My mistress looked to her mother again and commented, "Now that her ID's taken care of that just leaves two more things. We still need to get Kiki's stuff out of her dad's place, and we have to update things with the college so she can continue attending her classes with me. So which one's next?"
"I don't even know if the college offices are going to be open today," I pointed out. "Considering it's a Sunday, and it's Thanksgiving weekend. They might not open up until Tuesday."
That seemed to please Mrs. Brennan as she responded with a satisfied smile, "Excellent. Then odds are we'll be able to modify their databases without any interruptions."
"Although I'd prefer to leave that until later tonight," she added, "Just to ensure we won't be bothered while we're working on their computers."
Nia responded, "That means getting Kiki's stuff out of Mr. Moodie's house is next. How are we going to handle that? What are we going to do if her dad's there? Or maybe we should just make sure he's not around. Like find out when his next shift is then try and time it so we're there when we know he's at work?"
The older witch sounded thoughtful as she stated, "I think perhaps the opposite might be best? We should time our arrival to ensure your pet's father is at home when we visit."
Before either my mistress or I could protest Mrs. Brennan explained her reasoning, "We know he's looking for Kiki, and he suspects she's with you Nia. He also knows about the crossroads, and he's able to get into Gruffudd's Grove which means he could cross all the way over and visit Kenrei's Cove if he wished. And while he may not pose much of a threat over there, on this side of the veil he has all the resources of the police at his disposal."
I pretty much already knew all that, but hearing her spell it out left me feeling more anxious again. My heart rate started climbing, and I felt fidgety like I wasn't sure what to do with myself.
Then my best friend responded, "We get it mom, but what else can we do? I'm not dropping out of college to go hide on the other side of the veil, and I can't ask Kiki to do that either. We both want to stay over here and continue our education. So what are you suggesting? Why do you want to force a confrontation with the guy?"
"You didn't see what he did to Kiki on Friday," she added softly. "He routinely beats her, mom. She had a black eye, split lip, the works. The man should be in jail for assault, instead he's out there in a uniform and carrying a gun."
The older fae lowered her voice as well, but she still had that slightly condescending confident tone as she stated, "That is precisely why I'm suggesting we arrange an encounter. So that we may be prepared for it. Force the issue at a time and place of our choosing, rather than simply wait for him to show up unexpectedly at some unknown moment in the future."
By that point I realized I was starting to loose out to the anxiety. I needed a distraction, something else to focus on so I wouldn't have to listen to my best friend and her mom talk about dragging me back home to surprise my dad with how I'd turned into a small mousegirl or whatever it was they were planning.
My eyes darted around the rest of the apartment as I looked for something to keep me occupied, but the rest of the place seemed too chaotic and overwhelming. Mr. Brennan was surrounded by a sea of cardboard and styrofoam and other packing materials while he continued assembling all the flat-pack chairs that went with our new breakfast table. And Sara was on the sofa, assembling that fancy mouse cage habitat thingy ontop of the coffee table.
Finally I looked down at my hands, and realized I was still holding all my new fake ID cards along with my old wallet. I quickly decided that was something I could deal with, so I started carefully slipping the cards back into my wallet one by one. And I took a moment to stop and admire each card before tucking it away, to try and hold onto that little hit of euphoria at seeing my new name and sometimes my photo too.
I was about halfway finished that task when my mistress noticed what I was up to. And she had a much better idea.
"Hey cutie? Why don't you ditch the wallet and use your new purse instead?" she suggested. "It should be in the same bag as all your new shoes."
I looked around for all the bags with my new clothes and stuff as I replied, "Oh yeah. Good idea."
It only took me a few moments to spot them, piled up on the floor next to the bedroom door. I dug through them until I found the right one, then pulled out my new purse. It was more like a small handbag, just big enough for my phone, keys, and the contents of my wallet. And maybe a couple other odds and ends, but that was it. It had two main sections, and one of them was basically set up exactly like a wallet, with a bunch of card pockets along with a place to put cash and stuff like that.
There really wasn't anywhere quiet for me to sit though, apart from the sofa where Sara was still working on the fancy mouse cage. Fortunately she was sitting at one end, so I could take the opposite with a whole cushion in between us. I sat myself down there and began carefully removing the various cards one by one from my old wallet and slipping them into their new spots in the purse.
I'd only just gotten started on that when the catgirl suddenly spoke up. Except her voice was quiet enough I knew she had to be talking to me.
"This looks kind of fun, don't you think?" she asked as she gave the little exercise wheel a spin.
