Scarlett
Is this a dream? I thought as I woke up to a black void. Waking up was probably the wrong term since it seemed like I was already standing up. The void was quiet. That was until a faint sound made my ears perk. It sounded like a young girl crying in the distance. I ran towards the source of the crying.
When I reached the source, I could see that it was a ten-year-old girl with red hair who was kneeling on the ground and crying into the palm of her hands. I knelt on the ground and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay,” I said in as motherly of a voice as I could muster. Motherly. Something I’ll can never be.
“Get away from me, monster!” the young girl screamed as she slapped my hand away. Despite getting hit, I felt no pain. As I looked at my hand, I could see her turning around to face me. When I saw the face, I gasped. This wasn’t any girl. She was me! At least me before I was genetically engineered into some kind of fox creature. Despite the next lines not making sense, I thought they were the right words to say.
“Scarlett, I’m not a monster. I’m you from the future. The Qarri will turn you into me,” I explained as I tried to make myself as nonthreatening as possible. I wagged my tail until it was on my lap. I grabbed it and showed it to her.
“Liar! I’m dead because of you!” she screamed as she grabbed my tail and yanked it. I yelped even though I felt no pain. I quickly backed away, but now I noticed the pain she had on her face. She stared at me with the mixture of sadness and hatred that only someone who lost everything could have. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she walked up and jabbed a finger against my chest.
“Listen to me, I may look different from you, but I’m the same person deep down,” I replied as I tried to move her finger. Despite her age, she had a strength that could rival Gruma’s.
“Are you really? I was loved! I had a family! I was kind and sweet! You? You’re rude! You are unlovable! Ever noticed that Quentin will look away from you after looking at your face? That’s because he’s disgusted by you! Gruma saw you for the monster that you are! And for the record, she’s my adult self!” she screamed before pointing to a woman who walked up beside her. It was the same woman that was my avatar in the simulations.
“You stole my future! I was destined to be a movie star, but you became a freak instead!” the human version of myself screamed. My ears pinned against my head as my tail fled between my legs. “Look at it! I’m a metaphorical vixen, but you’re a literal one! A disgusting animal that pretends to be a woman!” The line made my blood boil. Ever since the Qarri changed me, I’ve been called a beast. They tried to make me believe I wasn’t sapient. I never bought it, but it still hurt whenever someone insulted me like that.
“What’s your problem? Am I not a woman? I’m a sapient female adult with about sixty years of life ahead of her! Just because I’m not human anymore doesn’t make me a monster!” I shouted back. I walked up to her and jabbed a finger in her chest. “And I would know because we’re the same person! I didn’t kill you, the Qarri did!”
“Believe what you want to believe. Just remember that you’ll never be able to find love. Neither romantic, nor platonic, nor familial. You are destined to be alone. Not even God loves you,” the woman coldly said before she and the child faded away. As I watched, I was abruptly awakened by my alarm.
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I was yanked from the black void and back into reality. My lights immediately turned on, giving me a slight headache. I rubbed my tired eyes as I got out of bed. I walked up to the mirror, freezing when I saw my child self in the mirror. I rubbed my eyes, only for it to be replaced by my reflection. Just a hallucination. Nothing to think about.
I grabbed my hairbrush and started brushing my hair and fur. It was one of the many annoyances of being covered in that stuff. That and the fact that haircuts now took longer since they had to trim my fur before it grew too long that it started to tangle.
Once everything was in order, I threw on a T-shirt and shorts before leaving my room. As I walked through the hall, I noticed Quentin walking out of his room. “He’s disgusted by you!” That’s what the child version of myself said in my dream. It’s a lie, but there’s an element of truth in it. With the way the Qarri altered me, I probably won’t be seen as attractive by humans. Yet at the same time, they didn't change my attractions. And now it’s torturing me. I found a decent man for the first time in my life, but I’ll never be able to be closer than a friend.
“Quentin,” I said with hesitation. I needed some conversation to distract myself from my inner thoughts. He stopped and looked at me. I took a deep breath and asked, “How are you doing?” Maybe some small talk will help.
“Other than recovering from that gunshot, I’m fine. I was going to test out the pool, but I can’t really use it because, you know,” he replied as he pointed to the bandaged wound.
“I’m sorry about that. I wanted to go swimming as well. The last time I went swimming was in the summer of ’09. Of course, it was before my abduction,” I said as I opened the door to the living room. I waited for Quentin to walk through and followed him. “By the way, what are you planning to do right now?”
“I’m going in for a check-up. Speaking of which, you probably need one,” he said as he scratched the beginnings of a beard. Now that I think about it, I have more facial hair than him. And more chest hair. I really am a freak. And why am I thinking about that? I have much more important things to worry about!
“I could be perfectly healthy. I was genetically engineered. I have no flaws,” I lied as we walked into the medical bay.
“Scarlett, I’ve seen your teeth. They’re pearly white, but they’re also crooked. It’s obvious to me that you haven’t seen a dentist since you were abducted,” he said as he sat down on a bed. The RNU rolled over to him and went through the routine process of cleaning the wound and replacing the bandages. Once it was done, he got up and patted the bed. Thanks a lot, Quentin. How would you like it if I made you see a dentist?
