I woke up the next day and sighed into my pillow. I was pretending yesterday had all been a bad dream, that I'd be fine and no-one would abuse me; I knew I was lying to convince myself.

I shuffled slowly out of bed, glancing at the clock as I stood up; the numbers glowed steadily and said it was half past five. I sighed, walking to the bathroom as I shook my head to help wake myself up. I went through my usual morning routine, praying I would be able to do it again tomorrow; use the restroom, shower, brush my teeth, brush my hair, and apply deodorant. Then I left the bathroom to get dressed. George was groaning on the other bed in the room, so I closed the door quickly. I was self-conscious about myself, which tends to happen when you want to avoid anyone noticing you at all. You begin to think you're hair is too bright, your eyes are too dark, your skin is too pale, you nose is too big, your ears off center... you begin doubting yourself and grow even more closed off and self-conscious; hiding yourself from the world as you try to avoid, not only people who will use you, but also people who will ridicule and abuse you.

I walked over to my dresser, George muttering as he shifted. I had another two and a half minutes to cover my lower body and start pulling on a shirt before he'd get out of bed and see my back; it was how my days usually went, and I felt safe because of how consistent everything and everyone was. People develop habits and make the same choices over and over again; I just had to memorize their likes, dislikes, relationship status, and a few other general things, and I could tell where someone would be and when. So I did, and sure enough, George woke up right as I pulled my shirt over my head. He watched me for a moment, making me uncomfortable as he continued to watch me for an entire two minutes longer than normal. He'd be behind unless he rushed, or skipped something.

He finally left and went to the bathroom and I finished putting on my shoes. I carefully filled my backpack with the things I'd need for school, pausing for a moment before slipping pepper spray into the bag. Just in case. I slipped it onto my shoulders, and I stepped out of the door just as he slipped back into the room we shared. He was back on schedule, which meant he'd likely not sung. He liked singing in the shower, even though he took a few minutes longer when he sang. I walked upstairs, getting breakfast ready so the morning rush wouldn't be as hectic before grabbing myself a smoothie. I didn't eat breakfast, it gave me bad breath and I was paranoid about how people saw me. I finished the smoothie just as I heard mom start moving out of her bedroom. The clock read five thirty, so I'd been awake for an hour and she'd only woken up five minutes ago.

She walked in just as I stepped out of the room, throwing my smoothie cup in the sink and tidying the front room a bit. I set the shoes in order as I smelled the scent of mom cooking some cinnamon rolls, my favorite comfort foods. I put on my watch and stepped outside, a full three seconds early; a cat was watching me from the edge of my driveway, one I faintly recognized from the day before as the weird alpha leader guy. I stiffly stepped past it as I began walking to school. He followed. I shivered, my breathing growing a bit more quick and panicked as I stepped faster, lighter, trying to leave the cat behind. I heard a second set of paws and began flat out running, eyes wide and breathing terrified. It was still before six, so almost no-one was out and about yet. That was the reason I left so early; no one could bother me on the way to school if no one was there who could bother me.

The sound of paws faded for a moment, and I began to breath more easily, until I heard a dozen more paws rushing after me. I choked on a breath, sprinting forward with as much power as I could in a bid to escape the pack of feline demons. I managed to make it to school before my legs gave out, getting inside the front doors and slamming them shut before leaning against them in relief, my breathing hitched but slowing. Until the door bounced. I yelped, locking into place as the door continued to be hit by this after thud. I prepared to run and flipped around to see all ten of the cats that had been chasing me, human boys I'd seen either on the jocks sports teams or hanging out with the popular crowd. I saw the boy who'd kissed me yesterday, and I screamed, lurching away from the door at a dead run as I shut my eyes and ran for my home room. It was five long steps through the entry hall, two dozen down the first hall, a sharp left into the staircase, up those, and seventeen down the hall before sliding too a stop in front of the home room, the door that wasn't ever locked.

