CHAPTER 1

The following events are inspired by a cute blind cat who can definitely see into your soul.

When I first met you, I had no idea you'd solve the riddle that was my (love) life. On an ordinary day, I had just finished my shift as a grocery clerk and was going home.

Waving a friendly goodbye, my boss, Miss Carton said, "Dawn, be sure to wish Kevin and Dana my best!"

Kevin and Dana were my foster parents. They took me in after I lost my birth parents and was placed in the foster system. They helped me get a job with Miss Carton.

At the bus stop, I sat on a rotting bench. From down the street, I heard a group of rowdy boys.

"Race you to the bus stop!" one of them shouted.

My face reddened as they approached. They were from my high school.

"Guys, calm down," the oldest one said.

I recognized him, Joseph. His friends called him Jojo. He was a junior, just like me. I fidgeted in my seat, too nervous to make eye contact with him.

"Yo, guys, did you see the Chiefs win last night?" asked someone from the group.

"Yeah," said a curly-haired one. "It was totally fire!"

I nervously looked up, hoping to join the conversation, making eye contact with Jojo. Can I call him that? He gave either a smile or a frown. I couldn't tell. I wanted to talk about the Super Bowl. I wanted to say anything that would get their attention. I wanted to talk to Jojo. My stomach twisted.

I took in a deep breath and said, "Actually, did you—''

The shriek of the bus drowned out my words.

"Guys, the bus is here. Let's go," Jojo said urgently to his friends.

"Okay, Mr. Serious," his friend said jokingly.

"Yeah, we don't want to keep His Royal Highness waiting," another boy snickered as they moved like a herd to the bus doors.

I shyly followed, disappointed I didn't get to talk to Jojo.

"Meow," cried a mysterious noise.

Suddenly, a tiny kitten with brown and black striped fur was at my feet as I was about to get on the bus. She was just staring at me. I could tell that the poor thing was blind, but somehow she locked my attention.

"Meow," she cried again. Her empty eye sockets were just so ADORABLE!

I snatched the little critter into my arms. Jojo and his friends flocked to the back of the bus, but I sat in the front with my new fur ball hidden in my coat. The little kitty was very content, snuggling into my winter coat, appreciating the warmth with a quiet purr. I started to doze off.

"Meow," she cried, pawing at my face.

I woke up to see that I almost missed my stop. I rushed off the bus, not glancing at the windows in case Jojo was watching. I speed-walked down the street to our small white house. When I entered the doorway, the house was quiet. The steps squeaked as I crept up the stairs.

"Here we go, kitty," I whispered after entering my room and carefully placing her on the floor. Upon finding her footing, she froze, sniffed the floor, turned in a circle, and sat down, swishing her tail neatly around her legs.

"Well, okay then," I said, baffled by her blank stare.

"Rawr," she cried.

Was she expecting something? OH! I should feed her. I quickly snuck downstairs to the kitchen to find cat-safe food. I grabbed a can of tuna and quietly tip-toed back to my room.

"Here you go," I whispered, opening the can of tuna for her.

She froze, sniffed it, nodded as if she approved, and ate it very, very delicately. She was a weirdly elegant cat.

"What should I name you?" I asked, sitting on the floor next to her.

She drew her attention from her food and cocked her head to the side.

"Ah, I know! Tabby! Do you like that?" I asked.

"Meow," she cried, blinking where her eyes would be.

"Well, I think it's perfect," I said, picking her up from the floor and moving to my bed.

"Goodnight, Tabby."

Tabby curled against my chest and slept peacefully. That night, I slept like a log and, of course, forgot an important detail. Kevin and Dana don't allow pets.

CHAPTER 2

The following day, I woke to a knock at my door.

"Dawn, you're going to be late for school," called Dana.

"Ugh," I said, rolling over my side, coming face to face with Tabby. She was sitting perched on my bed, staring. Dana pounded again on my door.

"I'm awake, I'm awake," I yelled, stumbling out of bed. "I'll be ready in ten."

I plowed through my closet, trying to find something to wear.

"I'm going to be late!" I said desperately, making a pile of clothes I'd have to clean later.

As I threw clothes around, a blue shirt fell on Tabby.

"Meow," she cried and sort of nodded her head.

“You like that? OK,” I said.

I didn't have time to think. I quickly changed into the shirt and a pair of jeans. I turned to Tabby and thought of how I could hide her.

Then I got an idea.

"Please don't make too much noise," I pleaded as I stuffed Tabby into my backpack.

Thank goodness Tabby was so small. I ran out of the house and jumped on the school bus in the nick of time. I sat alone while everyone else chatted with each other.

Since being placed in the foster system a couple of months ago, I haven't made any friends. Sitting with strangers and talking to them scared me too much. Mercifully, the bus finally stopped so that everyone could pile off.

