(In)Sane and (Un)Loved: Chapter 1 - Two Unusual Forces Meet
My first real attempt at making a romance story between a human and anthro.
I just want to start off by saying that this was originally supposed to be an entry for the writing contest "Hallowed Hearts 2.0" however, due to my inexperience with writing in the romance genre and never making an anthro character... I feel I cannot make this piece below the max word count of 5,000, especially since I'm working on world building and more storytelling in my writing now. So I have decided to use this as a learning experience and turning it into a chaptered series.
Please no hate or anything.
I hope you guys enjoy it and feel free to comment on it or critique it.
[Word Count: 4,491]
"THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR, SKYE!" A male voice shouts out in the darkness...
"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" An alarm sounds as a girl opens her eyes, reaching out from underneath her blankets, grabbing the alarm clock on her cherry wood nightstand and yanking it from the plug before tossing it across the room with an unhappy groan.
"Uggghh," a female voice complains before lifting up the covers.
A pair of paws rests on the floor as the female stands up, revealing an Antro leopard girl wearing nothing but panties and a bra and her hair down a little past her shoulders as she walks over to her bedroom door, opening it and walking down the hall and entering the bathroom before closing the door.
She stands in front of the mirror to look at herself. She was about 5 feet tall and her body was covered with short fur as well as leopard patterns throughout her body. She had green eyes and purple highlights scattered around her pitch black hair.
"Okay Skye," she said, "You can do this! The first day of high school, you just have to be confident!" She continued before a brief pause passes and her ears go down, "Oh who am I kidding??" She calls out with a disappointed tone before stepping away from the mirror and into her bathtub after stripping off her bra and panties, turning on the hot water and adjusting it as soon as the water heats up before closing the curtain and turning on the shower head, the water spurting out a little before the continuous stream of the perfect temperature of water comes pouring down...
"I'm a freak..." Skye claimed under her breath as she washes her hair and body.
A few moments pass before the shower stops and the curtains pull open before the leopard girl steps out. She then dries off some before wrapping it around herself, stepping in front of the mirror once more, her hand placed flatly against the glass, "At least my hands didn't change like my feet." She stated with a relieved sigh.
Skye continued with her morning routine.
Once finished, she leaves the bathroom and goes back to her bedroom, closing the door behind her before taking the towel off and tossing it on the bed. Skye opens up her closet, revealing several shirts and hoodies... She grabs one of each and some black jeans from her dresser door, along with a pair of panties and a bra.
Skye starts getting dressed and sighs, "I wish I could wear shoes..." She calmly mutters as she looks down at her feet. She grabs her hoodie and puts it on before zipping it up and exiting her bedroom, heading down the short hallway and down a set of stairs, "I'm thankful I was taken from my real parents after people found out what they did to me, don't get me wrong, I love my new foster parents! They actually treat me like a normal person, but, sometimes they look at me and I can tell they still think I'm a freak. I mean really! Who wants a kid that looks like an animal??" Skye says out loud in thought as she takes the last step on the stairs, turning to go pass the living room and into the kitchen.
There, an older woman is at the stove, cooking and an older man is at a small dining table with a cup of coffee by him and doing a crossword puzzle on a newspaper.
"Morning!" Skye calls out in a tried cheery tone. The two people look over, "Good morning sweetie!" The woman calls out.
"You're awake! I thought I was going to have to go up there and dump a bucket of ice cold water on you again." The man comments with a slight laugh as Skye sits across from him, "I would kill you if you did that again, dad..." She comments back.
"It's still weird calling these two people mom and dad, but they don't seem to mind it. They've even treated me like I was their kid! And it does give me a sense of being normal. Still though..." Skye narrates in her head as she looks at her hand with a sad look.
"Still hard to believe, eh baby girl?" her foster dad says as he looks up at her.
"Yeah..." Skye replies.
"Don't worry honey," Her foster mom says with a smile, "I know it's hard, but you're still normal on the inside." She states as she carries a pan over and places some bacon and scrambled eggs on Skye's plate.
"She's right, no matter what people think, you have to remember that you're a human, even if you look like an animal." Her foster dad adds in.
"Yeah, your right guys," Skye responds while stuffing her short muzzle with the food, though, she still didn't believe it.
"Do you want me to drive you to school today, Skye?" Her foster dad asks.
"That'd be nice," Skye answers, looking at him with a half smile.
"Very well, finish your breakfast and we'll head out." He replies with a smile.
