3. The Otherworldly

"When you're the only sane person, you look like the only insane person." - Criss Jami

 

Okay, so, I'm dreaming. Yes, that must be it. I am in a deep sleep, back in my apartment, under layers of warm covers. And I am dreaming an extremely weird dream. Even for a dream. I mean, why would I, Kepi Hunter, dream of a hot guy breaking into my apartment, claiming that I am not human but like him, then transforming into a big, scary, leopard? That is absolutely unbelievable. No, I thought, the fact that I think I can convince myself of the fact that it is just a dream is unbelievable. I mean he, or it, is right here, in front of me! Right this millisecond.

On some deep level, I was probably crazy. Because a part of me, no matter how small, was not surprised. What? WHAT!? I know, it's weird, but true nonetheless. However, I was still somewhat sane, and refused to believe my eyes. What can I say? I was one, stubborn young lady. After a while of just staring at the majestic animal, still right on top of me might I add, I sighed defeatedly. My curiousity won over my stubborness. I believed my eyes, I realized. I believed him. If his cat-drool covering my face was not proof enough that this wasn't a dream, I didn't know what was.

I think he saw when I finally accepted the fact that he was a were-cat, because he slowly retreated, his big paws padding across the roof of the building. I couldn't help but follow it. Him? It? I didn't know how to call it/him. I sat up, and crawled towards the animal. I looked at it, its beautiful fur, big body, and sharp canines. It looked like a wise, mature, and peaceful being. A polar opposite to its human self.

Hesitantly, I held my hand out. Somehow, I knew he wouldn't hurt me. He lowered his head, and I softly caressed his silky, furry head with my little hands. My, his fur was very soft. The leopard-man whimpered at my touch, enjoying it. I moved my hands to under his head, by his neck and he nuzzled his head and snout under my hand playfully. I laughed. At my laugh, his head snapped up, and he moved back away from me. I was about to protest when the beautiful leopard shifted into an even more beautiful human before my eyes. My jaw hit the floor. And the now hot-guy laughed. I quickly snapped my mouth back together, which resulted in me hitting my teeth together pretty hard. I rubbed my jaw.

''Ow..'' I muttered, eyes downcast. He laughed even more. My eyes snapped up.

''Hey! Mister Were-Leopard, this is your fault!'' I said angrily.

''It's not. And Mister Were-Leopard? Meh, I prefer Sexy-Guy'' he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Argh! The nerve! While stroking the wild animal, I totally forgot that it just looked so peaceful because it couldn't open its filthy mouth and speak, like his human alter-ego could! I shall never pet that foul beast again. I mentally chastised myself for thinking so many positive things about him as an animal. Peaceful creature? As if! I scoffed to myself. Outside, I just narrowed my eyes menacingly.

The guy, I was yet to learn his name, sat cross-legged in front of me, mirroring my pose. He knit his fingers together, then finally looked into my eyes. He looked...hopeful? Uncertain?

''Penny for your thoughts?'' He said after realizing that I wasn't gonna start.

''What about? I mean, you are a half-feline half-human...er..creature. That is totally acceptable and general. It's the norm around here. I'm cool.''

''I know, and that's weird. Shouldn't you be freaking out right now or something? I mean, when I found out I tore the house apart. You are scaring me, I don't know what to think. Actually, scratch that, I don't know what you think.''

''Wait, you didn't know at first either?''

''No, I was told too. When I was 18, like you.''

''How old are you now?''

''21''

''How did you not know before?''

''The cat part of yourself is linked to your mind and consciousness. If you aren't aware of what you can do, you won't do it. After I was informed of what I was, I knew what to think and do in order to change, and I shifted.''

''Wait, pause the show and backtrack a mile. Did you just say, 'like you'? No, nuh-uh, not like me. Nothing like me. We,'' I said wagging a finger between us, ''are nothing alike. Polar opposites, if you may.'' I accepted the fact that were-felines existed, and that he was one, but me being one was a whole different story. Just because I believed that part, didn't mean that I believed him about me not being human. No, now that, was total foolishness. I know for a fact that I am of human. That I am a human. That I am of the species called Human. But, a little voice inside of me said, the only proofs you have are the same you could've used to prove this guy's humanity, and he turned out not to be human, so what now? Shut up stupid voice! My species is still up for debate! I declared in my mind.

''You are not like me, Kepi,'' he said. I sighed out of relief, but then: ''You are a little different.''

''Whaaa? No. I give you the cat-shifter job, I wanna stay mortal.'' He sighed, as if readying himself for a big speech.

''Kepi, okay.'' So when that's all he said, I was taken aback.

''Huh?''

''Okay, Kepi. You can be human for now, just let me explain first, okay?'' I was too curious to pass up an opportunity to find out more about him being a supernatural creature, so I nodded. Then I got really scared for a second when I realized that he was supernatural, and that meant ghosts, vampires, and werewolves might exist too. Meep! I was so not ready for that yet. Thankfully, he didn't confirm my theory (or deny it). Not that I asked.

''Kepi, are you familiar with the ancient egyptian gods and goddesses?'' He started and when I nodded, he continued. ''Well, they are real,'' he said. My, we're in a blunt mood today, are we not?

''What!? As in Anubis, Bastet, Osiris, Amun-Ra and s**t? They exist? Wait, they are not all-seeing and all-knowing right?'' With the whole were-leopard thing going on, it was easier to accept a bunch of egyptian gods and goddesses existing too.

