Nine Lives, One Heart

The last thing Adrian Vale remembered was the sound of the brakes. Not the dramatic screeching sound from movies. It was worse. A short, violent squeal. Then a horn. Then someone screamed. Then— Nothing. Adrian opened his eyes. Darkness surrounded him. For several seconds, he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't feel his hands. Am I dead? The thought came naturally. He tried to remember what happened. He had been walking home after another disappointing night at the café where he worked. His latest manuscript had been rejected that morning. Again. Twenty-three rejections. Twenty-three. He had stopped counting after ten. His editor—or what he liked to call the imaginary editor in his head—had once told him that successful writers needed thick skin. Adrian had apparently developed enough skin to become a rhinoceros. But it still hurt. He remembered standing at the corner. He remembered seeing a woman step onto the road. He remembered the headlights. And then— He had run. Did I save her? Adrian tried to open his eyes again. This time, light appeared. A tiny strip of gray sunlight. He blinked. Everything looked enormous. The wall beside him seemed impossibly tall. The garbage container nearby looked like a building. The pavement beneath him felt cold. He pushed himself upward. And immediately fell over. "What the—" The sound that came out wasn't his voice. It was a strange, pathetic: "Meow." Adrian froze. He tried again. "Hello?" "Meow." Silence. His heart began pounding. He looked down. Two small paws. Black fur. White patches. A long body. A tail. He stared. The tail moved. He moved his body. The tail moved again. Adrian slowly turned his head. Behind him was a fluffy black-and-white tail. "No." He raised one paw. The paw went up. He raised the other. Another paw. He touched his face. Fur. His breathing became faster. "No. No. No. No." "Meow!" He screamed. Except he didn't scream. He meowed. A cat. He was a cat. Adrian stared at his reflection in a puddle. Two green eyes stared back. A black patch covered half his face. A white stripe ran down his nose. He looked like the world's most judgmental house cat. "This can't be happening." "Meow." He sat down. For several minutes, Adrian did absolutely nothing. Then he started laughing. It wasn't because anything was funny. It was because his brain had apparently given up. He had spent twenty-nine years trying to become a successful novelist. He had failed. He had failed at relationships. He had failed in his career. He had failed at saving enough money to move into a decent apartment. And now— He was a cat. "Of course." He looked toward the sky. "Of course this happens to me." A bird flew overhead. Adrian watched it. The bird landed on a wire. Something strange happened. His body crouched automatically. His eyes focused. His muscles tightened. His ears pointed forward. Wait. Adrian realized what was happening. His body wanted to chase the bird. His human mind screamed: Absolutely not. His cat instincts screamed: BIRD. The bird flew away. Adrian remained frozen. He slowly stood. "I am going to have to learn how to live like this." He took one step. Then another. His balance was surprisingly good. His hearing was incredible. He could hear cars several streets away. He could hear water dripping from a broken pipe. He could hear footsteps approaching. A woman's footsteps. Adrian turned. A young woman walked toward the alley. She carried a grocery bag in one hand and a phone in the other. Adrian's eyes widened. He knew her. His heart stopped. Not because she was beautiful. Although she was. It was because she was the woman from the accident. The woman he had tried to save. The woman whose life he had risked everything for. She stopped beside the alley. Her eyes scanned the street. Then she sighed. "Where did that cat go?" Adrian's ears moved. Cat? She looked around. "I know you're here." Adrian remained behind the garbage container. She took another step. "Come on." Her voice was gentle. "Don't be afraid." Adrian stared at her. He wanted to speak. He wanted to tell her everything. I'm here. I'm the man who saved you. I'm Adrian. I died because of you. No. He stopped. That wasn't fair. She hadn't asked him to save her. He had chosen to do it. The woman crouched. She placed the grocery bag on the pavement. Then she opened a small container. The smell hit Adrian immediately. Fish. His stomach growled. Loudly. The woman smiled. "There you are." Adrian looked away. He refused. He was a human being. He had dignity. He had standards. He had— His stomach growled again. The woman laughed. "You're hungry, aren't you?" Adrian slowly stepped out. She smiled. "Hi." Adrian stopped. Something about that smile made his chest hurt. She didn't know him. Not anymore. Perhaps she never would. She held out her hand. "Come here." Adrian approached cautiously. One step. Two. Three. Her fingers touched the top of his head. He froze. Warm. Gentle. Human. For the first time since waking up, Adrian felt safe. The woman scratched behind his ear. His body betrayed him. He started purring. His eyes widened. No. He tried to stop. He couldn't. The woman laughed. "Oh, you're adorable." Adrian wanted to object. Instead: "Prrrrrrrr." He closed his eyes. This is humiliating. The woman picked him up. Adrian stiffened. She held him against her chest. He could hear her heartbeat. Slow. Steady. Alive. For a moment, Adrian forgot that he was dead. He forgot that he was a cat. He simply listened. Then she whispered: "You look lonely." Adrian opened his eyes. She looked at him. "I know the feeling." Something changed inside him. He had spent his entire life believing loneliness meant having nobody around. But perhaps loneliness was something else. Perhaps it was having someone you wanted to talk to— And realizing they couldn't hear you. She carried him toward the apartment building. Adrian looked over her shoulder. The alley disappeared behind them. His old life was gone. His apartment. His manuscript. His laptop. His unfinished novel. His dreams. Everything. He was no longer Adrian Vale. He was a stray cat. But as the woman opened her apartment door, Adrian noticed the small nameplate beside it. ELENA ROSE He stared at the name. Elena. The woman he had died saving. She looked down at him. "Well, little guy . . ." She smiled. "I can't keep calling you 'cat.'" Adrian's ears perked up. She studied his black-and-white fur. Then she smiled. "I think I'll call you . . ." She paused. "Shadow." Adrian stared at her. Of all the names in the world. She had chosen Shadow. He almost laughed. Instead, he purred. Elena smiled. "Shadow it is." She carried him inside. And closed the door. Neither of them knew it yet. But that moment was the beginning of a love story that should never have been possible. A love story between a woman . . . And the man who had become her cat.