Finally able to start up again. I'll probably work on the story at least 2 hours a day. More so on the weekends. Comments are appreciated. Hope everyone enjoys!

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Kaelem took his time returning home that night. He picked up food on the way back with the little money he had left over from Maddie. He'd worked as much as he could by running errands so that he didn't feel like she was giving him charity, although he knew it was a lie.

He thought about all the possibilities he had with being able to have a full customization of his character in Destiny. He couldn't honestly say that he wasn't excited to be in the Beta, but he still wished that it didn't come with all the strings attached. 

He had no choice in the matter. Two reasons: One, he'd promised to play with Maddie for his freedom. He wouldn't go back on his word. Two, they threatened to make him disappear and no matter how much he wanted to convince himself it was against he will, he was more than happy to have the advantages they were offering. He didn't like the sound of the tournaments though.

He parked the car and sighed, leaning against the door and looked out the window. It was raining and the clouds completely covered the night sky. It was only about seven. Reluctant to go in and give her the news, he grabbed the food in the seat, some modern fast food chain, and got out of the car. He walked up to the door and noticed a cat hiding under the shelter of the house.

The poor animal was soaking wet and had little feathers stuck to the side of it's furry mouth. He looked at it with pity and opened the door. He set the food down at the table and went to get a towel. He came back to the cat to find it hadn't moved an inch. It's ribs were sticking out of its sides and its fur was suntanned to an orangish grey tint. He wrapped it in the towel and almost gagged at the smell. 

Struggling to get away, the cat hissed and clawed at the towel. The reaction surprised Kaelem, but it was no matter to him. Tightly holding the cat in the bundle, he walked into the house and shut the door behind him. He looked around at the place he would have to leave in the morning. Even though he hadn't been there long, it was still the first place that was ever comforting. Maddie made it as homely as possible.

Speaking of Maddie, she came in from her room and saw the shivering cat in his hands and had a big grin on her face.

"Awwwwwe, it's so cute." She ran over to Kaelem and took the bundle of fur from him, holding it up high to get a good look at the tom cat. It was grey with scars all over its body. It looked like it had been through some pretty hard times. He was surprised that it was able to survive the weather, rainy with a wind chill that seeped through even the biggest bundle of clothes. The cat had nothing to protect it but a small amount of fur. Kaelem felt an emotional attachment, oddly enough, to the beaten up cat. 

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"Will you keep him?" Kaelem hoped he wouldn't be put back on the streets. Hoped that the cat had a chance of a decent life. He didn't want it to end up in the pound, it reminded him too much of his own life. 

She looked at him and then looked around the house, shrugging. "Do you want to keep him?" She asked sincerely.

He felt bad that he still hadn't told her that he'd be leaving in the morning. He rubbed the back of his head. "We should sit down. A lot happened while I was out." He beckoned toward the kitchen table and then sat. He opened up the food and made plates for both of them. He explained everything that had happened after a few bites here and there, omitting the dangerous details that he didn't want her to worry over.

"Oh..." She stopped petting the cat that she'd held on to the whole time and frowned. She took a second to think about it and then smiled. "Well that sounds great! I wish we would be able to spend more time together, but that opportunity is a once in a lifetime thing! You have to do it! We'll see each other every now and then, so go ahead and go have fun."

Her whole face lit up like a candle. Her smile reached her eyes and she seemed sincere. He asked his question again, "Will you keep the cat?" 

She looked at him curiously and then looked around the room again. "Well of course! I could never put such a cute animal out on the streets! I mean, just look at him! He's so adorable." The cat stared at her dumbly and tried to jump away. She just hugged it closer to her chest.

He started to feel bad for the cat. After they finished eating and talking about their plans in Destiny, he prepared for the morning. He packed a back of spare clothing. He didn't have much besides that so he set an alarm to go off at six in the morning. When he finished, he gave her a hug and said his farewells. 

"I'll be leaving tomorrow morning before you awake for work, so this is farewell." She looked into his dazzling eyes that were so unnatural yet so alluring and smiled.

"This isn't farewell for we will see each other soon either in Destiny or when you have your break. You better come see me or I'll drag you out of your capsule and I'll beat up all those bullies! The least they can do is give a girl a chance." With that, she kissed his lips softly and ran off to her bedroom with a quick wink before she closed her door.

He sighed, girls...

He laid down and waited for the morning. He dozed off immediately and got lost in nightmares of blood and death.