I Am NOT a Catgirl! | AU EaC! Commission for Eragon (Patreon)

Art by Maon
Thank you so much, Eragon, for commissioning this! It's been so much fun to write!

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Chapter One: The Betrayal

The next time I opened my eyes, I froze. Something was wrong.

Beyond the giant, detailed houses that looked like antiques straight out of Gone With the Wind, I wasn’t myself anymore. I sensed two independent sensations on my head, and a new…extension? on my back. When I reached behind me, past a ton of black fabric and a white bow, my fingers touched a tail.

No.

A long, soft, fluffy tail.

No! Damn it!

I lifted both hands to my head and found a pair of ears turning to track sounds on either side of me. Bird chirps here. A bell ringing there. I traced my fingers upward, reaching both fluffy points, then dropped my arms with a groan.

Leiana had totally fucked me.

I wasn’t supposed to be a catgirl. I was supposed to be in a world full of catgirls and still be a man. I’d asked for a damn reason. I was this close to having my own harem, and she’d lied.

Maybe this was my punishment. No goddess would really believe I’d died to a “metal beast.” I’d made an ass of myself to try to impress Briana, and I was rewarded accordingly. It was too easy to picture Leiana laughing away with her bosses on high, watching this play out on their freaky holograms.

Suck it up, Kelmer. Get your bearings.

I rubbed my face—…which didn’t feel like my face at all. No more five o’clock shadow. My cheekbones were a little bit higher, and my jaw was a lot softer. I glanced down and was met with a protruding chest.

I poked the side of one boob. Yeah, definitely mine. I poked both at the same time. Alright, that part wasn’t so bad.

“U-um, excuse me? Are you lost?” a delicate voice behind me asked.

My shoulders tensed, and I whipped around to face it. A catgirl with violet hair bowed deeply. She wore a black and white maid outfit, a lot like I’d seen in anime before, and when she straightened, she was a few inches shorter than me. Brilliant blue eyes blinked up at me, and she smiled.

“I’m Lynn. Are you new here?”

“I-I…” My voice was so hoarse—like I’d never used it before. Well, really, I guess I hadn’t. “I am. Sorry.” Jesus Christ. My voice is so much higher. I really am a catgirl.

She nodded. “Venicia is a large city. It’s easy to get lost.” Folding her hands over her apron, she studied me for a few moments, then brightened. “You wear the uniform of Sorentina! Are you looking for the School of Etiquette, perchance?”

The what? I licked my lips and glanced down. Like Lynn, I also donned a maid uniform, but mine had more embellishments around the apron and the hem—

I’m in a fucking maid uniform! Heat rushed to my face, and I crossed my legs without thinking. The stockings on my legs rubbed uncomfortably, and I wanted to scream. I was wearing a dress. And thigh highs. That bow near my tail was from my apron. I’d never, ever put on a goddamned dress. Not for anyone or anything.

“Are you okay?” Lynn tilted her chin, and her ears lowered.

“Y-yeah. Great. I’m great.” I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. ‘I’m a man in a catgirl’s body, Lynn.’ Yeah, I’m sure that would go over just fine.

“Ah, alright. Yes. First, um, do you have a name?”

“Ma—” I stopped. ‘Matt’ wasn’t a girl’s name. Not in a fantasy world or otherwise. “Madeline.” I don’t know where I pulled it out from. Didn’t matter, Lynn smiled and nodded. It seemed my answer satisfied her.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Madeline.”

“Sure. Likewise.” I scratched the back of my neck. Holy shit, why was my hair so long? My skin was already damp with sweat from my new hair and thick uniform. How did girls deal with this? “Er, Lynn, do you think you could give me a little tour of Vernachia?”

Lynn winced. “V-Venicia. And yes, it would be my pleasure.”

Oops. Venicia. Ven-ee-cee-ah. I committed it to memory. “Thanks.”

“It’s a tiring journey to Sorentina, so a slight slip of the tongue is understandable.” She smiled and turned, gesturing over her shoulder. “This way, Madeline.”

Bless you, Lynn. Getting used to a new name was going to be difficult. But… ‘getting used to it’ would mean… Is this actually permanent? Where were the cameras? What about Leiana jumping out to tell me that, whoops, she really had screwed up, and she’d fix it right away?

My heart hammered against my chest, and a blend of rage and frustration built in my throat. I clenched my hands, and my longer-than-usual fingernails dug into my palms. Was there anyone in this world who could help me?

“Madeline?” Lynn was already ten steps ahead of me.

Deep breaths, man. Just one step at a time. “Coming.” I moved to catch up, and the heels of my flats tapped against the cobblestone. I was suddenly very aware of two short straps over my thighs, beginning at the tops of my stockings and ending at…a garter belt?

This nightmare was getting better by the second.

“Have you traveled much around Shi Island?” Lynn asked when I finally fell into step with her.

I chewed on her question. Shi Island was here, right? “No. Just, um, Soren…Soren—”

“Sorentina.” She giggled. Now that I was closer, I could see freckles along her nose and cheeks. She was adorable. “You don’t have to be nervous around me. I’m only here to help.”

“Of course. Thanks.” I crossed my arms. Well, I tried to cross my arms. It was awkward as hell with the new lumps on my chest. “I-I grew up there. Thought it was time to, uh,” Lynn mentioned a school? “get a proper education.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m certain Madame Celestia will love to hear that.”

“Is she one of the teachers?”

Lynn’s mouth opened in a tiny ‘O.’ “Hm. I thought everyone knew who she was. She’s the Headmistress of the Venicia School of Etiquette.”

…Had she said the word ‘Etiquette’ before? I was too afraid to ask what that meant. I already blew it big time on city names. “I’m sure someone told me, and I just forgot. I-I have a terrible memory.”

“Oh, goodness, me too. My sister, Ara, has a mind like a blade. She always has to help me out.” Lynn’s warm smile returned. “Speaking of, I’m being a horrible tour guide! So, over here, we have Felsi’s Ice Cream Shop, where we all like to go on our day off. Down the road is Notch’s should you need to have your uniform fixed or another one created. Wait, hm…” She paused and glanced around my waist.

What is it now?

“I don’t see your [Cat Pack]. Do you strap it to your leg?” She poked my skirt. “I heard some girls outside of Venicia have found that having a thigh-strap keeps it out of the way.”

It was too much information all at once. I did my best to summon my high school reading comprehension lessons and tear through the context clues. “My, er, [Cat Pack] was stolen on the way here. I couldn’t get it back.”

Lynn gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh, no, Madeline! That’s so awful! Saoirse bless you for your patience. Here I am, wandering around Venicia like all is well while you lost something so precious! I’m so sorry!”

[Cat Pack]s are precious. Noted. Saoirse…is whom? “It’s okay, really. I’m sure there’s somewhere I can get a new one, right?”

“Let’s ask Madame Celestia. I know that in Sorentina, they’re more readily available, but we will see!” Lynn snaked her arm through my arm and locked elbows with me. She was very warm. Which would have been nice if I wasn’t already overheating from everything else. “You’re so brave. I would be inconsolable if I lost my [Cat Pack].”

Careful. Calling me brave seems to end badly. “It’s fine. I didn’t pack much.” At least that part wasn’t a lie.

“Well, then, we’ll just have to get you a place in the school! We take very good care of our own. You’ll see!” Lynn gently tugged me forward. “Let’s do that first, and then I can show you around as much as you’d like!”

“Alright.” I followed Lynn’s lead, and we strolled down the spotless cobblestone.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, I started to realize just how unreal Venicia seemed. No cars or billboards. Nothing electronic as far as I could see. Only hand-painted shop signs and window decorations. Cloth awnings shaded the wooden tables and stools resting beneath. And there were hundreds of flowers, bushes, and more carefully shaped hedges along the paths and walkways than there were in The Burbs. But…it was so empty. No one was outside the cafes or stirring inside the stores. No one else walked ahead of or behind us.

“It’s so quiet,” I murmured.

“It’s a study day,” Lynn replied.

I chewed my lower lip. Everyone in the town was studying?

“Ah, here we are!” Lynn stopped and turned toward an enormous pair of wrought iron gates.

I’d been so preoccupied by the silence that I hadn’t noticed the gargantuan building behind the gates. It was built like a Victorian college, with multiple stories and buildings. More plants and hedges flanked the pathway to the double-door entrance. Lynn freed her arm from mine and gingerly nudged the gate open. My ears flicked to the opposite sides of my head. The birds had stopped singing.

Maybe they’re studying, too.

Lynn led me between the hedges and up the three steps to the doors. She stopped, looked down, and smoothed out her skirts. While it didn’t feel natural at all, I tried to do the same. My fingers were a lot more slender, and my hands were much smaller than before. But dwelling on Leiana’s betrayal wasn’t getting me anywhere. When in Rome…

She smiled up at me again, then wrapped her hand around the carved handle and pushed it open.

Unlike the streets and shops, the first room inside the school was bustling with catgirls. Maids with pink, blue, yellow, and brown hair rushed from place to place. Some dusted the life-size paintings and trinket-stacked shelves. One was rearranging books on a short bookshelf. A few more carried books beneath their arms and disappeared down the multiple hallways branching off from the room.

They were lithe and gorgeous. Every one. I caught peeks of straps on stockings and a tiny glimpse of panties from the girl at the bookshelf. Cat ears, cat tails, maid uniforms, the whole package.

And I’m one of them. Fuck you, Leiana.

I’m not proud to say I wanted to punch a wall right there.

“The headmistress’s office is this way, Madeline.” Lynn held out her arm and gestured to my left.

“After you, Lynn.”

Lynn hummed a happy affirmative and marched on. We weaved our way through a few more catgirls who shot me wary glances—a little competitive, are we?—and stopped at another thick, wooden door. This one had a nameplate on it. Headmistress Celestia. Lynn raised her hand and knocked.

A catgirl with short blonde hair and the same-colored eyes as Lynn cracked the door open. “Lynn? What are you doing here?”

“Hello! So, I was, um, out walking—”

“You know it’s a study day.”

“I know, Ara. You can scold me later.”

This is her sister?

“Anyway,” Lynn continued, “I was out walking, and I met Madeline! She came all the way from Sorentina.”

“It’s a pleasure. What can I do for you?” Ara narrowed her eyes and turned them toward me.

So cold! “I’d like to study here. At the school.”

“Why?”

