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Chapter 14

Double Trouble

The evening went about as well as expected. The group bowled and the boys won, mostly because Javier was a good bowler, and they all ate some cheese fries and had a soda. It was coming up on 9:30 and the group had decided it was time to head home. Johnny had offered Kat a ride back to the college, which she hesitantly accepted, and Naomi rode back with Javier. The drive was quiet and short, and Johnny let Kat out at the front gate to the university. Javier did the same with Naomi, and the boys said their goodbyes and drove off to park and head back to their frat house, leaving both girls at the entrance to the university. Naomi had told Kat that she wanted to sleep at the PNK house tonight and Kat smiled and nodded, telling her friend that it was fine and she should spend more time with her new sorority. Naomi gave Kat a bone-crushing hug and jogged off down frat row. Kat shook her head with a chuckle and started her walk back to the dorms. It was a little chillier than usual tonight, she noticed. The campus had a creepy feel to it at night, too. She brushed the thought off and continued walking, putting her hands in the pockets of her jacket that she wore.

"Well, well, well..." a dark-sounding voice said from behind Kat, causing her to stop in her tracks. A cold chill ran up her spine, and it wasn't from the chilly night air. "Look who we have here. A little stray Kat who lost her way..." the voice continued, sounding a bit closer now. Kat visibly tensed, her shoulders hunching slightly and her fur standing on end.

"Yeah." another voice started as it came from the other side of her. "Out a little late tonight, aren't we?" the second voice finished, venom in its tone. Kat knew exactly who these voices belonged to.

"What do you guys want?" Kat said, a growl in her throat forming with her words. The two chuckled darkly, circling her slowly. She almost immediately regretted the question. The two monsters stopped in front of her, backing her into a tree. Kat got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, and her eyes widened in fear. The two monsters chuckled darkly and the first one spoke up.

"Told you to watch your back, Felidae." he said, cracking his knuckles. Kat swallowed a lump in her throat and started to shake. What had she gotten herself into?

Naomi knew she had forgotten something. She left her purse back in the dorms. She started jogging back to the dorms, inwardly cursing herself for being so careless. She had jogged for a few minutes when she was met with a horrific sight. Someone was lying on the ground in the light of a street lamp, and they looked pretty injured. Naomi gasped and ran up to the monster on the sidewalk, and almost cried when she discovered who it was.

"Oh my... Kat?! Kat, can you hear me?!" Naomi asked in a panic. She rolled her friend on her back and examined her face. Kat's left eye was bruised and blood trickled from her mouth, indicating that either her lip had been split or a tooth was knocked loose. "Oh, Kat..." Naomi whimpered, hugging her friend. A soft groan from the injured monster got Naomi's attention. Kat's right eye peeked open and her brow furrowed in pain and concentration.

"Naomi?" Kat strained, her voice filed with pain. Naomi nodded.

"Yes, it's me. I'm here, Kat." then realization hit her. "Johnny!" Naomi whispered to herself. "Kat, can you sit right here against this light pole for a few minutes? I'm going to get help." Naomi asked her injured friend. Kat gave a weak nod and crawled over to the lamp post and sat herself up against it, groaning in pain as she did so. Naomi assured her that she would only be a few minutes and sprinted towards frat row. Kat just closed her good eye and sighed, trying to relax her aching body.

Loud banging could be heard on the front door to the ROR house. Johnny jogged to the door and looked through the peep hole.

"Naomi?" He asked as he opened the door, only to be tugged by the arm.

"Johnny, it's Kat!" Naomi begged desperately, her eyes pleading for him to follow. Johnny's eyes widened with worry and shock. The two ran off down frat row and Johnny followed Naomi.

"What's going on, Naomi?" Johnny called after her. She didn't answer, she just kept running. They rounded a corner and ran a little ways more, arriving at a familiar sight for Naomi. Johnny slowed to a stop as the sight before him processed. "Kat!" He called out as he ran up to the injured monster, crouching down to look her over. Naomi was crying quietly, covering her mouth with a hand. Johnny brushed Kat's fin-like bangs aside and gasped when he saw her injured eye, running his thumb over it gently. "Oh, Kat... I'm so sorry..." he almost whispered, fighting tears that threatened to escape his eyes. A sudden stir and quiet moan caught his attention. "Kat?" he asked quietly, but he got no answer. He looked up at Naomi with anger burnings in his eyes. "Who did this?" He asked with some darkness in his voice. Naomi just shook her head and shrugged, earning a growl from the purple monster.

"We need to get her into a bed." Naomi stated, her voice catching in her throat at her words. Johnny simply nodded, a sad look coming back onto his face.

"I'll take her back to the ROR house. She'll be safe there." He stated, carefully lifting Kat into his arms, careful not to cause her too much pain. Naomi nodded and walked beside him, looking at her friend with pain in her own eyes. "When I find out who did this..." Johnny started, only to be interrupted by Naomi.

"No, Johnny. You should urge Kat to tell the dean who did this to her. Only Kat knows who it was and the dean can help." she urged, not wanting Johnny to get himself into trouble. "If you want to help her, that is the best way." she finished, looking at him with pleading eyes. He sighed with frustration, not liking the feeling of being helpless. After a moment, he nodded once.

