Iris by Tig Tiggerson

Eyes are the window to the soul. You can tell almost anything by looking into a creature's eyes. "Look at the eyes," my mother would always tell me, "They hold more truth than you'll ever realize." Animals have the most honest eyes I've ever seen  I thought as I continued to stare into my calico's bright yellow-green eyes. Finally, he grew bored of our staring contest and stood stretching, touching his nose to mine. Purring, the calico rubbed the top of his head under my chin then jumped off my bed onto the soft carpeting. Loud footsteps drew near and my cat disappeared outside of my room as my father opened the door. Without looking at me he walked over to the mirror and continued to fix his tie.  "Are you going to lie there all day or do you actually have work?" My father's eyes are dark brown. So dark that you could barely see the black pupils that I knew had to e there but were almost untraceable when he glared at you. Once you see through the intensity, you could tell that he hardly ever lied. Or at least, he did not knowingly lie. My father had the type of eyes that were so fierce, they could hold nothing but the truth. "I have work, then I have to drop my registration papers off at school." A dramatic sigh escaped his lips, "You f**k around at that school more than you work. You have no priorities and need to grow up. After everything we've talked about that's what you decide to do?" My father seems to think that all my actions are to hurt him and that I am out to make his life difficult. Instead of feeding into the fight, I stayed silent and picked up my cell phone, pretending to text someone. I could hear his eyes roll and the exasperated sigh that escaped his lips as he left the room. I listened as he walked down the stairs and across the hardwood floor. Keys jingled and the front door slammed shut, sending my calico back into my room and under my bed. I waited until I heard the car start and pull away before I left the refuge of my room. Grabbing an outfit quickly, I ran into the bathroom and turned on the shower. My curious calico followed behind me, tail up and swaying from side to side. "Kay, are you going to shower with mommy?" My already high pitched voice went higher as if talking to a baby. Kay the calico jumped onto the sink and sat there watching me. When I began undressing, I noticed that he busied himself with a cat bath. It seemed that any time I was undressing, Kay would look away. "Perfect little gentleman." I scratched him behind the eyes before stepping into the shower. Getting out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself. Kay had disappeared from the bathroom, leaving the door ajar. I dressed quickly and blow-dried my hair, tying it back and out of my face. I applied make-up slowly, watching my eyes change from green to blue to grey. I could never tell what color my eyes truly were as they changed constantly depending on light and proximity. I started to walk back to my room when I heard a loud crashing noise coming from downstairs. I stood silently still, straining my ears to try to hear what was happening below me. The silence broke as I heard Kay's sharp hiss followed by a growl. Dropping the belongings in my ars, I raced down the stairs, through a hallway decorated with mirrors and pictures, and into the open kitchen. On the island in the center of the room was Kay, looking at the back door, hissing. His ears were pinned down, fur stood on end, and teeth were bared. I looked at the door and noticed it was still locked, then scanned the room to see if anything was out of place.  Finding nothing in the kitchen, I crossed to the island. "You're losing it, Kay." I gently picked him up and made my way back upstairs, Kay growing occasionally. Getting to my room I dropped him on the bed where he immediately began to stare at the door as if expecting it to open.  I looked at myself in the mirror, scrutinizing my work outfit. My already small figure looked dwarfed by the non-formfitting outfit. The all-black attire was loose-fitting per the dress code, with the only color being a small amount of green lace from my undershirt. I sighed. You can barely tell I"m a girl in this outfit. I took my hair down and shook out my long, auburn hair. Turning to Kay, I held my arms up, "Well...what do you think?" He looked at me then looked back at the door, seemingly ignoring me. I sighed and went to my closet, "Sometimes you are the worst best friend in the world, Kay." I picked out another outfit for after work and packed it in my bag. "Gonna say goodbye or are you just going to sit there?" I asked my calico, hand extended. Kay tilted his head funnily to one side and looked up at me. Standing he rubbed his head against my outstretched hand. I scratched this chin and kissed the top of his head, "See ya later sweetie."