Here's my second story! I'm really excited to post this.
I understand the idea is a little bit out there and will completely understand if there are people who chose not to continue reading after this chapter. Please though, keep any hurtful comments to yourself. I realize I am not the worlds greatest author and negative comments will be removed.
I also apologize because this went without a beta, but i have spell checked it several times so i apologize for any a grammar errors..
Enjoy lovelies!
Love,
DixieStar
Kendall felt like the day was going to be different. He'd had a nauseous feeling for the past week. So this morning, when he woke up without one, he'd begun to fear for the worst. His body always had a way of letting him know when something was up... it always has.
He almost likes to think of it as his 'superpower'. Or at least that's what he would call it when he was younger. As he's grown up though, it's become more of a curse to him rather than a superpower.
The week before Logan was beat up by those thugs back in Minnesota he'd been anxious and under the weather every day until it had happened. Then there was that day that Katie has fallen off of the monkey bars and broken her arm. He had been sick to his stomach all day even though he'd been on a field trip at least 50 miles away from her! Plus there was that week he'd had a headache every morning and the morning he woke up without one James had been checked into the wall at their hockey game, which resulted in him seriously spraining his ankle.
So now, his stomach is in knots again because he's worried about what bad thing could be waiting to happen to him, or his friends, or his family.
"Kendall. You here man?" Logan calls walking into their shared apartment with James right on his tail.
"I'm over here." Kendall replied flatly from his place face down on the couch. Their favorite piece of furniture was this orange couch, yet it almost looked out of place in their apartment. That was probably due to the fact that James had worked so hard to make everything else in the apartment so up to date and stylish. Kendall and Logan could deal with that though, he's their best friend. He'd just better not touch their couch.
Logan and James carefully entered the living room, exchanging worried glances when they found Kendall face down on their beloved sofa with a pillow lying across the back of his head.
"What's up man? Jo got ya down again?" James asked crossing the living room and sitting by Kendall's feet. He picked them up and laid them across his lap when he was adjusted on the couch. Jo had a habit of doing this. When they were teenagers she had moved away and it left him in a terrible depression. Then she came back only to do it again. She had just moved back the week before and Kendall hadn't talked to her yet, especially since after her big move back she'd decided to date Jett. So no Kendall hasn't even gone to talk to her yet, not trusting himself to keep composure, but that wasn't the problem at the moment.
"No, it's not that." Kendall groaned out, not thankful in the slightest that James had to bring that up.
Logan moved across the room to sit next to Kendall's head. He removed the pillow from Kendall's head and made the blonde turn over so they could see his face; he set the pillow in his lap and let Kendall drop his head there when he had readjusted himself.
The boys had always been this close, even when they were back in Minnesota growing up. It was just something they'd always done. The one that was upset in-between the other two. To some, three 19 year-olds lying across each other may looked weird, but it was the brother-like bond they shared.
Logan had a skeptical look on face when Kendall finally looked up to examine the smart boy.
"If it's not Jo-ho then what's eatin ya man?" Logan began running his fingers through Kendall's hair that he had recently let grow out a little. This had always been Logan's role in the group, the 'mother hen' if you will. But that's only because he cares so much for both of his friends.
Kendall gulped. In all seriousness Jo was never really a problem. Well maybe she had been the first time, but after Kendall began to find himself…. Well, she was just hiding a well-kept secret from his 'almost brothers'. Really that's the only thing he's ever kept from them, but he's just never found the right time to tell them.
"Come on brother, what's up? Anything we can do for you?" Logan begged. James nodded his head down by Kendall's feet. Leader or not they would still do anything they could to make him happy.
Kendall sighed. He loved the fact that they were so willing to step in and help him, but really, he felt dumb when this happened. Now that he's grown up enough to know it's not a 'superpower', he doesn't like letting them know when he's all 'up in a fritz' as his mother would say. He let a long sigh escape him and he sat up. Readjusting again so he was just sitting in-between his friends. He knew that they would never let this go, so he opted for the truth, no matter how dumb it sounded.
"I'm just having one of those weeks. You know how I always get really anxious before something bad or odd happens?" He asked.
"You mean your freaky sixth sense thing?" James questioned with a smirk while scooting closer to him.
