The school bell rang, signaling to the students that the day was over. Students poured out of the building in large numbers, most of them being various kinds of demi-humans.
Amid the crowd was Roxy, a Felkaï. She had messy blond hair with a few reddish streaks. Her eyes were green, and a bandage sat across her nose. She wore a black tank top with matching leggings. In her hair was a heart-shaped hairpin — a gift from her parents.
As she was putting a few things into her locker, she suddenly heard a loud thud against the locker next to hers — a hand had just slammed into it. Roxy flinched slightly, then turned around.
"Roxy… I heard you tried to hit on my girl?"
She turned and came face-to-face with someone she'd been hoping to avoid — a fox-type demi-human with red hair and a mischievous look. He was fairly muscular and flanked by two others: a boar demi-human and a goat demi-human with white hair.
"No? She's the one who hit on me… I'm straight."
The fox scowled, visibly angrier.
"Liar! You lie as easily as you breathe… You're just like your parents — lesbian. No one's ever seen you with a guy, and when Melinda smiles at you, you act all flustered."
Roxy stayed silent for a long moment. The fox had completely shut her down.
"…Isn't it true?"
The fox gave a slight smirk.
"Then kiss me. Prove you're not a lesbian…"
Roxy tried to move away from the group, but the boar-man — built like a rugby player — blocked her path.
"I don't have time for this. I've got to get to my part-time job."
The boar-man made a move to grope her butt in an attempt to flirt, but Roxy responded with a sharp kick to the fox's crotch. She kept walking down the hallway, flipping them off over her shoulder as she went.
Roxy left the school, grabbed her bike, and rode to her workplace — a fast-food joint belonging to the famous Moser chain. She walked in, changed into her uniform, and took her place at the counter. She greeted a few of her coworkers before starting her shift.
She hated this job — hated her coworkers, hated her manager, hated the customers, and hated the miserable pay even more. But Roxy wasn't very well-liked in her town anyway.
Around 9:30 PM, Roxy decided to take a break. The Moser kitchen was boiling hot, and she was getting exhausted. As she stepped outside for some air, she ran into some familiar faces — the same guys who had harassed her earlier. She looked at them one by one, raising an eyebrow.
"What are you doing here?"
"I haven't forgotten what you did earlier, bitch!"
She gave a faint smile and replied:
"Romuald's got no balls anymore. What a shame… not that you ever had any to begin with. But now? They've vanished completely."
Roxy slid her hand into the back pocket of her pants, gripping something.
"You're gonna have to make it up to me. And you know exactly how."
He said that while placing a finger on the top of Roxy's chest. She quickly brushed his hand away.
"You think I'm some whore?"
"If you don't obey, I think we'll have to do some things you won't like."
Roxy looked angry. She pulled the object from her back pocket — a folding knife — and pointed it at them.
"How about you fuck off and leave me alone, alri—"
Down the street, Roxy spotted flashing blue and red lights. The police? Were they here for her? No — that didn't make sense; no one had placed an order… But as they got closer, she realized the officers were holding their takeout dinners — Moser bags in hand.
Roxy quickly tried to hide the knife, but it was too late. One of the officers had seen her.
"Roxy… again?"
"But… Wait! It's not even my fault this time!"
"On the ground, now!"
The officer ordered, and Roxy obeyed, slowly getting down and placing her hands behind her back.
"Not again… Just close your eyes, please."
In response, the officer tightened the handcuffs, making Roxy grunt in pain for a moment. She was frisked for any hidden weapons.
Once the search was over, she was placed in the police car and taken to the station — a place she almost considered a second home. Not just because she often ended up there in cuffs, but because it was also her mother's workplace — her adoptive mother, who had recently been promoted to Captain of the police.
As Roxy walked into the station lobby in cuffs, she saw her adoptive mother talking with another officer.
"If your daughter keeps getting arrested like this, your reputation's gonna take a hit."
"I know."
Roxy's mother turned as she saw her daughter being brought in. Like Roxy, she was a Felkaï too, with short blond hair and dark glasses covering her blue eyes. Her captain's uniform was spotless.
"...Mom..."
"Captain Hearts."
"...Captain… I… It wasn't my fault this time, the guy—"
Roxy didn't even have time to explain — Captain Hearts cut her off immediately.
"I don't care about excuses. I already told you not to walk around with a knife… I'm taking you home. Come on."
She removed the handcuffs from her daughter's wrists and nodded to her colleague.
"See you tomorrow, Sarah— I mean, Captain Hearts."
