Random Sanders Sides Stuff

Animal

Tw: Cursing, panic/anxiety attacks, losing the will to live, fighting, let me know if I missed any

A small kitten roamed the forest, looking around at the trees for the hundredth time. They loomed over the animal, casting shadows that let the black kitten blend into the background. It had a small purple streak on it's tail, barely noticeable in the night. The cracking of branches drew it's attention, and a child ran into the clearing nearby. The kitten followed the young kid, intrigued, and looked around curiously.
The kid instantly noticed the small animal, dropping his hands and letting the doll fall to the ground. He ran forwards, freezing as the kitten made to run. A sad look came across his face, but he just sat on the ground, crossing his legs and reaching out his hand gently. Hesitantly, the kitten stepped forwards, looking at his hand cautiously. It noticed the toy on the ground and darted towards it, picking the doll up in it's mouth and carrying it over to the child.
The child was surprised, setting the doll on the forest floor again and reaching out. The kitten stepped into his lap, purring quietly as he stroked the animals fur. The kid stood up after a few moments, surprised when the kitten followed him. Together, they went back to the boys home, and enjoyed the night as friends.
Over the years the two grew closer, much closer than most people are to their pets. Whenever someone would act even in the slightest of offensive ways, the kitten would hiss and scratch. He brought the boy a broken collar with his name on it, and from then on was called Virgil. He never wore it though, instead remaining a free-roaming animal. Roman, the boy, grew older too, yet the kitten never seemed to grow up, never became an adult. His claws were tiny and his feet were too big for him, yet he was fierce when he wanted to be.
Everyone in the town knew of the strange relationship between the animal and boy, yet no one did anything about it. They knew it would only make matters worse, and it did no one any harm, so they let it be. People tried to bully him for it, only to end up with their eyes almost scratched out. Roman tried to calm Virgil, but the kitten wouldn't stop until the people were out of his sight. They learned how to read each other's moods, and comfort the other when in need. Some even joked they were in love, before they ran screaming for their lives at the hands of the small black kitten.
Roman sat on his bed, his head tilting to the side as he looks at Virgil. The cat stares back at him curiously, wondering what he was thinking. Yes, the cat thought frequently, not that anyone knew. Roman suspected him though, the cat was far too intelligent to not have rational thoughts. And some irrational ones, when he suffered from panic attacks. Roman spoke, his voice quiet yet curious.
"I never thought to ask before, but why do you have that purple streak on your tail?" He asks, making Virgil stiffen. No one ever spoke to him like this, not even Roman. Roman acted as though Virgil was someone to vent to, but not someone who could respond or speak back. He occasionally asked questions, but most were just to confirm something he thought or said, never open-ended.
The kitten curls in on himself, bowing his head in fear. Virgil was very shy, and doesn't know how to handle such direct questions, especially when he can't answer them. Roman's eyes widen slightly, and he gets up from his desk chair to sit on his bed, where the kitten lay. Virgil flinches back, but stays still regardless. Roman looks at him curiously, speaking again after a long moment of silence.
"Are you alright?" Virgil nods, not looking at him. "Is there a reason for the streak that you don't feel comfortable answering?" Virgil hesitates, but nods anyways. What could be going on inside his head? Roman thinks.

Virgil's P.O.V.
I can't let him find out. Not yet at least. You see, when I was much younger, maybe about four years old, I was cursed. Somehow. The witch turned me into a kitten, and said I'd never turn back. Not unless I somehow made my purple streaks turn black. Now you may think this is easy, something simple. You'd be wrong about that.
I wrote a note to first person I came across, begging them to dye my tail all black. They were hesitant, and a little afraid, but they did so nonetheless. The dye, which was supposed to be permanent for humans or animals, washed right off like they were adding water to my fur. It confused them, and scared the people, so they ran away and I was kicked out of the store. I've tried getting it dirty enough, but it can't collect dirt. Washing it out didn't work, and I don't know of any other way. It's been 13 years of me wandering endlessly, or rather it would've been if Roman hadn't found me when he was eight. So instead it was just four, and the other nine I've spent with him, a roof under my head and a close companion near me at all times.
He even tried dying my tail black, but I hissed and scratched when he tried, too afraid he'd run away if he did. So he left my tail the way it was, and he hasn't tried since. I know he's curious, but there's no way I can answer him. Not without revealing something. Not without losing his trust. And I can't do that, I'd rather die first, I swear to whatever deity might be out there. I would rather slit my own wrists and hang myself at the same time.
