7."I'm back!" Naomi's cheerful voice eased the 25 or so mouse boys in the locker. They separated into 3 shelves. Each of them splitting up into 8 or so per shelf. It had a doorway cut into the back. She placed me on the top shelf where 8 beds were placed. Most of them were bean bags from old gym classes. I guessed that something was better than nothing. I notice 8 pairs of eyes looking at me, eyeing me suspiciously. I saw that they each had a number on them, with an orange band around their arms. The mouse boys here didn't look scared or tired. They looked healthier and more fit. A few of them on edge, but overall happy.
"So how are you all doing today?" Naomi asked the mouse boys. Each of them sat in their respective Bean Bag chairs. I didn't have a seat so I sat on the floor cross legged. A few Mouse Boys shrugged their shoulders, but I saw others give her a thumbs up.
"I hope everything's going ok." Naomi said, brushing off the dust from her uniform. Her frail tiny hands wiping some dust from her shirt and I see light dirt particles in the air. She leaves to open a door behind the locker and disappears for a few seconds.
"Who's the new guy?" One of the mouse boys asks. I looked his way and noticed he had a number labeled 4 on him. They all crowd around, trying to interrogate me.
"Escaping from the catgirls?" One of them asks, a number 3 listed on his band.
"He doesn't look like a survivor. Look at him! He's a stick!" A gruff voice said. He has a number 5 listed on his arms.
"Easy guys, easy!" A soothing voice made them all relax and I turned towards the voice. I see a mouse boy, who was a little taller than the rest with glasses on. A number 8 listed on his armband. "It's his first day, go easy on him." A loud noise made all of us jump. It sounded like a scream and then sniffling. Some of the mouse boys run to the back door and bring out toothpicks as weapons. They all stand near the entrance ready to fight. my ears flinch at the noise. It sounded like sniffling. Was Naomi crying outside?
"Goddamn it, What happened to Naomi now?"Number 5 asked. I notice he's really muscular and quite fit for his small size.
"Guess she went to check on #22. I guess his condition hasn't gotten any better." Number 4 said. The mouse boys all sigh in the room and the mood becomes heavy.
"He never was the same after her. I don't know how he managed to escape. He's a true survivor if I ever saw one." Number 8 said. He seems to be more mature and leader worthy than the rest.I don't know how many cat girls there were that may be violent, but decided to ask what happened.
"Poor old boy was captured by-" He pauses for a moment to clear a cough in his throat, and whispers ever so silently, "Haribelle". The room seems to shake and Naomi's crying didn't make anything better. He takes a deep breath and then continues.
"I knew catgirls were cruel, but she took it to a whole other level. She took one of his arms. Cut it clean off after he tried escaping." Number 8 continues, "He has plenty of scars as well. I've heard that she tortures people like us for fun. Not like it's against the law or anything."
"Naomi, bless her heart, tries to interact with him. She tries to rebuild the bridge; but #22 is already too broken. She'll continue it though. She's a fighter". I sit in silence for a moment. The immense pressure keeps getting heavier and heavier. I realize that I seriously lucked out that Zoey found me. If any other girl found me, then who knows what would have happened. I look at #8 and then ask about Naomi.
"Naomi you say?" He grins cheerfully, "She's the best thing that ever happened to any of us." The other mouse boys nod in agreement.
"She takes in victims and refugees like us. Those of us abused, lost, forgotten; and gives us a place we call home. It may not be much, but it's the best thing we've got."
"Aye," Number 5 chimes in, "And if you think about revealing our hideout, we'll gut you right here!" I quickly jump up, afraid, and number 5 laughs heartily.
"Look at him, he's practically a newborn mouse. Scared of everything. But seriously, we have to keep this place a secret. If anyone ever found us out-" He shuddered, not even wanting to think about it.
On the outside, Naomi was incredibly frustrated. She's been trying so hard to build a connection with #22 but he kept running away from her. She must have realized that her giant size compared to him was absolutely terrifying. She didn't blame him one bit for it though. Harribel, that cruel girl, ruined the lives of so many mouse boys. If only she could give them a good home.
"I'll admit" number 4 interrupts the silence, "When Naomi first found me, I thought my life was over." Some of the other mouse boys nod in unison , "I really thought she'd eat me right there."
"Speaking of which," Number 3 put in his part of the conversation, "Why doesn't she eat us? Aren't we...you know, food for cat girls. I've seen it happen." The room goes silent at this statement. They're brains ponder about it and I recall what Anna said earlier.
I don't think I've ever seen her eat a mouseboy for that matter. Her voice lingers in my head, ringing in my ears.
