In the afternoon, the school bell rings at Graytown's primary school, which clarifies that the school day is over and its students are crowding out of the school building, busy with their own thoughts and plans for the weekend.

Penny comes out of the main building. She rubs her hands with a wet wipe in an attempt to remove paint stains. In her hand holding the wipe she also has a brush which she eventually has to put in her mouth in order to be able to clean both hands at the same time. Everything did not go away after I washed my hands in the art classroom, luckily I always have wet wipes with me, she thinks to herself. When she feels satisfied, she throws the wet wipe in the nearest trash can and puts the brush in her bag, back in her brush case. She moves her large set of pencils so as not to accidentally put the brush in that case instead.

The last lesson of the week is art for Penny. It's one of her favorite subjects. She likes to draw and paint, to use her pen and brush to get her thoughts down on paper or canvas. It's something she's good at. Maybe that's the only thing she's good at, the artistic.

Usually she does not like to get dirty, but color does not bother her. It is only when the paint dries that it can feel a little uncomfortable, especially acrylic paint can become like an extra layer of skin when it dries on the hands.

Penny is just about to take the last steps down the stairs when a student flies by on his skateboard.

"Sorry!" shouts the student over his shoulder.

Pennys heart beats with shock but she calms down and continues across the schoolyard when she hears a familiar voice approaching.

"Penny, Penny! I have incredible news!"

I recognize that voice, Penny thinks and a smiles.

She turns around and sees her best friend coming running towards her. She has long blonde hair and her eyes seem to shine in the heart-shaped face. Her hair is set in a ponytail, she probably comes straight from having played the piano in the music lesson. She always puts her hair up when she plays. Otherwise it is in the way, she has said.

The happy person is Clara, Penny's best friend. They have known each other since they met in first grade and they have been together ever since. Clara is almost always bubbling happy and Penny rarely sees her angry or depressed. She's like a wandering sunshine, wonderful Clara.

"You! You, you, you!" exclaims Clara, so energetic that she almost stumbles over the words. Penny smiles even bigger, her cheeks start to hurt but she can't stop.

"Okay, breathe," she urges and Clara takes a breath before continuing.

"I have amazing news!"

"Okay?"

It may seem to anyone that something gigantic has happened, but Penny knows Clara. She never takes things for granted and is happy about things that others would shrug their shoulders at.

"Do you know the concert with BMC next week that was sold out?"

Penny thinks, their favorite band. Penny gets her favorite song "Great" on her brain and hums it a bit.

"Oh, great, I think you are great!", Clara sings along.

"I think I can relate, what we have is only hate!" Penny continues, "Yes, how could I forget that? You almost cried when we did not get any tickets", laughs Penny. Clara laughs.

"Are you ready for the news?", Clara asks.

"Yes, tell me now!"

"I got second hand tickets!" Clara claps her hands excitedly.

"What? How? Didn't it become very expensive? How did you dare getting that, are they even genuine?"

Penny gets worried. She sees in front of her how Clara met some skimmer in a dark alley. Penny's eyes widen. Clara waves her hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Do not imagine anything strange now. My cousin bought the tickets but can not go so I got to buy them instead", Clara explains.

Penny returns to reality and shakes off the horrible images she evoked. Penny nods slightly shaken.

"But are you not happy?" asks Clara, "You should finally get to see and hear BMC live! Do you think they play ´Great`?"

"Of course I am, it's going to be great fun! I really hope so!" Penny's blue eyes shine up.

"It's going to be so cool!" says Clara and jumps for joy.

At first, Penny is as happy as Clara. In the back of her mind, she remembers what Lisa usually says, that Penny would not be able to do big concerts because there are a lot of people and that thought makes her feel uncomfortable. She starts fingering the stone she has around her neck. It'll probably be fine. It's their favorite band. And she always has Clara. Penny is interrupted in her thoughts by a familiar voice:

"What's going to be so cool?"

Penny looks up and sees Lisa. But why? Can't you just go home? She will surely take up the old usual, Penny thinks frustrated.

Clara smiles at Lisa, still buzzing.

"We're going to a concert!"

"Really? Who are you going to see?"

"BMC, Bring Me Cats", she replies.

