Tiffany left the council office with a lot on her mind. she folded her arms, as the incessant thoughts continued bubbling inside her. She lashed out at people because of what she lost. Nobody could understand that. Not the councillor, not her father, nobody. The hunger pangs she had been getting were slowly subsiding, and she had finally caught up on the sleep her body seemed to crave all of a sudden, though it was a bit like recuperating from a sudden sickness.
"Hi there," said a slime mould girl.
Oh great. Goth wannabe Zoe. She was a freak even before the sun-change. "What do you want?" She didn't have time for this.
Zoe smirked.
Tiffany held herself back. She wanted to lash out in anger, but a few things held her back. First of all, Zoe was barely even worth it, and two... she didn't feel like it. not any more. So now a goth kid was going to mock her?
"How did you change again?" Asked Zoe.
Tiffany looked uncomfortable at that look. "None of your business." How exactly could she say 'the teacher did it'? It was just so stupid! How could a teacher have such an impact on her life? Her luminescent light glowed brightly for a moment, reacting to her feelings.
Zoe gave just a little giggle. It was quite a brutal laugh to Tiffany's ears. "Oh how the mighty have fallen," said the slime girl evaluating the horned girl.
"Shut up," Tiffany said gritting her teeth.
"Oh? Well why don't you make me? You can't. Not any more. You know, I can actually understand why you're upset." Zoe said still smiling.
"No you don't." Tiffany felt she had given enough pleasantries. Still this was Jon's sister, and if anything she really didn't want Jon to crawl on her. That idea just made her sick to her stomach. It was a trait the two siblings shared- both being gross and disgusting. That slug girl was as smiley as her sister. What if Zoe decided to 'slime' her every day? Still she didn't want to be intimidated.
"I jumped into the sun willingly," Said Zoe. "Because I wanted to be something cool... something well... you know? I think you were cool. Your first transformation that is." She shook her head a bit regarding the 'new' Tiffany.
The strange horned girl paused at that. "... It was better then anything." Better then anything anyone else could have become. This was the first time anyone actually said they liked it.. everyone else was just saying how bad it was for her...
"Yep," agreed Zoe. "You had power, you had the dark energy thing going around you. You had adults and kids both wanting to do anything you wanted. What wasn't to like?" The slime girl seemed quite earnest about it all.
Tiffany turned to stare at the slime girl, her horn pointing down at her. "So what are you trying to tell me?"
Zoe shrugged, her slime body giving a faint shudder. "Only that you don't scare me now. In fact, I just pity you. I pity Tiffany Saunders, because she's just a weakling. Everyone does."
Tiffany stared at her again.
"You had to be given everything you were. You never made anything yourself. All your status, everything... gone. I bet it hurts. I may have wanted to be something cooler then this body, but I'm still me. You're nothing, and you always were." Zoe then walked off, Her slime body crawling itself away. That felt, satisfying indeed.
Tiffany could feel the light in her body glow brightly. She was exploding into rage... no beyond rage, something so primal that it was beyond anything she had ever felt before. Even before her transformation... but all it did was make her glow, brighter... and brighter... soon the corridor was awash in that bright light, as she imagined that slime mould girl, smirking, and mocking her... yet she refused, absolutely refused to allow a single tear fall.
Lilly looked at the doll, in her hand, then back at Melanie. The girl seemed to be waiting for her to do something. How exactly did one play with dolls anyway? She didn't want to play with dolls! But... it didn't look like Melanie would let her do something else. She placed the doll down in a half hearted attempt, sheer embarrassment at even holding the girly thing evident on her features. Melanie started to arrange the dolls as if they were having a tea party.
Lilly scratched her pointed ear atop her head. "M-Melanie, no dolls.. I can't play with dolls." She said. Why did it have to be dolls!
Melanie seemed to have trouble processing that. "The doll is there though" She said.
The squirrel girl blinked. "Y-yeah I know it's there! I don't want to though!"
The insect girl looked at the strange child even more confused. "Why?"
"'cause its being girly an' I ain't girly!" Lilly pouted very annoyed at this whole situation. She just wanted to talk to her. She had to say she would play to give some excuse to the adults.
Melanie looked at the dolls then at her, then at the room. Everything Lilly said wasn't making any sense to her. What exactly was this strange concept? Also the act of processing instructions incorrectly... how did these entities survive or accomplish anything? "You... girl." She said simply. "These toys to play with. You want to play with me. Therefore you play with dolls."
Lilly groaned at the logic. "Okay... if I play a little with you, could you tell me about magic?" If she could get that, then maybe this ordeal would be worth it.
"... what is magic?" Asked Melanie.
"You know. Like when you put me to sleep. Or when you were gonna.. fight Jenny. When you were doing those things that nobody else here can do. I want to learn to do that." She looked to the insect girl hoping that her words got through to her. Making Melanie understand anything was harder then she thought.
Melanie tried to follow that sentence. Lilly might as well have said two plus two equals five. "Stated... nobody else can do it. Therefore, Lilly can not do it. Play with dolls now?" Was this some kind of logic test? To make sure she was functioning before the act of play? Perhaps that was it?
"I can learn!" Lilly said. "I- jus' wanna!"
"... I want to play." Melanie said gesturing to the doll again. "This mummy, this daddy, this g-"
"No dolls!" the squirrel girl said exasperated. "Please you gotta tell me the secret! I... I ne'ver seen magic. It's so interestin' an' nice to me. I want to learn everythin' I can about it. I jus' want to know how you do it an' maybe I can do it an' maybe Artemis an' Jenny would like me again!" Or even maybe turn back into a boy... could that happen?
Melanie crouched down on her insect legs. "... not want to play with me?" Was this all a trick then? For what purpose though? Was something to be gained in this act? It didn't make any sense. She processed carefully Lilly's words. Secret... the thing she knows that Lilly didn't know? But everyone here knew so much more then her. It didn't make a lot of sense.
"I-I'll play with you if you tell me how you do magic. I promise." Lilly leaned forward hopefully.
Melanie looked a bit unsure. Still she think she came up with the answer. It was the only answer that made sense to her. "Jenny does what Jenny does, because she is Jenny. Artemis does what she does, because she is Artemis. Melanie is Melanie now, can only do what Melanie can do. You are Lilly. Lilly can do what Lilly can do, can not do what Jenny, Artemis, or Melanie can do."
There was a great silence at the tirade of simple elegant logic. It was very sound to Melanie, she hoped she passed the test.
"... so... I can not learn..." Lilly trailed away.
"No."
Lilly stared down at nothing.
"Play with dolls now? Lilly can play with dolls. Promised."
