"Hi, Rover," I said as Brewster made my coffee. Even if Rover was a stalker, always just so happening to be on the same train at the same time as me, he seemed perfectly nice and almost perfectly sane. I figured that some people just have weird hobbies, and stalking was his.

Rover grinned. "Hey Ali. How was your trip yesterday? Did you do any more works of art while you were gone?"

I could feel my sketch and story pad weighing my pocket down. I started to answer, but he continued as if I already had.

"So, anyways, after you got off the train, I saw this really weird cat. Again."

I blinked.

"Did you see her?"

"Uh…maybe?" There were a lot of strange people on that train.

"Wasn't it so fun to draw on that thing?" he gushed. I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Well, bye!"

I laughed, watching Rover skip up the stairs of the Roost. How many cups of coffee had he drank?

"You know," started Brewster. "I've heard rumors about a strange cat touring our neighbor town."

"Really?" I said, now highly interested.

He nodded. I didn't expect him to say more, and he didn't. Brewster wasn't much for conversation, but he was a great source for current events.

I thanked him for the drink and went back outside. It was still rather early, so I couldn't even wait outside the post office for Pete the mailman.

I decided to explore the town. When I got back from my trip last night, I went straight to bed. Who knew what had changed since I left?

I strolled down to the beach, but I paused for moment when I saw the back of an unfamiliar head. A snow-white cat was sitting on the shore. Yes! A new girl!

"Hi there!" I called.

The cat stood up quickly, as if embarrassed. She turned around. "Why hello." The first thing I noticed was her strange, flat, facial features. One eye was yellow, one was black, her nostrils were impossibly large, and she had a mouthful of bloody fangs. Everything was completely smooth; her nose didn't stick out at all, her mouth didn't sink in. Equally strange, her lips didn't move when she spoke. And her eyes didn't blink. I took a step back.

The cat looked down. She seemed to be trying and failing to hide her face.

"I didn't expect anyone to be down here this early," she murmured.

"Oh, uh…" I took another second to take in the strange sight. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave?"

She looked back up and shook her head. I was used to her face by now, so I smiled and sat down next to where she was. The cat followed suit.

"I'm Ali," I said. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm just traveling," she said.

"Okay," I said politely. "But what's your-"

"So, I hear this is a nice town."

Apparently, she didn't want to tell me her name. "It's wonderful," I told her. "Especially this here beach." The two of us gazed out at the sparkling waters. A small fish was swishing around. As its shadow got closer, I realized that it wasn't small at all. "Holy cow," I breathed.

In the blink of an eye, my fishing rod was out and the line was in the ocean. I felt a tug. Then another. And a final strong one. I pulled with all my strength and felt my prize struggling on the other end. Finally, a tuna came flying out of the water. I caught it in my hand, hardly minding the salt water that it was flinging onto my shirt. I tucked the thing away and smiled proudly at the white cat.

She was screaming.

"Nooo!" she cried. Water had splashed onto her face, but her features were smeared, almost as if they had been drawn on by…

"Is that marker?" I asked. It took a lot of effort to keep the horror out of my voice.

The girl sighed and nodded. She reached her paws into the ocean, splashed more water on herself, and removed the remaining color. I stared in wonder at the now-blank face. It was…enchanting.

She pulled a big box out of her pocket, opened the lid, and pushed it towards me. There were a billion markers and no two were the same color. I gasped.

"Will you draw me a face?" she asked, but I barely heard her. With a trembling hand, I brushed my fingers over the treasure. So many colors… It was a dream come true.

"Ehem," she interrupted. I snapped out of my trance and returned my attention to the cat.

"Oh, right," I laughed nervously. "You want me to…draw your face?"

"Yes please."

I took a moment to pinch myself and make sure that I was awake. This was so bizarre. I finally agreed, smiled, and picked my first color.

A/N: I'm so sorry if this chapter is disappointing. I wrote it when I should've been sleeping.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM VERY WELCOME!