Chapter 2

Tom-
Great Tom, just great, I think, she saw my eyes change.
“Over here!” says Linda’s friends.
We sit down. We order Linda’s friends say they’re not hungry staring at us like we’re the main dish.
“What do you want Linda?” I ask.
“I think the salad sandwich is for me. Are you sure you don’t want anything?” she asks her friends.
“Nope I think we’ll just eat the bread. We just ate,” Rosie says.
Shenna and Victoria look dismayed.
“But I’m sure these two would love-” Rosie starts.
Shenna interrupts, “We’d like the sandwich too please.”
“Okay,” I say.
“Let’s go use the facilities,” Rosie says.

Victoria-
“Rosie what’s wrong?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she replies.
“I think she wants to spy and see what they do while we’re gone,” Shenna explains.
“How do you always know?” I ask.
“We’re not headed toward the bathroom. Nor do we ever go anywhere we say we’re going.”
“Oh.”
“Shh!” Rosie says, “By the way do you think people see right through it?”
“Wouldn’t put it past them,” Shenna says.”
We hush.
Linda-
“So-” Tom kisses me.
“I like you,” Tom says.
“Me too.”
I see Victoria’s flashy blue shirt. I roll my eyes.
The waitress brings our food and as if on cue the trio walk from the direction of the bathroom. Tom’s beginning to act weird again.
“Do you want to come to my house after this?” I ask
“Cool, sure.”

Later-

I take Tom to my study room and shut the door handing him a copy of the house rules.

Rules of the house:
#1. Tell cook if you invite someone for supper.
(Brian that includes entire families.)
#2. Tell Katrina if you’re having friends over. At lest an hour ahead of time.
(Brian we need at least a week ahead of time if you’re inviting people the size of a military division!)
#3. No going into other peoples’ studies without:
A. Permission
B. Emergency (This means fire, poison, ect.) (Not fashion emergencies.)
(This means you Linda!)
C. a signed note by owner of study
(Forging note = 1 mo. Grounding.) (Brian forging note = grounding 2 mo.)
D. Person of study should be there at all times.
#4. If planning tell Katrina and cook 1 week ahead of time.
#5. Keep bedroom clean. (Shenna!)
#6. Please, after dark inform ADULT where you are going and take Gerald.
#7. Do not let Brian in the kitchen! (see # 4)
#8. Please have fun.
#9. No food in Grand ball room.
#10. No going into Grand ball room.
Signed,
Robert Shawl and Christiana Shawl

“Big house,” Tom says.
“Yeah people joke about it being the size of the white house.”
“You must get a lot of guest.”
“Only when Brian invites his friends over to parties, He got in so much trouble for his Christmas party last year. Did you want to talk to me?”
“Sit down. Now please don’t freak out, but my eyes change color.”
“You mean your eyes are hazel?”
“Not quite. You see- well here I’ll write it down.”
He goes to the desk and starts writing.
After about half an hour he hands me a piece of paper.


Dearest Linda,
I have something I have to tell you. I’m-well … I turn into animals. You see I’m a Prince of Cats in the Animal Kingdom. Well there is more. You your friends Rosie and Victoria and Shenna are too. Have you had any headaches, fever, chills, or your eyes changing colors? I understand if you don’t want to go out with me anymore. I think though it would be a good thing if you guys like… stayed low.
Sincerely yours,

Thomas H Fraile
He sees me finish and says, “If you do get headaches or anything boil this and drink it like tea. It’s not lettuce. It’s-”
“Did you just-”
“Um I’ll tell you about the mind reading later. My friend does. But when’s your birthday?”
“Two exact weeks.”
“But you said,” Tom starts but I interrupt, “Just wanted to see you reaction. Why? You are joking right?”
“Wrong,” he says, “It’s not a joke and you need to talk to your friends and ask them-”
“Ask us what?” Rosie asks popping into the room. And then I see I didn’t shut the door tight enough…