I sat down on the bed and said, “He wants me to have a dental examination, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Besides, it’s not like there’s anything to judge me against. I’m literally one of a kind.” I opened my mouth and showed my teeth. It was followed up by the RNU scanning my teeth. Once the scan was over, I closed my mouth. “See. Nothing wrong,” I said with a smile.
“Scarlett Rose Campbell, it seems that your teeth are misaligned. We’ll need to fix those. Some braces would be in order,” the RNU said to me. I froze in fear as I felt my teeth. Sure, they aren’t straight, but they’re not that bad. Just give me a retainer. Anything other than braces!
“Don’t worry. I think braces look cute,” Quentin said. He noticed what he said and shook his head. “People won’t look at you any differently,” he added as he looked at the RNU. “I imagine that futuristic braces won’t take much to install.”
“Unfortunately, while she will be able to go on as if nothing happened once they’re installed, we need to use the hospital bed for it. Not surgery, but it’s an advanced medical procedure,” the RNU explained before shining a laser pointer on the surgical bed. I froze as memories flooded my mind. I could feel needles pocking me. I saw the silhouettes of the Qarri scientists appear for a second before disappearing. My blood ran cold as my breathing accelerated.
“Are you okay?” Quentin asked as he looked at the RNU.
“I’m fine!” I shouted as I stood up. My legs were wobbling as I tried to fight through the nightmares. I tried to walk to the door, but my legs gave out. I faceplanted on the floor. It had to be one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
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“Scarlett!” Quentin shouted as he ran up to me. He leaned over me and offered me his hand. “Come on, I’ll help you get through this.” I looked at him with mixed emotions. On the one hand, he was trying to be friendly. On the other hand, I didn’t want to appear weak. I had to pull my own weight!
I shook my head and slowly picked myself up. Once I was on my feet, I walked towards the hospital bed and laid down on it. As soon as I got on it, straps slammed shut over me. My arms, legs, body, and even head were restrained. I tried to struggle against the straps, but they wouldn’t budge. I looked up as four robotic arms descended. All of a sudden, I was bombarded with images.
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Bright lights flooded my vision, blinding me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t close my eyes. I watched as several Qarri scientist silhouettes loomed over with syringes in their hands and medical masks. “Subject 43067 has shown remarkable resilience. Mutation progress has reached fifty percent. Begin skeletal restructuring,” one of the Qarri said, his words being translated for my sake.
I remembered this moment. I was reliving the moment but couldn’t control myself since it was all a memory. I felt my ten-year-old body attempt to fight the straps. My ten-year-old self saw her reflection in the mirror on the ceiling and gasped. At this point, my ears and head were still noticeably human, and I still didn’t have a tail. But I could see how far the experiments had progressed. My entire body was covered in reddish-orange and white fur. Claws replaced the nails on my hands and feet. I could see paws grow on them along with whiskers on my face. “What have you done to me?” my ten-year-old self asked as she saw the freak that she became.
“Ah, Subject 43067 is awake. Very well, an explanation is in order,” the Qarri from earlier said as he walked into view. My memory of him wasn’t very clear. “You remember what you said your favorite animal was, right?”
“It was a fox,” my ten-year-old self replied. As a kid, I thought foxes were adorable. All of them. Red, artic, fennec, gray, and any other kind were cute. Maybe it was because they were seen as if a cat was in the dog family. Of course, it goes without saying that I didn’t want to be one.
“Correct. The fox was your favorite animal. Or more accurately, the red fox. We had discussions about this and decided that you have the special opportunity to be a mutant. That and the fact that you’re still a child makes us curious to see how mutant puberty progresses,” he said coldly as he started petting my stomach. I felt my ten-year-old self getting nauseous. Present me was getting nauseous just remembering it!
My ten-year-old self looked down and noticed that she was naked. Not that anything showed. My young self was just ten years old which meant that the thick fur that grew on me covered anything naughty. But I still felt violated. Fortunately, the intruding Qarri backed off. But it was an empty victory. As soon as I relaxed, several syringes were injected into my body.
“By next morning, the skeletal structure should rearrange enough to finish the mutation. Subject 43067 will survive. We will then study the effects of maturation as a mutant,” the intruding Qarri said as he walked off. My ten-year-old self cried as pain shot through her. I felt the pain myself, making me scream. The memory started fading away. But before another memory could replace it, I felt something warm on my hand.
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“Scarlett, please snap out of it! It’s going to be okay!” Quentin pleaded. I felt myself return to my present body. My vision cleared up to see that the robotic arms were still installing the braces. However, the crippling fear and visions were gone. Instead, I was filled with warmth and comfort. I looked to my left and saw that Quentin had his hand on my left hand. A smile graced my face through the operation.
I couldn’t say anything at the moment, but I winked at him. He quickly withdrew his hand. I tried to grasp the air in his direction. When that did nothing, I pointed at him before pointing towards my left hand with my other hand. He nodded and put his hand on top of mines again. The memories that threatened to return were banished.
