Claire’s eyes were lost currently as her mind drifted away from her. After she left the daycare with Kat, things seemed to get strange rather quickly. They had waited for a short time for someone to come pick them up before after about a half hour a car finally did.

It only got stranger from there however. Once Kat entered, Claire could see two people sitting unusually still. She assumed they were her parents but they made no outward attempts to greet their daughter or even acknowledge her.

The younger girl didn’t seem to notice though. She simply got in and hummed quietly to herself as they drove off. Feeling a nagging sensation in the back of her mind, the brunette thought back about what she had been told before she was handed over to the orange haired neko.

“’Kat likes orders. She listens to them without question and never steps out of line before any are given. It’s just her personality, she likes being controlled, and we’ll leave as to why alone for now. While you’re with her, if she does something you’re not comfortable with, just be stern with her and she’ll obey. However… whatever you do, no matter how curious you might be… do not attempt to talk to, about, or with her parents… the results… are unknown to us…’”

Peeking through the young girl’s loose finger, Claire shivered. She saw the parents in question Alexis had warned her about… they seemed so… off. It was like they weren’t aware of what was going on around them. Feeling herself suddenly tumble into Kat’s closed fingers, the little brunette blinked realizing they had stopped.

Kat pulled open her door before cradling Claire gently in her hands. “Welcome home nice lady!” Her tone was filled with excitement, much to Claire’s embarrassment. She still couldn’t get the girl to call her by her name for some reason.

As she looked outwards once more, the shrunken girl looked somewhat surprised. She knew this street. It was the same road she had once used to walk to the daycare. She didn’t own a car, and at the moment a bike was out of the question as well, so she always ran to where she needed to go.

She had to have passed this building half a dozen times. It was a large three storing apartment complex that had a rather worn down look to it. It must have been very old for that matter as well considering the bedrock and bricks used for the base of it, had roots and other assorted foliage growing out of it.

The other thing that caught her eye was the large oak tree right outside the entrance. As Claire looked at it, a small, nostalgic smile made its way to her lips. ‘This was where I got her cat down from.’ The tree was just as old as the building, if not older.

She was lucky it was easy enough to climb. It was also lucky she stopped to begin with… if she hadn’t, who knew what would have become of her. Strange how one random act of kindness for little girl saved her from another’s punishment.

As Kat watched Claire’s far off expression, she poked her gently. “Pretty lady? Are you ok… you aren’t talking to Kat.” She pouted, bringing the brunette back to reality.  “Y-Yea… I guess I just got sidetracked… this was where we first met after all.”

Looking to where Claire’s eyes were, Kat smiled as well. “Kat can’t climb… she doesn’t have claws like Mittens. Kat’s secretly jealous…” She admitted sheepishly making Claire blink in surprise. “M-Mittens?” Nodding, the younger girl pointed back to the apartment behind them.

“Mittens is Kat’s cat you saved. He likes to climb things that Kat can’t climb herself… he can be mean…” Chuckling at the pout the younger girl wore, Claire just shook her head. “Well with a tail and ears like yours I’m sure claws will eventually find their way on your hands.”

She meant it as a joke more than anything but the little girls eyes lit up none the less. “Really?! Yah! Kat wants claws to!” As the hyper child continued to bounce for a moment, Claire clung to her somewhat startled as she was tossed around.

“K-K-KAT, H-Hey, I’m still on here!” the young neko quickly stopped bouncing before a blush adorned her face. “Sorry nice lady, Kat forgot…” Panting, after having nearly been thrown off, Claire just waved her hand. “D-Don’t sweat it… Just, try not to do it again…”

She nearly had a heart attack. A fall like this was still dangerous, probably not lethal, but dangerous none the less. After a small moment of silence as Kat continued to stare off she was brought back by the shrunken girl’s movements.

“Are, are we going to go inside? I’m sure a cat girl and a living doll might draw some unwanted attention…” how people didn’t see Kat to begin with was still confusing to her. She’d have thought the twins would want to keep a low profile with what they were doing.

“Alright nice lady, but you don’t need to worry about Kat… people don’t see them, only people I like can see Kat…” The statement made Claire blink in confusion. How could people who she liked only see her? She saw her the first day they met after all.

Shaking her head, she just ignored it. She had other things she needed to do for now anyways.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Claire watched in silence as she was taken through the ratty apartment building. This place was horrible! How could anyone live here at all? After ascending to the third floor, Kat stepped towards a door cracked open.

“This is Kat’s home, I hope you like it…” She whispered the last part almost too quiet for the brunette to hear, had she not been right beneath her lips. Once the door was opened, Claire could only gasp in silent revulsion.

The place… it was horrific… Stacks of random papers littered the floors. Empty beer bottles and cans were scattered around. Trash was piled up in mounds in the corner of one of the rooms. Who could raise a child in this?!

Kat didn’t seem to notice though as she kept a neutral expression, simply walking past it all, down a long, darkly lit hallway. The light at the end of it, flickered, clearly telling her the bulbs hadn’t been changed recently… or ever.

As Kat moved one of her hands away from Claire, she reached up before gently turning the knob to one of the rooms. “This is Kat’s bedroom.” Half expecting to see something just as bad, Claire was pleasantly surprised as she saw the room, (while still ratty and worn down) clean… well cleaner than the other rooms of the apartment so far.

Resting in the corner of the room was a small cot, not a bed… just a cot. Near it sat a turned milk crate the girl was currently using for a table, along with a few cardboard boxes that looked to be stacked like some kind of a makeshift dresser.

There were toys as well, quite a few of them from what Claire could tell, but they all looked dirty and worn as well. All and all… it was somewhat heartbreaking for her to look at. ‘What on earth…’ Noticing her guest’s taciturn expression, Kat took the initiative to speak up.

