Eden & Echo - A Gritty Cyberpunk Noir Thriller

Later that night Sapphire dug through my wardrobe and made a series of increasingly disappointed sounds the deeper she went. We had become friends after our time stuck together in the boneyard. Apparently she thought that meant she could tell me what to wear.

I wasn't very keen on the idea but I had a few aces up my sleeve. For starters, clothing sized for humans wasn't exactly common. Secondly, my entire closet was filled with nothing but jeans, T-shirts, and jackets.

“How is it that a woman with a rich father and an aunt who has her own fashion label doesn't own anything worth wearing?” Sapphire asked.

“Dunno, just lucky I guess.” I looked around the room. “There's nothing wrong with a nice pair of jeans and a T-shirt.”

“Yes, there is.” She replied, hunting around the closet for some hidden latch. “You have to be hiding a stash of decent clothing somewhere…”

Damn, I thought. She was onto me. Usually when people tried to get me to dress up I told them that my good clothes were at the villa. But I knew that tactic wouldn't work on someone like Sapphire. She would call a helicopter to take us there immediately.

The white furred katzen paused as if she was trying to remember something.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I'm going through the inventory of your apartment from when those assholes attacked you six months ago. The police went over this entire place and cataloged everything.”

“I'm pretty sure that's cheating.” I said as I thought about my stash of designer dresses one floor below us. The climate controlled storage facility was supposed to serve as a buffer between my apartment and the others.

Access was closely controlled and monitored to prevent theft but it also stopped someone from drilling through my floor to see what I was up to. Apparently that happened sometimes.

“Alright, spill.” Sapphire said. “Where are you hiding the dresses? There were six RKC designer dresses noted on the evidence log.”

“Which is strange because I originally had eight.” I replied, wondering where the other two ended up. “They also took some of my booze and a box of protein bars.

“Ahah! I knew it.” Sapphire's blue eyes lit up. “Where are they?”

“Eaten, by now. I would expect.” I replied.

Sapphire seemed confused for a moment then narrowed her eyes at me. “I wasn't talking about the protein bars.”

“Oh, well then if you find them let me know.” I started preparing my outfit for tomorrow. There was a big fashion show in Möhi and my presence was required.

Sapphire took the clothes out of my hands and threw them on the ground. “Come on! We're leaving tomorrow! You can't wear jeans and a T-shirt to fucking Crufts!”

“Why not?” I asked. “I did last year.”

She gave me a look like she was trying to make my head explode with her mind then closed her eyes. She was calling someone. Who was she calling? And why did I feel like it was going to result in me wearing something other than jeans?

“Alright, I called my partner and she's going to whip you up something acceptable to wear. Come along…” She waved for me to follow her.

I shook my head. “Sorry, no can do. As a brand ambassador for the Rainbow Katzen Company I would be in breach of contract if I wore another designer’s work to ‘fucking Crufts’ as you put it.”

Sapphire picked up a pair of jeans and looked at the label. Then she looked again, not believing what she was seeing. “RKC doesn't make jeans and Genevieve Geneva hates denim.” Sapphire said, looking at the pants like they were proof of alien life.

“I mean, there are actually memes about how much she hates denim. How did you get her to make RKC branded jeans?” She asked.

“Aunt GG may hate denim. But she sure loves her niece.” I said smugly.

The real reason was Simon had agreed to build her a new factory if she made my clothes. But I didn't have to tell Sapphire that.

“So,” I said, realizing that now was as good a time as any to have the chat. “Don't try and tell me what to wear. I'm not your pet human to dress up in cute costumes and take pictures with.”

She tried to speak but I cut her off.

“I know you think you're helping. But you should also know that I have my own style and way of dressing that I feel comfortable with. I don't want people wondering who that nice tall human in the custom dress is, or taking pictures of me.”

“I have stayed out of the tabloids and social media for a reason. Part of that is I hate how they treat women. The other part is that I don't want to be recognized or have people digging into my life. If I show up looking too pretty, someone inevitably starts another rumor that I'm Simon’s mistress. It's not fair, but that's what happens.”

“Sometimes I dress up and yes, I do enjoy it. But I only do it for private events and dinners with close friends or for formal events where it can't be avoided.” I left out the whole part about being a demi-human. That was another reason to stay out of the spotlight.

“Shit.” Sapphire said. “I never knew. Now I feel like an asshole.”

“It's alright. You aren't the first person I've had to explain this to and you won't be the last.” I replied.

She looked down at the black pair of jeans in her hands. “You can't believe how frustrating it is to know these exist and not be able to tell anyone. It's like finding a sky full of stars and not being able to take a picture.”

“I suppose it is, isn't it?” I stopped, realizing the full extent of what she said. Homeworld only had a sun and a moon, no sky full of stars, just inky blackness.

“Wait a second, how do you know about stars?” I asked. She was the first person other than my father that had brought them up. Most who had access to human fiction probably assumed that stars were as fake as magic or superheroes.

“Fuck that, how do you know about stars?” Sapphire replied.