The Audition
"The Audition"
Written by Mobius
The following contains scenes of transformation of a female human into a female cat. A woman decides to audition for an untitled motion picture, to discover that she is being asked to go through immense changes for her part. Willing to try anything for a job, she signs the contract that will change her from a normal young adult, into a very rich cat. Contains slight nudity, so if you do not like that, avert your eyes! All characters and locations are fictional, unless otherwise stated.
"Here, look at this."
Sam looked up from her laptop to see her mom holding up a brochure. It said:
Auditions
For the part of a lead female in an untitled movie
For more information, please come to the audition at Jacob's Civic Center, Nichols, California on May 17, Saturday, at 6:00.
The person auditioning must be willing to travel, and to undergo certain surgeries. More information at the audition.
Sam looked up at her mom. "You really want me to audition for a movie?" Her mom looked a bit exasperated and replied, "Well, it's not like you've been getting lucky at any other job. And you have gotten best actress twice while in UIL OAP. It's not like you can't act. You need some kind of job, Sam."
Sam pointed towards the last line. "'Must be willing to travel.' You're really O.K. with that? Me being away for months on end?"
"Look, as long as you're doing something with your life, I'm fine."
Sam thought about it for a few seconds, her mom still holding the poster. "Yeah, I'll do it. I just wish I knew how to prepare for it."
Sam's mom gave her the poster, and then told her, "Well, it'll probably be a surprise. I just know you'll do fine. I'll give you a ride up there, if you want."
"Oh, it's today, isn't it? God, now I have to worry about this for another-"she checked her watch-"two hours."
Sam's mom walked towards the kitchen saying, "I know you'll do fine."
Sam closed her laptop and sat back on the couch. She sighed. How was she supposed to prepare for this? There was no explanation of who she would be playing, or what the audition process was, or anything for that matter. She stood up, picking up her laptop and carrying it up to her room, where she showered, dressed in something stylish, but slightly non-descript, basic clothing worn by most girls in the area with a bit of flair. She examined herself in the mirror.
She was a red-head, with a small bit of light freckles on her face. She was what might be considered skinny, but definitely not skinny enough for it to be unhealthy. She was about average in every respect. She wore jeans and a light yellow t-shirt with a black vest, her hair flowing to a little below her shoulders. She approved her look and went downstairs, telling her mom that she was going to go early, and that she'd rather drive herself there.
She went out and put on her helmet, mounting her new Kawasaki motorcycle. The theater was about ten minutes away by bike, towards downtown. She got there, noticing the lack of cars in the parking lot. There were two cars, a nice red Neon, and a rather large yellow Hummer. She parked next to the Hummer and went inside, visiting the bathroom before going into the theater.
Inside the theater, there were only a few people. There was what Sam figured was the director sitting in the normal director's spot, right smack dab in the middle of the "house", which is the word for the part of the theater that wasn't the stage. Also in the house sat a few other people, and what looked like a lab technician. One of the people sitting in the house stood up and walked down the aisle towards Sam. The rest of the people craned their necks to see who was coming in.
"If you'll just come over here," said the man, gesturing for her to come to the front of the stage, "we'll get started."
Sam, without a word, did what he asked. The lab technician got a large cotton swab and stepped forward. He motioned for Sam to open her mouth.
The man explained the process. "What he is doing is taking a sample of your saliva. He will then come back to me with a complete map of your DNA. We need your DNA for the audition."
Sam paused. "So, wait, is this it?"
"Yes. We will call you back if you are a good candidate. If you will fill out this card, you may ask any questions you have, and then you may leave."
Sam took the card. It was rather simple. Name, Age, Gender, etc. Basic information, as well as contact information. "So I just fill this out and go? Is this some kind of scam?"
"Well, would you believe me if I said no? Go ahead and ask us any questions you might have. We reserve the right to tell you very little and vague information."
Sam asked for a pencil and began filling out the card. She had a lot of questions, and she wasn't sure which one she should ask first. "What kind of character am I trying out for?"
"Good question. As of now, the character is a female cat for a kid's movie."
Sam was taken aback. So she was to be a voice actor? Pretty cool. She always wanted to be in an animated movie. "Where will I be traveling to if I make this "audition"?"
"Various areas, mostly New Zealand and California. Everything will be paid for and you will have a normal salary, plus royalties. This movie process is going to be groundbreaking. If you make this, you will be the first of your kind. Unfortunately, I cannot give you details."
