Yvette sat in front of her vanity mirror, and played with her reflection, experimenting by making her brow less furrowed and her nose less hawk-like. Discovering what she might look like if her curls weren’t so matted, and more gold than yellow.
She was only eighteen. Even a witch has some concern about her appearance.
The door creaked open behind her. She didn’t even look around. She knew who it had to be. Her parents knew that they shouldn’t disturb her while she was working, even if it was only frivolity. Sebastian leaped onto the bed and sprawled majestically.
“What is that?” he jeered.
Yvette waved away the magic. Her own reflection scowled back at her.
“I wanted to make myself pretty,” she answered haughtily.
“You’re pretty enough as you are.”
“Not enough, apparently. I still have never had a date, and I’m going to have to go to the dance alone. Again.
Sebastian yawned. “If I were fully human, I’d take you to the dance.”
“That’s very nice of you, but you are, for all intents and purposes, a cat.”
The grey and black tabby just blinked and licked a paw in dismissal. As if his inhumanity was only a technicality.
She smile and walked over to pet him. He moaned. “Oh stop that, it’s just degrading.”
“It’s only embarrassing because you enjoy it.”
She changed to scratching his ears, and he surrendered. After a moment she began musing.
“Where you serious?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“I like you. You’re nice to me.”
“Is that all?”
“It’s enough. Not everyone is. Nice to me, I mean.
“Has someone been cruel to you?” she exclaimed. “Tell me who and I’ll curse them so badly…”
“No. Everyone’s mostly just ignored me. You care though.”
“They don’t know you’re not a regular cat.”
“You treat Roxie the same way, and you know she’s just a dog.”
So Sebastian had noticed her affection for the family dog. Yvette frowned.
“Still, it doesn’t change anything. You’re still a cat.”
“Then make me human.”
Yvette stoped petting him.
“What?”
“It’s in your power. Turn me into a human.”
She pondered the idea. Spinning it and trying to view all sides.
“No,” she finally said.
“Why not?
“It’s weird.”
“Because I’m currently a cat?”
“Obviously. Plus you’re my familiar. We can’t date.”
“We’re already so close though.”
“That’s half the reason.”
“Please?”
The feline gazed up at her with wide, luminescent green eyes. We wasn’t kidding. Yvette had never known he actually felt this way.
“I’ll think about it.”
Sebastian’s eye’s narrowed.
“You do that.”
With that, he leapt off the bed and sauntered out of the room. Tail held high in indignation.
Wiggling her toes under the water one last time, Yvette turned of the tap. She was just starting to enjoy her bath. It had been a long week since Sebastian had made his proposal. The ornery fur ball had been badgering her about it ever since.
Finally she’d had to escape him. Yet even in her relaxation, she pondered his request. Though it didn’t seem so bizarre to her now, she still wondered if he’d actually enjoy the switch. He’d never expressed interest in it before. What had changed?
In fact, before this whole fiasco started, he had frequently expressed disdain for human things. What had changed?
Her reverie was interrupted. “How’s the water?”
“Sebastian, get out!” she shrieked, diving under the bubbles.
“Why? I’m just a curious kitty?”
“You’re not a cat!” she cried.
"Then make me human!”
She splashed him, and he took off out of the room. She only took a moment to grab a towel before chasing after him; she cornered him in her room when he tried to escape under the bed.
“You want to be human so badly?” she spat. “Fine.”
Normally she would never attempt anything like this without a heavy lode of preparation, but she was lived. Anger made up the difference made by ritual.
Suddenly a black-haired, pale skinned boy about he own age was trying to crawl back out of his hiding place. He was soaking wet, and quite unclad.
He looked up at her with the same bright green eyes.
“Fantastic.” He said. “Help me up.”
Yvette rushed to his side despite herself. What had she done? This was not how witches were supposed to react.
Sebastian was a little unsteady on his feet, he’d only ever walked on four legs, but he made it to the vanity.
“You did a wonderful job Yvette,” he told her, examining his reflection with a prideful eye.
“Be quite and get some cloths on.”
“I could say the same to you.”
She blushed furiously, and scowled at him as she went to find herself a robe, and maybe some pants for her familiar.
Sebastian took surprisingly well to being human. Better than Yvette’s parent’s anyway, who knew she was a witch and really should have gotten used to things like this by now. She supposed he’d learned a lot during the years. They’d been together since she was thirteen.
What really surprised Yvette was her reaction to him. This was her familiar, her closest companion and confident for all those years, and yet he was different. He was a young man. An attractive young man.
He turned those glistening green eyes on her and she felt herself losing sight of what he really was. He must have known she was hesitant, so he decided to make the first move.
“So, can I take you to the dance?”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not real! None of it’s real, this is just an illusion!”
“So was the cat!”
Yvette blinked. Sebastian sighed. “I’m sorry, I should have explained earlier, but I wanted to see if you’d turn me first. It’s true that I’m not really human, but I wasn’t really a cat either. I’m not anything really.”
“What were you before we met.?”
“I can’t remember. I don’t know if I existed before you needed me to. Which means I can be anything you want be to be.”
Yvette was still torn. She wasn’t sure if this revelation made anything better. Certainly it could all go very wrong. Witches don’t date their familiars.
“You have lovely eyes.” He distracted her.
“What?”
“When you were changing your reflection, I forgot to tell you that you were already pretty, because you already have gorgeous eyes.”
“This is wrong,” she told him.
“No it’s not. This is how it was meant to be.”
She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair.
“Oh, please don’t” he protested, listlessly when she began to scratch behind his ears.
“Oh I will. I’m still your master, and I can do with you what I choose.”
Then she kissed his nose.
“I’m forever your servant, my lady,” he said before kissing her on the
mouth. “Your servant and your familiar.”
