The tiny alarm clock went off, and Tony Wilson groggily reached over to turn it off. Before his hand reached it, however, it was switched off by the young blonde woman in bed next to him.

"Time to get up, Tony." she said.

"I know," he said groggily, and yawned. He sat up in bed, reached for his slippers, rose from the bed and walked sleepily into the bathroom.

He turned on the bathroom light and examined himself in the mirror. The scarred, craggy face that looked back at him bore little resemblance to the handsome, untarnished face that once belonged to Greg Novak. Greg Novak had looked like a movie star, but the face in the mirror more closely resembled a character from an old "B" gangster film. Tony sighed and opened a drawer, taking out his razor, toothbrush and toothpaste.

As he shaved and brushed his teeth, he thought to himself, over and over: Antonicus Wilson. Antonicus Wilson. Antonicus or Tony. Tony Wilson. You are Tony Wilson. You have to remember that. Greg Novak doesn’t exist anymore. You never heard of Greg Novak. You don’t know any Catherine McKenna… Even though it had been over a year and a half since he’d started using the name Tony Wilson, he still couldn’t quite get used to it, and lived in fear of being called "Greg" by someone. He couldn’t get used to this whole new identity either, this whole new existence. He felt like a fugitive. And in a sense, he was.

He never did find out for sure just what happened to Cat or Nick or Norma. Shortly after he had arrived in Poughkeepsie, he managed to contact Norma briefly by telephone, reaching her at the motel she and Nick had been staying at, and another time he reached Nick. But the next time he called, he was told that they had checked out of the motel. And after that, nothing. The months passed and he repeatedly tried calling their home phone number, but all he ever got was a recorded message, stating that the number was no longer a working number. Tony had lain awake countless nights wondering what had become of his two friends, and shuddered at the possibility that Cat may have somehow taken revenge on them. He didn’t even want to think about what kind of revenge.

The last solid bit of information he’d uncovered regarding Cat was in the form of a couple of tiny articles in the Walnut Evening News, which he’d managed to keep track of with some difficulty. The articles were only a couple of paragraphs each, but they described how a reporter for the paper had discovered a nude, unconscious woman, lying in a vacant lot near Greg’s old apartment building. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for exposure, hypothermia and numerous injuries, including a compound fracture of the left leg. The article concluded with a statement from a doctor, saying that the woman was actually lucky in a way: Her hypothermia, caused by the low night temperatures, had inhibited her circulatory system and slowed her bleeding. If it hadn’t been for that, the doctor said, the woman probably would have bled to death.

The second article appeared a few weeks later, and stated that the woman had been in a coma during those weeks, and upon waking, appeared to have amnesia, claiming she had no recollection of who she was or what had happened to her. The article concluded by saying that the woman would also be treated for pneumonia, and then held for psychiatric observation for an undisclosed period of time.

That was the last that Greg/Tony had ever heard of Cat.

When Tony had finished shaving, he examined his hair closely in the mirror, looking for signs of the black dye he had used to disguise his naturally sandy-colored hair growing out. He looked very closely. No, no, it still looks all right, he decided. He put on the thick, horn-rimmed glasses he had bought to further disguise his appearance, and left the bathroom.

He quickly dressed in his work clothes for his job as a bagger at the local grocery store, kissed his girlfriend Angela good-bye, and left for work. As he drove to work in his battered old Toyota, he thought about Angela and reflected on how different she was from…from…her. Tony winced at the memory of the red-haired woman who had so completely ruined his life, and he couldn’t even bear to think of her name, as it tied knots in his stomach.

But as he thought about the complex and conflicting nature of his former relationship with Cat, he realized how the strange, paradoxical combination of love and hate he felt for her had influenced his own actions and decision-making processes as well. It wasn’t a pleasant thing for him to admit, but perhaps there was something slightly masochistic in his nature to have tolerated things as they were for so long. It wasn’t only Cat’s ability to become invisible, he realized; that was undoubtedly the primary factor involved, there was no question about that. But there must have been something in his own nature as well, a kind of subconscious "victim" mentality that, perhaps, Cat might have intuitively sensed, and which might have impelled her to cruelties she might never have even considered otherwise. It was possible….quite possible, he realized.