"Who cares-" Number 5 retorted, "So long as we're safe from catgirls and not in her belly; That's fine by me." The group laughs at this and I hear slight noises from below, like yelling. Number 8 chuckles a bit.
"Don't worry about those below." He assures you to calm my nerves, "They fight down there, but they mean well. Our warriors and scavengers. They go out into the actual school and try to bring back food for us and find out more information."
The 3rd floor below is where the intellectuals are. Those gentlemen mostly read whatever books Naomi brings back. She mostly reads fiction books in case you wanted to know. Sometimes she brings in non-fiction or newspaper strips." Number 8 finishes explaining each floor. He then points to the door.
"In case you were wondering, through that door is a series of pathways. That's how we roam the school. It's kind of like our emergency exit. Each floor has one. In fact there's even a room that leads to-" A loud creek opens the door.
"Sorry for taking so long!" Naomi comes back looking as bright as ever. Her face gleams with positivity. She reaches into her backpack and pulls out a few newspaper strips; handing them to the bottom floor. She also gets out a few toothpicks and puts it on the 2nd floor. The mouse boys on the second floor quickly grab them and head inside their on floor door. She then pulls out 3 separate granola bars, opening them and placing them on each floor. The mouse boys cheerfully thank her and go on to eat the bar. I decided to take it in as well, eating part of a peanut and licking the salt off it. Naomi seems to melt into a pile of happiness watching them when she checks the clock above.
"Oh no!" Her mood drops to anguish and her expression crumbles, "I have to head back to class." She grabs her brightly covered backpack and walks towards the light.
"Please stay safe, Don't run off now." She tells her houseboys, "I'll be back, I promise." The mouse boys all nod and she leaves rushing to the school. I see a few mouse boys grabbing a piece of string and pulling back on it. Closing the locker. The room changes to dark, but then I feel a bright light shining above me. There was a lightbulb letting me see everyone.
"So…" Number 8 begins, "What would you like to know?" I decided that this was the best chance to ask about the catgirls that I've heard about. Including Anna and zoe. I start off asking about the girl from earlier. I believe she was called Lori if I remembered correctly.
"Lori?" Number 8 said confused, "I don't recall her."
"Oooh I know." Number 3's excited voice interrupts, "She's a monster. She's a delinquent that's been suspended at least 3 times. I've heard that she rules the halls and beats up on anyone that tries to fight her. She's so cool!" Number 3's eyes were gleaming with admiration.
"She'll also eat you if you're not careful." Number 4 reminded #3, "She's a catgirl, remember?" Number 3 blew out some air in frustration and sat down.
"From what I know, She is friends with naomi. I don't know how they met, but even Lori doesn't know about us." Number 4 said.
"Exactly, Naomi is the only one that knows our location and we plan to keep it that way." Number 5 said reassuringly. I agree, and continue my questioning. I then ask about Clarisse. Number 4 chimes in.
"She's a real tough one," He said, "I've heard that her family is all military. She runs a strict schedule. Someone from the 2nd floor could probably give me a better perspective though."
"I've heard that if you're her pet, then she'll take extremely good care of you. She'll even search for you if you go missing." Number 5 said, "Other than Naomi, I'd probably choose her if given the chance." This clarisse girl sounded like a good pick given the circumstances. I'm sure that I could handle being around her.
"How about Harper?" Number 3 asked to my amazement. I thought I was the only one who knew of her.
"She's a beautiful one, that much is for sure." Said #5, "What I wouldn't give to lay on those soft, ample, big-"
"That's quite enough #5. Need I remind you that we're in a school environment?"
"Ok, alright, quit my bellyaching #8." Number 5 said. I noticed he was a little pissed off, but left it at that.
"I heard she's really popular at school. She's the one that most of the girls either look up too or fear. It's like she has total control over her year." said #4. Now that I think about it, I did remember how most of Ana's classmates immediately shut their mouths at the sound of Harper's voice. Just how much influence did she have? Shaking my head, I decided to keep asking questions. Obviously, skipping over Harribel for good reason. I didn't even want to think about meeting her. Trying to keep the conversation going, I try to bring up a catgirl that I almost started to enjoy being around. Anna.
"Anna? Never heard of her!" #5 spat out.
"I'm afraid I haven't either." #8 said regrettably, "Does anyone else know about her?"
Numbers 3 nodded and 4 shook his 3 did respond with "I know she's a glutton. That's about it though." Now to that response, I could validate. The amount of food...and mouse boys that she consumed when hungry wasn't a joke. She was terrifying when it came to her appetite. I sit back laying on the cold locker floor. The coldness sends a chill down my spine as I blink at the lightbulb above me. I have to look away to avoid sunspots and permanent eye damage.
