Blythe was quite surprised seeing Josh here. Why would he want a pet? Those words made her realize something. Wait a second… is he looking for a cat?
She realized that this was her best way out – better than going with some people she has never known her whole life to a location that might be anywhere, even outside Downtown City. She knew Josh, where he lived, and how to get to the Littlest Pet Shop from there. She felt a little guilty for using him and his money to get out, but the situation kind of forced her to do so.
It would be strange for them to let me go, though… she thought. I'm barely in here. How long, about an hour or four? Is that even legal, to sell a pet that quickly? Was taking me off the street even legal in the first place?
Blythe didn't know, and at the moment she didn't care. Josh was her way out of here. It just had to be.
"How many cats do you have?" Josh asked to Fisher Biskit.
"Three at the moment," Biskit responded. "All of them female. Two of them are one year old, the other we don't know. I guess she is about two years old."
"And what kind of race are they?"
"The first one – Angelina she's called – is a Persian. The second, Fluffy, is a British short hair. And the third one I just mentioned is one whose race we haven't figured out yet. I've never seen a cat with brown fur like this. We also don't have a name yet."
Blythe knew he was talking about her. It was strange being talked about like this.
"Can I see them, please?"
"Of course," Fisher Biskit pointed at the cages. "This way."
Fisher Biskit led Josh towards the cages where the pets are held. "All three cats are already chipped. The third one still needs vaccines though, and of course needs to be 'helped'. That is why she is currently the cheapest."
Josh nodded. "I see." He stepped forward and took a look at one of the cages. Which one of the other two cats it was Blythe had no idea.
"Well…" Josh said, "I'm not looking for a Persian. I'm looking for a more 'plain' cat, if you know what I mean."
Fisher Biskit nodded, and showed Josh Blythe's cage. "Then I guess you're looking for this one over here."
Josh came forward and took a good look at Blythe. Blythe knew he wouldn't recognize her, but acted like she was curious in Josh to get him to like her. She knew that she would need to get his attention. He went with a finger through the hole in the cage. Blythe then pressed her nose against it, her whiskers touching it. "Please adopt me," she said, which came out as soft yelps.
Josh turned to Fisher Biskit. "This one, please."
Blythe saw how Biskit picked up a basket, then opened up Blythe's cage and pulled her into it. She allowed him to do so and decided not to scratch him, even though deep down she actually wanted to.
"You were also looking for accessories, am I correct?" Fisher Biskit asked Josh.
Josh nodded. "Yes. Uh… a collar, an eating tray, a couple of small toys and a litter box."
"I think that can be arranged."
Blythe peered through the small fence at the front of her basket and looked at how Fisher Biskit was helping Josh out with what he needed. She was picked up every now and again, and then again put down.
Then there was this weird machine, just like the other many weird things that were around the Largest Ever Pet Shop.
"This is our collar generator," Fisher Biskit explained to Josh. "This machine makes any type of collar you want, and creates a penny with it, too. You just have to insert the name and address down below, and the machine will do the rest!"
Josh leaned forward onto the machine and inserted his address. "221st Poet Street…. Downtown City…"
He hesitated for a moment before he inserted the name.
"Have you made a decision regarding the name?" Fisher Biskit asked, politely.
Josh nodded. "Dina. I'm calling her Dina."
Dina, Blythe thought. Di-na.
Getting a new name was a weird experience. Still, she was actually kind of glad she didn't get a name like 'Fluffy' or 'Killer' or 'Queen Mary' or something. In fact, she actually kind of liked the name.
But a name didn't matter. She just needed a few hours to find a way to get outside, then perform one of those 'solutions'.
Time to jump off a building I guess.
Blythe felt how her basket was picked up again, then put on the counter. She then heard the voice of Fisher Biskit again. "For the time being I recommend keeping her inside. If she's not accustomed to your place she might run off scared and not find her way back."
What the what?!
"How long do you recommend?" Josh asked Fisher Biskit.
"Two days, three days I reckon. After that, she should be okay." Fisher Biskit responded.
"Alright. That sounds very logical."
"LOGICAL?!" Blythe exclaimed. Of course this word came out as a soft yelp.
"Hm. It doesn't seem like Dina over here agrees," Fisher Biskit said. The two laughed a bit.
Blythe was done shaking. She just had to get out of there! She then ticked a bit on the basket with her paw, trying to see how she could push it open.
