Hazel (Short Story)

It's a little hard to explain. You'll just have to read it. ;3

Introduction~

Cloud loved her owner, Isolde. And she loved everything about her: the long braided hair, the sparkly eyes, the warm skin, the friendly smile. She thought her owner was perfect.
Cloud loved Isolde's friends as well. They looked slightly different than Isolde, besides the fact that they were all female. But Cloud loved Claire's short hair, and she loved Jan's braces, and she loved Amelia's crafting skills, and she adored Terra's home-made honey-glazed treats.
Another thing Cloud loved was Isolde's family; her sweet and gracious mother and her fun and caring father. She even didn't mind Isolde's snooty little sister Rain, who almost always rubbed her the wrong way (and dressed her up in doll clothes).

There were the people Cloud loved-
And then there was Isolde's Grandfather.

It's not that Grandpa Joey was a bad person... but he certainly was a strange one. Though the little rabbit had only met him once, there was something about him that made her uncomfortable; the way he smiled crookedly, or the way he would let the insides of his pockets hang out.
Or, maybe it was the "magical" treats he placed beside her cage.

















Chapter One~

Cloud knew she wasn't supposed to eat food from strangers, especially at night, when she had just eaten dinner a few hours ago. It would spoil her appetite.
But after all, Isolde's grandfather HAD dropped off the pouch of sweet-smelling treats right in front of her cage. They MUST have been meant for her.
Cloud inhaled the sweetly enticing scent of the treats. They seemed much better than her dry, bland pellets.
She peered to the side to see Isolde laying unconscious in her bed. She was asleep.
So, quietly, Cloud crept forward on all fours. The only thing in her way was the intimidating mesh cage wall.
But the pouch was close enough. She let her muzzle nudge the side of the cage until it poked through.
She realized an opening in the cage had been created with the nudges. Satisfied, Cloud used her incisors to gnaw through and make it wider. Now she could easily climb through.
As soon as her warm paw touched the cold desk, Cloud knew she had reached the Outer World. Isolde's world.
Now she could dig in.
And did she ever! The eager bunny dug her snout into the pouch and began shredding through the delicacies Isolde's grandfather had left her. Maybe he wasn't as strange as she had thought.

Cloud pulled away from the pouch suddenly. Something wasn't right about the treats.
But the rabbit had leaped back so quickly that she tripped over the side of the desk and fell to the ground.












Chapter Two~

Cloud lay as still as she could. Without opening her eyes, she tried to recall exactly what had happened last night.
Then it all came back to her- the treats, the opening of the cage, the disappointment, the falling off the desk. That was when she blacked out.
Cloud was extremely cold. She had been on the floor of her owner's room before, but it was on a sunny afternoon and under the watchful eyes of Isolde and her friends.
And she felt different, too. Cloud opened her eyes, and she was amazed at what she saw.
She had seen less-dull shades before, but never like this. No, this was vibrant.
And so... so clear!! Cloud felt like squeaking in joy, but all that came out was a strangled grunt. It was as if her vocal chords weren't functioning properly.
That, or they had changed.

There was only one way to be sure.

Cloud sat up. She felt- bigger, stronger. She brought her paw into view.
Except, it wasn't a paw.

It was a hand.
Cloud had been turned into a human.













Chapter Three~

Due to her new voice patterns, Cloud realized she would be able to scream. And she tried to, except her rabbit instincts immediately stopped her from waking Isolde.
Could Cloud... speak? She tried murmuring a few words she had heard her owner say before.
But the results were the same: silence.

Cloud knew that if Isolde saw her like this, she would lose it. She had to learn to walk, or at least stand, so she could hide before Isolde woke up to get ready for school.
But first, Cloud wanted to know what she looked like as a human. She felt behind her newly-shortened ears, hoping her hair was long and full.
She couldn't tell very easily. She heaved a sigh, as Rain did when she had to clean her room.

Time to walk.

