Part 18

None of it went as perfectly as I could’ve hoped for, nor did any of it go as abysmally as I feared. There was no screaming or rioting. There were plenty of questioning looks, especially at the harder parts to understand. And the usual people took notes like their lives depended on it.

I tried to get through as much as I could. I was only stopped for questions by Professor Brandt as she asked things like the etymology of the term ‘Daemonrae’, whether it was capitalized, and if there were other language versions of it. Tessa cleared up a few technicalities where my memory was lacking. She clarified the egg device was similar to the mimic device, only much slower and permanent. There was a lot of concerned and curious discussion.

We came to our proof a few minutes in when Sean and I both changed into our female forms and back. Allison joined us too, for extra measure. Then, Tessa shape-shifted into a copy of Professor Brandt. This brought a lot of gasps.

All together, we took well over half of the class time ironing out the particulars and responding to questions.

“What does it feel like to shape-shift?” (Tingly and I get woozy but it’s kinda like the device change.)

“So are you still human?” (Directed at Sean. He said, ‘So far as I know’. I got, ‘Do you consider yourself human?’ to which I answered resolutely, yes.)

“Why do they call humans the ‘Kinrae’?” (Tessa took this one and focused on the ‘kindred’ connection.)

“Are Aeternals like angels?” (Tessa fielded that one but said they were something different than that, ‘Kinrae concept’.)

“Can you give an exact date to when the demon girls first arrived?” (Tessa reaffirmed that it was “Most of human history” but couldn’t give a more specific date.)

“Are there any famous people who were actually hidden Diamondrays, like religious figures?” (If Tessa knew, she wasn’t telling.)

Professor Brandt asked a lot and was skeptical at points but we had an answer for each of her questions.

When there seemed to be nothing left to ask, we looked at one another. Tessa took the lead in closing, saying, “I can offer my email to deal with further questions and I’ll be available at main campus later in the week, if travel is possible. I know this is a lot for everyone to deal with and I’m sure what we’ve said will soon be out in the general public. Not much to be done about that. But I urge every Kinrae…every human…to consider that my friends, your classmates here, have done what they’ve done because they believe this is the right thing to do. I hope that it is. Thank you for your time and may all blessings be upon you.”

I stepped cautiously back to my usual spot. I was watched all the way as Sean joined me in the next seat over and Allison found a spot in front of us. She’d have a class soon but I hoped she could stay a little while. I noticed some people had their cell phones out and had been recording while we were up. I figured those videos would get out first.

I leaned against the wall. Professor Brandt rubbed her face and generally seemed at a loss for what to say or do. Finally, she announced, “In light of events, that will be all for today’s class. Dismissed.”

Some people ambled out of the room. Some clung closer to us. Elizabeth Mendoza asked us the most about the transformation and wanted a few recordings. Things didn’t so much end as ebb away. At the usual time that class ended, we finally headed off.

The most surprising part of walking around outside was the eerie sense of normalcy. What had happened in class didn’t seem to have rippled outwards, at least not as widely for most people to realize it.

With Lissa joining us, we had lunch out at a café not far from the college. Calm there too. We started to get the sense that things were spreading when we got back to the house and one of the local news agencies was there to greet us. Clayton had been keeping them entertained with a recount of the history of black powder.

We reiterated what we’d said before but also ran into the dumbest questions I’d ever heard. I tolerated them with pleasant answers like, “I’m not sure how this will affect the economic relations between humans and Daemonrae but I’m hoping for the best.”

The wave of reporters only arrived later in the day once the class video had been uploaded to the Internet by a technology student from main campus, along with several classmate-recorded videos.

I could sum up the reactions in a few ways. There were firstly a lot of questions and calls and confusion, especially about things we’d already explained in exacting detail. Rejection of the account came first. Some purists thought we were trying to smear the “perfect Kinrae” and swiftly dismissed us. ‘Experts’ poked holes in just about everything we said. These people actually helped us a bit with reasonable doubt but we still had some creepy people lurking around the block once the news crews went away.

We were able to keep most of our names out of the limelight but we got some calls from political figures, religious ones, and some celebrities who either wanted the inside story, to confirm or deny, or for some really weird reason. Needless to say, we didn’t get much accomplished that week. Thankfully, our roommates and Lissa didn’t have to deal with any of it.

The biggest pain was when it came to my legal status, since I was still technically classified as a “Kinrae” under government files from before the dream egg. However, there were no records about which anime girl I was since Naltra wasn’t telling and there was no other way to really know. Investigations came next but they focused on Daemonrae enclaves.

The violence was isolated but it spiked. Daemonrae got hurt and had property damaged. We all cried when watching the video of an arson attack on the Kinraetown bookstore. Lots of windows were broken and we stayed inside for several days to ride out the worst of it. Sean had to catch up on his classes online. We were asked to do some medical testing but refused.

