Two humans loomed over me. I fluffed up my white fur, waiting for a compliment.
"What a disgusting rat!" the girl exclaimed. The insult made me both confused and melancholy. I thought they would admire my pearly white fur, but instead they had called me a disgusting little rat.
"Look at its tail!" the boy gasped.
"There isn't any hair on it!" shrieked the girl.
I looked over my shoulder and saw my tail. As the humans had said, my tail was pink and hairless.
The humans left after a few minutes, still making fun of my name. I had always liked my name. After the humans walked out the door, I looked at the nametag by my cage. "Cottontail" it read. I ran into my hiding box. I was so angry at my tail that I bit it. Pain seized my body. Before long, I had cried myself to sleep.
When I woke, night had already fallen. I looked around the deserted classroom. I felt unwanted. My owner had left without me, those two humans thought I was disgusting, and no one had even bothered to feed me. I figured it would be best if I escaped and hid somewhere in the school. I leaned against the door. I was overjoyed when the door swung open. My owner probably forgot to latch it when she took me out for my morning pat on the head.
I leaped out the door and bounded across the counter. A thought struck me. What if I couldn't get off the counter? It was too high up to jump off, but I jumped anyway. I held my breath and let myself fall over the side. I hit the tile with a thud. I sprang to my feet and skidded across the smooth surface. Before long, I had made my way out of the classroom door and into the hall. A very strange aroma wafted past my nose. It was different, but it smelled like food, and I was famished. I followed my nose to a large room. I slipped through the open door and walked around, searching for the food that was making my mouth water. After what seemed like an hour, I came to a big plate filled with something round and flat. I had heard about these treats before. They were called cookies. According to humans, they were delicious. I gave one a nibble. It was scrupmtious! I wolfed down the rest of the cookie in seconds.
With my stomach satisfied, I decided it was time to find a place to hide for the rest of my life. I searched the whole school, but was unsuccessful. If I didn't have anywhere to go, I would surely die. I felt a tear run down my snout. I licked it off my face. The salty liquid made me gag. all of the sudden, I lost it. Tears streamed from my eyes. I knew I had to find somewhere to stay, but that was impossible.
Then something caught my eye. It was an open locker! I ran over to it and slipped inside. The place was scuzzy, but it would have to do.
The sun rose a few hours later. I crawled out of my new home to see the sunrise. It was a wonderful site! The pinks, purples, and yellows were relaxing. I was enjoying th moment, when a scream of surprise brought my thoughts out of the sunrize and back to the school. I spun around to see my owner. Before I could move, she snatched me off of the floor, and hugged me. She hurried to her classroom and put me in my cage. "What were you doing out of your cage?" she asked and for some reason, I wondered the same thing. After all, it was better than a deserted locker.
(wolfed ; bounded; gasped; shrieked)
