Hello!

WARNING: The story is fictional, in other words, the kitten's symptoms are not real and are influenced by magic (in this story) as well as the lack of eating and warmth. The only statistics that are real are on deaf white cats.

Then, I would like to thank those who alerted or faved: Angieb0119, Dallas S. Winchester, MaderThanTheHatter, Jessicafae, RandomWeirdGirl and skies-the-limit.

Also, thank you my two guests, Alice and Clara!

Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Fallout

Simone knew that her mother was a difficult person. Heck, she had lived with the woman for sixteen years. But, even she had to admit that she was about ready to drop the whole idea of leaving Colorado by the end of July. Sure, she wanted to. Her dreams had been just as vivid despite her grandmother's potions and advices. She was about sick of them and wanted to finally have a good night's rest without a walk in the forest.

However, there was one thing that she was willing to give up her sleep for. Her parents. Her father had supported her wish after their little chat more than a hundred percent. She had heard her mother screaming her head off at him in their room when they thought that she was asleep. Obviously, her father's idea of 'talking to mom about it' had been a complete failure.

The rare bright side in the teen's days were the kittens. At six weeks old, they had begun to explore the house on their own. Simone enjoyed following them in silence, just watching as they played with one another on the carpeted stairs or ran around the living room. They had all been claimed so far, even the little white runt.

The teen witch could remember the sick feeling in her stomach that she had had when the daughter of a coven witch had chosen the small fur ball. That had been Melody's daughter, one of the quieter of the bunch. Simone didn't know her, and she really didn't even want to attempt to get to know her. The mere sight of the coven witches, giggling, talking or just sitting there made an anger stir in her stomach.

These women, they chose to bind themselves to each other to limit their magic. They forbade the simplest of spells at one's home in their baseless fear of exposure. They caused such anger in Simone, who had seen the way her grandmother lived in balance with the nature and magic. The idea that these women, these modern so-called witches kept their familiars as nothing more than lazy pets and magic boosters. They didn't realize that those familiars were magnificent creatures, full of wisdom and enchantments. They weren't there for decoration, they were there as spirit guides, as friends.

Simone's sudden burst of anger at her thoughts was broken as the little white fur ball jumped into her lap shakily. The kitten turned its tail a couple of times to steady itself and it dug its tiny claws into Simone's bare thighs. She smiled at the little rascal, despite the pain. The little one was still the smallest in the litter and she had secretly fed him a couple of times with milk and food from the pet shop. He seemed better, yet he often played alone, away from his brothers and sisters. Mrs. Jones wasn't too happy with the isolation of the small kitten and was always murmuring to herself how the little one had the least chances of possessing any magic.

The white fur ball let out a pitiful meow, falling off Simone's legs and towards the floor. The witch caught him with fast reflexes, smiling. "I've got you, little guy." She whispered gently, probably the most affectionate sentence that she had said in a while.

The little kitten meowed and then settled into her lap where she lowered it, preparing for its afternoon nap. Simone loved these moments. It was then, when it was so simple, that she felt true happiness. The Old Religion didn't teach that one should care for material things much. Rather, what Mother Nature gave, she would take away at her own will. So, a small gesture such as a kitten sleeping in her lap put the young Traditional witch at ease.

"Simone, honey." Mrs. Jones entered the living room, immediately noticing her daughter sitting comfortably and reading a book as the kittens played around her. "Oh, thank the Goddess that the kittens are inside!"

The teen witch turned her head around to see her mother peeling off her wide-brimmed summer hat off of her head in distaste. The middle-aged woman was soaking wet, dripping all over the uncarpeted part of the floor as she got rid of her bag and silk shawl (which hung like a pitiful wet rag) as well. Simone stood, carefully putting the white kitten on the sofa and headed to the downstairs bathroom for a towel.

"The rain came out of nowhere!" Mrs. Jones kept talking from the living room, but her daughter didn't bother answering. They were playing the same game of 'swipe it under the rug' again. Simone knew that her father had been sleeping in the guest room by the number of cigarettes in his glass ashtray. And she knew that her mother had been crying herself to sleep by the bags under her eyes that she tried to hide with concealer.

"You shouldn't be spending so much time with one kitten, Simone." Her mother spoke as she dried her hair with the towel. "It will think of you as its mistress if you do. And you know that it belongs to Clarice." Simone managed to choke down her sarcastic response of 'yippee' a she smiled and replied instead with a polite:

"Yes, mom." And then the teen returned to her book, promptly ignoring her mother's attempts to dry herself off with a towel. This is why she didn't want to bind her magic. If it had been her grandmother getting wet, the woman would've just waved her hand and gotten dry. Yet, here was her mother, squishing about it her wet heels. Those had been expensive, too.