"What is my DNA going to be used for?"
"Well, we are trying to find a candidate who can undergo certain permanent treatments with no ill effects. If your DNA will react adversely to these treatments, you will not be eligible for the part."
"What are these permanent treatments?"
"If you make this audition, in your callback you will know first-hand."
Sam finished the card and gave it to the man. "I hope we will be seeing you again. You sound very nice, one of the best we have had so far. We have traveled the country, and found many good actresses, but none were willing to undergo any processes. We hope you are a bit more open-minded."
Sam shook hands with the man. "At this point, I'm willing to try anything."
"Good." As if on cue, there was the sound of a door clanging shut, and another girl about Sam's age entered. She was quite a bit of a larger figure, though. Although, Sam reminded herself, that wouldn't really matter if it was an animated movie.
~
One week later.
Sam picked up her phone. It had vibrated, but she didn't feel like answering the unknown number. It vibrated again. They, whoever it was, had left a message. She typed in the number to her voicemail, and listened.
"Samantha Ann Reynard, you have been formally invited to a callback for the part of a female in an untitled motion picture. Please come to the Harvard & Sons building downtown tomorrow at 6:00. Please bring any lawyers you might have employed. You are the only person in this audition to have the correct requirements, and we are willing to sign you on now."
She immediately called the number back, but it was busy.
"Hey, mom! Guess what? I got a call back for that audition!"
"The weird one?"
"Yes, the only one I have auditioned for."
"Well, all I can say is be careful. You are old enough to make your own decisions."
When the time came the next day, Sam parked outside of the old building. She tentatively went inside, to find a professional-looking interior, what you would usually see inside a law firm. Various law books lined a wall.
The man from the audition walked into the waiting area, motioning for Sam to follow. "If you come in here, I will give you every bit of information you need."
They walked side by side into a room nearby where sat three people. The lab technician from yesterday, the director from yesterday, and what could only be a lawyer.
"This is Dr. Halloway, "said the man, holding his arm out, pointing towards the lab technician. :and this is Neil Forttras, the director of this movie. Over here is Geoffrey Harvard, the lawyer who will be notarizing and approving what will happen in the next hour or so. And lastly, I am Garret Pinoghy. I am a co-producer of this movie. Please sit."
Sam sat. "Now, I know this is a bit overwhelming. But this decision was made rather quickly because you are the only one in this region with compatible genes," continued Mr. Pinoghy. "You see, this movie will be a groundbreaking development, because it will be a cast of entirely human characters, but a movie that involves animals. In short, you will be playing an actual animal in the movie."
There was a pause. Sam decided to insert a bit of reason. "You do know that this has been done before. "The Incredible Journey", 'The Fox and the Hound", there's too many to count."
There was another pause. Mr. Pinoghy looked a bit uncomfortable. "No, we mean that you will be transformed into a cat for this movie."
Sam wasn't sure if she heard right.
"Yes, this is where we lost all of the other actresses. No one was willing to believe this. We ask you to be the first to hear us out completely before making a decision. Will you?"
Sam sat, a bit dumbfounded. Actually transformed? Wasn't this impossible? This had to be a joke. She rubbed a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath. "O.K. I will listen to everything you have to say. You have piqued my interest."
The entire panel of men seemed to let out a sigh of relief. The director spoke for the first time. "Thank God. I thought we would have to strike this project."
Mr. Pinoghy smiled. "Yes, you are the first. This shows great promise. Let's get right on topic, though. I will let the doctor explain the process to you."
Dr. Halloway took a breath, and then began. "The majority of the transformation will be surgical, such as the restructuring of your bones and cartilage. The minor changes, the ones more detail oriented will be done through a kind of gene therapy. For instance, you will be given a gas that will replace almost every single one of your sweat glands with either a hair follicle, or an oil gland. A cat's body structure is both quite similar to a human body and ultimately different. We will have to either show you how to behave as a cat, or your new genes will show you through instinct. The transformation process is 99% successful. It is so close to perfect it's almost scary. The only problems we have discovered is that most of the subjects become sterile, and the psychological toll on the human mind. For some, it is a heavy toll to be small, or to not be able to open doors without opposable thumbs, or to be naked, or whatever else happens in a cat's body. It is very different as a cat, and for adults, dangerous for the mind. Sadly, the effects of the transformative process are permanent as of this moment."
