Renee thundered down the large stone corridors, taking a few random turns. She stopped. She was lost and no one was around to ask for directions. Where is everyone? She thought. Her stomach growled. She was hungry and she couldn't remember the last time she ate.
Her nose twitched. Something smelt good. Her stomach growled more persistently. She followed the tantalising aroma, using her new and improved sense of smell. She trotted down the corridor following her nose, when she came to a fork in the corridor. There, she picked up a familiar scent. Alfie. Wow, She thought, He smells nice.
After a few minutes of thinking, Renee decided to find Alfie. After taking the right corridor she soon came to a large Gothic looking door. Here, the scent of Alfie was strong. Renee tentatively knocked on it. It sounded very hollow and the sound echoed down the stone corridors.
A young man wearing a black suit opened the door. He looked like a teacher. Ignoring him, Renee looked past him and spotted Alfie sitting on a chair facing a desk. He noticed her and smiled.
"Renee!" The teacher turned and looked at Alfie.
"You know this girl?" Queried the teacher.
"She's the very reason as to why I'm sitting here right now." Alfie said flatly. The teacher looked confused.
"The one born in the other world?" Prompted Alfie. A look of realisation dawned on the teacher's face.
"I guess you should see the head then, Missy." Said the teacher moving away and striding down the corridor. Renee entered and looked for a place to sit. There was only one chair and it was occupied by Alfie.
"You can sit on me if you want." Offered Alfie. Renee politely declined. She stood and faced the desk. Suddenly a man slowly materialized. A mass of particles swirled around, forming a vague human shape. Next, a face and its features slowly appeared and the rest of the detail. Renee was captivated, her mouth open in a "o" of surprise.
An old and wizened man stood behind a chair. His hair was grey and he wore a pure white robe. "Hello, My name is Felix, but most students call me Mr Nekozawa. As you may have guessed, I am the founder of the school. Now, i believe you have some questions to ask?"
"Yeah I have quite a few..."
"Go on, I will answer all of your questions." Mr Nekozawa said, smiling kindly.
"Ok, first of all, why did Alfie have to lick his finger and wipe it on me? Couldn't there have been an easier way? I mean, to get into my true form?" Said Renee in a business-like manner.
"There could have been other ways, but you see, most marks are activated by Taint DNA."
"Er o..k. And also, why wasn't I born in this world?"
"Sometimes, a Taint is born into the other world. And that happens only once every thousand years. That makes you unique; those who are born into the other world have remarkable gifts, meaning they are extremely powerful. You are what we call an "Elemental Master". And as to why you are a Neko, I do not know. Any more questions?"
"Yeah, when can I eat? I'm starving." She asked, a pained expression on her face as she clutched her growling stomach.
"Oh, I am terribly sorry," Mr Nekozawa, or Felix if you prefer, turned to Alfie who had been silent throughout the whole conversation, "Alfie, would you care to take Renee here to the Food Hall? I'm sure you're just as hungry as she is." Alfie's stomach rumbled.
"Yep I'm just as hungry as Renee. C'mon let's go." Alfie beckoned to Renee to follow and walked out of the room.