At least that's what the shrink, whom Tony had been consulting for the past few months, seemed to think. That shrink really was a godsend, Tony knew. She charged very reasonable, low rates and Tony had been able to tell her everything, and she listened patiently and sympathetically. She’d helped Tony enormously during those months; without her help, Tony could only imagine what kind of shape he’d be in by now.

Oh, the shrink didn’t believe a word about Cat turning invisible, of course; she just chalked it up to a "fantasy projected onto a sensitized background, later to be experienced and remembered as reality." Or some such gobbledygook. But it didn’t matter to Tony whether the shrink believed it or not; Tony knew it was true. Besides, all Tony knew or cared about was that he felt better, better than he had in years, for finally being able to unload on someone, after keeping it all to himself for so long.

Not that the last year and a half had been easy for Tony; it hadn’t been. But somehow he managed. He stayed in Poughkeepsie for a short while, then moved on, and continued to move on from town to town, never staying in one place for very long, taking whatever menial jobs he could find. He had to live in the most modest of accommodations, living on cheap, fast food, in constant fear that she would find him and sneak up on him one night.

Eventually, he arrived in this small town, without a cent in his pocket, with only the clothes on his back, and no identification on him that could connect him with his former life back in the city of Walnut thousands of miles away. After another succession of short-lived menial jobs, he managed to land this one at the local grocery store. The pay wasn’t that great, the hours were often long and grueling, and the job itself was very different from what he had known in his former life. But after a time, Tony became comfortable with it, and even grew to like it. And with the job came membership at the low-cost clinic nearby, where Tony began his regular visits to the Psychotherapy Department.

And, of course, there was now Angela. Angela was light-years away from Cat, in terms of temperament and personality, for which Tony was grateful. Some might say she was ‘dull,’ but Tony didn’t care. She was sweet and kind, and life with her gave Tony the tranquillity and stability he needed. So it wasn’t an exciting life. So what? After Cat, he’d had about enough excitement to last a lifetime.

Because with his simple job, his new girlfriend and plenty of help from the Head Doctor, Tony now had something he never had before, with his earlier high-paying job and his old, sexy girlfriend: peace of mind. He now realized that if you didn’t have that, you didn’t have anything. Even with the uncertainty involved with not knowing what had happened either to Cat or to his friends, he still felt that, all things considered, he was far better off now than he was before. Even the nightmares, which had been plaguing him for months, now seemed to be subsiding, and he rarely even woke up screaming in the middle of the night anymore. Yes, he thought, all in all, it’s a good life…at long last…

He arrived at the store, pulled into a parking space, got out and walked in to start the day’s work.

 

---

 

By about 11:30, Tony was beginning to get hungry. Almost lunch time, he thought absentmindedly, as he smiled at a customer, placing food items into a bag. His thoughts were interrupted by a co-worker calling him from behind the produce counter.

"Hey, Tony. Telephone."

"Who is it?" he asked.

"I don’t know, some woman."

Tony excused himself as he handed the bag to the customer and went to the counter to take the call. It’s probably Angela, he thought, asking me to bring home a head of lettuce this evening or something... He picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" he said. Silence. No, not quite. He could hear breathing on the other end, so he knew the line was still open. "Hello?" he said again, and waited. "This is Tony, may I help you?"

A pause. Then, "Hello, Greg." said a familiar voice on the other end.

The bottom fell out of Tony’s stomach and he nearly dropped the receiver onto the counter.

"Sorry if I scared you." the voice said. "I want to talk to you."

Tony struggled to regroup his thoughts. "Um—I’m sorry, but there’s no one here by that name." he said, trying to keep the tone of his voice from betraying the shock he felt. "I think you have the wrong number."

"Look, Greg, I know that’s you. You’re not fooling anyone. I know where you live; I know where you work."

Tony gripped the phone tighter and swallowed. "Who—who is this?" he said.

"Come on, cut the bullshit. You know who this is. Look out the window of your store. Go on, look."

With great difficulty, Tony turned his head and looked through the plate-glass window at the front of the store.

"Do you see the pay phone on the other side of the parking-lot?" the voice on the phone said.