My first class of the day was my worst subject, Algebra II. I moved to the back of the classroom with my backpack on my lap. The teacher, Mr. Stane, came in with Jojo, the smartest and his favorite student in the class. The jokesters of the class, Daniel and Jack, were laughing, but once Jojo came in, they exchanged sly grins with each other. They were jealous of Jojo because he was at the top of the class and thought Mr. Stane favored him over the others.

I inwardly groaned as the class began with a quick test on what we had learned yesterday.

“Okay, class,” Mr. Stane said, once the exam was finished. “Put your tests aside and we’ll continue with today’s lesson. Turn to page 59 in your book.”

But I was too distracted by Jojo's handsome face. Once Mr. Stane had started the lesson, I realized I had forgotten the page we were on. I wanted to ask, but I was already on thin ice with Mr. Stane. He didn't like how distracted and quiet I was in class. I started to panic when Tabby rustled inside my bag.

"Shhh, you have to be quiet," I whispered as I unzipped my backpack.

"Meow," Tabby cried in a whispered tone as if she knew to keep quiet.

She peeked from my bag and pawed at my book until it opened to today's lesson: page 59.

"Oh," I whispered.

Tabby ducked back into my backpack as Mr. Stane began his lecture. He taught us a ton of math, but my mind couldn't keep up with most of it.

"Dawn, answer this next question on the board," Mr. Stane demanded.

But his voice was drowned out by the creaking of desk chairs, students shuffling, and the ticking clock.

"Dawn," Mr. Stane said.

My heart beat faster at the thought of answering his question. My palms were sweaty, my head felt tight, and my stomach started to hurt.

"Dawn!" Mr. Stane said again, this time almost shouting.

"Yes?" I squeaked, snapping back to reality.

"I won't ask you again," Mr. Stane said sternly. "Now answer the math problem on the board."

He pointed to a math equation as the class waited for my reply.

"Um," I said, frantically looking around. My panic continued until I looked down at the exact page in my textbook that Tabby had helped me open and saw that same example question.

"It's 20, sir," I said, holding my book.

My heartbeat was pounding as I tried to avoid eye contact with everyone.

"Good. Thank you for finally paying attention, Dawn," he said.

Daniel and Jack laughed. They always found it funny when Mr. Stane was mean. Jojo just looked at me with sympathy.

"Now pay attention for the rest of the class, or I'll mark you absent," Mr. Stane said.

He seemed satisfied for now and moved on. But I felt even more anxious as my legs started to shake. And to make things worse, Daniel caused a commotion by standing on his desk. All eyes were on him.

"Daniel, get off the desk!" Mr. Stane yelled while Jack loitered by his desk.

"Ahhh," he yelped as he fell from the desk.

Everyone gasped.

"Daniel, come see me now!" Mr. Stane yelled just as the bell rang.

I was so happy class was over that I ran out and hurried to the cafeteria.

CHAPTER 3

The lunch line was long by the time I reached the cafeteria. I finally got food and searched for an empty table.

"Hiss," Tabby cried inside my bag as I neared a group of girls, almost like she was warning me away from them.

"Sorry!" I said after bumping into their table, making a beeline for the next one.

The only other person there was Jack from Algebra II. That pleased Tabby enough to stop squirming. I sat a few chairs away from him. Daniel came up shortly to join him, limping from his fall off the desk earlier.

"Did you swap your test for Jojo's?" Daniel asked Jack.

"Yeah, he's going to fail that math exam for sure," Jack said.

"He'd better. Mr. Stane sounded like he wanted to kill me earlier," Daniel said.

My heartbeat quickened as they talked. The commotion they caused earlier in class must have been when they swapped Jack's test for Jojo's. Jack was terrible at math and was bound to get a lousy grade. By switching their exams, Mr. Stane would think it was Jojo who failed.

I was shocked. I knew many people were jealous of Jojo because of his smarts, but I didn't expect anyone to try to change his grades.

"This will stick it to Jojo for sure," Jack laughed.

"Yeah, Mister ‘Know-it-all’ finally will have a taste of his own medicine," said Daniel while miming air quotes.

I tried to make myself as invisible as possible, frantically thinking about what to do. Before I could do anything, screeching feedback came from the loudspeaker.

"Attention! Everyone who wore blue today won the Morning Blues Challenge," Principal Dawbins announced over the loudspeaker, interrupting further conversation.

I looked down at my own shirt, and it clicked that I won.

"If you participated by wearing blue, please come to my office at the end of the day," Principal Dawbins said.

With rising suspicion, I unzipped my backpack. Tabby was staring at me. Even though she was blind, it felt like she was actually looking at me. She smirked as if she was behind everything—the math class, the blue shirt, and overhearing the plan against Jojo.

