Jon's head might as well have been spinning in Yannah's body. This place is strange was all he could think about. Karyn was some giant boy, Sarah and Zoe were his sisters (and, apparently in Sarah's case, adopted), and who knows what else. Everywhere he turned, there were things that made no sense but to these people were just part of daily life.
He rode on Rin's shoulder, just taking in all the sights. The way Rin seemed absolutely furious about his absence for 'cheer' practice seemed so absurd, but Rin never treated her with anything other than gentle care. Bouncing on the side of the giant man who used to be Karyn, all Jon could do was try to take in the sights of the world around him, the second purple moon looming over the horizon. Two bras hanging on a clothesline outside a house. A pink school bus, dropping off students without any after-school activities. More of those big men. ...And was that someone walking a rabbit like it was a dog? And, as he was viewing each mind-boggling occurrence, every one of Rin's steps sent his new short, stacked figure jiggling, reminding him that Jon was basically a universe away.
It wasn't until they got to high school that things started to look normal. Football players in their pads, teachers strutting around with notebooks, students chatting in circles... For a moment, it felt like an island of normalcy.
That ended the moment that Rin reached their destination: a grassy field with a white circular marking on the edges. Another short woman was standing just outside in a bright yellow top, scowling at the boys using the field, along with a gaggle of other girls. The presence of the arrivals caused a few to turn and look.
"Boys! Off the field now!" she barked at its present occupants. "Your silly, clumsy football is over! It's time for real sports." As they scurried off, the woman—the coach? Jon thought—looked at the team. "We need to get some of this practice time back if we are gonna win state."
Then, she noticed Yannah, Zayliah, and Razzah. "Where were you?" She folded her arms across her chest. "We were so nervous, we had to get Rin over to your place. We need you to get your head in the game!" She looked up at the boy in gratitude.
"Coach... I don't know if I feel well enough to practice."
"Coach-ess!" she responded. "You know better to call me by anything but. It took me six years to get certified. Now, let's get this practice organized. Get them stretching."
The words bounced off Jon like a ball off a wall. He felt utterly lost. These people were counting on her, but they had him instead.
"Yannah? Yannah? What are you waiting for!? Show us the moves that made you captain of this squad!"