Tony looked and saw the pay phone, and saw someone standing next to it. It was a woman with bright red hair. The woman saw him and waved. Tony felt his bladder weaken.

"Oh, my God!" he breathed as he leaned against the counter, trying to keep from passing out.

"I just want to talk to you, that’s all," the voice on the phone said. "Just once, and then I’ll leave you alone. For good. That’s what you want, isn’t it? For me to leave you alone?"

Tony’s hand trembled and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Look Greg, if I really wanted to hurt you, I would just do it. I could, you know. I certainly wouldn’t call you on the phone and tell you about it in advance, would I?"

Tony remained silent. The familiar voice spoke again:

"I just want to meet with you and talk. That’s all."

Tony swallowed hard before answering. "Why?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"I have some things I need to discuss you. I need to resolve some issues and put them behind me. And then you’ll never be troubled by me again. Ever. I swear."

Tony swallowed again; his throat dry. "Wh-when?"

"Right now. You’re close to your break time anyway, aren’t you?"

Tony closed his eyes and squeezed them tightly shut. Good God, she even knew when he took his break times! "Wh-wh-where?" Tony asked.

"How about the bar and grill across the street? In five minutes?"

Tony’s heart was pounding, his palms were sweating. Every fiber in his body opposed it, but he heard himself saying, "All right." He hung up the phone.

 

---

 

Five minutes later, Tony was seated at a little table in the bar and grill. He waited nervously, gripping a coffee cup with a white-knuckled hand. His eyes scanned the surroundings for a familiar face, yet one which he didn’t ever want to see again under any circumstances. He cringed when the door opened and a red-haired woman strode in. He recognized her immediately and his heart almost stopped in mid-beat.

She looked more or less the same as Tony remembered her. And yet, she looked different somehow, too. Her hair was cut much shorter, and there was something different about her face, something in her eyes, a cold hardness that Tony couldn’t remember seeing before. Or maybe it had always been there, and he just never noticed it before. The woman stopped at the bar and ordered a drink. It was brought to her and she took it, turned and walked to Tony’s table. As she approached, Tony noticed that she walked with a very noticeable limp, favoring her left leg.

She set the glass down on the table and seated herself, with obvious discomfort, favoring her bad leg as she did so, stretching it out underneath the table. She let out a weary sigh and looked at Tony, giving him a weak smile.

"That’s quite a disguise you have there." she said. "Very effective. I almost didn’t recognize you at first. Almost. I saw through it eventually though, of course. You should know by now that you can’t fool me. One thing though; you really ought to try a bit lighter color. That shade of dye doesn’t quite work with your complexion." She reached out a hand, as if to stroke his hair; he recoiled from it in revulsion.

"How—" Tony’s voice choked. He swallowed then tried again, his voice barely above a whisper. "How the hell did you find me, Cat?"

She gave a slight toss of her head as she answered. "It wasn’t too difficult. Once I was able to get up and around again, after you hurt me—" she rubbed the thigh of her bad leg with one hand and her eyes briefly flashed with a fury that Tony had come to know all too well. "Once I was up and around again, I started snooping around here and there, looking for clues to your whereabouts. I couldn’t find any. I have to admit," she flashed a quick smile that made Tony shudder. "You did a real good job of hiding your tracks this time. In fact," the smile broadened. "If it hadn’t been for those checks you sent your mother every month, I never would have been able to find you."

Tony’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened.

"You’ve been spying on my Mom?" he whispered in horror.

"Well, of course!" she said, as though stating the obvious. "I had to find out what happened to you, didn’t I? I knew that, no matter where you went, no matter what you did, there were still some things that you’d take care of." She paused a moment, and took a drink. "And some things you can’t change and can’t disguise. Your signature, for one thing. Oh, I know, you’re using a different name now. But your handwriting is the same. I’d know your handwriting anywhere, and the signature on those checks is yours, no matter what phony name you use. Oh, by the way," she asked, the smile quickly fading, replaced by a quizzical look. "Does your Mom believe in ghosts?"

"Um…no…" Tony replied. What the hell does that have to do with anything? he wondered. "No, I don’t think so."