The country sat in about the middle so far as global reactions. The name and the activities of replacing humans were the hardest parts to overcome. Protests raged which felt like a new chapter of what Professor Brandt started class talking about. Only these protesters were armed. Red horns and snake tongues attached to anime girl faces became a regular, sickening design for protest signs. Fear and panic spread for longer than I hoped. Daemonrae who weren’t in hiding were scarce for many weeks.

Ultimately, like the clouds parting, the positive reactions began. Petitions for the device accelerated, charities worked to help displaced Daemonrae, and movements emerged online.

It wasn’t until the full bloom of spring that I began to feel like I could step outside without fear. Sean or Allison often went with me.

A mix of apathy and human adaptation won out as the same, silly stories returned to the news and fears of invasion dwindled. I considered a few of the many book offers I got in the early hours to tell my story. Allison decided she would only accept an offer herself if it was for a cookbook. They rejected it. How little they knew about what they were missing out on.

Tessa stopped by a few times to keep us up-to-date on the Daemonrae. Their reactions were as split as the human reactions. I wished I could apologize to them but Tessa urged me not to fret. She spent time each visit chatting alone with Sean.

Just when things seemed to have returned to normal and the tenuous wedding plans were approaching something solid, Sean broke the news to all of us.

He said, “I’ve decided to be the one who goes.” He winced immediately after speaking and explained, “Tessa has given me some good reasons for why I should go and I’ve been thinking about it and come to the conclusion she’s right.”

Allison seized Sean and said, “Please don’t go. I thought we decided staying was the best…”

He brushed her hair and told her, “Staying is the best for all the reasons I hold in my heart as I look at you. But I still have a lot of reasons to do this. Corlie and I both need to figure out who we are and what this all means. I’ve felt through all my classes lately that it seems so futile. Why am I going through the motions for a career I haven’t even decided on when there are so many incredible things beyond our world? I won’t really be leaving. More like studying abroad for a few weeks until I can come back regularly. You may not even notice I’m gone.”

Allison squeezed. “I’ll notice. If you two need your space then you and I can go spent time with your Uncle Nolan. Or we can stay with my dad for a while. He still needs to give his blessing.”

They were good reasons and Sean told her so but he stayed firm. It was obvious he didn’t want to cause Allison distress but I could sense his mind was made up. Allison vented about Tessa and looked at her frying pan but Sean reiterated that, “I made the final decision. It’s my choice. I love you forever and without question but I need to do some soul-searching. There is a pathway that opened since Corlie and I escaped my parents. You helped separate us from our past. Now, I need to venture forth and see the way ahead.”

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Allison didn’t understand, still frowned, but she slowly accepted this was what he needed. However, she made one stern ultimatum, “I’m not letting you go until I’m Mr/Mrs. Kurtz twice over at least!”

He smiled and asked, “Who says I don’t want to be Mr. or Mrs. Longbloom at least once? Besides, I’d rather let the Kurtz name die. I’d want to take yours instead, Allison.” I was on the same page.

The issue still hadn’t been settled when we met Allison’s dad. We were worried but he greeted us by picking the two of us up and swinging us around in a bear hug as soon as he’d done the same for his new daughter.

He chuckled heartily and said, “Oh, Ally. I have a daughter. What a feeling!” He asked her about everything even though they’d talked about it so many times on the phone. Some of Allison’s brothers gave a cool reception at first but Allison had them back to normal in her usual way.

Allison still considered herself a boy but said, “I’m more flexible now.” Her father shed what he called “manly tears” when talking about all the feminine things he was going to buy her as wedding gifts. He was a joyous man, like how I imagined Allison might have been when he was older.

Mostly, Allison used the opportunity to tease her brothers and they gave it as good as they got. I couldn’t imagine being a part of such a huge family but they made us feel welcome.

The arrangement of the wedding was a big topic of discussion. Allison wanted to move it up from her original plans to be before Sean left on his journey. What helped us were state laws adapting to the events we’d set in motion. They were called “Affirmation Weddings” for those who were dreamer Daemonrae and original Kinrae in our sort of situation. They had a fuzzy legal status. It was like I was considered a marital stand-in with the consent of the original, married pair. It was already being challenged in court appeals as something which could be horribly-exploited for bigamy.

To me, there was really no choice. I was the stand-in for Sean. His and Allison’s marriage should be the legal one (Allison had made sure to petition for special legal status as both male and female so far as the government was concerned. The judge she’d seen awarded it to her with a squint and shrug of the shoulders.) Allison wished it were different for me but I told her it was fine.

At that point, things got even more chaotic until the day of the wedding. It wasn’t big or anything. It was at a church Allison’s family frequented, which was run by a pastor who seemed like he was a big inspiration for Allison’s view of life. I got the feeling that, if allowed, he would’ve just married the three of us on a whim.

Allison’s immense family filled most of the proceedings. Uncle Nolan and Lissa were pretty much the only guests for Sean and me. Allison’s elder brother was the man of honor (even though Allison kept calling him her “maid”). Lissa was an honor attendant. And Allison’s brothers filled in many of the other roles.

