Lily

Lily had always been an outcast, but she never could've expected what came next. She strolled down her alley, searching for anything new someone had thrown out. Her ears twitched curiously as she heard footsteps come down the alley. She darted behind a garbage can, not daring to move. The footsteps came closer and she panicked. She zoomed out of the alley, or at least tried. She accidentally bumped a tomato soup can and it clattered, making the footsteps stop dead in their track. She whirled around to see who it was. It was a human, around eight years old. She knew she had to run, but couldn't resist coming closer when she smelled something peculiar. She inched forward, hackles raised. The human tossed a treat and it skidded across the floor. Lily thought about it, then stepped forward to eat it. She noticed the young girl inching forward, and growled softly. However, the girl didn't pull back her hand, and stroked Lily's matted, dirty fur. For some reason, Lily didn't run, or scratch, or bite. Instead, she purred, even when the girl picked her up and started taking her away. Lily took one last glance at her old home, then fell peacefully asleep. When Lily awoke, she found herself in a great, big house. She glanced around cautiously before leaving the velvety cat bed. She recognized the smell of the little girl gently picking her up and caressing her like a baby. Lily was then taken to the living room, where she looked around at the new faces she saw. There was an adult boy and girl, and a boy who was about twelve. They all greeted the girl by the name of Faith, then asked why she was carrying a raggedy little cat. She replied with the fact that she wanted a cat and found one, so she was going to keep it. The adults spoke for a moment, then turned their gazes to Faith and nodded. She squealed in excitement and squeezed Lily happily. Then, Faith introduced her to Dad, Mom, and Tyler. They all blurted out their greetings. She raised a paw and mewed. The parents concluded she needed a bath to wash out the dirt and dust clinging to her fur. They left her alone in the house while they went to the pet shop and bought everything from litter to toys to bath products. Afterwards, the family set a little tub of water on the kitchen counter, and placed shampoo and other various pet hygiene products on the table. After that, they dumped her in the water! Lily screeched and flailed, but they ignored her and rubbed shampoo on her. She started to wonder if letting Faith take her away was a good idea. After fifteen grueling minutes, her beautiful calico fur shined like jewels. The small family made a huge deal out of her being clean, and her doubts vanished. She mewled happily and settled into her bed, ready for a night of the best dreams she had ever had.