Once Skye finishes her breakfast, she and her foster dad stand up and leave the kitchen after her foster dad kisses her foster mom and the mom hugs Skye, "Be safe you two." She commented.
"We will sweetheart." The dad replies as they leave the kitchen and head through the living room to the front door. Skye picks up her backpack and they head out the door to his car before driving away from the two-story house.
Skye and her dad pull up to a large, 4 story building with a walkway leading up to the entrance.
Skye gulps a little before pulling the hood of her baggy jacket over her head and leaving the passenger side of the car and walking up the walkway, "Have a great first-day baby girl!" Her dad calls out, causing Skye to turn around and wave with a fake smile.
She continues to the entrance as her dad drives away, blaring the music of the radio.
"He's such a dork..." Skye mutters under her breath with a slight giggle before finally entering the building. She continues down the hall, turning right and heading over to the lockers, stopping at her assigned one and opening it to put some stuff inside.
"HEY FREAK!" A male voice calls out...
"Oh no no no no!" Skye mutters under her breath, "Not this guy!"
She closes her locker and looks over to her right, seeing a bigger kid, about her age walking over to her. "I'm sorry, but this isn't elementary school sweetie, can't have a hood on." The kid claims with a smirk before grabbing her hood and yanking it off, revealing her ears and her hair done in a ponytail.
"NO!" Skye shouts, causing other students to look over.
"Aw, what's the matter? Afraid of these new people seeing how much of a freak you are??" The kid states with a laugh as he steps in front of her, his hand on the lockers and trapping her.
"HEY!" Just then, another male voice shouts out, causing the kid and Skye to look over. There stood two taller kids, both a few inches taller than Skye. One he had short, messy dirty blonde hair, an athletic built body and was wearing black wingtip shoes with red accents, black sleek dress pants, and a blank white V-neck shirt.
The other had the same pants, however, he had brown cowboy boots, wearing a white polo shirt with three buttons and had a short buzzcut.
"There a problem here?" The dirty blonde haired kid asked, stepping closer.
"Beat it loser!" The bully called out, "This is personal."
The kid chuckles, "Well, I can't do that, sorry friend." The kid replied in a calm tone, "You see, I can't stand bullies like you. If you think you can MAKE me leave, then try your luck freshman trash." He finishes, opening his arms out.
"Why you smug ass punk..." The bully muttered, leaving Skye and taking a swing at the kid.
The kid grabs his fist.
"You done fucked up bro!" The other kid called out with a laugh, leaning against the lockers.
The blonde haired kid then grabbed the bully by his hair, quickly smashing the side of his head against the lockers before turning and pushes the bully over to his friend. The other kid calmly holds out his fist, causing the bully to slam his chubby stomach against it.
"Now beat it, or we'll do worse!" The blonde haired kid called out.
"Your ALL freaks!" The bully calls out as he runs off.
The blonde haired kid walked over to Skye, "You okay?" he asked before a brief pause passes, suddenly, Skye pulls her hood over her head and runs off.
The kid sighs, "She's actually pretty cute, eh Wyatt?" The other kid walks over, patting his back.
"Yeah, she is. But more importantly, I hope she's okay." Wyatt replies as the school bell rings, "Come on, we're late for class." Wyatt claims as he walks the other direction, his friend shrugging before following behind him.
As the day goes by, Skye continues trying to avoid as much attention as she can, while Wyatt continues to wonder who this strange girl is, What made her like that and where did she come from.
The final bell rings at 3:45 PM, allowing the students to leave. The halls flood with students. Wyatt and his friend sit under a tree as students continue exiting the building and suddenly, Wyatt notices Skye out of the corner of his eye, he stares, looking her over.
"Who is she anyway?" Wyatt asked while his eyes follow her.
"Don't know," His friend replies, "All I know is she's one of the new freshmen, transferred from a middle school in the next town over. She is an interesting one, eh amigo?"
"Yeah..." Wyatt replied, watching her get to the end of the walkway and into her car.
"Oooo, is Wyatt crushing on a leopard girl??" His friend laughed, playfully shoving him.
"Shut up Ryan!" laughing back a little while punching his arm.
Several hours later, Wyatt opens his front door, "I'm home!"
No response,
"They're not home... Not surprising." He says before kicking off his shoes to the side of the entryway before walking over to the kitchen and notices a small not on the center island. He walks over and picks it up, opening it and reading the contents aloud:
"Your father and I are working late again, there's plenty of food so go ahead and make yourself dinner. Don't forget to clean up after yourself. Love mom."
