My Cat is The Antichrist Read online

  “They thought they would find tolerance and peace in the New World, then the Salem Witch trials happened. All of the families were quite wealthy and with standing in the community, but at that time, speaking against something like that would just have you burned with the rest of them. The original families do have their own lore and superstitions, mainly about the Lambs and the Rothledges and I suspect that was how no one knew about you, Tabitha.”

  That pastry felt like a rock in my throat. If he was about to tell me that my hellish childhood and secret births were because my parents and all these families still believed in the boogeyman, he was going to wear this fucking pastry.

  “Is Tabby going to be in danger from them if we go back?” Lizzie demanded. “I knew this was too good to be true.”

  “Both of you, no,” Mattan said gently. “I’m part of the original families, and I mean Tabitha no harm. The rest of the families don’t either. I’ve already asked. Tabitha raises a lot of questions we all want answers to. We think your parents, Elliot and Levana, had the answers, but they can’t tell us.”

  “Can’t tell you what?” I shrieked. Mattan was about to have a pastry in his face, and then I was going to barge in the cockpit and demand someone turn this plane around.

  “It’s probably nothing, but your parents obviously believed it. Twenty-six years ago, they stopped throwing parties and sort of secluded themselves for about two years. That would have been when Levana was pregnant with you and until you were two years old. Something happened that you ended up in foster care in Kentucky instead of being raised with all of us. We all want that answer. The families are still close.”

  “Mattan, if you don’t stop giving me half answers, I swear to god I’m going to shove this coffee mug up your ass,” I snapped.

  “Sorry, Tabitha, it’s just that you’ve been away for so long and there’s a lot to fill in. From what we’ve always been told and has been passed down through generations is that a Rothledge and a Lamb shouldn’t mix. All we knew is that in the past, bad things happened when they did. We all thought it was silly superstition when your mother and father fell in love. Most everyone, aside from older generations, was happy for them and threw a huge wedding. The families your parent’s age wants to know how you ended up in Kentucky just as much as you and Lizzie. We’ve petitioned the elders for answers.”

  I had my coffee, and that huge revelation certainly woke me up. Now, I wished I had just taken a nap and waited for answers. Who still had elders around? Mattan must have noticed my head was swirling. He snapped his fingers, and the kid who took our coffee order was back.

  “Something a bit stronger. The vintage from twenty-six-years ago now that we know why it was released.”

  I had a feeling whatever that kid was going to bring out wasn’t cheap beer or vodka. Hell, it probably had gold flakes in it or some shit. An hour on a private jet and I was already turning into a pretentious ass.

  “Who’s the kid you’re bossing around?” I asked. I always found out the names of people waiting on me. I tried to tip well and be kind to them.

  “My nephew, doing a little punishment and learning the family business. You can call him Benjy like everyone else. My family made their fortune in coffee. It’s sold all over the world, and we have a few coffee shops around Salem. The coffee shops are new, but once the kids in the family are old enough, they spend a few years working as baristas for inspiration. Benjy decided to keep bothering a female patron after she told him no several times, so Benjy gets to fetch things for a little while until he learns no means no.”

  I cocked an eyebrow at Mattan. I liked his family. They could do a number on several of the men I served drinks to. Benjy wasn’t even complaining about waiting on us. I had no idea he was Mattan’s relative at all. I was going to try to get to know Benjy when he came back, but my mouth fell open when he handed a bottle to his uncle. I had no idea what was in it, but the bottle had jewels in the glass, and just the empty bottle would have paid my rent for over a year.

  Mattan seemed like he was trying to relax me after that bomb he just dropped on me. “The Rothledges are distillers. Maybe you’ve heard of them? They’ve gotten so famous, their blends are coveted in certain circles, and new releases are celebrated. Sometimes, one generation might only release one new vintage because coming up with the blend and letting it age takes so long.

