The Magnificent Cat by Nadia Ramadan (early reader chapter books .TXT) 📕

my God…!” Nick said as he bends down to look at his colleague's dead body on the ground. 

Everyone continued to stare at the shattered place without saying a word to each other. For it was horrible no words could express it.

Wade looked around and then ran straight to the elevator.

James continued to follow him but Picklock held him back.

"No" Picklock said seriously "don’t go there!"

"I have to" James insisted as he looked at Mr. Picklock and ran off to the elevator.

The other guards followed them; some took the elevator while the others took the stairs from the back of the building. 

 

The fact that both iron doors of the secretive room was left wide open, already gave everyone the bad feeling.

Wade was the first to run into the secretive room, he directly saw Armand's dead body lying on his own pool of blood.

Wade continued to look, still in shock, without saying anything, he looked at Armand's messed up body shot twice on the chest and a bullet on his head.

Wade dropped on his knee next to Armand's body, with his mind blown away, his heart crushed and his feelings shredded apart. For a second or two he was actually not feeling himself around. He started to breath hard and covered his face with his hands.

 

James, Picklock, Nick and the other guards finally entered into the room, only to see Wade lying down next to Armand's dead body in pain and heartbreaking.

Picklock stood at the door in shock without saying anything. Everyone continued to be quite, not saying a single word to each other. 

James walked deeper into the room and looked at the empty spot where the Magnificent Cat used to be. At this point he actually felt that he lost his other half. He never understood what is meant by the fact that he is actually the Magnificent Cat, but in this very moment he can feel it. It was a strong feeling as if he's other half is being taken away from him, and this time for good. Did he actually lose his grandfather's will ?

James continued to look at the empty space, feeling down and sadden. He turned back to look at Wade sitting next to Armand's corpse, all of a sudden he could see himself, he could see himself the day he first saw his father lying on the ground dead, stabbed in the neck by Bacilli, it was the most horrible day of his life.  

Wade got up silently and was heading down stairs solely.

 

"Wade!" James called out suddenly to break the silence.

Wade turned to look at James. Everyone else in the room turned to look as well.

"Wade, I want you listen to me" James started "I am so sorry…I-"

"Stop it!" Wade interrupted as he holds himself from bursting into tears "Stop it right now! I am not going to stand here and listen to the crap you are saying"

"Don’t say that!" James continued "I just said I am sorry…"

"Don’t say things you don’t mean, James!" Wade shouted "you never liked Armand and I am sure you don’t feel a thing right now, for all what you care about is the Magnificent Cat!"

"I haven't-" James started to talk but Wade ignored and went into the elevator.

"Damn it" James said as he took the stairs instead to follow Wade. 

All the rest of the staffs and the guards followed them as well.

 

Lisa ran as fast as she could until she finally reached the building, she was still dressed in her performance clothes and her hair was all messed up.

Lisa couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the building all filled with bullet holes and torn apart.

"What…?" Lisa said lowly to herself

"Don’t go in there!" a woman shouted from behind 

Lisa turned to look at the woman and said "what?"

"I said don’t go in there" the woman repeated "I think there is a serious problem"

"Lisa ignores the woman and ran into the building.

 

As Lisa walked into the building, all she could see was the dead guards on the ground.

Lisa screamed and ran out of the building.

"Oh my God!" she repeated to herself "oh my God!"

 

Wade walked out of the elevator angrily into the hall and was heading to his car.

"Wade!" James called again "wait a minute"

Wade stopped walking and turned to look at James.

"I am not going to lie to you" James said as he walked closer "it's true, I never liked Armand, and I am not hurting like you are right now"

"Then why don’t you just leave me the hell alone!" Wade shouted 

 

Lisa heard Wade's voice and walked into the building slowly. She peeped behind the door and could see James and Wade talking to each other.

Everyone ran down the stairs and stood there also to look at both James and Wade.

 

"It's just that you remind me of myself" James continued "believe it or not, but I was there, and I felt exactly the same"

"No James" Wade replied "you don’t know how I feel"

"Of course I do" James interrupted "the day I saw my father dead on the ground, I … felt horrible and torn, and I was only 7 years old"

Wade for the first time looked at James seriously and was actually listening.

"I was 7 years old and I felt the world is going to end, I actually wanted to die! I was completely lost and suicidal at that very age, if it wasn't for Mr. Picklock who looked after me and helped me throughout the years, I wouldn’t be here today"

Wade turned to look at Mr. Picklock standing at the corner of the hall. Picklock nodded his head to point out that James's words are true.

Wade tuned back to look at James and said "well, I am sorry too"

"I went through this every single day of my life!" James continued "but sometimes you just have to move on"

"You are not making any point, James" Wade continued "can’t you see it’s over, it’s all over, sooner or later the police will be knocking on our door asking for explanation!"

