Difference

Chapter 3: Kimberly

I DON'T OWN THE ARTWORK!

I swing my leg over the edge f the bed, and sit up, not wanting to get ready for school. It's been almost five years since Jesse fixed my DNA, and saved me from deteriorating into a premature death. Physically speaking I'm as healthy as a funny can be, but I'm still the only one of my kind. Being a hybrid has it's perks, like being super intelligent for example. I'm not even fifteen yet and I'm in the gifted and talented program at school. Truth be told I could skip ahead to the eleventh grade, but that would leave Everly alone in the ninth grade with no one to protect her. Mammals pick on her for being albino, and she's too timid to stand up for herself. I've lost count of how many times I've chased off dumb and dumber, that's my nicknames for Americk Gustavus and Chuck Mali.

Americk is an artic wolf. All the girls in school think that he's gorgeous, but I on the other paw think, no, I know that he's a pain in the fluff. His fur is white as snow and his eyes are like blue topaz. Oh he's gorgeous alright, but he's dumb as dirt.

Chuck is an African hyena, and Americk's best friend. He's not bad looking either, but he's a total tool. He and his wolf leader terrorize other animals. I'm not afraid of either of them. I'll tear them a new one without a second thought, and get away with it too. My mom and dad are Zootopia's most adored officers. My uncle Bogo is Chief of Police. Fru Fru and Mr. Big are my Godmother and Godgrandfather. I could probably get away with murder. Probably.

Finally deciding to get ready, I peel myself out of bed, pull on some clean clothes and wander into the kitchen. Dad's pouring himself a cup of coffee, his fur is fluffed out underneath his uniform, making him look bulky. It's early winter here in Zootopia, which means one thing, bad fur days. His winter coat has grown in, and it makes him look super fluffy.

"Looking fluffy there, dad" I sigh sarcastically.

He turns around, eyes lighting up when he sees me. "Same to you, princess." He retorts before sipping his coffee.

"Har har." I shoot back. Yes, I'm fluffing out too right now. The fox DNA in me is very strong, so I get a winter coat each year too.

"Morning, fluff butt." Ash says, entering the kitchen. His white fur is puffed out too, making him look like a fox shaped snowball.

"Back at you, Snowball." I tease him.

"Ah, shut up." He smirks.

Kaboom! An explosion rattles the house. It's followed by Cole shouting, "I'm alright, but the wall isn't!"

"I'll repair it after work!" Dad shouts back.

Explosions are normal around here. Cole is too smart for his own good, he's been trying to build a gun that shoots out marble sized pellets that explode when they come in contact with fur. The pellets don't blow up the target, they're supposed to explode, creating a smoke that coats its victim in a pheromone that make tracking them down easier. But he can't get the gun to stop backfiring on him. Mom and dad gave up trying to stop him, they were just wasting there breath to begin with.

Everly comes barreling out of the bathroom next to our room with a bucket of water and runs into Cole's room. "False alarm!" She yells. "No fire this time!"

Well, at least he's getting better, the last five times it's back fired on him, it caught the drapes on fire. Seriously, the boy's verging on becoming a mad scientist or something.

"Thanks, Sweetie!" Dad yells.

I'm surprised that mom hasn't come running to the scene of explosion.

"Hey, dad, where's mom?" I ask, pouring myself a bowl of Mice Crispies.

He sighs with a smirk on his muzzle, "Oh, you know, she's a workaholic. She left early to finish filing some reports."

Of course, I should've known.

Everly and Cole emerge from his room. His fur was already fluffing out due to his winter coat filling out, but the explosion made it worse. I reach out to touch him, only to be zapped by a current of static electricity.

"Ow!" I yowl.

"Nice going, dumb funny." He sneers.

"Hey, I'm not the one who keeps blowing up the house." I counter.

Everly walks past me, subtly sticking a note in my back pocket. I know it's from him. Jesse probably wants to see me about something important. Nobody but me and Everly know that I still go to visit him from time to time. If mom and dad knew, they'd flip out. Whether they like it or not, he is the only who knows how to maintain my health. Luckily, sis understands and covers for me when I need to see him.

When nobody is looking, I read it.

Need to see you immediately!

-JD

As soon as the final bell rang, I made a break for it. Everly told Ash and Cole that I had to run errands that involve 'feminine' matters, and they didn't ask questions. They just dropped me off at Pawmart and told me to text them when I was done. Which was convenient for me, because Jesse's lab isn't far away. I snuck into the abandoned building behind Pawmart, and pulled up the loose floor boards.

I jumped into the dark abyss that leads to his lab. With a small thud I landed in his arms at the bottom. No doubt, he probably heard and smelt me coming from a mile away.

"Is the little hybrid falling for me?" He says so shamelessly. Hybrid is his little pet name for me, because he knows it ticks me off.

"Oh, shut up." I growl. "What's so important that you had me come here?"

He sets me down on the floor, his wild amber eyes reflect grave concern. "I fear you are in great danger."

My heart constricts. He's not joking, and that scares me.