Kat, Full Novel

Eventually, she turned her head up and looked to the ever more blue sky. It was funny, she thought, how things could seem so dark on such a clear day. Where were the rains? The sad atmosphere? Only in her head, apparently. The world didn't care about her feelings, her thoughts. It never did.

But her Mistress had.

She shook the thought from her mind to stave off a tear from forming, and stood up. She needed to get to the city today. A hunger was starting to set in, her belly rumbling. Clutching it, she stepped away from the tree and headed out along the road. The ring on her finger felt heavier now, weightier. She thumbed at it, images of Mistress Alexa floating through her mind. The treats, the head pats, all of it gone. Her smile, Her voice. Gone.

But Kat had to do it. Right?

Sighing and wiping her eyes, she looked toward the city. The outskirts weren't too far away. She could make it in a few hours, if she hurried.

So she walked on.

Alexa, Chapter Eight

Her hands gripped the wheel tightly, her knuckles white, her speedometer climbing steadily. Not that she cared; her mind was elsewhere. Cobb seemed to mind, however, and he looked at the road, then back at her, then road again, as the dotted white line seemed to blur and become one long strip of paint. He took his handkerchief out and wiped his brow.

"Madam, might I advise you use more caution?" he asked, clenching his jaw as the treeline whizzed past.

Alexa glared at him for a moment, before turning back to the road and weaving around a car. "Caution is for the dead," she muttered, swerving into another lane.

There were no cops around, so she should've been good. She checked her mirrors just in case, though. Her black, window-tinted Lexus wasn't exactly made for these speeds, so she was pushing it to its limits. Undoubtedly someone had called the cops already, but she was prepared to shell out two thousand bucks to whomever pulled her over to give her a police escort.

Thankfully, it never came to that. She took an exit, slowing down to a more reasonable speed, and Cobb breathed a sigh of relief that he'd been holding in and sunk deep into his chair. Alexa took a turn down a street, and familiar buildings rose up around them. Alexa took a turn, and Io's Slave Jewelry popped up before them. She swung into the parking lot and hastily parked, taking up two spots at a slant. She didn't care. There were more important things on her mind.

She rushed out of her car, slamming the door behind her and leaving Cobb to follow her in. She strode up to the door to the shop and pushed it open, a little bell tinkling, signaling her arrival. Within, Io stood at the counter, working on the finishing touches to a ring. She looked up and, seeing Alexa, smiled widely and bowed. "Welcome back Mistress!" she said. "Please, come in!"

Alexa walked up to Io with a powerful stride and looked down at the girl. Io could clearly see that something was wrong now, as she frowned and shrunk down beneath Alexa's piercing gaze. "Mistress?"

"Go get your Master Io. I need him now."

Io stuttered for a moment, backing up slightly, before she darted from the counter hastily and rushed up the stairs in the back. Alexa watched her go, pacing nervously, wringing her hands and biting her nails. Upstairs, she could hear footsteps, and distant talking. It sounded urgent, which was good. It was urgent.

When Tim finally came down, followed by Io, she was just about ready to pull her hair out. Anxiety gnawed at her insides like a ravenous beast; the breakfast she'd hastily eaten this morning threatened to make its way back up her esophagus. It was a miracle she forced it to stay down.

Tim strode up to his old friend, eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Alexa? Normally I'd say it's a pleasure to see you, but this doesn't seem like a good time for pleasantries." His frown deepened as he studied her serious, almost-panicking demeanor. "What's happened?"

She stopped biting her nails long enough to curse under her breath. With a heavy sigh, she addressed the shop owner. "It's Kat. She ran."

Those few words were enough to make Tim's eyes widen. "Oh....oh my. I'm so sorry to hear that."

Alexa wordlessly nodded then pulled out her phone, handing it over to Tim. "I've tried to track her, but...I-I can't find the signal. The ring- it's not working." She was close to tears by now.

"She does have it, though, correct?" Tim questioned.

"I think so. I really hope so." Alexa had resumed biting her nails. "I didn't see it in her room, and I tore the whole place apart."

The Mistress was shaking like a leaf. Tim noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. "Calm down, it may just not be activated. Which would be my fault, yes. But breathe, girl, breathe."

He took a deep breath in, and motioned with his hands like a conductor for her to do the same. She followed him, breathing deeply, in then out, in and out. After a few breaths, she found that her nerves calmed a bit, though not by much. Still, it helped, and she let out a small sigh.

