Part 2

New York aspca, October 3, 3:51 p.m.

I set my head against the shotgun window. My little sister was talking nonstop behind me, giving me a headache. My mother ignored her while she drove. I was barely over the death of my German Shepard dog Kailee, and my dad suggests that I go to the shelter and look at the animals there. I wanted another pet, yeah, but not this soon.

I’m Trent Alson. My little sister Emily is eight, and I’m (barely) fourteen. I live on the outskirts of New York City, against the Atlantic Ocean. My life is just plain boring. Literally nothing has ever happened to me. I’ve never had anybody try and be friends, and I’m not the type to talk to people I don’t know much about. I’ve never moved houses, never been student of the week, and I’ve never gotten the best score in class.

So here I was, going to an animal shelter. I figured that I would walk out with a dog. My sister wanted a kitten, but my mother made it clear that it was my choice, since Kailee has been my dog.

“Remember, Trent, we can go to the shelter on the other side of Manhattan if you don’t want any of the animals here,” my mother reminded me. “Don’t think you have to choose one of the ones here. I don’t want to put pressure on you.”

“Mom, I know already! Stop annoying me!” I didn’t mean for it to come out harsh, but I guess it did, because my mom fell silent, along with Emily. I gazed out the window as we passed the uniformly similar houses.

Fifteen minutes later, I was walking past cages of assorted cats and dogs. A few looked nice, but had something wrong, There was a golden retriever that seemed playful, but a quick look at her tags revealed that she was deathly afraid of loud noises and storms. A mixed breed cat had purred at me, but she wasn’t good with small children.

A smaller cage tucked away in a corner caught my eye. In it was a brown and black tabby with longer fur. Her eyes were a light blue, almost electric. She was lying down, paws tucked underneath her. She was looking at me curiously, as if she was looking at the cages, not me. I walked over to her and looked in.

“You’re just waiting for someone, huh?” I murmured. To my surprise, the cat seemed to smile a slight bit. I took a step back and turned towards my mother. “Would a cat work?” My mom laughed and nodded. I looked back at the cat. She stood up and put her front paws against the cage. I smiled and waited while my mother went to find one of the staff members.

~{Ω}~

“So what’s her name?”

My dad looked at the new arrival. I furrowed my eyebrows and shrugged. “Haven’t picked one out yet,” I replied. “What about Fluffy?”

The cat flicked her tail violently. She glared at me, as if she could understand what I was saying. I knew that cats don’t understand English. They’re just not that smart. 

“She looks like a Marcy , but it’s up to you. She’s your cat.” My dad smiled at me. “And a very beautiful one at that.”

I put the animal back into her carrier. “I’ll take her up to my room and think. Call me when dinner’s ready.” I closed the carrier door and went upstairs to my room.

It’s not all that big, but it’s pretty roomy. On one side, I have my desk with a desktop computer and a bunch of books. On the other side, a couch set against the wall. My bed was set against the far wall, facing a T.V. on a nightstand. I set the carrier on the couch and opened it.

“Here you are, girl. Go on, look around!” The cat sniffed the couch, and then looked up at me. I put the carrier next to the couch. “I think you’re more of a Tammy, huh?” Tammy looked up at me with a new glow in her eyes. She liked it.

Tammy jumped off of the back of the couch and walked towards my computer. I followed her closely. She sat next to the keyboard and looked at me. I was going to look up area vets around here, but she couldn’t have known that. Cats can’t read minds.I sat down and hit the power button. Tammy jumped onto my lap and curled up. By the time I had entered the password, she was asleep. I smiled as she vibrated to the rhythm of her purring. In my mind, the world was at peace in that one moment.

Author's Note

Here's part 2!