Cloud knew the first step was to make sure her feet were working. She looked down at them. They were a beautiful ivory shade, like her fur was.
She rose, back straight. She shifted her feet sloooooooowly, until they were beneath her.
Cloud's legs wobbled as they were not used to supporting this weight. Her knees buckled and she almost fell, but she grabbed hold of the desk just in time to keep herself upright.
Now, walking. Cloud remembered watching a movie with Isolde. In the beginning there was a newborn foal who was trying to stand for the first time. That was what she felt like.
Cloud realized she would have to let go of the desk. She stepped forward, carefully, and released it. Cloud staggered to the side, arms flailing wildly. "Yeee!" she squealed, and fell back to the ground.
She looked up frantically. Isolde was yawning! She was waking up! No!! thought Cloud, hunching over. Not here! Not now!
She hunkered down on all fours and crawled out of Isolde's room.
The bathroom was nearby. There was a mirror in there, oh, and a shower, where Cloud could hide.
Unfortunately, the bathroom door was closed. And Cloud had no idea how to open any door, not even her own.
So she heaved another sigh and tried nudging it open with her forehead. It didn't exactly work.
Cloud grimaced, which she realized happened every time a human was frustrated. At least THAT made sense.
She tried standing again -successfully- and grasped the door handle. She had seen Isolde do this many times, but she forgot the next step. Did she PUSH the handle? No. Did she PULL it? Apparently not.
Suddenly Cloud remembered. She twisted the handle, THEN pushed it, and stumbled inside. Once in the bathroom, Cloud shut the door behind her. There was a button on the handle, too. She pushed it in, and realized she had locked the door.
Perfect.








Chapter Four~
The mirror in Isolde's bathroom was ginormous to Cloud even if she was much bigger now. But she enjoyed the mirror; liked the feeling of herself staring at... well... herself.
She deemed herself pleased with her new humanly look. Her face (and the rest of her body) was ivory, just like her feet, and her hair may have been startlingly short (this was possibly due to her thin fur coat) but it was a rare white color with brown and black speckles here and there. Cloud's eyes were a dark-light shade that she was not used to seeing. But her new perspective told her "hazel".
Hearing footsteps, Cloud scrambled into the shower, where she had been set before while her cage was cleaned.
Then there was pounding. "Rain!! Are you in there?! Open up!"
Cloud stepped back until her back was to the wall. She had never been so afraid in her life.
"Rain!" shouted a muffled Isolde.
Another voice, that of Isolde's younger sister, was heard outside as well. "What do you mean? I'm not in the bathroom."
"Then who is?!" demanded Isolde, her fist repeatedly slamming into the door. "Dad, this better not be another one of your jokes!"
"Yeah!" Rain joined in. "Open the door!"

Wanting to avoid a whole family of angry people trying to claw their way inside the bathroom, Cloud nervously stepped out of the shower and unlocked the door. She managed to get back into the shower just before Isolde came in grumbling, after sending Rain back to her room.
Cloud cowered behind the shower curtain. She prayed Isolde would not see or hear her in there.
But Isolde was curious. So she checked the whole room- behind the door, under the sink, and finally-
in the shower.

Isolde nearly screamed, but she held it in. Instead, eyes wide, hands shaking, she exited the room.
Cloud was confused. Isolde's pet had just turned into a human and she wasn't making any reaction?
Or maybe, she was. What if Isolde was returning with her parents, or worse, the authorities? Suppose she called the police?
But instead, Isolde tossed an outfit much like her own into the shower. And Cloud, not wanting to disappoint her owner, caught it in her newly-human arms. "Put them on," ordered Isolde. "And hurry. We have to get ready for school."
Cloud was still very confused. Had Isolde told anyone she was now a human?
She wanted to ask, but then she remembered she couldn't talk.

And maybe it was for the best.














