The large grassy field outside was surrounded by an old forest. The grass was neatly trimmed from Isabelle’s hard work with the scythe. Fog blanketed the early morning air in a light haze while dew clung to the grass. Within this vibrant scene, a group of siblings chased each other.

“Tag! You’re it,” Alan gleefully said to Isabelle.

“Hey, no fair!” she grumbled. Her siblings flocked away from her in all directions, minus Alan since she couldn’t tag him back. She set her sights on the oldest of the four fleeing siblings, her sister Sam, who ran away from Isabelle like her life depended on it.

Isabelle slammed her feet into the ground and chased after her. Sam tried to run faster as she heard her sister catching up to her, but it didn’t matter. In mere moments Isabelle had caught up. Sam felt a hard slap on the back before slowing down to stop; she’d been beaten, and so easily too.

“Tag, you’re it!” Isabelle proudly exclaimed to her panting sister. Sam slowed and turned to see Isabelle sporting a smug grin.

“You got lucky, punk…” Sam said spitefully while Isabelle chuckled.

Sam turned her sights on another of the siblings and went after them, since the rules stopped her from tagging the person who just tagged her. It took much longer, but eventually Sam tagged Alan, who decided to chase after Isabelle again. Seeing her roaring brother chasing after her, she ran towards the nearest tree to escape. Isabelle dug her claws into the thick tree bark and climbed up to hide in the branches. Alan eventually caught up and stared up at her.

“Hey! You’re cheating. People can’t climb trees like that!” Alan said. Isabelle stuck her long tongue out, taunting him.

“Cheater! Get down from there!” Alan yelled and kicked the tree, which did nothing to change Isabelle’s mind. Instead, an idea formed and she thought she would try to infuriate him further. Her tail wrapped around the branch and she slowly turned upside down, shifting her full weight to her tail until it was the only part of her body that was hanging onto the branch. She got as close to her brother as she could without him being able to touch her and smirked.

“Wow. You really are a monkey!” he said. The other children thought it was funny and started chanting ‘monkey’.

“I am not!” she said defiantly as she accidentally let go of the branch with her tail and plummeted to the ground, hitting her thick head.

“Tag!” Alan said as he slapped her with his hand. She sat on the ground and rubbed her head.

"Aaaaaa you got me," she said before looking at some movement she noticed. Coming out of the forest was her best friend, Susy, carrying a basket in her hands.

She thought about Susy as she stared at her. She was a good girl, as was her family. Hard working, caring, and dedicated were all words that described her. If anyone would understand and be willing to look past Isabelle's unique predicament, it would be her. But even so, Isabelle couldn't predict Susy's reaction to seeing her. Especially not when her own mother's initial reaction had been so fearful. And if Susy's reaction was negative… Isabelle wasn't sure she could handle that.

Susy knocked on the door. Her little sibling answered.

"Hi," Susy said in a kind voice. "Is your momma here?"

"Mama's in town but Isabelle's outside," the little kid said and Susy's face widened in shock.

"Did you say Isabelle?" she asked.

Isabelle didn't know what to do. She hid behind a tree trunk, listening in to Susy’s conversation. She knew her friend would find her soon. If Isabelle ran, Susy would just come back later. Or wait. But she knew if there was anyone she could trust, it would be Susy, but Susy was frightened of everything. Even dumb bugs. Who knows how she’d react when she saw Isabelle.

"Yeah!" the little kid said responded with a smile. Susy looked around and saw Isabelle’s siblings.

“Thanks!” she said with a smile and walked towards the other siblings.

They’ll know where she is, Susy thought. As she approached, she saw Alan stealing glances from behind the bushes.

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“Isabelle?” Susy, Isabelle’s best friend, said as soon as she reached the tree.

"Heeey Susy," Isabelle replied in her new, odd voice, from behind the tree and bushes where Susy couldn’t see her.

"You've been missing, are you okay? You don’t sound good. I kept stopping by to see you but your parents kept saying they didn’t know where you were," Susy said.

"Uh, yeah, I got lost in the woods for a while but I found my way out."

“That’s awful. What happened?” Susy asked.

“Well… I was looking for my brother-” Isabelle said before being interrupted.

“I know that part, your parents told me,” Susy said.

“While I was looking for my brother, I… found something,” Isabelle said while wondering whether she should lie or not.

“Found something? Izzy, why are you being vague?” Susy said.

“Alright, well, I found an underground building and went inside. I got stuck inside for a long time and now I look a little different from before," Isabelle said.

