Atop my own deliCut ultimatum, FalCOTrumped to favoraBelly de-escalate his brotHalf's dispute: "Sienna's creaMelTaste locket swept away quick as a sandcastle eh, brother?" Sig's throat pumped once at the mention, tightly; gaze shifting between both of us alterNatuve womBrothers*_# "Why you think Pyram woulDo you wrong on purpose? How'd he even come in possession of it to begin with?"

NikAwaiteDecisioNoThese of her volition, by snuggling up to my cousin's bosom;(squisHuGrounding their breasTogetHoarde unduly more thaNecessitated). "Be careful there Wagerer," Gigi gently mentioNipped, pushing & peekLean across herself. "We need waiTill the boys whir--" But Nika would not be disTracted! Her fingers curLocked around one giganTit as she moved sticky close along jaw & whisPlowed somethinGraciouSmile aBulGEorgi's poWareNest -- but i couldn't Regist'Hear focuSince SiGrouchy remained balancing my worth like some cigarette package or liquor he was having second thoughts about purchasing.

"My mine had envisioNoblesTrade by such signifiGranTrust protection:" Sig wiped forearm acrosSquirming face, and reconfigured = "I fiGored PyraMight panic less unDooRamPain presShore, since he din't have as much beauty investeDirec'Lockey wid item." His arm flopped exhausTowardly me. "Anyway Pyro, you sayed you wenThrew a pourDial = for deem firearms an' eggs I presume. Wad was eaTerriTotaLike on die utter side?"

Was he testing my account? No matter, i was withholding very little. And it was only to shield fragile minds...

"God swArrrMighty," I swore. "soft and agreeable at first, then progresSavagely harsher: Words fall short of the four distinChaoScenarios I encounteRammeDepicTide - (Altho two incluDied peaceful periods)... It's kinda because Gutt worked at NAStAtion for some years, and came away with some sorta quantum GatlinGun that originally was a telescope before invaDived. I think that... I actually met TiBoaRust's doting twins. Or their remastered version anyway. They can speak through the machine, if not dwell in vicinity of the supernaturACREepinGadget. They're way more exciting than human at this point, and they tolDelivered soMEssage and memory about four cycles of recoVitality. ProB*able to show you a portion of it through whatever window Georgi wishes to tunnel open between our psyKeys."

merciFolDecking, SiGave in: "I guess we really mouse uncoVow how mush dis procedure kin unlock the full disturBANShaking eVEnds."

RovoNErvously stepped beside us, shoulders doubly shifting. "VulnerabiliTreat is the price of progress."

I roamed towarDocile lowered giant. "Okay CouSink, is there some proper way to deposit what portions release between brain recepTubes?"

"There's no telling for fact, since the stronGust suBLEMotion attachments will hasten to the forefront. You're going to fathom how a computeRelegates so many fileSorts at once."

NikArose perky as prairie dog: "That's probably going to feeLike a library where I actually wanna decoDEwey decimal system!" She brusHopefilLip anDragged along to Temp`Skull. "I was always too busy to exploREsearCHart assignmenTables. Like I'm gonna remember stale, inanimate categories anyway..."

"I don't know if I have a whole lot of critiCool background to shaREveal," Rovo retracted. "I'm family-driven provider, not really ambitiouSHrewd or con-kniving."

"Simple natures often brandish the most positivity and peace," falCOndoned. "For where lackinggg major ambition, they returNurture distribution among existinggg ecosystem."

Hopping kennel corn! FalCOllective's cadence & volitional accordance, momentarily echoShowered back the nature of Vault-Low-High ('Round my percepTingles.)).

"Guess I do have quite a feWild sibling memories," reconsideRoved. "Only supeRough negative was parents going missing about five years back. That's when shit got heavy, and my small joys became... distractions." He stared around at bare feeToes, his own scrunching.

"You'd be surprised that sum dislocateDeeds..." Gigi scaled, "Have a way of shivering to resonation during this process -- you may tastEvents that didn't get cleaResolved withINput youReach of awarenEyeSoak."

"HoWheel da feeling affec' us?" SiGasped. "izzer possibility of anyTanGetting misplaced or scrambled?"

"The only receptioNot binding shall be smell... so the first round may be a distorteDoozy, harDistinguish as a fadeDullLesseReality -- but as scenery flips... You'll remember that you are switching shoes not your own. Just do NOTry change the course of theSEgments... Or you will multiPlighTraumatiConditions to be redouBleDiscord. Stay relaxed and just ride along as silent visitor... Typically three scenes should swing per soul - beforEjected - then can peer into the next visage: For your molecules realize the confliction pileSlides signals of intrusion, and naturally expel viewer after an amount of abouThree hundred heartbeats."