He looked at her approvingly, and said, "Alright. Let me go upstairs and check its activation. It may still need to be turned on, which I can do from here, so don't panic. I'll be right back."

With that, the portly man rushed over to the stairs and disappeared. Alexa looked to Cobb, who had come in behind her and was petting Io and chatting with her.

"Is she... why did she do it?" Io asked Cobb, looking up at him with sad eyes.

Cobb shook his head. "Now is not the proper time to ask that question, young lady."

Io looked down and scuffed at the ground, pouting. "Oh. Sorry Cobb."

Just then, her phone rang out. She pulled it out of her pocket and typed in its passcode. Then, the map came up on its screen, pinpointing a small area in the more shady part of town, just south of where she was. The rough part of town. The slums, if anything. A small icon sat above it, reading "Kat", and a set of coordinates was listed below that. Alexa studied it for a moment, before tapping on the icon. A menu popped up, and she selected "Track" on it, and got a set of directions to Kat's location. A wave of relief washed over her, but it was momentary. If Kat was in the south part of the city, that could be very, very bad. Especially for a slave on her own.

Tim rushed down the stairs. "Well?" he asked, hurrying over to her. "Did it work?"

"It did," Alexa said, nodding. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks a ton Tim. You're a lifesaver, maybe literally."

"I try," he said, offering a smile. "Now go, hurry, go get her. I'm sure she's scared out there and needs her Mistress."

Alexa nodded and looked to Cobb. "Cobb, come, we're loading up."

"Right away Madam," he responded, standing and following her out of the store in a hurry. They both slipped back into the car, and once situated, and Alexa had the car in reverse, he asked, "Where is she?"

"Somewhere she shouldn't be," Alexa said, a dark expression passing over her face. "Somewhere she shouldn't be at all."

Kat, Chapter Fifteen

It'd taken her some three hours to get there, but she'd finally made it. The city began to rise, though not in a pretty way. Cracked asphalt and choppy sidewalks stretched the roads, and the buildings were shoddy at best. The gas stations had bars on their windows, and the houses had overgrown lawns and rotting wood exteriors.

The people that passed by her gave her certain looks. Some were kind, but they were few and far between. More often than not, they were suspicious, or even hungry, and made her want to curl up and hide somewhere. She walked with her head down, trying to avoid prying eyes as she searched for some sort of tool shop or metal worker. They would likely be farther into the city, and not in this sketchy neighborhood. But to get there, she had to go through here. And that was becoming more and more difficult.

She wished she could go back. She missed her bed. She missed the food, she even missed her chores. She missed the garden, she missed Cobb. She missed her Mistress. But there was no turning back now. Not unless she wanted to be beaten within inches of her life. She had to move forward. There was only forward.

So she walked along the rotted streets and downtrodden neighborhood, avoiding glances and looks, simply trying to get to the city proper. She could see the full skyline just up ahead. Maybe an hour's walk, maybe two. She headed for it, muscles aching. She wanted to sit. To rest. Her feet were on fire and her eyes burned. But she couldn't stop, not now, not here.

Just then, a cop car rolled around a corner where a gas station sat. Her heart beat so hard it almost burst through her chest. She glanced around, left, right, and found an alleyway that ran behind the gas station. Hurriedly, she darted into it, praying that the cop would ignore her, leave her be. She checked behind her; there was nothing.

The alley was dank and smelled of garbage. Wet trash sat in a gutter to the side, and a dumpster sat all the way at the end of it. It was a dead end. If the cop decided to follow her, she'd have no place to go if she couldn't get over that dumpster. She hurried toward it, listening pointedly.

Then, she heard a crunch behind her. She paused, frozen by fear, her heart thumping so hard she thought it might explode. Adrenaline panged through her gut like icy daggers, and every inch of her being told her to run, to flee. But she couldn't. Just like all the other times, she found herself stuck. Frozen.

Slowly, she turned around, scared so badly that tears started to form in her eyes. Her vision grew blurry as one trickled down her cheek, so she couldn't see the figure walking toward her. Something about him was menacing. The way he hunched, the way he walked with a gait. He had her cornered, would get her, beat her, take her back to her Mistress so that she could be beaten again. It was always the same. Always.

"P-Please," she stuttered. "Please leave me alone."