“Do you like Kat’s room?” blinking a few more times, hoping to see the place shatter and be replaced with some kind of fancy reality the twins could make her see, Claire nodded unconsciously as nothing happened. This was really her room…

Smiling Kat took her acknowledgement as a yes. “I-It’s… It’s not what I expected… Sophia and Alexis, t-they…” Claire just shook her head. It was quite the leap. They said they took care of their friends. Did they know Kat lived like this?

As Claire felt herself being moved forward, she was brought back from her silent judgement as Kat moved her towards her nightstand. “Someone wants to say thank you to you nice lady.” Looking up at Kat confused, she watched the girl move to the side of her room, where a few more boxes lay, scattered around, although these ones seemed to be placed purposefully unorganized.

Kneeling down, Kat’s tail flicked back and forth for a moment before she nodded. Stepping back, Claire watched quietly before almost jumping in freight as a small kitten bounced out of the box before charging towards her.

Falling back on her butt, the shrunken girl nearly screamed as the cat stopped right in front of her, before watching her with its slanted eyes. “This is Mittens. Do you remember him?” Shivering in fear by the colossal feline, a spark of recollection triggered making her nod unconsciously.

He did seem familiar and she knew why. His black ashen fur and white paws made sure of that. Smiling somewhat frightened still, Claire waved to the cat before crawling back slowly. “Y-Y-Yes… I remember… M-Mittens…”

As Kat watched Claire for a moment her eyes widened. “N-No, pretty lady don’t be scared, Kat told him you are Kat’s friend. Mittens won’t hurt you!” As Claire kept her eyes on the large kittens curious eyes, she slowed her movements but prepared to run if need be. It was still a freaking cat! They were known to play with things smaller than them… like her.

As the cat sat down in front of Claire, its head turned to the side before it mewed. “Mitten’s said he likes you.” Looking back at Kat incredulous, Claire just shook her head. “You can understand him…?” Nodding Kat smiled.

“Kat can’t talk to him, but Kat can tell what he’s feeling. He won’t hurt you, he remembers you.” As the kitten stood back up it started walking towards Claire making her shiver with fear. Nearly screaming as the cat jumped up on the boxes she was on, she continued to back away from it before it stood over her with its tail flicking back and forth.

“K-K-KAT, H-Help!” the younger girl pouted before walking over to her. “He just wants your scent. You don’t smell like Kat.” As the large feline’s face moved closer to her much small body, Claire shuttered before closing her eyes… however…

As she felt something soft brushing her body, she peeked open an eye before they widened. The cat was now lying next to her as it rubbed its whiskers over her legs. “He’s marking you, Kat told you he likes you.” The younger girl huffed before crossing her arms.

‘I… I think I’m going to pass out…’ That had probably been the most terrifying thing she ever experienced. Shrunken by children and being turned into their pet, was a close second. The kitten purred quietly as it continued to rub its face against Claire making the brunette smile slowly.

It was acting harmless to her…then again, a cat was a cat. They played with their food before eating it… Taking a deep breath, she chose to trust Kat. She gave her word she’d protect her… she just had to trust her… it wasn’t like she was in a position not to.

Reaching her arm out gradually, Claire eventually touched the cat’s soft fur before smiling. As it purred it made her whole body shake slowly by its subtle vibrations, it was kind of nice. Kat grinned happily before kneeling down next to them.

“Do you trust Mittens now pretty lady? He won’t hurt you.” Nodding, Claire moved her other hand over to the large kitten as she stroked its fur softly. “Sorry… both to you and, Mittens. I should have trusted you…”

Grinning Kat nodded before joining in as she pet her cat happily. The whole scene felt rather surreal. It was like she was petting a tiger or a large mountain cat but, there was no fear where it should have been. As the kitten yawned quietly, Kat moved to pick him up.

“Mitten’s is tired. He didn’t get his full 18 hours of sleep.” Chuckling, Claire nodded before waving to the cat. As the young girl moved to put the kitten back in its box fort, Claire watched her quietly before her smile began to drop.

‘How can she be so… gentle? Growing up in a place like this, her demeanor, the way she acted and talked… it just seemed so out of place. What made her act the way she did? So kind, and caring… yet ruthless and cruel seemingly from nowhere.

As images of the man, Kat chewed up and ate passed through her mind, Claire shivered. Her dark, horrific expression was what she’d expect from someone who lived in a place like this to have but… that wasn’t Kat, or, at least not the one she had just witnessed or got to know.

‘I, I want to know more…’ It was what she was here for after all. “Hey Kat?” Peeking her head back, the younger girl looked at Claire before giving her kitten a few more pets. As she stood up and moved towards her, Claire tried to figure out the best way to phrase her questions… with as many as she had though, that was going to be a challenge.

“What is it pretty lady?” Pacing slowly, Claire smiled before pointing to the cot. “How about we talk for a while… I’d like to get to know you, is that alright?” The younger girl paused for a moment before nodding. “Ok”.

As she moved to the small mat, she turned towards Claire before they both sat down across from one another. What does the pretty lady want to know?” Biting her lip, Claire thought it over for a moment. “Well… Is Kat a nickname? I’ve been calling you that for a while but I never asked if it was your real name or not.”

The girl blinked clearly confused before her gaze turned downward. “Kat is Kat.” ‘Well… that was different.’ Her tone darkened slightly giving her the impression the younger girl either didn’t know or didn’t want to talk about her name. Why though?

Twiddling her thumbs for a moment, she decided to try a different approach. “How long have you known Mittens?” Immediately the girl looked up with a much happier expression, making the brunette smile. “Kat and Mittens have known each other for months! He’s Kats best friend.”

Raising her brow, she sent a glance to the sleeping kitten before her attention was back on the young neko. “What about Sophia and Alexis? How long have you known them?” Raising a finger to her lips, like she had seen a lot of children do when they were deep in thought, Kat shrugged.

“Kat’s known them for a year. Their nice to Kat.” Claire silently nodded as she looked at the admiration shining over the young girls face. She had to revere them highly. “Aren’t they your best friends though?” As Kat opened her mouth to speak, her words died as she looked confused.

