Kit found herself being forced to sidestep the businesswoman leaving the boardroom, or be brushed aside without a word. The act nearly made her spill the cup of hot coffee in her hands, a rich brown brew in a mug that cost more than the outfit she wore. She huffed as she caught her balance, and then continued down the corridor towards the office of one of the higher-ups in the company that she worked under.

The scent of the coffee teased her along the way. It was tempting her to take a sip of it and, had the circumstances been different, Kit would have liked nothing more than to settle down and take her time in savoring its flavor. She could only imagine what it would be like to taste the type of coffee that cost more for one cup than a month's salary, but she wouldn't risk her job for a chance to indulge in her caffeine craving.

She knocked on the door when she reached the office out of habit and waited until she was given permission to enter before she did so. "Here's the coffee you asked me to fetch you, sir."

"Set it down on the coaster and then get to work," her boss, a tail-less panther, said dismissively from behind a polished desk. He didn't even look up from his papers as he said it. For him, his work was more important that addressing her personally. "I need all the documents on the table by the door sorted by type and organized by folder before the upcoming meeting tomorrow."

Kit looked at the table and found a stack of papers that were half her height. It would take her hours to sort them all, and there were only three left before the workday ended. Taking into account the public transportation schedule… she'd be lucky to get back home before late night in a best case scenario.

"Is there a problem?"

She turned towards the challenging tone of her boss' voice to see that he was now looking up at her, holding the mug. "None at all, sir."

"Good. After all, you're fortunate enough to be allowed to work in such a prestigious company in the first place despite your low standing. That means you need to pull your weight. If you can't, you'll be replaced by someone more fitting for the role."

Tension built up in her tail, hidden beneath her skirt and wrapped around her waist to avoid sticking out, and her ears, kept bound near the tips to give it a business-like appearance. She forcibly kept them under control as she agreed. "You're right, sir. I'll see it done without fail."

Kit grabbed the documents and folders, carting them off to the smaller desk that had been assigned to her. Then she set to work, ignoring the weight of eyes from the others in the office. Yet the words of her superior continued to hound her in her seat.

It wasn't wrong to say that she was fortunate enough to get the position she was in. Even though she was overqualified for it, the company she worked for was the sort of place that welcomed only those who were in a higher-class of living: the wealthy and the tail-less.

In contrast, Kit was a country girl from a family that lived on a farm. After the death of her father, her mother could barely harvest the fields to feed all of them. While there was a government support program that helped them get by, there just wasn't enough for a family of five. So she and her brother, Kat, strived to ease their burden and decided against attending a high school.

Kit had instead studied under a former teacher that lived nearby in order to earn her GED prematurely, within a single year. Then she moved to the city and lived with a friend of the family to attend the local community college. After a few years of hard work, she'd earned her Associate's Degree in Office Administration.

But the capital was heavily structured around an elitist class system. The degree she'd earned was meant for a career higher than being a secretary, but had barely been enough to get her the position. And even that was because the professor she studied under had a history with the head of the company, vouching on her behalf.

She almost sighed at the fact that this was the highest position she could hope to rise to, despite working so hard. Yet she also couldn't complain. While the position may have been menial, the pay and benefits were unmatched by any other options available to her. And there were few of those to begin with. So she continued sorting and organizing as the hours passed, entrenching herself into the work with the utmost concentration to avoid making a single mistake that could cost her this job.

By the time she was finished, night had long since fallen. The ride on the bus became an unnerving experience, and the familiar streets that formed her neighborhood became foreign. Relief only arrived once she'd made it to the building that housed her small apartment.

She opened the door, intent on taking a shower and then going to bed since her job had devoured what precious little spare time she had for the day. Instead, she was greeted by the strained wheezing of a pair of lungs struggling for every breath. Tension coiled in her limbs and tail as her hand darted for the switch on the wall.

Light flooded the small room, revealing the intruder. Her twin brother, Kat, was seated in the chair at her table and staring at the photo she kept of their family. It had been taken shortly before her departure and served as a reminder of why she put up with her job.

One of Kat's eyes had swollen shut, a blackened ring around it. The opposite side of his face was swollen as well. He was clearly in pain, but he still managed a weak smile as he turned to her.

"Hey… Sis…"