Chapter 8: Ch. 8

Hello there, readers! I'm happy to bring to you the newest chapter of Hairball! Once again, this chapter was proofread by the wonderful and amazing author, Trismegistus Shandy! If you haven't already, be sure to check out their stories! I was actually stuck on the interview portion of this chapter, but Shandy helped me through it! They were the reporter giving the interview!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hairball (Chapter 8)

 

by

 

Elite Shade

 

 

 

 

 

Okay... deep and even breaths. I can do this... and Rebecca and Nick are both here with me, so nothing to be nervous about. I'm just going to be giving an interview... to a TV reporter... about going from an ordinary teenage guy to a teenage anthropomorphic cat girl. Yup, nothing to be nervous about at all.

"Please try not to worry, sweetheart," Rebecca says, rubbing my back. Presently I'm sitting on my bed dressed like I am about to work in some office. I'm wearing a red blouse underneath a midnight black blazer with a matching skirt. I wasn't been too happy with the idea of wearing a skirt suit, but according to Rebecca, it would help me to seem more sympathetic for those who would be watching the interview. I think it has something to do with clients being urged by their attorneys to "dress up" for court. As opposed to "dressing down". Anyways, so here I am... wearing a sk-skirt... about to be on camera for the whole world to see...

"You look wonderful," Rebecca says, still rubbing my back. She's also wearing a skirt suit, but hers is charcoal grey with a peach blouse underneath. Dammit! Why the hell does my subconscious keep on insisting on me playing with my squirmy new appendage? I let go of my tail and take a deep breath. I'm silently grateful that she chose not to call me beautiful again... I just... I... I can't handle that input right now...

We sit there like that for another few minutes, Rebecca soothingly rubbing my back while I focus on my breathing. I feel my stomach tighten into a hard little knot when Nick enters, wearing a tan suit and tie, to let us know that they're ready for us. Here we go. We make our way downstairs, with Ben trailing right behind us, wearing his school uniform. In order to keep any suspicion off of Ben, I've agreed to act civil and even friendly towards him, at least until the reporter and his cameraman are gone.

He flashes me a smile, and I bite back the hiss, forcing myself to smile back as we descend the steps. We head into the living room, where the camera crew have already set up their equipment, right in front of the fireplace. The reporter, who introduced himself to me earlier as Tim Wallace, smiles brightly. He comes across as being relaxed, but I get the feeling that he's also pretty excited for this interview, I mean, what reporter wouldn't be? The person to get the first ever interview from what is essentially an entirely new sentient species... it's a little surprising that he's not jumping for joy.

"Alright, we're all ready to go," he says in a gentle voice. He has sandy blonde hair that is neatly parted, a clean-shaven face, with steel-grey eyes. He's wearing a navy blue suit and tie, with perfectly polished black leather shoes. I say nothing as a small microphone is clipped to the collar of my blouse, and I take a seat on the sofa. Suddenly, I stiffen a little as Ben takes a seat next to me, just before Rebecca sits to my left and Nick sits to Ben's right. I make myself relax as Tim walks us through how the interview is going to go.

Basically, he's going to be asking us, mostly me, questions, with his goal to establish me as a poor and unfortunate victim of circumstances beyond my control, being taken in by a wealthy and caring family. The idea of Rebecca bringing home a stray cat has popped into my head just now. I shake it away just before Tim asks us if we're ready. I look to Rebecca, who takes my paw-hand in her own and gives it a squeeze. I take in a deep breath and nod to her. With Nick and Ben both saying that they're ready, Rebecca looks to Tim and gives him a final nod.
Tim takes his seat across from us, but still partly facing the camera, just as we are. The cameraman gives him a thumbs up, and Tim flashes what is clearly a very well-rehearsed smile.

"Hello," he says into the camera. I just now notice that his teeth are bleached. "I am Tim Wallace of Channel 13. I'm here today with Nowhere's own Ferguson family, and their newest addition, Alex." And so it begins.

