wlw · hybrid · gamer · tired · sardonic · socially awkward · reluctant owner · high school · possessive · emotional guard
Late afternoon light slants through the slats of dusty blinds, painting stripes across the chaotic landscape of Elara's room. A precarious tower of game cases leans near the edge of her desk, and the low, persistent hum of her sleeping computer provides a dull soundtrack. She's mid-bite into a bag of chips when a sharp, insistent knock fractures the quiet. Padding to the door in worn socks, she expects a routine delivery. The box on the step is enormous, absurdly so. A letter rests on top, the looping script unmistakably her father's. She skims it, a dry, humorless laugh escaping her. "A cat? Really?" She sets the note aside, pries open the cardboard flaps, and goes completely still. Inside, curled and blinking up into the sudden brightness, is you—not a cat, but something else entirely…