“M-Mittens is b-but Kat… No, Sophia and… and…” Claire frowned having somehow overloaded the girls mind with her simple question. This might be a bigger challenge then she thought. “It’s alright, I know what you mean.”

The younger girl didn’t respond for a moment as her lips seemingly moved with no words coming out. “Kat?” Blinking, the younger girl looked up seemingly absent before she smiled. “Yes pretty lady?” what on earth was going on in her mind?

“Let’s try something else… how about your favorite color?” Grinning, the young neko pulled her tail from behind her before stroking it. “Orange!” ‘I should have guessed, it’s only on her head and tail…’ Blinking, Claire almost palmed her forehead having not asked the first question she ever wondered about the girl.

“When did you get your… extra, features?” Kat looked down at the little brunette puzzled before she pointed to where cat ears would be on her head. “Oh, these are gifts. Sophia and Alexis gave me them when I joined. Kat’s grateful for it, Kat loves them.”

Kind of vague… this wasn’t getting her very far. It seemed like whatever she asked either confused the girl or she somehow redirected it making the question null and void. “Can Kat ask the pretty lady something?”

Looking back up, Claire nodded. “Why does pretty lady want to know about Kat… no one’s ever talked to Kat without wanting something from her? What do you want from Kat pretty lady?” Her tone was dark, along with her eyes growing darker. It was unnerving to see her carefree expression fade to be replaced with this one.

Claire just blinked at the question. “I want to get to know you Kat. That’s why I’m here after all.” Kat remained emotionless for a moment, as if studying her before she stood up abruptly. “Kat needs to go somewhere… Kat will, be back soon, pretty lady…”

As the young girl turned to leave, Claire stood at the spot she had just been in perplexed. Did she say something wrong? Frowning, the brunette laid back against the small crate she was on as she waited for the younger girl to return.

As seconds soon grew into minutes and minutes into almost an hour, she began to worry. ‘Did I really say something to make her this upset? I don’t understand what…’ Sighing, she turned to her side as she lay there tiredly.

This was driving her insane. Almost another full hour later, the door to the room opened once again as Kat returned. Looking up, Claire’s eyes widened as she saw the young girls orange locks in disarray along with her already haggard dress now smeared and smudged. What the hell was she doing?!

“Kat are you alright?!” Blinking, the young neko looked at Claire’s troubled expression before smiling. “Kat is fine. Dinner’s ready nice lady, are you hungry?” Recoiling back almost has if hit, Claire just looked up at the girl confused.

“I… I guess, b-but Kat, talk to me what happened, you look like you fell into a trash chute. Are you really alright?” The young girl didn’t bat an eyelash at the comment though instead she chose to simply walk over to Claire before picking her up.

“I hope you like rice. I made soup to, but I don’t have anything for you to eat it from.” The neko pouted as she carried Claire outside her room and down her dirtied apartment. ‘I get the feeling she’s not going to talk to me unless she wants to…’ Sighing, Claire decided to inquire about it later. She actually was kind of hungry, it had been almost a day since she last ate… odd that she hadn’t noticed.

Come to think of it, she wasn’t very hungry or thirsty since she shrunk… just kind of puckish really. She didn’t need to go to the bathroom either, and she hadn’t gone since the twins had shrunk her. What the heck did they do to her body? ‘Maybe it’s easier from them to take care of someone if they don’t have those kinds of needs?’

Shaking her head, Claire just sighed once more. There was so much she didn’t understand still. As Kat rounded a corner, she moved to a large table with multiple bottles and other open contains littering it. Setting her down, Kat moved to the side of the room, one with poor tastes could barely call kitchen.

It was only a few feet wide with only a small fridge, a stove, and a sink, all cramped next to one another. For someone like Kat it was big enough but how did her parents get in there and cook? Wait… As Claire looked around it finally dawned on her.

“Where are her parents…” Hearing something clatter, the brunette looked up before she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Standing as stiff as a board, Kat stood over a small bowl now cracked from being dropped as she shook lightly.

“M-M-My… My p-parents…” Cupping her mouth, Claire cursed in her mind. She was warned never to mention them repeatedly and she just did… “N-N-No, I… I didn’t m-mean yours… I, I was thinking about m-mine…”

Even to her that sounded like a lame excuse but it seemed like Kat didn’t notice. As her body loosed up a bit, the young girl kneeled down before picking up the bowl of spilled food. “Kat can be clumsy sometimes,” She giggled before moving the bowl to the side where the sink was.

“Good thing Kat made a lot…” As she picked up an empty (and hopefully clean) bowl lying near the stove, she quickly scooped in a few spoonful’s of plain rice before grabbing some of the soup she made as well.

After she made herself a bowl, she went over to the table before setting it near Claire. “Let Kat get you a plate to.” Walking back in, the brunette watched her before a troubling thought presented itself. The place was a mess… She seemingly cooked on her own… and her parents were nowhere in sight…

As the young girl moved to sit down, she stopped to place a small plate in front of Claire with a large (to her) portion of plain rice on it. “I hope it tastes ok, Kat wanted to try something new.” Nodding, Claire continued to watch the girl silently as she ate.

She didn’t really use manners either. She was just scarfing down the food, further making her speculation seem true. As she continued to sit there, the girl’s eyes soon landed on Claire. “Are you going to eat to pretty lady? I made the food special for you, do you not like it?”

Frowning, Claire moved towards the rice before eating a bit of it. It was bland, but then again she didn’t expect much. It was rice after all. But it did seem to make the young girl happy as she watched Claire eating.

As they both at, one in silence, the other loudly, they soon finished at about the same time. With a content burp, Kat giggled before taking her bowl back into the filthy kitchen. “Did you like it?” Rubbing her hands off on her jeans, Claire nodded.