So I just nod and shake my head, letting just enough slip that he knows I'm not just your average cat, but never enough to show him what truly happened, never enough to make him suspect me to be something of literal magic. He seems confused, but respects my privacy and heads back over to his desk, continuing to write out lines. He's writing an entire play for extra credit, but if he can't finish it in a month the school is going do it's own play. No one knows he's doing this yet.
He sighs, face planting onto the keyboard, before erasing the letters that appeared. I hope down silently, climbing onto his desk next to him. He's so focused on the screen that he doesn't notice me, not until I gingerly place one paw on the keyboard. He jumps up, about to swat me away, but I flinch making him freeze. He clearly doesn't know what makes me so afraid, and probably thinks I was abused or something. I press down, writing two words. Running, I he looks at the screen, before continuing on with the sentence, new ideas forming in his head.
The story twists and turns, then mellows out for a moment before jumping into startling action. Whenever he gets stuck I offer a prompt, and he finds somewhere to go from there. When I was younger, I used to be an avid storymaker, I just never got the chance to actually put it down since I didn't know how to write. Through the years, I've managed to sneak into school with Roman whenever I can, and in the wandering years I kept up with schooling so I understand most things an 17 year old does. A few things never happened for me though, for example I never got to experience rejection by a crush, though I had a few on some of the boys at Roman's school (it was extremely awkward) and I never had the experience of doing real group projects.
I'm fine with this though, I've handled pretty well, and it's not like I'll ever be able to be in human form again anyways so it doesn't matter. Even if I do, I'll be so unused to it that I'll probably die of shock. Roman's play continues, and we get through a good chunk of the story before he has to go to bed. I make my way over to the small pet bed I have, grateful that I still have a place to sleep and food to eat. I was weirded out at first, and I threw up every time I ate cat food. They took me to the vet and they told Roman's family, with quite strange expressions, that I had the normally dietary restrictions of a person. Therefore, cat food was horrible for me.
Still, I fall asleep with a sense of calm that hasn't been here in a long time. I should've known it was too good to last. As soon as I fall asleep, my dream swirls into a nightmare. A memory, more specifically.
I walk through the forests, a small toy in hand. My parents don't really like me, so they jokingly gave me a collar with my name on it. I like it though, it's a fun toy! I skip my way along, happy as the leaves go crunch. I smile, letting my hood fall off as I continue on my way. Mommy will be happy! I finally got out of the house. A little woman passes by me, freezing as she sees me. She waves me over, and I follow her into a small little cave. She smiles evilly at me, but I don't care. Someone's smiling at me! This is new. I smile back widely, surprising her.
"So long as you live, you shall be a small helpless animal. Unless you are able to turn the streaks upon your tail black. Hopefully this shall shorten your suffering, your horrible parents shall dream of what you did every day, starting tonight. They will see how they are killing you." She says, a sad smile on her face. She waves her hand, and purple and black light shoot out, making me go "ooh". Suddenly, I start shrinking, growing smaller and smaller. My look down at my hands, but they're paws!
"Help!" I shout, but it comes out as a meow. Tears form in my eyes, and I run away before the mean lady can grab me. I pick up the collar as her eyes widen, and run away as fast as I can. I don't look where I'm going and crash into a tree, knocking myself out.
I wake with a jolt, looking around wildly. Roman is sitting awake, staring at me in fear and confusion. I think he might know I dreamt of a memory, based on the way he's looking at me, but I know he has no idea what it actually was about. We stare at each other for a moment, the air tense and my breathing jagged. He slowly makes his way over to me, his hand shaky as he points at me.
"This is weird, but you're meow sounded strangely like the word 'help'." He says, lowering his hand. I tilt my head, deciding to try something out.
"Really?" Of course, it still comes out as a meow, but a slight resemblance of the word is still there. He looks at me strangely, but I meow again with no words, making him just shake his head. He heads back to his bed, quietly advising me to do the same.
I wake up again, this time much calmer, and now it's daylight. Thank goodness it's the weekend, I'm too tired to sneak into school today. I have to come up with new tactics each day, people are starting to suspect me. Not that anyone cares. In fact, I think there might be a way I can do something.
I jump up, a new wave of energy washing over me. Roman looks over at me groggily, confused as I start typing carefully on the search engine. Can you bring me to school as your emotional support pet? I want to learn. It's slow and meticulous, but eventually I get it out. By the time I finish he's woken up more, and he walks over to see what I wrote. He looks at me in surprise, but nods tiredly.
