Untitled... for now

Chapter One

December 31, 2008

8:45 AM

“Adamina Mahal Mazzanti, wake up! We’re going somewhere special!” a woman called to her slumbering daughter. The woman, Benita Mazzanti, laughed in spite of herself when she heard her daughter groan in protest.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming…” Adamina called, attempting to worm her way out her huge mass of blankets and pillows.

KA-BLAM!!!

“Oooo-wha!” the teen moaned, unmoving on her bedroom floor.

“Mina, are you okay?” the woman’s husband, Luca Mazzanti, barked as he burst through her open door……

Then he burst out laughing.

His daughter was impossibly tangled within her mass of beddings.

“I, ah… I’m just, ya know… uh, gonna go take a, um, shower… so, yeah…” Adamina stuttered, innocently, as she, yet again, attempted to worm out of her blankets, this time succeeding. “BUH-BYE!!!”

15 minutes and a shower later…

Mina’s point of view…

I glanced at myself in the mirror as I primped myself: brown hair falling in loose waves down to mid-back, molten honey orbs always leering, and curves prevalent even through the baggiest of clothes.

I rolled my eyes. My body was hopeless…

Eh, whatever…

“You ready yet?” Luca called when I sauntered out of the bathroom.

“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled through the ponytail holder I clutched between my teeth and braiding my hair loosely.

“Good, let’s go then!” Nita exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together.

And with that we climbed into the shimmery grey 2005 Nissan Altima that is promised 18^th birthday gift.

Yeah, I don’t quite understand how it started, but when I was about 11, mom and dad became Nita and Luca to me. They don’t seem to mind it too much… I think…

“So… what’s this special place we’re going to?” I asked after we drove through the gate to our neighborhood.

“You’ll find out when we get there!” Luca answered in a sing-song-y voice. Ya know… the kind of sing-song-y voice that makes you want to reach out and touch someone… in a painfully not so nice way.

“What’s the special occasion?” I mumbled, absentmindedly, as I stared at the never changing Florida scenery. We had just stopped at a red light.

No reply?... I flicked my gaze towards the front seat…

They were staring at me like… like I had two heads or something!

“What, do I have something on my face?!” I asked, examining myself in the rear-view mirror.

“Are you… feeling alright, hun? You don’t have a fever, do you?” Nita asked, reaching back to feel my forehead.

“What is it?” I inquired, looking at them like they have two heads.

Luca started driving again.

“Don’t you know what today is??” Nita asked, attempting to pique my memory.

Silence.

“It only comes once a year during winter…” Luca offered.

“Christmas?” I replied, stupidly.

“Close, but no cigar, you’re about… six days off,” Nita stated after some contemplation.

“New Year’s Eve?” I suggested.

“Well, ya know, technically-“ Nita started, hand on chin before Luca cut her off.

“It’s your birthday, you bloody git!” Luca shouted, his British accent coming through slightly.

“You mean… I forgot… AGAIN!?” God I’m such a retard!

Just for good measure I slapped my fore head. How could I not remember? It’s on a friggin’ holiday for Pete’s sake! It shouldn’t be all that hard for me to remember!

And yet I do… every single year… ever since I was seven years old…

“So, I’m gonna guess and say we’re going out to buy me a present since you guys forgot, too?” I questioned, eying them suspiciously.

“Ah-hem,” Luca immediately cleared his throat in embarrassment as he stopped at another red light.

“Why did we end up with the smart one?” he grumbled as softly as he could, trying not to let me hear.

Nita punished him with a firm slap to the cranium.

30 minutes later …

“Okay, Mina, open your eyes!” Nita squealed, squeezing my shoulder painful.

I opened my eyes…

“You’re kidding… You bought me a pet shelter for my birthday?!” I screamed in excitement.

“Well… um, no… but we are going to finally get you a pet!” Luca chirped excitedly.

“Oh… that’s cool, too, I guess…” I answered, dejectedly.

‘I miss Chamby…’ I thought, depressed, as we entered Miami Rescue Center. Chamby was my dog… well, puppy, actually. She got run over by a semi two falls ago….

‘Mina!’

“Yes?” I asked my parents.

“What?” they answered in unison.

“Didn’t you just call my name?”

“I didn’t…”

“Me neither…”

Now that’s odd.

‘Mina!’

“Don’t tell me that you guys can’t hear that!” I said, on the verge of freaking out into hysterics.

“Hear what, honey?” Nita asked, glancing at me worriedly, “Are you sure that you don’t have a fever?”

“I’m fine…”

‘MINA!’

I turned and there was a black cat starring at me from behind the bars of a medium sized pet kennel.

“Wow…” I gasped upon noticing its strikingly green eyes.

“Hi there, I whispered to the cat as I put my hand on the cool bars of the kennel. It stared at me for a few seconds more before it placed its paw in the center of my exposed palm.

“Do you understand me?” I asked, gazing into the fairly large cats eyes.

It blinked.

“I must be going completely crazy…” I grumbled to myself, “Nita, I found one!”

45 minutes later

“Okay, Selim, time to see your new home!” I called as I unlocked the front door. “Tada!”

“Mrow!” Selim meowed as she climbed with her front paws up the front of my sweater.

“What are you doing, you crazy kitty?” I asked laughingly as I pulled her back down to cradle her in my arms.

1:30 am

‘Mina… you must awaken…NOW!’

“That voice is not just a figment of my imagination!” I groaned groggily as I sat up to find Selim perched on my stomach. She was surprisingly light for such a big cat. “Wait a sec, did you…?”

‘Yes! Now we must make haste! You are not safe here!’

Selim… just… she just spoke?!

“Wait, why am I not safe here?” I asked. It was an innocent enough question.

‘No time, we must leave! Just know that something bad is coming to harm you!’

“Will you tell me later???”

“Sure…” Selim gave me what I interpreted as a berating look…. Not that I am very good at reading animals facial expressions or anything.

“Okay, let’s go!” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

‘Finally, but before we go, it would be really nice to be in my true body…’ she whispered in my mind contemplatively, ‘I hope this actually works!’ With that said, she padded closer to my face.

I started to ask, “You hope what-?”However, I didn’t get to finish. Guess. What. Happened….

My frigging cat KISSED me!!!

‘Yes, success!’ she shouted as her body began to glow. Soon, her body was encased in a glistening golden ball-type-thingy.

“Selim...?” I asked, meekly, as I stared at the orb in fright. You would have stared in fright too if your cat had just been wrapped up in an orb of glowing golden light and was…

Wait, what is she doing????

OMG!!!!

She’s growing!!!!

Hey, the light’s fading… and….

It’s a human…

“Mina,” a decidedly male voice came from the form in front of my bed. “Do you have any clothes that I could possibly borrow?” The boy-man-teen-thingy asked. He stood to full attention giving me a clear view of… well, everything…

“Next room,” I answered, pointing down the hall to my brothers old room, averting my eyes to his face and blushing… hard.

“Thanks!” He said, green eyes sparkeling through the harsh darkness of my bedroom. With that, he turned and sauntered out of the room, his long black hair swishing as he moved.

OH MY GOD! What is going on?!