Chapter 10: THE CAT

I hit confirm and watched my stats update.

Since Jacob had left, I’d spent a lot of time thinking about what to do with those five points. My original plan was to raise my Charisma to ten, but I didn’t want to waste them either. Still, after thinking it over for a while, I decided to stick with the plan.

Charisma hit 10. The moment it did, a new notification appeared.

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MILESTONE REACHED

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Attribute: CHA [10]

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Choose your Evolution:

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[A] THE GENTLE PROTECTOR

> The Safe Haven

Effect: Targets feel an

instant sense of security

and trust. Favor gains are

increased by 50% when a

Target is in a [Distressed]

or [Sad] state.

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[B] THE SILVER WHISPERER

> Your voice now carries a

subliminal frequency.

When speaking to a Target

with < 30% Loyalty, your

suggestions are 25% more

likely to be accepted

as their own thoughts.

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SELECT ONE TO CONFIRM

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Both options were tempting, but I went with The Gentle Protector. None of my current targets had loyalty below 30%, and the ability to gain favor much faster when they were vulnerable felt more useful right now.

The menu refreshed.

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MAIN MENU

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NAME: Chance Brooks

LVL: 3 [0/156]

RANK: -

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[ CORE STATS ]

> CHA: 10

> END: 5

> PER: 6

> LCK: 3

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[ ENERGY ]

> LUST : 140/140

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[ ACTIVE PERKS ]

> [The Outsider]

> [The Gentle Protector]

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SIN POINTS: 290

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"Oh yeah! Get that dick in my tight little asshole!"

"Take that! Take that!"

The usual loud sex from across the hall was in full swing again. I shook my head, put out my cigarette, and turned off the lights. I had a morning shift tomorrow.

I had just crawled into bed when my phone started ringing. Who would be calling me? Close to midnight, just when I was about to sleep?

My sister... of course.

"Hey," I answered, lying back.

"Hey, little bro!" she slurred, clearly wasted. Loud music and voices blared in the background. "Wassup?"

"I’m trying to sleep. You at a bar?"

"Yeah, with Jeremy!" She hiccuped and laughed at something someone said. "Listen... we kinda need some money again."

I closed my eyes, feeling a familiar knot in my stomach.

"You’re out partying and you’re calling me for money?"

"Hey, we’re just relieving some stress. Don’t judge me, Chancey. You’ve always helped me out."

That was the final straw.

All the years of her stealing my stuff, getting me in trouble, and draining me dry while she partied with her gambling addict husband flashed through my mind. Because of them, I was stuck in this shithole. Because of them, I got beaten half to death.

I was done.

"Sis," I said calmly, "just fuck off. Don’t call me again."

"HUH? Chance, what the fu—"

I hung up, then immediately blocked her number.

The silence that followed felt... liberating. Like a massive weight had been ripped off my chest. For the first time in years, I felt truly free.

"I did the right thing," I whispered to myself in the dark. "I finally did the right thing."

As if on cue, Jeremy, that fucking deadbeat, called me. I grabbed my phone again, blocked his ass too, and shut my eyes. From now on, I was going to focus on my own life and nothing else. I was done helping people who only dragged me down. I’d promised myself I was going to change. And maybe that change started here.

Even though I knew I’d done the right thing, something still felt off. Sleep wouldn’t come. I turned to one side, then the other, stared at the ceiling, but nothing worked. Why did I feel guilty for refusing to help my sister? I was such a fucking idiot.

’Come on, Chance,’ I muttered. ’Just sleep.’

Then I heard a cat meow outside. Any trace of sleep vanished instantly. I shot up, pulled the curtains apart, and looked outside.

But to my disappointment, the cat across the street was just an orange stray. It didn’t have those strange pink-and-purple eyes.

"Yeah... figured."

I let the curtains fall shut and climbed back into bed, closing my eyes as I tried to remember that day. But everything was a blur, thanks to the beating Cole gave me.

Still, I was going to miss that little cat.

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