Chapter Five~

It was a miracle to Cloud how quickly she was able to slip the clothes on. But, alas, she had seen them on Isolde many times, and her new human instincts told her how to dress.
After that, Isolde was pulled outside. The morning rain pitter-pattered all over her fresh white skin, and she found it highly uncomfortable the way it followed she and Isolde to the bus stop.
Ah, the bus. Cloud disliked that as well. It was much too noisy- not to mention, it smelled like the soggy pellets Cloud was left once after a house flood when all her food got soaked.
She held Isolde's hand- and tightly, for she was afraid. She wasn't very sure what she was supposed to do.
Isolde pulled her into an empty seat. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Look, I know your confused, but NO ONE can find out you're my pet."
Cloud nodded, but half-heartedly, for she yearned for more of an explanation.
Isolde sighed, sitting back. "Trust me, you'll like St. Glen High School. I'll make sure you get into all of my classes. And you don't have to talk. I'll tell them you're vocally impaired. And in Gym, I'll tell them you can't run right so you can just sit in the bleachers."
Cloud blinked. This was a lot to take in.

"Look... I'm sorry you're confused. I know you've never been to any school, or even OUTSIDE for that matter..."
She looked down at her feet and bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I knew my Grandpa Joey was going to do this to you. I told him not to, but he was so desperate that he went ahead and used you as a test subject for his new elixir. I'm surprised you're not dead!"
Cloud jumped back.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that, Cloud." Isolde laughed. "You'll be fine."
Relieved, Cloud closed her eyes. She propped herself up against the bus window and tried to fall asleep.
But, unfortunately, they made it to school before she could muster a yawn.

First through second period would be Language Arts and History, taught by Mr. Lloyd.
"This is my favorite class, taught by my favorite teacher," explained Isolde as they entered. "Just lay low and follow my lead. There's an empty desk next to mine where a girl named Harper used to sit.
"Oh- and, be careful." The two quickly sat down next to each other. Isolde pulled out an English assignment and pretended she was working on it, all the while peering toward the rest of the classroom, hoping they wouldn't notice her pale friend.
But it was too late; people DID notice, and they were coming her way.
Cloud's knees shook and her teeth chattered. She hated being the center of attention around people she didn't know.
"Oh my gosh!"
"Who is that, Isolde?"
"Hi!"
"Hello!"
"Did you dye your hair?"
"Your skin is gorgeous!"
Cloud felt like crawling under her desk. But instead she sat, petrified, whiter than a ghost.
"Back off!" growled Isolde. "Her name's Cloud. She hates crowds, she can't speak, yeah her skin is pretty and NO SHE DID NOT DYE HER HAIR!!!"
So everyone took a step back. They murmured quietly amongst themselves until they noticed Mr. Lloyd look up from the book he was reading.
He got up from his chair and walked up to Isolde. "Is there a problem, Isolde? And who is this?" He craned his neck to see a shy Cloud, who had shrunk back in her seat. She was shaking in fear and embarrassment.
"That's Cloud," said a kid named Joshua.
"She can't talk," whispered another named Melinda.
"She's beautiful," murmured an entranced boy named Faron.

"Interesting," chuckled Mr. Lloyd. He stuck out his hand for Cloud to shake. And when she didn't, he awkwardly stuck it back in his pocket. "Welcome, Cloud. Anything you need?"
"I'll get her everything," offered Isolde quickly, and Mr. Lloyd left the room to print a new worksheet for his students.
As soon as he left, everyone decided it was socializing time. Isolde left Cloud to "work" so she could talk to her friends.
Cloud blushed. What would she do without a guide? Just "work"? She resolved that human lives were much too stressful. She had no idea how to do any of the worksheets.
Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. Frightened, Cloud turned around, and she found herself staring into the face of a boy whose hair was the same color as her eyes: hazel.
"I'm Faron," the boy said.
For the first time, Cloud smiled. She liked this boy, especially his hair. It was a familiar, somber shade that she felt comfortable with.
She imagined she was a rabbit again, when she would take Isolde's hand in her paws and lick each finger, just to make her laugh...
"What the--?!!"
"What are you doing?!"
Cloud suddenly bounced back to reality. She staggered back. She watched in horror as Faron wiped the saliva off on his shirt.
She couldn't believe it.

Cloud had been licking his hand.
Faron whirled around to see laughing crowd behind him, and then looked back at Cloud in disgust. "Is there something WRONG with you?!"
Before Cloud could do anything, Mr. Lloyd came back into the room and the students rushed back to their seats.




