The first thing Ava noticed that Thursday morning wasn't the rain or the alarm or even Noir's disapproving stare.
It was the silence.
No music from the neighbors. No cars outside. Just the faint ticking of the kitchen clock and the steady breathing of the cat perched on the window sill.
She stood there for a while, holding her mug, staring at him.
He was watching the rain like someone remembering it.
"You look dramatic," she said, breaking the quiet.
He didn't move. "Rain has memories," he said simply.
Ava snorted. "Right. And I suppose you've interviewed it personally?"
Noir turned his head slightly, golden eyes glinting. "I've listened."
Ava smiled despite herself. "You're weird."
"And you're predictable," he countered.
"Thanks."
"Not a compliment."
"Still taking it as one."
By the time she arrived at the office, the storm outside had turned the city gray and sleepy. Mina was already there, wearing a neon-green raincoat and holding two coffees like trophies.
"Saved your life again," Mina announced, setting one on Ava's desk.
"You're my hero," Ava said, wrapping her hands around the warm cup.
Daniel appeared a minute later, dripping water onto the carpet. "Elevator's broken again," he grumbled. "Five flights of stairs in the rain. My cardio for the month."
"You should be grateful," Mina said. "Free exercise. Builds character."
"Character doesn't pay bills."
"Neither does complaining."
Ava watched them bicker, hiding a smile. It was these little moments these harmless, human exchanges that made the monotony bearable.
By ten o'clock, the team was deep in preparation for the client presentation. Lydia was her usual poised self, flipping through slides on her tablet with clinical precision.
"Alright," Lydia said, "visuals are finalized. Mina, you'll handle social copy. Ava, you're taking lead on verbal presentation since you're the writer. You'll represent the tagline and emotional concept."
Ava blinked. "Wait, I'm presenting?"
Lydia looked up, smirking faintly. "Yes. Unless you're too nervous?"
Ava straightened. "No. I can handle it."
"Good. Then don't make it sound like a bedtime story."
Mina elbowed her under the table, whispering, "She's jealous. You've got main character energy."
Ava barely suppressed a laugh. "Main character who's about to faint."
Daniel whispered, "Just picture the clients in their underwear."
Ava glared at him. "That's not helping."
"It works in movies."
"This isn't a movie!"
Mina grinned. "Yet."
Hours later, Ava stood in the small conference room, heart hammering.
The clients sat across from her three middle-aged executives who looked like they hadn't smiled since 2005.
Lydia watched from the corner, arms folded, expression unreadable.
Ava took a breath and began.
Her voice trembled at first, but as she spoke, something clicked. She wasn't just reading slides. She was telling a story the story behind the product, the feeling it wanted to evoke.
Words flowed naturally, her gestures confident but not forced. The clients nodded, even smiled a little. By the end, they were murmuring approval.
When the meeting ended, Lydia approached her.
"Not bad," she said quietly. "You didn't embarrass us."
Ava smirked. "High praise."
Lydia gave a small shrug. "Don't get used to it."
But as she walked away, Ava noticed something rare a hint of a smile.
Back at her desk, Mina leaned over, whispering, "You were amazing! See? Main character energy!"
Daniel grinned. "You didn't even stutter once."
"Pretty sure my heart was doing parkour," Ava said.
Mina raised her phone dramatically. "I recorded the whole thing!"
"You what?"
"For training purposes!" Mina said, laughing.
Ava groaned, hiding her face. "Delete it before it haunts me."
"No chance. It's my new motivational video."
Daniel added, "We should show Noir. Maybe he'll stop judging you."
"Don't even joke about that," Ava said, laughing despite herself.
That night, when she returned home, Noir was sitting on the dining table, tail wrapped neatly around his paws.
"You smell like anxiety," he said.
Ava dropped her bag. "I presented in front of actual humans today. I think I earned that smell."
"Did they survive?"
"Barely."
"Then you did well."
Ava blinked. "Was that… a compliment?"
"An observation," Noir said. "You didn't trip, stutter, or faint. Progress."
"Thanks, I guess."
He looked at her for a moment longer, then hopped off the table. "You're changing."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Your eyes," he said simply. "They've stopped looking backward."
