Contract

Ray gets freaked out as the cat talks. He says, "You....You're a spirit?"

Ray realizes the situation he's in. So, he doesn't wait for the cat to answer and starts running holding the cat in his arms. He says, "Hang in there. My house is just around the corner." The cat tries to say something but only groans. Ray enters a medium-sized two-story detached house. Upon entering the house he quickly throws his shoes and runs to the kitchen while calling, "Ms. Karim. Ms. Karim." But no one answers. He lays the cat down on the table and takes out his phone. He calls Tessa, "Tess, come home right now."

"Why? What happened? I'm with...….."

"Just come home, fast. I need you here."

Tessa senses the urgency in Ray's voice and cuts the call before saying, "OK. I'm coming. Give me 10 minutes."

Ray throws the phone on the living room couch and returns to the table.

He says, "Hang in there. We'll heal you in a minute."

Ray runs to the washroom and fills a bucket with water. He returns to the kitchen with the bucket of water and a small towel. He starts carefully wiping the blood off the cat's body to see the injured spots.

A few minutes later he hears the door of the house opening. Ray says loudly, "This way, Tess. To the kitchen."

Tessa enters the kitchen and gets frantic seeing the injured cat. She puts down her bag and runs to the table. She yells, "Lemon, come down. I need your help."

In a moment a small blue canary flies in through the door and sits on Tessa's Shoulder. Tess says, "Let's do it, Lemon."

The canary answers, "Yeah."

Tess puts both of her hands forward towards the cat and closes her eyes. A few seconds later a green light appears on her hand. The light enlarges and engulfs the cat. Ray was watching silently. Almost 20 minutes of healing later Tess stops. She sits on the floor and pants. Ray runs to her and says, "Are you alright?"

Tessa catches her breath and says, "Yeah. I'm just out of spirit energy."

The canary says, "You spilled most of the energy outside. You still need to work to control your energy efficiency."

Tessa says in a sarcastic tone, "Yes, teacher."

Ray turns to the table and sees the cat sleeping. He says, "Tess, you should go to your room and rest. I'll take this cat to my room. He looks tired."

Tessa nods and gets up. She asks, "Where did you find her?"

"She was hit by a truck on road 17"

"Ohh. Well, take care of her. I'm gonna sleep a little."

She goes up the stairs. Ray puts the bucket and towel away and gets up to the second floor with the cat. He lays the cat down on his bed and sits on the chair. The cat curls herself. Ray finally takes a good look at the cat. A white cat with black stripes, just like a miniature snow tiger. Ray smiles and gets up. He changes to casual wear and gets to his desk to study.

The cat sleeps through the evening and doesn't even wake up even when Ray calls her for dinner. Ray lets her sleep. He goes down and sees Tessa, Rohan, and Ms. Karim waiting for her at the dining table. He goes down and sits on an empty chair. Ms. Karim asks him about the cat. So, Ray tells both of them everything that happened this afternoon. After that Ray asks, "Ms. Karim, is it ok to keep her in this house for a while? It's ok if you don't want to. I don't want to impose on you anymore after you've been kind enough to shelter me and Tess and even fund our studies."

Ms. Karim acts like she's offended, "I'm gonna get angry if you talk to me like that ever again. How many times have I told you that I think of you two as my own children."

"But…"

"No buts. You're allowed to keep the cat in this home. OK?"

"Yes, ms. Karim."

Ray finishes his dinner and comes back up. As he enters the room he sees the cat sitting straight on his bed and staring at him.

Ray enters his room and closes the door. He asks, "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good. That healer girl did a nice job."

"Oh. That's good then."

"What's your name, boy?"

"Ray, Ray Foster."

"Ray, I thank you for saving me this afternoon."

"It's alright. Anyway, you can stay in this house for a while if you want. I've got permission from my guardian."

The cat says, "I'm sorry but I must leave. I can't be a burden to my savior for long."

Ray looks a bit disappointed but says, "Oh. OK then. Good luck on your journey."

The cat gets on the railing of the open window and says, "I thank you again for your hospitality. Goodbye."

Ray waves his hand and says, "Goodbye."

The cat jumps down. Ray sees the cat leave through the window and falls on the bed. He lets out a small sigh and says, "What an eventful day. I guess I'll sleep for the night."

He gets up and wears his sleepwear. He then turns off the room's lights and gets into bed. Just as he was about to fall asleep he got up as he felt something heavy fall on his stomach. He gets up from the bed, runs to the switchboard, and turns the lights on. He then looks at his bed and sees the cat again sitting straight on his bed. But this time the cat was growling. Ray gets nervous as he thinks he must've done something offensive unknowingly. He slowly says, "Uhm. You're back? Did you forget something or…?"

The cat interrupts him and says, "Why didn't you ask me to get into a contract with you?"

Ray gets shocked and says, "HUH!! Contract?"

"Yes, a contract. I know you've felt it too. We have good compatibility. I can feel our spirit lines attracting each other."

Ray calms down and says, "I'm sorry but I didn't notice. But why didn't you just say that we're compatible then? Why all the acting like leaving and stuff."

"I wanted you to ask for the contract."

"But why?"

The cat remains silent. After a while, the cat says, "So, are you signing a contract with me or not?"

Ray thinks for a moment and gets close to the bed. He says, "Yes. Let's do it."

The cat gets ready and Ray says, "O holy spirit. I, Ray Foster, hereby ask you to make a contract with me and help me to cleanse the world."

The cat replies, "I accept."

They feel their spirit lines merging. The cat says, "Now, the final step. Give me a name."

Ray looks at the cat and after a while says, "Yuki. That will be your name. It's Japanese for the word snow."

The cat looks happy and says, "I like it. I, Yuki, shall be in your care from now on."