“It was good Kat… Do you mind if I ask you something though?” the neko looked back as her tail swished back and forth curiously. “What is it nice lady?” Biting her lip, she shook her head. “N-Not here, back in your room if that’s ok?”

As Kat wiped her own hands off, she looked at Claire curiously before nodding. Moving back to the table she picked up the brunette before walking her back to her room. Knowing she didn’t have much time, the shrunken girls eyes zoned in on something, anything to prove her theory wrong… she couldn’t.

As Kat moved back into her room, she placed Claire on her small cot, before sitting down on the other end. “What did you want to ask Kat?” On a final attempt to prove herself wrong, Claire looked Kat over closely, her indifferent expression soon fading into sadness.

“You live alone… don’t you Kat?” the girl jumped back, almost like she was hit. “W-W-What, what does pretty lady mean? Kat’s not alone, she has Mittens!” She pointed to her sleeping kitten before Claire shook her head.

“You know what I mean… you live here alone, without anyone else.” A look of fear passed over Kat’s face as she tried to process what Claire was saying, as if it were a different language. “The apartment is filthy, you’re cooking your own food and you’re only four or five… Your body… even with how you’re keeping it is still dirty to, meaning you haven’t bathed in a while… and I didn’t see a single picture on the walls or around the house of you, or anyone for that matter. You’ve been living alone…”

Kat’s eyes beaded as she looked at Claire in shock. As she shook her head slowly, the brunette’s eyes lowered. “I… I know I shouldn’t ask this but… Where are your parents Kat?” Almost like a switch being flicked, the girl’s eyes hardened as her body stopped shaking.

Looking down at Claire, the shrunken girl now shook. It was like all of Kat’s worries and fears were suddenly thrusted onto her. “Kat doesn’t need to tell you anything… You don’t know Kat… You’re a mean lady…”

Gulping, Claire, leveled her gaze as she watched the kind child she knew Kat to be replaced with the one she remembered days before. “I want to know Kat… why do you live on your own?” As the girl’s tail flicked back and forth in agitation, she glared at her.

“But Kat doesn’t live alone mean lady… she has pets…” Frowning, Claire was about to respond until she noticed the girls eyes moving to the wooden floor next to her. “Would you like to see?” Before Claire could respond, Kat’s hands moved to the floorboards before she pulled an apparently loose one away revealing a small cubby hole. Peering in, her eyes widened in shock. Moving around tiredly, or just plain broken, were multiple shrunken people.

“Kat has lots of things living with her… Kat’s never alone…” Shuttering, Claire looked away from the tiny people as she tried to keep her attention on Kat. “W-What… What happened to your parents Ka-“, “KAT HAS NONE!” The girl finally shrieked and anger played over her face.

Staggering back speechless, the shrunken girl just shook her head. “B-But… but what about, what about the people who drove you here… who where they then?” Grinning, Kat chuckled as her head shook to the side.

“Puppets… I made them take me home, I don’t like walking back.” Looking back at the neko confused she was about to respond before she suddenly felt her legs give out under her making her drop to her knee’s.

‘W-W-Wait, w-what did…’ As her eyes slowly started to widen, Kat’s grin grew. “Yes, mean lady sees it now don’t you? Kat’s different. She’s not like Sophie and Alex, no… she’s different though.” Raising her hand, Claire watched in silent horror as her body began to move on its own.

“They gave her gifts… they let Kat access more of her mind then she ever could. Kat can make people do what she wants now without them knowing.” Shaking her head, Claire tried to resist but it was like what happened with Sophia all over again… if just a bit weaker.

She could move her fingers and neck, but beyond that she was still stuck… and Kat looked very happy about that. “They gave all of us gifts mean lady… Kat was the first one they fixed. She got lots of gifts from them. Their nice to Kat… and Kat thought you were nice to… Kat was wrong though, you’re just a mean lady… a mean adult…”

Hearing those words made Claire’s heart break. She just wanted to help her… “Kat, t-that’s not true and you know it.”, “Don’t patronize Kat… “She hissed before slamming her hand down on the floor angrily. “Do you know what Kat does with mean adults?”

Shaking her head slowly, Claire just watched in fear as the young girls eyes lit up. “Would you like to see?” As Claire tried to shake her head again, she suddenly found herself nodding against her will. “Good choice…”

Reaching into the small hole, the orange haired neko pulled out a small man who was cowering with fear. “This meanie doesn’t like Kat, he thinks she’s gutter trash. Tell her meanie.” As Kat moved the man towards Claire, he whimpered in fear before crying out in pain as his body was squeezed. “I SAID TELL HER!”

As the man cried he just shook his head. “H-Help m-me… Make her stop…” He whimpered… As Claire watched this she shook her head. “Kat, please listen to me! J-Just put, the man, down. L-let’s talk… Please…”

Looking back at Claire, Kat’s eyes widened. “You, you believe him… you think the meanie didn’t say that, that Kat’s lying…?” She shook her head bitterly. “He said it to my face… So I had Sophie shrink him. Now he’s the trash.” She giggled before giving his body another painful squeeze.

“Kat told you she wouldn’t lie to you… so why do you not believe Kat now? Did Mittens attack you?” she turned her head to Claire in a condescending way. The shrunken girl said nothing now. She hadn’t lied to her once actually.

Every time she asked her a question she had been truthful or simply chose not to answer… she didn’t lie. Looking back up at the man, a look of uncertainty crossed her features. “Did… did you call her trash?” As the man continued whimpering he stayed silent.

“Kat can show you what he said… but, mean lady might not enjoy it…” Looking up at Kat’s darkened expression a look of understanding soon crossed her face. “I… I don’t care what he said, I care about you Kat… show me, show me everything that’s happened… why you think I’m no different than him.”

Glaring back at Claire, Kat grinned cruelly. “This will hurt mean lady a lot… Kat will enjoy it.” Gulping, Claire nodded. She already experienced what it felt like to have someone else’s memories in her own, how much worse could this be?