For a moment, Ava didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth to respond, but Noir had already wandered into the living room, curling up on the couch like nothing happened.
She stood there, her heart strangely full, wondering how a talking cat could read her better than most people.
Later, after dinner, she opened her laptop to check emails.
Noir watched from the armrest, eyes half-lidded.
"You humans spend so much time staring at glowing rectangles," he said. "Are you sure it's not a form of hypnosis?"
"It's called working."
"It looks like suffering."
"Sometimes it's both."
"Tragic species."
Ava chuckled. "You know, for someone cursed or magical or whatever you are, you talk like an old man."
"I am not old," Noir said, offended. "I'm timeless."
"Uh-huh. And how's that working out for you?"
"Poorly. You don't feed me enough tuna."
Ava laughed so hard she almost spilled her tea. "Oh my god, you're such a diva."
"Divas have standards."
"And you have attitude."
"It's what keeps me interesting."
She leaned back, smiling. "You really do think highly of yourself, huh?"
"Someone has to."
Ava looked at him for a moment, her grin softening. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Maybe that's what I need to learn from you."
Outside, the rain had finally stopped. The city glowed faintly through the wet windows. Ava closed her laptop and turned off the lights.
As she walked past Noir, she heard him murmur softly, almost to himself, "She's starting to remember."
Ava froze mid-step. "What?"
Noir's eyes opened slowly, reflecting the dim light. "Nothing. Go to sleep."
She wanted to press him, but his gaze was unreadable again ancient, patient, and faintly sad.
Instead, she whispered, "Goodnight, Noir."
He didn't reply, but his tail flicked once, gently, like an unspoken answer.
Friday morning started deceptively normal.
The city was bright again, as if it had never rained at all. Ava woke up before her alarm for once, feeling surprisingly refreshed.
That feeling lasted exactly three seconds until she found Noir sitting inside the refrigerator.
"Excuse me?" she said, blinking.
He looked up from a carton of milk, utterly calm. "The cold preserves clarity."
"You're sitting next to the butter."
"Yes. It's peaceful here."
"Get out of my fridge, you little weirdo."
"I'm contemplating breakfast."
"Contemplate faster."
Reluctantly, Noir jumped down, landing with graceful indifference. "You humans hoard too much dairy."
"Some of us have bones to maintain," Ava said, shutting the door. "Unlike certain freeloading philosophers."
He ignored the insult, stretching luxuriously. "Your sarcasm improves daily. I'm proud."
"I'll put that on my résumé."
By the time she reached the office, everyone was already in pre-weekend mode.
Daniel was doodling on sticky notes, Mina was browsing online for "weekend getaway ideas under fifty dollars," and Lydia was... still working, because of course she was.
"Morning, team," Ava greeted.
"Morning, boss," Mina teased.
"I'm not the boss."
"You presented yesterday. That gives you temporary boss points."
Daniel nodded seriously. "Ten points, at least."
Ava grinned. "Great. I'll use them to buy my dignity back."
Lydia, overhearing, sighed quietly. "Some of us prefer using our points for productivity."
Mina leaned toward Ava and whispered, "Translation: she has no social life."
"Still here," Lydia said dryly without looking up.
Mina mouthed, witch.
Ava tried not to laugh. It was all so ordinary, so comfortably human.
But even as she smiled, something in the back of her mind itched a faint unease she couldn't explain.
The day passed quickly, full of coffee, chatter, and emails that could've been avoided entirely.
By the time the clock hit six, Ava and Mina were heading out together.
"So," Mina said, "movie night tomorrow? I'm thinking rom-com or horror. Nothing in between."
"Those are two completely different moods."
"Exactly why we'll decide based on snacks. Sweet snacks mean romance, salty snacks mean death."
Ava laughed. "You're impossible."
"That's why you love me."
"I tolerate you."
"Same thing!" Mina grinned, looping her arm through Ava's as they crossed the street.
For a few minutes, Ava forgot all about the strange dream, Noir's cryptic comments, and everything else. It was just another Friday evening.
When she got home, the apartment was dark except for the faint glow of the TV. Noir was watching some late-night documentary about ancient civilizations, his tail flicking lazily.