"Sure, sounds reasonable." He pauses for a moment, his brain fully waking up. "Wait, what?! You want to go to highschool? You want to learn?" I nod, and he stops to think again "Now that I think about it, have you been sneaking in?" I nod sheepishly, looking down. He laughs, a wide grin on his face. "I knew you were a smart cat. Ah, what the hell, why not." I meow happily, jumping back down to the ground.
"Roman, watch your language. And what are you doing up this early?" His mom calls from the other room, making us look at the clock. It's 11 am, way too early for the both of us. He groans, calling back to her.
"I can speak the way I want mom, fifth grades say that, and I woke up because of Virgil." He glares pointedly at me, but he smiles regardless, letting me know he's not actually angry.
"Ah, your cat. Makes sense." She says jokingly, and we emerge from the room. She's smiling, and so are we. Well, Roman's smiling, I'm doing the best I can as a kitten.
"But it's true!" He whines, still smiling, while his mom rolls her eyes.
"Whatever you say darling." They laugh for a moment "But I do believe you, I had a kitten when I was your age and I could never get a good night's rest. It was exhausting, but so worth it." She continues with a nostalgic smile. Roman nods, and they start on breakfast together. After a while they put down a plate for me, filled with bacon and pancakes. It's odd really, how quickly they adjusted to life with me.
I can't complain though. The day continues on normally, or at least as normal as it can be with Roman and his family. First of all, there's his siblings, the 12 year old twins Missy and Peter, or as they go by, Misleading Compliments and Pranks. Sometimes she uses Missy for short, but she claims that she just lucked out with her name. They are the biggest troublemakers you will ever meet, and probably the best siblings too. It's always fun waiting to see what they have planned for the day. Next is Roman's dad, who is so obsessed with games he made a job off of inventing new ones. Roman's mom is the most-normal one of them all, but she has a long list of odd talents that some people find weird. Roman himself is an avid actor, and could convince someone that he's the president's son if he tried hard enough.
Then there's me, the family cat with an anxiety disorder and who seems more human than possible. I never age and I can read human emotions, comfort people, and I even know how to sneak into school. I can type, which I just found out, and my meows almost sound like words. Plus, I completely freak out when you try to touch the end of my tail, which is an unnatural purple color. So yeah, this entire family is pretty unnormal. But hey, it's the best family I've ever seen, and I'm glad to be a part of it.
Missy and Peter make their way down the hall, glancing around mischievously. When they spot me their eyes light up in delight, and they run over to me excitedly. Missy picks me up carefull, both of them smiling widely. I make no sound, not wanting to ruin whatever it is they want to do today. They take me back to their room that they insist on sharing, setting me down on the bed gently. They sit next to me, leaning down to whisper.
"Hey, what do you think we should use on Roman, glitter in his hair or a fake coffee spill on his computer?" Peter asks, grinning. I pause for a moment, he would definitely freak out if he saw the fake stain, but he might end up yelling at the twins and getting them in trouble.
"Meow once for glitter, twice for fake coffee." Missy says, and I meow once. He likes his appearance enough to cause a strong reaction from this, but not enough to get him full-on yelling. They grin wider and set me down, letting me scamper off to see this unfold.
About fifteen minutes later they come out, holding a bag that looks suspiciously like an old school bag. Roman is sitting on the floor, playing Life™ with his parents, his mom laughing as the other two stare in mock horror. Missy and Peter sneak up, unnoticed by anyone but the mom, who remains silent with a bright smile. She nods almost imperceptibly, and without hesitance the twins dump a solid pound of glitter on Roman's head, before running to the kitchen giggling.
An unholy screech escapes Roman's mouth, him turning to look around, blinking through the mass of silver sparkles everywhere. I hold back a laugh, but his parents don't even try to, bursting out in loud shouts of laughter that I'm sure the neighbors can hear. He stumbles to his feet, almost tripping over me before making his way to the kitchen. I jump out of the way, watching intently as he opens his mouth to speak, only to spit out the giant clump of glitter that falls in.
"How dare you! You'll pay for this!" He shouts, yet a smile rests on his silver-covered face. I jump up, grabbing the back of his shirt with my claws and pulling him backwards, making him fall into the pile of glitter left on the floor behind him, just barely getting to the side in time before he crushes me. More laughter erupts from the family, and I can't help but smile at the sight. I wonder if my parents will see this tonight.
