May 7th
Quentin
“I can’t believe we’re almost home,” Scarlett said as she looked at me in the cockpit. We sat next to each other as Earth entered into our view. Our dream was coming true. Especially for poor Scarlett. Most of her life was spent far away from home. Now, however, she could reunite with her family. She looked at herself and asked, “If my family doesn’t accept me, do you have room at your place? I’ll try not to be a burden, but I feel like I’ll have some trouble finding a job.”
“Don’t worry too much. If all else fails, we could just head back into space and continue our adventure. But I doubt it’d be necessary. We’re giving humanity less credit than it deserves. In a cruel twist, you’re probably too small of a minority to persecute,” I replied with a bit of a chuckle.
She laughed and said, “I guess you’re right. ‘Agh! I hate those fox people! All one of them!’”
I nodded before facing the console again. Our repairs on the ship were shoddy without Harry’s direct assistance. There was only so much time we had left before we had a nasty crash landing. I plucked a strand of hair from my head and one from Scarlett’s. I placed them in two separate canisters and entered them into the console. “Track down our parents.” There was the question of Scarlett’s DNA changes, but it should be possible to track down her family.
After some beeping, the ship displayed the results on the screen. As for the obvious, it showed that they were on Earth. It then zoomed in on North America. A blinking dot was over Georgia, making me ask, “Where are my parents?”
“I’m displaying where both of your parents are,” the ship replied before zooming in on Atlanta, Georgia. “They are close to Scarlett’s parents for unknown reasons.”
I shook my head. “We need to land this ship before—” I was interrupted by alarms blaring and flashing lights. “Dammit! What’s the problem this time?” I fumed.
Scarlett seized the controls and directed the course before slamming her fists on the console. “I refuse to fail so close to home! Earth is freedom, and I refuse to live a slave!” she shouted before pulling a lever. The ship rocked before zooming through the atmosphere.
We were thrown into the back wall as neither of us were strapped in. My heart rate skyrocketed as I hyperventilated. This wasn’t good! Granted the alternative was probably starving in space. But at least there was a chance that NASA would’ve found us. But if it was to be the end, I mentally prepared. I positioned myself closer to Scarlett and hugged her. She hugged me back.
“If we’re to die, I want you to know I love you. Finding you was the best thing to happen in my life. You may not be the most conventional woman, but I love you. If we die, I’ll search for you in heaven. You’re my angel!” I said to her as I rested my head on her shoulder.
“But what if I lose my wealth? Would all be well?” Scarlett asked. I scratched the back of her head.
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” I replied. “I don’t love you for your money. Heck, even though I see your beauty, that isn’t the only reason I love you. You have a lovely personality. Strong-willed and cunning. People often say that as a sly insult, but I mean it as a compliment.”
“I love you too, Quentin. But I have a feeling that we’re not going to die,” she replied as the ship slowed down. We fell to the ground, allowing me to pick myself up. I walked up to the window and saw that the ship was descending steadily. We were only a hundred or so feet above the ground. Scarlett walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I just wanted a little test. I wanted to see what you’d do if you thought you were dying. I’m pleased you thought of me.”
I looked at her and smiled. “I want to be angry, but I kind of figured we were going to be safe. It seems like we survive some disaster every month,” I said before remembering Malgorth. He was a reminder that death was still very real. “Other than that one incident.”
“I know,” she replied as she bowed her head. After a few seconds, we walked into our rooms. When we reentered the hallway, I had a blue T-shirt and jeans on along with a pair of sneakers. Scarlett was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a green T-shirt along with a pair of red sneakers. We agreed it was for the best that we dressed casually and normally. Space marines and cowgirls wouldn’t fly in 2024.
We walked over to the airlock, taking one last look at the ship. As we stood there, the ship started rocking. Scarlett hugged me as she said, “I didn’t do it that time. I fear the ship is going down for real this time.”
I froze before shaking my head. “We’re low enough to the ground that our psionic powers will protect us,” I explained as a smile graced my face. “Besides, talk about a dramatic entrance!”
However, my bravado faltered when the ship plunged downward. Scarlett and I fell onto the exterior door. We had a few seconds of reprieve before the ship impacted the ground. We went airborne for a bit before falling back on the door, which gave out. The door flew off, sending us tumbling onto the ground. It felt like tile, which made me look up. The sight almost made me cry.