The figure stopped, and she rubbed her eyes with a sniffle. When her vision cleared, she could see that it was the cop, dressed in a blue uniform. He looked dirty, grimy even, and clearly had malintent in his eyes. His hair was neatly combed, but it was the only neat thing about him. His tie was tied in a messy knot, his uniform was half untucked. He looked like he was getting off of a long shift.

She shuddered. There was malice in his grin like smile. She could feel it. She backed away slowly, and he took a step toward her.

"What's a slave doing out here by herself?" he asked, grinning, as he took another step toward her. "Where's your Owner?"

She looked around, back at the dumpster, to the walls of the alleyway. "What I'm doing is none of your business," she snapped.

"Oh, no, that's where you're wrong, cutie," he said, taking yet another step toward her. He was gaining ground, and she was losing it fast. "It's my business."

He looked her up and down, almost hungrily. "That's a pretty ring you've got on."

She gasped, and clenched her fist, feeling the ring on her finger. "What do you want?"

"I want that ring, or I want you," he said, shrugging. "Either or. Give me the ring, and I'll help you get that collar off. I know what you're up to, girl. I can help you. Or you can go straight to the Auction House. Your choice."

Kat paused, swallowing dryly. It was tempting, she had to admit. To be free of the collar and be one more step closer to true freedom. But to give up the ring? To let go of the one thing she had left to remind her of the one person who'd shown her kindness, even when she didn't deserve it? The last thing she had from her Mistress? No. No, she couldn't. Something inside of her wouldn't let her. Couldn't let her.

She thumbed at the ring nervously, as he took a step closer, and said, "N-No. No thank you. Now please leave."

"That's not how this works," the cop said. She backed up further, until she could feel the cold steel of the dumpster against her back. "I'm leaving with that ring, or I'm leaving with you. You don't get much of a say here, missy." He spat on the ground. "Give it here, and I'll help you."

He held out his hand, inches away from her. She shivered. Her gut churned, she wanted to vomit, and her knees shook like she'd just been struck with lightning. For a moment, she could see it all again. Her Master looming over her, slowly walking toward her, hand balled in a fist, ready. Again. Her back to the wall of the basement. The trickle of urine running down her leg. She felt tears well in her eyes.

It was all so real. She could see it. She could see it.

She screamed a helpless little scream, crying, begging. "Please, please stop," she cried. "No more! Please!"

The cop stopped and watched her for a moment as she pleaded. He cocked his head and gave her a strange look, saying, "Just give me the ring, and this nasty business will be done."

"Stop! Stop!" she cried, tears streaming down her face and mixing with snot. "Stop, please... please..."

He took one last step toward her, just a foot away now, and was about to speak, when suddenly, he dropped with a wet smack. Something had sent him down, spiraling to the ground, and when he hit the dirty floor, it was clear he was out cold. Kat watched, horrified, eyes blurry from the tears. She couldn't tell who she was looking at, but he was tall and menacing and towered over her. Another cop, she thought, maybe his partner? Thoughts swam in her head. It was all too much.

She felt her knees buckle as she dropped to them, slouching, sobbing violently. The man stood over her, watching her for a moment, before someone rushed up from behind him and knelt beside her. The man bent over and dragged the creep away by his leg, while a woman slowly took Kat into her arms. Kat shook and shivered and sobbed, unable to see any of it.

And that was when she spoke. "Shh, shh, it's alright. It's okay. I've got you."

Mistress Alexa. Kat screamed again, shaking, trying to push her off, but she was too weak. A lack of food and water, the crying, the fear, it was all too much. She felt faint. Gasping for air between sobs, she eventually gave up, going limp as Mistress Alexa held her. She cried. And cried.

"Kat, shh, it's alright," her Mistress said. "I've got you. I promise, I've got you."

Mistress Alexa held her tightly gently pushing Kat's head into her shoulder. "Shh, it's alright, it's okay," she whispered as Kat cried. Then, looking over he shoulder to Cobb, she said, "Did you kill him?"

Cobb looked at her as he dusted his hands off. He'd dumped the man into a ditch on the side of the alleyway, where he lay splayed out. "No Madam."

"Damn. Oh well," she said, turning back to Kat. For a moment, she pet Kat softly, cooing to her, whispering gentle things into her ear. Then, she said, "C'mon Kat, let's get you home. C'mon, shh, shh, it's alright. We're going home."