Roman jumps up and starts chasing after them, spitting out glitter every five seconds. The entire family laughs as the twins fake-scream, making him chase them around in circles while his parents try to get the jump on him in the board game he left behind. The house slowly gets more and more covered as the glitter falls off of Roman, until the only part of him still silver is his hair, much to his dismay. So yeah, like I said, just a normal day in the Prince household.
The rest of the weekend passes in pretty much the same fashion, with Roman getting very little done with the play. However, as soon as Monday comes a whole new mindset falls on him, and as we both wake up he focuses on his screen first, writing a paragraph before getting dressed. Once we're ready he carefully puts me in his backpack, putting on the collar that I've never actually worn before. They sewed it back together even though I refused to wear it, and it's a good thing too. Who knows if they would've let me into school without a tag. I remain silent the entire way there, not daring to make a sound before I'm supposed to. He brings me to the office, finally taking me out.
"This is my emotional support pet. I know you've probably heard rumors of a cat around, and it was him, I've just been too embarrassed to reveal him. Could you please just let my teachers know so I don't have to be questioned on it in front of anyone?" He asks quietly, looking down. I have to say, he really is an amazing actor, I almost believe him. But I've been with him long enough to know when he's faking something, not many can. They agree, and send Roman on his way, just making him promise that I'm behaved.
"You heard them, behave." He says to me quietly once we leave, and I nod curtly. No use messing up my chances at learning now, why would I?
The day passes surprisingly well, and things settle down pretty quickly. No one cares much about him having an emotional support pet, and his friends know he doesn't need one. They congratulate him on fooling the principal though, and let him continue on with whatever scheme they assume he has. Patton and Logan are too busy accidentally flirting to notice though, otherwise they would say something. Once we get home I'm surprised, and no doubt anxious, to see Roman's mom standing in the doorway with crossed arms.
"I heard from the principal that you brought in an 'emotional support pet' today." She says coolly, her eyes narrowed. Roman glances at me, but looks up at her confidently.
"Yes." He says shortly, waiting for her to blow up at him. I shrink in on myself, guilt clawing away at me.
"Well congratulations! I mean, I knew you were a good actor, but not that good. So I guess Virgil really does want to learn." She says happily, her entire mood changing. She laughs at Roman's surprised reaction, but he smiles hesitantly too. We're brought in the house and we all sit down on the floor, Missy and Peter are already sitting down with their dad so we sit too, forming a circle.
"So, is it true you want to learn?" Missy asks excitedly, looking at me with wide eyes. Cautiously, I nod, sending a ripple of awe through them all.
"And that you've been sneaking into Roman's school to do so?" Peter adds, and I nod again. This makes them all glance at each other, before laughter bursts out.
"Who knew you had such a smart kitten?" Roman's mom asks, all of them smiling.
"I did." He says with a grin, making them laugh again. It's not mocking though, just surprised and joyful laughter that everyone can enjoy. Peter jumps up, running out for a moment and grabbing Roman's laptop.
"Here, if you're so smart, then show us what Roman said, prove he's not insane." The rest of the family look at him in confusion, so he clarifies "He said that you helped him write the play, so prove it." His parents roll their eyes, while Roman seems terrified.
"Well, I'm a little stuck right now for the play." He says, and I slowly walk forwards, everyone's eyes on me. BANG, I jump I write, giving him a prompt. He stares at me in grateful surprise, and continues on with the sentence. Shocked silence follows, before applause comes from the twins.
"Bravo, you're the smartest animal to ever exist. Some might even say you're really a human, turned into an animal." Peter says, chuckling.
"Yeah, it would explain the purple marking on your tail." Missy adds, smiling.
"But he would've had to be cursed or something, which can't happen, and when he was really young since he's the same age as me, and I found him when I was eight." Roman says, humoring their theory.
"Yeah right, and he just happened to have a collar at that time." Roman's mom shuts it down, while I stare at the ground anxiously. I know their joking, but how the hell did they guess right every time?
~1 week later~
Time has mostly flown by, and no more close calls. Logan and Patton finally noticed me, and while Patton was delighted, Logan was just confused as to how my fur, unlike any other cat's, doesn't affect Patton's allergies. Logan also didn't like the fact that Roman fooled a teacher, but was impressed by his doing so. Roman however has been acting a little strange the last few days, and I can't help but notice. He looks around a lot too, like he's afraid he's being watched.
Roman flops down on his bed, making me jump to the side. What's wrong with him? Is someone hurting him without me noticing? But he has a dorky grin on his face, and he sighs into the mattress contentedly. I poke him with my paw gently, gaining his attention. As he looks up at me he notices my pointed look, and immediately turns away, blushing.