"Oh, that’s why you’re hiding behind the tree." Susy said. “Don’t worry, I don’t care how you look, Izzy.”

“But… I look kind of scary,” Isabelle said.

"Jeez, as if you could ever scare me," Susy confidently responded.

“Well… okay,” Isabelle muttered and slowly stepped out from behind the tree and bushes. She was sure to get a talking to by her dad once he inevitably found out she told someone who wasn’t family. As soon as Isabelle came into full view, Susy yelped, and stared blankly at her towering, inhuman looking friend.

"Woooooahhhhh!" Susy exclaimed. "You weren’t kidding. Isabelle, why do you look like that? What happened to you?"

"Well, like I said, I was in the woods looking for my brother, and I found this weird metal hatch. I stupidly went inside and found tunnels made of metal. There was some sort of creature down in those tunnels. I never actually saw it or anything, but it did something to me that caused… this to happen," she gestured to herself.

"That's insane. No wonder you haven't been around, if you went into town like that it'd be dangerous." She paused. “I don’t care how you look!” Susy walked up to Isabelle and hugged her. A moment later she felt something wrap around her back… but it didn’t feel like an arm.

“Izzy… what is that? Is that your arm?” Susy asked.

“Uh, that’s my tail,” Isabelle nervously said.

“Your… tail. You have a tail,” Susy said blankly. Isabelle grimaced.

“Yeah. I do.” They let go of each other.

“Well, can I touch it?” Susy asked. Isabelle smiled and thought to herself, typical Susy.

“Sure,” Isabelle said with a chuckle. Susy’s eyes lit up like stars and she ran her hands along Isabelle’s tail, starting from the base. It was harder and bonier than she initially thought and she wondered how it was so flexible.

“How much control do you have over it?” Susy curiously asked.

“A lot, it was really weird at first and I didn’t know how to control it. But after trying to use it a bit, it just comes naturally,” Isabelle explained.

“That’s so cool! I wish I had a tail. No fair!” Susy said with a smirk.

“I thought you hated bugs,” Isabelle said.

“You might look bug-like, but you’re not a bug. Plus, bugs are small, and that’s freaky,” Susy explained as she caressed Isabelle’s tail.

“Wow, it’s so pointy at the end.” Susy poked the sharp end of Isabelle’s tail, which was shaped like a dagger, and it pricked her finger — drawing blood. It started to slowly ooze out of her finger and she stuck it in her mouth.

“Ow, that’s so sharp,” Susy said. A few moments later she continued, “oh wow. I’m feeling a little woozy.” Her last few words were slurred as she slumped over on the ground. Isabelle turned around and looked at her friend lying on the ground, motionless like a lump.

“Susy? Susy, are you okay?” she asked with no response. She knelt down and looked closer at her friend. Susy’s body and face weren’t moving, but her eyes were darting around.

“What happened?” Isabelle asked her siblings who were standing around them.

“She poked the end of your tail and fell over,” Alan explained. “It sounds like the same thing that happened to you.”

“It does. I think she’s paralyzed, her eyes are still moving around. I was stuck like that for hours so she probably will be too,” Isabelle said.

“We should bring her inside,” Alan said.

“Yeah, I agree. Also, all of you had better stay away from the pointy end of my tail!" Isabelle turned toward her siblings, particularly the younger ones, with a fury in her eyes. She then wondered if she could carry Susy by herself. She certainly felt and even looked stronger, but didn't know if that was just her imagination. Isabelle bent over and picked up her best friend. She cradled her like a baby in her arms.

"Wow, you're so light. I didn't expect carrying you to be this easy," she said as she carried her friend into the house and took her to her room, placing her on the bed.

“Alan, can you go tell Susy’s family she’ll be staying the night here?” Isabelle asked.

“Sure! I’ll be back in no time,” he replied and left the room.

“I didn’t know that could happen. Thanks for testing that for me,” Isabelle teasingly said with a smile. Susy looked at her.

“I’ll sleep on the floor tonight. Be careful when you gain feeling back, it won’t all come back right away,” Isabelle said.

By the next morning Susy had mostly gotten better.

“Wow. That was really something. I couldn’t move at all,” Susy said.

“That’s what happened to me, too. It can be scary,” Isabelle replied.

“I’d better head home now, I’m sure Isaac misses me. Would you mind if I brought him over sometime? I’m sure he’d like to see you again. I’ll make sure he won’t say anything,” Susy said.

“Sure, that’s fine. I’d like to see him too. Tell him hi for me!” Isabelle said to Susy as she left the room.