*Rylies pov*

Despite doing whatever I could to make it take longer to get home, the world seemed against me today. We had our ice cream and walked back home in what seemed like minutes. When we got inside I hugged my toy rabbit close to myself and looked around nervously. 

"Alright Rylie, comere." she says opening her arms for me. I immediately walk to her and cuddle into her arms for comfort. 

"Now, what did you mean when you said you just wanted to play with that girl?" she asks me and I look down sadly. 

"She was the daughter of my master, he owned me from the time I was seven until I was Twelve."

"You were sold at Seven years old?"

"No, he was my second master."

"How young do they sell neko?" claire asks me looking sad.

"They take kittens from their mother at seven months old since we mature faster than humans, and they start training soon after. We get sold as young as the age of three...."

Flashback, rylie age three (Though she'll act older than that) 

I was happily relaxing in the large pen where all other kittens my age stay. There were five other girls in with me, we were all cuddling for warmth as they napped. Id been woke by the sound of the bell as someone came into the store. It was a small family by the looks of it, two parents and their son. The son was older though, he looked in his mid-to-late twenties. 

"You need to learn some responsibility, thats why youre getting a neko." the mother had said seeming to continue an argument with her son. The three came over to the pen and a store clerk let them into our pen. 

I let out a sleepy yawn, about to go back to sleep, when i was grabbed roughly and lifted up by the son. "Lets just get this and get out of here." he says looking at his mom. 

"Drake be careful with her." the mother says gently taking me from his hands and petting behind my ears which caused me to purr. "Shes not just an item, shes a living thing that youre going to be taking care of." 

~flash forward a few days~ 

I looked up as my master finally came into the room and mewed loudly. He makes me stay in cat form in my cage but I'm hungry. HE looks at me with a glare. "Stay quiet cat."

I don't like him, daddy said humans are nice but hes not nice. In a desperate attempt for food I shift back into my small human form. "Please master I'm hungry." I say quietly, keeping my eyes down as I was taught. 

"I told you to shut up pest." he snaps, scaring me.  I quickly hide behind my cage and heard his mother walking up the stairs, maybe shell feed me. 

"Drake, what are you doing? youre scaring that poor thing to death." she says coming over and scooping me up. "Shes skin and bones, when did you last feed her?" 

He just shrugs so I reply for him, "Three days ma'am."

"Shut up you little brat." he growls at me making me whimper in fear and curl up into the mothers arms. She walked me out of the room and fed me but later the same day she brought me right back to him.

~~~~~~End of flashback~~~~~~~

"She always did that, She'd take me away from him and I thought I was safe then she would take me right back to him and it happened all over again." I finished my story and looked down at the table sadly. 

"And you were three at the time? How long did he keep you?" Claire asks, I didn't bother to try and identify the emotions in her voice.

"About three years mistress. I went through training again and they put me for sale again, that's when Emilee and her father came for me, she's the woman from out on the street today."

"The woman at the pet store said you've been through three homes though." she stated with interest. 

"Ah yes, the man I had before you found me in the pet store. That was a happy story in the beginning. You see, his wife was unable to carry a child and they didn't want to adopt an very young child, so they took me in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~flashback~~~~

"Oh, look at this one." the middle aged woman said nudging the man next to her. I later learned the woman to be Mary and the male to be her husband John. 

I look up at them and smile, waving hello and appearing as cute as I could. ill do this one right, ill keep this owner. I promise myself. 

"If you like her Mary, ill be happy no matter who you choose." John replied, calling a worker over to unlock my cage. It didn't take me long to win over their hearts and before I knew it I was going home. Mary insisted I call her Mom, while John wanted to be called by his name. They didn't listen when I said its disrespectful, they had their minds set and I obeyed. 

My time with this family was amazing, the woman treated me like her own daughter and they man would play with me sometimes or wed cuddle on the couch while he watched his football games. It was neko paradise. 

Nothing good lasts long though, the mother started getting sick. I remember the day she died like it was yesterday. 

John and I were in a white room in a building called a hospital. Mary had been here since she got diagnosed with a sickness called cancer. She didn't look good so I moved closer to her, gently taking her hand like she would to comfort me. "Mom are you okay?" I asked her as I had many times before. She smiled slightly and gave a weak nod like every other time but I didn't believe her. 

Something went wrong, I hadn't understood  what it was, but her hand became heavier in my hold and she stopped breathing. Doctors rushed in for her. they didn't let me say goodbye to her, John rushed us home and locked himself in his room. I later learned what happened when at her funeral. 

~~~~~~~end flashback~~~~~~

"John kept me for a few years after that, but he would always smell like alcohol. He would hurt me, he didn't like to cuddle anymore. That was my third family, the one I had before you adopted me." I sniff, not even realizing I was crying until now. 

"oh Rylie..." Claire says and pulls me into her arms, hugging me close to her chest. I let out a quiet purr and set my head on her shoulder, my nose against her neck so I can breathe in her calming scent. 

That's how we spent the rest of the day, snuggling together. We ended up falling asleep on the couch with the tv on for back round noise. I want to just relax with my lovely mistress but I cant help but worry about what the future holds for me. Things never stay this good for long. 

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