"What? I'm not acting strangely or anything." He says, putting on a calm front. I narrow my eyes at him, and he looks down "Okay, fine, you know me better than anyone. Want to know what's up?" He asks hesitantly, and I nod "Well I sorta maybe kinda have a tiny little crushonsomeone." He rushes out the end, and my ears perk up, as if to say 'who' "It's James, you know him, he sits next to me in almost every class." I nod, wary. James isn't exactly the nicest person, he's known all around the school as 'the local fuckboy' and he breaks people's hearts at any chance he can get, and he's extremely homophobic too.
Yet somehow Roman has managed to not hear any of these rumors, or witness the scenes happening across the courtyard since he was too distracted by something else. So you can tell I'm more than a little upset when I hear this, I don't want Roman getting hurt, plus he won't just get rejected, he'll have the entire school turn on him until it turns into physical abuse. I know, I've seen the exact same thing play out, Roman had to step in and stop someone from kicking poor Derek last year, but he never knew who started it. And now he's fallen in love with the person who did. I jump up to his desk once more, carefully typing out It's not a good idea. He looks at me curiously, before rolling his eyes.
"Oh, great, even my cat's homophobic, thanks." He says, his voice conveying his emotional hurt. I shake my head frantically, my eyes wide. No, James is. I'm gay too. I type out, wincing at how blatant it is. Yeah, like he's going to believe his fucking cat understands things like this.
He stares at me, before throwing a pillow at me angrily. I jump out of the way, my tail going straight up in alert. He glares at me harshly, his breathing heavy as he grabs his lamp, which is much heavier and possibly could kill me.
"GET OUT!" He shouts, throwing it at me. I whimper, running as fast as I can and falling to the floor, scrambling to do so. His door slams shut behind me, and I hear the sound of him deleting my message. I run outside, not caring that the sound of my collar jingling makes the other family members stare at me as I run. Not caring that Missy and Peter shout "Virgil!" at me as I try to escape, not caring that my parents will see this tonight and hate me even more, not caring that I probably won't be able to find my way back. Not caring.
I scramble through the forest, tears falling down my face. I never knew it was possible for cats to cry, but maybe I'm just the exception, it wouldn't be the first time. My breathing grows jagged as my vision blurs, yet I push forwards until I make it all the way through the woods, to a certain cave. I see an abandoned cauldron still here, and markings all over the walls. There's one drawing though, posted on the wall. It's of a small black cat with a purple streak on it's tail, and there are messy words under it.
This is my brother Virgil. Signed, Emma Rhodes, age 6 it reads, and I step back in confusion. I have a sister? And she knows I got turned into a cat? My panic and confusion spiral together, and I hit the wall as I back away. It turns into a complete anxiety attack, making me pass out.
A family makes their way through the woods, a little girl about the age of six, and two parents. The mother and father looks unhappy grim, but the girl skips along merrily. The mother and father look to each other as they reach a cave, and they both kneel down to their daughters height.
"This is where your brother, Virgil, got turned into a cat for being naughty. He's a black cat with a purple streak in his tail, but we get to see him in our dreams every night." The mother says, and the girl brushes her long, curly black hair out of her face.
"Can I draw a picture of him?" The girl asks, pressing gently her mother's bun. The wavy brown hair comes falling out, making the mother scold her.
"Of course darling. It's 2016, don't forget to write that somewhere." The father says, brushing his own black hair behind his ear. The girl makes a small drawing, and manages to make it stick to the wall somehow, in a way the parents don't know, nor care about.
I wake up, looking around. It's been two years since Emma was here, so she must be eight now. I see she got our father's hair, while I got our mother's. I can't believe they told her I got cursed because I was being bad though, they didn't even take any of the blame! What about the fact that they let me openly wander in the woods? Or that they gave me a collar since I was basically just a pet to them? Or the fact they emotionally abused me, making me the anxious catperson I am today? Or how about the fact that they never came looking for me, never bothered to use my location from their dreams so they could take care of me?
I shake my head, walking back out slowly. Maybe this is what I deserve. To just be a lonely animal out in the wilderness, unable to do anything. But even if I don't deserve to have a house under my head, or to have to comfort of a family around me, I'm not letting Roman get heartbroken by that asshole James. Not on my life! I sprint back the way I came, following my muddy pawprints back to the house I just ran from. I look at the sun and wince, it's been hours. The sun's already setting, and I left in the early morning. Like, 9 am early. I climb over the fence, sitting on the back porch. My collar broke again, it got caught on so many tree branches that it's a wonder it's still on my neck, since it snapped on the front again.