Rosie-
“Huh?”I say coyly.
“Hey is your friend seeing a shrink?” Shenna inquires.
Vitoria picks up a note and reads it.
“You guys, you guys he’s trying to make Linda insane!”
Shenna reads it, “I’m shocked!”
“Well it’s true. Here I’ll show you.” He turns into a cat.
The four of us scream at the top of our lungs. Good thing the walls are sound-proof. Privacy matters, .
Then, “Hey guys do you think we’re interrupting something here?” Victoria says.
“I don’t care,” I say.
“Yeah he still needs to explain why he’s such a whack job,” Shenna says.
“I will if I don’t have any more interruptions, okay?” he says.
We nod.
“You’ll probably be turning into animals this week sometime. So it’s a good thing about vacation. Are you planning on going anywhere?” We shake our heads. “Good ‘cause we need to go to the island. One place tourist don’t come. Shenna you’ll be a tiger. Rosie will be a sheep. Victoria will be a Queen Rodent. I’ll warn you now Victoria it’s nothing against you personally if I stalk you.”
“A rodent? -“
“It’ll be okay,” Linda says trying to comfort her.
“Actually, Linda, It’ll be great!”
“It will?”
Victoria pulls out little cages out of her old gym bag, and produces 5 hamsters, 2 gineapigs, 3 rabbits, 4 baby mice, and 5 hedgehogs.
She puts her finger to her lips and says, “Shh! I’ve been hearing them talk all day long! Cocoa says we’re being too loud.”
Victoria pets the brown rabbit.
“Hey Tom why don’t you spend the night and you can sleep with Brian or something and you can tell us more later?” Linda suggests.
“Okay.”
Tom-
“Hey are you Linda’s little brother Brian?” I ask.
“Yeah, and use the term little loosely. I’m 14.” Brian says.
“You’re a freshman?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Are you looking forward for the next 3 months?”
“Yes, I’m going to be a counselor to a summer camp. I’ve been wanting to but there was an age requirement at the one camp I want to go to so even though it was 2 weeks before my birthday I couldn’t sign up last year.”
“Cool so…” I trail off.
“You can sleep here on the spare,” he pulls out a mattress from under his bed, “Or in Linda’s room either one.”
I particularly think that I turned red enough to think I got skin cancer from sunburn.
“You’re a senior?”
“Yes,” I manage to get out.
“Then why are you hanging out with Shenna and Lin? They’re like only sophomores.”
“Well Brian, you’ll probably find out in a few years.”
“Ah, it’s a senior thing. I see.”
Not even close, I think.
“Here do you have any stuff to put in the bathroom?”
“Yeah here.” I hand him my stuff.

Linda-
“Wonder what’s taking so long,” I say.
Tom jumps on my shoulder as a cat.
“Must you scare her so?” Victoria says entering the room.
“Okay so, tell us everything you know. Why are we going to turn into animals?” Rosie asks.
“Here’s what I know-” he starts.
“Not all?” Rosie questions.
“Most,” he started, “A few humans are born into the Animal Kingdom each century. You see I’m a Prince of cats. Now Linda, which I was trying to say earlier, is going to be Queen. Now she’ll be like… oh a top leader like in charge. Queens can turn into any animal they want, but they have a specific animal.”
“Wait can Linda like have baby kittens?”
Tom turns a bright red, “Yes, she can,” he says looking really embarrassed, “Um usually cats go into heat, or estrus, during warm weather. Then have kittens after mating-”
I interrupted this time by me, “Well, I mean will the kittens be able to turn human?”
“They’ll be able to turn into other types of cats, but only a few, the ruling ones, will be able to turn into humans. Anyway, there are a lot of people like royalty who mate and stuff. Parliament sometimes requires you to have kittens and such. So you’ll probably have a lot of kittens.”
“Do they have mates or something then?” I ask.
“Yes. Now I have a statement for you: Does your brother always ask your boyfriends why they hang out with sophomore girls?”
“I’m gonna kill him,” Shenna and I say simultaneously.
“Good idea,” Rosie says.
“So have you got any headaches?”
“Mine went away.” I sneeze and turn into a cat, “Oh meow! How long do I stay like this, until I change back that is?”
“Um, try to will yourself to turn human, but not right now um okay I’d go to your room you know until I get some clothes enchanted for you.”
At this moment Rosie turns into a sheep, Victoria a hamster, and Shenna turns to a tiger.
“Ah…” Vic says.
“Hm… I could get used to the fluffiness4,” Rosie says.











4 Linda: Rosie gives a whole new meaning to the phrase wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Tom: I agree.


“I don’t know maybe I could discourage people like Tom here to leave decent innocent people alone.”
Tom-
“So have you tried any animals other than black and white?” I ask as Linda walks into the room the new clothes I got for her on, “Just focus on the animal, like that.”
“Okay,” she says she changed into a cat.
“You’re getting good. Soon, you’ll be able to do it almost involuntary.
There was a knock on the door. Linda’s mom peeks in her head, “Oh hello, could you tell Linda her father and I am going to sleep so keep the noise down and do not stay up all night.”
She leaves and Linda changes human again.
“Well that was almost funny,” she says.
“True, okay I’m gonna go and see if the trio can set up that chat room thing and then we can IM each other with details, oh and don’t worry, we have this protection from spies thing that Rosie’s friend Mac made for her. He’s the total computer geek that likes Rosie to no end. I think it’s funny, but none of the trio does apparently. So um you can borrow this computer.”
I hand him a laptop.

