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It was peaceful. Well, as peaceful as it could be. An old school full of troubled youth and a random badass who popped up out of nowhere? It wasn't bound to be sunshine and rainbows. And yet, you didn't wake up to arguing. Granted, it was definitely past midnight.
You jolted awake, the small room you had to yourself was cold- the only warmth being what your body could hold under the blankets and the walls covered in drawings from Sophie and Tenn. You nearly hit your head on the bunk above you when you sat up in a single beat.
Scurrying. Not big enough to be alarmed about, but not small enough to be a rat.
Your immediate thought was if it would be worth catching. Maybe it was a bunny? You loved bunnies but you like a warm dinner more. Pretty sure everyone does- maybe besides Tenn.
You glance at the bedside table where you keep your weapons, idiotic really. Clem’s told you to hide them better in case of a break in, but you can't bother. It's just a small revolver and a knife, nothing worth stealing. You grab the knife, knowing the revolver is too loud.
Your feet hit the cold wood floor before you quickly tie on your boots. Your limbs ache when you stand and stretch your arms above your head, the beds haven't been comfortable in years. The doors still creak when you open them, the floors still groan with every slight weight, and the front doors feel as heavy as ever. The outside is something you'll never get used to.
You remember the grass being well kept. Now it's dead, just like everything else. The gates that used to keep the fixable in and the nonfixable out, now needs fixing itself. It was quiet, other than the soft stream not too far from where you're standing. The leaves had just started to fall and harden, making you cringe at every crunchy step you took.
Your eyes scan the area around the school, specifically where your window is. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, other than an unlabeled tin can. You cautiously step closer, eyes wide as you try to make sense of what's in the darkness. Just as you stand a few feet away from the can, it begins to toss around violently in the high grass.
You jump back immediately, startled from the sudden movement. Just before a helpless meowing howl erupts from the can. It's a cat. How the hell did a cat last this long? You're not scared of it anymore, unless it has rabies. Your feet find placement closer towards the can before you kneel down. Your hands hover cautiously above the metal before you carefully grasp it.
Whispering reassurances towards the small creature, you glance inside the can before attempting to pry the lump of fur out. It hisses, but makes no move to scratch you. Not like it can in its predicament. The cat finally comes free and you set the can down. It squirms, hisses, scratches- but then it mewls painfully. You're not shocked when you see its sliced foot pad, but it's still painful to see.
“Alright buddy- girl- I dunno. Cat? Let's get you inside.” You hold the small tabby (at least you think, it's hard to see in the dark) cat as it finally settles down a bit. It's small, probably barely even a few months old. You can't help but wonder what happened to its mother- if she's even around or alive. How did this thing even survive if it's dumb enough to get stuck in a can?
⤷It was hard caring for the thing the next day. It took.. maybe all night for it to realize you weren't a threat. After that, it stuck by your side. Luckily enough, you wouldn't have to leave the school- your job was to do repairs and stick at lookout. Easy enough to do with a cat in your pocket.
Then came dinner time.
You thought it'd be easy- just keep the cat in your pocket and slip some meat when no one was looking. But cats have a strong sense of smell- you've come to realize. So when it smelled the stew before you could even sit down, it mewled. Loudly. Loud enough for everyone to go silent and stare at you- Rosie's head tilting to the side as she stared as well.
You try to recreate the meow.
It doesn't work.
But Willy does it too, so you take that as a plus. You're funny.
“The hell was that?” You hear Mitch pipe up from the end of the table. Everyone continues to stare directly at you.
“That was literally me guys, what?” You speak, your voice an octave higher. Louis chuckles a bit while shaking his head.
“That was NOT you.”
Marlon crosses his arms.
“Sounded like a cat.”
You sputter out a faux laugh.
“A cat? Why would I have a-”
“Woah!” You hear AJ pipe up next to you. He'd walked over, silent as a mouse as always, and saw the cat peeking from your pocket. Clementine's face softens for a moment at AJ’s excitement before peering over the table.
“That's definitely a cat. Haven't seen one in forever though. And it's a baby. Where'd you find it?”
You huff, annoyed. Your hands reach into your pocket to pull the kitten out and present it. The kids gasp in astonishment while the teens watch it cautiously.
“It got stuck in a can last night. I couldn't just leave it- not when it was crying.” You lay the cat in your arms on its back while its pupils triple in size at the bowl in front of you. Rosie slowly rises, teeth already bearing until Marlon whistles at her- muttering a quick command/reassurance that seemingly settles her for now. His attention diverts back to you.
“That still doesn't explain anything. What if it's got some.. device attached to it? Or rabies? If Rosie gets rabies- I'll actually kill you, y’know.” His hands clasp together on the table.
“You never shut up, do you?” Violet pipes up again. Her fingers pick a small piece of meat from her old bowl, holding it near the kitten's mouth. “Does it look like it's got rabies?”
Marlon glares at Violet before watching the kitten chow down on the meat. It lets out tiny growls, too loud for its small body to contain quietly.
“Do ya’ know the gender?” Ruby questions. You shake your head.
“Didn't really bother to check. I think it's too young to tell anyway.”
The kitten's mouth becomes covered in broth quickly, its stomach barely starting to round out. The small piece of meat Violet gave it was more like an entree compared to the kitten.
“Can we keep it?” Tenn asks quietly, watching the creature in awe before glancing around at everyone- Marlon specifically. Marlon scratches the back of his head, eyes diverting to the kitten.
“I dunno. Do we really have enough food for it?”
“It's a fucking kitten. It won't take much.” Violet bounces back in.
Marlon raises his hands in self defense before glancing at you.
“It's your responsibility. Cat shit, piss, feeding it- that's all you.” You nod silently, sort of bewildered it didn't take much convincing. You glance down at the kitten in your arms, watching as it's eyes slowly close and its stomach continues to rise and fall.