"So, Alex, tell me a little bit about yourself," Tim says, leaning back in his seat a little. His whole demeanor seems to have changed, immediately taking on a professional yet friendly tone.

"W-Well, I'm a student at Nowhere High, I just turned sixteen, and... uh... I'm a catgirl..." You know that moment when your cool and collected self decides to up and take a smoke break?

"Now, you weren't born a catgirl, were you?" Tim asks.

"No, I used to be a regular guy up until a couple of weeks ago," I say, feeling a little more confident now that I feel Rebecca squeezing my paw again.

"Do you know what caused the sudden... change?" Okay... time to remember what I've rehearsed.

"Uhm... w-well, not really... but my guess would be that a wishing stone was involved. That's the only thing that I can think of that can do something like... this." Okay, so far so good.

"Can you think of anyone who might have a motive to use a wishing stone to change you like this?" I can do this.

"Uhm... no... I can't imagine anyone who would do something so... horrible..." I can't be certain, since I'm actively looking away from him, but I think Ben winced when I said that.

"A couple of weeks ago, Adam Barone confessed on air to having hacked into the board of education's CAT test database and switched his test scores with Ben Ferguson's, using a laptop he had borrowed from you," Tim says. I frown at the mention of that bastard's name, but say nothing, letting Tim continue.

"That happened on the very same day as your transformation." Oh hell. "Do you think there's any connection between the two events? Mr. Barone appeared to have gotten away with his crime until he inexplicably confessed, which is the sort of thing that has previously been associated with wishing stone use." A reasonable question.

"I have no idea if they're connected or not. All I know is, on the same day that I turned into... this... I found out that the only friend I've ever had... someone I trusted... the only person that I trusted... was planning on using me as a scapegoat..." My blood is starting to boil.

"Ben, do you know anyone who might have a grudge against both Adam and Alex?" Why the hell is he asking Ben?!

"I... I didn't know Alex that well before sh-she came to live with us..." That's for damn sure! "But I don't think I could know of anyone who would have a grudge against her."

"Adam," Ben continues, "on the other hand... he's a bully. And the list of people with a grudge against him... well... that's a long list."

"Do you suppose he might have started confessing to more incidents of bullying if he hadn't been interrupted by his father?" Tim asks, but looks back at me.

"I don't know. I was just shocked to see him on the news, making his confession. I never would have expected it that morning, especially with my whole... change..." I truthfully say.

"Where were you when the change happened? And what were you doing?" Tim is leaning forward a little more.

"I was asleep when the change apparently happened. I woke up feeling funny, but shuffled off to the bathroom to get ready for school... and then I saw my reflection in the mirror..." I say, maintaining eye contact just like how Rebecca coached me.

"That must have been quite the shock," Tim says.

"It was... I was confused and terrified." Did my voice just crack a little? No... no I'm still good.

"I can only imagine," Tim says, shifting a little uncomfortably in his seat. "Now, from what we've gathered, you were staying with a foster family at the time. How did they react when they saw the new you?"

"They seemed to think that I was some kind of monster," I say, feeling Rebecca slip an arm around my back and start rubbing again, "and my old foster father, Gabe, chased me out with his gun, shooting at me."

"He was arrested for opening fire on a police squad car, apparently, and is being charged with check fraud as well." Wow, he really did do his homework. "Do you intend to press charges for his attack on you?"

I look over to Rebecca, my legal guardian and my attorney, who seems to steel herself.

"Absolutely, we will be pressing charges!" she says while squeezing me a little.

"So, how did you end up living with the Fergusons, after being chased out of your foster home?" he asks me. Okay, gotta make sure that I don't go and slip up.

"I was running along, starting to calm down, when Rebecca pulled up in her car," I say, passing the conversational ball off to Rebecca.

