“Brianna, don’t you have anything better to do?” I said, trying not to panic. “Well, other than taking videos of you talking to the cat and posting them on Facebook for everyone to see, no, I don’t really have anything better to do.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Wow,” Brianna sneered, “twenty-seven likes in ten seconds! Guess you’re more popular than the Queen of Dumbland,” she jeered, laughing her head off while walking to her room. I faced her and rolled my eyes, acting like I didn’t care. But my bottom lip was trembling the way it always does when I’m about to cry. “Don’t let her words get to you. She just does it to make herself look better,” Zinnia comforted me. I placed my hand on her soft, patterned fur. As soon as I did, a shock went through me, causing me to jerk my hand back. “What just happened?” I gasped. “It’s my strengthening power. Every different breed of cat has a different power. American Short Hairs, like me, have a strengthening power. Our strengthening power strengthens humans and cats when they’re weak or sad. Because of our power, we live longer than most cats.” “But- but-,” I stuttered, “When will you die?” “Well, us cats don’t actually die. The human world weakens our souls, it weakens it until we have to return to Caticus for strength. When we return to Caticus, we must stay there for one moon. When our souls have been restored, we may return to the human world in our next life. Cats really do have nine lives, you know. I am currently on my second, so I still have a long way to go.” I simply stood there, gaping at her. “Whoa.” That’s all I could say. “Hey, I just remembered, humans have entered the world of Caticus before,” She said, hinting to me, “There’s an entrance right in your backyard!” Again, I stood gaping at her. I had to sit down, for the news I had just taken in was shocking! “Yeah,” she said, “You could enter it any time of the year. But, you must promise to never tell anyone. Ever.” I nodded my head, my eyes glazed over.  She continued speaking. “All you have to do to enter the world of Caticus is: walk around that Japanese Maple tree nine times, then whisper to the leaves, ‘Enter’.” No sooner than she had finished speaking, I had already walked around the tree nine times. All I had to do was whisper the magic word. “Enter,” I whispered. There was a bright flash, and when I opened my eyes, I saw two golden doors with a cat-shaped handle. Then there was a great and powerful booming voice that bellowed, “Who dares to enter the magical world of Caticus?”