"Ok." was all he could manage to say. They continued to walk until they reached the front door to the ROR house. After some coaxing, Naomi bade Johnny good night and to tell her if Kat needs anything. Johnny gave an assuring smile and said he would let her know what was going on. After the purple-haired monster left, Johnny sighed and stepped inside, careful not to make too much noise. He only got to the bottom of the stairs leading to his bedroom hall when a Spanish voice stopped him.

"Hey, Johnny. Where have you-" Javier stopped mid-sentence upon seeing what Johnny had in his arms. "Dios mio... What happened?" He asked with concern. Johnny just gave him a sad look and shook his head. Javier nodded and let him go. "I assume this is secret?" He asked quietly, earning a nod from his friend. Johnny continued to walk until he reached his bedroom door. Letting out a heavy sigh, he moved so he could turn the knob and opened the door.

Kat awoke slowly the next morning. Her left eye hurt like hell, and she could barely open it enough to peek through. Her right eye was fine, save for the usual light sensitivity that made her squint until her eyes properly adjusted. She looked around, taking in her surroundings, but something was...off. The hell? Where am I? She thought to herself, scanning the room she was in carefully. There were red rugs on the hardwood floor, red curtains in the windows, and the bed she was in was large and had red silk sheets and pillow cases. All this red seemed oddly familiar. Her head hurt about as much as her eye did, but she tried to remember what happened the night before. Then it hit her. I was beat up last night. But... Who was it? She tried to remember anything she could about her attackers. A face, a voice, anything. But nothing came from the blurred recesses of her mind. She gave a frustrated groan and buried her face in her hands, moving them to rub her temples. Out of the corner of her good eye, she saw something move ever so slightly, which made her freeze. She slowly turned her head, and what she saw made her want to both laugh and scream. A large purple monster with big brown horns was dead asleep in a large cushioned chair. Did he...watch over me? All night? She thought to herself, not quite sure how to feel. Her snake-like tongue flickered out in her frustration, which has always been a nervous tick of sorts for her. But something didn't feel right. She moved her tongue along her left fang, but when she moved her tongue to the other side, something was very wrong. Panicking, she looked at the night stand and opened the top drawer, looking for a mirror... But she found other things in there. Oh gross... Did NOT need to see those... She thought to herself as she rolled her eyes, closing the drawer and leaning over to the other night stand on the other side of the bed. She opened the top drawer and a small metallic shine caught her eye. Bingo. She pulled the small mirror out and slowly opened her mouth, causing her hinged fangs to protrude. The left one was fine, but when she shifted her gaze to the right one, her heart sank. It had been broken about three quarters of the way down, making it shorter and more jagged than the perfect left fang. Shit... Was all she could think. A moan and a stir made her jump and close her mouth a bit, just enough to hide her fangs. She turned her attention back to Johnny, who looked like he was having a bad dream. A frown formed on her features as she watched him squirm and murmur in his sleep.

"Johnny." She called out to him, hoping to wake him up. He stirred a bit more, her voice seeming to have worsened his bad dream as he mumbled her name in response, still asleep. "Johnny!" She tried a bit louder. His eyes opened slightly as he peeked over at her, and he stretched his arms out and arched his back, causing it to pop.

"Kat? How are you feeling?" His eyes went from sleepy to concerned as he sat more upright in his chair. Kat gave a sigh and looked down, a sad look on her face. Johnny's expression saddened a bit as well as he got up from his chair and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it and looking at her. "Kat..." He almost whispered, causing her to look up. "Who did this to you? Do you remember what happened at all?" He asked as he leaned down and lifted her chin with his hand, making eye contact with her. She looked him in the eye for a moment, and then turned her head out of his hand, shaking it in defeat.

"No. All I remember is getting my ass kicked and waking up here." She sighed, glancing at him and then back down. Johnny sighed. The mirror caught his eye and he looked at it for a moment.

"Did they do any permanent damage?" He asked, looking her over. She sighed and looked up at him with sadness and anger in her eyes.

"They broke my right fang about three quarters of the way down." She growled, opening her mouth to show him. He grimaced at the sight. The end of the usually perfect needle-like tooth was now jagged and broken. He frowned and looked back at his chair, stretching his back once more and groaning. Kat glanced at him. "Thanks." She said, not looking back at him. He raised a brow at her, wanting an explanation. "Thanks for watching over me and all. I, uh, appreciate it." She played with her claws, looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a half-smile on her lips.

"Oh, don't sweat it. I just wish that chair was easier on my back. I must've slept on it funny." He complained, rubbing his lower back. "Well, I'll make some breakfast. Bacon and eggs sound good?" He asked as he got up from the bed, groaning as his lower back protested by sending pain up his spine. Kat nodded and gave a half-smile, thanking him as he headed out the door. Once he left to make to food, she sighed and flopped back down on her back, staring at the ceiling. She knew one thing: she wasn't going to be out past 8:00 PM by herself anymore.