A Change of Pace
Sebastian Oliver Gunter had it all, the perfect life; He was a silver spoon kitten through and through. The best clothes, food, education, he even had great looks. Sebastian was a light brown feline with darker brown stripes; he had a cream-colored stomach, groin, paws, the tip of his long tail, and the hair on his head. He had striking blue eyes and a swimmer's body, though he avoided water.
Sebastian was, for the most part, very kind, gentle, and caring. However, he was raised as an elitist, raised to believe that felines were superior to all species. This was instilled by his father.
So, his father insisted that he attend an all-feline school. Sebastian was quite popular, in the number of friends he had and the number of girls, and boys, who had crushes on him.
However, as they say, all good things must come to an end.
"We're what?!" Sebastian yelled.
"Broke, Sebastian. You're father has been embezzling funds from the company for years and owes hundreds of thousands in back taxes, we're lucky that we have enough money to get a nice apartment in the city." Sebastian's mother explained; she had no idea what her husband had been doing. "We're moving out tomorrow, the bank is taking almost everything."
"This can't be happening, what about our home, my school, my stuff..." He was silenced when his mother raised her hand.
"That's enough, I'm just as distraught as you about all this, but we're lucky not to be in jail with your father." She said sternly.
"What? Dad's in jail?" Not that Sebastian had ever been particularly close to the man, but it was still his father.
"Yes, he is in jail, and you and I now have to go live in the city." She choked out; She and her husband didn't share the same views about feline superiority. But, she loved him regardless.
Everything that they knew as a family was crumbling around them and now they had to go live among ‘the common' as Sebastian's father often referred to other species.
Sebastian spent the rest of his day moping and packing his clothes and a few little possessions. He was looking at a picture of him and his friends, all cats of course, when he heard footsteps at his door, his ears twitched and he turned his head to see his mother, she was a beautiful cat, all cream colored fur with long dark brown hair, He got his blue eyes from her.
"You might as well leave your school uniforms, you'll be attending a local public school." She wore a sorrowful look and her words were soft. "I'm sorry sweetie." And with that she walked away.
His blue eyes filled with tears, but he quickly wiped them away, "This is terrible," he thought to himself. Sebastian was filled with a sense of shame, and disgrace. He glanced at the picture once more. "How can I even face my friends? News like this spreads like wild fire in our community, there is no way that they don't already know." He sighed and set the picture down, then finished packing his things. He went downstairs and had dinner with his mother, not much was said though. There was a weighted silence in the dining room. When they finished Sebastian went upstairs to his room and imagined how his new life was going to be.
"No more all cat schools," he thought aloud. A terrifying thought came to him. "I'm going to be going to school with dogs!!!" He let out an exasperated grunt. Even though he had never seen one, his father had always told him how barbaric they were. "I've never even seen a canine in real life... come to think of it, I've never seen anything but cats my entire life." Sebastian stripped down to just his blue bikini briefs and laid down on his king sized bed for the last time, he placed his hands under his head, his tail swished at his side. A big yawn overcame him and he stretched out his lean body as far as he could and then, emotionally exhausted, quickly fell asleep.
Sebastian woke the next morning to the sound of his mother's voice. "Sebastian...Sebastian... Sebastian Oliver, you get up right this second! The movers are here and we need to get going!"
Sebastian groaned and stretched himself out, then relaxed. "Today is the day." He sighed and rolled out of bed and got dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a red long sleeved hooded top that was fairly form fitting. The teen feline grabbed his bags and took them down to the family car and loaded them up. "Mom, can't I keep my bed?"
She smiled sweetly at him, "I'm sorry baby, you're new room isn't big enough, I got you a new full sized bed instead." She hugged him and fixed his messy hair. "Everything is going to be ok sweetheart."
They finished packing their things in the car, and when the movers finished getting what little of the furniture they were taking in their truck, they all set out. Sebastian looked out of the back window, their family's chateau shrinking into the background. He sighed and crossed his arms, shrinking in his seat. His mother laughed. "How can you laugh at a time like this?"
"Because of you. Sweetie, you're so wonderful and sweet, but to be honest you're a spoiled brat." Sebastian pouted even more; he knew his mother was right. "Sebastian, I grew up in the city, among all the other species. I promise that they are nothing like what your father says they are. I think you will be surprised. Promise me that you will give all of them a chance.
The young feline continued to pout and looked at his mother, who responded with a parental gaze of her own that seemed to say, "You really don't have much of a choice."
He sighed. "Ok Mom, I promise."
"Good, it's your senior year, you need to go into it with an open mind and be ready for all kinds of new and exciting experiences."
"Hmm..." Sebastian thought. "Maybe it won't be so bad..."