10,000 Cats: The third life of Cecily Wolfe

It's amazing how life never turns out quite as one plans. How the twists and turns, ups and downs, can transform a person, land her someplace she never expected and make her someone she never imagined she would be.

This was the case with Cecily. Now, standing in front of this modest house, in this strange town, overlooking the sea, Cecily felt like a person divided. She was the noble lady with properties she never cared to visit; she was the compilation of her experiences in war, politics and love; she was the widow twice over, now past her thirtieth year, wondering if she would ever quite get past the death of the love of her life.

But she was also the girl, the girl she was before those experiences, the girl who still held a sense of optimism for her life, the girl who still dreamed of love, a warm home full of laughter and family, and a bright future.

The mew of a kitten caught her attention. She scooped up the little ball of fluff who nuzzled close to her against the coastal winds. "Let's go home, little guy," she murmured against the kitten's soft orange head. "We'll call you Phoenix."

And so began the next chapter in the life of Cecily Rose.