The Search for Voyd

Chapter 2

A few months went by and Avia was now able to go outside again. Her scar was now all dried up. It may have been healed, but it still remained on her face. Ever since that incident with the calico cat, the veterinarians have had to do surgery on her to help her survive. There were even spots on her face they had to fix due to it being prone to infection and another opening. After a few doodles on her face, her scar was now shaped like a V. Avia was not impressed by her appearance. However, no matter how many times her parents saw Avia with her scar, they would always end up being in a happy mood. It was odd. Usually parents worry for their kid with a remaining wound. But not these parents. They were just in a lovable mood when they saw the scar. It looked like it reminded them of someone they knew, but Avia didn't know who it was, making her confused and curious at the same time.

As Avia was wandering around the neighborhood, she saw a few cats, but instead of one "hello", they started screaming, hissing, and making fun of her appearance. "Oh my catnip! Look at her face! It's hideous!" yowled one cat. "I know, right?! It's disgusting!" another cat growled. "What a freak!" yelled a third cat. Hearing those rude comments made Avia feel hurt. Her face may have looked different, but she was still the same cat with the same personality. Dogs around her even barked aggressively at her. Avia even tried to get some love from other humans, but instead, she ended up being sprayed by water, having stuff thrown at her, and getting kicked out of the house while the humans screamed in fright. Foxes, rabbits, raccoons, birds, squirrels, snakes, frogs, and even mice ran away from her in terror. And this was all due to her appearance. Avia felt like she was abandoned by everybody. She would always get teased, feared, and kicked out everywhere because of her remaining scar. She felt like an outcast. When she got home, Avia went into the shed and hid in an enclosed space without saying a word. Her parents didn't even get a chance to talk to her due to how upset she was. All Avia could do was hide inside the shed forever until it was time to eat or go to the litter box.