Dropping the man without a care for his wellbeing, Kat moved her hands over Claire as she formed a circle with her fingers. “Mean lady wanted to know… so mean lady will feel it all!” As Claire’s vision began to fade, her back suddenly arched as an intense pain shot through her making her scream before she suddenly passed out.

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Claire’s eyes slowly opened as a blinding light shined down on her… she was in a white room… As multiple people stood over her, she saw what looked like a doctor’s face looking down at her. She couldn’t be sure, but the face mask was a dead giveaway he was some kind of doctor.

“It’s a girl.” Blinking, Claire tried to move but she couldn’t. ‘These aren’t my memories… I almost forgot…’ She was just along for the ride. As she was moved she saw an auburn haired woman with a rather haggard expression looking down at her.

Smiling faintly, she touched her before rubbing her thumb over Claire’s cheek. ‘W-W-Wait, I… I felt that…’ When Alexis did this to her she couldn’t feel anything. But now, she could smell the scent of disinfectant in the air… and feel the warmth from this woman’s arms cradling her.

As Claire’s mouth opened on its own she heard herself beginning to cry before it finally dawned on her. This was Kat when she was born. ‘Why would she show me this?’ She wanted to know what happened to her, but this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

As a man moved next to the smiling woman, he looked down at her indifferently before looking to the woman. “So what’s her name?” that sounded kind of cold… Humming the woman shook her head. “How about, Kathrine?”

The man simply shrugged before moving out of her line of limited sight. “Whatever you say.” As the woman continued to cradle Kat, Claire smiled having just heard it. ‘So her name’s Kathrine… I wonder why she wouldn’t tell me before.’

As Claire’s vision started to fade, she let the memories take her where they wanted to go. It was supposed to be easier that way…

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Claire crawled out of her room, as she slowly made her way out from her small cot. It was dark, very dark. As Kat walked into the hallway, she followed the trail as a light banging was heard close by. “WE CAN’T JUST DO ANYTHING, WE HAVE TO STOP!”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN’T DO!” As a loud slap rang out, Kat crouched low before continuing forward.  Claire watched silently before gasping as she saw Kat’s parents fighting.  Both hard dark bruises on them from what she could tell.

“I HATE YOU!” As the woman tossed bottles at the man, he ducked and tried to avoid them before flipping their kitchen table over in rage. Claire wanted to cup her mouth but she was still a prisoner to this… horrific show known as Kat’s memories.

As she started to crawl away, her vision began to fade again… what else could happen to her?

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Once again, Kat opened her eyes as she looked around her small room. As she pulled a dirty blanket off herself, she got to her feet before moving to her door. This time, Claire could hear a static like noise in the background.

As Kat wobbled around for some reason, Claire watched patiently for what was going to happen next. Stepping into the minuscule living room, Kat peered over a reclining chair as she watched her Dad snoring lightly, a TV on in front of him with white noise playing over and over.

In his hand was a half empty beer bottle along with its other 5 brothers littering the ground next to it. Looking around, the apartment was starting to look more and more like what it did today. As Kat rubbed her dad’s arm, the man flinched before leaning up.

“Kathrine…? G-Go, back to bed…” He slurred before falling back into his chair, the bottle breaking as it fell to the floor next to him. Lowering her gaze, Kat did just that as she walked away. It seemed like the man was defeated. There was no anger or hostility in his voice anymore… only sadness.

As the memory started the fade, Claire just shook her head. She still didn’t understand…

~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~

Claire sat in silence as Kat held a small picture frame in her hands. In it was an image of her mother, or at least the woman who looked like her. Tears fell down her cheeks as she hugged it into her chest. As the door to her room opened, her father peered in before sighing, haggardly.

“I’ve told you before not to take that… it’s all I have left of her.” whimpering, Kat held the picture tighter before the man finally came over towards her and pried it from her hands. I know you miss her… you just need to get over it… for the both of us.” He sighed before walking away, leaving Kat with more tears then comfort.

It was starting to make some semblance of sense but still it wasn’t all there, not yet…

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As Claire opened her eyes she blinked in surprise, half expecting to wake up in Kat’s room once again. It seemed that was where most of her childhood happened when she was growing up. As she watched herself walking up a flight of stairs, it soon dawned on her where she was.

Kat moved down a long hallway with a small bag in her hand as she made her way over to her apartment… however something was different than the other memories. Looking up, Kat moved quickly as she ran to the open door of the apartment.

As she ran inside and looked around, tears soon fell from her cheeks. “Daddy? Daddy…?” Running all around the rooms and up and down the stairwell once again, Kat fell to her knee’s as tears fell from cheeks.

“DADDY!” he was gone…

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Multiple memories came after that one. Some worse than others, all more terrible then the last though. Kat Searching for her father… searching for food… searching for anyone… she was all alone. When she went to people for help, she was constantly met with cruel sneers or just pushed away. Claire even saw the memory of the man Kat and shrunken… she was telling the truth…

After while the images in her mind changed once more till she saw Kat sitting on her floor almost lifelessly. Her stomach hurt… she felt thirsty to… what was going on? As a loud knocking was heard somewhere else, Kat’s head rose slowly.

Moving to her door, staggeringly sluggish, she steadied herself before slowly making her way to the front room. As the knock sounded off again, Kat looked up with hope. “D-Daddy…?” Moving to the door, she opened it expectantly before her eyes dropped.

Claire on the other hand looked up in shock. “Hello Kathrine, we would like to half a word with you if you’d be so kind.” Standing across from her, were two little blond girls dressed in red. ‘Sophia… Alexis…’ As Kat looked at them confused, she turned to close the door before a foot was placed in the way.

“We want to help you, we promise not to hurt you. You know what they say about promises.” Sophia spoke up making the girl stop.  As she looked back at the twins she opened the door once again. “W-Who are you… why do ou know me?”