The biggest debate was about who would be the flower girl. Quilla seemed the obvious choice but Allison desperately wanted Malcolm, who had acquired his own device and used it more often than his normal explanations could account for. He wanted no part of the role but Allison eventually got him to agree. Quilla needed no encouragement since Clayton had made a flower-launching bazooka for the occasion which she had way too much fun testing. Despite her amusement at the launcher, Allison vetoed any other weaponized elements of her wedding, even the flying cake idea (the working cannon was probably a bit much).

The day of the wedding was pure chaos as I tried to remember what I was supposed to say and somehow get properly dressed. I was soon glad I would be playing the lesser role as Sean appeared especially nervous and jittery. It all came together perfectly, even if Quilla was…overzealous with the launcher (at least we had plenty of petals everywhere). Allison seemed giddy through the whole proceedings and loved her bright-pink gown.

The whole thing was beautiful. Sean vowed to Allison, gesturing to me as well, “To love you in all the ways you could ever hope for, all the ways you could ever dream of, and keep you in our heart always.” Allison vowed, “To always share my whole self with you and to live with laughter and joy with the both of you or however many more of you or me there are to come.” They made each other giggle throughout the whole thing.

And when it was done, they were Mr/s. Allison Longbloom and Mr/s. Sean Longbloom. For my ceremony, Allison felt much more relaxed, noting several times, with a wink, “I want this to be quick, my other husband is waiting for me.” My vow didn’t feel like anything special as I said, “I may have only known you a short time, Allison. But I swear with all my heart to make each and every day of your life as beautiful as you deserve.” But then I added, “However, no vow can express how much you mean to me. So, I promise to live my life as proof of the vows to love you in ways even I can’t imagine right now.” She smiled at that.

We seemed to take a breather and then cut loose at the reception. Dancing with two others was a challenge but Allison’s goofy dancing-style made it easier.

More than anything, I felt like things didn’t change after the wedding. It was, as with the name, simply an ‘affirmation’. It was, however, overshadowed by Sean’s promised departure.

He packed light on the day he left and Tessa agreed to take his bag on ahead because of her greater skill at carrying things through dimensional shifts. He hadn’t yet learned a Daemonrae form but he felt he was close.

Our parting took place in the living room with the others away. We were dipped into the tail end of spring. The herb garden was flourishing and plants had been added. A small veggie garden was a possibility.

Allison was in girl form as Sean stood before us as a boy. I tried to be an emotional cheerleader.

Allison took several long breaths. She told him, “You can still reconsider.”

“I know. But this is the right choice.”

She clenched her lips and asked, like she’d asked many times before, her voice wavering, “You’ll be back soon, right?”

“As soon as possible. When I come back, I’ll knock on the door three times in a row, once for each of us, so you’ll know it’s me.”

Allison nodded. She put her arms around him and held him close. He held her too.

I offered a few smiles and the words, “Let’s share a dream together when you return.” He laughed and nodded. I leaned in to kiss both of them but Allison was solely focused on Sean.

Softly, Allison said, “I’ll miss you. I’ll miss you so much. So very much. Half of me goes with you.” Her eyes were glossy as she pressed herself into Sean’s chest. I sniffled.

“All of me is with you always, Allison.” He touched her softly.

Pressing her head against him, Allison sobbed. I wished I could comfort her.

“Please don’t go…”

He stroked Allison's head as she cried against him. “Shh…shhh…it’s okay…my beautiful, sexy boy.”

Tears streamed down Allison’s cheeks as she looked up. Softly, through tears, she said, “I know…you…have to but please don’t go. You can lie. Say you don’t want to. I love you so much….”

Sean’s eyes sparkled. “You know I have to go. It’s for all of us. And it’ll be okay. I will be back. This isn’t forever. This is just ‘see you in a little while’.”

Allison clenched her eyes tight and sobbed. Sean sniffled and whispered, “Thanks for changing my life forever. No…‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough and…I know now just how much you mean to me.”

She looked up through the sniffles as he kissed her hand and held it, adding, “Tessa gave me a little hint a few days ago.”

Allison’s eyes widened. “Wait…you mean….Was it me? Am I…?”

I was beginning to realize what he meant but I held my tongue.

Sean smiled and kissed Allison on the forehead.

He told her, “You are Allison. The most beautiful person I could ever imagine. Someone who would fight for a sad little boy in the dark, at the edge of oblivion, and beg him to hold on. Someone who would give up everything of their past, everything they knew and remembered, and transcend time itself to make sure that sad little boy lived a better life.”

Allison bit her lip and clung to Sean as she wailed. He kissed her softly and told her, “Thank you so much. Thank you, my beautiful Allison.”

In an instant, Allison was holding air and flailing. She wailed and clung to the floor. I put my arms around her and comforted her as best I could. She whispered softly, “I love you. I love you so much. My beautiful Sean. Always and forever.”

Allison collapsed into me, her body shaking as she cried.

“Always…and forever…”