The next day was the first day of kitty school at a cat park and Avia's parents and owner were going to hang around while Avia encounters new cats on her way to school. Once they reached the park, the owner was reading a book while the two cats were wishing their daughter luck on her first day of school. "Have a good day at school, sweetie, and don't let that scar bother you. We think you look stunning with it." The mother cat said. "Yeah, and if you're having a hard time, just come back to us and take a break until you feel like you're ready to go back in." The father cat added. "Okay, mom and dad. I love you all. See you at 3:00 P.M." said Avia. As they said their final goodbyes, Avia began wandering in the park to find a few cats. She looked everywhere until at the corner of her eye, she saw a group of cats with one big orange cat with glasses and a white mane talking to them. That must have been the teacher and students. Avia slowly made her way to the group and tried to greet everyone. "Uh, excuse me. Hello?" Avia started. The big cat looked at her and the teacher's eyes widened in shock. The other cats were confused and turned around. That's when they gasped. They even hid behind the teacher while shaking in fear. "Hi, I'm Avia and I suppose this is my class?" Avia asked. The big cat began to blink randomly and stammer uncontrollably. "Uh...uh...w...well...y..yeah, if you want to call it that...I think." The big cat started. "What do you mean?" asked Avia. The big cat began to shake and stutter. Her orange fur and white mane kept on shedding. She finally calmed down, cleared her throat, and spoke. The teacher then said, "Hi, Avia. My name is Ms. Ginger and welcome to my class. I guess..." Avia was confused by Ms. Ginger's strange behavior, but decided to shake it off and join in. The rest of the cats backed away from her. The class then walked around the park and Avia was trying to catch up to them, but the closer she got, the farther away the group went. They then reached a bush that was next to a tube. "Alright, kids. As you all know, we are at the cat park today to learn about the different features of a cat." Ms. Ginger spoke. "One of you kits is going to tell me what we use them for. Does anyone want to go first?" The cats then raised their paws and meowed. Ms. Ginger picked one cat. "Sheryl, could you tell us what we use our teeth for?" "Uh...do we use them for biting and eating?" Sheryl asked. "That's correct. We use our fangs to not only eat, but we use them to defend ourselves, like biting. We even use them to catch prey, like mice." Ms. Ginger continued. "Next question. What do we use our claws for?" The cats raised their paws while meowing again. "Tobey? Do you know?" Ms. Ginger asked. "We use them for scratching!" Toby said fiercely. "That's right! We also use or claws to defend ourselves from any threat we encounter. Especially from intruders." Ms. Ginger said. Avia started to shiver. Ever since that incident with the calico cat that gave her that noticeable scar, she was traumatized. So every time she would see or hear something that reminded her of that time, she would always have that uncomfortable feeling bubble up inside her stomach. "Next." Ms. Ginger called. The cats raised their paws and meowed continuously. Avia did the same, however it looked like Ms. Ginger was trying to ignore her. So Avia started raising her paw as high as she could to get the teacher's attention. She even tried to meow louder than the rest of the cats, but nothing seemed to work. Avia was starting to get very close to the students and accidentally bumped into a black cat. The cat turned around and yelled, "Hey, watch it!" But when she turned around and realized it was Avia who touched her, she began to scream. This quieted down the rest of the cats. Even Ms. Ginger stopped. "She touched me! She touched me! SHE TOUCHED ME!!! I'M GONNA GET A DISEASE!!!!!!!!" The black cat screamed. She shrieked constantly, causing the rest of the students to panic. It was enough for everyone to hear around the park. People and animals. The black cat ran to the teacher, who did everything she could to soothe her. Avia was stunned and confused. Why was everyone suddenly panicking? Why did the cat she bumped into suddenly scream when she looked at her? The cats then huddled around Ms. Ginger. "Get her away from me!" shrieked the black cat. "She's gonna kill me!" She was even sobbing while gasping uncontrollably. Ms. Ginger was desperately trying to calm the young cat down by hugging her and licking her fur. Avia was still shocked and confused. It was now quiet for a second until one cat spoke up. "You're not gonna give us any disease, are you?!" He asked threateningly. "Wh...what?" Avia asked confusingly. "You know what we're talking about, missy! Look at you! You might be carrying rabies! We're all gonna die because of you!" Another cat yelled. "I don't get it. Why would I be carrying rabies or any other viruses?" Avia asked. "Duh! Look at your face!" Yelled a third cat. That's when it stung Avia. Everybody was afraid of her because of her scar. It was no wonder Ms. Ginger was also nervous when Avia first introduced herself. She was afraid too. Avia looked down at a puddle to see her reflection and her scar. Her ears then drooped in sadness. She looked at the other cats, who were still huddled around Ms. Ginger, frightened. Avia began walking towards them while saying, "Guys, please, I..." "Don't come even closer!" Yelled a white cat. "Do you want us to push daisies?! Get away!" "But..." Avia began. Ms. Ginger then yelled out, "Alright, everyone, that's enough! Avia, we love having you around..." "No, we don't!" A Persian cat interrupted. "Hush, Pablo!" Ms. Ginger scolded before she continued talking to Avia. "But, could you do us all a favor and not get too close to everyone here? You know? Personal space?...Please?" Avia then felt hurt. She just wanted to have some attention. She just wanted someone to be with her as a friend, but no one could be with or near her because of her scar. If she hadn't had it, the students would treat her differently. They would treat her with respect and greet her like a family, but no. Instead, it was the opposite. They despised her and treated her with disrespect and it was all due to her appearance. Avia then said in a depressed tone, "Yes, ma'am." "Good. Okay, everyone! Time for our next lesson!" Ms. Ginger said. The cats followed where the teacher was going. One cat said to Avia, "Thanks a lot, scar face!" Avia stopped at her tracks by those hurtful words. She couldn't believe everyone was treating her like this over her scar that she had when all she was trying to do was protect her family and home. The rest of the day was completely miserable. Nobody joined her while she was eating lunch. Nobody even volunteered to play or talk with her. She was alone. Wherever she walked, the cats would back away in fear. Some even laughed and started calling her names like, "Freak" or "Monster". Avia tried giving them personal space just like Ms. Ginger told her to do, but it wasn't enough for them. They would still back away in horror. Avia even tried covering up her scar, but nothing succeeded. The rest of the cats would just keep picking on her. There was no love and no respect. Just hate and disrespect. Even Ms. Ginger was silent. She couldn't do anything, but actually just feel bad for Avia.