break the ice

Playing gaming probably wasn't the best way to keep her anger under wraps, finding herself taking a deep breath every time she died in the game, but she refused to let this curse control every aspect of her life. It had already taken so much from her. Every full moon her body is forced to contort into an animal until the sun rose the following morning. The days in between weren't as painful though and some days it was easy to forget she was something else. Kit had explained to her that she needed an 'an anchor', something to keep her human in those moments she felt herself losing control, but it was hard to focus on anything but the anger when she was riled up in that way.

The full moon had just passed, so she had a few weeks to figure out this whole anchor thing, but she was burying her head in the sand that evening. Finding comfort in her video games, until she noticed another female sat alone. One who looked like she didn't have any particular reason to be in the coffee shop.

Kitty tended to have an urge to push herself onto other people, even strangers in coffee shops who looked like they were about to pass out from sleep deprivation. She wasn't naive as such, just driven by the need for human interaction. The world wasn't full of good people with kind souls, but she would try her damn best to pick out the best ones. Even as a child, she kept her spirits high, refusing to take off her rose-coloured glasses at times, but her dad was an example that evil can lurk deep within people.

Growing up her grandmother often referred to her father as being an evil person. Someone was damaged beyond repair— someone who didn't deserve to be forgiven by the Ryo girls for killing their mom. Kitty had tried so hard to forgive her dad, but it was impossible. The man never showed a shred of guilt even years after it happened. He remained tight-lipped about the fateful evening, refusing to tell anyone, not even the girls, what happened.

It was unusual to find another lone female out in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps if it was a male, Kitty wouldn't have bounced over to introduce herself.

She wondered if the stranger was so exhausted why she was sitting in a coffee shop fighting the need for sleep. Kitty grinned as the girl invited her to take the free seat. Plonking herself down, the wolf dropped her bags to the floor. "I'm Kitty" She responded, settling herself into the chair, "Oh shit yeah, I have so much coursework to do, but I'm not here for that. Been playing video games instead" Skewed priorities, but she still had weeks before her final deadline however, Kitty would do what she always does. Put it off until the last moment, then freak out. "How about you?" It was clear the blonde wasn’t here for college work though, with no laptop or books scattered on the table.

KRISTA MAY

If only her parents had called her Kitty. She broke into a smile at the other girl’s comment, “I wish. My real name is Kitana but everyone calls me Kitty… easier for the staff at Starbucks too” Even then they managed to get her name wrong. A selection of different names every time she went.

Kitty had asked her grandmother a few times why she was called Kitana, but it was a mystery. Her sisters told her she was named after a character in the video game Mortal Kombat, which was cool as hell if it were true, though it wasn’t as if she could confirm that with her parents. One lay six feet deep and the other in prison with no contact with the Ryo girls.

“Yea! Like, watch out everyone Double K are in town ready to kick some ass”] The ‘kool’ girls. Kitty liked that, which was evident by the huge grin she had on her face. It sounded like some unstoppable duo you’d find in a supernatural hero film.

Kitty was aware that most girls never find video games all that interesting, so she was cautious not to ramble on about them in the same way she would with her coursemates. It was a great way to escape reality even just for a few hours. Pretend to someone else somewhere else. With video games, she felt like the possibilities were endless, but not everyone got that. “Outlast? It’s a horror game set in an abandoned psychiatric hospital” Playing the game in a brightly lit coffee shop kind of removed the horror aspect from the game.

“Oh…” A trace of sadness laced into her comment. She couldn’t imagine not wanting to go home. Home to her was a fluffy blanket draped over her on a cold day. A place she was safe, at least it was once she moved in with her grandmother. There was nothing safe about her house when she lived with her parents. Heated arguments and violent outbursts, but she was too young to remember everything, instead stuck with unpleasant fractured memories. But her grandmother’s house was everything she ever wanted. Warm, cosy and homey “Why don’t you want to go home?” Hesitate to ask, but perhaps Krista needed someone to talk to. Kitty knew the other female’s comment about it being just one night was a lie, but she wasn’t about to call her out on it.

“Yeah! I’m studying games and interactive media design. I basically play on a laptop trying to design shit like apps. Do you go Whitmore?” It wasn’t uncommon to come across an unfamiliar face as the campus was huge. Everyone blurred into each other and the only people Kitty had socialized with so far were her coursemates and a few from the dorms.


KRISTA MAY

Krista’s laugh was contagious, causing Kitty to laugh along with her, though she wasn’t sure what they were even laughing at by this point. Nonetheless, it felt good to click with someone. Since moving from Atlanta she had only made a few friends here and there but opted to keep most at a safe distance. Worried they’d somehow discover she was a wolf or even worse she’d hurt them. Plus she had her sisters. They were always on the other end of the phone if needed.

The frown on the other girl’s face sparked another chuckle from Kitty. She nodded her head in response to her initial question, a smile still apparent on her face, “They’re not that scary unless you’re playing VR” She raised her hands, mimicking putting a helmet on, “Yeah you get missions and you have to complete the missions before going onto the next level… some have jump scares yeah but it’s all part of fun!” She insisted. Personally, she loved it when a game had a jump, causing adrenaline to pump through her body.

Kitty balanced her elbows on the table, leaning her chin on her palms as Krista went on to explain why she didn’t want to go home. The other girl’s story sounded familiar to her first shift. Waking up the next morning not remembering anything. “Where did you wake up that morning?” Was it a woodland area? Was she naked? Was this girl a wolf too? “But hang on a minute… you’ve never been to a party?” That was the most shocking part of the story. The girl appeared to be around Kitty’s age, so she assumed everyone their age was out at parties, since they couldn’t actually go to a bar. She paused for a minute, before breaking into another warm smile, “You should totally come to a college party with me! They’re so much fun… little bit wild but fun” Her tone was full of excitement as she spoke.

She had no idea what the future held for her, only choosing her course because it was something she enjoyed. Kitty lived her life day by day, with no real plans in place. Her life was planned to the end of the week and that was about it. Every time she allowed herself to think about the future she would spiral. Overthinking the fact she was a werewolf and it was a permanent affliction. She still wasn’t sure how she was supposed to lead a normal life like this. “My dream job would be making video games” She admitted, her mind wandering to that dream for just a second. The thought of being surrounded by big fancy computers with multiple screens whilst she sat designing games. It was something she hoped for.

Quickly she broke out of her thoughts.

“I’m fairly new too… well I’ve been here a year but I’m originally from Atlanta” She beamed. Something else the girls could bond over, to which she was ecstatic about. “Campell’s bar is pretty chilled. There’s also the Ruby Slipper which is the only nightclub in this town, but it’s pretty cool. They sometimes have some awesome bands playing too!” Whether it be a club night or a live music night Kitty was happy to be rocking in the crowd with high energy levels. Along with games, music had a special place in her heart.

“Junior year but going into senior soon!” She responded, as she removed her elbows from the table, settling back into the chair, “Well, I made a mock app for one of my classes. It was a food app. So like cafes and shit that had leftover food at the end of the day you can buy it at a cheaper price… it mainly involved market research and a bit of coding. I think next year we are going to look at actually building the app!” She laughed at Krista’s comment before shaking her head, “Nah I’m no genius. Computers are about the only thing I’m good at” She admitted, with a grin.

Kitty shuffled in her seat for a moment, pondering, “So, um” She paused for a second, “I know this sounds a bit weird but my roommate dropped out of college months ago soI have a free bed in my dorm room… if you don’t feel like going home tonight?”


KRISTA MAY