"That won’t happen" James said "but only if we all stick together"

"I can't do this!" Wade said as tears rolled down his face "I just can’t, this is horrible!"

"Don’t say that" James shouted "it's not over! Let's show them that we can't be overpowered easily!"

"I can only do that if Armand was around" Wade continued "but I was bad to him during the last couple of days, I was being childish, rude, and now he is gone! There is no point of fighting back now"

"Do you think Armand would want that?" James asked "letting his killers free and surrendering to the police! I don’t think so"

"I can't repay him anything" Wade replied "he is dead"

"So is my father" James added "but that doesn’t mean I should join him just yet, as a matter of fact I continued living with not even one purpose of living! I don’t even have an idea how I got this far, for I am nothing around here"

"Don’t say that, you can't be nothing…you are somebody"

"Not like you, Wade" James continued "I don’t get special treats like you, I have never lived half the way you live, I am miserable ever since my father's death"

Wade looked at James sadly and walked closer "I don’t think anyone meant any of this to you, I mean-"

"I use to have a lot of love in my heart" James continued "I was a very jovial and fun-loving child, these days I am only full of hatred and jealousy, imagining horrible things, left alone, sometime I would imagine myself killing every single one in this building especially you…”

Wade continued listen to James as he looked at him seriously.

“Regardless of how hateful I was” James continued “sometimes I would imagine how would things be like if we were both friends, things we will be telling each other, fun that we might have…but it never gets me anywhere” 

"Believe it or not…I sometime…" Wade started but couldn’t hold himself from crying "I… no matter how I dislike you or even avoid you, I …I imagined the same, what will it be like if we were friends, I…I…"

"Thank you for understanding" James said nicely "this is a-"

James did not finish his sentence when Wade walked closer to him and gave him a hug. James was still in shock but hugged him back nicely

Picklock, all the other staffs and guards looked at them shockingly but yet relieving and could actually see changes and hope is yet to come.

"Amazing" Picklock said to himself as he continued to look at them.

 

Lisa started to peep through the main door. Just as James and Wade stopped hugging themselves, Lisa ran back outside just to make sure no one saw her.

"We will find out who took it! We will get it back from Ruddick and Ray" James said seriously

"Where are they now?" Wade asked

"They went to Slycity for sure!" James replied "but how on earth could we fight Ruddick!?"

"That’s true" Picklock interrupted "I don’t want any of you to do something stupid"

"Well we do have more armies in case of any problems" Wade replied "I know how to get in touch with them, as long as we tell them the Magnificent Cat is gone; they will be ready to help"

"You mean there are more Armies!?" James asked

"Yes" Wade replied "under Armand's payroll too, I can call them right now"

"Good" James added "you do that, but first of all I want you to do something for me"

"What is it?" 

"I want you to make everyone listen to me, call their attention, I want to make a speech"

"Sure" Wade replied

"Listen up everyone!" Wade shouted

"Yes sir!" everyone else on the room replied

"I want you all to listen to James!" Wade continued "he has something important to say; and I recommend you all listen to him"

Everyone in the room turned to look at James.

James got up on the top of the hall's table, the same way he did when held the gun on his head. But this time he stood there bravely.

"Listen up everyone" James started "I think you all know where this is going…"

Everyone in the room stood there and looked at James seriously.

"There will be a war!" James shouted "they think they can get us easily, but we won't back down for a concert! They want to get us the easy way; well we will fight them back the hard way! Let's show them that we can be defeated, but never destroyed!"

"YEAH…!" Everyone shouted just as James finished speaking.

"I am sure they will be ready for us tomorrow!" James continued "they think we won't notice a thing right now, but guess what, we are fighting them tonight! As a matter of fact…Right now…!"

"YEAH" everyone roared again 

 

Far away in Slycity, Ruddick and his Troops finally reached their own building. The gigantic gate opened and they all walked in victoriously. 

Alden ran downstairs to them and said "Welcome back and congratulation"  

"Close the Gates!" Ruddick shouted as the Guards closed the gigantic gate.

Ray picked up his phone and dialed Patricia.

"Where the hell are you?" Ray asked just as Patricia picked up the phone

"I am at home" Patricia replied "I left the concert"

"Where is James?" Ray asked

"He left as well with all the armies!" Patricia replied "I think they know the Magnificent Cat is missing"

"Are you saying they are at the building now?" Ray asked

"Yes" Patricia replied "I can see them from my kitchen window"

"I want you to get the hell out of there, now!" Ray shouted 

"I will" Patricia replied "I am half way of putting the stuff into my car"

"Patricia, I told you to forget about the stuff!" Ray shouted

"It’s ok" Patricia answered "I will be right there!"

"We have to prepare for war" Ray said to Ruddick as he shuts the phone

"What are you talking about?" Ruddick asked

"They know!" Ray continued "they are at the building right now, and are probably preparing for a war!"

"Are you kidding me?" Ruddick said laughingly "they are probably drunk