Jett shrugged. "I guess I could…explore a bit?"

  He hopped back onto his bike and started pedaling aimlessly. He didn't have a destination in mind - just a desire to get out of his apartment and clear his head.

  He found himself riding down a familiar street. He recognized the colorful sign up ahead:

  "Pawsitively Purrfect."

  "Oh, hey, it's that cat cafe," he muttered.

  "Maybe I'll stop in for a bit. I could use some…cat therapy."

  He parked his bike outside the cafe and walked towards the entrance. As he approached, he noticed a familiar large - black cat sitting on the steps. It had sleek fur and piercing violet eyes. With a pizza collar.

  "Hey there, kitty, aren't you called Mittens?" Jett asked, he approached the cat cautiously.

  The cat didn't move. It just stared at Jett, its violet eyes were narrowed. Jett felt a strange…pull towards the cat, it was an almost magnetic attraction.

  He took a step closer, and the cat finally moved. It stood up - stretched languidly - and then walked towards Jett. It rubbed against his legs, purring loudly.

  Jett chuckled. "Well, someone's friendly."

  He reached down to pet the cat, and it purred even louder. Its fur was soft and warm.

  "You're a pretty cat," Jett said.

  As if in response, the cat meowed and nudged Jett's hand with its head.

  A voice resounded from behind him.

  Jett turned to see a woman standing in the doorway of the cafe. She had a kind face and a warm smile - it was the woman with pink hair he had met weeks ago.

  "She likes you," she said. "She doesn't usually approach strangers like that."

  Jett frowned. "Really? Why not?"

  The woman shrugged. "She's…particular. She seems to be drawn to certain scents."

  She paused, then her eyes widened slightly.

  "Actually…I think I know why she likes you."

  Jett raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Why?"

  The woman smiled. "It's the same reason all the cats in here love you. You smell…different. Like you belong here."

  Suddenly, the black cat - began to glow. The light intensified - and Jett shielded his eyes. When the light subsided, the cat was gone.

  In its place stood a woman.

  She was tall and slender - with long, black hair - and piercing violet eyes. She wore a sleek black dress with golden accents.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Jett stared in shock, his jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "What the hell?!"

  The woman smiled with a serene expression.

  "Hello, Jett."

  Jett was speechless. He looked from the woman to the spot where the cat had been, then back to the woman.

  "Mittens…you're Mittens?" he finally managed to stammer.

  The woman nodded. "Indeed. And I am also the owner of this establishment."

  Jett was still trying to process this. "But…you were a cat. A cat with a pizza collar."

  The woman chuckled. "A disguise, Jett. A rather effective one, wouldn't you agree?"

  Her violet eyes were studying him.

  "I must admit, your scent intrigued me from the moment we met. It is…unique."

  Jett frowned. "My scent? What's so special about it?"

  The woman smiled. "That, Jett, is a long and complicated story. A story that I would be delighted to share with you. But first, please, come inside. I have some…tea. And perhaps some answers."

  She gestured towards the cafe. Jett was still utterly bewildered, but he followed her inside.

  The cafe was even more charming than he remembered, with cats of all shapes and sizes lounging on the furniture.

  "Welcome back to Pawsitively Purrfect," the woman said, her voice was calm.

  "Or should I say, welcome to my true home."

  She paused, then added:

  "Oh, and by the way - my name is actually not Mittens. It's Myrna. And I'm also Brenda's older sister."

  -

  Myrna led Jett to a small - cozy table in the corner of the cafe. A fluffy ginger cat with emerald eyes jumped onto the table and curled up next to Jett.

  Myrna smiled. "This is Garfield. He's a bit of a glutton, but he's very affectionate."

  Jett smiled and reached out to pet Garfield. The cat purred and rubbed against his hand.

  "So," Jett said, looking at Myrna. "You were going to tell me about…my scent?"

  Myrna nodded.

  "Indeed. But first, it is important that you understand the…complexities of our world. Brenda may not have told you everything."

  She sat down opposite Jett.