Missy and Peter are crying, their backs against the glass door that lead to the back door. I can just barely make out what they're saying, and it makes me look down in shame as I hear how broken their voices sound as they speak, how Missy can barely form a word.
"I-I-I c-can't-t believe h-h-he left." Missy wails, sobbing into Peter's shoulder.
"How could Roman? He loved Virgil more than us, even though that seems impossible, and yet he's the reason Virgil l-left." Peter cries, while their mom paces around the kitchen nervously. Roman sits on the couch, staring at the ground pointlessly, and his dad can't even look at him
"Why Roman, we know you loved that cat, you risked scorn and embarrassment just so he could learn, and now you're sending him away? What did he do?" Roman doesn't respond, picking at his fingers. I let out a tiny meow, placing my muddy paw against the door. They can't hear it over the rain though, and no one's looking at the actual door itself.
"Guys!" I meow louder, but still no one hears me. I sigh, looking down with my paw still against the door. I decide to try something, after all they said they'd be able to hear me hiss from over a mile away.
So I hiss as loud as I can, my ears drooping and my claws coming out. My teeth show and I almost jump back myself at how loud I come out, but it catches the twins attention.
"VIRGIL!" They shout in unison, opening the door hurriedly. I step inside, letting my collar fall and sitting on the mat patiently so I don't track mud everywhere.
"Where'd you go?" Peter asks worriedly, leaning down to hug me. I flinch back, looking down.
"Cave." I meow out, looking up at Roman. He stares into my eyes, before rushing over.
"I'm so sorry, I never should've yelled." He says, looking down at his hands. I narrow my eyes at him, making everyone stare. I don't think they know I actually mean the words my meows sound like. Someone brings a laptop over, I'm not sure whose it is, and Missy cleans off my feet so I can type.
James. I type, looking at Roman. He bows his head again, a blush spreading.
"Who's James?" Peter asks teasingly, tears still in his eyes.
"No one." He says quickly, and I almost feel bad for him, I don't exactly want to out him in front of his entire family.
"Wait, isn't he that homophobic fuckboy from your school that loves breaking hearts?" Missy deadpans, looking up at him. Her mother quickly covers her mouth, an appalled look coming across her face.
"Language!" She shouts, wide eyed.
"Gaelic." Missy responds from behind her mom's hand. Roman's eyes are wide, and he stares at me with understanding dawning on him. Guilt fills his eyes and he looks down at his feet as the rest of his family turns back to him. Realization dawns on them slowly, and they all turn back to me.
Roman gets up, heading back to his room, but I quickly follow him, slipping inside just before he closes the door. He looks at me in surprise, but just faceplants onto his pillow once more. I hop up cautiously, prodding at him with my paw. He slowly sits up, looking at me curiously.
"Why do you care?" He asks, with an air of sadness. I just look at him, unsure how to answer "Oh, so you can't respond anymore. How do I even know You're Virgil? You could be any cat, you just sliced his collar and came here." My tail raises warily, my mind racing. Being a cat with anxiety isn't the best thing, since everyone can see when you're actually feeling anxious. His eyes catch the movement and he instinctively looks up, freezing as he sees the purple. "So this isn't a joke? Well then why don't you answer?" I look down at my feet, before turning to his laptop. He shakes his head, grabbing me by the tail.
"Oh no you don't. In fact, I'm going to dye your tail black and say that you're the wrong cat, it should last for about a month." I start shaking, memories coming back "Geez, calm down. Dye, as in color it, not die as in death." I only start shaking more, making him sigh as he carries me to the bathroom. He takes out the black dye and I hiss at him, tears forming in my eyes. My vision blurs again and my breathing grows jagged once more. He recognizes the signs of one of my anxiety attacks and sighs, waiting until I calm down before lunging at me, his hand full of the black goop. I jump away, a cry escaping my mouth.
"No!" I meow, jumping on top of the shower rod. He stares at me, his eyebrows raised in an unamused way.
"Really?" I nod, looking down with shaky legs "What did you mean by you were at a cave earlier? Or was I just hearing things again?" I shake my head, unable to do anything.
This continues for an hour as he tries to corner me, until Missy walks in so he can get hair spray to help her mom. She freezes as she sees us, before yelling at Roman loud enough for the others to come and see what's happening. I get brought back to the living room, and Roman is sent to his room for the night. Roman and I don't get to spend much time together throughout the week, only at school where I can't risk anything. Once we're home I'm taken away, to prevent me from getting hurt by Roman more. It's a painful process, but at least Roman stays away from James.