Computer-
Tomcat_1992@yahoo.com: Accept or Decline?
Catlover: hi
Shenna: hi
Rosie: hi *~
Angelqueen: what’s up w/ u Rosie?
Catlover: *ignoring* so…
Shenna: I think she’s jealous, Tom her face looks contorted. Ow! Linda hit me.
Tomcat: funny.
Catlover: I can hear u laughing down the hall.
Tomcat: I thought u said the walls were soundproof. I hope you parents don’t get mad.
Catlover: I hacked into it you know the bug and profile cams see they get your DNA and give me a profile of everybody in the room.
Tomcat: must u spy on me
Catlover: But u just told me and my best friends we turn into animals
Shenna; rosie; angelqueen: she’s right you know.
Catlover: How do u do that?
angelqueen: It’s from hitting the enter button at the same time saying the same things.
Catloverqueen: Really?
Rosie: No Mac set it up.
Bookworm: Hey guys.
Tomcat: Where’s the bathroom I need my toothbrush.
Catloverqueen: How did u put your toothbrush in the bathroom if u don’t know where it is?
Shenna: Oh no. If u gave it to my brother I’ll just get u a new one.
Rosie: Hey Mac.
Catloverqueen: I’ll do it.
Shenna: Fine. Turn into a penguin bet u … can, Oh.
Tomcat: Um she can turn into anything she wants.
Shenna: figures
angelqueen: Can I just turn into rodents?
Bookworm: you told them already?
Tomcat: yes
Catlover: brb (Tom, meet me outside my brother’s room.)
Linda-
“Hi there,” I say handing him a toothbrush.
“Do you want to talk? Give me one minute… well two actually.”
He goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth. I follow. Brian comes up.
“Hi little brat,” I say.
“Yeah, but you should understand your best interest is at hand,” he says.
“Sure if you do something to the toothbrush, and I kiss him then it’s just all ‘for my best interest’,” I say. Then, directing my words at Tom, “Do you want to go talk?”
Brian walks off.
“Aren’t we supposed to be in bed?”
“Just follow me if you’re done.”
I lead him to the attached bedrooms (Shenna’s and mine). I jump up on my double bed, he jumps on the foot.
“So what did you want to talk about?”
“How about you think of something, while I do this?” he kisses my cheek.
“Ha ha that’s funny,” Linda’s mom says.
“We’ll just be turning out the lights f you want Mrs. S,” Tom says not daunted.
She turns off the light, “Be careful… bed bugs.”
“Be careful to dream bugs you mean,” I say.
“Good night.”
“Yes Mimi,” I say.
“So can you change your eyes?”
I change them.
“Close your eyes.”
He kisses me and asks, “Have you ever … kissed a guy before?”
“Ugh! You can tell I haven’t seriously! Twice, but they don’t really count.”
“No, I can’t really. Seriously you haven’t?”
“Nope, I haven’t, and definitely not what you were going to say. Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious.”
“That means you were thinking about it. Aren’t you tired,” I ask yawning.
“I was trying to use you as a pillow. That is until you started moving. Did you know you move when you talk?”
I stiffened. He felt it.
“What’s wrong?”
“You were trying to go to sleep on me.”
“With you more or less.”
“Don’t you know what moral values are?”
“Yes, but we’re cats.”
“That’s true, but I’m fairly sure they’re A. gossiping about us on instant messaging, B. gossiping in their dreams, or C. IM gossiping in their dreams.”
“That’s true. I won’t try anything, not much anyway.”
He turned both of us human again and kissed me.
“I love you,” Tom says.
“I love me too.” 5
“What about me?”
“I love you too.”
“Thank you.”
He changed, and cuddled up next to me.
“Tom what about that island you were talking about earlier?”
“What about it?”
“When are we going?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“Do you all have passports? It’s in Canada.”
“Yes we also have visas from our trip over Christmas break.”
“Cool.”
He falls asleep after a while.












5 Tom: Why do you have an aversion to writing ‘I love you’?
Author: I don’t believe in love at first sight.
Linda: I do.
Author: Thnx. Back to the story.


At least he doesn’t snore, I think. That means if we share a cabin I can still get some sleep. What’s that noise?
My snoring maybe, Tom thinks. Good night, perhaps we could even-
No! I think.
Hug and stuff you know cats can mate.6
I’ll think about it.
We fall asleep













6 Author: Tom, you’re an idiot. You’re the type of person that gives cats a bad name.
Tom: Excuse me?
Linda: That’s really mean.
Shenna: Hi guys what’s up?
Rosie: Ha, haha. That is funny.
Victoria: Hi.
Author: End of Chapter 2
Tom: you can’t just walk away like that.
Author: watch me. You’re parents are respectable people. It’s too bad you’re not like them.
Linda: I’m beginning to see the light.
Linda: I didn’t say tha- blah, blah, blahblah.
Author: read on.