"What's wrong, honey?" Mrs. Jones arrived back into the living room which was now filled with Simone's anger. Her leg was unconsciously bouncing as well. The middle-aged woman lowered herself into her husband's sofa-chair and regarded her daughter for a couple of moments. Simone didn't look up from her book. "You forgot to pack you spell books." The woman suddenly said in an even tone, the one that was nostalgic for Simone. It was her mother's usual tone of voice. Back when she had been a strong and confident Traditional Crafter without the need to cower at someone's feet.

"What?" Simone asked stupidly and quite rudely in her shock.

"There is my rude and spirited girl." Mrs. Jones smiled sadly at her daughter. "Well, you will need your spell and potion books in that suitcase of yours." The woman continued. "After all, you will be staying with Evie. Knowing her, she will make you double-study, for both school and the Craft."

Simone was numb, staring at her mother with her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water in shock. "What?" She repeated dumbly.

Mrs. Jones finally laughed. It was that sound that had used to fill the house before. It was the thing that her daughter gravelly missed. "You do still want to go to the Beacon, no?"

"Yes!" Simone finally answered with enthusiasm, jumping up from the sofa and scaring the poor white kitten out of its sleep.

"Good, because I sent your transfer forms to the Beacon Hills High today."

The teenage witch was still vaguely aware of the disbelief that riddled her system like a disease. Her mother hadn't been 'on her side' in ages. Something like this wasn't normal. It wasn't usual. No, it was most unusual. But, who was she to look at the mouth of a gift horse?

"Thank you sooooo much!" She let go of her emotions, a lightbulb bursting somewhere behind her as she hugged her mother's still damp form. The happiness that she felt, both from herself and her magic, completely overwhelmed the feeling of unease that was still somewhere in her mind.

"Alright now, honey. Go pack?" Her mother asked, smiling. "I'll call Evie and talk to her about taking you in for a bit… I don't doubt that she will be happy."

Simone didn't need to be told twice, she made herself scarce, running upstairs.


The situation at the Jones house greatly improved since that fateful day. Mr. Jones would take his sleek, black Mitsubishi to work, arguing case after case and putting criminals in jail. While he was away, instead of separating each other as much as possible, the two women spent days together, choosing outfits, playing with the kittens or deciding which spell books to pack.

Mrs. Jones had phoned her friend in Beacon Hills, and she had been told that Simone could travel to California in a week's time. This, of course, saddened the mother. She was sending her only child into a different state, a small town in the middle of nowhere, where she couldn't protect her. But, she trusted Simone, no matter how much they argued. So, Mrs. Jones grit her teeth, like she had done so many times before in her life, and decided to let her little witch go.

It was a sunny afternoon when it happened. Simone was walking down the hallway which lead to the stairs when she heard her mother scream out from the living room. The teen quickly ran downstairs, only to see Mrs. Jones bending over something small.

"'Mom?" She called out, her voice cautious. "What's wrong?" By then, the pale girl was already next to her mother. When Mrs. Jones moved, Simone could see it. There was a small white fur ball, laying against the leg of their coffee table, unmoving. "No." Simone's knees stung as they hit the carpet, the impact going through her whole body. "Mom, we need to take him to the vet." She turned to Mrs. Jones, who was still holding her heart in shock, staring. "Mom!"

The older witch seemed to snap out of it. "Y-yes, o-of course, honey." Then she scrambled about to get her things into her purse. Simone would've laughed at the irony, but it wasn't the time. She gently picked up the kitten, noticing the slight rise and fall in its fur as it breathed. It was alive. The teen witch looked at her, still panicking, mother and got up, taking the car keys from the tabletop.

"Let's go, mom." Simone told her mother in a calming tone, taking the kitten with her as she opened the door and left the house. Mrs. Jones followed, shaking. They reached the garage, which the teen opened, revealing the car that usually sat there, unused. It was a well-kept Mercedes-Benz coupe car, silver and ready for driving. "Take him." The teen handed her mother the little fur ball, getting into the driver's seat.

Simone leaned over, stretching to open the door for her mother and the shaky Mrs. Jones entered, careful not to damage the kitten any further. Soon, the teen was starting the vehicle and parking out, turning to check the driveway behind her. They were on the road for what seemed like hours, where it was merely minutes.

"Simone, he's started shaking." Mrs. Jones said as Simone stopped at a red light. The teen glanced over, noticing that her mother had calmed somewhat. She had known that her mother was prone to panic, but had never seen it in person. Mr. Jones always found excuses for his wife's inept behavior, in Simone's opinion.