Chapter Six~

The rest of the day was a blur.

Isolde came home and immediately hid Cloud in her bedroom closet. She knew Cloud wouldn't mind. After all, didn't rabbits like dark spaces??
But though Cloud didn't want to admit it, she DID mind. Now a human, she was naturally afraid of the dark.
Cloud buried her head in her knees. Because guess what?

She was still confused.

The next day, on the bus, Isolde was a bit more explanatory.
"Grandpa Joey has been inventing things -recreational oddities- even into his odd years. I always enjoyed his creations, but then one day he told me his plans about a formula that would merge an animal's DNA with a human's. It's created specially for animals. It may taste bad, as he told me, but it digests easily. And he wanted to test it on you.
"I knew you were in danger, so I kept saying no. But he was eager to try out the formula. He threatened to quit his business altogether. I was afraid, because I didn't want my grandpa to retire. But, what if you got sick from the formula and died?"

In first period, Cloud found a sticky-note on her desk. All it said was "meet me in the janitor's closet during free time".
Hmmm... the janitor's closet... ah! Yes! Cloud remembered where that was.
"What's that?" inquired Isolde, curious.
Grimacing, Cloud quickly stuffed it in the pocket of her studded jeans. She glared at her owner.
Isolde shrugged. "What?"
Cloud sighed and lay her head on her desk.
Isolde was concerned, but not concerned enough to do anything about Cloud's state.

At free time, when the students were able to finish up any assignments that were due soon, Isolde asked if she could use the restroom.
"You may," said Mr. Lloyd with a nod.
Once at the janitor's closet, Cloud opened the door, cautiously, and stepped inside.
She was shocked to see Faron, waiting for her.
As soon as he stepped forward, she took a step back. Cloud and Isolde had once seen a movie with a scene just like this.
Faron wanted to kiss her.

Though she had never been kissed before, Cloud was eager to feel the sensation, the heart-heaving vibe that had always been talked about... love.
So she carefully leaned forward, lips puckering in the way she had seen girls in the movies do.
"Uh... what are you doing with your lips?"
Startled, Cloud switched to a regular face. Except for the fact that she was now blushing.
"I asked you here so I could apologize, Cloud."
Cloud nodded, somewhat disappointed. Boys were not like they were in the movies; strong, romantic.
But at least they were kind, for Faron apologized for embarrassing her, even though it was obvious that Cloud had embarrassed him.
She nodded shyly. Now does he want to kiss me? she thought to herself, again leaning closer towards Faron.
But Faron only laughed. "Don't worry, Cloud, you don't have to kiss me."
Is he afraid I'm going to lick his hand again? Cloud wondered in agony. I sure hope not!!













Chapter Seven~

It was about midnight in Isolde's household. The only one awake was Cloud. She was still scared to death but, once being a nocturnal creature, stuck to her roots. She lay in a tight ball in her owner's closet, hugging her knees and wondering about tomorrow. She realized she had definitely stirred up awkward feelings between she and Faron...
Could Cloud do anything right?
She finally felt herself drifting off when suddenly...
"Cloud."
Cloud squealed and sat upright. She looked around, petrified. She knew there were monsters in Isolde's closet!!
"Cloud, it's me."
The voice was old and withered. Cloud realized it was too subtle to be a demon speaking. So slowly she turned around, and looked up.
It was a bit hard to see in the dark, but Cloud could identify the outline of an old man...
She gasped. It was Grandpa Joey!
"Sorry to wake you. But I need information. Where have you been? What has Isolde been doing?"
Cloud was shocked. Her owner's grandfather was using her as a spy...! But, for what?

That wasn't important. All Cloud needed now was to escape- or drive Grandpa Joey away!
She raced to Isolde's bed and shook her awake. She squeaked and whimpered and did whatever she could to rouse her owner.
Soon Isolde was up. "What?! What?!" she cried in a panicked tone, sitting up.
But it was too late- Grandpa Joey, along with Cloud,

was gone.








