Athena looked at the room...
a perfectly ordinary guest room. Nothing unusual about it at all, as she stepped inside, pushing the door with a slight creek. She looked around the drawers and cupboards for signs of.. of something. Something she knew not what. This place was just...it was absent of any personalized items. Why would that be a concern though? An innocent set of pale yellow curtains were hanging from a window letting in sunlight upon a bed with not a wrinkle in the sheets, having rested there like that for years.
The girl was drawn to a small reading lamp on the corner of the bed. 'Why am I...' Not really sure what she was thinking she clicked it to on... then off... on.. and off...
Was reality like a light switch? Did the world.. stop existing when she wasn't looking? All the time she was thinking something was in her head, something so important... a person? A friend? Why did she feel she was missing... something important...
"Athena?" Another girl's voice called out.
Athena turned tense. "Z-Zoe!" She reached out and hugged her. As if she was afraid of.. of something. "Zoe.. I... this room... something isn't right there!"
Zoe hugged back but.. was getting freaked out at her friends behaviour. Honestly what got into her? "I guess it can be a bit creepy. It's just a guest room. Mom and Dad thought it would be useful... what's the problem?" Zoe looked so.. confused. "You want to stay here the night maybe?"
Athena felt a feeling of fear as if a ghost walked over her. This wasn't a guest room! It was.. occupied? She didn't know by who or what, but she didn't know if she wanted to stay in here. If she did though would she get an answer? Maybe.. another dream? "M-Maybe," Said Athena. Something here just wasn't right! It was a feeling she couldn't really place though. The room was... too bright. What she was seeking was in neither light nor shadow. She closed the curtains abruptly, and the entire room was bathed in darkness.
"Athena?" Asked Zoe.
"Close the door please... I just need to see something."
Zoe shrugged and closed it. Finally they were in total darkness... Athena felt her way to the bed. There was just a little bit of light coming out from the frame of the door. This gave light a fickle personality as it illuminated certain parts of the guest room and darkened others. Zoe glanced about in the shadows feeling.. slightly creeped out herself now. She had never been in the guest room when it was completely dark. This was her own house though but... even she was starting to feel something wasn't right.
"Do you... see anything?" Asked Athena. "Just... look anywhere. Do you see anything here..." her voice lowered ever so slightly"... in the dark..."
Zoe had never felt her heart beat so fast. Something -was- there.. right in the corner of the room, catching her eyes but only if she wasn't looking at it directly. It could have been a small desk by the way the lights flickered. Did she see someone's jacket hanging by the door? "I- Well- I don't know.. I can't see very well like this. It could be anything."
"Hold that thought..." Then Athena turned the lights on again. Suddenly everything was back to normal. Zoe felt the tension rise ever higher. Where did it all go- no- it was always like this? Yeah... "Athena! I don't like this game very much. Everything here is just fine!" the girl protested finding her way out of the guest room and into the safety of the lit hallway. She had to get out of there... she didn't want to feel whatever it was Athena was feeling in there. Was the room haunted?
Athena took one last look around before following her friend outside. She gently closed the door... she looked to Zoe sadly, not at all sure how to explain her own thoughts in all this. "Do you.. um.. have any photos of you and Mikey? Family photos..."
Zoe blinked. "Well yeah, they are in the living room..."
Athena quickly walked downstairs. Again she saw the little things that were out of place. Nothing too innocuous just... little things. She looked at the rug near the coffee table, with a small burn mark on it. "Zoe, how did this rug get burned?" she asked quickly.
"Um... I don't remember... was always like that. Mikey maybe? He was pretty wild as a toddler."
Athena rubbed her head. She felt like her memories were being replaced...every time Zoe suggested a plausible explanation, something inside her would scream and then it would seem all normal even if it was not at all normal! "Photos..." she mumbled looking at them displayed on a small shelf. There they were, playing football. "Zoe.. Mikey... and..."
Zoe watched her friend dubiously. "Not the best photo. Dad was pretty bad with the cameras.. always leaving a wide space heh..."
Athena stared at the space. She swore she could see something... someone... she quickly took out her phone, and rested it into position by the frame to get as much detail of it as possible. With a click she now had her own copy. She began to use the screen to zoom in on the empty space.. there had to be something... she had to remember- but- what if her memories... what if.. she forgot her line of thinking?
"Earth to Athena..." Zoe called out again. "So what's on your mind?"
" I need to.. use your computer... can I?"
"Well.. sure..."
Athena followed Zoe back to her room, where they turned on the computer. It only had Zoe as a registered user.. not unusual in of itself, Athena knew that.. there was another computer? Or was this the only one.. the only one here.. for.. two... for... but...
"All booted up, so you going to tell me what's freaking you out?" she tapped her foot a bit impatiently. This was all just so weird.
"I can't," Said Athena as she started to do a few google searches.
It only annoyed her friend. "Why not?"