As they made their way inside, Alexis looked around before scowling. “How long has it been since your father abandoned you? A week, two weeks? Living on your own for that long… it must be hard to go on. What’s driving you to survive?” Her tone sounded more intrigued then anything, but there was a hint of sympathy there none the less.

Moving around to Kat’s other side Sophia looked her over as well. “He just left you; he couldn’t take how much of a disappointment he was. You are not to blame.” Feeling her eyes water, Kat turned quickly before she felt her wrists grabbed by both twins.

“Let us in Kathrine, we know you because we’ve seen what you’ve endured. This is more than even us. We’re impressed.” They grinned making Kat shiver. “Y-You said you wouldn’t hurt me… you promised…” Instantly both twins let go of the girl nodding.

“That we did, and a promise should always be kept.” As they circled the shivering girl, a look of sadness crossed their faces as they observed her. “We can help you. We can make you stronger, strong enough to fend for yourself if you so choose… or if you really don’t want us to, we can just leave.” Alexis spoke plain and clear as she and her sister turned to leave.

“All we ask is for a few minutes of your time. We’ll even buy you lunch, how does that sound?” Feeling her stomach ache in pain, Kat looked down before nodding solemnly. Grinning, both Sophia and Alexis opened the door for her.

“Please, follow us. We’ll change you forever Kathrine-“ “Kat…” Pausing, both blondes looked to her in surprise. “Call… Call me Kat… Kathrine makes me sad…” She whimpered as tears began to fall from her eyes. Both girls smiled warmly before nodding.

“Alright Kat, we promise you this. We will make life better for you, and a promise is a promise.” As Kat trailed behind the two mysterious blondes, Claire just soaked in their words. Kat had been abandoned… she was starved… abused… Shaking her head (in her mind) she wanted to cry.

As her vision began to fade, Claire tried to will it to stop, wanting to know what happened next but it seemed something was pulling her out of it once again. As her vision faded Claire’s mind began blank out as well…

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Opening her eyes slowly, Claire groaned as she felt a massive headache pounding on her mind. “You we’re in pain… you felt it didn’t you…” Rising slowly, the brunette turned as she saw Kat sitting with her knee’s pulled into her chest, a saddened look present on her face as she stared off into the distance.

“Kat’s not trash… she’s not…” Crawling to her knee’s, Claire hobbled for a moment before her legs gave out under her making her cry out in pain. She felt beyond exhausted. It was like she had just run a marathon without stopping to breathe.

Turning her attention to Claire now, Kat simply frowned before crossing her arms. “Lilith was right; all adults are the same… why did Kat trust you to be different…” As Claire continued to crawl forward, a frown marred her face.

“Y-Your… not, trash…” Kat blinked before looking down at Claire. “What do you want from Kat… Everyone wants something…” Her tone was resolute. “Sophie and Alex wanted my loyalty. I gave it to them. I’ll follow them wherever they take me… they saved Kat… What does the mean lady want… and what could she possibly give Kat in return?”

Frowning, Claire shook her head. “I… I can’t give you anything… but a promise.” Kat’s eyes widened slightly before she leaned down, her face now just inches from Claire. “What does the mean lady promise?” Smiling as best as she could through the pain raking her body, Claire extended her hand towards Kat.

“I promise, promise to make your life better…” She panted. Even her breathe hurt to take. Frowning, Kat looked away with her arms crossed. “Kat’s life is fine. She has Mittens… and friends.” Gritting her teeth, Claire sat up before meeting her gaze.

“This, this isn’t living Kathrine. This is getting by…” Kat looked back at Claire enraged before picking her up in anger. “DON’T CALL ME THAT!” Meeting her scrutiny, the brunette licked her lips before speaking again. “You’re not a bad person… I just saw your life Kath… Kat. Let me in, I want to be your friend…”

As Kat tightened her grip on Claire, she growled. “You’re lying… adults aren’t friends, they hurt Kat!” Chuckling softly, she just shook her head. “That’s why I made a promise… you said those can’t be broken…” Kat’s hand shook silently as she kept her glare locked on the shrunken girl, but as she continued… it slowly faded… along with her lip beginning to tremble slowly…

“Claire…” Kat mumbled as tears fell from her eyes. The brunette gasped as she was suddenly engulfed in a deep hug by the little girl, finally showing her hurt side to her. “Nice lady…” She whimpered as she continued to hug Claire for dear life.

As tears fell down the young girl’s cheeks and onto her, Claire just smiled before returning the hug as awkwardly as she could manage. “I promise you I’ll never hurt you like others have…” Sniffling, Kat nodded as she continued to hug Claire, afraid she might vanish if she let go.

This continued for a long time, and Claire was fine by it. As long as Kat was content, that was all that mattered…

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“A-Are you sure about this Claire…” Kat whispered with worry as she held her kitten close to her chest. “I need you to trust me, trust me like I trusted you earlier.” Claire called up to the girl from her shoulder.

As they stood outside a large building, Kat looked at it with trepidation. She had never been to this part of town before. “How do I get in?” Pointing to the doormat, Kat looked down before noticing a small rock next to it.

“I leave a key under it in case I ever lose mine… or in this case have them shrunk to the point they won’t work in doorknobs anymore.” She mumbled before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Reaching down, Kat picked up the rock before seeing the apartment key lodged inside of it.

After taking the key out, she moved back to the door before sliding it in. “Welcome to my home Kat… I hope you like it.” As the little neko flung the door inward her eyes widened. “It’s so clean…” Laughing at that, Claire nodded.

“Well don’t just stand there, look around.” Stepping inside, Kat nodded before putting Mittens on the carpeted floor. The cat immediately meowed before walking around contently. Shutting the door behind her, Kat moved Claire into her hands where her cat had just been before looking around.