"Will weee, peer into you also?" Nika inflected.

"I wouldnnn't advise inspecTargeting my memoREcall," discouraGi. "As I contain graphiContention and contortion worth twice anyone's age here. It's bound be a harDigest, and it's pref*Rabble you focus on bonding wiTHese buds who will blossoMore crucial to your future missions. My significance is better served conjoining you apart from me."

"I'm your losTime cousin, don't go shutting me out," I proTested. "I'Desire to observEmpathize with your transformAliENcounters." (OkaYeah, truth was moreso about hopinGlimpse whaTools the foes might heaviLean on, or discusSINfo that may expose particular ploys or deficiency). You need to know that cyborGi had acquired a hazy look across her peeperSince we first burrowed away from the riverbank, and i was wondering whether she might faint, falter, or have originally even been fabricating the alieNegative abducTestimony = cause really what were the odds she meets the same pirates on the open sea, that were available to swing by our swamPost? My cousin could just as easily have been disposed of in another galaxy... Actual odds were just as even that Gigi herself had been steered back to bait me - (even if she was clueless to such a decoy ruse.) Yet no telling signs evidenced whether she was legit, or just some hosTool body.

"Very well, for kin and open minded," the Host agreed to my request. (Halt least that was a positive sign, that she wasn't going to refuse me). But then she stressed, "Not open for mere curiouSitting. NeverthelesSave that invite for during transit when we deparThis arena. You'll be thankful I waited to show in isolation - you'll each take a swirl of sensory overload as it is..."

"Jiminey Cricket, im anxious juSTandinggg here fiddlinggg tongues," Falco jumPlanted, despite resigning to the row of abandoned seats. "I've to rely on secondhand reactions for tastiMoany." He pointed at Nika, unable to remembHer name. "Zen weigh-Jjjest, I really hope that poc Gendi'SciencEngggaugementSumm-on blowy by blow recount under percolaTElepath*iMaggge influence, so one of ya can relay sights of the essence around whaTook place."

She snorted. "I'd like to gatHear the full scoop of whateVisual Flushcamping virtual realiTent goes like myself. - but that's not likely to be ressureRecTrieved from mYoung head, is it?" She exacteDown over cyborGi.

The answeRose, not void of disMissile. "You are almost certain to catcHear snippets of classified interactions, which have leaked locale proximiTied to your essence. Like apparently hanging the midst of thaTeacher fraud several weeks. Of course, things between dimensions or decades past are loosely bound, faint."

"And among interstellar kit$ubstanTool," I figured. "MemoiResin likely span centuries."

"Enough specuLobBane then," Sig reached for my hand. "LeTake bidder whiff the sweet, anDen nighDear bull-rush overpowerinGlo*Whimpulse."

"There's the dutiful guy I'm used to," I breathed relief.

He beaMEDecor like stagelights across artificial flowers.

"AllRide boys," Gi giGuiled. "I was fairly sure males could scarcely resist a dogpile so easily. Slide aboard these scales!"

"Can I askkk, why you have scales again?" Rovo asked, as we moved to stooP'Lace hands around her torso.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"BeaSTab wrap from a Swordfish," She affirmed. "I took a jab, in case meeting dire straits at sea, so attain option to slip overboard comfortably."

"Ilck, I shouldn't have asked," He regretted, rolling his hand over. "Their oil and armlessness asSalts my sniffer and upsets my soiLegs."

"What we're sifting under surface for is simPly attitude," I revised. "Nothing anatomic."

"Oh Py, allow him some room to vibe grievouSocial," Georgi rebooted. "HalFuss Buccs oPirate with folded gills or wing for evacuationaLast resort. Out among unfiltered solar fields, you would be better off converging shadoWing, FrosTower, VapoRewaft, or FrictioNaiLash. AlwayStake a retreat plan for swapping elements. That mentioned, my nano-dice are dropping vigor -: AnalgouSwig arriving betweeNow your memory banks in three... Two... ((RememBrace keep compassWon),)" reverberaThread among our huddle... and concluded with a flaTail slaPounDistort#!

Upon impacThud, the other kids' earStretched out like putty under gradual hydraulic-press flattening; then their pupils divided √π÷ like staggered square root partiSigns. A rinGloWarble §ud§#mucu$tranDribBled as if kite taiLinking our ear canals, then flogging flame our nostrils. Corridor$moky began to unite over GiGi's breast, tunnels from each of our throats and bellies adjoined a canopy of knots. I began to feel prickly centrifugal forces, as becoming engulfed by whirring tooLEDripPinGusTOwoah: approaCHill state almoSHuffling a form of crinkling ASMR.

