After the doors were closed, Charlie got a good look at Renee's new appearance in the reflection of the tinted door windows. Renee's head still looked quite human, but her neck was thinly covered by small bristly hairs, the same hairs that Charlie could feel on her arms and legs.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Smith. But it's for the best." She was no longer nervous. In fact, she seemed almost confident.
Charlie turned towards the woman and looked at her. What happened to 'my family is in danger if I didn't go along'? This woman was definitely acting differently. She almost sounded as if she was with the kidnappers instead of one of their victims.
"How can kidnapping me be for the best?"
"Well, they promised me they could help you. Isn't that what you want?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Your condition. What those people did to you ... it's just not right. So I took it upon myself to find someone who could help you." The woman reached over and touched Charlie on the leg. "Soon, you'll be totally human again."
Now Charlie understood what was happening. The newest transformation had been explained away as some sort of science experiment, Dr. Moreau style. And this woman was trying to help Renee reverse what had happened to her.
But why the kidnapping? There was something else going on here.