  “When your parents’ sort of went into their seclusion twenty-six-years ago, fifty bottles of this were released. The families all get one as we share everything. That’s why I had this and brought it with me. I wouldn’t normally open one of your family’s blends unless it was a really special occasion, but I think finding you counts.”

  Lizzie had this horrible habit of snorting when she found something funny. “Well, we definitely know he’s not lying about finding your real parents. You’ve always had a knack for pairing booze and mixing drinks.”

  “And now you don’t have to do it for meager tips for awful men,” Mattan pointed out, pouring drinks. “For this particular blend, your parents broke out a barrel of single malt whiskey aged for sixty-five years in a sherry-infused cask and another oak barrel aged seventy-years. I know it was to celebrate your birth, it’s just as well I open it with you.”

  The whiskey we served at the bar was probably nowhere near as potent as what was being poured in that glass. All I’d eaten was that pastry. I apparently came from a family with a lot of history, and I didn’t need to be getting totally shit faced. I had a high metabolism and a stomach like a bottomless pit after growing up never having enough to eat.

  “You said the food on the plane was good?” I asked.

  Mattan handed out goblets and snapped his fingers. Once again, Benjy came back without complaint. We weren’t asked what we wanted. Mattan just told him to bring the food out. I hated going on a first date with someone, and they thought they could order for me. They never got a second date. Mattan saw the look I was giving him.

  “We had to prepare the food and bring it on the plane. There’s not a kitchen here. I had the chefs at your parent’s house prepare their favorite meal. I know you don’t remember them, but all of us will share our memories with you, and we’ll figure out together what happened to you. I have lobster rolls and poached pears.”

  Pears were always my favorite when my foster families could afford them. And I’d always wanted to try lobster. So did Lizzie. We were always in sync, even at fifteen. I was starting to wonder if there was more to Mattan and my family history than he was telling me. He seemed to know everything we would want.

  Maybe there was a catch. Maybe I was making a deal with the devil.

  Chapter 4

  I finally passed out after I ate all that delicious food. I didn’t get more answers from Mattan about my past. The last thing I remembered was Benjy taking my plate and just wanting to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I finally woke up again when we landed, and Lizzie was shaking me. There was another huge car waiting for us to take us to my new house.

  Mattan pointed up ahead at my new house. I saw a large gate and a huge manor house up on a hill.

  “Holy fuck, a name, and a hill. There’s definitely dead bodies or some fucked up shit going on in that house,” Lizzie said, looking over my shoulder.

  The house was huge and old, but it wasn’t scary looking. It looked like it had been well cared for, despite being old. It looked like some old castle with spires and turrets. I half expected a moat when the gate swung open, and the car drove through it. The driveway was well maintained, and there were no bumps, even if it was curvy.

  Mattan looked like he was hiding something. Benjy was with us and bouncing in his seat. I thought I would be given a tour and would sign some papers to make everything mine. I was shocked when Mattan threw open the door, and we walked into this foyer with twenty-foot ceilings and a huge chandelier that it was full of people. There were streamers, and it sounded like someone was playing the fucking kazoo.

  “Surprise!” everyon
e yelled. I noticed the Welcome Home, Tabitha sign draped across the ceiling.

  I remembered every horror movie I’d ever seen and what Lizzie’s theories were. I leaned in and clutched her arm. “Think they are going to eat us?” I whispered. “Fuck!” I yelled, practically climbing the wallpaper.

  Something brushed against my shins. When I looked down, it was even worse. It looked like someone mixed a bat and a feline. The thing had no hair, huge ears like it could take flight, big green eyes, and it was wearing a fucking sweater. Lizzie wasn’t alarmed by the bat-rat-lizard-cat thing in the sweater. She leaned down and held out her hand for it to sniff like I didn’t just warn her someone here might eat us.

  Mattan rushed forward and scooped the weird hairless thing up. It let out a raspy meow, and its eyes never left me as Mattan scratched his head. “Someone couldn’t put Drake away for the surprise party?”