The smile reappeared. "I think she does now!" Tony blanched at the implication. The red-haired woman gave a slight chuckle at his sudden pallor, and then went on:

"Anyway, the checks you sent her had the name and address of the bank printed right on them, so at least I knew what city to look in. Once I knew that…well, I knew it was just a matter of time before I found you. It wasn’t easy," she paused, rubbing her bad leg. "Since it’s a little hard for me to get around now like I used to," Her eyes flashed as she emphasized the words, leaving little room for doubt as to her implicit meaning. "But I did manage."

Tony tried not to reveal the growing terror and outrage he felt. "What—" he began, then swallowed. "So what’s this all about Cat? What do you— for God’s sake, what more do you want from me?"

"All right," the red-haired woman said evenly. "I just want you to know that I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last year and a half. Because I haven't forgotten what you did to me." She paused, continuing to rub her bad leg. "That was a bad break you gave me, you know; a really bad break. Thanks to you, I damned near lost this leg. It’s just a damned good thing I had good doctors, people who really care about another person’s well-being. Unlike you, that is." She paused and stared intently at him for several seconds, her green eyes seeming to bore holes in him. Tony met her gaze, but it wasn’t easy. "I’ve had a lot of anger toward you Greg," she went on. "Well-justified anger, I might add. You’ve hurt me, and I really wanted to hurt you. Hurt you bad!"

Another long pause followed. Then, her face softened slightly. "But as time went on I began to realize something. Laying there in that hospital bed, not knowing if I’d ever walk again…I had a lot of time to think. About you. About myself. And about that whole…situation between us. And I’ve come to some conclusions. I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you."

She paused for an eternity. Finally, Tony said, "Well?"

"Well…" she began. "I finally decided that you’re just not worth it, Greg. You’re not worth the heartache that you’ve put me through. The time has come for me to put my anger behind me. All that anger is destroying me. Even though God knows I have every right to be angry at you, every right to hate you…" she paused, glowering at him, then took a deep breath and went on: "Still, I realize now that I must put that anger behind me and move on."

She paused, as though trying to muster up the courage for what she had to say next. "So what I’m trying to say, Greg, is that—even though this is very difficult for me—more difficult than you can ever imagine—I’ve decided…to forgive you. For everything. For all the pain you’ve caused me, all the hurt you’ve given me, all the tears you’ve made me shed. I forgive you."

Tony’s mouth dropped open. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She forgave him?!? Boy, she really takes the prize! he thought. She hasn’t changed; she hasn’t changed a bit…

"I know, I know," she went on, raising a hand as though to halt any argument he may have given her. It’s true, I was the injured party. But in order for me to continue to grow as my own person, it’s important for me to learn to forgive. I have to put the past behind me, and that means forgiving even my worst enemies, and that, unfortunately, includes you."

Tony absorbed all this in silence; then a sudden thought occurred to him. "But what about…" he started to say, and realized he couldn’t finish; he was afraid of what the answer might be. "…about…" he trailed off, helplessly.

The red-haired woman smiled brightly. "Oh, you mean Nick and Norma? Your little playmates?" She smiled even more broadly and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them if I were you. They’ll be fine. You know, they can do the most remarkable things with plastic surgery these days!" She gave a bitter laugh and Tony’s eye began to twitch.

You’re bluffing, he thought. You’re fulla shit, you always were… You’d better be bluffing…I hope you’re bluffing…! He stared into those green eyes, and knew that she must be bluffing…he hoped she was bluffing…yet he couldn’t be entirely sure…

The red-haired woman rose from her seat, gently easing her weight onto her good leg. "So this is good-bye, Greg." she said, smiling. "Yeah! For real this time. I won’t see you anymore, and I won’t bother you anymore. I know you don’t believe it, but it’s true. And I’ll tell you why it’s true." She paused, shaking her head sorrowfully.

"Because the problem, Greg, is you. It was always you, right from the beginning. I hate to say this, but the simple truth is: you’re a very unlucky guy. I mean, let’s face it. Let’s not kid ourselves. I think, deep down inside, even you know it’s true. And unfortunately, your bad luck sometimes rubs off on people. You probably can’t help it, you don’t mean it, but it rubs off, just the same. And I’ve decided that I just can’t allow any negative influences into my life."