I wanted to writhe and vanish under that hardass gaze. That was the look the manager gave me when I said I needed a Saturday night off. I could feel the sweat building on my forehead. “S-Sorentina doesn’t really have anything like this.” Think, Matt. Be smooth. “I, uh, think every maid should have proper etiquette training?” Fuck it. Good enough.

Ara studied me from head to toe. I did my best to hold completely still until she sighed and swung the door wide. “As you wish. You may request admission from Madame Celestia.”

“Oh, thank you, Ara! I knew we could count on you!” Lynn clapped her hands to her chest.

Ara rolled her eyes. “I’m doing this as a favor to you, I hope you know.”

Lynn beamed. “I know! Thank you!” She turned to me and tugged my sleeve. “Good luck, Madeline! I hope to see you soon!”

“Yeah. Me too.”

I watched Lynn until she skipped out of the double doors.

“She really should be in class.” Ara sighed. “Anyway, this way, please, Madeline.”

I stepped into the office, and Ara closed the door behind me.

On to the first boss.

Chapter Two: The Boy

Headmistress Celestia was a tall, straight-backed woman who carried the imposing, threatening air of a kaiju. Her dark hair wound into tight braids over her shoulders, and there wasn’t a single strand out of place. Her glasses glinted in the lamplight when we entered her office, and she frowned at me.

Get in the robot, Matt.

“Madame Celestia, this is Madeline of Sorentina.” Ara bowed and gestured to me.

I quickly followed her lead and bowed beside her.

Celestia’s frown deepened. “Sloppy,” she murmured.

I swallowed my first response as I straightened. “That’s why I’m here, madame.” I forced the word out. Reminded me a lot of my dad’s “Ma’am” and “Sir” overuse. “I wasn’t given a very good education.”

“Clearly.” She rounded her enormous, polished desk and took my chin between two fingers. Her skin was as ice cold as the black eyes behind her glasses. “Sorentina prides itself on its [Magic Knight]s. Is that your ambition, Madeline?”

I hesitated. Was that a class? Did this world really have game mechanics like Leiana said? I’d figured it was just another lie. “If the option is there, maybe. I don’t know.”

“I do not admit students with little motivation or aspiration,” she snapped.

“Madame Celestia, if I may?” Ara asked, still in her perfect bow.

“Yes, Ara?”

“Thank you.” Ara rose and squared her shoulders, resting her hands over her apron. “If memory serves, I believe we spoke of admitting Sorentina catgirls to help spread Venicia’s methods. If I may be so bold to say, you yourself suggested that they were the most in need of immediate improvement.”

I worked not to gape at Ara. Why was she helping me? I stopped my head from turning in her direction and watched Celestia’s face. Her frown twisted into a scowl, and she took a deep breath.

“You are correct. I did suggest housing more Sorentina girls.”

“I believe Madeline would be a perfect beginning. It is clear that she has a long way to go,” Ara continued. Jeez. Thanks. “But if she returns home as a jewel of Venicia, would that not persuade more catgirls to consider our cause?”

Celestia worked her jaw, and her thin lips somehow got thinner. “That is indeed a fine way of thinking. You are certainly flourishing beneath my wing, Ara.” She looked at me, and her expression softened by a few centimeters. “Very well, then. Madeline of Sorentina, I approve of your admission to Venicia’s School of Etiquette.”

I sighed in relief. It’s not that I was stoked to be admitted to a maid school, but having somewhere to sleep that night was a good start. “Thank you, Madame Celestia. Ara.” I bowed to each of them. “So, when do I start?”

“Immediately. Please excuse us, Ara.” Celestia picked up a leather-bound tome from her desk and flipped through it. Just as Ara left the room, Celestia lifted a quill and penned a few lines into the book. “Service. Grace. Urgency. Do you understand these terms, Madeline?”

I wrinkled my nose. “I, er, know what they mean…?”

Celestia gently returned the book to the desk, and honestly, it made me just as uneasy as if she’d slammed the damn thing back down. “These three words are our way of life. You will memorize them, breathe them, and internalize them.” She rested the quill in its holder and turned her scary gaze back to me.

“Okay.” I shifted the weight to my other foot. Service. Grace. Urgency.

“You will provide service to those in need. This should be a familiar concept to you, as all of Shi Island follows its creed.”

Guess that comes with the maid territory. “Yeah. Of course.”

“Yes.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Do not use ‘Yeah.’ Say ‘Yes,’ Madeline.”

I felt my cheeks burn. “Yes, Madame Celestia.”

 “In the Venicia School of Etiquette, you will learn how to properly service your charges, and perform your duties with a grace and urgency unseen in any other Shi Island cities.” She adjusted her glasses and exhaled through her nose. “Sorentina, I find, lacks in all three departments due to the brutish nature of [Magic Knight] training.”

I felt like I should be offended, but it’s not like I’d ever seen Sorentina to give an opinion. “I see—”

“Do not speak unless invited to,” she snapped.

I rolled my tongue around in my mouth. Dad had threatened me with basic training more times than I could count. Once or twice, I’d considered it. But now I was glad I’d never gone. This was hell.

She narrowed her eyes. “Your ears are drooping. You must control your emotions, Madeline.”

Like I’ve ever had cat ears to control before. I willed them to perk back up. It seemed to work well enough.

“Good. Now, repeat after me. Service. Grace. Urgency.”

“Service. Grace. Urgency.”

“Commit these terms to heart. You will learn more during your studies. Come.” She strode to the door, and her steps made it look like she was gliding. As I followed behind her, she watched me like an owl watches a mouse.

Celestia hummed, and I tried to ignore it. She was going to disapprove of everything I did, wasn’t she?

When we reached the main entrance hall again, every girl in the room stopped and bowed to the headmistress. She replied with a brief nod before turning back to me. “I will draft a schedule of your classes after our tour, and you will begin first thing in the morning.” She pointed down three hallways and up to the second floor. “Classrooms can be found down these corridors and on the second floor of the school. You will receive a map of the school with your list of classes. Questions?”

“Yea— Yes. Please. What time do I start?”

She blinked, and a tiny smile quirked the corner of her mouth. “With the sunrise, of course.”

My shoulders deflated. Damn it.

“Your ears are drooping, Madeline.”

Damn it! I perked them back up. I could feel my tail whipping back and forth between my ankles. Forget the wall, I wanted to punch Celestia instead.

“Any other questions?”

“No, madame.”

“Very good. This way, please.” She continued toward the back of the main hallway and stopped before a wall hung with various painted landscapes. “This is where the dormitories are.”

I looked from side to side. There wasn’t a door. Hell, there wasn’t a window. “But this—”

“Did I invite you to speak?” That little smile grew larger. She was toying with me.

I chewed my tongue. “No, madame.”

“It is Enchanted for the safety and the well-being of Shi Island’s man.”

My eyes went wide. “There’s a—?”

She glowered down at me, and I feared lasers shooting from her eyes. A cold chill ran down my spine, and I dropped my gaze.

“This way.” Celestia walked through the wall.

I looked up and blinked. This place was insane. I sucked in a breath and stepped forward.

I found myself standing beside her in a different hallway. This one had similarly colored doors to the other corridors, but there were numbers painted in careful script near their frames, and only a few catgirls wandered to and from their dormitories.

“You will room with Augustine,” Celestia said as we started down the hall. “She is a newer student like you, but has taken very well to our teachings. I believe she will be an excellent influence and guide in your time here.”

I stayed silent. I couldn’t do that glare again.

“There are certain rules you will follow. Breaking them will see you punished. Further unruly behavior will see your expulsion. First, curfew is ten o’clock each night. The doors are Enchanted to lock automatically. If you are found outside your room past ten, it will be a strike against your name.

“Second, you will be allotted one day of rest in your school week. Unless requested by a teacher, who will give you the necessary paperwork to do so, you will not leave school grounds at any other time.”

This is a prison.

“Third, you are not to speak to, impose on, or attempt to gain Master Tristan’s attention without my permission. There is no one else within these walls who can grant this to you. Do I make myself clear?”

Tristan, huh? “Yes, madame.”

“Very good. Perhaps you are not so hopeless after all,” Celestia replied. I forced my ears to stay pointed up. “Here is your room.” She stopped in front of a door with the number 201 painted beside it. She knocked twice.

A voice immediately called, “Yes, come in!”

When Celestia opened the door and stepped into the room, a petite catgirl with white hair tied back into a bun and pink eyes shot up from reading a book on her bed and bowed deeply. “Madame Celestia! To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Good morning, Augustine. I would like to introduce you to your new roommate, Madeline.” Celestia moved aside, and I shuffled forward. “Your test scores are excellent, and your teachers speak highly of you. I trust that you will assist our newest student in her studies?”

“I would be honored, madame!” Augustine rose and smiled. Her fluffy white tail swished back and forth behind her, but her ears stayed perfectly still. “I fear that I am not yet worthy of your compliments.”

I tried very, very hard not to roll my eyes. Honestly, I did. I don’t think either of them caught it, which I was grateful for.

“I am sure there will be many more.” Celestia touched the top of Augustine’s head, then looked at me. “Ara will deliver your schedule in a few hours. I suggest taking this opportunity to learn more about Augustine and your new life at the school, Madeline.”

“Yes, madame.” I felt like a broken record. I bowed anyway.

“Enjoy your afternoon classes, Augustine.” With one last nod, Celestia left the room.

We were still bowing when the door closed. Some part of me was terrified that Celestia would come bursting back in like the Kool-Aid man to check if we were up to no good. She had a presence about her that chilled me to the bone. At last, we both returned to standing.

“It is lovely to meet you, Madeline!” Augustine brushed her hands over her skirts and smiled. “You can call me Augie.”

“Thanks, Augie.” I took a look around the room. It was…sparse. The word “barracks” sounded about right. Two small beds, two matching nightstands, two lamps, and two short dressers at the ends of the beds. There were maybe three steps between each bed.

I suddenly realized how good Augie smelled.

No. Stop that, Kelmer. Now’s not the time. But damn if she isn’t adorable. And I’ll be sleeping right next to her—

“Madeline? Are you alright? Your face is very red.” She tipped her head to the side, and then she gasped. “Oh! Are you thirsty? I can show you to the kitchens!”

Ha. Thirsty. “That would be great.”

She took my hand and squeezed it. “Don’t worry! We’ll get you feeling better in no time!”

I could feel the blush extend down my neck. This was not going to be easy.