"What's wrong? Tired out already? We're just getting started." number 5 tells me with a grin. I counted the different catgirls on my fingertips. Naomi, Lori, harper, haribelle, clarisse, Anna. I think about those 6 individuals when the most important comes to me in a flash. I jolt up like a robot and ask about Zoey. my face is glimmering with excitement as I mention the name of my owner. However, the other mouse boys weren't sharing my enthusiasm.
"Zoey?" Number 8's tone sounded strange. The room instantly became silent. An air of gloom came over them in contrast to my sudden optimism.
"Zoey? He couldn't possibly mean that Zoey is right" Number 4 asks number 3. Number 3 shrugs his shoulders and asks me a question.
"Hey buddy, are you sure you didn't hit my head on the way here?" number 3 asks. my smile disappears and turns into a frown. What could they be talking about? It was Zoey. my owner, my protector, my best friend. I jokingly ask if they're pranking me, perhaps talking about harribelle.
"I know what you said." number 3 speaks solemnly, "I've seen a Zoey in one of Naomi's yearbooks. If we're talking about the same one, then you're lucky to even be here right now." I take a few steps back, appalled that they would even dare to accuse sweet, innocent Zoey of being foul.
"Look." Number 3 begins to explain himself, "Does this zoey have brown hair, a little short, likes to read?" The mood suddenly grew even heavier than before. I start to sweat. my heart starts to beat a little faster. To #3's question, I nod. Everyone in the room makes a collective gasp, suddenly spooked. Number 3 rubs his arms together, like he was warming himself up in the shivering cold. Number 8 steps up and puts his hands on both of my shoulders.
"New guy." he starts off in a gentle voice, "If we're talking about the same zoey, then I have one word of advice for you.
RUN.
8.Naomi finished with her 4th class. It was art class and the teacher let her and her fellow classmates paint. She decided to paint herself. A light brown here. A dab of black there, a hint of red. She managed to look at something that was comparable to a 5 year old's drawing. Disappointed, she crumbled up the paper and threw it in the recycling bin. She was a little sad that Lori wasn't there with her. Surprisingly, they managed to become somewhat friends with each other. Bonding over art and drawing. Sadly, Lori got in a fight suspended for a week. One more suspension and Lori may have been expelled. Naomi couldn't bear to imagine losing Lori. She managed to get Lori to open up and couldn't wait for her to come back next week.
Unfortunately,she got some red paint on her uniform. Trying to wipe it off, it only gave her a larger stain and she decided just to wash it at home.
With the ringing of the bell to signal the end of 4th period, she went back to the hideout where the mouse boys were. Her routine was to always be the last one to leave. Taking a complete opposite way to where the other cat girls went. She went off into the distance and saw the old abandoned gym. She went out of her way to avoid the track where the gym was being held. Over there were delinquents that were sure to give her a hard time; mostly because she was small and weak.
Also, because Lori, (The Monster) Catgirl wasn't with her. Lori hated being called that much to Naomi's light teasing. Naomi would pretend to be lori, wearing a scowl and flexing her muscles and acting as if she had brute strength. Lori's aggressive scowl turned into a strained smile, and then laughter. Naomi looking back couldn't wait to be hanging out with Lori again. She eased her way towards the gym and entered.
Inside the locker, I was confused. 2 hours had passed but what the mouse boys told me was still confusing. That zoey? What could they mean by that? Zoey, never once, tried to hurt me. She never tried to bully me. She never, thankfully, tried to eat me. So what were they so fearful about? I think to myself that it's a joke. It has to be. There's no way that Zoey couldn't be the person I thought she was. Right?
The sound of footsteps are heard from the outside and I hear a loud crackling of thunder. The very sound of it rumbles the very locker itself. I stood still, making sure the footsteps were gone. They weren't. They kept getting closer, so close that #8 signaled for the light to be turned off. There I and the others sat in complete darkness and silence. The air felt much colder than before. I can hear light breathing on the outside. Then there's a sound of a unique knock and waiting.
"False alarm everyone." number 8 said with his hands raised in the air.
"Somebody opened the door," he said. There's the sound of metal scraping against metal again and light from the sun lets me see clearly. I see Naomi softly bounce around on her tiptoes. Everyone takes a collective gasp but starts to take steps back. Each face is a mixture of confusion and hesitation. Naomi lifts an eyebrow, confused but then looks down noticing the red on her uniform.
"Guys, it's red paint. It's not blood, I swear." she said, trying her best to ease the room of worry. The mouse boys all seem relieved and lower their guard. Some on the 2nd floor were still hesitant however.
"I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long." her lips lower into a frown. The mouse boys all smiled. They were happy to have her back.
"Anyways, Lunch is starting in a few minutes and I need to get you-" She pointed a tiny pointer finger towards my direction, "Back to Anna." #4 gasps and #3's jaw seems to drop.
