Toralei can say that she tried, she honestly tried to finish the decorating without wanting to hit Cleo with something. But there was only so much of miss. Perfect that she could handle in one sitting and needless to say that the Egyptian was getting on her nerves.
"What made you decide to help us anyway? I mean you keep insisting that you're 'no joiner' whatever that means." Clawdeen asked, earning a sigh from the were-cat who had been trying to untangle a row of streamers.
"Besides my mom getting on my case to be more social? I wanted to get out of riding to school with her." Toralei answered, smirking at the dumbstruck looks she was getting from the other girls.
"I don't know what surprises me more. You actually listening to someone or the fact that you just said you had a mother. I mean, don't get me wrong but I thought you said you were an orphan."
Toralei rolled her eyes at that before retorting "There's something called adoption you know? Not everyone is lucky enough to born into a family that actually gives a flying fang."
she answered before heading back toward the school.
"Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than she is telling anyone?" Frankie said turning toward the other's though Purrsephone was the one to answer.
"Trust me, you don't wanna know."
Toralei sighed as she hung upside down from the ladder, stapling the streamers up. She could hear their conversation from the distance though she chose to ignore it, focusing on the task at hand while her mind wondered toward the what if scenarios that had been plaguing her all week.
What will they do if they recognize me? I haven't seen them in eight years and the last time I did...their queen blamed me for that night, Not that it was my fault. None of us knew that the storm would get that bad! No one knew that the dam would break over in River-dale. No one knew that anything would happen! Yet I got the blame. I was the stupid runt who wasn't good for anything.
She thought bitterly, closing her eyes as she tried to put a stop to her thoughts.
They have no power over you Toralei, you know that. You are your own queen! You are the maker of your own destiny! You know that you have just as much power if not more so than your other siblings. What they say or do doesn't matter! You know the truth!
Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of none other than Cleo De Nile.
"I just hope the werecats from Madow Prep doesn't act like she does. I mean, could you imagine what it would be like dealing with two Toralei's?"
Toralei tried not to react to this, though she could only wonder how Cleo would react if she had lived the same way that Toralei had for years. Would the Egyptian even survive? Toralei somehow doubted that.
"Hey, at least I think about more than what color shoes I am going to buy!" she called, smirking as she heard everyone but Cleo snicker.
"Okay, she did kinda get you on that."
"I didn't know Normies were a part of this deal!"
"Oh great, they invited the shapeshifters!"
"What in hell is going on?"
The rush of voices was almost deafening as the other students filed out of the buses, though everyone's attention turned from the group of strange new students to a large red and yellow Ford GT pulled into the parking lot and two human looking beings exited.
Toralei could feel the more primal side of her nature shrink back as her eyes landed on the two. One being a girl with black hair with red highlights, wearing a simple navy tank-top and a pair of loose fitting jeans. The other was a bit more confusing as Toralei wasn't exactly sure what gender they were, but they had red wavy hair which was cut in a faux hawk type style.
"Bastet be with me." Toralei muttered, earning a concerned look from her friends.
"What's wrong Tori?" Meowlody asked, taking note of how Toralei didn't glare at her for the use of the nickname.
"Can't you feel the aura coming from around that one human? The one who's dressed like some kind of 90s punk rock wanna-be?" Toralei whispered, wrapping her tail around her waist so that it's twitching didn't give away her nervousness.
"wow, she has got an assertive air about her huh? But I don't think she's entirely human...Can't you smell the person she's with? They smell like a campfire." Meowlody whispered, earning a chuckle from Howleen who had been standing beside of them.
"Hey, at least they don't smell like rotten gargoyle eggs!"
"Yeah, but still...I've never smelled something like that before. Heath always smells like smoke but...Not of something fragrant and if the human isn't human...what is it?"