She slowly helped Kat stand, but Kat's legs were too weak. So, she turned to Cobb and said, "Cobb, some assistance?"

"Right away Madam."

He walked over and took Kat's arm over his shoulder, and the two of them helped her to her feet. "There you go," Mistress Alexa whispered. "There you go. C'mon."

"We're going home."

Alexa, Chapter Nine

Alexa watched her sleep. She'd taken her back, and without saying a word, had escorted Kat to the bathroom and started a warm bath for her. Kat had been wordless the entire time, avoiding her gaze, not answering her questions. But she'd let Alexa do whatever she wanted to her. There was an air of surrender about Kat. It tasted of despair, and left a bitter aftertaste on Alexa's tongue. She didn't like this at all.

After the bath, Cobb had made her a large meal, and Alexa had ordered her to eat it. Kat did so, still without a word. And then, silently, Alexa had taken her upstairs and laid Kat in her bed. Kat had fallen asleep pretty quickly, too. Alexa could see the weariness in her face, the dark lines under her eyes, the fear in her stance.

Now, though, as Kat slept, Alexa let herself admire her. They'd found her. Thank god. Wave after wave of relief washed over her as she watched Kat's chest rise slowly, and then fall with a soft little snore. They'd found her. Alexa had found her. She'd need to thank Tim later. Probably with some expensive jewels, or a high tip, for helping her bring Kat home.

Alexa turned and quietly stepped out of the room, taking a deep breath and sighing, content. Cobb stood at the top of the stairs, leaning on the railing and looking down. She walked up and joined him, leaning on the rails as well.

"We found her," she said, a giddy smile crossing her face. "We fucking found her."

Cobb smiled. "It surely wasn't easy, Madam. But yes, yes we did."

"God, Cobb, I was so scared," she said, shaking her head and letting it sag. "I was so scared. I thought it would be like Sarah all over again. I thought... well, you know." She laughed. "I almost cried, too. I still might."

"You have every right to, Madam," Cobb said, nodding sagely. "Shall I put it on your schedule?"

She laughed. "Tonight would be a fine time. For now, I just... can't believe it. We found her."

"Yes," Cobb said, "Yes we did."

A comfortable silence fell over the two of them. Warm evening light shone through the foyer windows, giving the room a soft orange glow. Alexa smiled again. The lambent light felt soft on her eyes, gentle even, as if it was welcoming them all home. She liked that thought. Home. They were all at home, now. Together again.

Sarah would've been proud. Happy. Alexa wondered if she could see them now, wherever she was. Looking down on them, smiling. Alexa had succeeded this time. The same mistake, with a different outcome. She'd acted faster, smarter, with more determination and passion. And love. She'd acted with love, not spite. And that'd made all the difference. It was funny, she thought, how one simple feeling could affect the course of a lifetime. This time, she'd chosen the right feeling. The feeling she'd wanted to feel. Beneath all of the fear, the shame, and the blame, she felt love.

It was an incredible feeling. She wondered if Kat felt it too.

She'd have to work on that. Of course, Kat would have the days ahead free of any chores. Alexa ran through a plethora of ways to spoil her. There would be much chocolate and cuddles, she decided. But first, something more important had to happen. Something that made her blood run cold. Something she'd not done for almost a year now.

"I'm taking her to see Sarah tomorrow, if she's well enough," Alexa said.

Cobb looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Are you? That's bold of you."

"I want her to see my mistake. I want her to understand," Alexa continued, as if Cobb had never spoken. "I want her to know."

Cobb nodded and smiled. "I shall take care of the house while you two are gone, Madam. I am sure that you will not regret going."

In truth, Cobb had been trying to get her to go for some time now, but the time never felt right. She couldn't ever find the strength to face Sarah, or the willpower. But now, something felt right. Something deep inside of her. Now was the right time, she thought.

Things were right, right now. And with that, she smiled once more.

Alexa, Chapter Ten

The rains finally seemed to have passed. The mid afternoon sun was just starting to sink, and the air was warm. Alexa looked to Kat as they drove down the small two lane road, through thickets of trees and bushes and flowers. Kat still hadn't said much, not even today, simply remaining quiet with a ghostly thousand yard stare on her face at most times. Alexa had left her alone for most of the day, and Kat had spent most of it in her room.