"Cat—" Tony began.

"Besides," she went on, folding her arms, the tone of her voice changing slightly. "I’m afraid you’re just too immature for me. You’re just not man enough to relate to a strong woman. I’m sorry to have to say it, but you know it’s true." She paused, then spoke again, softly. "I think I’ve outgrown you; I need someone who really knows how to appreciate a good woman."

Tony nearly gagged at her last words. His mouth opened and closed several times, as though he were trying to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come.

"No, no, please," Cat went on. "Please don’t try to apologize; it doesn’t matter now."

"Cat, look," Tony finally managed to find his voice. It was useless, he knew, but he was going to make one final attempt to get through to her. "Listen to me and try to understand. You can’t just keep going on this way. You can’t just go around hurting people and deluding yourself about it, about the things you do. Sooner or later, it’s bound to catch up with you. I—I don’t know much about these things…but you’re…you’re probably not responsible. You’re sick and you need help." He paused for a moment, still waiting for a reaction of some kind, but there was none. "Do—do you understand what I’m trying to say?" he asked, quietly.

Cat listened impassively, her face betraying no emotion whatsoever. Then, her expression changed subtly. "Okay," she said, leaning over close to him, her nose almost touching his. "Now I want you to understand something." She spoke softly, but the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes reminded Tony of something from one of his nightmares.

"You may think that you beat me, by hurting me and then running away and hiding, like the coward you are, but you didn’t," she said. "Do you understand that? You didn’t beat me! I let you win. You didn’t escape from me; I let you go; I’ve released you."

It’s useless, Tony thought. She’s hopeless…

Cat stood up straight again. "So this is good-bye, Greg." She reached out her hand for a final handshake, but Tony wouldn’t touch it. She tilted her head to one side. "Well, that’s all right too. But for what it’s worth, Greg, or Tony, or whatever the hell you’re calling yourself now, you really ought to put aside your anger and hatred, you know? That’s what poisoned everything between us right from the start: your unjustified anger and hatred toward me. I’ve never been able to understand it, and I’ve given up trying. But if only you could have learned to love, Greg…" A strange gleam appeared in her eyes as she spoke. "If only you could have learned to love, the way I loved you, things would have turned out very differently between us. You know it’s true. So let it go, Greg. Let go of that anger and hatred. Or it will destroy you." She paused and regarded him in silence for a moment, then turned and walked towards the bar. She had just reached it when she suddenly stopped, turned, and flashed Tony a smile that chilled his blood.

"Oh, and kiss your new little girlfriend for me!" she said.

Tony’s mouth dropped open and once again, he felt the blood drain from his face. He rose from the table on shaky legs, and quickly hurried out the door.

The red-haired woman followed him with her eyes as he left, then turned to a man standing next to her at the bar. She flashed him a bright, sunny smile.

"Hey, big fella," she said. "Buy a girl a drink?"

The man regarded the woman up and down and immediately returned her smile. "Well hey, whattaya say, Red!" he said. He chuckled as he looked her over a second time. "Boy, you sure are pretty!" he smiled. "I’m serious! You are seriously good-lookin’!"

The woman’s smile broadened. "Thanks." she said. "But looks aren’t everything…are they?" she said.

The man’s smile faltered slightly.

At a small table at the back of the room sat a little man wearing glasses and a gray fedora. The entire time the red-haired woman was in the bar, he watched her intently, as he busily scribbled down some notes in a notebook. After a while, the red-haired woman and the man to whom she’d been speaking left the bar and stepped outside. Shortly thereafter, the man in the fedora gave a little nod to himself and, with a satisfied smile on his face, closed his notebook and carefully placed it in his pocket. He adjusted his hat, rose from the table and followed the couple outside, following at a discrete distance.

 

---

 

When Tony returned to the grocery store, a co-worker called out to him.

"Tony, your girlfriend Angela called. She wants you to come home right away. She says it’s real important."

Tony froze. "What’s the trouble?" he asked.

The co-worker shook his head. "She wouldn’t say. She just said for you to come home immediately!"

