How do I, a princess, end up living in a dark, stinky cage at a pet shelter?

I ask myself this question as I try to find a comfortable spot on the itchy towel given to me to sleep on, the gray cages all around me casting an eerie glow under the fluorescent lights.

I groan. I know it is daytime here on Earth, but the dim, dark corridor outside my cage makes it hard to tell. The one-eyed tabby across from me licks his paw and yawns. I roll my eyes. I have been trapped in this urine-scented cage for three days. There is no way in hell I am staying in this dump for a fourth. But how do I get out of here?

Think, Cashmere, think.

I listen to the cat below me hack up a fur ball, and I shutter.

I wish I could talk. When I open my mouth, the only sound that escapes is a faint meow. This sucks. I need to shift back into my human form but cannot. This cage is obviously too small, and they will not let me out no matter how much I bat my eyes at the guard. I just pray that it is not too late to shift back into my human form. I am afraid that I might have missed my window of opportunity and will be stuck in the body of a cat forever.

The squeaky wheel of a cart draws my attention. I raise my head. My door is yanked open, and before I can react, the guard tosses a bowl of kibble inside and slams the door shut. I sniff a stale nugget that has fallen over the side of the stainless steel bowl. I turn up my nose and push it away with my paw. My stomach growls, but I would not eat this if it were the last thing on Earth. I listen to the others around me crunch on this crap as if it is the best meal they have ever tasted. Animals.

I have got to get out of here.

Laying my head on my chocolate-brown paw, I dream of my homeland. My planet's name is Nile, and a war rages on it now. Our all-female planet has been invaded by the all-male planet, Ngor. For over a hundred years, a faction of Ngorian's has been trying to take over our planet and enslave us. They were able to convince a few of our citizens to help them.

My father was King Edward of Ngor. During his thousand-year rule, he was successful in keeping the men away from our planet. When he fell in love with my mother, Queen Astoria, this caused dissention among his people. He was assassinated. Without my father's protection, Ngorians seeped onto my planet and tried to overthrow my mother.

Well, my mother, who has ruled Nile for over three hundred years, was not going to give up her throne without a fight. She battled the Ngorians valiantly, until her own assassination on the battlefield by one of her officers that had fallen in love with a Ngorian fighter.

In order to keep the same thing from happening to me, the elders decided that I needed to leave the planet. In the middle of the night, I was catapulted into the galaxy to hide on the planet Venus.

On Nile, I take the human form of a woman, but during space travel, I always shift into the form of a cat because it is less stressful on my body. Ngorian fighters learned of this plan and were able to track down my ship and attack as I traveled through the airspace of the planet Venus. I was able to steer my ship to Earth where I crash-landed.

According to the coordinates on the ship, I landed somewhere in Baltimore, Maryland. I have no idea where that is. Dazed, I stumbled out of my wrecked ship and wandered around the city, looking for a place to shift into my human self.

The buildings here are tall, and I could barely see the sky. I shivered from the cold, unused to frigid air because on Nile, it is always warm and sunny. We do not have any tall buildings, either, except for the royal palace where I lived.

I had only been on Earth for a few hours when I was kidnapped and stuck in this cage. Apparently, the man I tried to stop to ask for help was an animal control officer.

I crawl to my water bowl and sip the tepid water. What I would not give for a hot bath, a nice meal, and a decent bed. I study my reflection on the side of the stainless steel bowl. My long, chocolate-brown fur could use a brushing. My pink collar spells out my name, Cashmere, in diamonds. It is a gift from my mother that my officers outfitted with a transmitter so they will be able to stay in contact.

When I think of my mother, my eyes fill with tears. I miss her so. She has only been gone for a few months, and I do not know what I am going to do without her, especially on this strange planet.

"What's wrong with you?"

I look up to see two large eyes peering at me from beyond the wire mesh. I flick my tail, not pleased by the interruption. The guard has returned to collect my bowl. She shakes her head as she looks at the full contents.

"Too good for kibble?" she fusses. "You should be grateful. This might be your last meal."

She sets the bowl on the squeaky cart and rolls away. Last meal? What does that mean? I rise and look out over the empty hallway. I notice that the cage diagonally from me is now empty. A grey and white cat, brought in the same time as me, used to live there. I never saw him leave.

Was this the fate that the guard meant? That I might "disappear" after today? Crap! I have got to get out of here!

My only hope is to get adopted. I groom myself to the best of my ability without the proper utensils, and wait. The first visitors were a family with four misbehaving kids. I was desperate, but not that desperate. Several more humans parade by my door, not one even looking my way. Even the one-eyed tabby across the aisle got adopted over me. It is almost closing time, and I give up hope. Turning my back to the door, I close my eyes. I am resigned to the fate of having escaped one assassination for another on Earth. I am about to drift off to sleep when I hear...

"She's beautiful!"

My ears perk up. Slowly, I raise my head and look over my shoulder. A woman stands at the opening of the cage. She pokes a finger between the bars and touches my soft down. I purr.

"She's so soft."

I flop onto my back. In this position, I can get a better look at her. She is pretty. Young. Well, younger than my one hundred years at least. Blonde curls flow over her shoulders, and she has gorgeous, ecru skin. Dark hazel eyes stare at me from behind glasses. A man stands behind her, but all I can see is his arm.

"What do you think, Dante?"

"I don't know. You know I'm not a cat person."

At this, I get up and move closer to the bars. I can now see his broad chest covered in navy knit. His face is blocked from my view, so I focus on the woman. Purring, I rub myself against the bars, and she strokes my back.

"I think she likes me," she says in wonder.

"I think she does, too," Dante says, and then he sneezes. "I think I'm allergic."

"Oh, no," she says. "You can't be. You'll have to watch her while I'm in Japan."

"Can't you take it with you?"

"No," she says. "It will only be for a few days. A week tops."

I hear Dante sigh.

What luck! I press my face against the wire bars so I can get a look at him finally. He is magnificent. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His head is shaved, but he sports fur around his mouth. Already I am smitten.

Please talk me home, I mutter as a meow escapes my lips. Not only will I be out of this hellhole, but with Dante's help, I will be able to change back into my human form. Since so much time has passed, the only way I can change back now is with contact from a human male.

"It's your cat," he says with a shrug.

The woman squeals and hugs him. "Thank you, big brother!"

Brother? This is getting even better.

She turns to my cage and wiggles her finger in front of my nose. "Would you like to come live with me?"

Yes, I scream in my head. Just get me out of here!

She peers at my collar. "Cashmere. That's a pretty name. Hello, Cashmere. My name is Dinah. This is my brother, Dante. Welcome to the family."

The guard unlocks my cage and allows Dinah to hold me for a few minutes. I rub myself against her ample chest. Dante stands a few feet away, and I pull away from Dinah to try to get him to hold me.

"Can you hold her while I fill out the paperwork?" Dinah asks him.

Before Dante can extend his arms, a sneeze causes his body to convulse. "No, I can't."

I am thrust back into the cage by the guard. Dinah and Dante disappear. I sit on my towel and learn from the guard that I will have to wait until tomorrow before they can take me home. I put my head on my paw and dream of my new home. And my new life with Dante.