We left the room and moved deeper down the hall.

“There is a larger dining hall and kitchen on the other side of the school, but we have a smaller one in the dormitory for lunches and snacks,” Augie explained. “You’re free to use it whenever you need, just refrain from eating anything with someone else’s name on it. No matter how yummy it looks.”

Oh? Augie has a mischievous side? “Understood.”

She giggled. “You can speak more freely with me than Madame Celestia. I won’t bite.”

“That’s a relief.”

“—saw was San Francisco. That’s where I came from.” A guy’s voice echoed further down the hallway.

I froze. San Francisco? I let go of Augie’s hand and rushed toward the sound.

“Was it like Venicia?” a girl asked.

“No, it’s much different than here. A lot more lights and very tall, rectangular buildings.”

“It must be filled with magic for all of the lights!”

I skidded to a stop when I found another maid standing beside a thin young dude with blond hair. My jaw dropped. This kid had to be younger than me, and I’d barely turned twenty.

He laughed easily at the catgirl’s comment and touched her shoulder. “There’s not nearly as much magic as we have here.”

“Tristan?” I asked before I could stop myself.

He looked at me and his brow knit. “Sorry, can I help you?”

“San Francisco! The Golden Gate Bridge! You’re from Earth!” The words came pouring out. A guy I could talk to. A guy who would get me. Maybe he knew someone who could get me the hell out of this body.

“Wow! You know a lot about Earth! Was your father from there?” Tristan asked.

“Not my father. Wait. Yes, he was. But I’m—”

“Madeline! What are you doing?” Augie squealed and snatched my hand. “M-Master Tristan, p-please forgive us. Madeline is new and lost her way—”

“No. Hang on. I need to talk to him!” I tried to tear my hand out of Augie’s, but she held firm.

“I’m sorry, you’ll both have to excuse me. I can’t cut Julia’s time short.” He smiled at the girl at his side. “Let’s get going.”

She blushed and nodded. I moved to follow them.

Augie dug her heels into the carpet and hissed, “Madeline. Stop.” Damn it! I was losing my chance. “Listen to me!”

The panic in her voice caught me off guard, and I did as she asked.

“I understand that you are excited to meet Master Tristan. We all are. But if Madame Celestia finds out about this, you will be immediately expelled. There are no other punishments for wasting his time.” Augie shook her head. “Please. Trust me on this.”

My tail twitched with agitation, and I felt my blood coming to a boil. This was ridiculous. “Are you going to tell Celestia?”

“No. Just…do not attempt to catch his attention again.” Her voice softened. “Please?”

I sighed. “Alright.” I made a mental note. Next time, Augie wouldn’t be with me.

“Madeline?”

“Hm?”

“Your ears are drooping.”

Chapter Three: The Bird

When Ara gave me my schedule and I looked over my course plan, I snorted and spent my day wandering the school, sneaking bites from the kitchen while Augie went to her classes. After a better dinner than I’d ever eaten at home, Augie showed me where to find a set of school-issued sleepwear. I’d expected something akin to nun robes, and honestly, it would have been better if they were.

I hid away behind one of the curtains in the communal washroom, pinching a thin white shift with spaghetti straps. As heavy and uncomfortable as the maid uniform was, it had a lot of coverage. This little number did not.

But if I didn’t wear it, I’d look even more out of place. Which wasn’t an option. My face and neck burned at a thousand degrees as I learned how to untie the apron and unlace my dress. I made mental notes on how the lace was situated so I could do the same thing in the morning. When I was stripped down to my stockings and underwear, I froze.

I’d touched a girl’s bra twice in my whole life—not counting folding the laundry, of course. Seeing one around my chest spawned a lot of feelings that I wasn’t ready to deal with. I traced my lithe stomach, letting my fingertips brush over the garter belt and very flat panties.

Shit. I really am all catgirl.

Was I supposed to wear all of it to sleep? The lace was pretty scratchy, and I was certain the straps linked to my stockings would wake me up if I stretched out my legs. I erred on the side of caution, figuring I could base it on whatever Augie was wearing, and threw the nightgown on. The hem dropped just below the knees, and the fabric was very soft on my arms. But the way it hugged my waist and chest made it hard to tear my eyes away and collect my maid uniform from the floor.

When I returned to 201, I found Augie perched on the side of her bed, meticulously running a brush through her long white hair. Her equally white eyelashes were downcast, and she hummed a gentle song.

She looked beautiful in her night gown, and her slender arms and delicate build were adorable. As I looked her over, the two tiny points on her chest made it very clear that she’d ditched the bra. My embarrassment kicked up to a thousand and one degrees as I quietly shuffled to my bed and folded my uniform.

“Oh! Welcome back, Madeline!” Augie said. “Goodness, do you wear your stockings to bed? I find them so itchy when I’m trying to sleep.”

“N-no, I just… I thought it’d be easier to take them off in here,” I murmured. “Don’t want to lose anything, you know?”

“Hm, I see! Your uniform does have more pieces than what I am accustomed to. But you know that you can change in our room, right? This is your space as much as it is mine.”

I licked my lips. That morning, I would have jumped off a cliff at a chance to see a naked catgirl. But I’d wanted that in my body, not this one. “Thanks, Augie. I’ll keep that in mind.”

I wandered to the farthest corner of the room and took down the garter belt and stockings as quickly as I could. I fumbled a bit on the hooks, but it was good practice for the death-contraption that was the bra. Seriously, how did women wear all of this shit and still exist with ease?

I had to force my eyes away from my bare chest. It wouldn’t look good in front of Augie if I was ogling my own skin. I added the bra to the pile of clothes on top of my wardrobe and shuffled to the bed. The room was suddenly much colder on my bare legs.

…Hairless bare legs. I realized as I sat down. No hair on my legs. No hair on my chest or my face. Just my ears and tail. I shivered.

“Ah! Are you cold? The blankets are nice and warm.” Augie gestured helpfully to the blankets underneath me.

“Thanks.” I peeled my eyes away from my legs and looked at Augie. Then I had to peel my eyes away from Augie and crawl under the blankets. She was right, they were very comfortable.

But there was nothing that would help me sleep that night. My imagination kicked into overdrive with the silence and Augie’s gentle breathing. I could hardly believe it when I heard the chime of the morning bells.

I blinked away the burning in my eyes and rubbed my face. Augie yawned and stretched. Her back arched into a delicious curve, and I caught a glimpse of her pink nipple beneath her nightgown. I buried my face in my pillow and groaned.

“Good morning, Madeline!” Augie said brightly.

“Morning,” I grumbled into the pillow.

“Let us eat breakfast together, and then I will show you to your first class!”

I dragged my maid uniform and redressed. Slowly. It felt like it took forever, no matter how much I’d paid attention to it the day before. There was a lot of hooking undergarments around my front and then spinning them around to the back. I was embarrassed to ask Augie to tie the bow of my apron, and I gave her some bullshit excuse that my fingers were cold from the room.

My ineptitude with women’s clothing made breakfast a rushed event before Augie showed me to the first classroom. She waved and dashed off to her own class as soon as I stepped through the door.

Three long islands were neatly separated from one another, each with three workstations that held a rack of pots and pans, a line of spices, unmarked bottles, and utensils.

Cooking class. Shit. I could make a mean box of mac and cheese, but anything more complex was asking a lot of me.

The teacher was a short, mousy-looking woman with the attitude of a drill sergeant. She asked me my name, introduced herself as Ms. Glaze, and then immediately moved on to teaching. No icebreakers here, I guess.

Today’s lesson was some pheasant-looking bird called a ‘long-tailed keeper’ that we had to pluck, skin, season, sear, and then bake. As I looked over my workstation, I couldn’t find any cords, sockets, or batteries that suggested electricity.

How am I supposed to do anything beyond season this thing?

The girl to my right walked to one end of the room, retrieved a faded scroll, returned to her station, held a hand over her pot, and whispered words I couldn’t understand. A vivid orange glow enveloped her hand, then jumped to the pot.

Magic? Seriously? I gaped.

She looked up at me and smiled. “You are new, correct?”

“Yeah—I mean yes.” I coughed. “Yes. I’m new.”

“Well met, Madeline. I am Kaycee.” She bowed. The orange braid over her shoulder dangled in the air, then rested back on her ample chest as she rose. “The scrolls to ignite your station are just over there. You simply read one to cast it—the Spell will not consume any of your [Myana Points].”

Those were words. “Thanks, Kaycee.”

I collected a scroll and held it over the plucked bird in my pan. The words were simple enough. I took a deep breath and murmured, “Spirits of the flame hear my plea. [Enchant Fire].”

The same orange glow leapt from my hand to the pan, and I jumped back. It was real. Magic was real.

There had to be a way to turn me back.

I waited for Lieutenant Glaze to wander to the opposite end of the room before hissing at Kaycee, “Hey. Can I ask you something?”

“Of course. What may I assist you with?”

“How do I get to Tristan?”

Kaycee’s cheeks pinked as she lifted the bird with a long fork. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I am afraid that is not so easy. There are many who have waited on his schedule for over a year—”

“His schedule?”

“Yes. Only the school’s top-performing students are allowed a timeslot. I’m sure you understand, it is an honor and a privilege to bear kittens for our island’s man.”

I slipped and stabbed the fork right through the bird. The prong hit the pan with a loud Clang! and everyone in the room looked at me.

A sex schedule?

Bear kittens?

“S-sorry,” I stammered, yanking the fork away. I’d ‘seared’ the thing to a crisp.

When everyone’s attention was off me once more, I chewed my lip and called back to Kaycee. “What if I just wanted to talk with him?”

Kaycee frowned and narrowed her green eyes. “Why would you make such a selfish request when a deserving catgirl could use the time to conceive?”

Oh boy. “N-no. You’re right. Obviously.” I had to dial it back. She was getting visibly upset. “I was just, er, embarrassed to ask for it so directly. H-how do you get on his schedule?”

Her expression softened. “I can understand your embarrassment. Many girls feel the same. But there is nothing to be ashamed of.”

We have skyrocketed beyond that point, Kaycee.

“As I mentioned, only the School of Venicia’s elite can be added to Tristan’s schedule,” Kaycee continued. “You must perform well in all of your classes and exemplify our credo. Madame Celestia herself must take notice of you.”

I looked down at the blackened bird in my pan. I think baking it would have reduced it to charcoal. Not a great start to the ‘elite’ part.

“Madeline, are you delicately searing a long-tailed keeper? Or are you hoping the perfect dish rises from its ashes?” Ms. Glaze turned her nose up at my bird—or lack thereof.

I am an idiot sandwich. “I guess I seared it a little too long.”

“And now your guests go hungry, your event is ruined, and your name is shamed,” Ms. Glaze continued. “Poor marks for the day, Madeline. I would advise you to study cooking outside of the classroom should you wish to continue your tutelage here.”

I left the classroom smelling like I’d set fire to a KFC and checked my schedule. Next was “Presentation.” I had no idea what that would entail, but thankfully, the room numbers were just as clear as our dormitory numbers, and Augie’s help led me upstairs to a ballroom.

A ballroom.

What the hell?

As far as I had gathered, there was one man on this entire island. Did the girls dance with each other? Did Tristan take turns and dance with each one of the maids until he passed out?

Not much different from a sex schedule if you think about it.

Six round tables, each with a full setting for eight people, circled the edges of the room, and a giant chandelier hung in the center. I was one of the first to arrive, and the teacher’s eyes locked onto me like an eagle on a fish. She glided across the room in her red ballgown, clasping her gloved hands at her waist. The motion was so uncannily smooth that I couldn’t help but stand there and watch.

“You must be Madeline.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Yes, I’m Madeline.” I bowed at the waist.

“Goodness. There is much to be done.” She clicked her tongue. “I am Mistress Gwendolyn, your instructor in presentation.”

I cleared my throat and straightened. “Right.”

By then, other girls began to trickle in, Augie and Kaycee included. I recognized a few others from the cooking class, but otherwise, it was a room filled with strangers.

“Please remain standing here, Madeline.” Gwendolyn set a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. There was a shocking amount of strength in that grip. “Ladies, today we will assist Madeline by reviewing what we’ve learned so far. I will ask her to demonstrate a key component of presentation, and you will assist me in correcting her.”

Oh, come on. Are we seriously doing this?

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, very aware of the straps of my garter belt. Why did one feel looser than the other? It’s just my imagination.

“Now, Madeline, please walk across the room,” Gwendolyn instructed.

I looked one way, then the other. “Which direction?”

“Mm. To the right, if you would be so kind.”

“Okay.” I turned to the right and started walking.

The peanut gallery started giggling after I’d taken three steps. I felt my cheeks heat and sweat build on my forehead. What could possibly be so funny about me walking?

“Goodness. That’s barbaric,” Gwendolyn said, clicking her tongue again. That sound was surely going to follow me into my nightmares. “Who would like to assist Miss Madeline? Yes, Miss Augustine?”

To my relief, she wasn’t smiling and laughing with the rest. “I-I believe it would be best if Miss Madeline didn’t allow her arms to swing.” She kept her tone soft and even. “Either keeping them to her sides or clasping them at her abdomen would be an improvement.”

Thanks, Augie. “Like this?” I lifted my hands and clasped them at my belly button like I’d watched some of the other girls do before.

“Yes! Much better!” Augie cheered.

I kept my hands in place and walked another four steps. More giggling. Jesus Christ, it was just walking.

“Miss Veronica? Would you be so kind?”

“It would seem Miss Madeline has never walked correctly in her life,” a prissy catgirl with red hair and her nose in the clouds laughed.

“An astute observation, but not a helpful one. We are looking to assist her, please.” I heard the amusement in Gwendolyn’s voice, and it made me want to scream.

“Of course, my sincerest apologies.” Veronica licked her lips. “Your feet are too wide apart. As you step forward, your knees should barely brush together. And you walk at a diagonal, like an inebriated San Island girl.”

I waited for Gwendolyn to step in when the class burst out laughing, but it never came.

“Your shoulders are slumped, your torso faces the ground, and your chin is tucked into your chest,” Veronica continued. “Are you truly a proud lady of Shi Island? My mother would have thrown me to the waves if I left the house with such a shameful display.”

“Now, Veronica, Miss Madeline is from Sorentina. We must be patient with those not born into Venicia’s grace,” Gwendolyn said.

My nails bit into my hands as my grip tightened over my stomach. If it wasn’t a shot at me, it was a shot at the place I’d supposedly come from. I spun around, straightened my shoulders, lifted my chin, and strolled forward, keeping my steps closer together.

Snap!

The left strap holding up my stocking broke free, and the stocking rolled down to my knee with my next step.

“She can’t even dress herself!” a new banshee in the peanut gallery cried.

Augie stood and crossed the room with all the grace and poise the rest of them expected of me. She knelt at my foot and lifted my skirts without a word before pulling the stocking back up my thigh and hooking the strap through the tiny slot.

The tension in my shoulders eased, and the last of the giggles died out.

Augie rose to her feet, straightened her skirts, and glared at her classmates. “Service, grace, and urgency should be exercised at all times. Assisting others is no exception.” She shot a dark glare at Gwendolyn, then returned to her seat.

An awkward silence fell over the room. I wanted to hoist up Augie Lion King-style and announce her glory to the world. What a hero.

“Yes, very good, Miss Augustine. A lesson we would all be wise to remember.” Gwendolyn’s words were supportive, but her expression said that another kid just took away her favorite toy. Good. “Why don’t we all review another key component together? Food presentation.” When no one moved, she shooed us away with her gloved hands. “Go choose your tables. Do not delay.”

Augie took me by the arm before I could suggest the same and guided me to one of the tables not occupied by the other girls. As soon as we were out of earshot of everyone else, she dropped her voice to a whisper and said, “Please don’t mind them, Madeline. They’ve never had to struggle for anything in their lives.”

I blinked. That was a surprisingly dark comment for cute little Augie. “Have you?”

“Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder and forced the smile back to her face. Her ears stayed standing. “I’m from Anyona. It was very difficult to travel here safely.”

“Why?”

She stared up at me with wide eyes, and her smile faltered. “Surely you saw the Defiled in your travels from Sorentina?”

The…what? “I—”

“Miss Madeline? Miss Augustine? Are you paying attention?” Gwendolyn called.

“Yes, Mistress Gwendolyn! We are setting the table for morning breakfast!” Augie replied as she shuffled the utensils around the plate.

“Ah, very good.” Gwendolyn’s disappointment grew more evident on her face. Augie really was a star student. I could see why Celestia liked her so much.

“We’ll talk later,” Augie murmured. “Now, watch. The plate must be this far from the edge of the table. Look, you can use your thumb.” She pressed the tip of her thumb to the plate and adjusted the distance so that her knuckle aligned with the table’s edge.

“She measures this?” I murmured.

“Yes. Every time.” Augie straightened and touched the back of the chair. “Next, ensure that the plate lines up straight and center to the chair, like this.”

Augie laid down two knives, a spoon, a fork, and then a second plate. All perfectly measured and aligned with one another. The napkins had to be folded a certain way, the glasses had to be held a certain way—by the stem, Madeline!—and the condiments needed their serving spoons to face in specified directions. It was all so much to remember.

Two classes in, and I was exhausted.

Too bad I had two more to go.

Chapter Four: The Basics

Unfortunately, I didn’t have Augie to help me in the next class. Embroidery.

That’s, uh, sewing fabric together, right? I just need to make a dress?

But when I walked into the room, girls had busied themselves with wooden hoops clamped around small squares of fabric. They weren’t stitching pieces of anything together.

I tried to act natural and do a precursory sweep of the room before the instructor saw me. In the centers of the squares were intricate pictures of different subjects. One brown-haired catgirl poked her needle through a red rose. A blue-haired catgirl pulled a string down over a blue butterfly.

How were they doing that? Just poking strings over the fabric?

“Madeline? I am Ms. Gertrude.” An older catgirl with silver hair and a bit of a bend to her back shuffled to meet me. “Are you well-versed in embroidery?”

Please be a nice granny. Please be a nice granny. “Not really, unfortunately.” I sorted through the venom spat at me about Sorentina and picked an excuse. “I was raised with a sword instead of a needle.”

“Ah. Yes. Sorentina.” Gertrude chuckled, but it didn’t sound like it was at my expense. That was a good start. “Surely they taught you basic satin stitches? Chain stitches?”

I flushed. The only ‘stitches’ I’d ever endured were in my leg when I was seven. She may as well have been speaking Greek. “No, ma’am.”

Gertrude’s smile disappeared, and she shook her head. “Goodness. What is this island coming to?” she grumbled.

I didn’t have a good reply ready.

She shuffled to the far corner of the room and bent over a wooden chest. After shifting around a few compartments, she lifted a rectangular package wrapped in paper and sealed with twine. She returned to me and passed me the package.

“This is a kit I’ve assembled for embroidery meant for the kittens of our prestigious school. I will guide you through it.”

While I didn’t sense the same malevolent disdain as my last two instructors, I still blushed. Being told that I’d have to start at the child level of anything was a little insulting. “T-thank you, Miss Gertrude.”

“It is no problem at all, Madeline. We will send you back to Sorentina a true lady.”

God, I hope not. “Mhm,” was all I managed. I found an empty chair and unwrapped the package. Inside was a hoop, a square of fabric, a needle, and at least a dozen colored threads of varying lengths.

I looked around the room, and it suddenly hit me. My mom had loved to watch old movies and television shows, and I remembered a lot of them having a bunch of women sitting in a circle with hoops like these. Was this what they were doing?

Gertrude looked at me expectantly. Did she think I knew how to set this up? Christ. I picked up the hoop and studied it. There was a metal screw at the top that connected two squares of wood. I slowly twisted the screw, and the tension between the squares relaxed. Okay, but what’s this going to do? I kept unscrewing.

A second hoop that I hadn’t realized was separate from the first hoop dropped down into my lap.

“Oh! There’s two!” I said before I could stop myself.

The blue-haired girl next to me glanced my way and hid her giggle behind a cough.

“Saoirse bless the girls of Sorentina.” Gertrude sighed as she made her way to my side.

There’s that name again. Saoirse had to be a goddess or a queen.

“Madeline, dear, lay the fabric over the inner hoop. That’s the one that fell into your lap. Good. Now center it as best you can.”

 “Alright. Now what?”

“Take the outer hoop and stretch it over the fabric, then over the inner hoop. It will pull your fabric taut and keep it in place.”

This part was easier said than done. The hoop kept slipping too far from the fabric, or one of the edges wouldn’t match up, or the damn fabric kept moving on me. I had to reset it and try three times until it snapped into place. “Ah ha. There we go.”

The girl beside me didn’t hide her giggle this time.

“Destiny. Focus,” Gertrude chided gently.

“Yes, Ms. Gertrude.” She was still smiling as she returned to her butterfly.

“Next, Madeline, tighten the screw. Not too tight, or you will break the hoop. Yes, that’s good. You can tug the edges of the fabric to remove any more wrinkles or folds. Like that, yes. Now you’re ready to begin.”

“What am I making?” The colors of the threads didn’t exactly give it away.

“A stem of lule misres.”

Destiny’s ears flicked in our direction at the term.

“Where do I start?” I had no idea what lule misres were, but I hoped ‘stem’ meant ‘flower.’

“With the green thread. Once you thread your needle, I will show you a basic chain stitch.”

Threading the needle was another enormous challenge after putting the hoop together. I didn’t think poking string through the eye of a needle would require capped dexterity, but here we were. I could tell Gertrude’s frustration mounted the longer I took. But we both shared the unfortunate understanding that if I didn’t do it myself, I wasn’t going to learn.

And then there was the stitch itself. I was supposed to keep one hand on the back for the needle and then poke it back through with the same hand. The one I couldn’t see. Watching Destiny, it was like she understood where exactly the needle was going in and where it was coming out every single time. I had a hard enough time patting my head and rubbing my stomach simultaneously.

So I jabbed that damn needle into my forefinger. Then into my thumb. Then back into my forefinger. All so that my first chain stitch could look like a knot.

“Your thread is knotted,” Gertrude said flatly.

Oh. Little pricks of blood appeared on the fabric around the green thread, and I shook my head. “How do I unknot it?”

“With your needle. Or cut it.” She retrieved a pair of scissors. “In the interest of time, let us cut it.”

She trimmed the knot, I pulled the thread through, and we were back at the beginning. How the hell did Destiny have a butterfly that looked like it could fly off of her fabric when I couldn’t get a single stitch down?

Etiquette is suffering.

By the time class was over, I’d made a total of three chain stitches. Well, more like two and a half, but one more poke, and it would have been three. My fingers stung from multiple self-inflicted stab wounds, and I still wasn’t any closer to understanding what a lule misre looked like.

The final class in my day was sewing.

Isn’t that the same as embroidery?! Just how many needles were these girls going to stick in my hands?

The sewing room was parallel to the embroidery room, and the girls filtering in moved to stand next to dress-wearing mannequins.

Okay, now I’m making a dress?

“Good afternoon, students.” This instructor didn’t look much older than me. Her vibrant green ears and tail reminded me of a lime. “Miss Madeline, welcome to the Venicia School of Etiquette! I am Miss Ariel.”

I collected my scabbing fingers to my navel and curtsied. “Thank you, Miss Ariel.”

“Ah, very graceful. Well done.”

I’ll hold onto that compliment for my entire life. “Where shall I go?” Oh, God. I’m starting to talk like them.

“Right this way, if you please.” Ariel led me past Veronica the Witch, Kaycee, and a handful of unfamiliar faces to an empty mannequin beside Destiny. “I took the opportunity to ready your dress form and kit for you. Are you familiar with sewing?”

If only there were something that I was ‘familiar’ with in this school. “No. My apologies, Miss Ariel.” I bowed. Why did I automatically bow?!

“Oh, please do not fear! I will teach you, and you will have your peers to guide you!” She gestured to Destiny. “Destiny is an excellent seamstress. I placed you beside her just in case.”

“Y-you are too kind, Miss Ariel.” Destiny blushed and curtsied. The maid dress on her mannequin looked like something I’d find at a high-end costume store. There were so many ruffles and buttons that it was hard to imagine her sewing each one on by hand.

Ariel turned back to me. “First, we will drape the fabric of your choosing.”

I froze. Drape? Like curtains? Over what?

“Miss Ariel! I would love you to look over my work when you have a moment!” Veronica called from across the room. “Your invaluable opinion matters to so many of us.”

“Oh, of course, Miss Veronica.” When Ariel looked back at me, I caught Veronica flashing me a wicked smile. I wanted to slap it off her face.

“Miss Ariel, I can get Madeline started,” Destiny offered. “It’s no trouble.”

“That’s very kind of you, Destiny. Thank you. I leave Madeline in your capable hands.” Ariel bowed and made her way to Veronica.

Ariel seemed to act and address us more like a fellow student than a teacher. While it was refreshing not to feel like an ant beneath a microscope, I’d wager that it lost her some credibility with girls like Veronica.

“I’m sorry for laughing in embroidery,” Destiny murmured. “You reminded me of how my first day was. I struggled with it a lot at first, too.”

“Seriously? Your butterfly looked like you conjured it from magic and not thread.”

She smiled and averted her gaze. “T-thank you. That’s really kind of you to say.”

I shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

“Are, um, your fingers okay?” Destiny winced. “I saw you stab them a few times.”

“They’re fine. I’ll live.” I touched the shoulder of the—what had Ariel called it? Oh. Right. The dress form. It was soft and stuffed with padding. I kept my voice low, afraid to give Veronica more bullets for her gun, and asked, “What did she mean by ‘drape’?”

“I’ll show you. Come this way.”

I followed Destiny to an enormous wardrobe where she opened the doors to reveal long, folded rectangles of at least a dozen fabrics, individually wrapped around a wooden plank.

“First, choose a bolt of fabric that you like,” she instructed.

I frowned. I’d always been a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of guy. Maybe a polo for interviews. I didn’t know the difference between each fabric outside of the colors. Well, I liked red. I’d kept the red streak in my hair at least, and maybe I could make something that matched.

No. Stop thinking like that. You won’t be here long enough to sew a dress to match your hair. Get it together, Kelmer.

I shook my head and snatched the only bolt of red fabric anyway.

Destiny’s eyes widened, and her smile returned. “Oh, my. Red satin. That’s brave.”

“I like red.” The fabric felt smooth and cool to the touch. “And I like how this one feels.”

“Then that’s the one we’ll use. Now we go back to your station.”

Behind my designated dress form was a toolbox filled with scissors, pins, needles—great, more needles—narrow strips of fabric that Destiny called ‘bias tape,’ and four spools of thread.

She took the scissors from the box and pointed to the bolt. “Hold the fabric up so I can reach the edge.”

I adjusted it so my hands were on either side of the wood, putting the bolt parallel to the floor. Destiny took the fabric and flipped it around the bolt four times, until the edge dusted the ground. She cut straight across the opposite end, giving us a large piece to work with.

“You can set the bolt aside.” Destiny held up the fabric and unfolded it. “This is about how much you’ll need any time you start draping a new dress.”

I tried to eyeball it, then reminded myself for the second time that I didn’t want to be there long enough to complete a dress. “Alright.”

“This is the part where you decide how you want your dress to look.” Destiny situated the satin so that half of it folded over the front, and the other half rested down the back. “You don’t have to make it in Shi Island’s style if you don’t want to.” She rolled to the balls of her feet, looked toward Ariel and Veronica, then lowered her voice. “Though I recommend not copying San Island’s styles at all. Miss Ariel doesn’t like that.”

I had no idea what San Island’s styles looked like. So that should be easy enough. “Roger that.”

“What?”

“Oh. Um. Right. Yes, thank you.” I went to rub the back of my neck, heard Gwendolyn’s voice snap in the back of my head, and dropped my hands to my abdomen. “No San Island styles. We can do anything else.”

“Exactly.” Destiny nodded. “I’ve tried a few different drapes that I really like. Here, I can show you.”

I’m sure Destiny would have made more than a few fashion designers foam at the mouth with how quickly and efficiently she worked. As she pinned and folded the fabric into a dozen different designs, she dropped words like ‘pleats,’ ‘layers,’ ‘lining,’ ‘crosswise,’ ‘form-fitting.’ I watched in awe, amazed by how she quickly pinned down shapes I never knew fabric could make.

A lot of her terms flew right over my head, but I did my best to pay attention. She showed me how to use the pins and avoid more finger wounds. She was kind enough to let me choose the designs I liked best, despite me knowing so little about fashion, and then showed me how to replicate them on the other side.

I was very, very slow, and had to redo my attempts multiple times. But by the end of class, I had grasped what ‘pleats’ and ‘gathering’ were, so I called that a win. Maybe my newfound knowledge would help me impress a girl later. Destiny and Ariel both had only compliments, despite my ‘brave’ color choice.

I couldn’t believe how exhausted I felt after just four classes. And I was starving. I went looking for Augie in our room, hoping we could head to the dining hall together. But she wasn’t there. In fact, no one was in the hallway or lingering outside of their dorm rooms.

It didn’t matter. I couldn’t wait. I wandered to the kitchen at the end of our hallway and started sifting through the cold boxes. Now that I’d seen magic in action, I wondered what kind of spell they cast on these to keep them at such a perfect temperature without any ice.

I found a wooden box with Veronica’s name on it. Honestly, it could have been poison crafted for her science fair project, and I still would have eaten it. Anything to make her day a little harder.

“Oh, hey. I didn’t expect to find anyone here.”

I started, slammed the cold box closed, straightened, and whipped Veronica’s box around my back to hide the label. “T-Tristan. You’re out of your room?”

“Yeah. I thought I would grab a snack while classes are still going.” He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. “I forgot that new students have a lighter schedule. We haven’t had one in a while.”

I’m supposed to have more classes? For a moment, I forgot all about my need to talk to Tristan. Instead, I imagined having even one more class on top of my current workload, and I wanted to melt into the floor. How did the girls handle all of it? I shook my head and cleared my throat. “You can’t call for food?”

“No, I can. It’s just…nice to get out and walk around a bit.” He shrugged, and then his face brightened. “You’re the one who knows a lot about Earth, right?”

The thought of classes vanished, and my goal reappeared. “Yes! I heard you talking about San Francisco!” I looked around. Who knew how many eyes and ears Celestia had on this place? “Look, I need to see you. Alone. As soon as possible.”

Tristan smiled, and I didn’t like it. I knew that smile. I was doing this wrong. He closed the distance between us. “Madeline, right?”

“Y-yes, but—”

“It’d be nice to see someone who knows where I’m from.” He reached around my back, and I only had a second to wonder what he was doing before I felt a brand new sensation that made me freeze. “There’s a lot we could share.”

Experienced fingers stroked my tail from base to tip, plying the limb in a way that made goosebumps rise on every inch of my skin. I gasped, then clapped a hand over my mouth.

How the hell was it that sensitive? What was this sudden heat rushing to my stomach?

“Oh? Is this new for you?” His movements grew more urgent, and my knees grew weak.

“Mhm…” I whimpered and rested my forehead on his shoulder. I didn’t want him to stop. I couldn’t think about anything else.

“I’ll keep an eye out for your name,” he whispered in my ear, then released my tail.

A tremor ran from the tips of my ears to my toes as I watched him grab a yellow fruit from a cold box, shoot me one last smile, then vanish into the hallway.

I crumpled to the floor. There were so many things wrong in my head, chest, and stomach.

First, another dude had just turned me into a fucking puddle, and I’d let him. But I was as straight as a board. I wasn’t into dudes. At all.

Second, my tail was now a known nuclear weapon to be used against me. I abandoned Veronica’s box and touched my tail. It was a lot like touching my own arm—nothing happened. But my hammering heart and the tension between my legs suggested otherwise.

Third, which voice was begging me to feel it again? Matt or Madeline?

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing.

How the hell was I going to get it across to him that I was just another guy who needed help? Especially if he could disable me in under five seconds?

I’d have to be fast. And stay at least ten feet away from him at all times. I just needed the right words to say.

I grabbed Veronica’s box and ripped off the top. Tiny cuts of meat, vegetables, and what appeared to be slices of cheese were arranged in separate compartments. I ate it all cold. It was delicious, because of course it was.

One tiny victory for the day would have to be enough.

Chapter Five: The Bargain

After what felt like an eternity, classes ended for the day. Augie found me in our dorm room, huddled in a corner on top of the bed with my knees to my chest.

“Madeline? Are you alright?”

“This school is harder than anything I’ve ever done,” I admitted. I was still fighting off the sensation of Tristan’s hand on my tail, Glaze’s commands in my ears, and Veronica’s stupid laugh. A small part of me kept hoping I’d hear Veronica scream when she found out someone had eaten her carefully-prepared meal.

Augie nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. “As I said earlier, Venicia is a very privileged city. Most of the girls here do not realize how fortunate they are.”

“That reminds me. You mentioned the Defiled?” I straightened my legs and smoothed my skirt over my thighs, hoping to invite a conversation.

“Yes… I had thought for sure they would have moved into Sorentina by now.” Augie’s face paled, and her hands curled into fists. For the first time since we’d met, her ears drooped. “Anyona is destroyed. Catania was on the verge of falling when I escaped. My mother did not make it to Venicia with me.”

I blinked. Whatever the Defiled were, they weren’t good news. “I’m sorry, Augie. I didn’t know.”

“Sorentina was one of the only cities that sent us assistance. I do not mean to doubt you, Madeline, but are you truly from Sorentina?”

I struggled with what to say. Augie was one of the few people who were nice to me in that prison. Lying to her felt wrong. But the truth felt even worse—I’m a man stuck in a catgirl’s body? If Augie told Celestia, that was the end of my chances to try to get to Tristan.

“I was very sheltered growing up,” I replied slowly. “I don’t think my mom wanted me to know just how bad it was out there. I think that’s why she sent me here.” I held my breath and prayed to a faceless Saoirse that Augie would accept the lie.

Augie studied me for a long time, then nodded. “I see. Covering the truth seems to be very common on Shi Island. It’s unfortunate.” She sighed and licked her lips. “It was not my intention to turn the focus on me. You must be famished.”

“I am. I thought I’d wait for you and we’d have dinner together.”

Her smile returned, her ears perked, and I envied her ease at pushing away her frustrations. “Oh! Well, thank you for waiting for me, Madeline!” She reached forward and clasped my hand. “You’re the first real friend I’ve had at this school.”

My heart sank. She was trusting me with a lot, considering we had only known each other for two days. I imagined how lonely it must feel for any of the outsiders in the School of Venicia. Especially with all of the venom spat at Sorentina. “I’m honored to take that spot.”

The bright expression on her face warmed my heart, and her tail flicked happily behind her. “Then you will always have my thanks. Let’s eat!”

Dinner was a four-course meal prepared by a handful of advanced students. Every meal at the school felt like it deserved a five-star Yelp review, but I’d have to settle for enjoying it with Augie. Destiny was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if she’d eaten quickly and returned to her dorm room. It’s what I would have done if I didn’t have Augie.

I took a very long, very cold shower afterward to wash away the burnt chicken smell, clean up the wounds on my fingers, and freeze out the remains of Tristan’s touch on my tail. For the first time since I’d arrived, I looked at my body with the same anger I’d feel toward a shitty friend—I didn’t know it well enough to expect whatever other tricks it had in store for me.

I ditched the stockings and bra beneath the nightgown, which, like Augie had said, was far less scratchy. After collecting my uniform and wondering where I could wash my disappointment out of it, I returned to my room to find the door cracked open.

“—exceeded all of my expectations as a model of service, grace, and urgency, Augustine,” Celestia’s uptight timbre recited through the opening. She stood about a foot away from the door with her back facing me. “Your teachers and I believe you are a worthy candidate to meet with Tristan.”

I peeked through the crack and saw Augie in front of her, bent forward in a perfect half-bow. “This is such an honor, Madame Celestia.”

“And you are well-deserving. However, there is an item of utmost importance that we must discuss before I add your name to his schedule.”

Augie straightened. “Of course, headmistress.”

Celestia’s strict tone softened by inches. “I recall that you are from Anyona. What happened to your city is terrible and heartbreaking. Culling the Defiled threat is a task I have taken unto myself, and each day that passes sheds hope anew.”

Augie nodded, but said nothing.

“As Tristan’s position here in the school is sacred, and his well-being is my first priority, I would ask that you do not discuss Anyona or the Defiled with him.”

My eyes widened. Tristan has no idea what’s going on outside of this school. I wanted to burst in and put Celestia through the wall. How could she keep that from him? How could she ask Augie to keep that from him?

 “Of course, headmistress. I would never dream of putting Tristan at risk.” Augie’s face remained impressively neutral, and her voice unwavering.

“I knew I could count on you, Augustine. You are one of the finest students the School of Venicia has ever produced.” I could hear the slimy smile in Celestia’s words, and it compounded my desire to see her glasses meet the wallpaper.

“I will continue to work hard to exceed your expectations, Madame Celestia.” Augie bowed again, and her smile was back when she rose.

“He has an opening in three days. I will send an official approval with the time listed.”

“Thank you, headmistress. I very much look forward to meeting Tristan.”

Not wanting to get caught eavesdropping, I rushed back to the bathroom and counted to sixty. I took my time walking back to the dorm.

“Are you kidding me?” I heard Veronica shriek from the kitchen.

Good. No soup for you.

When I finally made it inside, I found Augie curled up on her bed, tears streaking down her face. I threw my clothes on top of my blankets, then sat down beside her and took her hand. I didn’t know how to start. What to say.

“M-Madeline…” She sniffled and squeezed my hand.

“That’s such a mouthful. Just call me Maddie from now on.” I hoped to win a smile.

“Maddie.” The nickname had its desired effect, and the corners of her lips twitched upward. Albeit shaky, but it was a start. “Tristan d-doesn’t know,” she whispered.

Did I tell her I’d heard everything? Nah, that’s a bad look. “Doesn’t know what?”

“About A-Anyona. About t-the Defiled.” She curled into a ball around my hand, and the tears fell anew. “And I can’t tell him.” Her voice broke, and it shattered me.

“Did you get put on his schedule?” I asked softly.

“Yes. In three days.”

I stroked her hair with my free hand. “Do you want him to know?”

“Yes,” Augie whimpered. “Celestia says she’s fixing the Defiled, but she can’t. Not by herself. Shi… Shi Island needs him.”

“Why not just tell him, then?”

“Oh, Maddie, I could never. Finishing the School of Etiquette was my mother’s final wish.” She covered her eyes in the crook of her arm and coughed. “I can’t lose my place here. I can’t fail her. I can’t—”

“Then let me tell him.”

“…What?” She lowered her arm and blinked her wide, pink eyes up at me.

“Let me take your timeslot, and I’ll tell him. We have three days to come up with a plan so that you don’t get into trouble. You keep your place here, and Tristan learns about Anyona and the Defiled. Everyone wins.”

“You’ll be expelled!”

“And then I can stop smelling like burnt long-tailed keepers.” I shrugged. “This isn’t at all what I thought it would be. I’ll be better off with the sword.”

A weak giggle escaped her lips. “I… Alright. Yes. Please. Take my place.” She pulled my hand to her chest and cradled it in both of hers. “Thank you, Maddie.”

“Hey, anything for a friend.”

Chapter Six: The Barrage

The next day, my thoughts warred between doing a half-decent job in my classes, building a plan with Augie on infiltrating Tristan’s schedule, and just what the hell I could say to Tristan that would make him believe me.

Cooking once again set the tone for the day. This time, Sergeant Glaze wanted us to cook and baste a rack of ‘rotusk’ ribs. I realized I’d never seen uncooked ribs before, and these squishy pink masses were the length of my arm. I made a mental note to steer clear of rotusks after I left the school.

Kaycee sliced hers into perfectly-sized sections, while some of mine were close to the bare bones they began on, and others were enormous hunks of meat. They cooked unevenly, and Ms. Glaze was not impressed that I included the empty bones while they baked. I’d hoped there would still be something to nibble on in the end, but whatever meat they’d struggled to cling to with my inconsistent slicing turned to ash. Everything seemed to roast so damn fast when magic was involved that it made it impossible to keep tabs on.

The sauce was its own problem. I scored a malicious glower while I crushed the garlic wedges with the handle of my knife. Apparently, there was a correct way to crush garlic. I called bullshit as I watched Kaycee chop a wedge into fine pieces and then press down on them with the edge of her knife. That wasn’t crushing at all.

“You’re as apt and graceful as a newborn man,” Ms. Glaze grumbled as she watched me spill the dark sauce I’d made all over my apron.

If only you knew.

While the other girls ate their delicious-looking meals, Ms. Glaze dumped mine into the garbage and made an angry comment about another day of poor marks. Whatever. It wasn’t like I’d be in the school much longer anyway.

I went to presentation class with brown splotches on my dress that had seeped through the apron and bits of rib meat trapped beneath my fingernails. I flicked a few remaining crumbs of garlic from my sleeve, and my thoughts wandered to Augie.

The easiest way to make it seem like she wasn’t an accomplice in my taking her scheduled slot would be to occupy her. Inconveniently. She couldn’t be sitting in our dorm room waiting in case Celestia showed up, but she couldn’t be somewhere like the kitchen or the library. If another girl saw her focusing on something else while she was supposed to be with Tristan, Celestia would find out about it.

A sharp, knobby elbow dug itself into my side, knocking the wind out of me. I instinctively wrapped my arms around my stomach and stepped to the right, meeting Veronica’s furious ice-blue eyes. Her black hair flowed behind her, whipping around her back with her tail as she turned away. God, she’d be so much hotter if she wasn’t a bitch.

“I know it was you,” she hissed through perfect white teeth. “First my dinner, then my breakfast?”

I raised a hand. “Hey, I only ate one—”

“Filthy liar!” she snapped and raised a hand. “[Steal]!”

“Wait, what—?”

I thought she was going to slap me. Instead, a necklace that had been with me since I first arrived disappeared from my throat and reappeared in her fist. I didn’t have an emotional connection to it, but it was unnerving to know that Veronica could snatch anything away from me with a single word. Like a damn JRPG.

“[To Dust],” she snarled. The chain and pendant crumbled into a thousand grains of sand and trickled to the ground between her fingers. She uncurled her hand and blew what remained into my face.

“Nice party trick,” I murmured.

“My mother is a famed [Assassin], you detestable little roach. Consider this your single warning. Take something of mine again, and you’ll find yourself deep in the ground where you belong.”

I wanted to laugh at her, but I swallowed the sound in my throat. I suddenly had an idea. “Have you met Tristan yet, Veronica?”

The rage in her eyes shifted to uncomfortable uncertainty. “What does he have to do with you stealing my things?” 

“You haven’t.” I let the smile curl my lips. “With how the teachers fawn over you, I’m surprised that Augustine gets to see him first.”

Her eyes narrowed, and for a split second, I really did think she’d slit my throat. “Another lie, Madeline?”

“No. She’s on his schedule in two days.” Hoping to bait Veronica and get her riled enough to do something about it was the most petty shit I’d ever been involved in. But, desperate times and all that.

She leaned back and crossed her arms, then waited for a small group of catgirls to pass us. “It doesn’t matter. Good for her.”

“You’re not going to do anything about it?”

She cocked her head and studied my face. “What in Saoirse’s blessed name do you believe I would do?”

Stop her? Lock her up? Help me figure out this damn plan? It seemed Veronica wasn’t as devious as I’d hoped. “Go in her place?”

“You’re an idiot,” she spat. “Madame Celestia should lock you in the Room until you rot. Don’t ever touch my things again.” She spun on her heel and strutted to presentation class alone.

The Room? Did she mean my dorm room? Whatever.

My dreams of Veronica hauling Augie into a dark classroom and locking her inside evaporated with the last grains of sand in the air. I toed the tiny pile on the carpet that was my necklace just moments before.

Why couldn’t you lock Augie in a classroom, Kelmer? The shreds of logic I had left hit me like a truck. I was going to get expelled anyway. What did it matter if Augie placed the blame on Veronica or on me?

Maybe because I really, really wanted to get Veronica in trouble. But she seemed untouchable. Beyond humiliating me in the classroom in front of our peers, she hadn’t done anything to earn a boot from the school. Which was unfortunate.

I waltzed—literally, because that was the lesson today—through presentation with the threads of a plan beginning to form. I could ‘trap’ Augie in a classroom on her way to Tristan’s room. After a time, another girl would hear her, release her, and she could blame it on me.

But then, who would find her? How loud would she need to scream for another girl to hear her? Were the walls soundproof? If no one heard her, that would put us right back in the same place. Tristan would know about Anyona and the Defiled, confront Celestia if he had any kind of spine, and Augie would be the obvious one to blame.

Damn it.

Ms. Gertrude’s expectations for me sank even lower during embroidery. Every five minutes, she’d heave one of those sighs of disappointment that encompassed her entire body, slacking her chin, shoulders, and back. But I managed seven new chain stitches and, if I squinted, it looked a bit like the stem of a flower. So I called it a win.

The lime-tinted Ms. Ariel was once again the only teacher I had during the day who treated me like a person rather than a splinter in their ass. Destiny patiently helped me work on the red dress, which, to my shock, was already looking like a dress.

“We need to have you try it on so we can make adjustments,” Destiny said as she helped me whip-stitch a hem down in the back. I still wasn’t entirely sure what ‘whip-stitching’ meant, but it was fun to say.

“Wait, I’m actually going to wear this?”

She snickered. “What did you think we’d do with it, silly?”

Not finish it in time, for starters. I nodded, feeling a blush rising in my cheeks. “Well, I guess I’m trying it on then.”

“Ms. Ariel, may we please use the dressing room?” Destiny called to our teacher, who was, unsurprisingly, admiring Veronica’s work.

“Of course. Go right ahead.” She shooed us away without taking her eyes away from Veronica’s dress.

Destiny grabbed her toolkit and led me through a separate doorway of the classroom and turned the knob on an oil lamp before closing the door. The lamp’s warm glow fell on a small room that reminded me a lot of a dressing room in department stores. Two white rectangular ottomans were propped against the side walls with three hooks above each. Three tall mirrors angled next to each other to get multiple views framed a short white cylinder that Destiny pointed to.

“Change into your dress and then step up there.”

She didn’t turn around. I looked at her and the red fabric in my arms. “Uh. A little privacy, if you don’t mind?”

Destiny blinked and hummed. “Oh. As you wish.” She turned her back to me and crossed her arms. Her blue tail swayed behind her, and her ears flicked forward. I’d started to pick up the different poses for catgirl body language over the last few days—she was confused.

Augie was insisting I change in front of other girls, too. How weird. I quickly stripped down to my underwear, then shuffled into the dress. “Okay. I’m good.”

Destiny turned to face me and furrowed her brow. “The hooks are to hang up your clothes.” She lifted my maid uniform and gingerly hooked it to the wall.

“A-ah. Of course.”

“And you need to remove your bra so we can see how it lies on your chest.”

The bra hooks were a problem. I’d only managed to put the terrible contraption on and off by hooking it at the front and spinning it around to my back. But now I wouldn’t be able to unhook it without taking off the dress again first. “Could you, er, help me with that?”

“Of course.” Destiny unhooked the strap as quickly and easily as breathing. I envied her for that.

Once it was added to the hook, I lifted the dress’s skirt and stepped up onto the platform. The chest felt…breezy, and once I looked into the mirror, even the flattering lighting couldn’t hide the brilliant red on my face. The center plunged lower than the Titanic, ending just below my belly button. There was so much sideboob showing between the thin strips of fabric that led up and around my neck that it was a wonder anything was covered. I felt my long hair tickling my lower back, and the goosebumps raised on my arms from the chill in the air.

“You look lovely, Madeline,” Destiny said, and clearly meant it. “It matches the highlight in your hair.”

I couldn’t speak. There was so much skin. It was a dress I would have loved to see another catgirl in. Any other catgirl. Even Veronica. But me? I covered my face with both hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s too sexy,” I grumbled behind my palms.

“You didn’t realize that while we were draping it?” Amusement touched her words.

“I’ve never been great at futurizing.”

She giggled. “Well, put your hands down so I can show you how to pin and fit it for alterations.”

“Can I add a poncho?”

“A what?”

I sighed and slowly let my hands return to my sides. “Nothing.”

Destiny shook her head. “You should be proud of trying something different.” She lowered her voice as she opened her kit and retrieved a pin cushion. “This school and its girls are too set in their ways. They don’t know how to break a mold.”

Her thoughts sounded a lot like Augie’s. Not all was paradise in the Venicia School of Etiquette, it seemed. “Destiny… What’s the Room?”

“W-what?” Her face lost all traces of color, and she dropped her pincushion. “Did Madame Celestia threaten you?”

I mean, beyond expulsion? “No.” I didn’t want to tell her about my conversation with Veronica. “I heard someone mention it in passing.”

“O-oh…” Destiny knelt, picked up the pin cushion, but stayed squatting down. Her eyes searched for something on the floor. “It’s awful,” she whispered. “Madeline, you do not want to earn yourself time in the Room.”

I shivered despite still not knowing what this dreaded Room held. But the sweat beading on Destiny’s forehead and seeing her tail tucked between her legs made me stop asking. It wasn’t worth her panic. “I’m sorry that I asked.”

At last, she stood and shook her head. “It’s alright. You didn’t know.” With trembling hands, she removed a pin from the cushion and pinched a section of my dress at the waist. “Anyway, we need to take it in here first.”

I struggled to pay attention and found it impossible to come up with a new conversation. Between the ridiculous dress, Destiny’s palpable fear, and dozens of tiny, needle-sharp implements being stabbed through fabric just centimeters from my skin, I was at a loss.

It felt like an eternity had passed by the time she told me to put my normal clothes back on.

Normal. Fuck. When did I start thinking of a maid uniform as normal?

Destiny helped me put the red dress back on the dress form, and we started ‘tacking’ down her changes. ‘Tacking’ felt a lot like ‘whip-stitching,’ but I didn’t argue the semantics.

“We’ll be able to line the top tomorrow, and it’ll be finished,” she said brightly. I hoped she wasn’t faking it.

“I didn’t know you could make a dress in three days.”

“If we didn’t have other classes, it would be possible to finish it in one.” She smiled. “You just have to know what you’re doing.”

“Ah, there’s the secret. I don’t know if I’ll ever reach that point.”

She reached over and touched my hand. “You will, Madeline. We all will.”

It felt like she was talking about a lot more than the dress.

I’m not even a little bit ashamed to admit that I went back to my dorm room and fell asleep. I was exhausted. I was more stressed over two days of etiquette classes than I’d ever been in my entire life. Even with a military father barking orders at me every chance he got. So damn it, I’d earned a nap.

A delicate hand shaking my shoulder woke me up. I blinked away sleep and wiped the drool from my chin before I realized it was Augie. Her pink eyes were wide, and her lips pulled into a thin, serious line.

“Madeline, tomorrow is my day of rest,” she said, “and I have a plan.”

Chapter Seven: The Bomb

Augustine and I sat together at the round table in the small dorm kitchen with a pot of tea between us and an empty glass vial in my hands. Everyone else in our dorm was either already asleep or preparing for the fast-approaching curfew.

Just thirty minutes remained until Augie’s assigned time with Tristan. She stared down into her teacup. “I’m certain that I don’t have to tell you the honor of having a man’s kitten.”

That’s certainly a sentence. I shook my head.

“I feel like I’m betraying everything I’ve ever known. Madame Celestia, Anyona, my mother.”

I circled the rim of my teacup with one finger. Goosebumps prickled over my wrists and forearms, and I shivered. Jesus Christ, it was cold in those dorms. It didn’t help that part of the plan was to wear the stupid red dress. God, I didn’t want Tristan to see me in this thing. But, Augie was right, it made this all seem more intentional should anyone spot me.

I rolled my tongue around my mouth, then sighed. “Augie, we don’t have to do this.” No matter what I wanted or needed, it wasn’t fair to Augie. If she felt like this was her destiny, then she should have it. I could wait. What was a few more months melting everything in Glaze’s kitchen? A few hundred more frustrated glares from Gwendolyn and Gertrude? A few more embarrassing outfits for Ariel to call ‘inspiring’?

Augie lifted her teacup and shook her head. “No. He needs to know. And my mother would have wanted me to stay here.” She placed the rim on her lower lip and chugged the concoction down in three gulps. After replacing the cup on the saucer, she dabbed the edges of her mouth with her napkin and smiled. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Maddie.”

I wish I could have told her the truth. She deserved to know it more than anyone in that damn school. But her eyes and ears were already growing droopy, and she yawned wide. “You’re mine too, Augie.”

Her smile widened as she stretched an arm across the table and rested her head against her bicep. “Good luck…with Tristan.”

I should have figured that potions were an option in catgirl world. Augie had used a chunk of her savings to buy a sleeping potion from the next city over. She’d made a note to give the shopkeeper my name in case Celestia went snooping. It was an airtight plan—and the rest was up to me.

Her soft snores sounded like purring when I slid the bottle into my pocket and left her in the kitchen. I’d insisted to Destiny that the dress would be better with pockets, and I was right.

The hallway was still empty, and the only sound that echoed against the walls was the clicking of my heels. Yes, heels. I didn’t want to think about it for very long.

I hesitated outside of Tristan’s room, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. I counted to five before he opened it.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” Tristan’s sandy blond hair was clean and combed, and he looked far more comfortable than I felt in a maroon T-shirt and jeans. God, I missed jeans. “Wait, you’re Madeline, right?” His brow furrowed. “I thought I had Augustine on my schedule for tonight?”

“There’s been a change of plans.” I fished a note from my pocket that Augie had meticulously forged using the schedule Celestia had given me as a reference.

Tristan skimmed the paper, and I held my breath.

“Hm. She usually tells me about this stuff.”

I shrugged, afraid of giving away the game.

“Things must be really busy for her lately. I’m sorry to make this weird.” He laughed, and it was uncannily disarming. This kid had max charisma, and it made my heart race. Not good. “Come in.”

As I moved through the doorway and finally exhaled, every conversation I’d carefully rehearsed in my head for two days went to the wayside. He wasn’t so much as trapped in a bedroom as he was pampered in a suite. The place was just as big as my parents’ apartment, furnished with bookshelves, a giant bed, a dining table with two chairs, and an entire corner filled with canvases, an easel, and art supplies. A half-painted canvas rested on the easel with a brush haphazardly set on its edge.

But what caught me entirely off guard was a window the length of the far wall. No, not a window. Because what it showed was impossible. There wasn’t a beach right outside of the school, and the sun had set hours ago.

“Wow, your dress is beautiful.” I hadn’t heard the door close, and Tristan’s voice was right at my ear. “Did you make it?” Soft fingertips trailed down my spine. A new wave of goosebumps rolled down my back, and I shivered.

No. No, no. Not again. “I did.” I cleared my throat and marched toward the ‘window.’ “What is this?”

Tristan grinned and joined me. “It’s Enchanted glass. It shows you any place you can think of.” He raised a hand and touched it to the glass. The beach faded away, soon replaced by a twinkling city skyline on the water. A twang of nostalgia struck my chest, and I took a step back to see it all. The buildings, the Golden Gate Bridge, the cars. Not quite home, but so very close. “Is that San Francisco?” I murmured.

“It is.”

I wanted to jump through the window and dive back into Earth. I didn’t want to be a catgirl anymore. I missed my body, my friends, hell, even my stupid job at Wendy’s. This place was hell. “Do you miss it?”

“A little.” He traced the edges of the buildings, and the lights glittered in his wide blue eyes. “Honestly, I prefer Nyarlea so much more. My life here is amazing.”

“How did you die?” The words escaped me before I could stop them.

“Oh. Um, that doesn’t usually come up in conversations like this.” An uneasy laugh escaped him, and he let his hand fall. “I was homeless, and I couldn’t afford to eat. I just kind of fell asleep and woke up here.”

I started. How had that happened to someone so young? Seeing the sadness in his expression, a part of me suddenly understood how carefully guarded Celestia kept him. I’d been a fucking idiot at the gym, and this poor kid couldn’t afford a cheeseburger. My stomach twisted into knots. “I’m sorry, Tristan.”

“No! Don’t be! Please. I’m sorry to bring the mood down. I think Celestia’s the only one who’s ever asked me, so it caught me by surprise.”

“It’s not your fault.” My stupid catgirl body felt suddenly and intensely compelled to comfort him. I moved beside him, and my hand touched his cheek. “I’m glad you’re safe.” A tiny voice that was more Madeline than Matt insisted that this was the ‘right’ thing to do. The ‘right’ way to proceed.

He cupped my hand in his and closed his eyes. “Thank you.”

For a few seconds, both conflicting sides of myself agreed that comforting him was a good thing. Until he turned his face into my touch, kissed my palm, and continued trailing his lips up the inside of my forearm.

Madeline was thrilled. Matt was terrified.

Tristan pulled me closer.

I opened my mouth to protest and gasped when his teeth sank into my shoulder. His arm wrapped around my back, and he fondled my tail the same way he had in the kitchen.

Fuck! I was in a losing battle. I needed to form words, not these airy moans that tumbled out of my mouth.

The dress didn’t help—there wasn’t much fabric protecting me, and his free hand slid beneath the strip covering my chest.

The excited tension I’d felt before compounded beneath his touch. The throbbing between my legs ached, and my heartbeat pounded in my ears. My arms circled his waist, and my forehead rested against the crook of his neck. Why couldn’t I force myself to stay away from him? Why did I have to comfort him? Why did this feel so fucking good?

I released the embrace, grabbed Tristan’s wrist, and pulled it away from my chest. “Tristan, s-stop—”

“Too fast?” He shifted his hand to my shoulder.

“Yes, a-and—”

“Hm?” Tristan trailed his fingers down the length of my tail, and my knees quivered. I lifted my head, and the hungry look on his face made my breath catch. He nibbled my lower lip. The first instinct that consumed me was to kiss him in return. And I did. Everything seemed to freeze.

“What else would you like me to do, Madeline?” His breath was hot against my mouth.

My name is not Madeline.

I shoved him off of me and backpedaled, tripping over the stupid heels and falling on my ass. I howled with frustration and kicked off the shoes.

Tristan looked perplexed. He took a step toward me. “Hey, are you okay—”

“No. Stay there. Stay right there.” I scrambled to my feet and took another four steps backward, just in case. “What other options did they give you in purgatory? After you died?”

He blinked and shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Shit. “Let me try again, then. My name is Matt Kelmer. I grew up in Washington. I died, and I ended up here.”

Tristan studied me for a long time. “Is this some kind of roleplay?”

“No. I’m serious. I was promised I’d come here in my own damn skin, and I’m a fucking catgirl,” I snarled. I wasn’t angry with him—okay, maybe a little bit—but my words came out harsher than I’d intended. “I just want my body back.”

He looked over his shoulder at his expansive book collection and touched his chin. “This is the first time I’ve heard of something like this. Men have always come to Nyarlea as men in everything I’ve read.”

“Great. That helps.” I sighed and noticed the tiny pink marks on my shoulder from his teeth. “Wait. Does it not bother you at all that I’m a guy? All of…this?” I gestured to the markings.

For the first time since I’d arrived, he blushed. “T-that’s beside the point.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer anymore. “Sure. Back to business. There’s no record of this ever happening at all?”

“I mean, not here in the school. I don’t have every book in Nyarlea.” He shrugged and crossed his arms. “I’d have to go to Nyarlothep for that, and there’s no real reason to leave the school. They need me here.”

Shi Island needs him. Augie’s words trumpeted between my ears, and I swallowed every discomfort I was feeling. I had to help Augie. “There’s a lot of reason to leave. Shi Island’s cities are falling apart.”

“What?” Surprise enveloped his expression. “Celestia’s told me that everyone’s fine—”

“Anyona and Catania were destroyed. The Defiled are everywhere.” Even if I didn’t completely understand the words I was saying, they needed to be said. “From what I’ve learned here, it’s up to you to help them.”

Tristan wandered slowly to one of the chairs at the table and slumped down into it. “If that’s true…”

I slid the empty bottle from my pocket and placed it on the table. “The truth is, Tristan, I drugged Augustine to be here. I forged the note.” I took two steps back again—I did not want him anywhere near my tail. “Because there are girls who are terrified of being expelled and tossed outside. Even if it means I’m stuck as a fucking catgirl, the rest of them don’t deserve to live a lie.”

“Madel—  …Matt, you’re sure? That they’re telling you the truth?”

“Only one way to find out—”

A series of harsh bangs on the door made us both jump, followed by Celestia’s furious voice, “Master Tristan! I apologize for the interruption, but this is an emergency!”

Tristan bolted from his chair to the door. Waiting for him on the other side were a tear-streaked Augie, a triumphantly smiling Veronica, and the head bitch herself.

“It’s true then.” Celestia’s black eyes burrowed into me. “Miss Augustine, we will reschedule you as soon as possible. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Miss Veronica. As for you, Madeline—”

I looked at Tristan just as he glanced back at me. His shoulders tensed, and he chewed the inside of his cheek. With a quick nod, he turned back to Celestia.

“Celestia, wait.” Tristan held an arm out, barring entry to his room. “We need to talk.”