Sacuza simply floated there for a while, unsure of what to do and pinned by Layka's embrace in any case. She wasn't sure how her little sister could maintain what felt like a bear-hug grip despite already being fast asleep, but the girl was clinging to her like a koala - and with her upper body immobilized, Sacuza was effectively unable to fly. She wondered if that was some kind of instinct that children of her species were born with.
Then she realized that she'd just thought of it as her species - and, furthermore, she'd thought of Layka not as her stepsister, but as her sister.
It wasn't that she didn't like Layka or think of her as a member of the family - she did. But there had always been a certain sense in which her subconscious recognized her as something other, a person who was not one of the people she'd grown up with. She'd assumed that was just part of living in a blended family, but it was gone now; as Layka nuzzled into her new bosom, Sacuza felt exactly as if they were truly flesh and blood.
She found this deeply unsettling, even as another part of her felt that it was comfortable and natural. It was bad enough having her body completely transformed into...into this alien...girl! But to have her mind changed on top of that!? To find herself thinking thoughts that weren't hers? She couldn't even think of herself by her own name!
Sacuza floated there for some time, brooding over the insanity of it all and trying to figure out if there was a way to extricate herself from this power-cuddle without waking her little sister up. While she was trying to puzzle that out, the door opened gently and Lalaxi drifted into the room, looking troubled.
<It seems like there's been a misunderstanding,> she said.
Sacuza merely gaped at what was surely the understatement of the century. <Y-you could say that,> she stammered, when she was finally able to process anything other than raw incredulity.
<I'm very sorry,> her mothe-her stepmother said. <I had thought that I explained everything to you, but I talked to your father just now and he was as surprised as you were.>
<I mean, you talked a lot about helping us bond together as a family,> Sacuza said, somewhat bitterly. <You never said anything about me turning into a girl.>
Lalaxi sighed. <But that's what the adoption process is, dear. Making you a child of my body removes any subconscious obstacles to our truly identifying as a real family. That's why we do it.> She smiled. <Even now you must feel it - look how closely you're holding Layka.>
Sacuza looked down at herself and was surprised to discover that she'd unconsciously wrapped her arms around the little girl's lower body, even as Layka clung to her. She looked over at Lalaxi, not quite getting around to actually releasing her grasp on her sister. <But why a girl!?> she demanded.
Lalaxi looked sheepish. <Another thing I didn't realize you didn't understand,> she said. <With our race, the sex of the children is determined by the mother's body. Since I can only bear girls, in becoming my child you necessarily became female.>
Sacuza stared at her, boggled by how matter-of-factly she was discussing these things. <That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!> she sputtered.
Lalaxi shrugged. <That's biology,> she replied. <In fact, it's a strong probability that any children you bear will also be girls.>
Sacuza considered that for a moment, then gaped, cringed at the thought, and clamped her knees together, blushing furiously. <But I don't want any of this!> she protested, shifting Layka's weight from one arm to the other and idly wondering how someone who could defy gravity could have such an oddly comfortable heft in her arms. But then, she thought, my new hair and my...my breasts...present basically the same question...
Lalaxi sighed. <That's how your father thought you'd feel,> she said. <But I'm afraid you really have no choice, dear.>
Sacuza stared at her, her stomach sinking toward the ceiling. <You mean you can't undo this!?> she yelped.
Her...step...mother...shook her head slowly. <No,> she said, <we can't. This is a stitch in the fabric of spacetime - it's not something that can be done or undone lightly. That's why I asked if you were really okay with it, back when your father and I got engaged.>
<I thought you were just talking about the thing with the processional!> Sacuza moaned. <I didn't know it would involve anything like this...>
Lalaxi floated over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. <It seems we both made some careless assumptions,> she said, taking her stepson-turned-daughter in a gentle embrace over the head of the sleeping Layka. <I'm sorry for my part in that, dear, but there's nothing we can do about it now.>
Sacuza groaned. <My room's all different, my stuff's all gone, I don't even have my own name anymore...>
Lalaxi gave her an apologetic look. <I redid your room because I thought it'd be nice for a girl your age, dear. I didn't throw your things out. I do think you should give it a try - I think you'll find it very convenient. But it's a simple matter to change the colors if you don't like them.> She smiled gently at her daughter. <And you don't have to be 'Sacuza' if you don't want to, Scott.>
Scott frowned. <Yes I do, this thing you did to me made me think my name is 'Sco...'> She trailed off as realization set in. <Wait, what? I thought you said you couldn't undo this...?!>
Lalaxi smiled sadly. <I can't change the fact that you're a child of my body,> she said. <But I can certainly choose to have named my daughter what she would want to be called.>
She drifted back toward the door. <I'm going to see to dinner. Your father went with your friend's mother to pick up the car, and he should be back soon.> She turned back to Scott. <If it's any consolation, dear, you do make a very lovely girl.>
Lalaxi floated out into the hall, leaving Scott still holding her little sister and trying to process everything that she'd just learned. It wasn't until several minutes later that she realized she'd just had an entire conversation in Dalzin.