"Well, isn't she very excited," Fisher Biskit said. That's a lively one!"
"I guess so."
Josh Sharp bought some cat food as well at the end of the store, and then finished his payment. He picked up his belongings and walked out of the store, one hand with a shopping bag full of accessories and the other with Blythe's basket. Blythe thought he came here on his motorcycle or just on a bicycle, but it turned out his parents had parked their car on the parking lot.
"Well Dina," he said to Blythe, "I guess I'll be taking you to your new home."
Blythe meowed softly.
"Oh, don't worry, you'll like it!"
This was actually one of the reasons why Blythe had a crush on Josh. He was soft-spoken and knew how to deal properly with different kinds of people – and pets at that.
Well, crush-time is over I guess. Boys don't get a crush on their pets.
Blythe knew she had to face it – she was now the pet of the boy that was her crush.
Josh walked over to the car of his parents on the parking lot. "Hey, ma. I made it."
"Well done, darling," Blythe heard a woman say. She figured this had to be Josh's mother. Blythe heard footsteps nearing her basket and before she knew it, the lady was peeking into her basket. "Well then, isn't he adorable?"
"It's a she, mom. I've named her Dina."
"Oh… yes I see her collar. Well, isn't that a pretty name?"
Please tell me I haven't been behaving like that in front of the pets.
"Alright, son, put the cat in the back." Blythe heard a man say. Josh's father, huh?
Josh put the bag with cat accessories in the back of the car, and then gently put Blythe beside it. "Easy, Dina. We're home before you know it."
Home.
Blythe head how the family sat down and buckled up their seatbelts. Then they drove off. Blythe tried to figure out what they were talking about, but it was hard to guess due to the noise of the car. When they came to a halt in front of a traffic light, however, she was able to make out what they were saying.
"…you were quite early. I thought we were going to buy a pet in a few weeks!" Blythe heard Josh's father say.
"And a cat at that! I thought you wanted a hamster or something," Josh's mother said.
"Well, I had the idea for a cat. It seemed like the most logical idea," Josh replied.
How is this possible? Blythe thought. A hamster, okay… but a cat is one really big step forward. How did his parents just agree to this? Just, because?
Blythe's head was full of questions, and she didn't know any of the answers.
It didn't take long before they reached 221st Poet Street. There, they stepped out and unloaded the car. Blythe was the first one to be unloaded. She just stayed put and waited to be released, although the family Sharp seemed more inclined to unload the car first. Turned out they had a lot more shopping done today than 'just' buying a cat.
After a few minutes Josh walked over to Blythe's basket.
"So… time to get you out," Josh mumbled. He opened Blythe's basket and waited for her to come out of it. Blythe didn't take long to get out. She was still intimidated by how large everything had become for her – humans and their homes. Actually, it was her that had gotten smaller. Blythe decided to walk around for a bit, explore her surroundings. She was in the hall. There was a staircase leading upstairs. She figured there is where his bedroom should be. There was also a door leading to a living room. It was opened, but she had to place her paw behind the door to open it far enough to let herself through. She did do so, and looked around the living room. She saw that the kitchen was directly connected to the living room, and behind that was the back yard.
"Alright, Dina, you can take a moment to get all settled in, alright? Well, let me know if you need anything," Josh said. He then stroked Blythe over her head. Then he stood up and left the living room. Blythe stayed behind, although his parents were still in the room. The father was reading the newspaper and the mother was working on something, though she couldn't figure out what it was.
Blythe jumped onto the chair, turned around for a bit and then sat down on a cozy spot. She needed a moment to take in everything that had happened. Luckily though for Blythe she saw that Josh's parents allowed her to do this. Most pets weren't allowed to sit on soft couches or chairs.
She took a look at the clock in the living room. It was 17:30.
It was only something like 24 hours ago that she was just Blythe Baxter. A girl who loved fashion, worked in a pet store/pet day care and went to school. She was also the girl who had the amazing talent to talk to animals. Then she grew ears and whiskers and turned into a cat, got into the Largest Ever Pet shop, was chipped, got a new name and was sold to the boy she had a crush on for the past few years. If one would look at her now, there was nothing that would make that person think that she wasn't an ordinary cat.
And for the next three days she would be locked up, and thus she couldn't become human again.
There is no Blythe Baxter anymore. There is only Dina the cat.