Lisa seems to search in her memory for who Bring Me Cats is and then comes up with it.

"Nice. What seats do you have?"

Clara picks up her cell phone and checks it out.

"Standing. How lucky!"

Lisa nods thoughtfully.

Clara seems to come to her senses and looks at Penny.

"There will be quite a lot of people, and it's standing tickets, it's like the front. Are… you going to be okay with that?"

Penny forces the lump down her throat and smiles big at Clara.

"It's going to be great. We're there together, aren't we?" They have been to concerts before, just not one like this big and in an arena. At the same time, it should go well, as long as she has Clara there.

"Are you sure?" Lisa asks. "It's not like there will be alot of space, you will be more like sardines. Would you really make it?"

Of course she would take up the old usual. Penny feels tears of frustration burning in her eyes. Lisa is probably right, Penny knows that herself. But at the same time, how will Penny know if she doesn't try?

"Yes I would! Wouldn't I?" she answers doubtfully.

"Only you can decide, but as you have been before, I would advise it."

Clara glances from one sister to the other.

"You are absolutely right Penny, we will go there together and we will surely have a lot of fun!" says Clara and takes Penny's hand in hers and hugs it.

"I'll be by your side all the time, okay?" Clara whispers in Penny's ear.

Lisa shrugs.

"I'm not your mother, so do as you please. Just wear your mobile phone at all times, in case you get away from each other."

Clara laughs.

"Now you sounded very much like a mother."

Penny is stuck in her thoughts. It's spinning in her head. Lisa's comments have triggered a lot of emotions from a long time ago and Penny has to fight with herself so as not to be completely engrossed in all the thoughts and feelings that surround her. It becomes difficult to breathe and Penny feels she has to flee. Lisa continues as if she does not notice anything:

"I just mean that I, if anyone should know your difficulties! Don't you remember at Christmas when we were many at Grandma's house, you panicked and…" Lisa is interrupted when Penny starts running from there. Lisa and Clara remain confused.

"Oh no," says Clara. "Maybe we should follow."

"It's probably best that we don't. It probably only will make things worse."

"Okay. But she's having an anxiety attack, isn't she?"

Lisa bites her lower lip.

"I know, maybe I shouldn't have gotten involved…"

"You care, even if you show it weird sometimes." says Clara, pushing Lisa playfully.

"Maybe so, but she always gets so mad at me when I want to help her. Like I'm deliberately trying to ruin everything for her."

"Sometimes she has to try things herself" says Clara and pulls out the hair band and shakes her head so that the hair falls into place and continues: "I will be there, right? It will go great!"

Lisa sighs heavily and looks towards the road where Penny has disappeared.

"I hope you're right."

The reddish-brown cat has found a meal during the day. A bag with a hamburger and french fries had stood unattended on a table at an outdoor restaurant for a few seconds. He had quickly jumped up and taken the bag with him. It did not feel good to steal, but the couple he stole from had actually stepped on his tail just before, so it was a bit right for them.

When the cat is sitting and licking its paws clean after the meal, it hears fast footsteps approaching. Interested, the cat looks up. A brown-haired girl in a pink tanktop and white trousers rushes by. In her haste she does not see the lamppost in front of her and she crashes into it with her arm so she has to stop for a while. When she bends forward for a second to catch her breath, the sunlight is reflected on a piece of jewelry that hangs around her neck. The cat squints and sees the almost transparent stone. He freezes and stops in the middle of a movement. With the tongue out and the paw halfway up, the cat stares at the girl. The stone sways and as if the chain lock opens, the necklace falls to the ground, completely without the girl noticing anything. She picks up speed and runs in the direction of the forest.

No, it can not be. It's probably just a similar stone, the cat thinks as he gently walks forward to take a closer look at the stone.

The sunlight is reflected once again in the stone. Is it possible anyway? Was it her? She looked to be at the right age. How else would she get hold of this stone? No, I have to be absolutely sure.

The cat gently bends down and sniffs at the stone. When he is close to the stone, it gives off a soft and faint glow, as if it's magic was charged by his touch. He quickly pulls his head back and looks at the forest. It is the stone! But then it must be her!

He picks up the necklace with his mouth and runs after the girl.

