"Willa, you have to change your attitude if you want to succeed in your life. I can no longer save you. It really saddens if to see our journey to end like this," said a man. He was wearing a suit, and a hat on top of his head. There was nothing he could do for her. At the very best he could let her go with her dignity rather than firing her.
Willa snorted, "Don't give me that nonsense. I know you wanted me gone. So, can we just cut this crap off? I am getting rather tired." Her boss wasn't the one who would help her. No that she expected any from him.
The man stilled for a moment before handing her a bunch of papers. He advised, "You should sign it. Getting fired would be bad for your resume."
Willa took the papers from his hand and without saying a word, she put her signature on it. After that, she handed the papers back to him.
"I hope we will meet again." He stood up and lifted his hand for a handshake.
Willa gave him a blank look. Did he really wanted to shake her hands? Showing her middle finger, she said, "Fuck off!"
Saying that, Willa left the café. The bastard didn't even call her to the office. At the very least, he should have been a professional.
When Willa joined the company for the first time, her expectations were met. She could do her research without anyone's obstruction. It was a delight. Due to her efforts, they launched a lot of products into the market and earned millions out of it. Yet, when she no longer could make a new product... the company threw her away like she was some sort of thrash.
Reaching her home, Willa turned the TV on and sat on her couch. The debts were increasing exponentially. Even when the company's value skyrocketed, her salary remained the same. Her love life was a mess. As for her family, they clearly favoured her siblings over her. Only her 'death' could make them call her again.
"You should do something about it," said a voice.
Willa jumped out of her couch and took a fighting stance. Did somebody enter her house? Her eyes searching each and every corner of her house. But she didn't find anyone. Was the intruder upstairs? No, they can't be. The voice was clear and crisp as if they had talked right into her ears.
"Hey! No need to fight, okay?" said the same voice.
Willa hissed, "Who the hell are you? Get out of my house before I call the cops or beat the shit out of you!"
"So feisty! I like that!"
Suddenly, a white cat jumped in front of her and opened its mouth. It said, "My name is Toto. What about you?"
Thousand question marks appeared on top of Willa's head. Was the cat talking? Did stress finally got to her? Should she call the mental hospital to come and fetch her?
"Am I hallucinating? There is no way a cat can talk, right?" Willa asked to herself.
The cat meowed and jumped onto the couch, clearly making itself more uncomfortable. It said, "Willa, don't be surprised. You are a woman of science, aren't you? This type of surprise should be expected by you."
Did the cat just mock her?
"Are you some kind of special cat? Did someone experiment on you?" asked Willa. Maybe this cat was experimented upon. Was this cat going to tell its experience to her?
The cat shook its head in denial. It snorted, "Don't say nonsense. I have some very high expectations from you. Willa, have you ever read novels?"
"No," replied Willa.
The cat facepalmed itself. Her ignorance towards the novel world could make this harder than it looked.
"Parallel worlds? Alternate worlds? What about them? You must know something about them at least."
Willa nodded, "Yeah, I know about them." The concept of multiverse wasn't new to her. Countless realities existed along with her reality. At least that was what she believed, though her colleagues never believed that concept.
The cat's tail swished as if it saw a fish dangling in front of his eyes. It said, "So, what do you say if I can get you to a new reality? Are you interested?" Its eyes shone like a greedy shopkeeper trying his best to scam an innocent customer. It rubbed his hands.
"Okay, this sounds weird. By the way, your tune is eerily similar to those kidnappers who try kidnap children by giving them candies," Willa said.
The cat, Toto said, "No, no, no! I am not trying to scam you or anything. Look, I have been observing you for days and that potential," it pointed its claw towards Willa, "should be recognized."
"Are you a stalker?" asked Willa.
Toto was stunned by her question. It denied, "No! I am not! Willa, can't you see it? I am someone who greatly values your potential. And truthfully, I value you. Watching you constantly for days, made me feel you are the right candidate."
Willa said, "Wow, your words are 'packaged' with sweetness, though... I am more inclined to believe that you are a stalker." She turned off the TV and put the remote on the table.
Toto wasn't going to backdown. It liked challenges. Besides, Willa was the right candidate for this. There was no way it would let her go.
"Willa, your life's a mess."
"I know. Thank you for stating the obvious," Willa mocked it. Clearly, that cat was a bad stalker. Like, which stalker claimed that it stalked its target?
Toto said, "You are in debt, which aren't going to pay by itself. You have no job. Your love life's trajectory is... almost zero and I am not saying that it's your fault. See? Your life is in tatters. And that's where I come in! I, Toto, can help you restart your life. A brand-new life. A brand-new you."
"Hmmm... you are good in selling. Sell some more," said Willa, taking a seat beside it.
Toto smirked internally. It knew it could reel her in. It said, "You will have a great life, though it depends on you. Willa, I am saying the truth. Your life's graph depends solely on you... but I believe in you. If it's you, then I am sure that you will succeed."
Willa would be lying if she said that it didn't sound tempting. Toto's words were like a seductress seducing the poor traveller in the middle of a dense forest.
"Toto, right?"
"Yes," replied Toto.
Willa asked, "What do you gain in all this? Where do you come in?"
Toto smirked, "Thought would never ask that! My role is simple. I want to be your familiar. With my help, you can achieve wonders! I can amplify your potential."
"Just like that? No, there must be something else." Willa believed it was a half-truth.
Toto sighed, "Willa, familiars like me won't be able to survive without a master. In some worlds, things like me are called by a different name. 'System.' That's what we are called. Mostly, that is. Without people like you, things like me won't exist. Our existence solely depends on you. If you die, we die... but if I die, you won't." It was better for it tell the truth from the start. For a relationship to succeed, secrets must be undraped before they poison it.
Willa nodded lightly. Numerous thoughts bounced inside her head as if wanting to break out of her skull. After a minute, she said, "I accept your offer."
Toto smiled and lifted its paw for Willa to shake.
Willa immediately took its paw into her hand and shook it. Her scientific brain was extremely excited to see what the new world looked like.