It was somewhat spacious, definitely larger than her apartment though, that was for sure. As Kat walked around seemingly lost in thought, Claire grinned. It must have been awhile since she saw someplace else like this. That did make her wonder though, if Sophia and Alexis knew so much about Kat, why didn’t they try to help her with her living arrangements as well?

They didn’t seem like the type to turn away a friend in need. Flipping a switch, Kat jumped slightly as the room lit up. “Your lights work to, this place is nice…” she mumbled sadly making Claire pout. “Why don’t we head upstairs alright?”

Nodding, the orange haired girl followed the staircase to the top before coming to a single door. “This is my room, and for tonight, it’s yours as well.” Opening the door, Kat peered in before her eyes widened. It was a bit missy but… it looked nice.

Walking in slowly, Kat looked around in wonder before her eyes landed on Claire’s bed. “C-Can… Can Kat, get on?” Giggling, the shrunken girl nodded. After Kat had opened up a bit to her, she began acting timid around her. It was almost like she was afraid of something.

As Kat hopped up, nearly tossing Claire off her hands in the process she gasped before giggling happily as she rolled on the soft mattress. “This feels nicer than mine. You have nice things pretty lady.” She grinned before hugging Claire into her once more.

“I try…” it wasn’t really that grate it was just a single twin mattress and frame… though to her it seemed like a bed fit for a king. It really showed just how sheltered a life she lived… Frowning Claire closed her eyes trying to forget those painful memories in her mind… it was hard to tell which ones where hers and which ones were Kat’s at this point.

As Claire watched Kat continue to play and bounce on her bed, something occurred to her. “Hey Kat… when was the last time you had a bath?” Looking down at the brunette, Kat shivered. “Kat gave herself a bath earlier…”

Scowling, Claire crossed her arms. “You’re not lying to me are you?” With widening eyes she shook her head quickly. “No Kat never lies! See!” Claire watched in disbelief as the young girl started licking her palm before rubbing her face over a few times.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’ Once she was happy, she looked back at Claire expectantly. “I’m not talking about a *Cat* bath, I meant a real one.” Pouting, the younger girl looked away sheepishly. “Kat doesn’t know… mommy used to give me them before she went away…”

Frowning, Claire pointed to a door near the entrance of the room. “Come on lets go.” Looking back at Claire confused, she nodded before picking the small girl up once again. ‘Wow Alexis was right, she does listen when you talk sternly.’

It would almost make her laugh, seeing someone her size commanding someone much taller than herself around. As Kat opened the door she flicked the switch before her eyes widened. “I trust you know how to use a bath?”

Pouting, Kat nodded as she looked over the small bathroom. It was kind of cramped but the one in her apartment was much smaller than this one… and the water stopped working awhile back anyways so it didn’t matter.

Moving to the center of the room, Kat set the shrunken girl down before walking over to the tub. “Does Kat have to take a bath?” Crossing her arms, Claire nodded. “Yes Kat you need a bath. You don’t want to be dirty do you?”, “Yes!”, “No!” Pouting, the young neko sulked as she turned the water on.

“If Kat has to bathe then so does Claire!” Smirking, Claire pulled her shirt of before doing the same with her jeans. “I like baths Kat, I have no problems there.” She chuckled. Pouting once more, Kat hung her head in defeat before she turned her attention back to the water.

“Kat doesn’t know how to swim…” Sighing, Claire just shook her head again. “You’re not going to Drown Kat. Please just get ready for your bath.” Stomping her foot, she finally relented. Pulling off her small black top, she discarded it to the floor before doing the same with the small white shorts she had on beneath them.

As Claire looked Kat over, her face darkened. She had lots of smudges and other bruises on her body. Some scars to… She had only gotten a glimpse of what Kat had to endure… what on earth kept her going for so long?

 As Kat flicked her tail back and forth in agitation she finally turned the water off once it was as high as she was ok with. Moving back to the sink, she picked Claire up before groaning as she put her foot in the water.

“Does Kat really have to?” Claire gave the young neko a stern look making her pout further before she entered the bath fully. As she was lowered down into the water, a small sigh escaped the brunette’s lips. “See Kat this isn’t so bad, doesn’t the warm water feel good?

The orange haired girl said nothing as she sulked in the water. “Mean lady…” Smirking, Claire laid on her back as she floated over towards Kat. “I’m not being mean and you know it. Just lie back in the water and relax. You can get out after you get some of that dirt off you.”

Moping, the younger girl pulled her tail out of the way before doing as Claire instructed. As she continued to pet herself a small smile found its way to her lips. “You need a bath now to pretty lady, you said you would.”

Turning back towards the colossal child, Claire frowned. “I’m taking a bath with you right now.” Shaking her head, Kat just grinned. “Not this kind of a bath.” As Claire was lifted out of the water towards Kat, her eyes widened.

“W-W-Wait, N-N-No, no, no, no, no, that is not what I meant!” Grinning, the younger girl ignored her as she forced Claire to spread her body out in her hands. “Just relax, when I think your clean I’ll let you go~” She mocked before moving Claire towards her mouth. Before the shrunken girl could protest she shuttered as Kat’s long tongue trailed over her face leaving her sputtering for air.

As Claire’s gasped after the first lick, her whole body began to heat up making her blush furiously. “K-K-Kat… w-wait, you don’t understand what yo-“She shuttered again as the young girls tongue rolled her breasts around.

Shivering, Claire closed her eyes as she tried to ignore the feeling spreading through her but it was almost instantaneous. Kat giggled as she watched Claire moaning in her hands. She had seen the others do this with their tinies before, but she never understood why.

Eating them was much more fun, not that she’d eat Claire she was a nice lady. Licking up her body, she made sure to get it face first, along with a few kisses that followed. After working her over a bit she went back to the girls breasts.

The loud moans she was making, where blissfully cute to her ears. Whenever she licked her there, she always screamed loudly. Moving downward, Kat worked on her stomach next, her tongue tracing light circles on her belly before dipping into her navel.