"Try a healing spell." The teen murmured, glaring at the red light. It wasn't changing. There was no one in the street, no one behind them, only their Mercedes on the slow, Sunday afternoon.

"Which one?" Mrs. Jones asked, panicking again. "What if the magic caused its illness? I'll just make it worse by putting my magic in its tiny body!" The woman had begun rambling.

"For God's sake, mom!" Simone yelled, glaring at the red light with her eyebrows burrowed in concentration. "Just do it!" And the teen pressed the gas paddle, the red light cracking above their heads as all three holes lit up with a green color. The silver Mercedes slid down the street like a running cat, leaving the faulty traffic light in their wake.

"Alright, alright." Mrs. Jones pulled out a needle from her bag and pricked her finger. Then, she put her hands gently above the kitten's stomach, murmuring quickly under her breath. Simone could feel the back of her head pounding, both from her unintentional magic and from the charge of her mother's spell as the healing begun its work. "It's not helping." Mrs. Jones said as Simone took a sharp left, skidding into a parking spot.

"Let's go." The teen ushered her mother out of the car and they were soon entering through the glass automatic doors, Simone running to the counter. "Excuse me, our kitten isn't well. Can you help us?"

The black woman looked up, fixing the teen with her almond shaped eyes. They were kind and soothing, and the teen felt the nurse's calming aura spread into her, making her take two deep breaths, the cool panic leaving her body.

"Of course, miss." The nurse spoke. "Where is your kitten?" Simone pointed over her shoulder at Mrs. Jones who was sitting in a waiting chair, cuddling the small fur ball. "Let me see which veterinarian is available at the moment?" And the nurse, 'Tara' her nametag said, picked up the phone, dialing a number. Simone walked away, towards her mother.

"They are getting us a vet." She informed as Mrs. Jones shot her a questioning stare. "Let me take over for a while?" Simone asked, stuffing the car keys into her back pocket and extending her hands for the kitten. Her mother handed the small animal over, its little body still trembling terribly.

"I'm going to go wash up." Mrs. Jones said, trembling as she walked towards the toilet sign. Simone lowered herself into the, now unoccupied, chair and patted the tiny creature in her lap. He was still the smallest of his brothers and sisters, even though he had grown over the last week.

"Hang on in there, little guy." She murmured in a low voice. The teen noticed that her own hands were trembling as they cooled off from the adrenaline rush. Her fingers were icy. Yet, the small white fur ball slowly stopped trembling and then fixed the witch with its blue eyes, meowing pitifully. "You're gonna be fine." Simone reassured him. "I'm gonna take care of you." The kitten let out another pitiful sound and then tucked its head as far as it could go between the teen's elbow and body.

"Miss?" Nurse Tara called from the information desk, causing Simone to look up, her cheeks going a bit red at the fact that she had been seen talking intimately to the small cat. However, the nurse had a smile on her face. "Dr. Torrez in room four is ready for you."

Simone stood, cradling the white kitten. "Thank you so much, nurse." She politely said to the black woman with kind eyes. "If you could direct my mother?" The girl left the question hanging, but nurse Tara answered.

"I will."


An hour later, Mrs. and Miss Jones walked out of the veterinary hospital, Simone carrying the little fur ball and Mrs. Jones holding the bag of medicine that the doctor had prescribed. They headed towards the Mercedes-Benz, not speaking a word between each other. The teen opened the driver's door, sliding into her seat, just as her mother buckled up. There was a moment of silence between the two women, as they simply sat, coming down from the high of their panic.

Then, a soft meow sounded form the kitten and the two witches looked at it, then at each other and began laughing. Simone's cheeks hurt by the time that they slowed down to chuckles and then, she saw her mother's shoes.

"Mom." The teen said through her chuckles. "Your slippers!" She pointed with her finger, laughing at her mother's pink, bunny house slippers. Mrs. Jones laughed herself, and then nodded at her daughter.

"You are no better, young lady." And Simone looked down to her oversized pajama top with little giraffes all over it. The two women fell into a spell of laughter once more, and for once, it had nothing to do with their magic.


The drive home had been spent in playful banter between mother and daughter as the two discussed plans for dinner. But, all too soon, they were welcomed home by the sound of hungry cats, meowing and rubbing all around their calves as the two entered the living room.

"Will you feed them while I change?" Mrs. Jones didn't wait for an answer and went upstairs, leaving her bag at the counter, as usual. Simone shook her head. Well, she wouldn't expect her mother to change completely. Especially not after a trauma like today's. She would simply be grateful for the fact that she had been allowed to go to the Beacon and figure out her dreamwalking.