"Yeah, that…." Kendall trailed off; leave it to James to make it out like it was still a good thing. "I've been nauseous every morning this last week and this morning I woke up and I wasn't but now that I've been worrying about what's going to happen I've made myself nauseous again." He sighed and let his head drop back.
From next to him he heard Logan sigh and begin rubbing a comforting circle on shoulder. Just another of the smart boys 'mother hen' quirks.
"That doesn't mean something's definitely going to happen…. You could be wrong this time…." But even with his scientific brain, from the tone of his voice, you could tell that Logan seriously doubted this. By the expression on James' face, it was evident he did too. They sat there quietly for a moment, until they heard a commotion outside.
"Get out of here you stupid animal!" They heard what sounded the old man from the bakery around the corner yell.
They got to the window just in time to see what looked what looked like a girl around their age sprinting out of the shop with a bag in her hand and what looked like cat ears on her head. No, it couldn't be, they hadn't seen even one neko since they'd left Minnesota.
Sharing a look with Logan and James, they made their way down the back staircase and to the alley they had seen her take off into.
James was the first one to reach the alley and was slashed across the arm by the startled neko. It wasn't a big scratch, but it was long enough and deep enough to get the point across.
"OW! Mother of….." But James couldn't finish his expletive before a sharp growl ripped its way from the girl's throat. Kendall and Logan stood at his sides. Before any other words could be said Kendall put his hands up, assuming his leader position and taking a couple steps forward cautiously.
"We're not here to hurt you, "he started calmly, "We saw what happened and we just want to help."
She straightened her back a little bit, and looked into the bag to what looked like moldy or almost moldy bread that she had tried to grab. She held an indignant look as she stared at the three of them, but after a few minutes sighed and dropped the bag. It looked like she was struggling with it, but she managed to get her next sentence out.
"I usually don't take help. Or free hand outs." She narrowed her eyes, "But today I'm a little desperate, do you have any food? I'll pay you back, I swear it."
Her dark brown eyes held something as she asked this, and Kendall could tell that her asking them for help had left a terrible taste in her mouth, you could almost literally see it on her face.
"We'll get you some food don't worry about it." Kendall soothed, carefully rubbing her forearm now that she had come close enough that he could actually touch her. James looked as if he wanted to help as well, but made no move to get close enough. Wary eyes connecting the scratch on his arm to her and then back again.
Logan came around the corner just then, apparently having already detected the need for food, with a bag from the bakery in his hand.
"I never did like that bastard. Always over charged for everything, and now, he's rude to nekos. If the bread wasn't so damn good I would've gone somewhere else." Logan rambled on, handing over the bag as he reached them. James looked comical with his eyebrows raised, not being used to hearing the smart boy swear. As she received the bag Logan once again spoke.
"I got more than one of everything so it should last you for a while." He was certain to keep Kendall between them as he handed it over however, seeing as how she had obviously begun to trust him and Logan was in no hurry to get between her and her nails.
She giggled at that, visibly relaxing from what she had been, wound up tight.
"Thanks for getting so much. But it won't last that long, the damn kits don't know a thing about portion control."
Kendall, James, and Logan looked at her in confusion, and she realized that she probably shouldn't have said that if she intended to keep the others a secret.
"I shouldn't have said that. Damn, look at that, I really am a sucker for a cute face."
The boys slightly reddened at that, which pulled another giggle out of her.
"Los-y? Cammy? Come on out kiddos…"
When she said it two slightly smaller nekos stepped out from behind the dumpster a few feet away.
The first one to catch Kendall's eye was the smaller and darker of the two. Atop his head there were two small black ears that could almost blend in with his hair. He had a small helmet grasped tightly in his right arm. His small tail whipped around rapidly as he focused in on the bag in the larger nekos hands.
"Wha- Wha- ," he gulped down the lump that seemed to be in his throat. "What's in the bag Lexi?"
The other neko crept up next to the girl's other arm and looked at the bag. She looked like the small male in that her ears hid in her hair well. Kendall could barely see their tails, if they wanted to pass for normal teenagers he was sure they could. The taller girl put the bag under her arm and pulled the other two forward.
"Gentlemen, this is Carlos and this is Camille. " She said pointing to the smaller ones.
