CHAPTER 2-No Place to Call Home

Ashley awoke to the birds filling the air with cheerful songs. She felt the roughness of the sidewalk below her, and the rising sun peered over the treetops to warm her with its gentle touch.

With her eyes still closed and the fog of sleep still wreathed around her mind, she murmured something sleepily and reached for her blanket.

Except her fingers grazed nothing except the roughness of the sidewalk.

The second thing she noticed was that the birds sounded louder than normal. It was as if they were singing right into her ear.

And the sunlight. There was something about the sunlight that was a little off.

She curled up tighter, trying to get her thoughts to work in her sleep-clogged brain. It was still so early in the morning.

The sunlight…sunlight. Her mind chugged slowly along, half of it still in dreamland.

Why was the sun falling on her face so warmly like that? Wasn't there supposed to be a window separating it? There was a light breeze, too, so soft that it breathed into her cheek and tangled her hair.

Without warning, her eyes snapped open and her breath stopped in her throat when Ashley saw, not her familiar white room, but a street complete with a sidewalk, rows of houses, and front lawns. The sun beamed brightly, as if wishing her a good morning.

What the…

Part of her wondered if she was still dreaming somehow, but the other half knew that this was real. With her heart hammering in her chest, she tried to sit up, only to collapse again with a soft cry. Her head felt like it was a bowl of jelly.

What is this? she thought. Did I sleepwalk outside?

Strange. Everything somehow seemed a lot bigger. Did the buildings grow? Or did she…shrink?

Ashley happened to glance down at her body, crying out in shock before she could stop herself. She was covered entirely with black fur!

Was this real? It was sleek and glossy like feathers, and when she cautiously touched it, it felt as soft as cotton.

She could hardly breathe. Her eyes were wide with surprise and fright.

Gazing with horror at what she'd become, she noticed a tail behind her and tried to wiggle it.

It moved.

Wait…am I…Am I a cat?

But where was she? How did this happen? Who? What? Why?

Her brain was whizzing by like a rocket at a million miles per hour. Ashley suddenly felt very light-headed. Her heart thudded inside her so fast she thought it would burst.

Millions of questions soared around her like vultures, eating away at her, filling her with fear and alarm.

Taking deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down. I can't get anywhere by freaking out like this.

The first thing she wanted to do was barge back into her house and wake up her parents. Her heart dropped down to her paws when she spun around, looking for the familiar structure that was her home. Everything looked different and unknown to her. Was she in a different part of town? But how did she even get here?

And why was she a cat?

Ashley attempted to stand up, only for her legs to give out underneath her as if they were nothing but flimsy toothpicks, making her fall flat on her face. Her limbs felt wobbly, like they were made out of water instead of bone.

Tears brimmed the edges of her vision. She wanted to open her mouth and yowl in terror, but managed to clamp her jaws over her wail. Crying wouldn't solve anything at a time like this.

She made her way slowly down the unfamiliar street, putting one paw carefully in front of the other and trying to get used to the feeling.

As she rounded the corner, she glanced up hopefully and read all of the street signs she could lay her eyes on. Her spirits were dashed into pieces when she realized that she didn't recognize any of the names.

What was she supposed to do now?

The black cat wandered aimlessly through the town. Cars whipped past her and rippled her fur with smog-choked winds that made her gag. People rushed through the sidewalks, hurrying toward their jobs with their cell phones to their ears and their eyes glued to their watches.

The black cat ducked and swerved to avoid being stepped on. A large foot loomed in front of her like a shadow. She yelped in surprise and leaped to one side, relieved to see that the shoe came crashing down on the ground instead of her spine.

Everything looked terribly frightening. All of the buildings were as monstrous as skyscrapers. The vehicles and trucks roared past her like tigers, coughing up billows of black smog that made her eyes water.

The whole world suddenly seemed so harsh and unwelcoming. Feeling like an ant in the presence of giants, Ashley trod through the streets with her head down and her ears flat against her head.

I want to go home, she thought.

OoOOooOoOOooOoOOOoOooOOOoOoOOOoOOoOo

Night fell like a shadow sweeping through the hills. Yet, she was still wandering aimlessly through the concrete streets.

After all the cars had reared back into the garages and the humans were swept back into their homes, she found herself all alone in a vast, lonesome place.

She looked up at the darkening sky. The first few stars were beginning to appear. They twinkled in the night and winked down at her. It was as if they were trying to cheer her up by shining their brightest.

The cat saw another star, one that shone and glowed bigger than the rest. It seemed to be reaching its fingers down and beckoning toward her. It tugged at her soul, urging her to follow its path.

Ashley took one step forward hesitantly. Then another. The star shone brighter all the while.

She began to follow it, past the streets, the sidewalks, the quiet concrete of the city.

Funny. It seemed to her that the star was calling out to her. It was attracting her like a magnet.

The rocks scraped her paws until they were sore. Her throat was dry and her stomach rumbled from hunger, but she didn't dare lose sight of that one star. She hurried through the empty streets, carrying on through the night, trusting the stars to guide her like lanterns through a fog. Somehow, a deep part of her knew that she would end up in a distant place far, far away from here.