"I saw poor Alex here running while I was out, and she looked hurt. She was too scared to go to a hospital, initially, so I offered to have my husband, Nick, take a look at her. He's a nurse. Once we found out about her essentially becoming homeless after her transformation, as well as what it was like for her to live in the foster care system even before she transformed, we just knew that she needed a stable home." Wow... uh... r-right... gotta pay attention to the interview.

"It's been a period of ups and downs for you, hasn't it, Alex? How does finding a new and better home balance out with your transformation and injury?" Tim continues. Crap.

"Well... the Fergusons have been very welcoming. I'm not... I'm not really used to that... It has been a challenge coming to terms with my new... self. I mean... I changed species and genders so... that's been a lot to take in all at once..." No. I will not cry on camera, I will NOT cry on camera! I've already dealt with this, dammit! Okay, maybe no one will notice my cheek fur getting a little damp.

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"But at least my wound is all healed up," I say, hoping that the reporter with take the bait for the change in topic.

"That's good to hear, Alex. Would you mind sharing a little bit for our viewers about what it's like to be part cat?" Tim asks, thankfully having moved on.

"S-Sure," okay, now just to make sure that I don't sound like a total idiot, "It's, uh..." already off to a great start, "it's a little odd. My ears are now on top of my head... and I think I can hear a lot better than I used to. It is a bit of a chore to wash and dry all this fur. It takes a while. And it's really weird having a tail, which moves without me making it do so."

Tim smiles a slightly more genuine-looking smile at me. "So I've noticed," he said. What's that supposed to... oh... stupid thing. I take a quick second to tuck my squirming tail back behind me.

"And... uh... it's really weird when I start... purring..." I'm glad that my fur is black, so that there is no way that my blush can be caught on camera.

"So... purring is an involuntary response?"

"Y-Yes... it is..." I just feel like there's a spotlight shining right down on me... it is not a good feeling.

"Is it a great hardship having fur all over, in the Arizona heat? Do you sweat only through your... paws, like a cat?" Tim asks. He is definitely leaning a bit further forward than last time.

"I have noticed that my palms... paw pads... get a little sweaty from time to time, yes. But my fur, surprisingly, seems to breathe real well. So the heat hasn't gotten to me yet." That was a pleasant surprise, actually.

"Fascinating," Tim candidly says. "May I ask about your gender change? How is that affecting you?" Oh boy...

"Uhm... o-okay. It's... uh... it's something I'm learning to get used to." Out of some weird instinct, I smooth out my already smooth skirt, keeping one leg tucked behind the other just like how Rebecca showed me.

"Do you think of yourself as a girl?" Tim asks.

"I... I'm not sure..." I say, truthfully. I mean, I never really took any time before I changed to think to myself, am I thinking of myself as a guy? But now I have to wonder, do I think of myself as a girl? I don't think that I do.

"Well, you can figure that out in time, I'm sure." I nod when he says this, but really I'm just wanting him to move on to the next question. "Are you nervous about going back to school soon?"

I nod. "Very. But I need to finish out my courses, in order to get the credits for college."

"Do you already have definite college plans, then?" Tim asks, leaning back in his seat.

"We're all still discussing schools," Rebecca chimes in, squeezing my hand again.

"Yes," I add, "I was originally thinking about the local community college, but now I'm considering other schools." I'm mainly considering them because of Rebecca and Nick. When I told them my plans for after graduation, they both started in on me and my potential and... well, I've agreed to look at other schools, okay? So please stop reading too much into it...

"Yes, perhaps a more... cosmopolitan environment would be better for you now. You aren't the only person to have gotten an unusual transformation due to someone's use or misuse of a wishing stone, though you appear to be the only known catgirl. How does it feel to be the only one of your kind?" I guess I see his point... a more diverse environment might be for the best... but did he really have to phrase the question like that?

"... It's pretty scary... actually..." I answer.

"Let's see... I think we'll wrap up with a few more general questions, and then a couple of questions for the rest of the family. Alex, what do you like to do in your spare time?" I guess that they're going to edit him saying part of that out.