  “You know he bites everyone that isn’t family,” a woman called. “You should warn Tabitha now that infernal cat is a full-time job.”

  It was like the cat could hear her and hissed at her. Mattan just made cooing noises and scratched his chin. “There, there. Don’t let the horrid lady bother you. I’ll put Drake in his bedroom while all of you get to know Tabby and Lizzie.”

  The cat had his own bedroom? I got sent to foster care, but this mutant cat had his own bedroom and a warm sweater? The woman who spoke must have been able to tell I was about to have a meltdown. She was dressed like a really rich hippy, in a flowing gown with jewels dripping from her ears and wrists.

  “Let’s forget about that horrid cat,” she said, weaving her arms through me and Lizzie’s. “My name is Odelia, and we are all very excited to have you here. If my daughter ever shows her face, she’s going to want to know what dye you use in your hair. She’s been trying for purple for years, and she always ends up with lavender. Ariel is a Gothic Lolita like Lizzie here, and I imagine you’ll have so much fun sharing clothes.”

  Odelia was shorter than both me and Lizzie, but we were also wearing high heeled fuck me boots. Lizzie shot me this look over her head, and I already knew what it meant. Neither of us knew if this was real. I didn’t know if I was dreaming and was going to wake up any minute or I really had ended up in this strange world where my parent’s friends had children my age like me.

  Another woman who was dressed like she came straight out of Victorian England blocked our path. Her red curls were piled on her head, and she had this pinched face. I thought she was going to be totally nasty to all three of us, but she just gave Odelia this chastising look like they were old friends.

  “Really, Odelia. We both know our wayward children aren’t coming here. If they had known they had so much in common with Tabitha and Lizzie, they still wouldn’t have come because they thought we were lying to them to get them to another boring party. You realize what this means, don’t you?”

  I certainly didn’t. This knowing look passed between them like this big secret was shared, then it passed just as quickly as I saw it. They both broke into huge smiles, and I already knew they were hiding something.

  “Tabitha, Lizzie,” the red-haired woman said, giving us a curt nod. “My name is Esther. My daughter, Natalia, dresses like Tabitha. We know we are all your parent's age and you’d probably prefer to be with people your own age. So, I’m going to use a term from your generation. We’re going to have to take a selfie with you and send it to Ariel and Natalia to get them here.”

  “Can we wait? There are so many people here, and I’m already going to have trouble keeping everyone straight. I can meet everyone’s kids later. Mattan kind of just woke me up and I hopped on a plane and came here. I’m still not even sure this is real. That thing in the sweater has me wondering if this is a nightmare.”

  Esther snapped her fingers. “Emergency provisions. We have a crisis. Tell me, girls, are you more of a whiskey or rum type of person and when you are to eat your feelings do you go for sweet or savory?”

  “Well, before we got on that plane, we were dead ass broke. Getting over a crisis involved a cheap bottle of vodka and a fun-sized bag of M&M’s,” I pointed out.

  Odelia just grinned and nodded to Esther. “Take them to Elliot and Levana’s sanctuary, and I’ll handle provisions.”

  I took Esther for being a little stuffy, but she looked practically impish when she leaned in and told us to be as quiet as possible as we disappeared because the rest of the group there was a bit stuck up. She led us through a maze of hallways and a hidden door. The door was actually built into the wood paneling in the wall. I was starting to wonder what the hell I’d gotten myself into again. Secret rooms and rooms just for bat cats?

  I looked around. This was my first secret room, after all. I should at least see what people chose to do when they were paranoid and had so much money, they built these things. It was so…not what I was expecting. I guess I was expecting maps with pinpoints on the wall, televisions screens all showing Alex Jones or some other nutty conspiracy nut, and news clippings about aliens or bigfoot.