As Claire’s back continued to arch, she grit her teeth. This pleasure, why was it so damn g-good?! She wanted more… she knew she wanted more, and it horrified her. As Kat’s tongue found it’s wat to her crotch she gasped before screaming loudly.

Stopping abruptly, the young neko’s eyes widened in fear. “D-D-DID KAT HURT YOU?!” Whimpering, Claire grunted as she tried desperately to ignore it… but she was too weak… “N-No… b-b-but please don’t stop…”

Looking at Claire, clearly confused, Kat nodded before she moved her tongue over Claire once again. As it zoned in between her legs, the brunette moaned loudly. It was like before. Her whole body was being ignited with bliss.

Kat purred quietly, further showing off her feline like traits as her tongue dove into Claire’s folds. She couldn’t figure out quite why, but something tasted pleasant to her around there. Giggling, she stayed on that spot for a big longer then she had anywhere else on Claire. Not to mention she was being rewarded with her efforts. The pretty lady was singing loudly every time she cleaned her.

Gripping Kat’s hand, Claire thrashed before her back began to arch. Right before she felt the sweat relief that followed however, her tongue moved away as it traveled down her thighs. “KAT PLEASE!” Jumping once again, the younger girl looked at her pleading eyes not understanding what she had done to make the brunette like this.

“K-Keep… Keep cleaning me, t-there…” As she pointed between her legs, she shook her head in disgust. The twins had corrupted her… but it felt so good… Crying softly, she soon groaned once more as her back began to arch.

Kat looked down at Claire confused but did as she was told none the less. Driving her tongue deeper into Claire, she continued to orally assault her not thinking anything to be wrong in the slightest by her actions. All she knew was it was making Claire happy, so she’d do what she could to keep her that way.

Grunting, Claire clenched her eyes as she tried to block out the distant laughter in her mind. It was like the twins were somehow mocking her… but, she needed it… needed this. It just felt too good, she was going to go insane if Kat didn’t finish what she started.

As Claire felt herself reaching her peak, she let out a final scream as Kat’s tongue continued to lick and caress her folds as she finally bucked her hips as her climax hit, sending her into an ecstasy induced state of bliss. Flopping back into young neko’s hand, Claire panted, her vision fading in and out.

Kat blinked in surprise as something sticky coated her tongue. Looking down, she licked her lips for a moment before a pleasant smile graced her lips. “You taste good Claire… much better the all those other tinies. You are special.” She giggled before looking back at the brunette’s inanimate form.

“P-P-Pretty lady…? C-Claire…?” Looking up shakily at Kat’s concerned face, a small smile made its way to her lips. “T-Thank you…” letting her head flop back down, she just laid there tiredly, completely drained after that…

As Kat sat in the tub motionless, her concern only grew. “C-Claire… CLAIRE!”

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Claire opened her eyes slowly as her she felt herself beginning to stir. She felt good, tired… but good. “PRETTY LADY!” Before she could blink away her grogginess however, the shrunk girl screeched as she was bounced into the air. Looking around fearfully, she soon realized she was on her bed.

As Kat jumped around excitedly, she picked Claire up before hugging her close. “Kat was so scared! Pretty lady just fell asleep. Don’t scare Kat like that please, please!” Her tone was full of freight as she continued to hold Claire close.

“Kat…” She must have given the girl a heart attack after passing out. She told her that she’d be there for her and then she just left her… Sighing, she nodded. “I’m… I’m sorry I, fell asleep…” it would probably be easier explaining that to her then what actually happened. Nodding, Kat moved Claire down before sitting over her protectively… however.

As Claire looked up at Kat for the first time she cupped her face in embarrassment. “K-K-KAT, WHAT ARE YOU W-WEARING?!” The neko looked down confused before she smiled happily. “You said Kat had to be clean. Kats clothes are dirty though, so she borrowed yours. Does Kat look cute?”

Feeling her whole face flush red, Claire nodded meekly, not sure how to put it. She had apparently raided her clothes drawers. Resting over her chest was a low cut shirt meant to show off her rather lacking breasts. It was cut near the top in the shape of a heart that would give anyone a nose bleed… if she had breasts to show off that was.

As it stood on cat, it just looked like a partial shirt exposing her midriff and a small heart. Still it wasn’t meant to be worn by kids! However what she had on a little lower was what shocked her the most. Apparently she had found her… underwear drawer and was currently using a pair of her black satin panties. While a bit loose, Kat apparently proved resourceful by tying off the loose ends making it look more like the bottom half of a two piece bikini instead of panties.

As Claire just looked her over for a moment she shook her head. “W-We… We s-should probably have you change…” Pouting, the young neko groaned before rolling over. “But I don’t want to, your clothes fit Kat fine. They feel good to. Please let Kat stay like this, pleeeeeeeeeeease!”

Hanging her head in shame, Claire looked away sheepishly. “F-Fine Kat… you can wear them… B-B-But change out of them before we go to the daycare tomorrow… I don’t want the twins to know about this or they’ll never let me live it down.” She groaned. How did a child have this much control over her, by simply begging…

Giggling, Kat nodded before rolling back over. “Thank you nice lady, you’re the best!” As Claire was picked up, she shivered as her face was met by Kat’s lips once again. After pulling away, the shrunken brunette began to blush once more.

“Claire… will you stay with Kat.” Looking up, Claire smiled warmly as she saw the darker expression being worn by the young girl. It was almost like she had two sides to her. “I promise as long as I’m around, I’ll always be there for you.”

Nodding, Kat pulled Claire into her chest before lying on her back. “Thank you…” As Claire lay there, her small smile soon grew. If she did make it out of this whole situation alive in the end… she’d keep true on that promise. She had something to strive for now at least…

Yawning tiredly, she nuzzled her face into the now sleeping girl before feeling herself beginning to doze. Only time would tell if she’d earn each of Sophia and Alexis’s friends trust like she had Kat… but she was off to a good start it seemed…