I felt my cheeks heating up as I glanced from her to the cage, then back at her again. I finally mumbled, "I guess? I never really thought about that kind of thing before."
Sara smirked, "Yeah I bet. This is all pretty new to you, huh?"
"Yeah," I nodded slowly, while my cheeks grew even hotter.
I was positive she knew I wasn't always a mousekin, and for that matter she might have even seen me transform when Nia gave me that first drink at the crossroads. Then I remembered she'd been Mrs. Brennan's familiar for something like six years, which meant she was with my best friend's family back when they still lived here. So odds are she'd known the old me for ages.
Those thoughts left my emotions all mixed up again, and that anxiety I'd been trying to ignore started growing even stronger.
I vaguely remembered there being a cat at Nia's place the few times I'd visited, now it hit me that cat was the young woman sitting next to me. Who was now assembling a fancy cage for me to occupy whenever my mistress and owner decided to turn me into a mouse. And while part of me was fascinated and curious and maybe even excited to find out what that was like, another part of me was borderline terrified by the prospect of being trapped and helpless.
Except it wasn't Nia who scared me, it was my dad. It was bad enough being a weak tiny girl, being a little mouse in a cage I'd be worse than helpless if he showed up. Like I couldn't even scream or call for help or anything. And as soon as that thought popped into my head I knew it was going to be the theme of all my future nightmares.
"Hey Kiki?" the catgirl's quiet voice snapped me out of those dark thoughts.
I looked over at her and asked, "Uh, yeah?"
She wasn't smirking or grinning or even smiling anymore. In fact she actually looked concerned, maybe even compassionate as she assured me, "It's going to be ok. I know you're probably dealing with a lot of mixed-up thoughts and emotions right now, but trust me when I say that's normal. All right? I've been there myself. I was a brand-new familiar once too, we all go through those early doubts and jitters."
I hesitated for a moment then nodded, "Right. Thanks. I uh, I'm not that worried about being Nia's familiar though. It's my dad I'm scared of."
Sara tilted her head slightly and replied in a sad serious voice, "Like I said, I've been there too."
"I know you and Nia have been friends for ages," she added softly. Then she confirmed my suspicions as she continued, "I remember seeing you around now and then, before we all moved back over to the other side. So you've already got that relationship with her, you already know and trust her."
The catgirl looked kind of sad and maybe a bit haunted as she continued, "I didn't know my mistress at all when I agreed to be her familiar, when I made my first pact with her. All I knew was she was this big scary powerful witch, and I was basically giving up my freedom to her for the duration. As frightening as that was though, it still sounded better than staying home with my family."
My eyes widened as that sank in, and suddenly I was looking at Sara in a whole new light. Instead of the aloof confident teasing catgirl I'd been borderline scared of since yesterday, I found myself picturing a frightened anxious teen desperate to escape her own family situation.
"I'm sorry," I finally mumbled. "I had no idea."
After a little pause I added softly, "Did you want to um, talk about it?"
Sara shrugged, "Sure. I'm over it, but it might help you to hear some of this stuff. So you know you're not alone? I can also tell you what it's like being a new familiar. Or at least what it was like for me."
"Yes please," I nodded slowly.
The catgirl moved over so she was sitting right next to me on the middle cushion before she started. She kept her voice down though, like this conversation was clearly meant to be just between the two of us.
"I was the youngest of four kids," Sara explained, "And my family basically treated me as the runt of the litter. Small, weak, two big brothers and one big sister always bullying me or putting me down. And my folks weren't much better, I couldn't tell you how many times I was told I was useless and I'd never amount to anything."
She continued, "By the time I was nineteen my oldest brother had a successful life over here in the mundane world, with a job and house and everything. My other brother and my sister were both working with our folks on the other side. And I was nothing. Weak and scrawny, timid and skittish, no confidence in myself, and not a lot of hope. Then I heard Eabha Brennan was looking for a new familiar, so I figured why not give that a shot?"
"None of my family had any interest in magic," she added. "They all told me to forget about it, that I didn't stand a chance. Mrs. Brennan would want someone better, stronger, smarter, and younger. I assumed they were right, but I went anyways. And to everyone's surprise she picked me. The next day she brought me into her workshop to do the pact, and I was scared out of my mind. I'd be handing over my freedom to a powerful witch I'd only just met, and she'd be taking me to live in a whole different world I'd never even seen before."
By that point my eyes were wide and my heart racing a little just from trying to imagine what that must have been like. I commented quietly, "You're a lot braver than me. I don't think I could have done that."
