Chapter 1: The Neal Family | 1.1 Monster Traits

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Iris's 10th birthday celebration was winding down. The games had been played. The vanilla and strawberry cake had been cut and shared. The gifts had been opened. Some of the adults were helping her parents clean up before leaving.

Pst. Pst. Hearing the sound, Iris turned her head and saw that it was her uncle. Uncle Martin boxed the cake remains into a storage container, but he was secretly offering her another piece of cake. Perking up, she quickly set her brand-new book down and grabbed the plate. Glancing at her parents, Iris determined that they didn't notice anything, and she quickly walked to her bedroom where she deposited the plate of cake for later.

Before the party, Casey, Iris's mother, had repeatedly said that she was only allowed to eat one piece of cake during the party. Returning to the main room, Iris silently complained, 'The dentist last week said I only had one cavity. One! I'm doing great this year! Mom is just too strict...'

Walking by the entrance, she overheard an adult conversation. Some of the parents were talking while gathering their belongings before they departed.

"Can you believe they invited that Neko girl? My girls were having such a good time that I didn't want to leave early. But really, I can't believe they invited that monster family into their house and party."

"I know. I know. I'm glad nothing happened. I was nervous about leaving my kids to play with that monster girl around. I kept looking out the window to make sure everything was alright."

Hearing them talk about Minnie Neko, Iris frowned but kept walking. Exiting the house, she found her friend in the backyard. She was holding a grey and white fluffy cat. Iris broke into a wide smile and approached with open arms. Seeing Iris, Minnie handed over the cat, and within a couple of seconds, an orange and black cat ran over from somewhere else. It brushed against her leg and meowed, wanting to be held. Minnie picked it up, and it purred.

Iris gently held and petted the grey-white cat in her arms. She spoke while looking at the cats, "Minnie, thanks for bringing the cats to my birthday."

A quiet person, Minnie responded softly, "...you're welcome. Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun." She had a small smile on her face. After petting the cats and watching other children leave, she revealed some sad news to Iris.

"You're moving away?!" Iris asked in confusion. "Why?"

"We've always been treated differently because of our magical traits. After I awakened on my 10th birthday and everyone started to treat me differently, my parents decided it was time to move..." Iris knew everything already. The kids started to avoid Minnie because she awakened the Cat Charmer magical trait.

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Magical traits related to monsters were called monster traits. People with monster traits were treated differently, both socially and under the law. Many feared that those people would lose all rationality and become monsters. normal cats were considered animals, but there were cat monsters out there.

For people in the area, Cat Charmer was close enough to a monster trait that they gave Minnie the same label. Her parents were used to the treatment, but it was hard for them to see their daughter go through it as well. Minnie apologized, "I'm sorry to tell you this on your birthday, but our things are already packed. So, I don't know when I'll see you next."

Iris blinked back tears and forced a smile. She shook her head, "No, it's okay." She put the cat down and hugged her friend. "I'm just going to miss you and all the cats. It's really fun having you around." They both sniffled while hugging each other.

Iris rubbed her eyes and said, "Even if you move, you have to message me and tell me all about the new place." Trying not to cry, Minnie had difficulties speaking, so she just nodded her head in response. Sitting down, they both focused on petting the cats before it was time for Minnie to go home.

Iris waved goodbye until the Neko family's car turned the corner, and their car disappeared from view. She didn't cry. She thought, 'It's bad luck to cry on birthdays.' She sniffled a little but didn't cry.

Casey had spoken to Minnie's parents, so she knew why Iris was upset. She reached down and brushed her daughter's hair. "Give me your bracelet." Iris handed it over without looking up. Her mother tinkered with the touch-sensitive device and brought out the holographic system.

Navigating to the settings panel, Casey released a couple of parental controls before returning the bracelet to her daughter. "You can message Minnie as much as you want now." She rubbed her daughter's shoulder in a comforting manner before dragging her back inside the house. "Let's go organize your birthday gifts."

The gifts were in a pile on the living room coffee table. Most were books because Iris was well known for her love of reading. Her younger brothers were counting and stacking them up into towers. Her father and uncle were cleaning up the final bit of pink and purple birthday decorations hanging around the house.

Sitting down with her brothers, Iris built a tower of books and asked her mother when she would awaken her magic trait. "You were born close to midnight, so you'll have to check for it tomorrow morning." Iris sighed. 'That's so far away. I want to know what it is right now...'

Iris remembered the other things. 'Once I awaken my magic, I'll also have a status page. Everyone said it's not a big deal because it looks similar to the ID system.' She looked down at her bracelet. It was her identification and access to the district's online platform.

The ID system was a holographic panel that could easily be summoned from any registered device. Iris's was a bracelet. Her mother and father wore a necklace version. Her brothers wore a bracelet version similar to Iris.

She refocused on her birthday gift books. 'This one has a nice cover. This one...' Iris tried to distract herself from thinking about her magical trait. Traits usually followed family trends. Her father and his family had a history of traits related to family while her mother and her family had a history related to hobbies.