''No,'' he said, a slightly amused smile playing on his lips. ''They are up there, and they could, but they are not bothered to. They are gods, after all. Anyway, Maahes, a lion-headed god, was a deity associated with war and weather, as well as knives, lotuses, and devouring captives. I am his son. So technically, I am not a 'were-cat', because I am not half human half leopard. Instead, I am half Maahes, and half human. The cat thing just goes with being 'of Maahes'.''

''So god Maahes did the deed with a human chick and you were the result?'' I asked. His face looked like he was nearly bursting from keeping from laughing, but he held good. Once he took a deep breath, he explained.

''No, he didn't. I don't have a mother. Never had. Maahes didn't do the deed to have me, he just used his powers as deity to make a child. Kind of like Jesus was made in the Christian story, with Virgin Mary being, well, a virgin and all. Except there was no birth. I just kind of, appeared.''

''Why? Why did he create you if it wasn't from being with someone?''

''Because I am not the only one. A lot of gods and goddesses like to create offspring sans sex to have them as little helpers. Every deity has a different reason for making one. Maahes told me that I was made, so he can have someone who is hypothetically human, planted in the human world. Like a spy.''

''Wow,'' was all I could muster, ''but why tell me? Why risk people finding out? No one knows from what I can tell who is human, so why tell me? What's the point?''

''Like I said, you need to know, because it is time for you to come to terms with your god self too. You are like me, but of a different deity.''

''Who?'' I was too sucked into the story to protest. Later, I promised to myself.

''Sekhmet. Warrior goddess, as well as goddess of healing. She is also a feline figure, so we are similar in that. And both of our deity parents are warriors. Sekhmet was the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath created the desert. She was seen as the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare.'' I was amazed. Me? A descendent of a warrior goddess? That was impossible. And I had the ability to transform into a huge cat? I could barely push the sofa away to make some room in the living room last week, when Molly and I had a dance contest spur of the moment. I totally won though.

''Want to hear what's cool though?'' Oh sweet, gods and goddesses, what could be any cooler? ''We have powers. Mine are awesome warrior skills, great eye-sight, good hearing, don't forget smell, and quick reflexes. Those are the same for you. The difference is, you also have healing powers, and I don't. At the same time, I can control the weather, and have a weird fetish for lotuses. By the way, you smell like lotus.'' He added with a wink. I didn't notice that, so I smelled myself. God-related guy was right, now that I was aware of my heightened sense of smell, when I turned my head to smell my armpit, I was hit with scents that I was pretty sure weren't here. Like the smell of Blair's pomegranate shampoo, that was floors under us in the way back room of our apartment. Behind a closed door. Or the scent of warm turkey roasting in the oven across the street. And I did smell like lotus flower.

''Wow,'' I breathed.

''Yeah,'' he replied, eyeing me.

''So, what's your name anyway?'' In the midst of it all, I totally didn't realize that I didn't even know his name!

''I'm Kam,'' he said, ''short for Kamenwati.'' I raised an eyebrow.

''But you look american,'' I stated, because his name sounded foreign.

''Well, what about your name? Kepi. It's egyptian for tempest. Which is ironic, by the way.'' Tell me something I don't know. ''So, like your name, mine means Dark Rebel in egyptian. The deities know the Otherworldly's personalities beforehand, and like to be creative like that. Sekhmet knew what you would turn out to be like, and decided to name you Kepi.''

''Dark Rebel? That is spot on. Who are the Otherwordly?''

''Us. The people who are the offspring of gods but live among the humans. We are called the Otherworldly because we are of another world, and don't live with our kind, the gods.'' The Otherworldy? I already hated that word. Way too tacky. I was quiet for a while, still trying to process all that information. Kam stood up, and offered his hand. I eyed it suspiciously, and when he gave me a look I relented. He pulled me up and started heading down the fire ladder again. I guess our time together has come to an end.I was over the fear of him killing or kidnapping me.

When we arrived at my balcony, I stopped.

''S**t.'' The lights were off, the balcony door locked, and the TV was turned off. ''Molly must've arrived back from her date and shut all this off, thinking that I fell asleep in my room leaving this here.'' Kam turned to me, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

''Is that something that you did often. For her to assume that?''

''Hey! Well, maybe.'' I said, a blush creeping up my neck. I was thankful for the dark, but then I remembered that he mentioned a good eyesight. And he was a cat, so he had night-vision. Whoops.

I looked at the glass screen-door, and scruntched my eyes up, seeing if I had any laser-beam powers too. But nothing happened. Kam raised his left hand, and claws pretruded from his nails. Whaaat!? His whole left hand turned into a paw. I tried to look unfased, but it was not working.

''What the hell do you think you are doing?'' Kam glanced at me for a second, but didn't answer. He put his claws on the very edge of where the glass met with the door-frame and stabbed his claws through. He then proceeded to pull his claws all the way around the edge. Did he just use his cat-claws to cut the glass out of my screen door? Yes, yes he did. No wonder he broke in so easily. He pulled his claws out, and placed his sticky palm on the middle of the glass, and pushed it through to the outside. It came out in one piece! With the glass still stuck to his paw, he walked through the door. I followed, dumbstruck. Once safely inside, he placed the glass back into the door frame His paw turned back to a hand, and he let it go. He turned to me.

''It's late, I should probably leave. You need sleep.'' He turned away and opened the glass door with the knob this time. Before he left, he turned around, looked me up and down and said:

''Cute PJs, by the way,'' then left. The door, silently swinging in his wake. Only the sounds of cars honking and people laughing and shouting could be heard. What just happened?