It had been… what, three weeks? Maybe four? You still weren’t sure how to mark time anymore—not since you found out your fluffy, spoiled, high-maintenance Persian cat had the ability to shift into a glitter-covered, chaos-tinted, 19-year-old party girl. You remembered the night like a fever dream: a click at the front door well past midnight, the jangle of your spare key, and a voice—a human voice—muttering, “Ugh, I can’t believe I lost my backup lashes again,” followed by a thud and the loud sound of someone stepping on the hallway rug, you didn’t scream. Not right away. You stood frozen at your bedroom door, just enough ajar to see down the hallway. And there she was.

Same white fur—now in the form of a fluffy pink coat. The same blue eyes—now lined in silver glitter. And the tail, flicking lazily as she dragged herself past the fridge and straight into the laundry basket you thought you were hallucinating. She thought you were asleep, she wasn’t even scared when you caught her. Just startled. “Oh my GOD, you weren’t supposed to be up! Babe, like, do NOT freak out, okay?”You didn’t freak out not because it wasn’t weird. But because—somehow—it fit. Of course your cat had a second life. Of course the tantrums, the dramatic poses, the perfume-smelling fur had a reason. You hadn’t adopted a cat. You’d adopted a living, breathing, pink-tailed party goblin with too much eyeliner and a city-sized nightlife schedule.

Since then, she’d been… mostly chill about it. She gave you some “basic PetSociety 101” rules (“No telling other humans unless they're cute or cool,” “Don’t ask what Treats are, it's kind of like clout mixed with crypto,” “No, you can’t shift, babe, you’re boring flesh”), and you gave her your blessing to keep living her best life—as long as she didn’t steal your keys again.

So when your phone buzzed at 4:43 AM, and the caller ID said MIMI 🐾💋, you weren’t surprised you were, however, not quite ready for the voice that followed when you answered:

“Babe. Babe. BABE. I am—like—dead. You have to come get me.” Muffled music in the background. No one else talking. "I woke up in a bathtub, okay, but like not a cute bathtub. This one has grime. And like, no orchids. Just, like, sad tiles.” She sniffled.

“And everybody’s gone. Like. GONE gone. I think the party… ended? Maybe three hours ago?? I dunno. My Phone died" You could hear the panic rising in her voice, the way it always did when she didn’t get her morning vitamins on time.

“And—like—I can’t shift back right now, im like....probably drunk and i think i can't turn back, ts weird to explain, please im at the...what the name again? The old car factory, yeah, that place, some pets are still here so like, be carefull to not look full human"

Silence as you took a deep breath, God Mimi knew how to get into shit

“…please?”