Chapter Eight~

Isolde knew something was up when she found another "meet me in the janitor's closet during free time" sticky-note taped to Cloud's desk. And even though Cloud was gone -Isolde knew who had captured her and intended to get her back after school- she decided to go down there to take a look.
"Yes, Isolde, you may use the restroom."
And she was on her way.

Isolde never intended for what happened next to happen. It just... well... happened.
As soon as she opened the janitor closet door, there was Faron with his eyes closed. He grabbed her hand and he pulled her in and he kissed her.
"MMMFFF!!!" cried Isolde. She pulled away and brushed the "boy cooties" from her lips. "NO! NOOOO!!"
Faron shrieked as well. "AUGGHHHH!! NO WAY!"
Isolde pinned him down with a steely glare. "NEWS FLASH! I'M... NOT... CLOUD!!!"
"I know!" gasped Faron, drowning in shame. "I am an idiot!"
Though it definitely wasn't an appropriate time, Isolde had to laugh. "Yeah you are!" she chuckled. "Just be glad I wasn't one of the janitors!"
Faron made a sick face.
"Faron and Miss Hewitt, sittin' in a tree-"
"Shut up!" He thwacked the back of her head, though lightly.
Isolde rolled her eyes, opening the closet door. "Let's go," she suggested, heading out. Faron followed.
"Where's your friend?"
"She... umm, she's visiting her family." Isolde thought about changing her back into a rabbit after school. If she could.
"...She may or may not be back tomorrow."

There was a pause.


"So, you like Cloud?"
Faron blushed. Of all the questions she could have asked...

"Y-yeah."

After school, Isolde hopped on her bike and sped towards Grandpa Joey's house. She had a score to settle with him.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry about the situation: fighting over a silly pet rabbit- who had transformed into a human overnight.
Tears began to stream down Isolde's face as she turned down Grove Avenue. Cloud wasn't just her pet.
She was her sister, she was her friend. Did she really have to have her pet turn into a human to see that?

Actually, no. No she didn't. Isolde had always known Cloud as family. They had always been close.
And that's why Cloud had to be saved.






Chapter Nine~

She rang the doorbell. No answer.
She rang it again. And again. Why wasn't anyone answering?

Frantic, Isolde raced to the fence that led Grandpa Joey's backyard. It was low enough for her to clamber over it. From there, she could climb into his back window without anyone seeing.

Cloud squealed and covered her face with her arms. Her knees buckled once more, and she fell to the ground crying.
"Cloud, I'm... I'm sorry," growled the old man. "I won't hurt you. Just tell me where Isolde hides it!"
Suddenly the door flew open, and Isolde screamed, "Hide what, Grandfather?!"
"Oh, don't play dumb, Isolde!" Joey cried, whirling around to face his granddaughter. "Long ago I created a prototype elixir to duplicate another's DNA so scientists would be able to increase any race they wanted to!" His face grew red with fury, which shocked Isolde and Cloud.
"It was my most successful and brilliant idea ever! I would have opened a whole new door in the world of physics, but then decades of my hard work went down the drain because you stole it and hid it!"
Isolde wanted to glare, but all she could to was cringe. She remembered hiding it- but she didn't know where. "Grandpa, I was just seven years old!"
"I need it back!"
"I... I..." the girl stammered.
Grandpa Joey turned back around, producing a long, pointy syringe with a green liquid bubbling rapidly inside of it.
Cloud let out a squeal and crawled back.
"Don't hurt her!!" cried Isolde.
Grandpa Joey sighed. "It won't hurt her, Isolde," he grumbled. "But if she cannot tell me where you hid the prototype, then I have no use for her."
Cloud gaped in terror, cowering.
"This is the antidote to those DNA-merging treats. It will change her back into a rabbit."
"But, if you hadn't tested the treats yet," reasoned Isolde, "you don't know what THIS will do to Cloud!! What if it kills her?!"
"I... I actually had tested the treats, Isolde," grunted Grandpa Joey. "And the antidote, too."
"But how-"
"They were ready a long time ago, the day Cloud was born. I took her mother and tested both potions on her... on the same day. She died shortly after being turned back into a rabbit due to all of the energy in her veins- she had a convulsion."
Cloud sat upright, eyes misting up. Her own mother? Dying, because of this cruel man??
"You killed her mother! The antidote will kill Cloud!!"
"Enough with the word 'kill'," ordered Grandpa Joey as he adopted a very stern tone. "Cloud's mother only perished because I fed her both the formulas in one day. I was in a hurry to run tests- I didn't realize it would be too much for her system."
He aimed the syringe at Cloud's arm. "I'm sorry..."
Suddenly Cloud remembered Faron. She still needed to tell him how she felt...!!

