Last Life by A.C. Wolfe

Well, shit. Eight lives lost. I'm on my last one.

Okay, let's back up here. I'm Geniveve, and while I may look human, I'm not. Mousy brown hair in a short pixie cut, hazel eyes that, if you look long enough, peer into your soul. Yeah, I look human enough, other than my eyes.

My eyes have slit pupils. The doctors blame it on some genetic malfunction, but they have no idea what really goes on with me, what happens to me in the night.

How can they? They're small minded humans. They'd call ME the freak, when really they are. They're lives don't matter in the grand scheme of things. They only have one.

I, on the other hand, have nine.

My first one, spent on a betrayal.

My second, spent on the run.

My third, taken by an evil man.

My fourth, taken when killing him.

My sixth and seventh, sacrificed for another.

And my eighth, wasted on someone I thought I loved.

THE FIRST LIFE:

"Jared, remind me again why we're doing this?"

"I told you already, Geniveve," he snarls. "No questions."

"Jesus, okay." I glare at the orange tabby next to me. I've been friends with him for as long as I could remember, the only other person I knew who was a werecat like me. I'm black, with gray stripes decorating me. They look kind of like normal stripes, but really, they're a tally of my lives. Nine. I have nine. Jared I've known forever, but I've never seen him like this before. He looks downright evil. His dark yellow eyes glint in the moonlight, and for the first time, I'm actually scared of my best friend.

"Jared?"

"SILENCE!" he roars, and I slink back.

"What the fuck, man?" He growls and advanced towards me, muttering something about God Almighty. I try to step back, but realize I've cornered myself. Behind me is a steep cliff, deep enough to kill even the strongest of cats.

"Jared, stop!" He hisses, louder than before. I'm reminded of a gas pipe leaking lethal air. The lethal air seeps into my lungs, suffocating me. Making me crazy. Swirling my thoughts. And all I can see is his yellow eyes.

They suffocate me. To escape the evil gaze, I take a leap backwards.

"Traitor!" I scream on the way down. The cold look never left his eyes.

I hit ground.