We were inside a building, surrounded by several people. Human people. They were all dressed in black, which made me wonder if we landed in the middle of a funeral. I wanted to hide away in shame. I was a monster for crashing into such a solemn event. However, a familiar voice made me stop. “Quentin? Is that you?”
I faced the voice to see my mother walking towards me. Tears came to my face as I saw her. “Mom!” I cried, sounding like a baby as I jumped up and gave her the biggest hug I’ve ever given. She cried as well as she held me. More arms surrounded me soon after. I turned to see that it was my father and two brothers. They were all tearing up, making me cry more. “I missed all of you!”
“Welcome home, Quentin. I’m glad to have my son return!” my father cried as he tightened his hug. In the middle of it, I looked back to see that Scarlett took the opportunity to hide under one of the pews. I moved my eyes up to see that there was a coffin on an altar along with pictures of a young redheaded girl. I looked back at Scarlett and tilted my head towards the coffin.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“I know this sounds like a reach,” a sickly man said with a thick Southern accent, “but did you know of my daughter?” He had a cane with him as he walked towards me. Every step looked painful as his wife had to steady him. He had the physique of a man who used to be very fit but was now deathly ill.
“Who’s your daughter, good sir?” I asked as I looked at his feet. It felt bad to stare.
“She’s that girl over there,” he said while pointing towards the pictures near the coffin. While the girl could be someone I knew, redheaded girls weren’t so rare that any redhead was his daughter.
“You have to be more specific. I met a girl that would’ve fit your description, but I could be wrong. I’m sorry for dashing your dreams, but giving you false hope would be more hurtful,” I replied before looking back at Scarlett. She crossed her arms and shook her head. I looked back at the man and asked, “What was her name?”
“Scarlett Rose Campbell,” he replied, making me quickly look between the altar and Scarlett’s hiding spot. He was her father. It was now time for me to reintroduce the two of them.
I scratched the back of my head as I replied, “I have, in fact, met her. The Qarri have done a number on her. They mutated her, turning her into someone you wouldn’t be able to recognize. She doesn’t even look human anymore. I brought her with me, but she’s scared. Scared that you’ll reject her.”
“Reject her? Why would we do that? She’s still our daughter, no matter what she looks like!” the man shouted as loud as his voice allowed as his wife walked up next to him. I could see the pain in his eyes. He waited his entire life for this moment. Refusing him the chance to see his daughter would be torture. Even if he didn’t believe me, who was I to not give her parents the chance.
I walked over to Scarlett’s hiding spot and squatted down. She looked at me and tried to shoo me away. I shook my head and said, “Scarlett, it’s time for the world to see you. Especially your parents. Don’t let them think you’re dead.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her out.
As we stood up, I could hear everyone in the room gasp. Scarlett started shivering as she noticed all the eyes on her. I placed my hands on her shoulders and whispered, “You got this, vixen. It’s time to show the world who you truly are.” She nodded before walking towards her parents.
“Scarlett, you’re a fox?” her mother asked as she looked at Scarlett. She looked away, prodding her mother to ask, “Can you still speak?”
“I can still talk,” the foxwoman whispered as she looked at the floor. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell smiled as they heard her voice. After a deep breath, Scarlett raised her voice and explained, “Technically, I’m a human subspecies. I just look like this because the Qarri wanted to make sure that I never returned home. But I’m still Scarlett Rose Campbell.”
“This must be a fever dream. Nothing makes sense anymore,” Mr. Campbell said as he shook his head. “My long-lost daughter reappearing after fifteen years no worse for wear other than the fact that she’s now a cartoon creature.”
Scarlett looked at her father and whimpered. “Dad, what happened to you? I know fifteen years have passed since I left, but I remembered you being in shape,” she said before looking at her mother, who had bags under her eyes. “I can only imagine how many sleepless nights you’ve had.”
“If you truly are Scarlett, I’ll tell you,” Mr. Campbell said as he looked back at his daughter.
She sighed before saying loud enough for everyone to hear, “I was the one who drew on the wall behind your desk at home.” Mr. Campbell’s eyes opened wide as he looked at her.