Wyatt sighs and crumbles up the note, tossing it into the trashcan before grabbing an apple and leaving the kitchen, heading to his bedroom and enters, closing the door. He tosses his backpack over by his desk, which is positioned at the far end of the same wall as the door. Wyatt sighs, taking a bite of the apple before taking off his shirt as he chews, throwing into the hamper and then goes over to his bed which is adjacent to his bedroom door and lays down, looking at the ceiling as he eats.
"She could've at least said thanks for helping her..." Wyatt comments in a slightly annoyed mutter.
As he's lost in thought, a female voice speaks up, "Your talking to yourself again..."
Wyatt quickly sits up and looks over to see a little girl sitting in his desk chair, wearing a backless skater dress with a black and purple plaid pattern, black and purple striped over knee socks, a purple bow in her hair, long black fishnet gloves on her hands, and round clear glasses.
"Yuki... What have I told you about appearing out of nowhere!" Wyatt states in a very annoyed tone.
"Not my fault, YOU created me, remember?!" Yuki shouts back, "Plus, you're clearly thinking too hard, kind of hard for me not to come out when your brain starts running like gears... So, this girl... She is an interesting one, isn't she?"
Wyatt sighs heavily before laying back down, "Yeah... I wish I knew her story."
"Then ask her, idiot!" Yuki replies
"How?? I'm not exactly smooth with the ladies, brat." Wyatt comments.
Yuki gets out of the chair, her long light blue hair flowing behind her as she walked over and flicked him on his forehead.
"OW!" Wyatt calls out,
"You don't have to be 'Smooth', just try making small talk. She's very clearly an outcast since she isn't exactly human... So someone showing kindness and interest in her, I'm sure she'd open up pretty quickly." Yuki explains, crossing her arms.
"Yeah... You're right, maybe she'll enjoy having a friend." Wyatt agrees.
"Besides, maybe you'll finally get to fulfill that furry fetish you have," Yuki comments, giggling as she places her hand over her mouth.
"Okay Yuki, that's enough. Thanks for the advice." Wyatt comments with a slight laugh.
"Anytime!" Yuki replies, "I'm always in your head if you need me." Yuki waves goodbye as a playful smile appears on her face before fading away.
"Well, Tomorrow is gonna be fun!" Wyatt comments as he continues eating the apple.
The next day at school, Wyatt closes his locker before looking over and sees Skye, exchanging books at her locker.
He takes a deep breath, "Okay Wyatt... You can do this," he mutters before exhaling and walking towards her.
Skye notices him coming over and tries to hide her face.
"Hey there, I never introduced myself properly... I'm Wyatt" He said with a soft smile, trying to not frighten her.
"Sk-Skye..." She replied, stuttering.
There's a brief moment of silence before Wyatt sighs,
"Listen, I know you're new around here Skye, I figured you could use a friend..." Wyatt stated, "So, Here I am." Offering his hand to her.
Skye turns around, eyeing him up and down then looking at his hand...
"Why me?" Skye questions.
"You're different... I'm curious about you." Wyatt answered.
Skye giggles a little while stating, "Curiosity killed the cat."
"But satisfaction brought it back," Wyatt replied with a confident tone.
Skye starts laughing some and gives him a half smile, "Very well, Wyatt." She takes his hand and shakes it, "But don't say I didn't warn you."
"I know I won't regret it, Skye." He replies with a slight laugh.
"So, me and you, after school? I know a great dinner over on N Olive St." Wyatt asks politely, releasing her hand.
"Oh... I don't know... I'm not really good in public..." Skye replied in an obvious nervous tone as her tail sways slowly.
"Well, good thing I have a secluded spot there." He comments back, "Come on, at least let me buy you some food after school. If you don't like it afterward, I'll never ask again!"
Skye didn't know what it was, but she seemed comfortable around this boy, as if his confident energy gave her joy and the fact someone was showing interest in her made her curious what it could lead too. So, without second-guessing it, she answered.
"Okay, fine." Skye finally replied, closing her locker, "Jeez you're stubborn, you know that?" she said with a slight laugh.
"Part of my charm I guess," Wyatt replied before the final bell rang.
"I'll be outside the front of the building after school!" Wyatt calls out as he starts running off.
"Okay, I'll see you there!" Skye called back.