"Here you go, you little rascals." Simone lowered the bowls of food to the floor for the kittens and then put the bigger one on the side. "And for you as well, Medea." The black cat meowed, as if in thanks, and began eating.

The teen witch noticed that the white kitten wasn't eating and picked it up into her arms once more. Just as she was sitting on the couch with the kitten and the medicine that the vet had told them to give him, the phone rang. Simone ignored it, knowing that her mother would pick up upstairs. She looked at the black machine as it rang and she knew who was calling, like it had often happened before.

"Amalia! So good of you to call!" She heard her mother cowering upstairs and frowned. She was right yet again. But, what was Cruella doing calling them? It wasn't time to take away the kittens and make a coat out of them yet. They had about a week still. Simone truly hoped that she would be on her bus to Cali by then, so that she wouldn't see the little ones leave.

"Here you go, little guy. Eat it all." The teen soothed the little white kitten, giving it a small tray of food and medicine. She tried very hard to hear the conversation upstairs form her spot, but it was impossible. Then, she lowered the kitten on the couch and left it there to slowly lick its food as she walked to the black wireless phone. She picked it up, hesitating for a second before clicking the green button.

Instantly, the connection of two machines on the same line came through, Simone being able to hear the whole conversation. "How is the little one?" The Coven Mistress asked, exhaling, no doubt her cigarette smoke, on the other side of the line. "Anything permanent? You know that Clarice will not take a damaged item."

Simone grit her teeth as her mother responded. He was not an item! "Nothing to worry, he is just a little on the thin side because he is the runt of the litter. Also, it seems that he hasn't been eating well or sleeping with his siblings, so the vet has prescribed some medicine to fix-"

"So the runt is alright?" The Coven Mistress interrupted, exhaling once more. "I don't want to give Melody a reason to leave this Coven, Catherine. She is one of the more powerful witches that we've got!" I hope she leaves, Simone thought, putting a hand over the holes on the bottom of the phone, making sure that she was completely silent.

"Yes, of course, Amalia." Mrs. Jones politely answered. "The kitten will be just fine."

"Good." Cruella was obviously smiling on her side. Simone could hear it in her voice. The nasty, long leer that the woman did with her painted lips. "Thank you for phoning me when it got diseased, Catherine, but I truly must go." And laughter along with music was heard from her side of the line before it went silent.

Simone felt her anger flare at the parting words. Of course her mother had to go and do something like that. She had been panicked, at a loss of what to do with the kitten, yet she had been composed enough to phone her Mistress. Probably to report both the status of the pet for Melody's little perfect daughter. Not to mention the fact that she had done a spell without permission! Goddess! That was surely a scandal being re-told among the Coven right now.

Simone sat back down next to the kitten, smiling as she saw the empty plate. "Shall I give you some more?" She asked, the rage that had been filling her moments ago, gone. She was calm again. She wondered what her mother would say to the Coven Mistress if she knew what Dr. Torrez had told Simone when they had been alone.

"He is white, miss." The Doctor had told her with a sad smile. "There is a high chance that he will become deaf in the future."


The rest of the week passed in a blur. Soon enough, Simone was all packed up and ready to go. She had been the day before to buy her ticket to Beacon Hills. There, she would be welcomed by her Godmother, Evangeline. Mr. Jones had taken two sick days, to help his precious daughter get ready for her big trip. Mrs. Jones had been stealing numerous moments throughout the preparation with him, though, making their daughter chuckle and rush out of the room.

Around noon, Mrs. Jones began hurriedly making cookies, and that could mean only one thing: her sisters from the Coven were coming over. Of course, Cruella had to choose the day before Simone left to take the kittens away from their mother. Simone knew that she was being a tad overdramatic about the little fur balls. At twelve weeks, they were ready to leave their mother, it was the perfect time to adapt them to their future homes. Yet, the teen still felt uneasy.

She mostly waved it off at her jealousy. She was quite envious of the daughters and witches from the Coven who were getting familiars. One of them should've been hers. One cat for her familiar from the first littler. Like it should be by tradition. Simone was a Crafter, not a Wicca. She was tradition.

"Here they come!" Her mother's voice rang out moments before the bell sounded. Mr. Jones walked away from the door with an uneasy smile. As comfortable as he was with his wife's magic, he was a tad edgy around her Coven sisters. They tended to crowd him and overexcitedly ask him questions about dealing with his witch wife, as most of their husbands were in the dark about magic.

