After Abigail found her parents and informed them what had happened, Caleb and Lily both decided it would be best to leave and run their errands another day. They could see that Kiana was still shaking and nervous about the incident too. Her bruised cheeks had tear stains, and her lip was slightly busted open again from when she had been sobbing quietly against Abby.
"Hey Kiana, how about when we get home you model your new clothes for us?" Caleb said with a hopeful smile, trying to take the Neko's mind off of what happened as they headed outside to the car.
"Y-Yes, that sounds wonderful!" Lily chimed in, understanding what her husband was trying to do. "Oh, I'll bet you'll look adorable in every little thing."
A sad smile slowly crawled onto Kiana's face as she turned her eyes up to the humans. "Y-You think so Miss Lily?" She said softly, her tiny hand wiping her still slightly swollen eye.
"I know so." The young woman smiles down at her as she climbed into the passenger side of the blue car.
Abby climbed into the back, resting Kiana softly on her lap and set the small bag of items into the cup holder beside the backseat. "I bet my mom's right. Especially that pretty little pink and black one you found."
The Neko's eyes lit up even more and her ears began to perk up. "Oh, yes! It sounds like fun, I can't wait!"
"But we have one last stop we need to make, alright?" Lily's tone changed ever so slightly to a more serious one. "And I need you and Abby both to try and keep an open mind about this."
"Okay?" Abby slowly looked towards her mother with a confused expression, trying to read the look on her face but was unable to pick up anything as the car started.
Maybe fifteen minutes later, Abigail had begun to doze off when a sharp squeal jolted her up and she looked to see Kiana near tears on her shoulder, close to hyperventilating. She was stuttering nonsense, but when the teen saw the building outside the car she understood just why she was panicking.
Outside was the large pet store that sold dogs, cats, birds, rodents, and even Neko's. She recognized it, this was the place that Caleb had bought her from. He was taking her back and it made her chest swell with a horrid pain that she'd never felt before. Heartache? Betrayal? Whatever it was, it was positively horrible.
"Mom, dad, why are we here?!" Abby demanded, taking Kiana from her shoulder and clutching her gently to her stomach. "If you're even thinking about returning her, I won't let you! I'll run away with her right now!"
"Abigail I told you to keep an open mind. You'll understand." Lily grumbled softly as she used a hand to rub her temples. "Caleb I told you this would happen."
With a nervous laugh, Caleb stepped out of the car. "Let's just go inside, okay? I can promise nothing bad will happen."
Abby met Kiana's eyes with a sad look as the young Neko continued to cry and squirm, completely ignoring Lily's words. "P-Please, no, don't take me back! I-I don't want to go back, please!" She pleaded with the humans as they walked into the store, the cold air hitting her skin and making the hair on her arms stand on end.
Meghan, who had been keeping an eye on a male customers eyes wandered over to the door where all the commotion was coming from. There was the man who not even a week ago bought poor little Kiana, and now here he was. With his what looked to be wife and child no doubt. But little Kiana was squirming in the teen's grasp and pleading with them.
"Sir. Is something wrong with her?" Meghan asked softly as a deep frown perched on her lips. "Please tell me you're not returning the young one...please."
"We're not returning her. But she seems in such a panicked state I don't think she'll be listening. So I just want to tell you, my wife and I discussed this for a long time, and we want to adopt her. Not as a pet, as our daughter. I know that's an odd request, but it would mean quite a lot."
Meghan's mouth fell open and everything seemed still for a few moments. No human in the known history has ever requested such a thing. But the thought of Kiana getting a forever hom made the clerk's heart swell with joy. "O-Of course, I-I mean I'll have to go in the back and see what kind of p-papers we have for this sort of thing. But I'll be back before you can say 'Bob's your uncle!'" And with that, the young woman took off through some double doors into a back room.
A deep scoff came from behind the family. "They're pets, that's all they'll ever be. You'll see, you'll get bored of her but won't be able to do a thing about it."
Abby held Kiana closer, who had finally taken in what was going on and panted heavily from struggling so much. But now her words were focused on what this man was saying.
"Excuse me?" Caleb turned around and his dark green orbs glared fiercely at this stranger. "You do not who I am, or what kind of people we are. I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself."
The man only scoffed again as he gestured to a female Neko trembling in her cage as she watched them. "This is all they are. And all they will ever be. That little one you got in your hand is nothing but a toy to-"
Before he could get another word out, Caleb's ringed finger slammed into the man's jaw with so much force, it sent him tumbling to the floor. "I told you, keep your opinions to yourself." He spoke with an angry hiss, and as h went to throw another punch, Lily stopped her husband with a soft voice.
"Caleb, it's done. Leave it be." She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Let's get the papers and leave, alright?"
"Fine." Caleb fixed his shirt and ring, turning back to face the double doors as he left the man groaning in pain on the floor.
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The New Home ((G/T))
الخيال (فانتازيا)((THIS COVER WAS DRAWN AND IS OWNED BY @jasper2708!)) Neko's are tiny creatures that have served as pets to humans for hundreds of years. Since they were discovered they've been captured and put into stores to be sold at ridiculously high prices. As...
