Jolene toddled over to the table and helped herself to some of Jamie’s birthday cake. Her hands scooped up some icing. Most of it went over her face rather than in her stomach.
“Jojo,” Emily said. “Please. Stop doing that.”
Jamie giggled to himself as he banged away at the drum.
Da-da-da-dummm…
Jolene, Emily, and Tony couldn’t hear what Jamie was playing. He’d heard the piece of music throughout his life. A fan of ancient classical music (as it was known) his mother used to play the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky to him as a very young boy. She didn’t seem to bother doing the same with his younger half-sister, Jolene, though. He put it down to a change of influence now that his biological father had passed away.
Jamie smiled at Tony as he continued to whack the drum skin at full pelt. Like his real father, Tony seemed to be fitting in nicely. His mother seemed much happier.
Something was missing, though – a feline keepsake she bestowed on him shortly before his father died. She, the gorgeous ball of orange fluff who should not be named, for fear of reminder of what they had done.
Jamie bashed the drum panels. He felt a tingling sensation crawl up his left forearm.
Boom-boom-boom… he continued playing, using the kit’s synthesizer rhythm track to keep him in tune.
Beep-beep-beep. The ink on his forearm became visible as his sleeve rode up to the crook of his elbow.
The ink on his forearm swirled around his skin and formed three flashing dots.
An Individimedia call from someone unknown to him.
He looked up from behind the kit and saw Emily spoon feeding his sister. Tony pinched his thumbnail and removed it from his hand. He placed it on the table and snapped his fingers.
The thumbnail projected a holographic news report above the table. A top-down view of Santiago Sibald looking up at the lens, standing by a purple SUV. Its fender hanging from the front, it had hit a tree and the occupants had fled.
Swarms of STPD officers surrounded the scene.
“Earlier reports from a witness who wishes to remain anonymous recounts that the vehicle had been commandeered by a bunch of cats?” Santiago looked at his wrist and shook his head, “No. That can’t be right—”
Glenn, the witness, appeared in silhouette on the screen. He addressed the interviewee in a state of shock, barely able to form a sentence.
“I-It was w-w-weird,” Glenn burped. “Cats everywhere, I tell ya. They made the man s-stop the c-car and then jumped inside an’ drove off, yonder.”
“You’re saying cats did this?”
“Yah-yup,” the silhouetted figure threw his hands into the air, “Sure as I’m standin’ here, my f-friend. One of them was real ugly, like, with a long-ass body and stupid pointy ears. That one acted all dead in the middle of the freeway.”
Jamie covered his forearm and, much like Tony was wont to do on most occasions, slipped out of the front room without being seen.
Jamie hopped into his bedroom and jumped onto his bed. He analyzed his wrist and wondered whether he should answer the call or not.
His arm kept buzzing, begging for attention. A final look at the bedroom door was all he needed. He planted the sole of his boot on it and pushed it shut.
SCHWUMP.
A poster for USARIC’s Star Cat Project Finals featuring Bisoubisou, Jelly, and Suzie Q-Two hung on the back of the door. Jamie took a deep breath and smeared the three inked dots along his forearm.
“Hello?” he whispered.
“Is this Jamie Anderson?” a stern-sounding female’s voice radiated from the pinpricks in his arm.
“Yes.”
“No, it’s no good. I can’t see you,” she said, “Look, I’ll—”
“—My mom and dad won’t allow me to visualize. I’ll get in trouble.”
“That’s okay. We know what you look like. Listen, there’s nothing to be afraid of, okay? We’re the good guys.”
“What? What do you mean don’t be afraid?”
“Hang on,” the voice cut off.
Jamie shook his forearm. The ink sprawled over the skin on his forearm and formed the face of a woman’s head. Featureless, it moved just enough to suggest the woman was producing a live feed.
“Do you see me?”
“Yes,” Jamie folded his legs and pushed himself against the wall, out of view of the door, “Look, I can’t talk to you. I’m not supposed to speak to strangers.”
“I know about Jelly, Jamie.”
“You know about—” Jamie thought twice about his reaction. On the cusp of giving the game away, he decided to change tact, “What about Jelly? What do you want?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Anderson. That Individimedia broadcast Handax sent out. He said Bisoubisou never made it on Opera Beta. If she didn’t go, then who did?”
A pang of terror ran down Jamie’s spine. He’d been busted, “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“—Shut up, kid.”
Jamie swallowed hard and drew the curtains shut, “Okay?”
“Where’s Jelly right now?”
“She’s, uh,” Jamie looked around his bedroom for an excuse. The USARIC poster didn’t help. The scattered pictures of his family and Jelly were too distracting. Jamie thought on his feet and lied, “She’s at the medician’s.”
“Really?”
“Yes, she got, uh, cat flu.”
“Liar.”
“No, I mean it, she’s—” Jamie’s voice croaked as he began to tear up. He knew he was in trouble.
“—Don’t lie to me, Jamie. I know those scumbags at USARIC brought you and your mom back and had you hand Jelly over. She’s not been seen since. Go on, deny it.”
Jamie blubbed, “Please leave me alone—”
“—No, shut up. And don’t tell your mom or dad, or anyone, about this call. Do you understand what I’ve just said?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Good,” the dark figure tilted its head on Jamie’s arm and took on a more affable posture, “Listen, Jamie. We’re not the bad guys. I know it’s hard to believe right now. We’re going to help you.”
“Help me?”
“Yes. You want to see Jelly again, don’t you?”
Jamie wiped the tears from his eyes. His left wrist’s Individimedia panel caught most of the liquid.
“Ugh. What’s the squelching noise?”
“Sorry,” Jamie sniffed and returned to his forearm.
“Opera Beta went missing. USARIC are sending up a vessel to go and find them. You remember a guy named Handax, right?”
Images of a carry case containing Jelly flooded into Jamie’s mind. Before long, a man in his twenties with blue hair came to mind.
“Yes, he gave us Jelly.”
“You saw his broadcast, didn’t you? Everyone did.”
“Yes.”
“They set free a bunch of felines at USARIC. Most of them were caught. It’s all over the news.”
“I know, I saw something just now—”
“—That’s not important right now. What is important is that you tell the truth. Did Jelly go to Saturn in Bisoubisou’s place? Yes or no?”
Jamie closed his eyes and wiped his face. The woman was serious and seemed genuine.
“Yes, she did.”
“I knew it,” her voice filtered through his wrist, “Thanks for confirming, Jamie—”
“—But we swore we wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“It’s okay. We’re not anyone. That’s all we needed to know. Goodbye.”
“Hey, wait,” Jamie interrupted, demanding an explanation, “Who are you?”
“It’s better that you don’t know. If anyone asks and you genuinely don’t know, then you and your family are safe,” she said. “There’s going to come a time soon when people will know Jelly went in Bisoubisou’s place. And when that time comes, the media and others are going to hound you for answers. If that happens, USARIC could act, and no one wants that for you.”