"Because every time I think about it, it becomes less of a problem."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"There you go that's why I can't tell you!" Athena quickly opened an online document. She had to put as much as she could remember into it, to keep her memory safe. What did she remember? There was a boy.. he was older... yeah, that's why she was confused before in that conversation. An older sibling.. "What was his name... J..J..."
"John?" Asked Zoe trying to be helpful.
"Yes!" Athena typed that out. "John... Madison..." She started to do a few searches. There had to be something! A facepage profile, an E-mail address... a phone number? She looked at her phone quickly taking out the device and scrolling through her contacts. It had the listings sequentially numbered, but when she got to one in the middle.. it was gone. That was odd.. when it was deleted, the number was also supposed to go too.. wasn't it?
Zoe watched her friend with an ever confused expression. What was Athena thinking here? "You're writing an E-mail now?"
"I just.. want to see if this E-mail address is real..." she remembered it.. she was sure of it. she sent her hello and waited.. and waited... nothing. "Well.. it didn't bounce back.. so the E-mail address is still there..."
"Or maybe the person isn't keen on responding as he doesn't know us," Zoe at this point had had enough of it. "Well we got school tomorrow, so you want to hang out in the spare room?"
"No I- I just.. I'll be going home now. I'll see you tomorrow..."
"You're the best Jon," said Maggie as she hugged the elder harpy. "Do you think I can call you my big sis now? It's been what... months right?"
Jon gave a soft smile, ruffling the feathers of the younger harpy affectionately. "Well... sure!" It had been an odd couple of months. Jon lived in her tree house, and sure Maggie had become 'sort of' adopted. Maybe it all worked out for the best after all, being in this strange world, taking care of this kid as if it were her own. She didn't mind it quite so much now.. still it was a lot of responsibility. Jon had even become really good at...
"Gah!" Jon woke up with a start. What- what a freaky dream! Where- what- "Oh... yeah..." She glanced at Maggie who was still sleeping on the grassy meadow. They had just stopped off to rest for a little bit away from the dangers of the forest. Jon's wings were protesting at being pushed so hard. She felt her new appendages as they were a lot less sore now. Still, maybe they could walk it the rest of the way. She was still learning her limits in this body.
They had long left the forest with nice bright open skies ahead of them. Jon could see farmland in the distance, a welcoming sight of civilisation that she was used to. The city couldn't be far away. She glanced to the little harpy, with a little smile. She was all hunched up, knees bent in a curious bird-like sleeping position. Jon however had rested on her back, which her new tail protested somewhat at. "Sheesh.. she looks really innocent like that."
"I'm awake," she said with a little smile on her face. She hopped up quickly, looking around. "So what's the plan sis?"
"W-what did you just call me?"
"Well we're birds of a feather right?" she said in her teasing voice.
Jon groaned. It was... probably just a weird coincidence. Yeah... "The city isn't far now is it?"
"We should be there pretty quick. I can't wait! Not many harpies go there you know. We just like being wild and free. I suppose that's why we like the woods nearby. No need to worry about any weird stuff outside of nature there."
Jon started to pick up her things using her talons and begin the long walk. At least there was a stone path here. It felt.. odd to her claws, harsher perhaps given she had felt the soft earth and grass. There was a vague unsettled feeling, like she was expecting to be near a cliff or body of water with these stones.. maybe it was those weird bird instincts again.
Walking onward, Jon started to see her first glimpses of people here. Actual people! She saw some humans... they were wearing robes bleached in white. Something akin to togas perhaps. Still it was clear that humans were somewhat in the minority here.. then again there wasn't any one species that was dominant. She had passed by some cat-creatures, wolves, some short squirrel-like folk, and even a very curious looking sheep-girl... tending sheep. " okay... that's the most surreal thing I've seen so far." Whispered Jon.
The sheep girl gave a smile to Jon and waved... Jon wasn't too sure what to do and waved back. "H-hey..."
"Howdidoo!" she smiled. "Well well travellers from the forest? Ain't that novel. You interested in trading a feather or two for some wool?"
"F-feathers? You trade in feathers?"
"Oh anything really. Humans like to trade in those shiny metals, which makes things easier. Canines enjoy trading in bones... squirrels- well- you can bet they'll take anything for a few nuts. I make do trading away wool, though I find it easier raising the wild ones then my own personal wool... I just give that to people I really like. Oh, my name is Annabelle."
"I'm.. Jon.. this is Maggie." Jon said waving her bird wing to her awkwardly.
Annabelle looked Maggie over then at Jon at the.. odd gesture. Still she paid it no mind. "Aw, is she yours?"
"Yep!" said Maggie with a grin.
"No!" Jon corrected. "She's just.. I'm taking care of her for a while."
Maggie giggled. "She's taking me to see the city."
Annabelle nodded happily. "Well I hope you'll make yourselves at home. Alethia is home to everyone."
"Alethia?" Jon queried. The name sounded.. interesting to her ears. Finally she had a name for this city. "What... can you tell me about it?"
The sheep-woman gestured her closer. "Well... come on over this hill ,you can get a good view of it."