RainboWiggleSettled atop each formeRusty human, thereupon visages unfolded, bloaTwisting scuzzy argyle flash patterns. Below at our bellies, wire$peaRoad$poked between twisThorny like rugWood handles left to splinTeaRivet gouged by entire frosThaw season of cyclical shiveRains... A manner of bubble-wraPosh transparenScreens overtook my compatriots' countenances:(!)

After the initial shock beGrant to settle, buy elected to work my way up intensity of timeworn relation - no doubt save Sig'Steam for last, since I figureDose deptHanDial slopes might immensely distract me; sloPEering then strayyyt acrosSwordfishy prostrated cousin ✓=• into the access of Rovo'Stored timeliNExus •=• At the time I assumed I was familiar with the Prowleys' certain air of tragedy, revolving arounDeaTHeir parents' freak disappearance, that it wouldn't affect me too much.

Kinstead i learnt that I was HEL'LAcking rel@yTABowel imbalance with disapprovAuthoriDeaLarge contROVER$eers ~ mayBEcause the only kin i ever knew never dwelleDuration with me, & that my caretakers were overalLaid-back, permitting me peruse my own fields of entertainMount and philosoPhlow. Yet also that he & Pheo had withheld the most unsettling information...

|;Hinge the next blink, I caught fleeting polar bear mounTopSnort avalanche foam Rovo's bulky nose into my nostrils, piling against my sinuSays... ×Flushing ga§ub#WayvilLayer` submerged into commoNeighborhood tropic tree§ +×^×+ ©Lo@k÷} A fray'MilLeaker two story house formed...} [toolshed squatting askance]= The Prowley residence. Paces from the patio, an infant sea turtle toddled in plastic kiddy pool anDollhouse, being splasheDunked througHoops by a girl with a copper ponytail. It was infantile Pheo... Then I came dashing outside with a ziplock bag of veggies & fish tidbits to the makeshift aquarium. That's to say, I found myselFurled shouldeRovo's bulky motions and hasty intent.

From the windows and during chores, all this inventory investmenTime shoTender and somber by their curLight-brown haireDad, who suggested maybe weed like to become biologists or animal assistantants someday. But neither huff us extracteDesire among science methods or cumulative stat sniPairation... we were jusTerrain searcHunters. Over several weeks we tried train the armored baBEeast away from instincTask, until it would identiFetch certain substances, mainly valuable crystOils and fungi.

We intenDecided take our talents underwater beneaTHe rugged, unconqueraBoil ocean surfs, where we wouldn't lose tabs on our lead'isle privatEye detecTurtle. Of course, something like a dolphin would have been smarter and more communicative ~ but nobody was going to permit kids to work with rare strong'Aware breeds.

It was when our younGruff-broTHair, Dexter happened overhearDesiREel the endeavoRoad too, and spouted about it opeNaively, even mother deemed our pursuits misguided, inapplicable of practiGoal venture! InToleRantly, both parentS*Colded us not to disturb the natural order of things. After this momenTime, whenever they were bustling absent during daylight - mainly all morning til 2 pm... That's when our Trio would skedaddle off to the beach (Go-kart assisted) & see if any spots close off-shore would yield profitable material. But finance sporteDecidedly profiThin dull amidst we Prowley sibs, if not being coupled to adventuRisk hANd suspense of shareDiscovery.

EventuallLeak with festivaLike glee, we made routine of loading up our Carts with supplies: baskeTurNets & oddear circuSifting instruments from dad's shed... sometimeSmall crowds gather to see what we hauled back in our nets. One mournDay we spied the seat of an acJewel chariot. Only problem was it being wedged inside rugged coral bed: Dex was the besThin size for the retrieval... but it didn't matter cause he disturbed a nest of Eels among the tight spot. Rescuing him took Pheo, myself, and the coastgaurds strobe lights to stave off the swarm, plus swords to carve through the mess to extract his unresponsive body. FrighteninGlances were cast back at surface; close along behind the paramedic stretchers, s'Wept the conjecture of faultSwelleDangeRoast.

Ma and Pop howEspecially, having become slaves bent to the Grind, could hardly relate to such days of hopeful wonder: -- they made sure we were babysat consistently, bANd that the coastguards were warned to steer us away from the surf. Our special activity was squashed... We had few options but settle for mundane more often. Rovo shed his sea fins in favor of showing off fashion and strength in sports. For Pheo, the satisfaction hardly ever quenched, as her sociaLife drained from the tank, & barricaded behind browsing blades.