"Running away, oh brave father?" Simone commented, leaning casually against the doorway to the kitchen. Her maroon Dr. Martens proudly on display as she crossed her legs casually.

"Rebelling, oh favorite daughter?" Mr. Jones retorted, nodding at her shoes. Simone smirked.

"I'm your only daughter."

"But you're still my favorite one." The middle-aged man gave his daughter a kiss on her hair in passing and casually hid in the kitchen, waiting for the witches to calm down a tad before he would come out. Simone didn't hide this time. Unlike all the other occasions when her mother brought her sisters over, this time she truly didn't care. Normally, she would be either angry or terrified, yet that day, she felt indifferent. She didn't care what the women thought about her any more. She would leave tomorrow, and wouldn't need to see them for at least one year, if not more.

Slowly, hours dragged on, the Coven witches gossiping and giggling in the living room. Simone gave them tea, and cookies, and later wine and chocolate with different fresh berries. She carried plates and cups back and forth, making sure that her mother could sit and chat with her friends. She didn't mind. This way, she didn't need to talk to the women and she seemed obedient and useful.

Most of the other daughters that had come with their mothers sat on the sofa, chatting about new rules and plans for their Coven. They were all planning to be bound to it. Simone stood, leaning on the kitchen doorway, her Martens on display as she located Clarice, Melody's daughter. She frowned. The girl was on the quiet side, but she was off somehow. She wore a blue dress, properly ironed into perfection and she smiled all the time, her eyes fixed on the current speaker through her thick glasses.

"So, Catherine, I heard that one of the kittens had gotten sick?" One of the sisters said, sipping her wine. Mrs. Jones nodded, smiling a pained smile.

"I assure you, it's completely fine, Marie." She replied tightly, but the damage had already been done. Clarice leaned over to her mother, whispering into her ear. Melody nodded, taking one of the strawberries off the plate casually.

"Is it true that my Clarice's familiar-cat is deaf?" The witch spoke, fixing Mrs. Jones with a stare. So, there was that, Simone thought. By her mother's shocked face, she knew that the woman hadn't heard of the possibility yet.

"W-why, M-Melody, I don't believe so. He responds perfectly to everything." Mrs. Jones attempted to compose herself, choking a bit on her sip of wine. Melody nodded, though, smiling at her daughter.

"See, dear, everything is fine." She told Clarice quietly, but Simone managed to catch it.

"Mother, I don't want a handicapped, sick familiar. She needs to be strong, so that I can be strong." Clarice responded a tad louder, causing the living room to quiet down. Simone grit her teeth, holding back. Spoiled little witch, she thought. She felt the doorway trembling under her shoulder and tried to calm down the pounding of magic in the back of her head.

"Sweetie, this is a great opportunity for you to get a familiar form one of the original lines. Catherine's family has been full of witches for ages!" Melody replied a little quieter, but still, it rang out in the silence.

"But he's sick." Clarice whined. "I don't want a handicapped familiar."

"Then you don't have to take him." Simone snapped finally. "The fact is that only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are deaf. He still hasn't changed eye color, so we still don't know if he is deaf or not. However, the chances of him being handicapped rise drastically if he does have blue eyes. In fact, 65 to 85 percent of all-white cats with both eyes blue are deaf." The teenage witch finished listing her statistics, walking over into the living room. She had researched the topic as soon as Dr. Torrez had told her of the option of the kitten being deaf.

"What's your problem?" Clarice stood. Obviously, Simone had been wrong about the girl. She wasn't quiet because she was shy. She was quiet because she was a real piece of work. "If you want the little runt, take it. You weren't good enough to get a proper pick from the litter, like a daughter should from her mother's familiar. So, why don't you pick up my broken leftovers?"

Now, Mrs. Jones stood up, a harsh look on her face, and Melody caught her daughter's arm. Simone smiled, bending over and plucking the white kitten from the sofa where it had been trembling next to Clarice the whole afternoon.

"Sure, I'll take him. Thank you for your generosity." Simone grinned at the girl, her blue eyes flashing with anger. "And it's a male cat, idiot."

Simone walked out of the living room and upstairs, her Dr. Martens clanking as she went. She could hear a commotion downstairs, but she didn't give a damn any more. Tomorrow, she would be leaving for Beacon Hills with her familiar, safe and sound.

That's all folks!

Reviews:

Alice: Thank you very much for reviewing, I'm really glad that you're enjoying it. :) Hope to hear from you soon!

Clara: Hopefully, I won't be making long pauses between chapters, but I've been a tad disappointed in the new TW season, so I'm trying to find some inspiration now xD Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!