Time: 17:30

Location: Chelsea King Academy

The sound of impatient tapping echoes across the empty, desolate halls. A singular seat placed against the wall with a hunched over figure, was all you could see. The figure's tapping got even more rapid, the volume getting louder by the second. The tapping was followed by a tired sigh. The figure fixed their posture, looking at the clock in front of them. They had five minutes until this was all over. They fixed their glasses, wiped the hair stuck on their chin, and leaned back. The tired figure reached for their blazer's pockets, pulled out a mirror and started checking themselves. The five minutes were up, and a pair of heels came clicking down the hall, stopping in front of the figure.

"Miss Choi, you may head home now. I would not like for today's outlandish behaviour to be repeated tomorrow, am I clear?" An older woman with long, badly dyed red hair, stood in front of her. Rubi stood up, fixed her school skirt and grabbed her back pack. Her much taller figure looked down at her teacher. Her hazel eyes held no emotion. Not a spec of apologetic emotion painted on her face. She took a deep breath, and sighed for the nth time.

"I apologise for the outlandish behaviour, and I will make sure it never happens again."  Mrs Howard took the apology and dismissed the girl. As soon as the raven haired girl exited the building, she twirled around, basking in the early sunset. Her phone vibrated across her chest. She quickly reached for her inside pocket, and pulled out the device. 

Mum

She cringed, deciding to rush home. This was all a first for Rubi. The first time she decided to have some fun and retaliate for once. If it wasn't for Kenzie's constant snarky remarks about Rubi's average appearance, or how geeky she was, Rubi would have not decked her in the face. It was a much needed solution. She then groaned when she remembered she'd be the talk of the school for next month. She picked up the speed of her walking.

She was thankful that she lived around the corner of the school. As she approached the apartment complex, she prayed that whatever her parents had in store for her, was minimal and quick. Rubi buzzed herself in, flew up the staircase, and cried a little as her mother's angered yells bounced off the walls. The neighbours were going to hate her today. Her shaking hands entered the keys into the lock. As the door opened, she could see her mother's looming shadowy figure at the end of the hallway. 

"I promise I can explain." She was already pleading her case before her foot was even through the door.

"Explain what exactly, Rubi? !You have ruined your spotless reputation because she was taunting you?!" Her mother yelled, smacking the flip flop across the door. Rubi placed her bag and her shoes down, closing the door behind her. 

"It wasn't simply taunting, mum! It was years of it!" Mrs Choi threw the shoe and Rubi swiftly dodged it.

"You needed to bear it for another couple of months. You're graduating. What would this look like on your college application?" Her father and brother peeped their heads through the kitchen door, just as afraid as she was. 

"Is that all you ever think about? I wish for once you would start caring about my well being, not my academic future." Rubi pushed past her mother and rushed to her room, locking the door as she slammed it.

"Don't you dare slam the doors in my house!" Mrs Choi yelled, running up to the door only to be stopped by her father.

"Leave her be for now. Just let her cool down."

Rubi took a deep breath, sliding down her door as she did so. Her eyes started to burn. She wasn't going to cry, no matter how frustrated she was. She closed her eyes and pinched her nose bridge, lifting her glasses as she did so. She knew in hindsight that her life was going to be spent behind a desk. Whether it was academic or corporate, it was going to be behind a desk. The relentless taunting she had experienced at school wasn't helping when it came to questioning her life.

She was an eighteen year old who was privileged enough to go to the best private school in the country. She had nothing to complain about. As she dwelled on her dark thoughts, she felt a warm thing on her cheek. It was wet, causing her to freeze. Was it a bug? If it was, she was going to cry. She felt the same warm wetness move across her ear again. She looked at what it could be, and almost jumped out of her skin when a pair of large feline-like gold eyes was staring right back at her. 

"Hold on Rubi. Hold on. You have never taken drugs in your life, so now is not the time to be hallucinating." She whispered to herself. She stood up quickly, holding the door handle after becoming lightheaded. She took another look at her bed, and almost fainted. A pale cat girl with long white hair, wearing a tight white body-con dress, was sprawled out on her bed. A large smile on her face.

"You are one hell of a character." The cat girl spoke, a little chuckle added at the end of her sentence. Rubi slow blinked. Was the school lunch spiked with something? Too many eventful things were happening to her. 

"You're real?" She asked, not quite sure of the words coming out of her own mouth. The cat girl stood up, walked to Rubi and stood before her. She grabbed the school girl's tie, pulling her closer to whisper in her ear.

"As real as I can be, and you my love. You have been summoned." It all happened too fast. Her entire room was engulfed in a white light, and then her world went black. 

What was going on?