Sarah rolled her eyes but didn't comment. She led her daughter to her personal car and started driving.
"Mom… I'm sorry—"
Still angry, Sarah replied in a cold, authoritative tone:
"Save your breath for when you're explaining yourself to me and Kety."
Roxy fell silent after that. She sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the road. They lived in Neko City, a town on an island mostly populated by Felkaï and other demi-humans — the same place where Sarah had spent most of her childhood.
Her other mother, however, was from somewhere else — an island called Felicity. She had fallen in love with Sarah after they'd gone on a few adventures together. That's also how Sarah and Kety had discovered Roxy, a long time ago.
She had few memories of her early childhood, but she remembered being six years old when Sarah and Kety found her — locked in a basement with other children. Her village had been raided by a cult known as the "Martyrs", and she had been captured. Sarah and Kety rescued them, and from that moment on, Roxy had grown very attached to Sarah, clinging to her constantly. She had admired her — and still did.
They parked in front of a suburban house — their home. It was simple and cozy, but perfect for their family of three. Sarah opened the door. Kety was in the kitchen, just getting back from her shift as a nurse at the Saint Bathory Institute.
"My love!"
Kety called out as she rushed over to hug Sarah, who chuckled softly and stroked her back, kissing her. Kety had long red hair and wore an eye patch. She seemed to be in her forties, while Sarah, younger, was only 28. Kety had freckles and wore a simple white tank top and black shorts — clearly in relax mode.
Roxy, on the other hand, stayed back. Normally, she would have gone in for a hug too, but the situation wasn't ideal. Sarah whispered something in Kety's ear, who then glanced at Roxy with an annoyed expression. Both women turned, ready to hear Roxy's explanation.
"So, what made you think threatening the mayor's son with a knife was a good idea?"
Roxy took a few seconds before answering.
"He was bothering me, he wanted to..."
She couldn't bring herself to say what the mayor's son had tried to do — it was embarrassing, and she didn't want to explain herself to her mother again.
"Money."
Sarah crossed her arms, instantly sensing the lie in Roxy's voice.
"Romuald told us you assaulted him at school by kicking him in the balls, and then when he came to apologize, you threatened him with your knife."
Roxy clenched her fists, visibly frustrated and angry.
"That's completely false! He started it — he's jealous because I was hanging out with his girlfriend! He wanted to fight!"
Roxy snapped, her voice rising in anger.
"Lies! It's always the same with you! This isn't the first time I've helped you avoid jail… Do you know how much I'm risking because of the crap you pull?"
"It's not my fault, I told you!"
"Yes, it is! You don't know how to control your anger… You think the therapist says nothing to me? It's been a month since you last went!"
Roxy's fists tightened even more — she was becoming a little ball of rage. She wanted to hit her mother, hit her hard — but she stopped herself. She couldn't do that. This was the woman who had saved her life when she was just a child.
"I'm sorry…"
Sarah let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes.
"Sorry? That's always your answer every time we have this kind of conversation."
"Shut up!"
Roxy shouted, on the edge of a breakdown.
"Don't you dare speak to me like that! You know what? Maybe we should've left you there after all!"
A long silence followed those words. Roxy took that line like a knife to the heart — the woman she had always admired had just said she wished she had never been in her life. Still, Roxy didn't cry — she was burning with rage.
"Sarah! You can't say that!"
Kety, who had been silent until now, finally intervened. She felt Sarah had gone way too far.
"You know what?! Fine! It's over. You don't want to see me anymore? Then I'll disappear…"
She turned and headed for the door, slamming it hard behind her. Then Roxy broke into a run.
The door reopened.
"Roxy!"
Sarah's voice sounded broken, filled with regret — she already regretted what she had just said to her adopted daughter.
Roxy kept running. She hadn't prepared to run away — she had no money, no water, no food. So, she decided to head to the Saint Bathory Asylum, the place she knew best. But it was all the way across town.
She walked along the roadside for a good thirty minutes before she saw the headlights of a van. Nothing seemed suspicious at first — but when it suddenly stopped right beside her, a chill ran down her spine.
She picked up her pace, but people jumped out of the van and began chasing her. Despite being fast, Roxy suddenly heard a heavy noise — and then a net wrapped around her, bringing her to the ground. She struggled, but the cords were strong and tight.
The people closed in on her as she fought back hard. One of them jabbed her in the arm with a syringe. Roxy felt her eyelids grow heavy… and eventually, she collapsed, unconscious.