After a moment of stillness, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell tightly hugged Scarlett. They all started crying a river. I walked next to my parents as I watched the tearful reunion. The funeral crowd all grew silent as they watched on.
The silent moment ended when Mr. Campbell asked, “How does it feel to be like that?”
Scarlett smiled as she said, “It actually feels natural now. It took some time to internalize that I was stuck like this. I tried to become normal again, even though I knew the truth in my head. A close encounter with death and help from friends made me accept what happened. All that’s left is to make up for the fifteen years I’ve lost. The trauma of those years has been forgotten, but it’s still several years of lost time. Time I could’ve been with y’all, my family.”
I cried a bit when I saw Scarlett hug her family again. This was her dream, and it had finally come true. We made it home and reunited with our families.
Scarlett broke off the hug and walked over to the coffin. She grabbed the picture of her childhood, human, self and said, “That was me. Or rather, she’s me and I’m her.”
Another woman, a young blonde woman who looked a bit older than Scarlett, walked up to her and asked, “Are you really my sister?”
Scarlett looked down at the woman and asked back, “Amanda, is that you? I thought you would’ve been taller.” I couldn’t agree more with her statement. Amanda was only five feet tall, which made it funny that Scarlett was five feet nine inches, over a full head taller.
“I guess you are,” Amanda said as she looked at her sister. After a while, she asked, “Why are you taller than me? You were smaller when we were kids.”
Scarlett smirked and shrugged. “I don’t know. Perhaps it’s to make up for the fact that I’m now a vulpine humanoid. Not that it’s much of a curse. People’s reactions to me are far worse than the form’s physical attributes. Also, isn’t it ironical that I’m prettier than you?” She bounced her hair before blowing a kiss in my direction. I caught it and smiled. Everyone that stared at me like I was a disgusting person only filled me with more confidence. Let them hate me. What I did was only normalize our relationship. The more Scarlett and I showed affection for each other, the more they should realize that she was a person, just like them.
My musings were interrupted by one of the funeralgoers asking, “Does that mean that the funeral is called off?” He looked at Scarlett oddly before looking back at Mr. Campbell.
Her father nodded. “Yes. However, know that our family is whole again.” He looked at Amanda. “And I hope to discuss things with all of them.”
After that announcement, most of the funeralgoers left, with a few of the Campbell relatives hugging Scarlett. Once everyone other than Scarlett’s direct family and mine was gone, I looked at Mr. Campbell and asked, “Mr. Campbell, I know you have a lot of money. I know you probably prefer to keep it within the wealthy, but may I please have the honor of continuing to date your daughter? I think we have something going.”
He smiled and said, “Yes, Quentin, you may. According to your parents, you’re a good man. I’d be glad to call you son one day.” I extended a hand for him to shake, but he hugged me instead. It was weak, but he had to have cancer due to the way he looked. He leaned into my ear and whispered, “And if you break my daughter’s heart, I’ll make sure you’re never hired at Campbell Family Enterprises.”
“That’s your private business. That’s not much of a threat,” I whispered back. Honestly, there were so many other employers that it wasn’t much of a challenge to find another job. Unless he used money and influence to defame me, but I wasn’t too concerned.
He smirked and said, “I know. I’d be upset, but I know destroying your life is too petty for me to do. In all likelihood, if you and my daughter had a falling out, there’s a decent chance neither of us would see the other again in his life.”
We broke off the whispering to face the crowd. It was then that I looked at my parents and announced, “Mom, Dad, I’m moving to Atlanta! Scarlett’s going to need me to help make her life normal again. There’s also a good chance that I can find more jobs here.”
My parents looked at the Campbells, who looked back at them. They smiled as Mrs. Campbell faced us and announced, “That won’t be necessary. Due to an executive decision by the most handsome man in the world, the headquarters of Campbell Family Enterprises is moving to Cincinnati. Since Liberty is a bedroom community of Cincinnati, you won’t have to move.”
Scarlett hugged me and said, “Well, looks like the two of us will be living in the same town. I hope there’s cool stuff to do there.”
I laughed. “Unfortunately, the coolest thing there is the yearly Scout Shootout.”
She smirked. “I’ll show them a true sharpshooter.”
It seemed as if things couldn’t look better. Everything was set right. That was until my father whispered to me, “We also need the two of you in Liberty to meet with the general.”