With her mother's help, Lilly was ready for school very quickly. She did seem to fuss over her a bit more then before. Her uniform was even brushed as much as her hair. Though this wasn't actually 'that' different to when she had been a boy... her mother always wanted her to look good. But... did it really matter? Now matter how you dressed her, she was a squirrel.
A squirrel girl.
Her mother gave the Lilly another hug. "You okay sweety?"
"Um.. uh huh," She said a little distantly.
Her mother then noticed she still had some debris on her tails from yesterday. She took out a brush and started to clean it. Lilly found the sensation comforting, even if she didn't like having these things trailing behind her all the time. She wasn't sure how the news lady coped with three and was glad she just had the two... even if it was embarrassing enough to have one.
"I heard you found one of the missing children. I'm very proud of you," she said affectionately.
"I-It wasn't me really. I'm... I'm not anything s-s-pecial," She said looking down. She wasn't sure why she suffered such a lack of confidence lately... being little again, and with strange instincts she just couldn't fight or understand their purpose to... although it did come in handy to find the missing piece of her telescope.
Her mother quickly hugged hugged the little girl. "Oh honey... you are special to me. You always will be." her eyes showing nothing but sincere honesty.
"E-Even if I'm.. I'm a.. a..." She trailed hugging her mother back. She needed to hold her.. it felt nice. She didn't care right now if it made her seem weak or childish... she felt safer here. Loved and wanted...
"You're still my child. Boy or girl.. human or not," She smiled. "You're still siblings with Stacy."
Lilly smiled a bit at that. Her mother always made things seem better, no matter what happened. She felt safe and happier just knowing she was there. Even if she couldn't understand everything, they did... and they could teach her everything again. Though she did have a moment of trepidation when she saw her mothers large (to her perspective) breasts... as well as the bump of her pregnant belly. Lilly hadn't even told anyone else that she seemed to have more then two nipples... how could she? Jenny knew... but... that was an accident. She wouldn't tell anyone else right?
As she got her coat, she glanced down at her flat chest. It had felt a little strange when she got up, but there was nothing to suggest they were growing. Jenny said she could tell hers were... and the fact that it 'might' happen still terrified her.
She was just hoping they wouldn't grow.
Ever.
As Jon got ready for school, she saw the television on in the living room. Jon watched some of it finding a mix of different people. The weight that she was responsible for all of this was always felt, when she saw the consequences of her wish... but still, there were some things that were not so bad.
Some of the worst fears people had were oddly enough, the economy. There was a company in the news claiming that it had gone under, because half its workforce had ended up as aquatic creatures, and completely unable to work. There was no time to provide new training to staff. Those that were still able to work were too few...
Jon felt guilty as she watched this. It wasn't meant to be like that... she turned up the volume to hear the report. There was a strange tiger man, looking an awful lot like the one on his cereal box. He had pleasant voice, deep and she found him...
... Jon terminated that line of thought. Obviously The news would put someone 'handsome' on the television. That was perfectly normal! OF course to recognise he was handsome didn't actually mean he found him attractive... right? He just happened to be a handsome looking tiger-man... he anxiously listened to his vibrant tones.
"... some argued this bank were doomed to fail from the start, before the sun changed... others are not too sure. Compensation claims have been made, but insurers are scratching their heads considering the phenomenon an 'act of god' and therefore, not recognised by contracts pre-sun."
Jon sighed. She missed some of the details in that report... but it didn't sound good. Some people lost their jobs... a bank failed... all bad news. She continued to listen.
The tigerman looked into the television again. "We bring you a report that world governments have agreed, the event is significant enough to warrant zeroing the calender year. Everything before the day of the sun has become B.L before light, and AL After light. It was considered making it before and after change, but scientists felt it would create too much confusion. Not all governments are willing to accept the change, and it's being considered experimental to see if it catches on."
Jon shook her head. People could be so weird about the little things like that... did it really matter what they called the year? Still, she supposed it did make some sense...
"I now bring you our special report from Jay" The presenter said before the shot changed to the short three tailed fox girl, standing outside the hospital.
"Hello. We thought it would be nice to showcase some life changes where the sunlight have a positive impact. Behind me is a hospital, where at least ten coma victims have made complete recoveries. Little Robinson here, was involved in a car crash. He had been in a coma for three years, in what doctors described as locked in his own body. He was unable to communicate or express anything... now all that has changed, and I have Robinson with me now.
The camera panned to showed a girl of about ten years old. She was unusual in that she had six arms on her now, but otherwise remarkably human. "H-Hello," She said nervously..
"Hello Robinson. Could you tell us about your treatment?"
"I- I was exposed to the sunlight.. and got my life back. I can't really tell you what its like... I just thank God every day that I've been given another chance," She said suddenly crying to the camera.
Jon bit her lip watching the scene.
The foxgirl gave the other girl a tissue, and placed it into her hand.
Between a few blows the girl continued to speak. "I-It was horrible... I couldn't move before. Now I can.. an'... I never want to go back to that. Even if I'm like this now.. I don't mind. Its better... so much better."
Jay nodded. "So you can see, a hospital here has found a very beneficial effect of the sunlight as a cure to almost all illness. While the price is that one's body is altered irrecoverably, there is a great deal of hope that the process can be controlled. We hope to get an interview with a science group, to get their latest findings."
Jon... just... didn't know what to think.