  "The Night Court…it is a powerful force in Washington D.C. It is an organization of vampires, but not all vampires are part of it. It's more like a…political entity."

  Jett frowned. "So, they're like…actually running things?"

  Myrna shook her head. "Not entirely. But they have significant influence. They control much of the city's nightlife, and they have their hands in various aspects of the city's infrastructure."

  She paused, then continued:

  "They have their own laws, their own customs. They are very protective of their territory, and they do not tolerate any…unauthorized supernatural activity."

  Jett blinked. "Unauthorized? What does that mean?"

  Myrna sighed. "There are…rules, Jett. Rules that govern how we interact with the human world. The Night Court enforces these rules. They are the primary protectors of the city, they protect the people from rogue crazy supernatural criminals."

  Garfield meowed and nudged Jett's hand. Jett continued to pet him.

  "So, they're the good guys?" Jett asked.

  Myrna hesitated. "Good…and bad. Like any government, they have their own agendas, their own flaws. But they do maintain order. They keep the peace. And they are very powerful. It is best not to cross them."

  Jett frowned. "Okay, so I should be careful around them. Got it."

  He paused, then looked at Myrna, his eyes widened slightly.

  "Wait a minute. You keep saying 'they.' But you're a vampire, right? Does that mean you're part of the Night Court?"

  Myrna smiled.

  "Indeed, Jett. I am. In fact - I am one of its leaders."

  Jett's jaw dropped. "You're…a leader of the Night Court? Seriously?"

  Myrna nodded. "Along with a few others. Corvus, Lupus, and…your acquaintance, Renja."

  Jett blinked. "Renja? The girl who showed up at my apartment? She's a leader of the Night Court?"

  Myrna chuckled.

  "She is. She is…quite influential. As are Corvus and Lupus."

  She paused, then added:

  "We are the ones who make the decisions. We are the ones who maintain order. We are the ones who protect this city."

  Her violet eyes met Jett's.

  "And now, Jett, you are involved in our world. Whether you like it or not."

  Jett stared at her, his mind was reeling. He was trying to process everything she had just told him - but it was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

  "Wait, wait, wait!" he stammered, holding up his hands.

  "Let me get this straight. You're Mittens - the cat. And you're also Myrna - you're also a leader of the Night Court. And Renja - the vampire who keeps showing up at my apartment, is also a leader. And you're Brenda's older sister. And you're all vampires. And you're running this city.."

  He paused, his eyes were wide.

  "Is that everything? Did I get anything wrong?"

  Myrna chuckled. "You have the basic facts correct, yes."

  Jett shook his head, his voice was filled with disbelief.

  "This is insane! This is absolutely insane! I deliver pizzas for a living! I have a baby monster rat living in my laundry! I'm neuro-divergent! And now I find out that vampires are running the city? And that I'm somehow involved? This is too much!"

  He stood up and started back and forth.

  "I can't deal with this. I can't deal with any of this. It's like my life has turned into a bad supernatural soap opera. And I'm the clueless human who keeps getting dragged into the drama."

  He stopped pacing and looked at Myrna, his expression was bewildered.

  "How am I supposed to process any of this? It's like my brain is going to explode."

  Garfield, the ginger cat, meowed and rubbed against Jett's legs.

  "This is crazy," he muttered. "This is absolutely crazy."

  He stopped pacing and looked at Myrna again.

  "Okay, okay..I need to know something. How old are you? Really?"

  Myrna smiled, her violet eyes were narrowed for a moment, before she answered:

  "Several centuries, Jett."

  Jett's jaw dropped again.

  "Several centuries? You're…you're that old?"

  Myrna nodded. "Time flows differently for us, Jett. We have seen much, experienced much. Our perspective is…different."

  Jett stared at her, then at the cafe, then at the cats lounging around.

  "And all of this…this is just normal for you? Vampires, centuries, politics, it's all just…another Tuesday?"

  Myrna chuckled. "In a way, yes. But even for us, your arrival has been…unusual."