Incredible things seem to begin in less than notable ways. It was my thirteenth birthday; mom was off to Vegas with one of her many boy-toys. Dad left when I was six and he has this girlfriend who does not look much older than me. He called from Hawaii and wished me happy birthday, which was more than I got from mom.

Most of the kids at school have birthday parties. I used to get invited up until a few years ago. Mom stormed into the party drunker than she usually was and raged on at Bessie Miller's Dad about something that happened on his boat the previous night. Bessie's mom just looked horrified. Well, in any event, that was my last birthday party, or any party for that matter.

Everyone has friends but not me. I never quite understood this. I'm pretty enough but my face has quite strong features. My jet-black hair is a bit odd as are my long arms, legs, and fingers. I look nothing like my parents. But they are quick to remind me I'm adopted.

They said that they cut some sweet deal with Child Protective Services where they got enough money to pay the mortgage on the house and clothing and food expenses for me. I don't get much to eat and mom seems to have me well stocked with hand me downs from the PTA. Did they like me, or even cared that I existed? Probably not, but they sure loved the money my existence gave them. My parents were never divorced; it was just too convenient to keep splitting the money. No one knew who my real parents were; I was dropped off at the fire station at just a few months old.

I found school less than interesting; I used to get 100% on every test or homework assignment. If it had to do with facts, if I saw it, heard it, or read it, I remembered it. Anything I had to figure out like math or science was unbelievably simple. Nothing got any harder than 1+1=2. My physical features made people a bit uneasy but being a straight A student, made people just a little bit warier. So, I made a point to never get anything higher than a B on anything. Mom never seemed to notice.

But there was one thing on this Earth that loved me and that was a cat. Never had any of my own, never needed one. If a cat saw me, it would start weaving between my legs and look for a perch from which to jump on my shoulder, nibble my ear and lick my cheek. But cats seemed to be just a little bit restrained, if you can believe that, just as I was with grades; they acted as if they wanted to stay out of the spotlight.

Being alone but not lonely on my thirteenth birthday, I rode my bike through the forest outside of town, where Mrs. Schlachenfeld lived. It was a log cabin just within the boundary of the forest. The forest service has long tried to take possession of the cabin. They offered her obscene amounts of money to move out and when that failed, they tried eminent domain. There seemed to be just cause and everyone in town supported it.
The process was well on its way when a tall handsome lawyer from the top law firm in New New City took the case. The forest service was no match for that man. It seemed that Mrs. Schlachenfeld could stay as long as she wished.

As I was riding down a trail, the most peculiar thing happened. A cat jumped from a branch high above and gracefully floated down onto my shoulder. At first, I thought it was a fox bat swooping through the air. I have no idea why I wasn't simply terrified of the thought of the largest bat in the world. But I found the lack of wings quite puzzling when it landed on my shoulder because those wings were quite clear as it was gracefully floating down.

I only realized that it was a cat when I looked to see what had landed on my shoulder. I had a T-shirt on and I would have thought the cat's claws would have sliced my shoulder but no sign of claws, just velvety soft paws. Then that cat bit my ear, not with its teeth but just with its lips as all cats seem to do to me. But this was no ordinary nibble; that cat was wrenching my head this way and that so I had no choice but to follow its lead.

What good fun! What would this cat do next? The cat was pushing and pulling at each intersection of the trail. That cat had a definite destination and it was a fun game to play. It was to getting dark quickly and I was just looking down at the trail hoping to avoid a crash as the cat was dictating directions. And then, Bam! Right into Mrs. Schlachenfeld's front door. I went down hard and may have passed out as the next thing I remember was Mrs. Schlachenfeld standing over me demanding to know why I was late for my birthday party.

I said, "I really should be getting back home before people get worried about me" She said, "There is nobody to worry about you. Your mom is in Vegas and your dad is in Hawaii." She said.

"How do you know so much about my life?" I asked.

"I know everything about your life!" she retorted.

"How is that possible?" I stammered.

Mrs. Schlachenfeld said, "I'm your mother. Let's have dinner, there will be plenty of time for talking after we eat."

Dinner was marvelous. I had never seen a steak that big or delicious. A baked potato with butter and sour cream followed. Then I got an entire quart of the most delicious homemade peach ice cream to ever set foot on this planet. It was so good I felt alive. Or maybe it was just the first time I EVER FELT TRULY ALIVE.

I had never come close to eating that much food in my life, but I felt perfectly fine. We spent most of the morning getting used to calling her mom. That word had been one of disappointment. To have it take on a new meaning was simply amazing.

The cat was sitting on a chair licking its paw, and it looked sharply towards the window. In reflex, I shot a glance towards the window, seeing nothing I looked back at the cat. But in the chair sat that New York attorney, Barrington Plimp. He just smirked at me. I loved the cat, him not so much.

Then I was shocked and thrilled to hear Mrs, Schlanchfeld, I mean mom say, "You will never go home. They will find your bicycle crashed against my cabin. There will be mountain lion tracks, traces of your blood, and pieces of your clothes strewn about."

I replied "But nobody has ever seen a mountain lion in this forest" I said, having nothing more rational to say.

A glow of flashing light struck. mom transformed into a snarling mountain lion that pounced and knocked me to the floor. I probably would have died of fright had it not been for Barrington's air of indifference.

He just said, "Mother, you're scaring the poor little girl."

I am many things, but I am certainly not a poor little girl.

"If you are a mountain lion, and he is a cat, then what am I?" I said. "Well, we don't know yet, you may be nothing at all." She said

At this point, there were a few things I knew for certain. I'm in a cabin with what appeared to be a man and a woman who are supernatural. Is this really happening? Or is it just a wonderful dream. Some of my nightmares have been so real, I only knew they were not until I work up. Could it be that I'm dreaming up some excitement to make up for the fact that I have no friends and by most measures no parents and no birthday party. I guessed I would enjoy the dream while I could.

"But what is to become of my parents", I asked. "Well, it took some work to get your mother to act like a child. Once we take the spell off, she will revert to her natural self. Your dad has always had a propensity for immature behavior, so we will shift the spell on him to keep him in line. They will both find really good jobs and live happily ever after,' she said with just a tinge on a sneer," she said. This was the first time she appeared to be actually frightening.

"But won't they miss me?" I asked.

"No", She said.