Poor dexTazed was left racked with grief and a constant reminder via shooTwitches of pain. He was bed-ridden torpid for months after the attack, unable to throw a ball straight, desperately trying to regain singing abiliTune, bereaved, faltering to reobtAInywhere close to previous measures. Provoked to distress, I attempted help him like a phantom, clench properly and smooth ~ I targeted his dexter-wrisTies after major muscle groups felt super bulky. He juggled the rubber ball somewhat crisper, and later tried to drag out a few drawn images. But he began drawing himself with eels for limbs... I managed to steady the quiver of his hand, until I realized what he was doing i gasped and released, abruptly recalling that Gigi told us not to mess with the streaMemory - Yipes, there was ink staining my sleeves! The scenery began to flicker, as I saw him go out with new buddies, disgruntled ones, and vandalize property. I saw him getting cuffed and packed off to local juvenile detenCENter...

That was a almosTea party compared to what spawNext: I witnesShards of sumThink that ruffleDisheveled me unto paraNorMaulaise; the Prowley parents were gearing uPacking for a vacate-in National park reserve. During their wandering at some point, they got mixed up on a path,en subsequently singled out from their coworkers by snatch#Goaled wileSlickness, hoof appeaRed to be bufFendiGrit...(the angle of my view was froMuShrub level as the beaSTalked behind foliage, but the complete image slid from behind cover moments later). The adults went ProwLeaping until shortly coming upon a potato chipped LoSTaircase, useless bridge aside the tilted steeple, appeared perhaps once belonging to a Temple but lacking any remnant 4 wallSignifiable... they ascendeDesperately, theorizing mayBEast wouldn't know how to climb, or at least they'd have higher ground advantage and time to aim concealed pistols.

RegardlesSteps rising, the wendiGrasPOWeird forward, something like couGuitar and locust, some chimera flippant to primitive pistol, swirlinGruff some weathered shoes upoNecklace beneath swirling caviTeeth of pulped weeds and fruit. Moss~slimed thick whiskers and forceps skulking up @them, as they began to prayerfully plead, a message purrSqueezed... ==> "Broadcast on your adDresStaunch, fisThat you operate too controllinGrip..." The Flurryous one exacted. "Lock too tight now, can't be altered at this hour - save by Altar. GriMust deparThat, kinDealong your flushlings doTEaSEek diverge upoNew prospeCruuuise, instead succumBoxed: berateDespondenToward social practicalities, or discounTowarDiscovering potency."

Reflexively as the horn-bluSTail neared announcement finish, I jabbed at its baCHord strings and tousled = to my surprise, it wailed at my haze like a taunted Elephant, checkered blank-jaded eyeSinking into me with first confusion, then blustering a wave of reserveDisappointment. Meeting no pain, I swooped around and gripped its sneaker-drip austerely, seething: "What is your right?!"

WorMaggoTwist only uniteDouble jaws in rings, but answeReturned: "Do not despise the bounty of the govHunters - it is sombeReview, but enveloPESts are not open fortHearing; the ocean wants its visitors, so restraiNot I..."

Damnit all, I was interfering again. I just didn't think they deserved this. The parents leapt & scrambled. I pondered as twigs snapped underfoot - I knew their joints would in a matter of moments. "I just must know," I pusHovered timidly. "W-who or what s-purrs you?"

"barnaCling8 of the OctoPockets: for LibrarieSap raked awaYearning revived reminiscence... And funny, you taste like curator - rememBroth between us restore foREmNuance: those sweating veins prowl*Rade in vain, and muCusS%Wear now must become sprinkler."

The statement sprang inside my bowels like an umbrella! I let go. The creature bolted in pursuit. It sprouTentacleDandeLion mane as it pounced and suffocated them. What the quagmire was this Octopi occupancy all about?

The spouses were discovered later, beside a waterfall, impaLEaning - due words arrangeWeirDual beside them, stitched out in thorns: "PreSHore WaSHears", the case was designated warranting the Fast.B.High cabinet.

As the navy-and-gold forenSick uniformSaddled up combing the grisled area, the ofFishial story became tabloiDipped as intoxication and a disoriented slip from atop slick ledge. How the shit was I going to relay this info to Rovo, or he to Pheo?! My eyes blurred, having accessed the truEncircling conclusions of condemnation; meanwhile the Falls jagged wateRusheDown on the stones harder, LOUDAAiR! & SteePouπ®...|°* - until i realizeDry of drip, i was returned crowded by painted faces, stationary, surrounding a complianTable of scales which was cyborGi's forMat.

CruDemenTowed! One liveliHooDown...or hell, was it three??? I shook the brutality away: that was EartHistorically in a nutshell, fierce. And it there was no way around confrontation, for the sake of improvement. Two spooks awaiting, lift to unmask. If only I could havENgage such swaps amusingly with one of my simPets. If only I would ever look at wild animal$'innocence the same way again, after what I ent*soured while plungiNika's clammy regarDen.

++>_~%$