Psychopathy

Chaper Two

     Still itching from anger, Theo shakily picked up his wet backpack from the shore and crammed the photograph shreds inside the smallest pocket.
     Being bullied was nothing new for Theo. He and his mother, Melinda, had been moving from town to town in search of work, and of course a proper place for Theo. Each school held the same outcome. Bullies. Theo always tended to be their favorite target because of the fact that he was a cat, he was quiet and reserved, and of most of all because he was so abnormally small for his age. Before this, Theo had been weak and emotionally unstable, but since then he'd learned all of the bullies' typical tactics. If he'd been thrown into a river back then, it would be likely that he...
No. Theo shook the thought from his mind and shakily made his way back to the forest trail. They'll never do that. I won't let them. Despite his breakdown, Theo swore to stay strong and to never cry. Crying in front of others, especially the ones who pushed him down was one of the things he hated most about life... Theo felt particularly ashamed of crying in front of Roger and the others. Next time I'll be ready.
     As Theo continued along the trail, he lifted his paw up to his chest and noticed his wet fur was freezing on the ends. Not good, Theo thought. Winter was coming early this year. He kept moving at a steady pace. Staying still for too long, Theo knew, might lead to him freezing.
     Finally, Theo came to the small clearing in the forest and peered up at he and his mother's small cottage. Feeling relieved, he opened the door to see his cat anthro mother.
     Melinda's long, sleek, dark brown body with her stained white apron was madly pacing the floor.
Oh great, Theo thought. Get ready to be drowned in her worry story. Theo dropped his half-frozen bag on the floor, his knees ready to fail. Melinda's vision snapped toward Theo as soon as he slammed the door behind him.
     "THEO!" Melinda cried, her voice shaking. Theo sighed with irritation as she checked over every inch of his body.
     "Mom..." Theo complained. Melinda ignored her son.
     "You're wet! Why are you wet? Why didn't you come straight home like I told you?"
     "Mom, I just-"
     "You're ice cold!" She interrupted. "What happened?"
     "I-"
     "You should have worn your coa-"
     "MOM!" Theo shouted. He looked at his mother, irritated. Then he sighed. "I just fell in the river. That's all." Melinda's face turned pale under her fur.
     "You 'fell in?'" Melinda fretted. "You could have killed yourself! Your fur is frozen, for goodness' sake!"
     "I was chasing a frog and I just happened to fall in. It was an accident, but I'm fine, Mom. Really!" Theo and his mother stared into each other's blood red eyes. Then, Melinda hugged her son. Theo sighed with irritation, but also relief. She doesn't know, thankfully. The last thing I need is for her to be over at the school watching my every move making sure I'm fine. She's so overprotective, Theo thought. Suddenly, he felt a pang of grief for his father. Theo wiped it away. I'm fine. I'm fine, Theo repeated. I'm fine.
    "Alright, Theo. It's about time I get you warmed up and in bed. You have school tomorrow. No more swimming!" Melinda said with humor. She guided Theo to his room. The floorboards creaked as they walked into the small room at the back of their small cottage. They had only been living in this house for a week, but Theo was used to change by now.
     "Goodnight, Theo," Melinda said softly as she laid Theo down in the bed. She placed a kiss and a warmed up rice pack on his forehead. "I love you." Melinda left the room. Immediately after she left, Theo wiped the kiss off his forehead, and pulled the rice bag to his chest and hugged it instead.
     That night, Theo tossed and turned. Over and over, his mind replayed the dreaded memory of his father's death.

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Guys, I'm really sorry that the wait for chapter two has been so long, and I'm really sorry for how boring the chapters are, (I needed to make them informational.) I promise that chapter three will come a lot sooner, and TRUST ME. Chapter three will NOT. be boring. >:) There is a twist in the plot.
Please PLEASE leave your feedback in the comments! I'd love to know what I need to work on! :3
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