The sound of the bell drove me from my thoughts, and I immediately left my seat. After turning in my tray, I attended the rest of my classes. The whole time, I was jittery when I thought about Daniel and Jack.

After my last class, I walked with a few others to the principal's office. Jojo walked next to me, wearing a blue flannel shirt.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Mr. Stane this morning. He can be really mean sometimes," Jojo said.

"Oh, it's not your fault," I said, startled.

"Still, you looked like you were panicking earlier," Jojo said.

"Y-y-yeah, I kinda was," I said.

I anxiously twisted my rings. Should I tell him what I heard?

"Hey, if you ever need help with math, I can always tutor you," Jojo said.

"Oh, I can't ask you that," I said.

"Well, it's a good thing I was offering," Jojo said with a wink.

My stomach dropped. I was finally talking to Jojo. He just winked at me. I felt hot, as sweat started to build on my forehead. I needed to tell him about Daniel and Jack, but we were already at Principal Dawbins' office.

"Ladies first," he said, opening the door for me.

Principal Dawbins gave a short speech, but I barely heard him over the pounding in my head. As we left his office, he handed us each a gift bag. Jojo walked with me silently. We were both done with classes for the day.

"Hey, you're new here, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, nervously rubbing my wrist.

"I think I saw you by the bus stop yesterday," Jojo said. "Sorry about my friends. They're idiots."

"Oh, it's fine," I said, waiting for the perfect moment.

"So, what's your name?" Jojo asked further.

"It's Dawn," I said, slightly surprised by his interest.

"It's nice to meet you, Dawn. I'm Jojo. My car is this way," he said as he turned down another hallway, "but I'm sure I'll see you around."

He started to walk away, but I couldn't just let him go, not after knowing what I knew.

"I have to tell you something!" I shouted in a panic.

Jojo turned towards me.

"Um, yeah?" he asked, confused.

"I overheard Daniel and Jack talking about how they swapped your exam today in math class," I said in a panic.

"Wh-what?" Jojo asked, shocked.

"They swapped your exam with Jack's, so you would fail," I said.

"Oh no! We need to talk to Mr. Stane now!" Jojo said with urgency.

"I don't know. Mr. Stane doesn't really like me," I said, unsure.

"Please? I need you," Jojo said. "Come on. Mr. Stane knows I wouldn't lie about this."

Did he really need me?

"Fine. I'll help, I guess," I said, still hesitating.

"Thank you!" Jojo said, grabbing my hand and running to Mr. Stane's office.

We ran down the hallway, my head in the clouds despite the seriousness of what had happened. I just had a whole conversation with Jojo. That's never happened before!

CHAPTER 4

"Mr. Stane, we need to talk!" Jojo said once we got to his office.

Mr. Stane was getting ready to leave for the day.

"Yes, Joseph. How can I help you?" Mr. Stane asked.

"Dawn just informed me that my math test got switched with Jack's," Jojo said, "so he could get the grade I should have gotten, and I'd get his bad grade."

The glasses from Mr. Stane's nose tilted as he looked up from his desk.

"And do you have proof of this happening?" Mr. Stane asked critically.

Mr. Stane looked at me, expecting an answer. I felt panic rising as I realized how much my words mattered.

"Dawn, this better not be a waste of my time," Mr. Stane said after I didn't respond.

"Er, it was Daniel and Jack. I was sitting by them during lunch," I said, my voice shaky.

"I take great pride in securing my tests, so I doubt they could have snatched it," Mr. Stane said.

At that moment, I felt like giving up. I felt alone even though Jojo was here. I could feel the warmth of Tabby coming from my backpack. That soothed me enough to speak up once more.

"It was during the distraction Daniel created earlier," I said. "Mr. Stane, can't you at least look at the exam and see what we are talking about?" I said, practically begging. "You know Jojo is a good student."

Mr. Stane thought for a moment.

"Very well," he said with a sigh.

A variation of surprise and disappointment crossed his face as he looked at Jojo's test. And then at Jack’s.

"Hmm, this surely isn't your usual excellent work, Joseph," Mr. Stane said. "Dawn, thank you for bringing this to my attention."

Jojo and I looked at each other with relief.

"How about this?" he offered. "Joseph can retake the test, and if he does better, I will accept that grade," Mr. Stane said, “and Jack will receive an F.”

"Thank you so much, sir," Jojo said and turned to me. "Thank you, Dawn."

Mr. Stane set Jojo up at a desk as I left the classroom. I could not do much more, so I sat outside and opened my backpack to see Tabby.

"Thank you, Tabby," I said.

"Meow," she cried, purring loudly.

"How did you know all that stuff? Like the blue shirt, the math problem, and sitting next to Dan and Jack?" I whispered to Tabby.

"Rawr," she said, not providing any answer.

Of course, she wouldn't; she's a cat. I waited an hour until Jojo finished his test. He exited the classroom with Mr. Stane, both sharing a few words. I kept my backpack closed so Mr. Stane didn't see Tabby as he left.