Once he was out of sight, she squealed loudly, "Yeeesss!! A boy noticed me! AND A CUTE ONE AT THAT! OH MY GOD!!!" She was clearly excited, happy she finally made a friend that didn't see her as a freak.
Skye runs off to class with a bright smile on her face.
After the final bell rings, Wyatt heads outside and takes a seat by a tree next to the walkway and sighs, waiting for Skye to show up.
As a few minutes pass and after waves of other students come out like a herd of sheep, Wyatt sees Skye come out, looking around.
"Skye! Over here!" He calls out, causing Skye to turn around and wave before running over to him.
"You ready?" He asks with a grin.
"Yup! Just let me call my dad real quick!" She replies, pulling out her cell phone and dialing.
"Alright," Wyatt comments, going over to his car and getting in.
"What's up, sweetie?" A man answers
"Hey dad, so, A boy approached me today and asked me to go out to a diner in town, So I won't need a ride home till a little later," Skye explains
"Oh, alright baby girl, well, feel free to let him drive you home. I'm going to be at the office a little late so it might be best. Your mom should be home." Her dad replies.
"Alright, thanks, dad!" Skye exclaims out.
"No problem sweetheart, be safe." Her dad comments with a chuckle.
The line hangs up and Skye walks over to Wyatt's Saturn before climbing in and buckling up.
"Everything good?" Wyatt asked.
"Mhm!" Skye replies with a giddy smile, "Though my dad won't be home till later today, so if it's alright Wyatt, think you could give me a ride home?" She asked.
"Sure thing," Wyatt replies, "Your mom will be home right?"
"She should be, "Skye says with a shrug, "That's what my dad said."
"Well, if she isn't, I'll stay over till she gets back," Wyatt comments with a straight face, his tone showing a hint of concern."
The car drives off, driving down the road...
They pull up to the diner parking lot and get out. Skye looks up at the establishment and smiles brightly as she looks it over. It had a cartoon whale as a sign that read "Krilling it Breakfast and Diner" and the outside had blue metal strips going along the top. There was a wooden porch with stairs outside, leading up to the entrance doors, one with a sign that said "Whale-come to our Establishment."
"Just ignore the puns, it's a seafood and breakfast diner, but they have burgers and other things," Wyatt explained
Skye laughed softly, "I think they're funny! How'd you know I liked seafood?" She asked.
"Just a guess," Wyatt answered as he leads her up to the front door, opening it and letting her in first.
Inside, there was a small stand where the Waitress would be at, blue booths with light blue stripes, a bar counter with stools and a cash register in front of the kitchen and a jukebox playing country music against the far right wall. The entire restaurant was ocean themed and had decorations all around to match.
"Hey there, divers!" A cheery woman walked up and greeted them with a smile, "How many?" she asked.
Wyatt held up two fingers, "2, and it will be a to-go order."
"Alright! Follow me please," The women replied, leading them back to the bar counter, grabbing two menus and handing each one to them, "You know the drill right, Wyatt?" The waitress asked with a grin.
"Yeah, I remember. Just tell the cook what I want. Go ahead and add it to my family's tab." Wyatt replied with a slight chuckle.
She nodded, "You got it, hun."
The waitress walks away as Skye and Wyatt look over the menu.
A few minutes pass and Wyatt and Skye walk out of the Diner, each holding a bag.
"Alright, follow me." Wyatt turned to Skye, getting a nod in reply before the two start running and approach a building made of glass with metal frames. The two enter and hop in the elevator and go up to the third floor.
The elevator stops and the two kids step out as the doors open up, going down a short narrow hall with doors before coming to a push open door with an LED sign above it that said "EXIT" and a sticker sign that read "Rooftop access." Wyatt opened the door to reveal a stairwell section and hands his bag to Skye, "Hold this, please?" He asked. Skye took the bag and watches him go up the stairs to a steel roof door. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small lock picking kit before going to work.
"Are you sure this isn't illegal?" Skye question with hesitation.
"Well, of course, it is," Wyatt answers with a chuckle as the padlock snaps open and pulls it off, setting it aside before turning the handle and pushing it up, "But that's what makes an amazing view." He explains before climbing out the opening and onto the roof, Skye following.
Her eyes widen as she scans around, the sun setting over the town behind her made it look like a scene in a movie. An expression of awe and shock washes over her face as she follows Wyatt to a little table he pulled out from behind a vent.
"Maintenance always eat lunch up here. They let me come up here sometimes and use their table." Wyatt explains.
Skye giggles, "You know a lot of people."