I slipped in, tears streaming my face as I sobbed in fear before locking the door and looking around the classroom for somewhere to hide. I could do nothing for two hours until school started, that would be fine. Just so long as I didn't have to deal with the boys, I'd be fine. Unfortunately, two things happened before I found a spot that I deeply regret. First, alpha boy knocked on the door with a cool grin, and second, Mr. Benson, my home room teacher, was with him and was unlocking the door with a flat, angry expression. Whatever the jock had told him, I knew I wouldn't like, but I didn't really care. I was more terrified about the boy next to him that I would soon have to deal with. I let out a high pitched whine as I lurched away to hide under my desk. It wouldn't do much, if anything, but I didn't care. I needed to be safe from that boy, to hide from him and never see him again; I couldn't let him take me where no teachers could see or I would lose. Badly.

I sat there, breathing heavily, until the door clicked, and I yelped. Then it opened, and I shut my eyes, humming to myself to keep from having to hear the boy approach me. I couldn't block him out, though I grew louder and more desperate as he grew closer until I was practically shouting my humming at the room. My hands clamped down over my ears and I bit my lip as I began rocking, tears still rolling down my face. I knew I was panicking too hard, but I couldn't help it; he knew, and he was going to take advantage of my obedience. He stopped by my desk and, as I shut my eyes more tightly and began shaking my head, he squatted next to me. I felt a tap on my shoulder, but I knew that trick. My dad used to pull it on me when I was a kid and he thought I was joking about my obedience problems. I'd burned my hands trying to make dinner once, and I stopped responding to him poking me after that.

I continued to feel him poke me until I heard grunt, and then my hand was pulled from my ear. My eyes flew open and I yelled "NOOOO!" In his face, shoving him away and banging my head against the desk as I scrambled away, standing and dashing to a corner of the room where I forced myself to fit under a small coffee table that sat there as decoration and a useful place to set things. I curled up there, humming and rocking as he grabbed my shirt, trying to yank me out from under the table. I whined, an animalistic sound, and he froze, letting me pull out of his grasp as I curled up tighter, covering my ears. He didn't try to grab me again, which I was grateful for, but I did smell the teacher get closer; prompting me to shiver in fear. He pulled my hand away from my ear and told me to get out from under the table. His voice was quiet, but harsh, leaving me little doubt as to what would come next. I slowly, reluctantly, scooted out and stood, sweating as I hummed, rocked on my heels, and covered my ears with my hands, eyeing the alpha boy with terror.

He glowered at me, his glare promising things that terrified me, and the teacher pried my hand away from my ear as he told me to go with alpha boy. I felt my breath catch, and my eyes grew wide as I started shaking. "N-n-no..." his glare remained, but his scowl became a sadistic grin as I took an involuntary step forward. I did the only thing I could think of; I lurched forward and punched the boy, dashing out of the classroom as the teacher shouted after me, the boy cursing and spitting. I ignored the exits, they'd be watched, and ran into another classroom; I yanked open a window and looked down. I'd sprain something at least if I jumped, but there was a drainage pipe near the window ledge. I stepped onto the ledge and reached out for it only to feel someone grab my arm, trapping it in a thick, tight grip. I screamed, yanking away instinctively and almost falling off the edge. Luckily for my head, the teacher holding me managed to pull me inside before I fell; unluckily, he let the alpha boy take my arm.

I walked stiffly, breathing heavily, eyes wide as I followed him almost passively. My feet tripped, stumbling to a stop every few steps as I strained to disobey him even though I knew I couldn't. He yanked me into the boys locker room, and I stumbled in after him, lurching forward into a run as I felt him let go of my arm. He shouted at me, but I couldn't make out the words as the sound of blood rushing through my ears mingled with the sounds of people's feet slapping against the tile. I leapt up as I reached the end of the room, grabbing the lip of the locker and yanking myself into the space between the locker and the ceiling; covering my ears again as I worked my way deeper into the little niche. I saw hands grab at me, and heard a lot of yelling, but I ignored it all, crying as I gritted my teeth and stayed where I was, humming to try and block out the world around me. I heard a slap and opened my eyes to see my brother punching the group of boys one by one before they turned and started swarming him, all seventeen.