All three boys waved hello and grinned. Kendall still seemed transfixed on the small neko male though.
"So, um, if you don't mind me asking," James started, strangely sounding unsure as he stuttered out his question. "Is Lexi your full name or is it short for something?"
The taller neko giggled. Kendall finally pulling his attention off the small neko male to see James' flushed face. The small neko breathed in a sigh as Kendall's gaze averted from him, having felt the tiniest bit awkward by being watched. And James, Oh boy, Kendall knew that look; it's the look Logan was also trying to mask while staring at the small female neko… Trying to mask, but ultimately failing…
"It's Alexis if you must know." She smirked as she said it, making James' cheeks turn a light pink.
"And where are you all from?" Logan asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the smaller neko girl.
"Around New York! We lived in Dallas too! And San Diego, and Minnesota, and OW! Cam-mmmmmy…." The small neko male let out in an outburst. He had been in hyper drive, the boys just barely catching what he was saying until the smaller neko whacked him on the back of the head, effectively silencing him, but not before he whined at her.
"Lexi said not to tell strangers ANYTHING! Losy, you know that." She hissed looking at the boy. The two looked like they were going to start bickering, until Alexis grabbed them both by the ear.
"Now, kits, don't make me smack you two. Cammy, under the circumstances I'm sure we can talk to these nice gentlemen. But Losy, you do need to be more careful babe."
She looked down at the kits, both having been pacified so she turned back around to the boys.
"Before you ask, no these two aren't my kits, I've been raising them since I was a kit myself. And really, they're not actually kits, they're almost adults, I just don't think I'll ever see them that way."
The boys nodded their heads, a bit confused, but deciding that they'd find out more later.
"Well, thank you boys for the food but I think we'll be going…." She started, only to be cut off by Kendall.
"Where are you headed? Do you have a home? A place to sleep?" He got closer to her then, making her eyes widen, almost looking a bit panicky. It was little Carlos that answered his question though.
"We don't have a home, we've been living in this alley for a few days, and we just hitch hiked here from Nevada. Although, they didn't know we were hitch hiking."
The boys looked troubled by his words.
"Are you in the process of getting a home? Is there family for you out here?" Logan asked. Nekos had been accepted by some people, but not many, and some did have jobs, but often they weren't the best. The boys weren't dumb, they knew if these guys didn't have family, there was nowhere for them to go, besides a pet store that is.
"We don't have family, we only have Lexi." Camille said quietly, looking at the ground.
The boys again looked super concerned, and Alexis could almost read their thoughts across their faces.
"It's very nice that you boys got us something to eat, but we ought to go, thanks for everything." She grit out, hoping they wouldn't ask what she thought they'd ask.
"Would you like to stay with us?" James offered, "We have plenty of room."
Her eyes narrowed viciously, and she scowled. It frightened all three of the boys.
"We don't have money or anything to pay you back with," She stepped forward and pushed both the smaller ones behind her, "and we won't be paying anyone back with other measures either."
The boys looked horrified at what she was proposing, they'd have never!
"We don't want anything!" Logan said vehemently, "We just want to make sure you are all alright. Believe me, there aren't many naturally good people in the world but my friends and I are not the bad ones. I've always loved nekos and have hated how they've been so unfairly treated. My Uncle married one and his wife and their children are still treated terribly, but it's wrong. We'd never ask for anything like that, we just want to help."
He took a big breath and looked Alexis straight in the face. Her tail was flicking out behind her in a way that showed just how much she was contemplating what he had just said.
"Lexi?" Carlos said quietly. "We haven't had a real place to sleep in a long time; could we maybe give these guys a chance? I hate sleeping on the ground… it hurts…" He practically whimpered the last part, making everyone feel bad for him, and the three boys feel bad for all of them.
Alexis looked between the boys and Carlos and Camille, head going back and forth, visibly weighing the options.
"Okay," she whispered, "we'll go with the boys, and see what happens. If anything bad happens we're leaving right away," she looked at all them to make sure they understood.
"Got it?" she asked.
They all shook their heads, the boys a little bit anxiously, but still letting her know that her rule would surely be upheld.
As the boys lead them carefully up to their room in the palmwoods only one thing ran through Kendall's mind… He needed to have himself tested, his body's psychic moods have gone to a new level.
