"Growing Pains"

[Kalie Kitten]

Kalie was crouched on the table behind the couch perched in a very cat like pose staring at nothing in particular when her mother came into the room.

Kalie dear you seem sad what is wrong?” her mother asked.
Kalie: “Nothing much just going threw some stuff, boy things really”
Kalie’s mother: “oh what kind of boy troubles dear?”
Kalie: “well you met Raphael he came for dinner the other day and I told you about Drix I am having troubles with the fact that I like them both.”
Kalie’s mother: “oh I see, do you like one more then the other or are they the same?”

Her mother sat down on the couch and Kalie climbed down with her curling up into her lap. Her mother picked up the hair brush from the side table and started to brush Kalie’s hair a ritual the two of them had shard from the first time Kalie had ever needed to talk to her mother about anything.

Kalie spoke again this time much more calm: Well I like them both but there is a difference. Raphael is… well he is like you and dad. We do things together we laugh and joke and patrol together. I can’t imagine him not being a part of my life. But then there is Drix and he is charming and sweet and he makes me feel all tingly. He is sweet and we do things together too but there is a definite attraction to Drix where as Raphael is more of a mental connection. Does that make sense?

Kalie’s mother: Yes dear that makes perfect sense. You are a cat and with that will come a lot cat like tendencies. You have seen the domesticated house cat. They are very particular with who they accept and who they don’t. People that are cat lovers joke about cat’s picking there owner. It is true you will pick someone to be you’re… I won’t say owner but you’re familiar. I am sure you remember all the witch stories when you where a child and how they would have cat’s as familiar’s keeping them grounded and centered. Well those stories stem from my dimension where cats actually pick a being to be there grounding force there familiar. Your father is my Familiar. He is a constant in my life never changing we work together with the other long bow agents. They all joke about him and I being two peas in a pod but that is truly how it is for us. Perhaps your Raphael is your Familiar?

Kalie: That is a bit out there but if that is the case then what is Drix?

Kalie’s mother: He dear one is probably the first boy you have been physically attracted too. You have reached puberty and we are different then the human way you have been raised. Your hormones are taking over and urging certain things to be more prevalent. He may be a good mate for you.

Kalie: You mean like to have kids with? EEW!!!

Kalie’s mother: well yes dear but just because you having the feelings doesn’t mean you have too act on them. Even human boys and girls your age have that impulse to mate but they have because of society standards suppressed that need. You can wait until you are read for such things.

Kalie: So you are telling me it is ok for me to like them both?

Kalie’s mother: I am telling you that you may need more then one constant person in your life as you grow. But your young you don’t have to make decisions about those things now.

Kalie: But I feel like I am hurting Raphael bye being around Drix and I think I would just melt if I had to choose one or the other. I mean there different and I like them both for different things.

Kalie’s mother: I would try explaining it to them perhaps there not as uncompromising as you think.

Kalie gets up out of her mother’s lap turning around to hug her warmly. Then she heads into her room for a hot shower before leaving to head back to school. The shower took a long time as Kalie contemplates every thing her mother just said to her. Laughing to her self as her thoughts go from lucky me needed more then one boy to thoughts of being such a freak now. How is she ever going to fit in with her life the way it is now.

On her way out the front door her father stops her to ask about some recent clothing charges on his credit card. Kalie smiles and hugs him tight. “I am at a private school now dad I have to fit in, by the way can I have some cash for pizza’s and cokes when we go out?” Her dad mumbling something about school uniforms reaches into his wallet and gives her a few twenties. Hugs and kisses to both her parents out the door she goes on her way back to the dorm’s with a few luxuries from home to make her quad a little homier.