Chapter 3: Heaven Gives You Chances.

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She could not feel.

She could not smell.

Natural two human abilities completely taken away. But why?

Suddenly Kate felt a rush of wind, and felt as if she was floating on top of clouds. She opened her eyes and saw she was.

“What? WHAT?!” She screamed. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She was in heaven?

She whipped her face side to side, until she felt her feet drag across the clouds. It was a dream.. All of it, it just had to be.

It was until another rush of wind caused Kate’s whole spirit to rush right through a door. It was all just the blue sky and white puffy clouds fogging up Kate's vision until the very moment she reached a man in a business suit at a desk. This was all just to weird.

Kate examined everything with caution, biting her lip. She was just too freaked out, and lost all the color in her face when she saw Ginger, her beloved cat, jump on top of the unknown man's desk.

The desk was like any other simple desk; it had the necessities, such as a row of pens laid out in the front, a stack of papers, and behind the desk itself, a file cabinet. Behind the man, who at the moment, was in a heated conversation, was a sign, a black sign with gold cursive letters that spelled out “Heaven Gives Chances.” Kate then looked up at the man.

He wore a pair of simple glasses with a black trim. His suit was brown, and in Kates amazement, he had a pair of gorgeous silver wings , the same wings of the angel that she and her mother would put on top of the Christmas tree during the jolly season itself.

Kate took a seat still in caution of what was around her. Her eyes were as big as saucers, her hands were shaking and her palms were clammy, but she still managed to take a seat in the big green velvet chair behind her. It made no sense to be in a office, with no walls whatsoever, but just the sky.

Ginger jumped in Kates lap and purred while curling up beside her. Kate began to stroke Gingers fur still completely unaware of what was going on, her eyes straight ahead and the expression on her face showing as if she was in some sort of alien encounter.

It was sad that the fact Ginger was here instead of home, and Kate did not like it one bit. A cat she had since seven years old that she fed and cared for and was one of the only ones in Kates time of need was in the land of clouds instead of home where Kate knew she belonged.

The man continued to speak and Kate listened in. She knew she had to be demanding; this man did have her cat, so she had the right to.

“Yes, well tell Dan he can just cancel Fluffys last five lives; that cat never liked him anyway!” the man in the business suit blew up. He slammed the phone into the receiver and suddenly caught Kates eyes. He became flustered and embarrassed, so he turned to Kate and cleared his throat while taking his seat. He began fiddling with the pens at his desk.

“So, I believe you are Kate Lent, is that correct?” the man piped up.

Kate nodded, still with disbelief and a whole lot a fear in her eyes. What was going on?

“I am Jack Sander, and it is very nice to meet you!” he gobbled on. He put his hand out, but Kate didn’t move a muscle. She couldn’t even blink.

“Earth to Kate!” he shouted in her ear bending over his desk.

“I’m not on earth.” Kate gulped. Jack stood up and looked down at Kate staring at her for a few moments. She was acting like she had just been shot, or as if something had attacked her face. Jack rolled his eyes knowing it was going to take a very long explanation to show her what was going on.

“Sooo, I should begin now” he lectured, “Welcome to heaven! The land of the passed away! This is ’Heaven Gives Changes’, a absolute wonderful opportunity to give back a life to someone whose time has not come! Heaven holds many companies like this one, but this one is special! Extrodin-!”

“Hold up a second Mr. Chipper!” Kate lipped once she had snapped out of her trance.

“Actually Miss Sarcasm, I wasn’t-”

“So you are saying I get to go back home?” She put in quikly.

Ginger jumped off the seat she shared with Kate and took a long stretch on Jacks desk, causing two pens to roll into the garbage bin. Jack immediately took the pens out the bin as Kate continued.

“I mean, it doesn’t make much sense, and plus, why is my cat here? As a dead being, I demand to know what is going on.” she scorned.

