"Who are you? Where am I? Where's my Nana? What did you do to them" Little Sasha tried to put on a brave front as she asked. Who are these people and where is she? Does her family know she got abducted? Or has her family... Her eyes widened as realization dawn on her .
As she imagined more, the face on little Sasha twisted into mortification.
"You... You killed them!" She pointed at the big black cat and shouted. Then, as if carrying enormous strength, she jumped on the cat and punched it with all her might. The cat just let her be, not even bothering to stop her.
"Stop annoying me." It said but little Sasha went on and rained punches on the bored cat. With a look of disgust, it swung its tail and pushed little Sasha away.
Lisa smiled awkwardly. This is not going the way she wanted. She cleared her throat and spoke.
"You've been mistaken. We did not do anything to your parents. They..." Trying to gauge the little girl's knowledge on Toradashi, Lisa tried to find the right words to tell the child.
"They went somewhere far away." Little Sasha blinked. Luca looked at her incredulously.
'Who would believe that?'
"You think I would believe you. Where is my family? Where did you take them?" Little Sasha continued to demand.
"Don't you know who my Baba is? He is the principal! You'll regret this!" Then she stood on her little legs and walked out of the tent. Shocked to see her house just outside the tent, she eyed her back once more but did not see anything else.
'What happened to the tent?'
"Hello? Is anyone there? Where did you go?" But nobody answered her back. Little Sasha furrowed her brows.
'I'm going to find them!' she thought and clenched her fists in determination.
Inside the tent. Lisa gave the little black cat a helpless look. When the little girl stormed out of the tent, the cat jumped to close it and so they've been hidden from view once more.
"Luca," she pleaded but the cat just snorted and refused to meet her gaze. Finally, Lisa smiled and gave in.
"She could be our only way to Toradashi." She spoke in a soft voice.
"What do you mean?"
"Her family was obviously looking for her before the gateway closed. No matter what happens, they will try to come back for her. We can. We can leave by then." Even Lisa found her excuse ridiculous but she had to believe.
The gateway has now closed and she had to believe that the little girl's family will come back for her. She had to believe. It's their only way to go back. The little black cat gave her a doubtful look and asked.
"Are you sure?"
'Of course not.' Lisa smiled bitterly to herself but she chose to stand by her lie and believe it, too.
"Of course. Cross my heart and hope..." The cat cut her off in an annoyed tone.
"You're not allowed to curse yourself. You've been picking up a lot of stupid things here. We'd better hurry up and go back to Toradashi." It said and stepped away from the entrance, silently giving its acquiescence.
"I trust you but I still don't believe that little dimwit would know how to enter Toradashi but I guess I'm just like you, I pick up a lot of stupid things here. I'll cross my fingers then."
"Paws." Lisa can't help but correct it. The little black cat harrumphed and sat smugly on the side. The pair of woman and cat watched little Sasha as she scanned her surroundings once more.
When her eyes landed on the place where the tent is built, she looked intensely towards their direction and stomped forward. What she did next shocked the pair to their core.
"Come out!" Little Sasha ordered as she looked in the empty space. She doesn't know it but she felt that the woman and her cat are still here in this empty space and so she shouted.
"I know you're in there! Come out!" She continued to demand while Lisa and the little black cat looked at the little girl in disbelief.
'Impossible!'
They looked at each other and, while still in shock, realization also dawned on them.
"You said she's a batari!" Luca managed to make out some words out of its mouth.
"That's what I thought as well." Lisa responded.
"Lisa, a batari can't do that." Luca spoke softly this time. They both looked back at the child who's still yelling outside their tent. Lisa shook her head and pressed her fingers on her temples.
"I know. I know. But she can't possibly be a Jiini." The Jiini is the most influential figure in Time City. She is the high priestess that is believed to bridge the gap between all torayi and The Most High. All Jiinis are sacred and we'll respected in Toradashi. The vishan and vishaniis are her disciples, they protect the Jiini and serve as messengers in all of the land. There is only one Jiini in each lifetime and so she is well protected and seldom leaves Time City.
"I know you're in there. I can smell you!" Little Sasha continued to yell. Too curious to stop itself, the cat looked out from the tent and asked, leaving Lisa holding onto its fur and shaking her head.
"How did you know we're in here?"
Little Sasha looked up and saw a big black head of a cat floating mid-air and staring down at her. She unconsciously stepped back and muttered,
"Ghost!" Before she ultimately passed out once more. Luckily, she's standing by the garden and the lush green leaves of her Nana's plants caught her round frame.
Lisa opened the tent and stepped out. When she saw the passed out child, she grimaced. She gazed back at the big black cat beside her and blinked. The panther Luca continued to look on, unwilling to move.
"Are you carrying her or am I carrying her?" Lisa asked, her smile helpless. Luca snorted but when it saw her bandaged arm, it grudgingly dragged its legs and swiped at the little child on the ground. Little Sasha landed on its back and the panther followed the woman who walked towards the house.
When they got inside, they took a look at the house for the first time with their very own eyes, unable to believe the house they've been spying on for years is now laid bare in their presence.