Until he doesn't.
Well, more accurately, until James comes over to him. He smirks at Roman cockily, a cruel gleam in his eyes. I nudge Roman gently, making him look up warily. He shrinks back slightly as he sees James, but doesn't say anything, continuing to talk with Patton and Logan. But James isn't exactly cool with being ignored, and grabs my tail to gain his attention. This earns him a harsh glare from Roman, Patton, and Logan, but he pretends not to notice.
"Hey pretty boy, a little birdie told me you have a crush on me. Is it true that you're a little piece of faggot scum?" He says, making Patton and Logan flinch.
"I think you should see a doctor, you sound like a delusional Disney prince, talking to little birds and such. And why would I have a 'crush' on a asshole like you?" He spits back, making finger quotes around the word crush. James steps back slightly, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
"It's an expression dimwit, and-" Roman doesn't let him finish, cutting in.
"First of all, I knew that, I was joking second of all, I'm not a dimwit third of all, who gave you the right to say that homophobic shit? I think you need to see the principal." Roman says coldly, glaring.
"You see, that's the problem, you think. It's dangerous for people like you." James fires back, a sneer on his face.
"No, it's only dangerous for people like you, who start rumors and literal abuse." Roman says. James glares at him, before turning on his heel and marching away.
When we get home, I'm surprised to find that I'm allowed in Roman's room. However, it probably wasn't the best idea to go in. Roman glares at me as I do so, his voice cold.
"There, you were right, happy now?" I shake my head, a sad look on my face "Oh, don't give me that pity crap. You're awful, you know that? I can't believe I ever risked anything for you. I was just an idiot kid obsessed with the idea of a 'kitty', I never should have brought you home. Missy and Peter only like you because they're too young and stupid to realize having a pet is an awful idea." Each insult cuts deeper, as though physical knives are carving them into me "Emotional support, what a stupid idea. And I was idiotic for ever thinking I could write a play too! It's due in a week, and I still don't have an end to it. I suppose I could ask you for help, but that's just something an insane person would say. 'My cat helped me write a play' yeah right, what a pathetic excuse. You know, why don't you just run away? Run away like you did before, like you should've years ago. You're not worth the trouble." I get it, sometimes people need to pin the blame on something, and usually your pet is the best idea because it doesn't hurt anyone, but that... no, he's right. I don't even deserve to exist. Why am I alive anyways?
I feel a draining sensation, and I glance at my tail. It's turning black. Roman stares at it too, his eyes wide. What a neat little trick, losing the will to live is the way to drain all color from myself. How funny. The witch really had a cruel sense of humor, because once I'm human I'll have the actual ability to kill myself. How considerate of her. I see my tail turn completely back, and my entire body starts tingling. I feel heavier than ever before, and suddenly my back paws have tiny shoes on them.
My body stretches and grows, the shoes still tiny and the clothes way too small for me. In fact, they're the same clothes I was wearing when I turned into a kitten way back when I was four. At least I'm wearing clothes at all. They rip and tear, leaving me sitting on Roman's floor in clothes that only fit a four year old, now human when seconds before I was a kitten.
"MooOOOM!" Roman shouts, backing away. The door bursts open, apparently everyone was watching because of the noise, so they all know what happened. I stare at my hands.
"Huh. Neat." I say, before doubling over in laughter at just how pathetic my situation is. I jump up after a moment, my eyes wide, but my smile wider "Oh, oh oh oh oh!" I exclaim, looking around. I see Roman's boxcutter and reach for it, pulling out the blade. "I can actually hold things! And cut! And speak!" I shout, but my grin quickly drops off my face. "What a cruel joke." Everyone stares at me, too shocked to say anything.
"What just- what?!" Roman exclaims, staring at me. I sigh, dropping the blade.
"Okay, I suppose I should explain." Missy nods exasperatedly.
"Uh, yeah!" She shouts, backing away. I drop my head, picking at my fingers.
"So, when I was four years old" We all wince at how long ago that was "I was wandering in the woods. My parents hated me, probably still do, so they gave me a collar with my name on it as a joke. I was carrying it, and a woman appeared near me. She smiled at me, and since she was one of the few people to ever have done that, I smiled back and trusted her. She brought me to a cave" Roman's eyes widen, but he remains silent "and said, and I quote: ""So long as you live, you shall be a small helpless animal. Unless you are able to turn the streaks upon your tail black. Hopefully this shall shorten your suffering, your horrible parents shall dream of what you did every day, starting tonight. They will see how they are killing you." So I turned into a kitten, and that's why I'm in these stupidly small clothes." They all stare at me, and Peter speaks up.