“Alright, like I was sa-a-aying, in this company, loving cat owners who cats have passed away get the chance to use the rest of the cats lives. Cats have nine lives total, your cat sadly only used up one, and that means Kate-!”

“Wait, hold on-”

“Please stop interrupting me!" He shouted. Kate backed down. She never heard someone so frustrated.

"Sorry" Kate squeaked. It was her life, and she had to know what was going on, so she coulden't help but be demanding in this some sort of fantasy land she was in.

Jack cleared up his throat to speak.

“See Kate, you died too soon. You are so young, and as far as people looking over you can tell, you still have a lot to learn.” he calmly announced.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kate shot. How dare he act as if she was dumb, she was fourteen, not seven.

Gasps came from offices besides Jacks, and a row of people bobbed their heads out from their closed offices absolutely disgusted. Jack looked completely embarrassed. Kate realized what she had done.

“Umm, OH, I am so sorry! It slipped out! I mean it! Oh my lord.”

A few more gasp.

“Oh.. Oh god! I am sorry, I did not mean to put your name in vain dear lord! I truly am sorry!” Kate shouted up into the sky, putting her hands in praying position. Everyone went back to their offices forgetting the incident.

“Its okay.” she heard a eco rumple from the left of the sky. Kate grabbed a piece a paper from Jacks desk and began tearing and folding pieces up; something she does out of boredom.

“That was weird!” Kate said completely terrified fixed over the tears of papers she was making.

Jack huffed.

“As I was saying Kate.. How do I put this lightly?.. Oh yea, you’re a crook.”

“Well that is a wonderful thing to say to a client!”

“I am serious can you please listen to-, actually you know what? Can you please put that down?" Jack calmly asked gesturing Kate to put down all the paper she was ripping up. Kate put down the paper on Jacks desk and smiled.

"Kate, your a theif. You steal, everyone knows that up here, and we know you are much better then that. Girls like you shoulden't being going into stores and stuffing there pockets. You act like you get things for free when you don't get caught, but that is just not the point."

Kate looked to the ground and began kicking the clouds as smog would burst up from her doing so. She knew what she did was wrong, but she was just to good at it to stop.

Jack gestured Kate to look over at Ginger, who was playing with a paper bag Jack set near his desk. Ginger looked so happy, and Kate coulden't help but smile. All she wanted was for Ginger to be happy, despite the fact she wasn't with her family.

“You see that Kate?” Jack said under his breath sweetly, “That cat, right there, she really loves you, and cats like her are really smart and know they would sacrifice anything to there owners.”

Kate began to listen in carefully. She didn’t know what this all meant yet.

“She never has been in any life-threatening situations Kate, and there-for has never used all her lives. Cats have nine lives, humans only have one. You are probably thinking, well that is just a saying, but oh no, Cats indeed do have nine lives.”, Jack cleared up his throat again and took a drink from the water dispenser.

He continued to explain as Kate listened in closer.

“Under humans knowledge, Cats get hit by cars all the time, they fall off high places all of the time, and yet, for some reason they can get right back up. They have nine times to do so.”

"Oh, so everytime Ginger got hurt it never really mattered?" Kate asked interested in Jacks answer.

“Correction,” Jack began, “Ginger never did get hurt. She died out of old age, a common thing in cats, and no matter how many lives the cat has left, they have to pass away eventually. Ginger only used one of her lives Kate.”

“Yeah, but what does cats have to do with this place and me getting a second change at life?” she questioned, "I mean, not to be rude Jack, but-"

“You have done plenty of that already, but onto your quistion, I’m glad you asked. Simply put it this way, your cat loves you so much, we know it is willing to give you something very special, so you can prove to us that you deserve to live, and karma won‘t stab you in the back.. Literally.”

"So what does this all mean?"

“Kate, you are now given 8 lives.”, Jack smiled.

Kates jaw dropped open.

"Kate? You alright?" Jack asked concerened.

"Give me a few moments", she breathed in. Ginger purred.

"You probably thought I was joking. This is real indeed" Jack grinned.