"Enjoying your education?" Ava asked, setting down her bag.
"They worshipped cats, you know," Noir said without turning his head.
"Yeah, I remember. Must've been your golden age."
He gave a pleased hum. "Finally, a civilization with taste."
Ava laughed, heading toward the kitchen. "So what are we having for dinner?"
"We?"
"Yes, we. You live here, you contribute."
"I contribute wisdom."
"You contribute hairballs."
Noir blinked slowly. "Blasphemy."
Ava smiled, opening a can of tuna. "Here. Tribute from your loyal subject."
"Acceptable," he said, hopping onto the counter.
As they ate, a low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. The weather had changed again heavy clouds gathering without warning.
Ava frowned. "Weird. Forecast said clear all weekend."
"The sky doesn't follow forecasts," Noir said. "It follows memory."
"There you go again with the mysterious poetry."
He didn't answer this time. His eyes were fixed on something near the window.
Ava followed his gaze but there was nothing. Just rain beginning to fall, softly against the glass.
When she turned back, Noir's fur was slightly raised, his body tense.
"Hey," she said softly. "What is it?"
He didn't reply. Then, just as suddenly, he relaxed. "Nothing. An echo."
"An echo of what?"
"Of something that shouldn't exist anymore."
The way he said it made Ava's skin prickle. "You're being creepy again."
"That's my charm."
She tried to laugh it off, but something about his tone lingered in her chest long after he jumped down from the counter.
Later that night, Ava sat at her desk, scrolling through her work notes. The apartment was quiet except for the sound of rain.
Then
A soft tap.
She looked up.
Another tap. This time, from the hallway.
She stood slowly, her heart skipping. Noir was asleep on the couch, curled up and motionless.
The light flickered once. Twice.
"Okay," Ava whispered to herself, "no horror movie stuff tonight, please."
She took a hesitant step toward the hallway. Everything looked normal the same small framed photos, the same half-open door to her room.
Then, for a split second, she thought she saw movement. A faint shadow slipping across the wall, like a person passing behind her.
She spun around. Nothing.
The air felt heavier somehow.
When she turned back, Noir was awake, sitting upright, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
"You saw that too, didn't you?" she whispered.
He tilted his head. "Go to bed, Ava."
"What was it?"
"Nothing that belongs in this time."
Her breath caught. "You mean"
But Noir looked away. "Sleep," he said again, firmer this time. "Dreams are safer than what's awake right now."
Ava didn't argue. Something in his voice told her she didn't want the answer.
In bed, she stared at the ceiling for a long time.
The rain had stopped, but she could still feel the rhythm of it somewhere in her chest.
And just before sleep took her, she thought she heard a whisper not from Noir, not from the apartment but from somewhere deep inside her own memory.
Find me.
Saturday mornings were sacred.
For Ava, that usually meant sleeping in until the sun bullied her awake and spending half the day pretending to be productive.
This Saturday, though, something felt… different.
She woke to the faint sound of humming.
It wasn't the TV. It wasn't her phone. It was soft, almost melodic, coming from the living room.
Ava rubbed her eyes and padded out, still half-asleep.
And then she froze.
Noir was standing yes, standing on his hind legs, front paws resting on the edge of the window sill, humming in a low, tuneless voice while staring outside.
It was such a bizarre image that for a moment she wondered if she was still dreaming.
"...Are you singing?" she asked.
He didn't turn. "I'm resonating."
"Resonating with what?"
"The morning."
Ava blinked. "You're unbelievable."
"I prefer 'enigmatic.'"
"You prefer attention."
"Also true."
She walked to the kitchen and poured herself coffee. "Do all cursed beings sing to the sunrise, or is this your personal brand of weird?"
He finally turned his head. "Mock all you like. You'll hum too someday."
"Not likely."
And yet, as she took her first sip of coffee, a faint warmth spread through her chest a strange peace, like déjà vu in slow motion.
Later that morning, Mina called.
"Emergency," she said dramatically. "I need brunch and validation."
Ava laughed. "Those are my two weaknesses."
"Then it's fate. Be ready in twenty minutes."
By the time Mina arrived, Noir was lounging on the couch.
