The morning after was a blur.
Ava woke to sunlight cutting across her face, her alarm buzzing somewhere on the floor. For a few seconds, she didn't move her body heavy, her mind fogged by fragments of the night before.
The mirror.
The voice.
Noir's absence.
When she finally sat up, the apartment felt… wrong. Too quiet, too still.
The faint smell of ash still lingered in the air.
"Noir?" she called softly.
Silence.
Her chest tightened. The spot by the window where he usually slept was empty, the cushion faintly indented.
She stood, looking around under the couch, behind the curtains, even inside the kitchen cupboards (which made her feel ridiculous). Nothing.
For the first time since the cat appeared, the apartment felt like what it used to be: lonely.
Only now, it felt worse.
By the time she got to work, she'd practiced her "I'm totally fine" face at least a dozen times.
It didn't work.
"Whoa," Mina said as soon as Ava stepped into the office. "Who died?"
Ava blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You look like you wrestled a ghost and lost," Mina said, squinting. "Or like you had a fight with your coffee machine again."
Daniel rolled his chair over from his desk. "I told you, Mina, that machine's a demon. Remember when it sprayed hot coffee on Han?"
Mina snorted. "A classic."
Ava managed a small smile. "I just didn't sleep much."
"You? Not sleep?" Daniel said. "That's like saying Mina didn't overshare at lunch."
"Rude," Mina said, hitting him with a file. "Anyway, Miss Zombie, you're coming with us after work."
Ava frowned. "Why?"
"Grocery run," Mina said cheerfully. "You look like you've been surviving on sadness and air."
Daniel nodded. "You can't live off instant noodles forever, Ava."
"I wasn't" she started, then sighed. "Fine."
"Good," Mina said, already scribbling something on a sticky note. "Because if you cancel again, I'm breaking into your place and cooking for you."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Last time you cooked, the smoke alarm called 911."
"Shut up, Daniel."
At least the morning passed quickly.
The office hummed with its usual rhythm phones ringing, papers shuffling, someone arguing with the printer again.
For a while, it almost felt normal.
Until Evelyn, from the next department over, stopped by Ava's desk.
Evelyn was the type of woman who seemed born to wear heels tall, poised, flawless. She gave everyone a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Especially not Ava.
"Morning, Ava," she said, her tone sugar-coated. "Rough night?"
Ava forced a polite smile. "Just tired."
"Oh, of course. You must be working so hard these days."
Her eyes flicked to Daniel, then back to Ava. "I suppose some of us have more motivation than others."
Daniel, oblivious as ever, waved. "Hey, Evelyn."
She smiled sweetly at him. "Hi, Daniel. Still working on that project I sent you?"
"Oh, right! Yeah, almost done."
"Perfect." Her gaze lingered on him before turning to Ava again, the sweetness fading just slightly. "Do make sure the report's done properly this time, won't you?"
Mina, who had been eavesdropping from the next cubicle, leaned over and whispered (loudly), "If she rolls her eyes one more time, I swear I'm throwing my stapler."
Ava bit back a laugh. "Don't. I don't want to explain to HR why my friend committed 'office assault.'"
"Fair," Mina said. "But still tempting."
Evelyn turned to leave, her perfume trailing behind her like a storm cloud. As she walked away, the three girls from her "clique" followed whispering and giggling.
Daniel blinked. "Did I miss something?"
Mina stared at him. "How can someone so tall be that dense?"
"What did I do?" he asked, genuinely confused.
Ava smiled faintly. "Nothing. That's the problem."
The day rolled on, ordinary in every way that wasn't.
Because no matter how normal the office seemed, Ava couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching her.
Every reflective surface the glass walls, the elevator doors, even her computer screen felt heavier somehow, as if the reflections inside them were a half-second late.
She told herself it was stress.
She told herself it was fine.
She lied.
After work, Mina and Daniel insisted on dragging her to the supermarket.
"Mission: Feed Ava," Mina declared, pushing a cart with reckless energy.
"Sub-mission: Make her buy vegetables that aren't instant," Daniel added, following behind.
