[ IP ] A Girl and Her Cat : The Adventure Begins

*This was a nice morning*, Soara decided when she saw the clear green skies from her window. No fog meant no more getting caught on power lines, no tripping on windowsills, and certainly no falling off the edge of oddly shaped buildings. She might have her first jump without a bruise in months. The girl adjusted her breathing mask and her knitted brown scarf before making for the streets. 
 
 She stepped lightly on the black pavement, clicked her heels a few times, then put one foot on the wall of the factory and gave one big push. She pressed her left thumb and pinky together, and her gravity reference immediately shifted. Her whole body tilted, letting her walk up the wall. So she went, past the advertizing signs and the windows. She stopped shortly before the roof. From up there, the view of the gate bridge breathtaking. 
 
 `` Look, Tilt,'' she told the black cat who had just followed her up. `` Is n't it beautiful?'' The skinny feline nodded. `` You can actually see the clock,'' he pointed out. ``... and, guess what? It's work-o-clock!'' The girl sighed as she knelt down to look around. `` I'd be nice if we had more days like this in the future.'' There was a lot of jumping to do if they hoped to eat something nice today. She lept forward and pushed her heels off, leaving her hands out. 
 
 Anything that she caught on her fall down was rightfully hers. Anything lost in the different gravity currents, drifting through in the sky, she could salvage and sell. Most days were already pretty fruitful. Fashionable hats, kid's brand new toy, and if she was lucky, she could grab some important papers that someone might be willing to pay just to get back. Since the flying trolleys had taken to the skies of the city, people were dropping their belongings left and right. 
 
 Still, most of what she caught was junk. She did n't care though, when she gathered, it was in hope of being able to keep. Each wall of her room was full from right to left, top to bottom with piles of single shoes and mittens, immobile clocks, broken musical instruments and cracked vases. Around her bed, she organized a flock of damaged toys, hairless dolls, horsies with broken legs and one-eyed stuffed animals. None of them needed fixing though. They all were perfect just that way, as long as they were surrounded by other toys that loved them just for who they were. 
 
 `` This is going to be a good day,'' Soara whispered as she fell. Halfway down, she noticed a book that seemed to be cruising between West and Up currents. She tapped her thumb and pinky twice to rotate ninety degrees and let herself get into the right trajectory. As she started to go up and into the skies, she noticed a large man with a top hat and a moustache on a trolley who was waving energically. `` Hey, mister!'' she shouted in his direction. `` Is that your book?'' The man had clearly seen her but instead of replying, he disappeared inside into his trolley. 
 
 *Maybe he's manoeuvering to come down*, Soara thought as she switched one last time to fall West, *I hope he's still going to offer me some money for it*. When she finally caught it, she was only a few feet from the bridge. She tapped twice, as quickly as she could, but by the time her reference changed, she had already hit the main pillar. `` Ow!'' she yelped, holding her head between her hands. Tilt landed softly next to her. `` That was quite a landing,'' he said with a twisted grin. He pointed a paw to the people walking on the bridge. `` I think half of the city just watching your burning humiliation.'' Soara stared at him reproachfully. `` Ha ha,'' she sneered. `` Very funny. Where did that guy go?'' 
 
 Both of them started searching the sky, but there was no sign of the trolley and his passenger. Soara frowned from her brow to her nose. `` After I crashed to get his book, you'd think he'd stick around to say thank you.'' Tilt shrugged. `` Finders keepers.'' He looked more closely at their catch and grinned again. `` There's actually a lock on it,'' he observed. The girl knew the face he was making. He always did when he smelled fish, and a profitable catch. `` Just pop the lock,'' the cat told her. 
 
 Soara looked around again. For the trolley to be gone, the man would have had to steer in the opposite direction his book was going. It definitely looked like he had abandonned it. `` Alright,'' she said, taking a knife out of her belt. She had to fiddle with the lock for a few minutes but she eventually managed to cut off the leather parts tying it to the book. She flipped through some of the pages, a confused look on her face. `` What's all of that,'' she asked, the book still on her knees. Tilt leaned on it to try to understand what she was staring at but Soara did n't even move to let him see. `` Come one, show me!'' he chided. She picked the book and held it in front of herself, poiting to a picture. `` This is nothing but drawings of naked ladies.'' 
 
 Tilt sighed heavily and started shaking his head. Soara had put the book back on her knees and was still going through the pages. `` Why would someone have so many pictures of naked ladies?'' The cat made a face. `` You might not want to put your hands on there. Might be pretty sticky.'' She stare at him blankly for a second, then, as if she suddenly realized what he meant, she suddenly let go of the book. `` Ew!'' she protested, kicking it away from herself. She wiped her hands on the dusty pillar and looked down at them. `` Do n't seem to have gotten anything on me,'' she said, still making a disgusted face. She sighed, sending a strand of her hair flying. `` This is n't going to pay for dinner, is it?'' The cat shook his head. `` I do n't think so, no,'' he said. 
 
 He laid down for a bit and closed his eyes, ready to take a quick nap. Then, as if touched by a brilliant idea, he got a hungry look in his eyes again. `` I'm pretty sure I remember the model and color of the trolley, you know. Do you remember the guy's face?'' The girl shrugged. `` I think so, why?'' Tilt grinned. `` Well, this gentlemen seems to have put so much time and effort into his little collection,'' he explained. `` It would be a pity if he had to part from it.'' Soara was frowning. `` And...'' The cat smiled wide, showing all of his pointy teeth. `` Who knows, maybe said gentleman had a wife he would n't like us to show this little collection to.'' 
 
 The girl giggled and reached out to pet his head. The cat pulled away, still grinning. `` Do n't touch me yet,'' he said. `` Go wash your hands first.'' Soara sighed. `` Ha ha. You are so funny.'' She got up, tapped her fingers and let herself fall in the direction of the central trolley station. The snarky cat followed her, making faces mimicking disgust before laughing heartfully. She looked at him and shook her head, forgetting to look in front of herself. 
 
 `` Careful with your land...'' he started to say, but it was too late once more. She tapped her fingers only a foot before hitting the ground, but was lucky enough to land in a fountain in a monumental splash. Tilt landed and had worry in his eyes for a fraction of a second before he saw her emerged and started rolling around, his paws wrapped around his belly. Soara wrang her wet hair, sighing loudly, and moaned: 
 
 `` This was supposed to be a good day!''