"I like to read... and... uh... c-collect Sorcery: the Assembly cards," I say, starting to feel my face burn up again at probably sounding like a total dork.

"Interesting. What sort of things do you prefer to read?" Tim asks.

"Mostly science fiction and fantasy." Part of me is really wishing I was up in my room, reading just that right about now.

"Did you know Ben, your new foster brother, before all this happened? You both go to Nowhere High, correct?" Okay... that's a bit of a curve ball, but I got this... I think...

"Y-Yeah... we had seen each other around school before..."

Tim nods and then turns to Ben. "Ben, what do you think of your new foster sister?" ... Okay... I guess... technically, he's right... Ben... don't you go and screw up now.

"O-Oh... uh... I-I think she's... uh... adorable!" He did not... he did NOT just call me... oh, later tonight. I'll get him for that later tonight. It's alright when Rebecca says it. Embarrassing, but... kinda nice... Hell, even Tim's eyebrows rise a little at that.

"I see... Mr. and Ms. Ferguson, are you planning to pursue full adoption?" Tim asks. And there's yet another curve ball.

"We've agreed to get Alex all settled in first before we all discuss that together," Nick steps in, thankfully. The awkwardness is still very palpable.

"That makes sense. Well, I think we're almost done here. Is there anything more you would like to share with our viewers?"

"Uhm... th-thanks for listening to my story..." Almost done.

"And thank you for graciously agreeing to this interview," Tim makes a motion with his hand and the cameraman gives him a thumbs up, turning off the camera.

"Okay," Tim said, smiling as he stood up, "that will work for the majority of the interview. All we need now are some additional establishing shots of the house, then we'll get some of Alex's old foster home, and some of the school. After that, we'll edit and it'll be ready to air tonight on the six o'clock news."

"Cool," I say, just before Tim holds out his hand for me to shake. I take it and give it a shake, noticing how much smaller my hand/paw seems to be compared to his hand, which dwarfs it.

"For what it's worth, Alex," he says after shaking my hand while his cameraman is already breaking down some of the equipment, "I think that you are a very brave young l-person." I blush underneath my fur and thank him. Once I'm certain that I'm no longer needed, I dart back up the stairs and into my room. I quickly start to strip off my new skirt suit, being careful to fold and hang up each article of clothing appropriately, as Rebecca had shown me. I try not to look at my reflection, showing me in just my red bra and panties, and instead grab a pair of jeans and a turquoise tank top to throw on. I then flop down on my bed and grab a book. I'm not sure which one it is, but I don't care. I've started to read when there's a knock on my door. I sigh and set the book aside as I get up and head over to the door to see who it is. I open it to see Ben standing there, blushing.

"I'm so sorry," he says. I roll my eyes and walk away, leaving the door open.

I cut Ben off. "I... Alex... I... I didn't--"

"We've already established that you didn't know about my life, Ben, okay," I say, more tired than angry. I sigh as I head over to my bed and lay back down on the comforter. As much as I will him to, Ben doesn't leave. Instead, he kinda shuffles his way through the doorway, taking a seat at my desk. I grab the book, once again not looking at the cover, and just open it halfway, laying the open book over my face. Good gods... this is pretty damn awkward...

"So... how long have you collected StA cards?" I hear Ben ask me; I peek out from under the book to see him looking at the cards I had laid out on my desk.

"Since middle school," I mumble.

"Same here," Ben says, a smile creeping on his face. "I'm still collecting them."

"Cool," I say, unsure of just what I'm supposed to say or do in this situation.

"Alex... what I did to you was just so... wrong," that's putting it lightly, but I'll let him continue, "and I know that being, and saying, sorry will not change anything. But can I... can I please help... you?"

Is his voice... cracking? Let me just check... those... those are tears...

"I... guess..." I say. "But what do you mean by helping me?"

"I uh..." Ben wipes his eyes... I think that maybe he doesn't know that I saw, but I did. "I'm not one hundred percent sure... yet." He lets out a shaky laugh.

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it, dear readers! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!

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