George had only knocked down four before they turned on him. He took a few more down, but then they grabbed his arms and started beating him up. I squeezed my eyes, shuddering as I forced myself to roll off of the lockers and into the tile. I stood up just as they turned to look at me. I punched someone and ran, breathing heavily as I heard a dozen feet chase me. I knew George could handle the five that had him now, especially since he wouldn't feel the need to fight fairly. They'd attacked me, he'd attack them. I made it into the gym before the first one grabbed my my wrist. I twisted, stopping almost immediately as I threw my punch and he ran face first into it. I hit another two before they got me pinned down on the ground. They held me there as their Alpha walked slowly up to me, wiping his mouth clean of the blood from his split lip. He growled, scowling as I kept struggling, and bent down, almost touching my face with his own. He held my gaze, making me freeze from panic and fear before he slowly licked my cheek.

I felt bile rising in my throat, and I whimpered, my spine stiff as a board as he continued to groom my face; my eyes watering in pain and disgust at the terrible sensation. He pulled away and grinned, reaching down and slipping a hand under and up my shirt, hand brushing against my stomach and chest. I squeezed my eyes shut at the feeling, finally throwing up. They froze, shock keeping them from turning me over until a door slammed and an adult yelled at them. I began to choke, unable to breath as the bile filled my throat, then they dropped me. The alpha ran, his cronies dashing away with him, and I flipped over, letting the stomach acid and smoothie spill onto the floor as I gasped for for breath, still sobbing. Someone knelt next to me, touching my arm as I tried to breath and I screamed, lurching away and curling into a shivering ball to escape the nightmare. I heard my brother yelling and the adult woman yelling back at him. I felt feminine hands grab my arms and I screamed, thrashing about in an attempt to escape her.

My brother pulled her hands off of me and pulled me into a hug, the familiar smell and feeling of his body letting me latch onto him and sob my heart out. I was shivering, sobbing, and covered in tears, sweat, and stomach bile; and he still held me. I never wanted him to let me go. Almost three hours later, after being taken to the nurse, a police officer, and several other adults, they finally managed to pry me from George without me screaming. I pulled out of their too tight grips and backed into a corner, shivering and staring at the floor as the grown ups spoke quietly about what to do. I was sixteen, and the other kids were no-where to be found -not that anyone knew who the gang-leader was- so the only actual evidence they had was the videos of them dragging me to the locker room before George ran in almost half an hour later, then me dashing out another minute later and punching one of the boys before... even the adults were sick at what he'd done. Sure, rape is one thing; but he'd had some kind of odd fetish as well, and had let me choke on my puke until I almost passed out- It had nearly killed me and I was humiliated and scared out of my mind besides.

I was running away tonight, and I would shift to do it. I would be harder to follow as a cat, I could run faster and longer as a cat; I would need fewer things as a cat. As my parents drove me home, they kept silent; the only sound the rubbing of cloth on leather as they glanced at me now and then before looking at each other. My father stayed with us, and he and mom had gotten along last night. They hadn't fought once, and I was pretty sure I was the reason. They were so distracted by what was happening to me that they couldn't hate each other; they simply felt mutual worry for their son. Good thing I would be running away; the struggles and pain might fix their marriage.

I stepped out of the car when we got home, and I saw something that terrified me. The alpha cat was sitting there, waiting for me on the porch.
_________________________________(A/N) Hey Guys! So, I'll not leave an authors not for a few chapters after this one. So I'm saying it now: if you have a question about something, are confused, or think things don't make sense, I would advise you ask it.   
:3
Well...
Till next time, Sept-Mates!

Your Poet and Scribe,
~ShadeFinder<(0^0)>