It seemed like the doctor had finished. They turned to the lawyer, who had been flipping through notes. He spoke, "I am here to see that you are informed of all effects, both good and bad. I have thoroughly reviewed the information provided, and I have seen that it is complete and unbiased."
The director leaned back in his chair. "How does it sound so far?"
Sam wasn't sure what to say. Four men were offering to transform her into a cat. What could you say to something like that? "I have a few questions..." she said lamely.
"Shoot."
"Will there be a way to return human?"
The doctor sighed. "Yes. We actually have many procedures for returning you into a human, but they are not nearly so successful."
Sam sat for a second. She couldn't think of anything else to say. "That's all I can think of."
"O.K., well, now it's time to tell you about what happens after the change," said the director. It was his turn to talk. "You will be given transportation across the world to any filming locations. First class travel. You will have to have lessons in how to communicate clearly with the mouth of a cat, since its fundamentals are a bit different from a human's. After and during the movie production, you will be given checks that all together will pay for everything you will ever need for the rest of your life up to a certain amount. The price range goes up to the millions, so I don't think you will have to worry. It is, since we are the ones who changed you, our duty to take care of you financially. Basically, if you sign into this, you will be taken care of for the rest of your life as a cat. If a way to turn back is found to be successful, though, you will be changed, and then the only money you will receive is royalties."
They turned to the lawyer again. He stopped looking at the paper and nodded.
"Good, I didn't forget anything. We are willing to hire a lawyer for you and work out any details, but this is the gist of what we propose."
Sam sat, still a bit dumbfounded. She shook her head, clearing it. She needed to think about this. She said just that.
"O.K., we can work with that," said Mr. Pinoghy. "At least you're thinking about it. No one else got that far. They thought we were scamming them."
Sam stood up.
Mr. Pinoghy mirrored her move. "But we need the answer today. As in, the next two hours. Time is money, and if it is a yes, we need to begin immediately."
Sam rubbed her eyes. This all seemed a bit too much. But it was money. Money that she needed if she could get anywhere in life. Her family could use it, too. Speaking of her family, what would they think? She wouldn't be part of the family anymore, just the family pet. Sam thought dreamily of a life being pampered, but that was all ruined when she had an image of herself as a cat in a carrier, or eating tuna flavored cat food.
She came to a decision. Her mom had said that she should make her own decisions, so here she went-
"O.K. what do I sign? I'll do it."
~
Los Angeles Hospital
Sam woke up. She had just undergone her first surgery.
She pulled her hand up to her face and was a bit disturbed by the appendage that met her eyes. It was a paw, but it was without fur, so it looked quite strange. So far, the bones in her legs had been reformed, and were healing in place. They were in a digitigrade position, keeping her knees in the air, unless she spread her legs wide. At the end of her inhuman legs were more naked paws, almost identical to the ones on her arms. A tail had been surgically attached to her hindquarters, but it was just a bony, immovable appendage at the moment. The muscles that would be attached to it were still growing in a lab somewhere.
She found the mirror on the bedside with her paw, but couldn't pick it up. She gave up and continued examining her new paws. They were wrapped in gratuitous amounts of gauze, effectively hiding the scar that attached her human forearm to her animal paw. She played with moving the pads around, eventually figuring out what muscles were needed to flex her new claws. She pushed them in and out, practicing.
Soon, she would undergo a bit of gene therapy which would replace some human instinctual genes with feline ones. The doctors said she would be getting strange new urges.
She examined her legs again, pulling the sheet up to look at her naked body underneath. Her legs were strange, smaller than the rest of her shrunken body. She would be a cat of above average size, but right now, she was freakishly malformed. Her new bones were about half the size of what they should be, which could cause bad muscle and back problems if she tried to move them too much.
Her new spine, which she had seen pictures of, was almost finished being put together. It took a full month to allow the spine to form all of its individual nerve endings, which would be carefully attached to her new legs. Her bodily organs would then be replaced, and a new skin grown from a template of her old skin would cover it all. Lastly would be a replacement of almost her entire face and brain. She would have all of her old memories, but she will undergo a surgery that will replace her eyes and skull. The process was always a bit confusing to Sam, but she was told that since the new body parts were grown from templates of her old ones, they would not be rejected by her body.
So far, Sam was ultimately surprised at how fast the operations were taking. True, she was unconscious most of the time, but it was still interesting. She settled back, still flexing her claws back and forth. Her next surgery would be in 8 hours. She would have time to catch up on the news until then.