"Back to Anna? Lunch? What is she talking about?" #3 asks as he uses a wide variety of hand motions
"She's taking you to a catgirl? To a glutton no less." #4 asks. I keep silent, as my sudden outburst might cause some confusion. I hear a voice yell from down below
"I knew she would betray us." A voice cries out, "It was only a matter of time before she eats all of us." The 2nd floor seems to turn into a frenzy. They all start running towards the door and grab toothpicks, arming themselves to attack her.
"Hey, you idiots!" #5's angry voice bellows to those below, "Keep talking like that and you'll be losing those pearly whites you got down there."
Naomi was confused at the sudden change in atmosphere. The mention of Anna made all of the mouse boys freakout in a frenzy. All she wanted to do was return me to Anna. Why were they pointing weapons at her? Were they afraid?
#8 sees Naomi start to take a step back and put her hands to her cheeks. Her face fills with distress and uneasiness. I notice her cheeks start to turn red and eyes start to water. That's when #8's command clears the room.
"Will you guys PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF?" his voice pierces the room and everyone suddenly calms down. He takes a deep breath to collect his nerves and tells them something.
"I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this." he gestures towards me, "Would you please be so kind as to explain the situation?"
I did so. I tell them all about being kidnapped by anna. The struggle and torture I endured. How she played with me and my kind. How I managed to strike a deal with her and end up here. The mouse boys listen in silence and suddenly bow their heads apologizing.
"Wow uh, you've been through a lot. Sorry about that." #4 said embarrassed. Number 3 also looked down sheepishly and said, "I shouldn't have escalated this." I assure him that it's fine. Everyone makes mistakes. With the mood calming down, I look at Naomi. Her cheeks were still redder than a tomato. It's as if she'd start crying any moment now.
"Look what you did." #8 addresses everybody, "You nearly made her cry! What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Each of them went up to each of the lockers and apologized. Especially #3 and #4 especially as they bowed their heads. Naomi was taken aback and tried to ease their worries.
"It's fine you guys. I'm ok." she said although her voice was still shaky. Her face was less redder than before but still quite visible. She brushes off her head to the side to make sure her hair gets wet from the tears. Again the blaring sound of thunder shook the locker and Naomi jumped.
"Dang it, It's going to rain soon. Come on." she reaches a gentle hand towards me. I look at numbers 3,4,5 and 8. They all smile at me.
"Make sure you watch out for other catgirls." #3 said with a smirk.
"Don't get eaten." #4 said with a chuckle. #3 jokingly punches him in the arm.
"You better protect Naomi with my life!" #5 yells, though I knew his intentions were good. I then look at #8. He looks at me seldomly and then looks down frustrated. I felt like something was terribly wrong, but sent me on my way.
"You…" He said, not knowing how to word this, "Be sure to watch out for Zoey and Harrible. I know Harribelle is a monster, but if it's actually the zoey that I've heard about." he stops to calm himself and stares me straight in the eye, "Watch your back. Please for the love of god, Watch. your. Back." His words send an eerie chill down my spine. I step into Naomi's palm and she lifts me up to place me inside her shirt pocket. It's surprisingly warm and I heard her little heart pounding in her chest. I wave to the mouse boys on the top floor and they wave back. I feel as if I'm leaving my family behind.
It makes me feel sentimental. Naomi waves one last time and starts to turn around. She starts walking through the darkness of the gym. There's a few lights flickering here and there. Lightning flashes in the sky as a bad storm approaches. With my little mouse ears ,I hear #8's ghostly voice yells.
"What do you mean 3 of them have gone missing? Tell them to make their way back here this instant!" He screams. I can feel his anger and frustration. I'm appreciative that Naomi couldn't understand him. She'd be devastated to learn that there were deserters. She continues to walk through and reaches the outside of a gym. She notices a girl waiting on the outside.
The girl looks like a ghost. She's around the same height as Naomi. Give or take a few inches. She has bleached blonde hair, a tightly kept uniform. Her uniform was impervious without a wrinkle in sight. I hear her voice saying something. Her voice makes it feel like my arms are crawling with tiny little spider legs. A broken light flickers above; light to dark; making her look like something out of a horror film
"What terrible weather." She said with a hint of southern charm as she heard Naomi's footsteps. Naomi stops in her tracks and I feel her heart freeze for a second as she starts to shake uncontrollable. It was almost as if she were staring straight at the devil. The girl turns a cold, dead, malicious eye towards Naomi, eying her like a freshly killed prey.
"Care to join me? Naomi dear?" The girl smiles a terrifying, toothy grin at Naomi and opens a pink umbrella.