W.A.R.M.T.H: The Prologue

The Viper and Her Toxins, The Bad Boy and His Anger

                                                                                           AJ

         Does Ren have a crush? No way, the only time he has ever shown interest in anyone was in third grade, and it was our math teacher. But this is about the third time I've seen him staring at her. Well, he won't fess up to it, so I'll just keep the knowledge handy for blackmail later on. I look over at Amora, still eating chocolate. Damn, these girls are strange. Hot though. I take a look at Amora's cat ears. I didn't notice during our first meeting but, they twitch at subtle sounds. I wonder...

 "Are those.....real?" 

I ask, wanting to talk to anyone at this point, even if it's the weird cat girl that's obsessive over her chocolate. Her eyes dart up to mine 

"...No," 

She gets nervous. I stare, approaching her slowly. She leans away from me, trying to avoid my touch, but I eventually make contact with her soft ears. I gasp and pull my hand away quickly from the shock. Amora's cheeks flush. I'm not sure if it's embarrassment or shame. I reach my hand over again carefully. When I touch them, I feel a small tingle that shoots through my fingertips and rests on top of my head where the ears would be if I had them, like a phantom limb.

"Woah." by this point, I have gotten Ren's attention, and he also starts rubbing her ears. As we scratch her ears, the red in Amora's cheeks deepens and deepens. Finally, I hear a slight purr before she pushes us off.

"Okay, okay, leave them alone!!" Ren jumps away and redirects his attention back to Raven. I wonder what it is about her that has caught his interest so well... I try not to dwell on it too much and instead look back at Amora,

" So, What other parts of you are animal-like?" I top off the remark with a smirk

She stares at me intensely for a few seconds before she answers. "Well, I have a tail. And no, I'm not letting you see it." She either didn't understand my innuendo or ignored it.

"So, how are you.... were you like...created in a test tube, or were you actually given birth to like that?"

"I was given birth to..., not like this but... I don't really want to talk about it" Her facial expression changes as she speaks. I notice it went from almost completely oblivious to thoughtful and pained. "Pretty painful story then? I get it..." I give her a look that lets her know she can tell me anytime. But, wait, what am I doing? I need to put the game face back on. I change my tone immediately and put on my best darker intentioned smile.

"So, you seem pretty flexible. Wanna show me what else you can do?"

She gives me a thoughtful smile and looks over at Ren to see if he's paying attention. Amora turns back to me and leans in closer.

"I know what you're doing, AJ." She says with a whispering tone. Her eyes are intense, and she seems to believe her meaning is clear.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, darlin',"

I say with sarcasm, trying to divert her attention away from whatever she's trying to get at.

"You never answered my question,"

I state, still trying to change the topic. Then, finally, she gets out of her box and bends down to make eye contact with me.

"And you never answered mine." Finally, she says, "Raven!! Come on; I have to go home."

Almost automatically, Raven opens her eyes and sighs,

"But I was having fun letting Ren think I didn't know he was staring at me."