Ava sighed. "You two are ridiculous."
"Ridiculously caring," Mina corrected.
They moved through the aisles, bickering the entire time Mina loading the cart with things Ava didn't need, Daniel removing them quietly one by one.
"You don't need five packs of ramen," he said.
"They're for emergencies," Mina replied.
"What kind of emergencies?"
"The emotional kind!"
Ava laughed genuinely laughed and for the first time that day, the tightness in her chest loosened.
She was grateful for them.
For their noise, their humor, their chaos.
They made the world feel normal again.
At least for a while.
But as they stood in line at the checkout, Ava's eyes caught something outside the store window.
A cat.
Black fur, sitting perfectly still on the curb across the street.
Her heart skipped. "Noir?"
Mina noticed her stare. "What is it?"
Ava blinked and the cat was gone.
"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just thought I saw something."
Daniel frowned. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. Just tired."
"Then tonight," Mina said, linking arms with her, "we watch dumb movies and eat too much ice cream."
Ava smiled. "You're impossible."
"Exactly," Mina said proudly. "And that's why you love me."
That night, after they dropped her off, Ava stood alone outside her apartment building for a moment.
The street was quiet, the air cool.
A faint breeze stirred the leaves of the old oak nearby.
For a moment, she could've sworn she heard a soft voice low, familiar, warm.
"Don't look too long."
She turned sharply.
No one was there.
Only her reflection in the glass door smiling faintly back at her a heartbeat too late.
The next morning, the office was unusually quiet. The kind of quiet that didn't feel peaceful, but tense, like the air before a storm. Ava arrived early, hoping to catch up on some reports, yet she immediately sensed something off.
Everyone was staring at the conference room.
Inside, Mr. Han, their manager, stood with arms crossed while Evelyn spoke rapidly, holding a stack of papers. The glass wall made it impossible not to overhear snippets of their argument.
"I told you that data was corrupted," Evelyn said sharply.
"And I told you to double-check before sending it to the client," Han replied.
Ava froze. The report. That was her project.
Daniel appeared beside her, whispering, "I think we're about to witness corporate warfare."
"Don't joke," Ava said under her breath. "That's the report we worked on last week."
Han turned toward the door and spotted her through the glass. "Ava, could you come in here, please?"
Her stomach dropped. She forced herself to smile at Mina, who gave her a thumbs-up that was clearly meant to be reassuring but looked more like a salute from a doomed soldier.
Ava stepped inside the room.
Evelyn's expression was almost smug, though she quickly masked it with professional concern. "We found several errors in the analysis section. The client noticed before we did."
Ava blinked. "That can't be right. I checked everything twice."
Han sighed, tapping the papers. "I believe you, Ava, but these numbers are wrong."
She leaned closer. Her eyes widened. The entire table of data had been altered. Wrong figures, missing labels, entire charts rearranged. But she hadn't touched it since finalizing it two days ago.
"I didn't do this," Ava said quietly.
Evelyn tilted her head, pretending to think. "Maybe it was a system glitch? These things happen."
Ava met her eyes, and something about that smile polite, perfect, practiced made her skin crawl.
Han exhaled. "We'll redo the report. Daniel, help Ava fix it before the end of the day."
"Yes, sir," Daniel said.
When the meeting ended, Ava walked out quickly. Mina followed, glaring at Evelyn on her way.
"That woman's soul is ninety percent perfume and ten percent evil," Mina muttered.
Daniel chuckled nervously. "Let's just fix the report before Han explodes."
Ava sat at her desk, trying to focus, but her hands trembled slightly as she retyped the data. Someone had tampered with her work. It wasn't paranoia this time; it was real.
By lunchtime, the office mood had shifted again. Mina was ranting about Evelyn to anyone who would listen, Daniel was doing his best to keep everyone calm, and Ava was halfway through her sandwich when her phone buzzed.
It was her father.
She hesitated, then answered. "Hi, Dad."
"Ava! You sound tired. Are you eating properly?"
She smiled faintly. "Yes, Dad. I'm fine."
