Page 3 of Monster. Me.

But he does, and I start swatting at his hand, one rapid-fire smack after another. There. Take that. And that. And that! Bam, bam, bam!

"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" the boy laughs, pulling back. "You’ve got quite the attitude, don’t you?"

Then I hear the voice of another person from somewhere in the back.

"Tino? Who are you talking to?"

"It’s okay, Dad. It’s just a beautiful cat."

A man in his forties emerges from the stockroom.

"Oh my, he’s a nice one, for sure, but just make sure he doesn’t poop in here or rip up the costumes with those claws!"

I let out an offended hiss. As if I’d poop in here. I have manners, thank you very much. I know how to behave in public!

The older omega disappears back into the stockroom, and Tino bends down to stroke my back again.

Fine. I'll allow it for another minute.

Why not? It's relaxing, and my life has been a horror show lately.

Tino's face leans closer, and I notice him staring directly into my eyes.

Oh.

Wow. Something strange happens.

For just a second, his dark gray irises seem to change. Pale silver streaks flash through them like electricity, as if someone plugged his eyes into a power outlet.

Fuck. Every muscle in my body tightens instantly.

Shapeshifters aren't the weirdest things in this world. There are plenty of other creatures out there, and not all of them are friendly.

Tino whispers, his expression subtly changed: "Hey, don't be scared, I know you're not an ordinary cat. I can see your true nature."

Dammit! Panic surges through me.

I leap backward and slip out from under his fingers because I have absolutely no interest in sticking around to find out what kind of magical being he is.

That's when I notice one of the shop windows is cracked open.

I jump, squeeze through it in an instant, my fat belly threatening to get stuck for a sec, but luckily it doesn’t, and I burst outside, relief flooding through me.

That was way too close.

If my dad had seen that, he would've chewed me out for a week.

He's a devoted advocate of the same fearful mindset that runs down the family line, endlessly reminding us of the fate that befell our ancestors. The cages, the pain, the experiments, the inhuman treatment… That fear is firmly ingrained in me, programmed into my very being.

So I sprint through the driveway and turn onto the street, checking carefully before crossing because getting flattened by a car would be a pretty stupid way to end my story.

Then I head back to the dorm. I have to move out for good now. The dean only allowed me to stay after graduation as an exception because of my fragile mental state, but I can’t keep extending that arrangement.

I’ve got packing to do!

Tomorrow I’m leaving on the most important trip of my life.

A trip to the facility where the monster, Fenn Drax, is being held.