Sara shrugged, "Everyone's different Kiki, we all come from different backgrounds, different experiences. There's no point trying to compare that sort of thing."
"I guess you're right," I sighed. Then I asked, "So um, what was it like at first?"
The catgirl smirked, "Well unlike you and Nia, my mistress and I didn't immediately dive into bed with each other."
That got my cheeks burning again, but I kept my mouth shut. Partially because I didn't want to interrupt, but mostly because I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't be totally embarrassing.
Sara's smirk faded as she continued, "Like I said it was terrifying at first. She was really calm and patient with me though, she did everything she could to make sure I felt safe and comfortable. I figure a lot of that's because she'd already had other familiars, so she had the experience and maturity that's lacking in first-timers. Anyways that first week, maybe the whole first month even? There were a lot of times I second-guessed myself, questioned if I'd done the right thing. I never regretted it, but I might have come close once or twice."
"I guess it worked out though?" I asked nervously. "Since you're still with her?"
Sara nodded, "Yep. That first pact was for one year, then when it was up we renewed for three more. And when that second pact came due Eabha and I re-upped for another five. I've been with her for six years now, in that time my magic's grown a lot and I've learned how to control and use it in loads of ways. Maybe most important of all though, I've learned to believe in myself. I've found that confidence I never had before. I hope your mistress can do the same for you."
"Thanks," I grimaced slightly. "Me too."
I still had one more question though. My eyes flicked to that cage she'd been working on then back to her again as I asked, "What was it like, the first few times she turned you into a cat?"
The other familiar caught my nervous glance and smirked slightly. Then she shrugged, "Scary, of course. I'm sure you felt a little scared or freaked out when that fairy wine hit you Friday night? It'll be like that, but worse. Having someone else manipulating your body, changing your form, and knowing you're helpless to do anything about it..."
Her voice trailed off as she watched me a little closer, then the catgirl's smirk returned. "Ok well I thought it was terrifying at first. Maybe it's not so scary for folks who are into that kind of thing. Or when it's their girlfriend pulling the strings. Anyways it was weird getting used to being on all fours, and not being able to talk. You can still communicate with your mistress through the bond though. And in my case, the fear was an excellent motivator for me to learn how to do it myself."
"Now I'm equally comfortable in both my forms," she added with a shrug. "And confident enough that a little public nudity doesn't bother me when I shift."
By that point I was blushing brightly again, but I tried to ignore that as I responded quietly, "Thank you for sharing all that. I'm sorry your family were so awful, but I'm glad you got out. And I'm glad Mrs. Brennan helped you, and taught you so much."
Sara just nodded, "Thanks mousie. I hope you can get past your anxiety and fear of your old man. I know Nia will help with that however she can. And Eabha will too. You just have to learn to relax, and trust your mistress and her mom."
"And in the meantime," she added as her grin returned, "Where do you want the exercise wheel? Bottom floor, or on the upper level?"
I glanced at the critter cage again, and with my cheeks on fire I mumbled "Bottom floor I guess? Most people put the gym stuff in the basement, don't they?"
The catgirl giggled as she mounted the wheel in the lower section of the cage, then started putting together the twisty climby activity tube thing. As she did that she commented, "I know you think this is embarrassing right now, but trust me mousie. You're going to love playing with this stuff."
"You figure?" I asked as I gave her a wary look. "I doubt you ever had to get stuffed into a tiny cage like that."
Sara rolled her eyes, "They don't make cages like this for cats. And I know this thing might look small to you right now, but it's huge compared to a mouse. Plus I'm sure all this stuff will be really fun when you're in mouse mode."
I frowned, "So no cat cages, but did you ever have to put up with other embarrassing cat stuff?"
"Of course," she nodded. "Catnip toys and cat trees are the best. Once I got over myself I had so much fun climbing and scratching, or just hanging out way up high above all the people. But oh goddess don't get me started on laser pointers."
My eyebrows crept up as I asked, "Seriously?"
"Seriously!" she replied with a laugh. Then she leaned closer and bumped her shoulder against mine before saying, "The secret is to let go of all your preconceived people-thoughts. You're a mousekin, embrace that side of yourself. I don't know what that means for you, you'll have to talk to other mousekins to get that angle. Or just listen to your instincts. Especially when you're in mouse form. Stop thinking of yourself as a people for a while and just let yourself have fun."
I looked at the cage again and sighed, "I'll try and keep that in mind."
Then my gaze lowly drifted downwards until I was looking at my old wallet and new purse in my hands. And I finally finished transferring all my cards and money and stuff over, while I thought about everything the other familiar just shared with me.