"I stopped by your apartment earlier but you weren't home," he said. "I left the rice cooker you wanted. Also, there was a cat outside your door. Looked familiar."
Ava's breath caught. "A black one?"
"Yeah. Friendly thing. It followed me for a bit, then disappeared."
Her grip on the phone tightened. "Thanks, Dad. I'll call you later, okay?"
She hung up quickly. Mina and Daniel looked at her.
"Everything okay?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah," Ava said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just my dad."
But her mind was somewhere else entirely.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of numbers and frustration. Daniel helped where he could, cracking small jokes to lighten the mood.
"You know, I think spreadsheets are the universe's punishment for humanity's sins," he said.
"Agreed," Ava replied.
Mina leaned over from the next desk. "Then why are you both still here at seven p.m. suffering together? Go home!"
"Because some of us have integrity," Daniel said.
"Integrity won't save you from burnout," Mina said, tossing a candy bar at Ava. "Eat this and remember that life is short."
"Thanks, Mom," Ava said dryly.
Mina grinned. "Anytime, daughter."
Their laughter eased the tension, at least for a while. It was that kind of simple, warm chaos that made Ava forget her worries.
When they finally left, the office was nearly empty. Ava packed her things slowly, staring at her reflection in the computer screen. For a second, she thought she saw movement behind her. A flicker of black.
She turned. Nothing.
"Get a grip," she muttered.
On the walk home, the city was unusually quiet. The sky was a soft gray, the streetlights glowing dimly through the mist. She passed a bookstore, a small bakery closing for the night, and then there it was again.
A shadow moving in the corner of her vision.
She stopped walking. Her pulse quickened.
A figure stepped out from the alley. Not Noir. A man in a dark coat, tall, his face half-hidden by the low light. He wasn't watching her, not directly, but there was something about the way he lingered that made her uneasy.
When she blinked, he was gone.
Ava walked faster. She didn't stop until she reached her building.
Inside, her apartment looked normal again. The cushion by the window was still empty, but the faint scent of ash was gone. She exhaled in relief. Maybe it really had just been stress.
She dropped her bag on the couch, sat down, and stared at the quiet room. Then she noticed something on the table.
A single black hair. Longer than her own. Smooth, shiny, unmistakably feline.
Her heart began to race. "Noir?" she whispered.
No answer.
But somewhere, deep in the building's shadows, something purred.
When Ava opened her eyes the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the faint sound of something scratching. Not loud, but steady.
Her sleepy brain took a few seconds to register it wasn't part of a dream.
Then came the voice.
Low. Smooth. Irritated.
"Do you mind? You locked the balcony door again."
Ava shot up so fast she nearly fell out of bed.
"Noir?"
The black cat sat on the windowsill, tail flicking with annoyance. His fur shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and his golden eyes carried that same smug amusement she hadn't realized she'd missed.
"You disappeared!" she shouted. "You scared me half to death!"
"You're welcome," he said calmly, licking his paw. "A little fear keeps the heart young."
She groaned. "You're insufferable."
"I was hunting," he said, ignoring her glare. "Something was watching us. I needed to find out what."
"'Something'?" Ava rubbed her forehead. "You mean another cat?"
He looked at her, unimpressed. "Do I look like I chase cats for fun?"
"You look like someone who enjoys chaos for breakfast."
"Accurate," he said with a small smirk.
Her father's voice came from the living room.
"Ava? You up?"
Ava froze. Noir froze. Their eyes met in mutual panic.
"Oh no," she whispered. "He's here."
"I noticed," Noir muttered. "Do not tell me this is the same man who calls me 'kitty'."
"Just stay quiet!" she hissed.
Her father poked his head into the room before she could hide Noir. "Morning, sweetheart! I brought breakfast oh! You got a cat again?"
Ava's heart sank. "Ah… yeah. Temporary. It's… um… my coworker's cat."
Her father smiled. "Cute little guy. What's his name?"
Ava opened her mouth, but Noir answered first.
"Noir."
Her father blinked. "Did… did that cat just"
Ava jumped in front of him. "Meow! He said meow! You're just tired, Dad!"