"Comes with owning a car and socializing." He replies with a smile as Skye places the food on the table and they begin eating. As the minutes' pass, Skye and Wyatt are talking about all kinds of things and laughing while making jokes.
About 2 hours go by and show them sitting in front of the edge, looking out.
"So, you don't have to tell me, but I'm curious..." Wyatt smiles before asking. "What happened that turned you like that?"
Skye looks down, her goofy and fun-loving attitude changes into a more depressive state as she hugs her knees tightly against her chest.
"Well... It's not a long story, just a terrible memory that makes me cry as I think about it." She replies.
"It's cool, you don't have to tell me, Skye." Wyatt comments, lighting a cigarette.
"N-No..." Skye shakes her head as she stutters with her words, "It's time I told someone, and considering how happy you've made me and how amazing this day has been... I'll tell you my story."
The scene fades to a room where a 4-year-old Skye is strapped down to a sterile hospital bed, screens showing vitals and other medical information, as well as white lit screens with x-rays on them.
"My birth parents were both Genetic engineers, well known too. My dad was a major in both Biology and Genetic Engineering and my mom was a major in Medical Biology and Genetic Science." Skye narrates.
"Wait a minute, this sounds familiar..." Wyatt comments.
"It should. It was all over the news..." She continues as a man and woman wearing lab coats, surgical masks, and surgeon gloves step over to the bed with a metal tray that had syringes, scalpels, and other medical tools on it before the woman turns on a large overhead lamp.
"My parents decided to use me to test their gene manipulation experiments. I endured torturous conditions and was always scared when they would come into my room or call me down for dinner."
A young girl's screams echo out through the room.
"One day, they finally got it right, and it created what you see now... A human-like, female anthro animal."
"They tried so hard to keep it a secret and since I was home schooled, that wasn't too hard. But after several years one day, they finally messed up. After putting me to bed, they left the room without locking my bedroom window... I wanted the world to know what they did to me. So I climbed out the window, jumped off the roof into the bushes and stole my dad's car with the spare key he kept on hand. I drove to the hospital and revealed myself to the doctor. At first, he scared, unsure of what to think, but after I calmed him down and assured him I wasn't going to maul him or anything, he wanted to know what happened."
"Why didn't you just go to the police?" Wyatt interrupts, questioning her with sincerity.
"Well, looking back on it even now, I'm not sure if that'd actually be smart. I mean, if a leopard girl walked into a police station, they might have just shot me out of pure fear and confusion." She answered.
"That's a fair point," Wyatt replied.
Skye continued on as Wyatt scooted closer to her,
"So, I explained everything that happened and that my parents did this. He called the police after getting some nurses to come in and comfort me. Since it was the middle of the night, and my parents were off work the next day, they wouldn't be awake till late afternoon and this was their downfall. The police showed up and next thing I know, I'm watching them being walked away with handcuffs and our house being emptied out with evidence on the news. After a few weeks, I was placed with a foster family and going to public schools. Doctors and Genetic scientist have been trying to figure out a way to reverse this mutation all this time, but not even my birth parents know how. So, I'm stuck like this..."
Skye lays her head on Wyatt's shoulder as he puts his arm around her, an expression of complete shock and sympathy glued to his face.
"Christ Skye... I'm... I'm so sorry..." He exclaims.
"It's okay, now you know. And I'll admit, it was nice finally telling someone about it besides a therapist." Skye replies, standing up and looking out at the city.
"Enough of this depressive stuff though," Skye says as she turns to face Wyatt, a bright fake smile on her face and watery eyes with her hands behind her back, "It's about time I get home."
Wyatt smiles back and stands up, stretching, "Yeah, your right. Come on, let's get you home."
An hour later, Wyatt pulls up to her house and walks her up to her door, knocking on it. A woman answers, "Yes?"
"Hey ma'am, I brought back your daughter back home. I hope your husband informed you." Wyatt says while letting Skye walk back into the house.
"Oh! Yes, yes of course! Thank you for bringing her home... I can give you some money to make up for the gas." The woman responds.
"No, it's alright, letting me treat your daughter to dinner is enough payment for me, ma'am. Skye, I'll see you at school tomorrow." Wyatt comments, bowing to them before turning around.
"Can't wait, Wyatt," Skye replies, giggling shyly.
They close to door as Wyatt drives away.
"He seems like a nice boy." Skye's mom comments, walking to the kitchen.
"Yeah... He is." Skye says softly under her breath as she looks out the window.
To be continued.