Fortunately, Tony’s boss was nearby when this exchange took place, so he readily gave Tony permission to leave work early. Tony left the store in an extremely agitated state and quickly drove the few blocks home to his little apartment.

Dear Lord, he thought as he drove. If Cathy’s done anything to hurt Angela…so help me, I’ll…I’ll…

When he arrived home, his hands trembled madly as they pulled out his house key and unlocked the door. He flung the door wide open and called out.

"Angela?!?" he cried. "Angela? Are you all right?"

"Tony? Is that you?" her voice called out from the bedroom.

"Yes, it’s me." he said, closing the door. "Are you all right? What’s the matter?"

"Well, Tony, you’re—you’re not going to believe this, but…" her voice quavered as she spoke. She sounded as though she were either terribly frightened or terribly excited. Tony couldn’t tell which.

"I—I had the most incredible day you could imagine!" she said. "Today I ran into an old friend of mine, who I haven’t seen since high school. She’s opening up a new store in town to sell herb teas & incense & stuff. She gave me a free sample of some herb tea and some instructions on how to prepare it. She said, ‘Use it in good health!’"

It was just then that Tony noticed a peculiar odor filling the air.

"…so I tried it and—and—"

Tony’s mouth dropped open and he fell back against the door. Oh, no…! he thought. No…Dear God, no, no, NO!!!

"This was the result!" Angela’s voice said as an empty pink dress floated out of the bedroom. "Look at me! Can you believe it? I’m invisible!" she said. Tony still couldn’t tell whether she was frightened or delighted; she sounded both…and yet neither.

The dress floated over close to Tony. "My friend said the effects of the tea would wear off in a few hours. I didn’t know what she was talking about at first, but now…" The shoulders of the dress raised up in a shrug. The dress then slowly turned around, and Angela’s voice continued.

"Isn’t this wild? I—I feel all right, but it sure looks weird, doesn’t it?" The empty sleeves of the dress raised themselves up towards the empty collar. "Wowwwww!" Angela’s voice sighed in wonder. "I just don’t believe it! My hands are gone, my arms are gone! I can see right down the insides of these sleeves!" The dress then turned back to face Tony.

"The rest of me must be gone too! I’ve—I’ve just got to see what this looks like!" she said. The sleeves of the dress reached around in back, as the dress unzipped itself.

"No! No, don’t do that!" Tony said, his voice quavering.

The dress pulled itself off of the unseen shoulders, and it fell down and away to the floor. In the place of the dress, a brassiere and pair of panties floated in space. "Now you see her, now you don’t!" Angela’s voice giggled.

The floating bra unhooked itself and fluttered aside.

"Angela! Please! Don’t!" Tony pleaded.

The pair of panties now curled away and down to the floor, and with them went the last remaining trace of Angela. "Isn’t this great?" Angela’s voice said, delighted, from somewhere in mid-air. "Now I’m really invisible! You can’t see me at all!"

Tony’s voice choked, his eyes glancing from left to right. "Angela…please…where— where are you?"

"Right here!" her voice said from somewhere directly in front of him; he jumped at its sudden close proximity.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…!" Tony repeated hoarsely, as rivers of sweat now flowed down his forehead and cascaded down his back.

"Oooh, this is sooo weird!" Angela’s voice giggled, from somewhere to his left. "I’m here, right in front of you, but you can’t see me!" Her voice seemed to move around Tony, in irregular circular patterns. "You know," her voice said, now from somewhere to his right. "This has a lot of possibilities! There are a lot of things that I can do with this…a lot of things…!" She giggled again.

Unseen hands then began to grope Tony’s body. He flinched at their touch and tried to shrink away from them.

"Angela! Please, don’t! Don’t do that! HEY!!"

"Mmmmmmm, this is going to be fun…!"

"Sweetie…Honey…please…! Don’t do this! Please! Don’t—OW!"

The unseen hands paused for just a moment. "You know something?" Angela’s voice giggled. "I think I’m really going to enjoy this!!" The hands resumed.

"Angela…! Please, don’t! OUCH!! Don’t do that! Don’t—OUCH! Help, somebody!! Help!! HELP!!"