Trunkstar, Mistyear, and Snowyleaf all stared at her in disbelief.
"Where'd you hear this from again?" Mistyear hissed.
"I told you," Vaporpaw snapped. "Crowshadow."
"Another hallucination," Trunkstar murmured after a moment's silence. "Of course, as soon as she was doing so well."
"Crowshadow's not just a hallucination!" Vaporpaw spat. "It's my friend!"
Trunkstar sighed. "Snowyleaf, I think it's best to keep her in your den for a bit."
"Agreed," Snowyleaf murmured.
"Mouse-brains!" Vaporpaw and Crowshadow screeched simultaneously.
Snowyleaf gently laid her tail on Vaporpaw's back. "Come on," she cooed. "You need some rest."
"Don't touch me!" Vaporpaw snarled, moving away from her. "I'm not lying. By not listening to me, you're dooming everyone. I hope you know that, Trunkstar."
She padded off to the medicine den by herself, fury spreading through her. She collapsed into a nest. "It's not fair, if anyone else told them this it'd be all 'Oh, we have to save the Clans! Everyone hurry! Emergency Gathering!'. But, no. No one will do any of that because it's me and nobody ever believes the cat with hallucinations. It's been like this since I was a kit!"
Crowshadow gently rested it's head on her shoulder. "It's okay," it muttered. "We'll figure something out."
"But no one can see you!" Vaporpaw wailed. "No cat will believe me if I just tell the same story over and over again."
"Then don't," Crowshadow mewed. "Tell a story every day until someone believes you, every day, with something new I said every time."
"Will it work?" Vaporpaw asked.
"Maybe not," Crowshadow admitted. "But at least we're trying."
"I guess." Vaporpaw rested her on her paws. Crowshadow lifted it's head and moved so it was standing in front of Vaporpaw. "Remember what I told you," it meowed.
"But why me?" Vaporpaw murmured.
"I don't know," Crowshadow told her, "but you're Vaporfur, I'm sure you'll figure something out."
I won't. "Thanks, I guess."
Crowshadow nudged her. "Stop saying 'I guess', it ticks me off."
Vaporpaw didn't reply. Crowshadow doesn't understand. It hasn't been taunted it's whole life. But I have, and I know.
Nobody will listen to us.
"It's true!" Snowyleaf sighed and drew a paw over her ear. "Try again."
"I told you!" Vaporpaw snapped. "Everything I'm telling you is true! Snowyleaf, please believe me." She was practically begging at this point. It'd been four days since Vaporpaw had been placed in the medicine den, Otterpaw and Turtlepaw were bound to become warriors soon. Xantheaflame was already in the warriors' den. Vaporpaw should be alongside Otterpaw and Turtlepaw, knowing any day she'd get her warrior name. But instead, no one believed her and it was putting her farther behind. "You know I shouldn't be here right now, you know I should be with Otterpaw and Turtlepaw. Snowyleaf, you have to tell me you know I'm not lying!"
"We'll try again tomorrow," Snowyleaf mewed with another sigh. "I swear, it's never lasted this long. It's normally only lasted a night at the least. Something must be going wrong mentally."
"I'm not lying!" Vaporpaw repeated, baring her teeth. "Great StarClan!"
Snowyleaf padded out of the den, leaving Vaporpaw behind. Her fur bristled. "I give up."
"What?"
Vaporpaw whirled her head around to glare at Crowshadow. "I said I give up. What's the point? Nobody is going to believe me. I want to get out of here and become a warrior, like I'm supposed to." Vaporpaw shook her head. "I'm not telling this story anymore. Not to Trunkstar, Mistyear, or Snowyleaf."
Crowshadow's eyes narrowed even more. "You rat!" it hissed. "I gave you a job and now you're giving up on it? Really?!"
Vaporpaw felt a sharp sting at it's words, but she remained confident. "I said I'm not telling it to Trunkstar, Mistyear, or Snowyleaf. Did you not hear me?"
"Oh, I heard you loud and clear," Crowshadow growled.
"Then you'll know what I plan to do next," Vaporpaw told it. "As soon as I get out of here."