Penny feels the lump in her throat grow, how could she be so clumsy that she ran into a lamppost? Now it hurts in the shoulder too. She wants to go home and hide, just forget about everything for a while.

She runs into the woods, her breathing is heavy and the pain in her shoulder throbs dully. She stops at a tree, sits down to rest and puts her face to her knees.

Who does Lisa think she is? Why does she always have to interfere with what I do? Clara is not even her friend, why did she just come there and start talking like she was? And to mention Christmas at grandmas… How annoying she is!

It rustles in the grass and Penny looks up. She sees a reddish-brown cat sitting in front of her. His gaze is steadily on her.

"Wow, a cat," she exclaims. "How long have you been watching me?"

The cat does not move at first but its ears twitch, she knows it hears her. Penny gently reaches out and calls the cat. It walks slowly forward and sniffs at her fingers. Penny laughs. It would have been cool if cats could talk.

Something causes the cat to withdraw. It goes out of sight. Penny shrugs and puts her head on her knees again.

Shortly afterwards, Penny hears a low purring. She raises her head. There the cat is  again, this time with something hanging from its mouth. Penny freezes, she sees that it is an orange stone the cat has in its mouth. A thought strikes her. She starts looking for her own necklace, she can't find it.

"Is that my necklace?" Penny asks, reaching for the cat. As if someone called the cat from another direction, it turns around and runs away before Penny reaches him.

"But hey, wait! Come back!"

Penny runs as fast as she can to catch up with the cat. She is led away from the usual path. Penny runs deeper into the forest. After a while of hunting, the cat sits down by a tree, drops the necklace to the ground and stares at her. Out of breath, Penny takes the last steps but stops when she feels its gaze. If it continues like this, I will never get hold of my necklace, the cat will just run away again, Penny thinks. Maybe it's better to lure the cat to me?

She squats down and extends her hand as if she has something good to give.

"Then come the kitty, yes come then!"

She shapes her lips and tries to imitate the chirping of birds. The cat gets an expression on his face as if she said the most insulting thing that can be said. It goes a few steps towards her. As if it were meowing, it opens its mouth, but it does not meow. It shapes words.

"What do you mean by calling me kitty?"

Penny freezes. Did the cat just speak? Yes, it talked. Talked. As a human being. And Penny understood what the cat was saying. She laughs and puts her hand on her forehead.

"Haha! I just thought you were talking, but cats can't talk! I must have hit me harder than I thought!"

The cat waves its tail annoyed.

"Do you have hair in your ears? I'm not just any cat, I'm Tine's adviser, so do not call me kitty. You can call me by my name, Allergen!"

The cat stops wagging its tail and changes tone as he shakes his head.

"Excuse me, I have not had a regular conversation in a long time. I understand that you did not mean anything bad. But anyway, I'm so glad you understand me!"

Penny stares at the cat in horror. It really speaks to her! The cat adds no notice to her face, but continues:

"You can not imagine what difficulties I have gone through, for several years I have been looking for the Princess of Fire! And finally I found you. I was so worried that you were beyond rescue and that my search was to no use!"

"What a weird dream this is. Because that's what it is, right?"

The cat looks confused.

"Dream? Princess, this is not a dream."

"Of course it is! It must be, there is no other explanation," Penny tries to convince herself.

"I'm afraid you're wrong. This is real."

Penny pinches her arm. It hurts. She claps her cheeks. Nothing happens. Instinctively, the hand seeks the neck to feel the stone. But it does not hang there. It is on the ground. By the cat. Allergen. Who can speak.

"No, this is not real. It can not be real," Penny mutters to herself.

The cat looks at her with examining eyes. Suddenly he freezes, his ears lie back and he raises rag. He searches with his eyes around them.

"What now?" he exclaims.

His eyes widen and he quickly turns his gaze to Penny.

"Look out!" he roars.

Penny hears a sound behind her. She turns her head but barely has time to react to what is happening. She feels something that hits her in the back like a wave. A dark red mist envelops her. The red gradually darkens until it turns completely black before her eyes and she can not move. Penny shouts as loud as she can, but can not hear her own voice.

"Princess, Princess!" she hears the cat shouting in the distance. Then everything becomes quiet.