Sam blinked as Erica said those words. Did he misheard? "What?" he asked.
Erica sighed. There was no turning back now. "I used to be a man."
Samuel jumped back slightly. He couldn't help it. Such an admission was very difficult to just...
Erica looked down a little upset by his reaction. "I guess... you hate me now," She said.
"No- I.. don't hate you." Sam tired to explain. "Sorry. It's just... I thought you were pretty."
Erica blushed heavily. How could anyone think that of her? She was a horrible skunk creature! She was vile.. disgusting.
Sam continued to appraise the young girl. How could she have been a man before? There was no way it could be true. The way she stood with that unusual gait, her mannerisms, everything pointed to the contrary. It just couldn't be possible that this creature before him used to be a male... "The sunlight changes you into females?" He asked.
"Sometimes. Though... some would argue, more often then not," She explained. She vaguely read statistics that pointed to a tendency towards men turning into woman. Some scientists tried to explain why that might be, citing genetic, or even psychological reasons. The truth was though, nobody knew why anyone was anything.
Sam didn't know quite what to think. "This... might take some time to get used to Erica. I can... call you that though, right?"
Erica blushed a bit more. "Yes..."
Nikki in her covers glanced at the two of them a bit sadly. She sniffled slightly under her covers, a worry deep in her mind.
Adam was relieved as the FBI agents left. Though as they departed, it felt like they were crossing that forbidden threshold, a world that he was no longer a part of... but could be, if he wanted to. Was this really how he wanted to live his life? It's true there were no guarantees of anything. But at the same time, what if he were to someday be caught accidentally in the sunlight? Would it be worse then going on his own terms?
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring at the door, in the silent house. What would his grandmother have done if she lived to see this? Thinking of her, Adam paused glancing at the house. It was almost like she was still here, in so many ways. He wondered to the living room, and picked up an old photo of her.
"That was a good day," He said wistfully. The photo showed a fishing trip, several years ago. Days they could never have again... He was a little surprised that he was even given this place. Why not have given it his mother? She must have known he would find that air-bubble thing eventually... right?
He wondered back to the bedroom, and took out the air bubble. It was almost beyond belief that the federal agents let him keep it. It was a power akin to a nuke, able to whisk them away to different worlds... to fulfil a desire. but... the price was too high to use. If all it could do was change where you were, one would have to say goodbye to everything else. Still, that was just the observations of one wish, under one set of circumstances...
Holding that orb though... he made his decision. Something was happening in the world. For whatever reason, he had an artefact that could help others, if it could be controlled correctly. He would not truly understand how complicated this all was, if he didn't subject himself to the same status as everyone else.
If he didn't go outside in the light... how could he possibly use this orb properly?
"Grandmother... if you're able to hear me... I love you," He whispered. He clutched the orb tightly, as he opened the door to his house, letting that dreaded sunlight into his very being.
There was no ritual in the end to it. Just a conviction, as one spun the dice to join a new world... a new state of being...
... a new life.
Kei sighed, not able to comprehend quite what was happening.
This... hallucination? It was just too real to deny. If it was a dream, it was the most realistic dream she could have ever had. She didn't even want it to be a dream. She liked it here.. she was happy, she was loved, attended to, had everything they needed to build a nest...
... but it wasn't who she was! Was it?
She had been here for longer then an hour... was she still dreaming? Shouldn't she be waking up now?
A silent part of her wondered if maybe... just maybe.. Keith was the dream? That would make this so much easier... to just dismiss such a strange thought of being a man before. A mortal one at that.
How could she find out which world was the dream though? Farin.. had to be real. He just had to be! She wasn't imagined... She should tell her mate her concerns. he would understand.
"Farin?" she coaxed him, leaning onto his chest, with imploring eyes.
"Yes Sweet Kei," He asked.
"I..." How could she explain this? "I'm so... happy," she said in the end.
"As am I," He said embracing her. "You are the greatest light here in some time..."
Kei swallowed as she looked around their nest. "But... how did I get here? I... I had a dream that..." was it really just a dream?
Farin looked uncertain of that question. "Because.. you are here?" He said. "You have very strange questions Kei," He smiled.
"There.. was a... way to another place" She explained, still confused. "I... I have to... get back?" But no, she didn't want to go back. Not yet... She wanted to stay with him forever.
"Rest my dear... I'll try to find answers for you"
Satisfied by that, Kei eventually nodded off, the the embrace of sleep, hoping Farin will be there when she wakes up.
In the private school, the teacher appraised their new potential student. It wasn't unusual for them to get new students these days given so many suddenly transformed. However She sensed Billy might be an interesting case. Before one could join this school though, they also had to be interviewed and formally accepted. It was not an easy thing to do...
The teacher had The application form Billy filled in. She noticed that for some reason, she filled in her name as Lilly. That was.. odd. It was the name that would go on the school record though. So if that is what she wanted to be called, she certainly wouldn't object. There were far more important things to consider then what to call their new student.
The little squirrel girl looked apprehensively at the teacher, her twin tails curling back and forth.
"Hello, I'm Miss Violet," She introduced. This teacher was a transformed human. Her appearance was of an elf. Her long tapered ears, were exquisitely long. There was an air of grace about her, even by the way her hair moved.
Lilly stared at the impossibly beautiful teacher blushing. She wasn't sure how to react to a pretty lady. "H-Hello," She said.
"I have your mother on the speaker phone for this interview," she said.
"Hello, I'm here sweety," Smiled Billy's mother. Her tone seemed extra cheerful to compensate for her lack of physical presence... but Billy knew she was nervous.
"I am now going to conduct our interview. Tell me Billy, why do you want to study with us?"
"I..." Lilly gulped. Her mother said to just be honest. "I... I have a friend... here," She said. "I want t'study wit' 'er."
"Who is this friend?"
"Jenny," The squirrel girl said with her wide eyes.
"I have here some reports from your previous schools. They tell me you have not got on well with other students... you have become involved in fights. Is this true?"
Billy sniffled. Why was the teacher doing this to her? "Y-yes..." She was almost in tears now.
"It's okay sweety," said her mother. "Just tell her the truth." Her heart was breaking just hearing her child in such distress. It wasn't the teacher's fault. They had to confront this as part of the interview. Considering how much she had to pay upfront, this school was very prestigious.
"Why did you have so much trouble with your other school, and why do you think you'll do better here?"
Billy looked up. "I don't know. I... I just didn't know." She knew it wasn't a very good answer. The little girl didn't know what to say. "'cause.. I became a girl. I was upset. They knew who I was 'fore. Now I can't even do stuff I used to 'an I just wanted to be me again 'an.." She drew a deep breath, wiping her tears.
"Oh.. here dear," Mrs Violet gave the girl a tissue. Clearly this was a very complicated issue. She didn't want to push the girl too hard in this.
"P-Please... let me be here. I'll... I'll be a g-good- g-" She couldn't complete that sentence. Even though the word was in her head, she denied it from her lips.
Violet sighed. "I want you to understand, dear, such actions would not be tolerated here at all... you will be on probation. If you get involved in any fight, you will have to leave."
"C-Can I stay?" Asked Lilly.
"I'll accept your application." Smiled Violet.
Violet sighed as she went back to her office. Of course she knew, the moment she heard about Billy she would accept her.
Her phone rang again. "is Mr Violet there?"
"It's... Miss Violet," She said with a sigh.