Her father frowned. "I could've sworn"
"Coffee!" Ava said, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the kitchen. "You need coffee!"
Noir stretched on the bed behind them, yawning dramatically. "Smooth. Truly convincing."
"Shut up!" she hissed over her shoulder.
In the kitchen, her father set down a bag of pastries. "You've been working too much, Ava. You look stressed. Maybe get out more, meet people, stop talking to yourself"
"I don't talk to myself!" she protested, a bit too fast.
He raised an eyebrow. "I heard you at the door yesterday. You were saying something about tuna and"
"Work call!" she lied. "Office thing."
Before he could respond, Noir strolled into the kitchen as if he owned the place. He jumped onto the counter, tail flicking elegantly.
"Off the counter!" Ava whisper-shouted.
Her father chuckled. "Oh, he's fine. Cats like high places."
Then Noir yawned and muttered, "Not this high. The view's terrible."
Her father froze mid-sip of coffee. "Ava. He just"
"Vent sound!" Ava blurted. "Old pipes! They echo weirdly!"
Her father blinked, confused. Noir tilted his head. "He's buying this?"
Ava kicked his tail gently. "Shut. Up."
Her father shook his head. "You really need sleep, kiddo."
When he finally left an hour later, Ava collapsed onto the couch, face in her hands.
"That," she said, "was a disaster."
Noir sat proudly on the armrest beside her. "I thought it went well. He seems nice. Polite. Easily deceived."
She glared at him. "You're lucky I didn't throw you in the laundry basket."
"I've survived worse fates," he said, grooming his paw.
The moment was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.
Ava's stomach dropped. "Please not another human."
It was Mina. Of course.
"Ava! Open up! We brought food!"
Ava groaned. "We?"
Daniel appeared behind Mina, holding a grocery bag and an apologetic smile. "She insisted."
Ava opened the door halfway, blocking Noir from view. "Hey, guys. What's up?"
Mina squinted suspiciously. "Why do you look like someone just robbed you?"
"No reason."
"Are you hiding something?"
"No."
Mina shoved past her into the apartment. "You're totally hiding something."
Daniel followed awkwardly. "I told her not to barge in."
"Oh, relax," Mina said, dropping the bag on the counter. "It's not like you're hiding a secret boyfriend or"
Then Noir meowed. Loudly.
Mina gasped. "You got a cat! He's adorable!"
Ava sighed in defeat. "Yeah. He just showed up."
Noir jumped gracefully onto the couch and stared at Mina like she was beneath him.
"Awww, he's got attitude," she said, crouching down. "What's your name, little guy?"
Noir looked her dead in the eyes. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Mina blinked. "Did he just"
"TV!" Ava shouted, fumbling for the remote. "I left the TV on earlier. You know those talking animal ads?"
Daniel frowned. "Since when do ads sound sarcastic?"
Ava forced a laugh that sounded like mild insanity. "New campaign!"
Mina, oblivious, giggled. "Well, I love him already. Can I pet him?"
Noir sighed. "If you must."
She reached out, and Noir gave her a regal nod of permission. Daniel just shook his head, half amused, half suspicious.
By the time they left that evening, Ava felt like she'd aged ten years. She slumped on the couch beside Noir, who looked annoyingly pleased with himself.
"That was dangerous," she said. "You almost blew your cover."
"Correction. You almost blew mine," he said. "I handled it beautifully."
She threw a pillow at him. He dodged easily.
"Next time," she said, "stay quiet. No comments. No sarcasm. No talking."
He smirked. "You'd miss it if I stopped."
She wanted to argue, but he wasn't wrong.
As the city lights flickered through the window, Ava let out a quiet laugh. For all the chaos, her apartment finally felt alive again.
Noir stretched beside her, his golden eyes glowing faintly. "By the way," he said. "Your friend, the tall one Daniel. He has an interesting aura."
Ava frowned. "What does that mean?"
Noir's voice softened. "It means something is watching him too."
Her smile faded. "What?"
He looked toward the window, where their reflections shimmered faintly. "The mirror world isn't done with us yet."