never came. Instead she found herself standing. Suddenly upright and steady.
Standing on four legs. Small furry legs.
She stood silently for a moment, scanning the room from her new perspective—just a foot higher than the floor— then let out an involuntary “meow” of surprise.
Ohmigod it worked! It’s true! I’m a cat! And I can still think like a human!
She realized she was tangled in her clothing. Slipping free she leaped up onto her vanity and stared at herself in the mirror.
A gorgeous fluffy Maine Coon stared back at her.
For the first time in her life Felicia felt truly liberated.
Nothing is impossible. If I can do this, I can do anything. Magic is real. And thanks to Granny Dola I have power. Real power. I can do anything. Anything I want!
Right now she had plenty to do. She needed to explore her new condition. To define her limitations, and understand the advantages it offered. Despite her feline appearance and strangely enhanced senses she was able to reason like a human being.
She scurried across the room and hopped up onto the windowsill. She poked her head out into the cool night air. It didn’t feel nearly as cold as it should have on a crisp October evening. The fur on her face was a very effective insulator.
She bent forward, claws planted precariously on the edge of the glossy windowsill. The ground seemed a million miles below. But her new feline instincts told her that was no problem.
She looked over at the oak tree in the yard outside her window. Its branches shivered in the night breeze, beckoning her. But the nearest one was six feet away, and looked too thin to hold even her little bitty cat weight.
A thrill of anxiety and excitement ran through her. Her tail twitched nervously.
The human reason in her brain told her not to dare risk it. But a new part of her spirit urged her to throw caution to the wind. Don’t be such a fraidy cat. It’s a piece of cake.
Don’t worry about falling. Cats always land on their feet. Besides, you have nine lives now, right?
Well? Are you a cat? Or just a pussy?
Felicia hunkered down on her haunches and before she could think twice she sprang forward, launching herself through the cold night air.
For a fleeting moment she was surprised at the power of her leap… then she felt sheer exhilaration as she soared like a comet through empty space with the wind rushing through her fur.
Suddenly the skinny whip of a tree branch was there and with lightning reflexes her claws shot forward tearing into its leathery bark. She twisted her body, spinning and tumbling like a gymnast, then retracted her claws and landed securely on a thicker branch below.
She crouched there, heart racing, claws clinging tightly to her lofty perch. For a long delirious moment she wallowed in the lingering thrill of her feline acrobatics.
Then she sprang from that branch down to the next… and the next… until her feet padded down on a mushy carpet of bugleweed and she was racing across the front yard, headed for her first great adventure.
81
The Nine Lives of Felicia Miller
12
The shots stung like bee stings. Felicia yowled in pain and ran off into the woods, shedding drops of color from the flurry of stinging paintballs.
The boys’ laughter mocked her as she scrambled away in a panic, humiliated by the utter failure of her first attempt to deal with Wally and his gang in her new feline form.
The first step of her revenge plan had simply been to find out the identities of all the boys involved in her assault. She’d planned to spy on them, and had stealthily approached the Sutter house to snoop around and eavesdrop. But the tables were turned when the gang surprised her as they returned from a paintball battle in the woods.
Retreating to the safety of the forest, Felicia paused beneath a shrub to lick her wounds. Thankfully they were more emotional than physical. But the pain of the encounter was real, and disheartening. Once again the evil boys had
Standing on four legs. Small furry legs.
She stood silently for a moment, scanning the room from her new perspective—just a foot higher than the floor— then let out an involuntary “meow” of surprise.
Ohmigod it worked! It’s true! I’m a cat! And I can still think like a human!
She realized she was tangled in her clothing. Slipping free she leaped up onto her vanity and stared at herself in the mirror.
A gorgeous fluffy Maine Coon stared back at her.
For the first time in her life Felicia felt truly liberated.
Nothing is impossible. If I can do this, I can do anything. Magic is real. And thanks to Granny Dola I have power. Real power. I can do anything. Anything I want!
Right now she had plenty to do. She needed to explore her new condition. To define her limitations, and understand the advantages it offered. Despite her feline appearance and strangely enhanced senses she was able to reason like a human being.
She scurried across the room and hopped up onto the windowsill. She poked her head out into the cool night air. It didn’t feel nearly as cold as it should have on a crisp October evening. The fur on her face was a very effective insulator.
She bent forward, claws planted precariously on the edge of the glossy windowsill. The ground seemed a million miles below. But her new feline instincts told her that was no problem.
She looked over at the oak tree in the yard outside her window. Its branches shivered in the night breeze, beckoning her. But the nearest one was six feet away, and looked too thin to hold even her little bitty cat weight.
A thrill of anxiety and excitement ran through her. Her tail twitched nervously.
The human reason in her brain told her not to dare risk it. But a new part of her spirit urged her to throw caution to the wind. Don’t be such a fraidy cat. It’s a piece of cake.
Don’t worry about falling. Cats always land on their feet. Besides, you have nine lives now, right?
Well? Are you a cat? Or just a pussy?
Felicia hunkered down on her haunches and before she could think twice she sprang forward, launching herself through the cold night air.
For a fleeting moment she was surprised at the power of her leap… then she felt sheer exhilaration as she soared like a comet through empty space with the wind rushing through her fur.
Suddenly the skinny whip of a tree branch was there and with lightning reflexes her claws shot forward tearing into its leathery bark. She twisted her body, spinning and tumbling like a gymnast, then retracted her claws and landed securely on a thicker branch below.
She crouched there, heart racing, claws clinging tightly to her lofty perch. For a long delirious moment she wallowed in the lingering thrill of her feline acrobatics.
Then she sprang from that branch down to the next… and the next… until her feet padded down on a mushy carpet of bugleweed and she was racing across the front yard, headed for her first great adventure.
81
The Nine Lives of Felicia Miller
12
The shots stung like bee stings. Felicia yowled in pain and ran off into the woods, shedding drops of color from the flurry of stinging paintballs.
The boys’ laughter mocked her as she scrambled away in a panic, humiliated by the utter failure of her first attempt to deal with Wally and his gang in her new feline form.
The first step of her revenge plan had simply been to find out the identities of all the boys involved in her assault. She’d planned to spy on them, and had stealthily approached the Sutter house to snoop around and eavesdrop. But the tables were turned when the gang surprised her as they returned from a paintball battle in the woods.
Retreating to the safety of the forest, Felicia paused beneath a shrub to lick her wounds. Thankfully they were more emotional than physical. But the pain of the encounter was real, and disheartening. Once again the evil boys had
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