I set about typing everything that happened from the moment I walked into that cat-filled alley until Olivia's roommate kicked me out. I didn't see the need to explain how I'd spent the next couple weeks living like a feral animal— that was way too embarrassing. Besides, the first part of the story was already quite a lot to type.

I was just about finished when I heard footsteps thundering down the path in front of our bench. I snapped my head around and saw a very tall human racing towards me. Without thinking, I leapt off the bench and dashed to the bushes on the other side of the path. I didn't bother to figure out who was barreling towards me or what they wanted; they might not have even been after me. But recent experience had taught me it was better to be safe than sorry, especially where humans were concerned. Besides, this guy was even faster than the janitor. And with that intense look on his face, I just couldn't afford to take the chance.

I was vaguely aware that Olivia was shouting at me to wait, but it didn't register until I'd already hidden myself in the middle of the hedges, safely out of reach from any prying arms.

"Come on, Evan. Please," she said, a tremor in her voice.

I peeked through the foliage and saw her standing up, eyes raking desperately along the hedge as she tried to figure out exactly where I'd run off to.

I turned back to where the jogger had been and watched as he stopped in front of the bench. My first thought was that I'd made a great choice in running away. My second thought was that the first thought was stupid. Because as I peered around the bench's leg, I got a good look at the sprinter, who was now standing next to Olivia's bench and staring down at her.

"I got here as fast as I could," he said.

"Gabe?" I asked, taking a small step out of the bushes.

As I watched Gabe standing there next to Olivia, I realized I might have overreacted just a bit. Clearly, I was going to have to reign in those cat instincts I'd spent the last week or so cultivating.

I slunk back across the road to the end of the bench, tail literally between my legs. When I caught myself doing that, I quickly straightened, trying not to look as sheepish as I felt. Neither Gabe nor Olivia noticed me.

"You said you found him," Gabe said, a weird look on his face.

"I did," Olivia replied. She looked past Gabe, back to the bushes I'd disappeared into.

"Here," I mumbled as I stepped out from around the bench. I wondered what she thought of my little disappearing act. My tail started to curl under me again in embarrassment, and I had to actively stop it.

Olivia looked over and grinned, relief flooding her face. Gabe's eyes widened and he took a step back— from both me and Olivia. Olivia didn't notice.

"Why'd you run away like that?" she asked me, completely oblivious to the expression on Gabe's face.

"I thought you said you found Evan," Gabe said. His eyes quickly slid over to Olivia, filled with what looked like a mix of concern and horror before snapping back to me.

"Gabe?" I asked cautiously.

It had been a long time since I'd seen him. And I didn't want to judge, but he looked terrible. He had shadows under his eyes, his hair looked barely brushed, and he'd apparently given up on shaving. I figured I probably looked a lot like the semi-feral alley cat I'd become, but Gabe sure seemed like he was well on his way to the human equivalent.

"I did find him," Olivia said, pointing to me. "That's him."

"Liv, we've been over this," Gabe said. Too quietly, too gently. It was as if he was convinced her sanity was hanging on by a thread, and it would snap if he spoke too loud.

"I know, but I'm serious." Olivia told him. When he didn't say anything, she sighed and looked over at me. "Evan, tell him."

"Liv—" Gabe started, turning to me with an exasperated look.

"Gabe!" I snapped, trying to get his attention. It worked, and he closed his mouth, staring at me. I nodded at him before nodding over at Olivia.

"Ok..." Gabe said slowly. "That's... something."

"Is your name Evan?" Olivia asked me.

I nodded. Gabe's expression started to slowly contort into one of bewilderment.

"Did... Did you train it to do that?" he asked slowly.

I hissed at Gabe before I could stop myself.

"Him," Olivia corrected.

"Ok, ok. Him," he said holding his hands up and looking vaguely apologetic.

"And of course I didn't train him," Olivia snapped. "When would I have had the time?"

That seemed to catch Gabe off guard. But then he slowly asked, "...Skipping classes?"

Olivia scoffed. She folded her hands over her chest and glared at me.

"Did I train you to do that?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"Do you understand me?"

I nodded.

"How long have I known you?"

Now, I had to think. Since junior year of high school? So, that would be about two years. I meowed twice, hoping that was the right answer. Though with my luck, I would have forgotten about the class we had together freshman year, and Gabe would count the answer as wrong.

Olivia turned to Gabe triumphantly. "See?" she asked haughtily. Gabe just stared at me with wide eyes.

"...Evan?" he asked slowly. "Really?"

I nodded again.

Gabe sat down heavily on the bench. "I don't understand..." he mumbled. Olivia sat down next to him, resting her hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

I took a cautious step forward. Olivia noticed and patted the spot next to her— on the opposite side from Gabe.

I looked over at Gabe, trying to gauge his reaction. He narrowed his eyes, scooting towards the edge of the bench.

I tilted my head to the side. He didn't look all that happy to see me. Was he that bothered by the fact that I'd been cursed? The fact that I'd spent two nights in Olivia's room? But before I could get too wrapped up in my own thoughts, Olivia spoke up.

"He's not going to touch you," Olivia promised Gabe. Then she turned to me. "Right?"

I shook my head no. Gabe's shoulders visibly relaxed, even though he still had a kind of strange look on his face. I realized that was his biggest concern. He didn't care nearly as much about the fact that I'd been cursed as what I'd been cursed to be.

"After we got back from the police station, he felt pretty terrible the rest of the weekend," Olivia explained. "It was like he had the flu or something."

"It was no big deal," Gabe shrugged, not meeting either of our gazes. Hesitantly, I jumped up onto the bench. If he was saying it was no big deal, then I guessed I'd believe him. But I still tried to stay as far away from him as I could.

"Guess he's slightly more allergic than I realized," Olivia admitted. I turned to the computer, still open on the end of the bench.

I'm sorry, I wrote.

Unlike Olivia, I did know how allergic Gabe was. When we were in elementary school, one of the kids had brought their cat in for show and tell. Gabe had seemed fine at first. But about half an hour after petting it, his eyes were watering and he was coughing. Then, he was visiting the nurse to get some kind of medicine his parents had dropped off for potential problems. It was just that in my panic, it hadn't occurred to me that my best friend could ever actually be allergic to me.

"I'm glad we found you," Gabe said, grinning at me. His eyes were watery, and I couldn't tell if it was from emotion or if his allergies were already starting up. "Kind of wish it wasn't like this, but still..."

I nodded, feeling the same way.

"So now that you're here," he asked, clearing his throat, "I guess the first question I have is how do we undo this?"

I grinned at him. Maybe my little adventure could have a happy ending after all. I turned back to the keyboard, ready to tell them all about Comet's promise.