And They Just Keep Coming... ((Marcy Thomas & Kate Grey))

Cat was once again on gate duty. Not that she minded much. In fact, the last time she'd been on gate duty, she'd made a new friend...sort of. Anyways, it had been a pretty normal day so far. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Cat sighed, playing with the cameras that looked about the outside of the Institute. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, so she randomly went from one camera to the next, jiggling it around to get a good look at the area it patrolled, and then went to the next camera. She did this for about a half hour, and was getting ready to stop when, through the camera lens, she saw a figure approaching. At the same time, her sensitive cat ears pick up the subtle vibrations of someone coming down the path from the Institute.

Marcy crouched behind a bush, not wanting to be seen. She was hoping to take a stroll through town, to get away from all the people. To visit home, and family. Well, her spider family. She was homesick. Hopelessly homesick.

"Hey, girly!" Kate said perkily, smiling happily as she walked out of the institute and towards Cat. "I love your hair! It's so pretty!"

Cat looked closer at the girl on the image, and realized that the girl wasn't creeping towards the Institute: she was creeping out of the Institute. She must be trying to leave and didn't have permission or something.

She was getting ready to go and investigate when

"Hey, girly!"

The voice startled Cat so bad she twisted around as a lion, but transformed back almost as quickly when she saw it was only another student. The girl continued on. "I love your hair! It's so pretty!" she said.

"Umm..." was all Cat could say. This isn't random at all. She thought sarcastically. "...Thanks?" She said, her voice rising up like a question, and her attention momentarily diverted from the escaping student.

They have cameras? Great. Marcy thought. she then realized there were two girls there too. Their attention was no longer on the cameras. She took this oppertunity to run across to the next bush, hoping they didn't see her.

"Hey, you hear that?" Kate asked Cat, tilting her head. Mostly, she just wanted to see if the ears were real and working. She smiled a little, unaware of the girl lurking in the bushes.

"Hey, you hear that?" the girl asked. Hear what? Cat almost responded, but held herself back at the last second. She let her hearing expand beyond the conversation, and heard the rustling sound of someone running across soft grass. Cat spun around and looked on the cameras, spotting the escaping student duck quickly behind another bush.

"One moment," Cat said, zooming in on the camera. The girl in the bushes was older than she was, probably about the same age as the girl in the room with Cat. Cat went to the other side of the room, and pressed the "TALK" button on the microphone.

"Where are you going without an escort?" Cat asked, her voice booming over the speaker system.

Cowering from the ear splitting noise, Marcy's emotions over took her, and she began to shrink. Getting smaller and smaller, she sprouted four more long legs, and then, she was a spider. She was a daddy long legs, and she carefully, but quickly, crawled up the wall, and down the other side.

( )

"Oh, okay then..." Kate said, looking at Cat's ears again. "I have to ask. Are those real?!" She carefully reached out, barely tapping one.

"Oh, okay then..." the girl said. Cat watched as the escaping student suddenly began to shrink, till it seemed as if she had shrunk into nothingness. However, Cat watched the screen carefully, and saw the Daddy Long-legs spider crawl up and over the wall. No way. Cat thought. A spider?! Wow. This girl is good.

"I have to ask. Are those real?!" the girl interrupted, reaching out and touching one of Cat's ears lightly. Cat instantaneously flinched back, a low growl erupting from her throat.

"Yes, their real." Cat said, brushing back her hair to reveal the hair covered patch of skin where normal human ears would be. She couldn't help but have an icey edge to her voice: people touching her ears was a big no-no. Especially when she didn't really know the person. Her twin touching her ears was fine, but she was pretty much the only one.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just really cool is all!" Kate said a bit defensively. She smiled, looking at the screens and barely spotting a spider. "hate! Spiders!" she shrieked, rushing outside and hiding at the steps of the institute.

That was close. I sure hope they-A shriek stopped her in her tracks. hate! Spiders! Marcy sighed. At least she got out of there.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just really cool is all!" the girl said. That cooled Cat down a bit.

"Sorry about my reaction...I really hate people touching my ears," Cat said. "And um, thanks," she added after a moment. She watched the girl look over at the screen, spot the spider, shriek "hate! Spiders!" and then run out of the gatehouse to hide at the Institute's steps. Cat sighed.

"It's not even in the gatehouse! It's on the wall of the Institute. It's a picture image of the spider!" Cat said, pointing to the camera screens around the room. "And technically, that's not even a true spider. It's a student who shifted into a spider I'm assuming, to escape," Cat said.

Kate hadn't heard Cat's explanation and paniced a little, using some of the moisture in the air to sort of press against the gate house, looking more like a bit of fog. "Frickin' hate spiders..."

Marcy smiled a little, then continued down the path. The first girl was pretty smart, she had to admit. I wonder what her power is. she thought.