Chapter Two
Words
Yawning widely, Ruby stirred and stared at her surroundings. Quince and Tiny have already awoken, but Socks was still sound asleep. Usually Ruby would wake her brother up, but right now she just wanted to be alone. All Mother cares about is Tiny. I know that. Padding along the corridors of the vast house, she cursed Tiny silently with all the bad words she knew. The floor was icy under her paws, and she urged for the warmth of her mother's gray fur. The chilly, crispy air lingered in her nose as she poked her head outside of a clear window. Still no sign of the two cats. Quince was not outside, neither was Tiny. Where could Mother be? She didn't care about Tiny, only her mother. She would never need the frail little tom anyways.
"Oh, can anything ever go worse?" she wondered out loud. As she closed her eyes crossly, she bumped into a thin, feeble shape. Tiny! Her fur bristling, she demanded, "Where is Mother?" Tiny's fur fluffed up defiantly; but his fear scent and his eyes betrayed him. "I-I don't know," he squeaked truthfully. "I-I was j-just looking for her." Glowering at him, she meowed coldly, "Make sure you tell me if you find her." The frightened tom nodded shakily. Coward, mouthed Ruby as she padded past him. Suddenly, a cry rose behind her. "I— stop treating me like that!"
Astounded, she whipped around to see who cried that. It was, nonetheless, Tiny who had spoken. Why is he so demanding all of a sudden? Questions flooded her head as she shot back, "Well, I can't help but do that, weakling!" Fur bristling, Tiny growled softly, "I'll prove it; I'll prove what I can do!" He thrashed around and fled automatically. What the fluff is he doing? Ruby snarled inside her head. What a stupid furball. As if nothing happened, she continued to prance along the hallway. Tiny's words echoed inside her mind like an ominous prophecy. Stop treating me like that! She shuddered; Tiny wasn't what he seemed to be after all. Could there be something, just something she never saw in him? A soft reverberate vibrated across her ears like lightning. I'll prove it. I'll prove what I can do. Now Ruby was trembling, thinking more and more about the black tom she had always bullied.
I'll prove it. I'll prove what I can do! It was haunting her! Why were Tiny's words so sinister? Ugh! Stop it, stop it! Ruby yowled painfully. Stop— it came again— Stop treating me like— no, stop echoing in my head!— I will prove— NO! She shut her eyes with excruciating pain. Rolling on the floor with her paws over her ears, she wailed, "Stop! Stop! STOP—"
"What are you doing, Ruby?" a kind, genuine voice sounded inside her. No, it's outside me, Ruby realized. A pale gray she-cat much older than her was staring down caringly at her. Mother! Struggling to regain balance, she howled, "It's all Tiny's fault!" She described how she had encountered the tom, and how her brother had growled bleakly at her. Blinking, her mother meowed, "I'm sure Tiny feels bad when you two make fun of him all the time and don't allow him to play. You do that all the time to him, why can't he do that to you just once?" From Quince's tone, Ruby could tell that she didn't believe in her at all.
Walking past her mother, Ruby sighed heavily. Why can't Mother— "I'm sure Tiny feels bad when you two make fun of him all the time."— Oh, no! Ruby thought with annoyance. Could this ever stop — "You do that all the time to him"— darn it, it's that all over again? Why does what everyone say haunt me so much? — "—why can't he do that to you just once?" Shaking the words off her head, she mewed mutinously, "I don't care how he feels! I care about what I feel!" Realizing she had said that aloud, she turned around to see her mother's reaction. Quince's gaze read: But that's exactly the problem, my dear. Her mother's look enraged her so much that she wanted to unsheathe her claws and rake her mother's face.
Once again, the most menacing words screeched through her mind. I'll prove it… I'll prove what I can do… Ruby desired to kill herself after hearing the words once again.
I'm sure Tiny feels bad when you two make fun of him all the time…
You do that all the time to him… why can't he do that just once?
… Stop treating me like that!
I'll prove it.
I'll prove what I can do.