Rebecca Fine rang the door to the Gibson house. She had a list of people she wanted to visit and speak to this morning. She waited until they would reasonably be up.
The door swung open and one of the teenagers from yesterday stood there.
"Good morning..." she said, before the girl could ask why she was there. "Are your parents home?"
"Mom?!" the girl called, allowing Rebecca to study her.
A tall woman came to the door. "Zoe, who is it...?"
"I'm Rebecca Fine. I was hired to help with the current...situation. I was wondering if I could speak to your entire family."
Laura looked at the young woman. "I'm not sure..."
"This is the woman I told you we saw at school..." Zoe told her.
"I have some news..." Rebecca added helpfully.
She found herself ushered into the dining room, where the table was partially set. The girl...Zoe...summoned her brother from the kitchen.
With Laura and Jon standing next to each other, their changes became more obvious. The teenage boy's hair had grown out even further since yesterday, and how his mother protectively positioned herself next to him as he entered was intriguing. "What is it, Doctor?" Laura asked.
"I'm not a Doctor...we split up to try to interview some of you further," she said. "My degree is in psychology, actually. This situation...we're concerned about your mental state...and whether the situation produces any behavioral shifts. Have you noticed any odd behavior?"
Zoe, Laura, and Jon exchanged glances. "What exactly do you mean by odd?" Jon asked. "My family is going through a lot..."
"Urges you can't explain, actions you can't explain..." Rebecca told them.
"Zoe, can you go check on the others please?" Jon asked.
"Sure," Zoe said.
"Why did you ask Zoe to leave?" Rebecca asked Jon.
"To get the other kids..." Jon said. Laura wrapped an arm around Jon's waist.
She looked at Jon, thoughtfully, having noticed Laura's gesture, even if Laura didn't seem to. "How many kids do you have?"
"Three...I mean...there are three kids in the house. We have one houseguest," Jon told her.
"I..." she stopped when someone came bounding down the stairs. It was the other girl...the friend...Karyn? She was dressed in a pair of pajamas. She barreled toward Jon and Laura. "What's going on?" she chirped. All three of them towered over her.
Jon put a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Fine came to visit," he said, his voice tone changing. "You remember her from yesterday, don't you?"
"Sure..." Karyn said. "What's for breakfast?"
"Karyn...we have company," Jon scolded. "Sorry...she is a bit excited this morning..."
Rebecca raised a brow. This was definitely worse than yesterday. She tried to decide if she should point it out, or if she should just observe for a while longer.