He eyed Mina suspiciously as she walked in.
"Still creepy," Mina said flatly.
"Still loud," Noir replied.
Mina gasped. "Did he just?!"
"Yes," Ava sighed. "He talks. It's his favorite hobby."
Mina pointed accusingly at Noir. "You're too smug for something that doesn't pay rent."
"Smugness is priceless," he said without missing a beat.
Ava had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.
"Come on," Mina said, glaring at Noir. "Before I start arguing with your pet philosopher."
"He's not my pet," Ava muttered automatically.
Noir smirked. "She's learning."
The café was crowded, the kind of cozy chaos Ava secretly loved.
Mina talked non-stop about her dating disasters, Daniel's "terrible fashion sense," and her new obsession with tarot cards.
"So, according to this app," Mina said between bites of pancakes, "you're going to meet a mysterious man soon. Probably dark-haired. Brooding. You'll hate him first, then fall in love, then"
Ava groaned. "Stop."
"Then discover he's secretly cursed and immortal!"
Ava froze, fork halfway to her mouth.
Mina grinned. "What? Too cliché?"
"No, just... oddly specific."
Mina shrugged. "It's the plot of half the romance section online. Maybe it's manifesting!"
"Please don't manifest that."
Mina laughed, oblivious to Ava's uneasy smile.
By evening, Ava was back home, trying to read while Noir napped nearby. The rain had started again, faint and steady.
She reached for her mug and froze.
It wasn't on the table anymore. It was hovering just an inch above it.
Her heart stopped.
The mug trembled, as if caught between two invisible forces, and then gently settled back down with a soft clink.
Ava stared at it, pulse racing. "Noir…?"
He stirred, eyes half-opening. "Hm?"
"The mug. It it just moved."
"Good."
"Good?!"
He yawned. "Means it's starting."
"What's starting?"
"The remembering."
Ava stood up, her chair scraping. "Okay, no. You don't get to drop cryptic bombs like that and go back to sleep."
Noir opened one eye. His golden gaze was sharper than usual, old and unsettling. "I told you before dreams are safer. You're waking up too quickly."
She shook her head. "You're not making sense."
"Not yet," he said softly. "But you will."
The air in the room shifted again heavy, humming, alive.
For a moment, Ava could swear she saw faint patterns flickering on the walls like the reflection of light from moving water, but slower, deliberate.
Then, just as suddenly, everything stilled.
The hum faded.
The lights steadied.
And Noir's expression softened back into his usual half-bored stare.
"You should rest," he said quietly. "You'll need your strength."
"For what?"
"For when the past stops pretending to be a dream."
Ava's breath caught. "You talk like I'm part of this."
"You are," he said simply. "You always were."
That night, sleep didn't come easily.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw flashes shadows of another world, stone towers, torches, faces she almost recognized.
And that same voice, whispering from far away:
Find me.
She woke up around 3 a.m., sweating, her heart pounding.
Noir was sitting by the window again, silhouetted by moonlight. He looked calm too calm.
"You were there," she whispered. "In the dream."
He didn't turn. "You're remembering faster than I expected."
"What does that mean?"
He looked over his shoulder, eyes glowing faintly gold. "It means the curse isn't just mine anymore."
Ava's pulse thundered. "You're saying what, that it's spreading?"
"Not spreading," Noir said. "Reconnecting."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Neither does time," he replied, gaze distant. "And yet it moves."
For a long moment, they just stared at each other.
Then Noir hopped down, padding silently toward her. His voice dropped to a near whisper.
"When the veil starts to thin, remember this, Ava: don't trust the light."
"Why?" she asked, her throat dry.
He hesitated. "Because it remembers, too."
The clock ticked softly in the silence that followed.
Ava didn't know what he meant, or why his words made her chest ache with an emotion she couldn't name.
Outside, the rain stopped.
Inside, the world felt like it was quietly rearranging itself just slightly, but undeniably.
And as Noir curled beside her feet, his eyes slowly closing, Ava whispered the question that had been burning in her since the day she met him:
"Who were you… before the curse?"
Noir didn't answer. But in the quiet that followed, she could almost hear his heartbeat and for the first time, she wasn't sure it was only her imagination.