"But isn't that easy?" I shake my head, a bitter laugh ringing through the room.
"Nope. I found someone a week later, and convinced them to dye my tail black. The dye washed right out as if it were water, and everyone freaked out and ran away. Next I tried getting it so dirty that the purple was no longer visible, but it just wouldn't get dirty. I tried washing it too, but nothing happened. Apparently, as I just learned, the way to make the color drain is to lose the will to live. Anyways, I wandered in the woods for about four years before Roman found me, and you guys know the rest. Though when I disappeared, I went to that cave. I saw a drawing of me, and I had an anxiety attack there and passed out, that's why I was gone so long. I guess being there gave me a connection of sorts, because my dream, which I usually don't even dream after passing out, was of the time when they hung that drawing. Emma's eight now, based on how old she was then." I say, looking back down at my feet.
"So this is really you. This is the real person behind the cat we've lived with all these years." Roman's dad says blankly, staring at me. I nod.
"Sorry about this, I didn't mean to cause any trauma. Imagine having to explain this 'uh yeah, sorry I can't come into school today my cat turned into a person.'" I chuckle humorlessly, self-loathing thoughts filling my head.
"I-I'm the reason you changed back." Roman says, his voice horrified and awed at the same time.
"Pretty neat huh?" I ask him, staring at my hands again.
"No, I'm the reason you lost the will to live. All because you were trying to protect me." He bows his head in shame, and I look up in surprise.
"Hey, no, not entirely. I was already extremely close to losing it anyways, you just gave the little extra notch. I mean, I'm depressed, anxious, abandoned, and I've been thrown out of society completely. I honestly thought that if I ever managed to change back I'd die of pure shock, but I lived, so that's an accomplishment." I say, but he still doesn't look up at me.
"Still, I pushed you off the edge." He says, his voice cracking. I shake my head, walking over to him.
"If it weren't for you this would've happened years ago, probably when I was alone in the forest. You might've pushed me off the edge, but it was already crumbling, and fast. You saved me months of suffering at the hands of my own brain. I should be thanking you." I say, and he finally looks up, tears in his eyes.
"Hey, I hate to break this moment, but do you remember your address? We can bring you back to your parents if you'd like. But first I think you need new clothes." Roman's mom suggests, and I nod hesitantly.
Roman lends me some clothes, and I write down everything I remember about my old home. Memories flash by and I'm able to piece together enough information, so we get in the car and they drive me 'home'. It never was a real home to me though, and it never will be. At least my clothes are okay, a black hoodie with purple splotches and ripped jeans, with a light grey shirt underneath the hoodie. They knock on the door as the sun starts to set, and Emma opens the door, still clearly recognizable.
"Hi." I begin in a gentle voice "Are you Emma?" She nods, her eyes wide.
"Mom and Dad say I shouldn't talk to strangers, but they're mean to me." She whispers, looking down with sad eyes. I nod.
"I'm Virgil, and I know just how mean they can be." I say, making her look up in surprise.
"Virgil?!" She exclaims, gaining the attention of our parents. My mother and father walk down the hallway, glaring at me.
"So you're Virgil? I never though we'd raise such a pathetic emo." My mother says coldly, making me glare at her.
"You didn't raise me, you left me to die in the wilderness! Even before I was cursed you always sent me out to the woods to play, at age two to four. Yet you have the gall to insult me? Really?!" I say, glaring coldly at them. Emma looks at them, her eyes wide.
"I thought you said he was cursed for being bad." She says confusedly. I shake my head, a bitter laugh escaping.
"No, I was cursed because they thought the best way to raise a child was to act like I didn't exist, and basically try to get me kidnapped. I came across a strange lady in the woods, and the first thing I thought to do was be her friend, when most kids would run away. Why? Because she was the only person who had ever even acted friendly to me. Don't believe our pathetic parents." I spit out, looking cautiously down at Emma before glaring back up at our mother and father.
"But how did you turn back? Aren't you supposed to be a kitten?" Emma asks, looking me over.
"Losing the will to live." I say casually "But based on the type of parents I came home to right now, I'll probably be an animal inside forever. It's the kind of monster they'd raise." And it's true. Forever, I'll be stuck an animal, even while I'm in human form. No matter what.