Here, Kitty, Kitty

Family Comes First

Warnings;
. Angst.
. Swearing.
. Teen Motherhood.
. Implied Matricide.
. Mentions of self-harm.
. Mentions of child-abuse.
. Chloroform use? I don't know people, this chapter's pretty dark and erratic is all I can say.

No more than an hour after her transformation back into a human, Cassie reluctantly wandered through the dark alleyways of the inner Isle. She stayed close to her usual safe-routes, her heartbeat raising at every noise that sounded even remotely close to someone approaching. She was on high alert tonight, her normal human senses much more sensitive tonight than they'd ever been.

A loud 'clink' echoed through the usually silent street, and the little cat flinched, her footsteps slowing significantly as she kept moving. She couldn't stop, not for anyone or anything. She just couldn't take that risk.

It had been a very, very long time since she'd felt so terrified when travelling around the Isle at night. Usually, she was level-headed, her light feet barely making a sound as she snuck around each corner and over miscellaneous - and stupidly placed, objects. She longed to travel back in time, only to a mere week ago, before she'd truly put her life in danger. But that wouldn't - and couldn't, happen. For the first time in four years, the Isle was no longer her playground, and she couldn't seem to reclaim the confidence she usually held when traipsing through the streets. Now, everything was different; And it was all her fault.

Cassie tried hard to keep her breaths calm, the air passing through her lips in a thick mist, her poor excuse of a cloak barely keeping her warm. She swiftly reached up with her hands and readjusted the hood hanging over her head, making sure the thin fabric covered her ears. She couldn't risk anyone seeing her and running off to tell the pirates. All she had to do was make it to her destination quietly and safely, and hope to whoever was listening that no one saw her.

The little cat turned out of the alleyway, a small sigh of relief escaping her when she saw the slightly familiar sign, faintly illuminated by the numerous and colourful tea lights connected by the rooftops.

'Queen of Hearts' Salon'.

The lights on the sign weren't switched on, but Cassie could see a glow behind the blood-red curtains covering the 'windows'. Someone was inside. But would it be the right one?

With an overwhelming amount of inner strength, Cassie pulled down on the door handle, taking careful steps as she peeked around the edge of the door. She couldn't see anyone inside, but if the lights were on then surely someone was home.

"Hello?" she called out, her dark eyes darting about the oddly clean salon. She waited a moment or two for a reply, but when there was none, she made the - possibly idiotic, decision to walk further into the large room, softly closing the door shut behind her.

Cassie had never been a huge fan of taking good care of her looks. Her hair had never been cut or dyed, and she loathed the idea of someone coming anywhere near her with a makeup brush, so she had no idea what a salon should look like. But if she had to venture a guess, then the very room she now stood in would be a perfect example.

The walls were striped with colours of red and black, and the freshly mopped floor was designed to look like a chessboard. Along the right wall, three large mirrors were lined, and small wooden shelves filled with something or other placed neatly below. The chairs in front of the mirrors were also black, though Cassie could see the noticeable rips and white marks damaging the fabric. The wall on her left had long and yellow tinted shelves, all packed with disturbingly crafted mannequin heads, each holding a different wig of a different kind, though each one had been made and brushed to absolute perfection and style. The outside of the salon was just like any other building on the Isle, with its chipped paint and usual vandalism sprayed across the wall. But the inside was well and truly beautiful.