It all began with a simple date...

Chapter 7

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.