Jon followed Annabelle past the herd of wild-sheep. For the first time, Jon saw the city of Alethia. It was... awe inspiring. Curious walls of stone protected parts of the city, though it looked like the city had started to grow beyond those walls. She could see large buildings of large columns and pillars. There were ponds of water, and trees. She also noted huge towers that must have been light houses for the bay. She wondered if the town got particularly bright at night but somehow.. she doubted it. It looked like the inhabitants here were cautious with how much light was made so as not to disrupt the atmosphere of night.
Just a bit past the city, Jon gazed at what looked like ruined stones. "What's.. that over there?"
"The ancient ruins," explained Annabelle. "I wouldn't go there. Sometimes people like to look for ancient technology or even magic. It tends to be more trouble then its worth. Alethia was actually built on ruins of a far more ancient city..."
"What happened?" Jon wondered.
"Nobody really knows. The prevailing theory is that there was an Earthquake. Much of the ancient city is now underwater, in the bay over there. Then there's the ruins... it happened a long time ago. The deeper you go in the city, the closer to the truth you'll get so they say. However I'm just happy tending my flock."
Jon sighed. She didn't want to live like a shee- uh... in ignorance like that! The truth of this city might lead her to a clue to getting herself home too. "Thanks for your help Annabelle... we best head off... I got to get to this inn."
"Alright, you two take care now. You might need a bit of gold though, I doubt you have enough feathers on you for one night..."
The economics of this place might need some getting used to as well...
Diana was glad to be out of her dirty clothes. The tailor provided a few generic shirts to go under the overalls that would serve as good protective clothes in the out doors. Slowly taking off the overalls, she carefully put on the white shirt, sliding her arms through. It felt.. weird. She was looking up at people all the time. She felt an odd conflict inside and a messy circle of emotions that contrasted her appearance.
"Why don't you have a look in the mirror dear?" Smiled the mouse woman.
Diana glanced up again at her, then took a few steps to the mirror. "T-That's... me?" She had not meant to say it out loud...
"Yes. I think the clothes suit you well don't you think?"
Diana inched closer. Her ears just seemed so much larger, due to the licking she had done on her black hair making it straighter despite not being particularly long. The overalls were very comfortable though, resting on her delicate shoulders. She took another step to the mirror, the cat-girl in the mirror doing the same. She looked so.. different. It was hard to say that she 'hated' being her... how could one say such a thing to a kid as her? She was too 'innocent looking' to feel anything like that, and Diana wasn't really a self-hating person either- not to mention that it was somehow against a cat's instincts to 'dislike' itself either. Tugging the overalls there was little mistaking that this was perhaps... a bit... just a bit like a dress, even if it did look functional and suited her. Indeed, it suited her a little too well. Her tail certainly felt better like this too... maybe she needed a closer look...
...Before she knew it, Diana was mere inches from the glass, as if trying to dare the reflection to turn away first with those unblinking eyes...
"Now now, no need to get into a territory fight with your reflection sweetie," smiled the mouse-woman her voice breaking the spell.
Diana turned away quickly. "I- No I wasn't- I mean-" she was so embarrassed!
"It's alright dear really. Don't worry about it. You should see what the fox-folk sometimes do with my mirrors."
Diana groaned. Weren't the adults ever going to let her explain- but then again, what could she tell them? They would never believe her.. she quietly realised even if she did act like an adult in this body it would really be just an act. Even with mature knowledge this body just sometimes did its own thing, or thought in its own way that was still -her- way if just a little contrary to her own normal mentality. Now she was just confusing herself even more! She rubbed her face a little as it calmed her down.
"What's wrong dear? Are you worried of something?" Asked the mouse-woman. "The clothes do look nice on you, but if you don't like it..."
"It's not that. I guess I just um- just worried of... just- growing.. up... I guess."
"Oh don't be. You're a nice cat-girl, I'm sure you'll be an interesting cat-woman in no time." She patted Diana's head affectionately. "Who knows, you might gain more cat-features to match your instincts."
"I- could?" Diana blinked.
The mouse woman gave a slightly knowing glance. "Well, it's certainly nothing you should worry about. Sometimes it's difficult to predict, take my niece for instance. Just take each thing as it comes."
Diana quietly nodded. At least she didn't have to deal with... too much. Just her ears and tail, and being short as well as slightly different plumbing. The idea of having... uh... those things on her chest, it made her puff her cheeks in quiet frustration. She'll be out of this body though before that happens, she was sure of it.
"How much will all this be?" asked Sarah
"On the house," nodded the mouse-woman. "Just have a safe journey."
"Thank you." Diana said quickly deciding to get a move on now. "We gotta get to the ship. I can show you." she tugged at Sarah.. though for some reason used her mouth to do that, tugging on her clothes to pull her. Diana realised a few seconds later what she was doing, gasped and let go, leaving the clockwork woman oddly bemused at her little friend.
"Uh- sorry- I um- it's this way!"
Sarah had a delayed click as she adjusted her sleeve. "Strange girl..." she thought to herself. Then again, she was a wind up robot of some sort. They all had their odd quirks to get used to.