This isn’t going to help me overcome my trauma, but it’ll keep it at bay. Quentin, thank you. I… I… I think I’m attracted to you. It has only been a month! Only a month! He shouldn’t even be that handsome! I… I don’t want this moment to end. He’s decent looking, kind, and smart. I want to tell him, but I know he’ll reject it. Now that I think about it, I think the attraction is mutual, but he’s embarrassed by it. Maybe he’s concerned that people will mock him if they found out he was attracted to an anthropomorphic fox. It’s not exactly normal, especially considering that Gruma looks more human than me.
Quentin, if I was charismatic enough, I would tell you that there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I know I’d feel the same way if I was the normal human and you were the freak of science. But I won’t push it on you. I’ll wait until you realize. You’re a smart man, so it probably wouldn’t take too long. In the meantime, I’ll be the best friend you ever had. I’ll fight by your side and help you with your problems. And hopefully, I'll become human again before we return to Earth.
After an hour, the robotic hands went back into ceiling except for one. The remaining hand pulled out a mirror and gave me a view of my face. I gave a toothy smile and immediately felt embarrassed. The braces were light blue and were over all my teeth. I felt like a nerd from one of those teen romcoms that I’d been watching. I immediately closed my mouth and decided to no longer smile. “I’m never smiling again!” I shouted as I held a hand over my muzzle.
“Scarlett, I think they look cute on you. They really bring out your look,” Quentin said before quickly retracting his hand and facepalming himself. Nice one. Now let’s try to get more out of him.
“Thank you. Would you say that they make me look pretty?” I asked, immediately realizing that I made him feel uncomfortable. Nice going there.
“I’m a sense, yes,” he nervously answered before quickly leaving the room. Way to go, Scarlett. You just made it so awkward that he left. Maybe you should hold off on that. I looked at my teeth in the mirror again and still felt self-conscious. I know it doesn’t really matter considering that I look like a large humanoid fox, but I fear the braces make me look ugly. It messes with the Wild West sheriff look I’m trying to make.
I looked at the RNU and asked, “How long will it take for these to be removed?”
The RNU rolled up to me and explained, “Nine months. Due to the neglect shown by the Qarri, the damage to your teeth was extensive. While it will be fixed completely, it’ll take almost as long as Earth braces to do so. Are there any issues?”
“Yes. The braces clash with my aesthetic. I want to look tough, but they make me look like a nerd instead. Is there a way to speed up the process?” I replied as I didn’t want to look like this for nine months.
“Sorry Scarlett, but there’s nothing that can be done. Maybe you should try being less vain and accept that this is for your own good,” the RNU replied before it went back to recharge. I stood there in shock as I was told off by a robot. Who programmed that robot to have attitude? My money’s on Zalex.
Deciding to ignore what happened, I walked into the living room and walked into one of the TV compartments. I plopped myself down on the couch and kicked my feet onto the coffee table. I know this is bad etiquette, but when you look like an animal, what will people expect from you? I turned the TV on to my favorite teen drama from Earth: Vampire Diary Chronicles. It was cliché and overdone, but I needed to make up for never being allowed to be a teenager.
“Luna, I’m sorry for ditching you before sunrise. I can’t tell you the reason, but I want to make up for it,” the obvious vampire boy said as he stood in front of the girl’s house. A girl who was definitely a werewolf with a name like that. But who am I to criticize. My first name and middle name refer to the color red. Then again, everyone thought I was going to stay human my entire life, so I don’t think it counts.
“Don’t come by my house ever again, Edwin! I’m through with you!” Luna cried as she was about to slam the door. Edwin tried to stop the door but couldn’t since vampire rules stated that he wasn’t able to enter the house without being invited.
“I brought you a friend, my love! I call her Snowball!” Edwin shouted as he pulled out a cat from who knows where. I guess I would’ve seen it if I turned on the show earlier. The cat had a pure white coat and looked to be just a kitten.
“Thank you! I’ll forgive you!” Luna cried as she grabbed the cat and hugged it. She stroked the cat’s fur as she said, “I’ll see you four days from now. Perhaps we could have a picnic under the moonlight.” They wouldn’t! It can’t be the full moon already! The last episode showed a waning crescent.
“Understood. See you then,” Edwin said as he fled into the shadows. Once Luna closed the door, he turned into a bat and flew away. The camera shifted to show the view inside the house. It was obvious that there was some kind of time skip since it was clearly nighttime.
Luna played with the kitten on the floor until the clock struck ten. At that exact moment, the full moon’s light shined through the open windows onto her. She immediately fell to the ground as she screamed. I saw her nails turn to claws as her teeth changed to fangs. The kitten looked at her with confusion. The kitten meowed, which was the worst decision it could make. Luna looked at the cat and growled, “You look mighty tasty there, kitty-kitty.” Right as she lunged towards the cat, I quickly turned off the TV and ran back to my room.
I slammed the door to my room shut. I ran to my bed and plopped my face into the pillows to suppress the flashbacks that were coming to my mind. I miss you, Felix! I know you’re in a better place now! You were the best cat a girl could ask for!