~
She woke up, feeling an intense pain in her eyes. She screamed. She could hear voices around her, and then silence. She passed out.
~
Sam was sitting up in bed. She felt rather small in the huge hospital bed, but that was to be expected, since she was the size of a large cat. She looked around with her new eyes, which saw the once red and greens as a shade of tan. She was colorblind, now, and it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She lifted her paw, admiring it once again. She was fully digitigrade now, and she found lying on her back rather uncomfortable. But she could not lay down in what would be a normal position for a cat because of the line of stitches crawling up her stomach. She flattened her ears at the memory of the first time she had tried that. Plus, the I.V's in her thin wrist didn't react well to lying down, either. She was still hairless though, so in effect, she was now a completely hairless, heavily gauzed and stitched kitty.
Her meals now came in the form of meat, but her body was still working out the kinks. She frequently had to pee, and a few times there had been blood in her stool. That had all quickly healed though, and now she was comfortable with her meals. She was still getting used to lapping up her water, though. Suction didn't work quite right with a cat's mouth.
Special dyes had been inserted under her skin in certain patterns, changing her skin color to weird shades of dark green and red. The doctors said you wouldn't be able to tell when the hair grew out, and when it did, it would be the normal colors for an Abyssinian cat. She loved the pictures of Abyssinians, and she was really quite happy with how cute she would look when it was all over.
The doctors had saved the hair change for last, because it was easier to work on naked skin than fur. Sam had often admired her new body, and was often a bit disgruntled by her lack of freedom, which raged against her new feline instincts. She often wanted to jump off the bed and onto the windowsill.
She sat back, trying to find a comfortable position to settle down in for a cat-nap.
~
The I.V. was removed from her arm, and she happily sat up, finally on her paws after so long. Her tail twitched. She had a fine peach fuzz growing on her body now, and she could already see her beautiful coloration.
Mr. Pinoghy was in the room, evaluating her progress. "My how you've changed! You're like a new person! The doctors tell me that you're body did not have a single adverse reaction to the process. How do you feel?"
Sam opened her mouth, moving her tongue and lips as best as she could. "Ghhhood." No matter how hard she tried, when she talked it always sounded like she had a mouth full of toothpaste. She stood up on her paws, testing her weight. She felt strange. She had to get used to this new body. Her tail gave her more balance than she already had, being on four paws.
"Be careful," warned the nurse in the room. "You haven't used your new muscles, they're a bit atrophied. You'll have to go through a few weeks of therapy." The nurse reached out and lifted Sam off of the bed and onto the floor. Sam tried a few steps, weakly. It was like learning how to walk all over again. It was hard to figure out when she should move which leg. She stepped towards Mr. Pinoghy, who reached down and picked her up.
Sam's natural instincts liked the warmth of Pinoghy, and she began to purr, but Sam was rather uncomfortable being picked up by this man she hardly knew. She felt a bit helpless, being small enough to be cradled in someone's arms, picked up so easily. She began to panic, and her claws came out.
"Oh, O.K., you don't like that. That's O.K., you will have multiple types of therapy, both physical and mental, to help you cope with a cats body. I can't imagine how you feel right now."
Sam was set back down on the floor, where she stood a bit unsteadily, paws wide apart, tail twitching. "Nnnoo, ooo...cann'd. Isss...eeeerd."
Mr. Pinoghy smiled. "I actually have no idea what you said. But anyhow, this is a gift from Mr. Forttras, your director. He is so happy that you were willing to do this."
Mr. Pinoghy was holding out what looked like a diamond encrusted collar. "See?" he said. "Real diamonds." Mr. Pinoghy put the collar on Sam and stood back. Sam sat on her haunches and tried to look as cut as an almost hairless cat can look.
"Well, it'll look batter when you have a full coat." Pinoghy chuckled.
Sam twisted her head, looking once again at her body. She was going to become a narcissist. She already loved her new body, and it didn't even look, well, good, at all. It was actually rather nasty. But she loved it all the same. She twitched her tail. She flexed her claws and flattened her ears. She looked down at her crotch and thought about what her doctors said. Her ovaries were in working condition. She was, in all ways except for her mind, a full-blown cat.
Pinoghy opened the door to the room Sam had been in for the past month. "If you would step through here, you can begin your physical therapy."
Sam walked unsteadily to the door.
"Today begins the first day of the rest of your life as a cat. We hope that you can enjoy it to the fullest."
Sam realized that she had made a good decision that day at the audition.