The first thing Valerie noticed was the unbearable heaviness. 

It wasn’t the weight of death—she was oddly sure of that—but something more bizarre, as if an unseen force yanked her in a direction she instinctively resisted without realizing it. 

Her muscles tensed, her awareness limited to the sensation of struggle until, suddenly, a blinding light seared through her closed eyelids.

Her body jolted and twitched, morphing, twisting in ways she couldn’t comprehend. 

Oddly, it didn’t hurt. 

Instead, it was like being tickled from the inside, a strange shivering followed by a warm sensation—as if she were being wrapped in the fluffiest coat imaginable. 

The light receded gradually, and with a hesitant breath, she opened her eyes.

Before her stood a girl of about thirteen, with forest-green eyes and a cascade of long, curly orange hair. She was small—no more than 5’2” at best—yet somehow, Valerie found herself looking up at her.

‘What...?’ Valerie’s thoughts spiraled as she instinctively tried to run her fingers through her hair in a desperate attempt to center herself. 

But her body lurched forward instead, her chin hitting the wooden floor with a painful thud. Laughter erupted from the room around her, a sound that shattered what little composure she had left.

It was then she realized three startling things.

One: She couldn’t run her fingers through her hair ever again (just a mental note).

Two: The room wasn’t empty—there were others, and they were laughing at her.

Three: The most alarming of all—she didn’t have hands anymore. She had paws.

Her eyes darted down. 

Paws. 

She lifted one, then another, her limbs trembling as she tapped them back to back on the wooden floor in disbelief. 

‘What kind of sick joke is this?’ she thought, her mind screaming as a whimper escaped her throat.

“Hey, Celeste? What’s wrong with your familiar? It’s acting kinda… dumb,” teased a boy, followed by another child’s snicker.

“She’s okay,” the girl, Celeste, said softly, her voice cutting through the taunts. She knelt before Valerie, her green eyes brimming with understanding. “She’s just… a little different.”

Valerie froze as Celeste extended her hand toward her, palm open and inviting. Despite the humiliation and confusion roiling in her chest, Valerie felt an inexplicable calm wash over her. 

The girl’s expression was genuine, sympathetic even. Slowly, Valerie placed one oversized paw into Celeste’s waiting hand.

A sudden glow enveloped them both, emanating from their chests, their hearts. 

The warmth was overwhelming, as though something greater than either of them connected their very souls. The light faded, replaced by applause from the rest of the room.

“Congratulations, you two,” said an older woman seated at the front of the room, her desk overflowing with documents, scrolls, and even a larger than average Venus flytrap. 

“You’ve successfully cemented your bond as master and familiar. Now, Celeste Rathmore, what will you name her?”

Celeste tilted her head, a thoughtful smile playing on her lips. “Hmm. Your fur reminds me of my grandma’s calico cat familiar, Cleo. What do you think of that name?”

The name hit Valerie with unexpected weight. ‘If it was her grandma’s familiar, that cat must be… gone,’ she thought, her chest aching at the notion. 

She stood carefully on all fours, her balance still awkward, and padded over to Celeste. Placing her head against the girl’s shoulder, she leaned into her in an unspoken gesture of comfort.

Celeste giggled, wrapping her arms around Valerie’s—no, Cleo’s—neck. “Cleo it is, then,” Celeste declared, her face buried in the fluffy fur.

“Cleo it is,” echoed the older woman at the desk.

The room erupted into cheers and clapping, and two girls rushed to Celeste’s side as she stood.

“Congrats, Celeste!” exclaimed the one on her left, her short brown hair framing her face with braids on either side. 

“You got such a beautiful familiar. I’m so jealous!” A sleek orange cat wound around her legs as if to get her attention, purring softly.

“Oh, Kiki, don't you worry! I’d never replace you,” the girl cooed, scooping up the cat in her arms.

On Celeste’s right, another girl with long black hair that cascaded down her back stepped forward. Her eyes were closed, though her demeanor was calm and assured. 

“Siren, let me borrow your eyes so I can see Cleo, please,” she said.

A black rat snake slithered out from beneath her coat, its eyes glowing rainbow colors as they locked onto Cleo. 

Valerie—or Cleo, as she was now—shivered under its gaze, but the moment passed quickly, and the snake settled back around its master’s neck.

“Thank you, Siren,” the blind girl said. “Lily was right—Cleo is beautiful.”

Celeste smiled. “Thanks, Ophelia. You too, Lily.” She hesitated, glancing back at Cleo with a curious expression. “But… there’s something weird about her.”

“What do you mean?” Ophelia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She looks like a normal Shepherd to me,” Lily added, tilting her head.

“Well, normally, you can talk telepathically with your familiar, right?” Celeste rubbed her chin, glancing at the others as they nodded. “But I’m not getting anything from her. Just… feelings.”

Valerie blinked. 

‘Telepathic communication?’

She shook herself, her fur bristling as she stepped closer to Celeste. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the only thing she could try at that moment to ease Celeste's concerns: speak.

“Hel…lo,” Cleo barked aloud for each syllable.

The room fell silent, all eyes wide with shock.

“Did Cleo just… speak aloud?” Lily whispered, clutching Celeste’s arm as if she were both amazed and terrified.

To be continued...