"NOOOO!" Cloud screamed, speaking for the first time, raising her arm quickly.

The syringe struck Cloud's hand, piercing her once-pristine ivory skin. Her eyes drooped and she immediately fell, unconscious, to the ground.

Chapter Ten~

Isolde ran to Cloud and fell to her knees in front of the limp body. She began sobbing. "She's dead... it killed her..." she whimpered under her breath.

She cradled the rabbit in her arms. With a sniffle, Isolde turned around. Her grandfather was frowning. His face seemed tired, and it sagged of old age.
"I'm sorry," he repeated.
Lip trembling, and carrying Cloud, Isolde hurried past Grandpa Joey and out of his lab, out of his house, out of his neighborhood.
Cloud was placed in a basket that connected to the handlebars on her bicycle. There the bunny lay- unmoving.

Isolde blinked away the tears as she passed by Faron's house.
Faron was on his lawn when he saw her speed by on her bicycle. He was curious, so he began to run after her. "Isolde!" he panted. "Wait!"
Isolde sighed, screeching her bike to a halt. She parked it on the curb and scooped Cloud from her basket.
"What was... what was in that basket?" Faron asked between gasps.
Isolde turned around and presented her deceased rabbit to him.
"A... bunny?"
"Not just any bunny. Look closely."
Faron furrowed his eyebrows skeptically. Was that...?

His eyes widened. "It can't be."
Isolde nodded, trembling. She handed the limp body to him. "Here," she sniffed. "She's yours now. Now that you know her secret. That she turned human."
"But how--?!"
"Bye, Faron." And she was off.

Faron stared down at the rabbit. He felt her pulse, and he knew she was dead.
His eyes nearly welled with tears. I fell in love with a rabbit, he thought scoldingly to himself. Faron, you idiot! You dim-wit moron! You fell in love with a rabbit! A good-for-nothing, stupid rabbit!

He lay Cloud down in the grass of his front lawn, propped against a tree. Then he hurried inside his house, and came back out with a shoebox and a shovel. He was going to bury her.
Before he could begin, he wanted to get a last glimpse at her.
He felt awkward and guilty for this, but he had to admit that even as a rabbit Cloud was beautiful. He still loved her. And it was a strange and astonishing thing how she had turned human. He didn't know how it had happened, but he didn't want to know. Now, he just wanted her safe underground, where no coyotes or street cats could get to her gorgeous, plush pelt.
Faron looked around cautiously. No one was outside at this time but him.

He cradled Cloud in his arms, brought her up to his face, and gave her a quick and gentle kiss.
Then he set her in the shoebox and dug a hole and placed the shoebox in the hole. He scooped dirt back into the hole until it looked like nothing had happened there.

Faron stood and began walking back to his house.
But he turned around. He felt commotion, a turmoil, a tornado beneath the earth. Something was wrong.
He stared long and hard at the spot he had buried Cloud in. And suddenly -I kid you not- Cloud, in human form, rose from the ground in that exact place.
Faron gasped. He was astounded, absolutely baffled at the sight. It was beautiful- SHE was beautiful. And her skin! It was as if she were inhaling the sky's color.
"Cloud!"
Cloud smiled, and did not walk, but danced over to Faron. She held his face in her hands. She was floating.
They stared at each other for a moment. Faron's gape turned into a smile.
Cloud closed her eyes, leaned in, and planted a gentle kiss on Faron's lips.
"Hazel," she murmured in his ear. "Hazel."

Then she pulled away from Faron and, exhaling dark, mysterious colors toward the sky, hopped away into the night.