"How'd it go?" I asked as Jojo sat next to me.

"I passed with flying colors!" Jojo said. "Thank you so much for your help."

"Oh, it was nothing," I said, shrugging.

"No, you didn't need to help me, and yet you went out of your way to," Jojo said.

"Well, you're welcome," I said shyly.

A silence started between us, Jojo bashfully looking at his hand and me holding my bag close to my chest. In the silence, Tabby peeked from my bag, revealing herself.

"Oh my gosh, you have a cat!" Jojo said.

"Oh yeah, this is Tabby," I said, looking around to ensure no one was passing by.

"She's so cute! I can't believe you snuck her into school," Jojo chuckled.

"Haha, I guess. My foster parents don't know about her, so I couldn't leave her at home," I said, petting Tabby.

"So you're a rebel," Jojo said, impressed.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that!" I said. I never pictured myself as a rebel.

"Hey, would you want to get coffee sometime?" Jojo said suddenly. "You know, as a date."

"With me?" I asked and then realized how dumb that was.

"Yes, you," Jojo said with a grin.

"Oh, um, I'd love to," I said, shocked.

"Okay, let's meet tomorrow after school," Jojo said, standing up. "I have to drive right home today, but I'll call you."

He gave me his number and patted Tabby on the head as he left.

"Can't wait!" I called back at him, smiling.

And then he turned the corner and was gone. I was left staring at Tabby's smirk on her cute face.

CHAPTER 5

Since it was the end of the day, Kevin picked me up on his way home from work. When we got there, we entered to find Evie and Liam, the two other foster kids who lived with us.

"Tag, you're it!" yelled Liam after bulldozing into Kevin.

"Oh no, you got me!" Kevin said dramatically, falling to the floor.

"Hey, Dawn," Evie said as I headed toward the stairs, "do you want to play dolls with me?"

"I would, but I've got a lot of homework," I said, trying to be kind but needing to make a getaway.

I rushed up the stairs, ending any continued conversation. I needed to make sure Tabby wasn't discovered. I opened and closed my door with a quiet click.

"Here you go. Home sweet home," I said as I sat Tabby on my bed. "I can't believe everything that happened today."

"Meow," she said sleepily.

For a brief second, the room was quiet, and Tabby closed her eyes for a nap.

"Tabby?" I asked abruptly.

She swerved her head up.

"How did you know all that stuff today?" I asked, the answer already present in my head.

Tabby perched her front paws on my chest and rubbed her head against my chin.

"You're not a normal cat, are you?" I asked. "Can you see the future?"

Tabby sat very still and nodded after a moment. I gasped. I had already guessed, but I didn't expect Tabby actually to confirm my suspicion.

Evie burst into my room to check if I'd done my homework. She took one look at Tabby and screamed, "OH MY GOSH!" and rushed out like she'd seen a ghost.

"What's going on?" Dana yelled from downstairs.

Dana rushed up the stairs. There was no hiding Tabby now.

"Kevin!" Dana yelled down to her husband, outraged.

Kevin rushed up at once, took one look at Tabby, and shouted, "Dawn, what is the meaning of this?"

"Um, Kevin, Dana, this is Tabby. I found her yesterday," I said, trying to shift the tension in the room.

"I can see that. Why on earth is a cat here without permission?" Dana asked sternly.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked first. It just happened so fast," I said.

Dana looked like she was about to explode when Kevin held up his hand.

"Dawn, please explain why you snuck a cat into our home," Kevin asked calmly.

"I found her on the streets," I said in a panic. "She's blind, and I felt I had to take her in."

"And why would we allow you to keep her?" he asked.

"She helps me with anxiety," I said desperately. "I feel like I can accomplish something with her."

Kevin's face softened. He looked at Dana, and they seemed to be having a silent conversation.

"I'm not happy you went behind our backs," Dana said. "But, if you really want to keep Tabby, then you can."

I leaped from my bed in excitement.

"ONLY if you take responsibility for her," Dana added.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I said, hugging both of them. "I'll take care of her, don't worry."

They left me to finish my homework. I sat in my desk chair, feeling accomplished. As I worked on my assignments, my phone rang. I picked it up to see Jojo's name.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey Dawn, I was just calling to check if a date after school was still cool," Jojo said.

"Yeah, that sounds great," I said, nervously fidgeting with my rings.

"Great, I'm looking forward to it," Jojo said.

"Me too!" I replied, my heartbeat picking up.

"I have to get back to work, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?" Jojo asked.

"Yeah, see you!" I said and hung up with a click.

My heart was pumping like mad, and it was a good thing for once.

"I'm going on a date!" I squealed.

I turned to Tabby in excitement and opened my closet.

"What should I wear?" I asked.