10 YEARS LATER...

           She opened her eyes and gave out a cute innocent yawn as she rubbed her nose by the back of her hand and then stretched to sit up.

       She was on her comfy bed, in her off- shouldered sweatshirt and pink PJ's. Her cat ears had come peeking out of her hair and she rubbed behind them happily. Well, they at least deserved that much of comfort.

        She was quite relaxed and oblivious to her surrounding at the timing.

       But when the sudden knock was heard, she fell down in fright and landed on all fours.

        The door slowly creaked open and quickly she sat down. Her cat ears hid again. She had to pretend that she was normal in the world she was now living in.

       It was her mother. Or the woman who adopted her.

           An incident which took place a few years back. She clearly remembered the first time she had come into this house. She was wearing a dirty hoodie and shorts with sports shoes and carried a small backpack strung to her shoulder. She was smelling like sewage and her clothes were doused in water and muck. In fact she had woken up in a sewage and was quite surprised that she landed there.

         All she remembered that she was running away from everyone who wanted her- the Mafia, the government, the scientists and that included everybody. She got up, tried dusting herself, made sure her ears were hidden and pretended to be a normal runaway girl. She had a plan in mind.

        That she would beg for food in a different house every day and at nights, she would sleep on different tree boughs. That way it would make it difficult to catch her.

         So she did as she planned. Until this one house.

       She came with her prepared act and gave her innocent cat eyes and a pout. The couple that had opened their door was deeply affected in the heart. They felt sorry for her.

       As their only child had passed away in an accident, they felt even more attracted to the need of replacing those disturbed thoughts. So that they could move on from the pain and not memories.

        They invited her in and gave her some chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk and conveyed the message that she was allowed to stay as long as she wanted.

      At first she just thanked them for the small meal and was about make her way in those disgusting clothes. But then they pulled her back and demanded that she stay at least till her parents come to pick her up. Which she knew was never happening.

        She knew her parents were dead. How? She doesn't remember.

         So she stayed with them and even when weeks passed by, and not even one flier or a new headlines which came up ever questioned about her existence and they didn't even find that weird.

       They were just happy that they had someone to take care of, someone to give all their love, someone who would be like the child they had lost. It was a blessing in disguise.

         "Angelica? What are you doing on the floor?" Her mother asked confused as her hands go on her hip. "Sorry mom, you just scared me!" She admitted shyly.

           She let her ears peek up again. She had no reason to hide them from her. She knew about the cat ears and her humongous tattoo and didn't even question her about it. So she had no reason to hide anything from her. But only she knew. Not even her husband was let out on this secret which was shared between the two.

         "Oh Kitty! What am I going to do with you?" Her mother said with a hint of mockery which had a sense of motherly affection. "Did you get hurt?" She continued. Angelica shook her head innocently.

        Her mother came and went on her knees in front of her and then moved to stroke her ears. Angelica willingly allowed her and then purred in satisfaction. She only allowed the people she trusted to touch her or even pet her.

        When she first stayed here, they had a difficult time.

        They tried to get her to talk.

        They tried to get her into some nice clothes.

        They even tried to approach in a friendly manner.

        But she was one suspicious hybrid who cannot trust anyone until she had a reason to.

        So one sudden action and they would be back to square one.

       But with the magical use of time, they managed to gain her trust with success.

          She could talk freely to them. She would do what they asked. She accepted them as her parents, something she never had. She even let them touch her.

        "Now lazy cat, are you going to go and have a bath or do you want me to throw you in?" Her mother asked with a very mischievous smile.

       She knew that cats were very mischievous creatures and they hate water. Yup, she accepted the fact that her new- found daughter is a hybrid but she didn't complain.

        She was happy with what she had. She also knew that Angelica was a special cat. She didn't follow the rules of a cat plus she was a cat with wings.

          Angelica loved water, unlike what cats usually feel. In fact she loved the feeling of the water under her skin. She shook her head.

         No, not because she didn't want to have a bath. She truly did. But because she wanted to be carried.

         True, she is a very lazy kitten.

        Her mother understood and just smiled and then picked her up bridal style.

         Angelica was very light for her tall stature and her mother thought it was because she lived all alone before coming here. So she used to force her to eat. But the kitty is always adamant and would eat only what pleased her eye which would vary from time to time.

         Her mother knew a lot about her. She finally had the guts to spill about her life to someone. Someone she trusted the most. Till now at least.

           She told her mother about what she remembered about her parents which was nothing except that they are dead. She told her mother about her life before this:- running away from a bunch of people because they think she is awfully special (her mother agrees). And she told her mother about the torture she went through when she was trapped.

        She does remember the time they tortured her a lot and the fear of it was instilled when she was just a child. They used to douse her in water and then electrocute her, leave her with no food or water for days, whip her till marks began to form, cut deep marks till she bled and that was not all but worse.

         All the proof which was supposed to be flashed on her skin was healing fast that they were hardly seen any more. They were her punishments. For nothing.

          Her mother set her down in the tub and made her child remove her clothes like how a mother would do to a baby and the kitten allowed herself to be pampered.

         She turned the tap on and adjusted the temperature of the water to her liking and then purred happily when it was perfect. The mother chuckled when she saw her play in the water, trying to sink the floatable 'fishies'. She looked a little older than what she claims to be but acts her age. She was a smart little kitty.

        As Laura (her mother) scrubbed her back, without a thought in mind, her finger starts tracing her tattoo which was inked permanently on her back.

        A full length tattoo for a pair of wings of an angel whose tips ended mid-thigh.

        She felt the kitty stiffen, taking a breath in. She knew the story about that as well. Kitty told her.

       Of how she remembered the way she was tortured to get that print on her back but she was stubborn and was playing difficult. They were trying to mark her but she didn't want it. She wanted to be normal like other kids. But she was deprived and forced to lead a completely painful torturous life. And she hated it and thus fought back. In the end, they had to force a strong sedative for her body to react towards it and marked her when she was unconscious. And then threw her out.

         Even though she remembers the memory of it so clearly, she couldn't remember the pain she felt that day.

        Laura knew how much it hurt the poor little kitty so she continued to scrub her back again, pretending like nothing ever happened.

         A moment or so, Angelica loosened up and she continued to play with her toys. Laura scrubbed her whole body clean and then moved on to her hair, her cat ears.

            Angelica is a child who would always stand away from the crowd. She was not to be mixed with them. She was unique in every way.

          She had beautiful brown tresses which had one strand of her hair silver grey. She had blue grey eyes which would shine when they were happy and thin pink lips to compliment them. The greyish-blue cat ears she seemed to have were a part of her and without them, she seemed to be incomplete. She had a slender, tall yet petite body which seemed to suit her agility and nimbleness as a cat.

       Laura felt she was really lucky to find such a daughter who was so special. Plus she was too beautiful and smart to be counted as one of the normal kids. Her neighbours were jealous of her but their kids wouldn't talk to the kitty because she wasn't like them. Angelica didn't mind as it is. She preferred to keep the company of her own by the way.

         After the lovely long bath, Laura wiped her body and made her put on the clothes she had laid out for her which she willingly allowed.

          So she ended up in a black miniskirt and blue tee-back accented in a cat chain and similar earrings and ankle-length boots.

        Now she was ready to go for a family union they were planning to have. They were going for family dinner in Scott's, one of the well-known restaurants in the city. And it was going to be amazing.

      They had been waiting for it too long to make it official. That they are one family that is now truly and completely happy.