  There was no television in here at all. There were plush couches and chairs and what looked like surround sound speakers. It looked like they did craft projects in here. I could see where someone was working on carving wooden chess pieces, and someone else was knitting a sweater. It looked like it was for that cat with the bat ears. That just set me off again. I grew up in ill-fitting clothes that were handed down to me.

  Esther clearly saw right through me. She led Lizzie and me over to the sofa. “Odelia and I were like you and Lizzie with Levana. I had the same reaction you did when I saw the cat. He’s apparently a Russian breed called a Peterbald. They crossed an Oriental Shorthair with a hairless Russian breed. Did you know Drake has webbed feet and can open doors? Your mother had to bathe him once a month because of his skin, and he needed sweaters in the winter because of drafts in this house. Most of us have cats. It’s just a thing with the families.

  “It’s like Drake never ages. He should be slowing down since he’s so old. No one but Levana and Elliot has ever been able to get his sweaters on him or give him his baths. They tried having a maid do it, and then they tried having several groomers come in. Drake was just too much for all of them. Drake is on several lists for groomers if they see his name, they won’t come out. If you can believe this, Drake made such an impression on everyone that came out, groomers were warning other groomers. After the Lambs died, the only person he’d let near him was Mattan, which is curious. He took to Mattan right away, which is odd because something happened your parents would never tell us about that they didn’t get along with Mattan very well.”

  “Am I in danger from Mattan? He seemed so nice. If he did something so horrible, my mother wouldn’t tell her best friends, can I trust him?”

  “You mother? Mattan just told us you were an heir,” Esther said, raising an eyebrow.

  Shit. Was I not supposed to say something because of that stupid urban legend?

  Odelia came in the room followed by someone holding a tray. Odelia was scowling at Esther. “Mattan probably just filed their taxes past the deadline or messed up their money. Mattan is way too boring for a proper scandal. Why are you breaking all that out now and overwhelming Tabitha? I came armed.”

  A tray was set in front of me, and my inner bartender kicked in. “A Mudslide, Chocolate Cake shots, and I believe there’s a Chocolate Mint Julep on here?”

  Odelia grinned. “Well, you’re definitely a Rothledge. Your mother’s secret truffle stash should be…right in this drawer,” she said, triumphantly pulling a golden box out a drawer. “The chef here also makes a mean steak, so that will be brought in when it’s done. I made those drinks, so try not to give me a hard time if they aren’t up to standard. I learned from your mother, but my family works in finance.”

  She seemed to accept I was Levana’s daughter without question. Esther seemed to as well. They were both looking at me with tears in their eyes.

  “Mattan kind of explained
to me the families and the tribes, but not in huge detail. I know there was some urban legend about some families never mixing. How many families are there?”

  “The original families have always been thirteen. The stories about the Rothledges and the Lambs were kept with an elder, our historian. During the Salem Witch Trials, she was accused. She knew it was coming and sent her children away. Back then, there was no way to fight an accusation. Any way they tested you was going to kill you. From what’s been passed down, they raided her house, and all of our histories should have been safe in a room very much like this one.

  “The story goes that the families sent coded messages in ancient Hebrew. They founded a coded note and just assumed the symbols were witchcraft. They burned the manor with the elder locked inside it. They murdered her and took our history with it. Everyone has their own version of what was hidden in that house, but no one knows for sure.”

  Odelia claimed she couldn’t mix drinks, but she would have made great tips at the seedy bar I worked at. I’d downed half the Mudslide, and between Lizzie and me, all the shots were gone. I had a good buzz going when someone came in with the trays with the steaks. Odelia didn’t ask, but my steak was perfect. I could have put a Band-Aid on it and milked the cow.

  Odelia and Mattan seemed to know what I liked without asking. Lizzie and I had the same Christmas tradition every year. We had no family except each other. We didn’t keep ties with anyone else from the foster system. Every year, on Labor Day, we’d start putting tips into an old coffee can. Just small amounts we could spare. We’d pick up extra tips and work holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving.