: Ch 1: Her Arrival

Living my life alone in the woods seemed great. I thought I had all I needed. My research and me, it was peaceful, away from the world. I felt content and happy and successful. I was wrong though.
It happened about 3 years ago. It was just another normal week. Every morning I would wake up and get my scone and coffee, sit at my desk and go through the research I had gone through many a time before, Outlining each sentence and distinct animal subjects. See I was an animal scientist, I studied their emotions and moods and chemistry. I even had discovered 13 different species of new animals. I was one of the top youngest scientists in my era yet my research was never finished it seemed. I spent my week like any other. Waking up and eating and studying. Then I would take my normal afternoon walk. Most of my discoveries had come from these walks so at 3 I would walk around the woods hoping to find a new creature, but as usual, nothing. In winter there rarely ever is something to find, but I strolled along as if there was something out there. A greater discovery I should say. As it started to grow colder I decided there was nothing out there this day and started to head back home. I went farther this day as I was lost in my thoughts and lost track of time. I started to rush so I wasn’t too behind on my research. That’s when I spotted her. Lying in the snow was a person, or so she looked, a young girl most likely in her early 20s. Lying naked in the snow I was worried so I rushed over to her. Only until I was knelt beside her did I notice she was different. “A tail?” I thought aloud. Not only a tail but ears as well, like cat ears they poked out of her long blonde hair. Astounding it was, yet quite terrifying at the same time. I didn’t hesitate, though her appearance was intriguing, I picked her up and carried her toward my cabin. Luckily being one of the most upstanding young scientists of my generation I had come into a lot of money. I had more than enough to care for her. Though living alone I had no use for women’s clothing so I dressed her one of my old dress shirts and jeans. She had quite a fever from being out there so long. I thought it best to clean her up and let her rest. Once I wiped some dirt off her I noticed quite a lot of bruises and cuts. None of the cuts looked fatal but I though it best to clean them and wrap the worst of them. As I cleaned her I studied her as well. “Who was she?” “What was she?” “Why was she so injured” and “What was she doing out here?” I asked myself these a million times trying to figure out an answer. Her injuries looked too precise to be made by any animal. I wondered who she had struggled with and why, but for now my questions could not be answered. Hopefully I would be able to get something from her once she awoke but as for now I would let her rest.
She slept all of the night and most of the next day. It wasn’t till I got back from my walk I found her awake and disoriented. As I entered her room her eyes immediately settled on me. I approached her cautiously getting ever so closer to the ground showing I would not harm her. She didn’t understand this gesture and pushed herself into one of the corners her gaze never leaving mine. I decided I should say something as to gain her trust. “What is your name?” I asked her. She did not speak; she just kept glaring at me. I asked her again “What is your name? my name is Edik” her ears twitched but again she did not respond. As I got closer her eyes widened in fright, she was like an abused stray animal. I didn’t know what she was though I hoped she would help me but I was getting nothing. When I was in arms length of her I reached my hand out towards her but before I could touch her she bit my hand. I stood there in shock as she didn’t let go. It stung a little but I kept my face straight. As a scientist I’m used to getting bitten. Her eyes looked up at me as she bit down harder. I gave her a soft smile hoping she would let go soon. She didn’t, she sat there my hand in her mouth watching me as to make sure I didn’t move at all. Through my hand I could feel her shaking, she was scared, terrified even. In a place she didn’t know with a random stranger, I couldn’t blame her. I tried to reassure her. “It’ll be okay. I won’t harm you” I reached my other hand over to her trying to put it on her head to show her I meant what I said. As my hand made it to her head she winced apparently thinking she was about to get hurt, she soon realized I wasn’t harmful. She let go as a tear fell from her eye. She looked down at my hand and I followed her gaze, I hadn’t realized how badly she had bit me. My hand was covered in blood but I never left her. I had to show her I was not harmful and I didn’t want to hurt her. Soon I could feel her body relax from the tensed position it was in. She moved closer to me and looked into my eyes as if to say “I’m sorry.” She put her hand on my knee and I flinched she was very close to my face now; her eyes seemed to be studying me. She got so close I fell over and I pushed myself back from her a little. She grabbed my bloody hand held it towards me and cocked her head. From what I saw in her face she wanted me to be okay. I smiled at her and patted her head reassuring her that I would be fine. She smiled back at me and yawned I watched her as she stood up and went back to the bed I had made her. In an instant she fell back asleep and I was stuck sitting there in a daze of what just happened. I stood up and went to go take care of my hand but before I left the room I took one last look at her, she was in fact very intriguing.
It was days before she awoke again. She didn’t leave her bed this time she sat there and watched me as I did my studies. Her expression looked curious yet still wary. I made it a habit to not look over at her ever few minutes. I tried early to get her to talk but since her arrival she has said nothing. She spoke through her gestures and movements. From her confused looks and expressions I could tell she had no memory of what had happened or even who she was. So I decided I would name her fourteen. She had been the fourteenth species I had come across and she was defiantly not human, or a cat for that matter. She seemed to like the name when I told her so until she says other wise that is what I will call her.
She watched me everyday for about 2 weeks. Most of my daily routine stayed the same. I would get up and grab myself a scone and coffee and bring her scone and some tea. She immediately showed she didn’t like coffee as she threw the mug onto the floor near my feet. So had given her tea the next morning and she seemed exceptionally grateful it wasn’t coffee. After eating I would go to my study and she would watch me with curiosity as I wrote my notes. Lately my notes were all about her, I soon had to create a notebook just for her there was so much to be learned. It seemed I had something new to write everyday even if she didn’t do much. One part of my notes I found quite funny.
“Thursday December 12th,
Today I discovered that fourteen does not find baths appealing. As I struggled to get her into the bathroom itself she had no quarrel about scratching me and running. Her tail had puffed up like a cat in her rage and she jumped up on top of one of my bookcases. It took me about 15 minutes before I got her to behave and cooperate and get in the tub. She scowled at me as I washed her. I still don’t know what she is but she defiantly has some cat like reflexes and attitude. I am hoping soon to get some answers.”
Reading this I realized I should probably go get her some clothes that fit her. Sadly I haven’t shopped for a girl before so I would have to bring her with. Concealing her ears and tail wouldn’t be too difficult it’s her extraordinary features that would get us stares and looks. Her skin was a pale-ish peach and her platinum blonde hair seemed too well groomed to be her real hair and her body was skinny yet filled with curves. Actually looking at her now I hadn’t realized how beautiful she was. I shock that thought out of my mind. She was a different species for all I knew I couldn’t think thoughts like this No matter how human she looked. As we drove into the city, which was about 20 minutes away, I watched fourteen as she seemed astounded by the surroundings. I smiled she was quite a big discovery to me but I felt she was more than that. As I got to know her we had become pretty close in the last couple of weeks. Though she still hadn’t spoken a word I can understand her now. We trust each other. As I helped her but clothes I tried to block those thoughts again until one of my friends had spotted me through the crowd, not only me but her as well. He immediately assumed what I was hoping he wouldn’t. “Who’s your cute new friend Edik? You dating her?” I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the thought, not because it was preposterous but because he had no idea she wasn’t even human. “no she’s my cousin from America” I had to lie I couldn’t let him know what I was getting into. He and I are purely science. If he found out about her before I finished my research he would take her to the institute for sure. Everything we find we take to the Russian academy of sciences. I couldn’t let that happen. We take blood samples and skin samples we cage and confine our specimens. After getting to know her I couldn’t bare to see her caged. “Oh well you mind me going after her huh?” he winked at me and disgusted with him I lied once more. “Sorry Gregor she has someone already.” My tone of voice told him to back off she isn’t interested. He took the hint and slinked away. After standing there for a few more second I soon felt a pull on my hand I looked behind me and saw fourteen pointing toward a sub shop. I nodded to her with a smile and started to head toward there. Giddy with joy she let go of my hand and ran towards the sub shop. She spun around at the front and waited for me to catch up. As I watched her those same thoughts came creeping up. She was wearing one of the dresses she picked out. A pink summer dress that matched her hat and I couldn’t help but admire how pretty she was. Everything was different now but I liked it this way. I realized as we sat down at one of the tables that my life would never be the same.