s head. So, was Alistair a kitty-cat too? Did his tail wag when he was happy, just like Pip’s? Just picturing it, with Alistair’s stern face, I knew I had to stop. Any further and I’d turn into a total creep. “Oh, I see.” 8 “Do you age like humans?” “Yes. Our lifespans are similar to humans. We get sick, and we die. Aside from occasionally reverting to our true forms and retaining some of our original traits, there’s no difference.” Hearing him say that, my curiosity spiked. I hadn’t noticed any feline characteristics on him. Was he secretly obsessed with catnip? Did he love having his hair stroked? “So what are your traits?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. The next moment, I felt like I was falling into the world of his eyes. They were stunning, sparkling with light. His true form must be a beautiful cat. Suddenly, a teasing glint appeared in their depths. “If they’re hidden traits, then naturally, I can’t just tell anyone.” I felt a pang of disappointment. “Oh. Okay.” “But I hope one day you’ll be the one to discover them.” I highly doubted that. What were the chances of running into so many non-humans in one lifetime? Still, I nodded. “We’ll see.” After a few more minutes of conversation, Alistair’s phone rang. He got up, ready to take Pip home. As they were leaving, he tried to give me back the blanket from Pip’s head. I stopped him. “Let him keep it on. My neighborhood is pretty busy.” Alistair gave me a long, deep look, then nodded. I watched him carry Pip toward the elevator, about to head back inside. But before I took a step, I heard Pip’s loud voice echo down the hall. “Uncle, you didn’t get your wife’s number! How are you going to talk to her later if you don’t get her number? Go back and get it!” At his words, I turned my head and met Alistair’s slightly embarrassed gaze. Then I watched, stunned, as the man walked back to me and held out his phone. “Shall we? We shouldn’t let the kid’s efforts go to waste.” “…Okay.” 9 It was only after he’d left that I realized how foolish I’d just been. And Alistair’s words… they sounded a bit ambiguous, didn’t they? The kid’s efforts. Looking at the new contact on my phone, I had to admit, it was all thanks to the little cat-boy’s efforts. Next time I saw him, I’d have to thank him properly. Though, I figured the chances of anything happening between me and Alistair were slim to none. We weren’t even the same species! After tidying up, I fell into bed. I thought I’d be too wired to sleep, but I was out like a light. After that day, I heard nothing from Pip or Alistair. Although we had each other’s contact information, it didn’t seem to matter much. I didn’t dare to text him first, and he never texted me. It was like we were both playing a game of chicken, too reserved to make the first move. So much for the handsome mystery man. Life, however, had to go on. My company recently started a collaboration with a professor from the local university. “Heard you’re going to meet Professor Streep?” I was packing my bag, getting ready to head out, when my colleague, Sarah, sidled up to my desk. I’d known her long enough to recognize that tone. She was up to something. I checked the time. It was still early, so I sat back down. “Yeah. What’s up?” “Nothing with me. But you’re about to have something up.” “Is he a nightmare to work with?” “Nope. He’s ridiculously handsome. I bet you’ll see him and fall in love at first sight.” I scoffed. I’d seen my fair share of handsome men over the years. 10 Love at first sight? Not likely. That’s what I thought before I met him. After I met him, I had to admit, sometimes Sarah was spot on. Because the professor we were collaborating with was none other than Alistair Streep. He was a university professor! No wonder. No wonder when I first saw him, he reminded me of my high school principal. It all made sense now. “What a coincidence, Miss Hayes.” I managed a tight smile. “It really is. I never expected the person my company was working with would be you.” Alistair poured me a glass of water and gestured for me to sit. He wasn’t as icy as our first meeting, but he still had an intimidating presence. Clutching the glass, my mind raced, desperately searching for something to talk about. What should I say? “Pip was just talking about you the other day.” “Oh? Really? Well, you can bring him over to play sometime.” Alistair took off the glasses perched on his nose. “That might not be possible for a while.” “Huh?” “My sister has him grounded. He’s not allowed out to play. I trust you understand?” I thought back to our last encounter and nodded vigorously. I got it. I thought the punishment was just an empty threat, but it was real. Their family must be very strict. “By the way, Miss Hayes…” “Please, call me Nora. Miss Hayes sounds so formal.” A flicker of surprise crossed Alistair’s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Alright, Nora. I was wondering if you’re free sometime soon. My sister would like to treat you to dinner, to thank you in person for what you did for Pip.” I hadn’t expected his sister to be so formal about it. I quickly waved my hands. 11 “Oh, no, that’s not necessary. I really didn’t do much.” Alistair didn’t say anything, just looked at me. But from his gaze, I could read a clear message: refusal was not an option. But having dinner with Alistair’s sister? I really wasn’t up for it. My social anxiety was already kicking in. So I pivoted, changing the subject back to work. “Professor Streep, if you really want to thank me, then I hope we can have a perfect collaboration. How does that sound?” Alistair smiled. “Even if you hadn’t said that, I would have cooperated fully. But since you’d rather not, I won’t insist. Perhaps some other time.” I breathed a sigh of relief. But I couldn’t help but think to myself, what, am I suddenly going to be an extrovert in the future? Whatever. I’d dodged it for now. My meeting with Alistair went smoothly. He was brilliant, and it was clear he’d done his homework on our company’s new product. There were virtually no gaps in his knowledge. Occasionally, one of his students would come in to see him. When they saw the two of us, they all had a strange look in their eyes. Having been a student myself, I knew that look. I knew exactly what they were thinking. I tried to step back, to create some distance between me and Alistair. But I hadn’t noticed the chair behind me. I lost my footing and started to fall backward. Alistair saw and lunged to catch me, but my momentum pulled him down with me. The result was an awkward, heart-stoppingly intimate pose. He was hovering over me, his hands braced on the chair next to my head, his gaze locked onto mine. “Professor Streep, I…” A knock came from the door. A student’s voice called out, only to die in his throat the moment he saw us. Awkward. So, so awkward. 12 “Sorry, sorry, Professor! I’ll come back later.” He even pulled the door shut on his way out. Oh, thank you so much for that. Alistair pushed himself up, his expression as calm and unruffled as ever. “Professor Streep, I think we’ve covered enough for today. I should get going. Goodbye.” I grabbed my things and practically fled. If I stayed a second longer, I was going to combust. After that day, the scene replayed itself in my dreams over and over. Because of it, I was almost afraid to contact Alistair. Every message was strictly professional. I avoided going to see him unless it was absolutely necessary. But this collaboration required me to see him. The next time I went to the university, the weather was not on my side. Just as I reached his office building, the sky opened up. It wasn’t just rain; it was a full-blown tempest. Damn it. I hadn’t brought an umbrella. I could only hope the storm would pass by the time I was done. I was running a little late, and the building was mostly empty, save for a few students I didn’t recognize. When I got to Alistair’s office, I knocked, but there was no answer. I tentatively tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. I knew it was probably bad form, but waiting out here could take forever. I slowly pushed the door open just a crack. Peeking inside, I was suddenly yanked into the room. The door slammed shut, and I was pinned against it by a man’s body. The searing heat radiating from him told me something was terribly wrong. “Alistair… Professor Streep?” “It’s me.” Alistair seemed to be in agony, unable to support his own weight. He leaned heavily against me, his forehead resting on my shoulder. His breath, even through the fabric of my clothes, was scorching hot. And then came the final, fatal blow. I felt it. The same sensation as Pip’s tail. Only this time, it wasn’t at my ankle. It was higher, above my knee. A soft, furry tail coiled around my thigh. “Help me… I’m burning up.”
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