Fiona hiccuped, mind clouded with uncertainty and pain; tears gathered in her eyes, sliding down her puffy cheeks as she hugged her trembling body. Nora used every phrase like a knife, cutting her heart, and it wouldn’t stop bleeding.

I made Nora feel like dirt … I never wanted that! How could she feel so bad that she turned into a Slime? I tried to be a good sister … I never tried to overshadow her. No, it can’t be real … the aliens did this … that can’t be Nora, but…

Her fractured thoughts turned back the pages of her memories, and everything was sliding into place. A cold shiver ran down her bones as she tried to understand her sister’s position.

Nora had always worn a smile and laughed, but past comments and events surfaced that made her doubt this was an illusion; her sister had always been a bit shy, and even when Fiona had lived at home, Nora was continually pushing herself to public gatherings and relationships without luck.

At first, they’d spent so much time as sisters, but through middle school, things started to change as her voice blossomed, and YouTube videos trended.

Fiona began winning competitions without any formal training, drawing notice from scouts, but her parents chose to take the contracts they were offering to one of the upcoming lawyers around Ireland, and that’s how she’d met Erica.

Erica uncovered quite a few scummy things in all the contracts, turning Fiona away from it all, and ended in Erica herself becoming her agent as time moved on.

The news spread through word of mouth, and her spontaneous fame became somewhat of a phenomenon in itself, drawing thousands of people in to support her; Nora had been left in the shadows of everything she did, which wasn’t her fault, but it didn’t help that Fiona didn’t notice her sister’s struggles.

As her YouTube channel grew, she found an interest in teaching their country’s dying language and discovered an eager audience that saw her free lessons more enjoyable than traditional methods.

Since that point, people were always trying to snatch her eye, which took away from her time with Nora, and even the locals were competing with her sister for Fiona’s attention as this rising internet sensation.

She recalled Nora bringing more than a few boys over when she was getting ready to move to the U.S., and all of them wanted to get pictures with her to post on their profiles, claiming to be big fans.

Almost every date Nora had or friends she’d brought over was drawn to her, which made Fiona a bit uncomfortable, and she’d try to brush them off to give more time to Nora, but they were always so persistent.

With everything opening up inside her mind, it wasn’t hard to see where her sister was coming from, and it was perfectly reasonable for her to grow frustrated. However, there was one thing that grounded her, keeping the thought that this had to be real, which cut her heart even more.

Fiona worked through her feelings while sitting in the dirty alley, spending several minutes sorting through her emotions and thoughts, but she managed to come to a conclusion that helped move her forward.

Nora’s not this nasty … she’s not. Even if she does feel this way … she’d never cut me like this, which means it’s a Skill. After all the animals’ testimonies, there’s no doubt it’s really Nora … The Oscillation changes us and can give us things we want, even if we don’t like how it responds to our desires sometimes … We need to be careful for what we wish for.

Rubbing her sore, puffy eyes, Fiona sniffed; her tears were bitter on her lips, contrasting her sweet, all sugar diet.

A light green aura surrounded Fiona as she composed herself, activating Wind Shield and Fairy Wings. She rose off the pavement, hovering a few feet in the air.

Clearing her throat, she rubbed her cheeks, taking a few breaths; her mind had calmed as the hurt and sadness were suppressed by the clarity that slowly took shape.

It has to be Nora—taking the form of another person … maybe she was lashing out like Iuchra would have. Still, it’s painful … there’s a part of her that really resents me, but Nora needs help, and no one knows it…

Taking a shuddering breath, she slapped both her cheeks to motivate herself and snap out of the shock.

If she’s now a Slime, then … I just need to be there to support her! Nora isn’t Banner; how could I even think that she’d be someone else! No, she’s hurting—so much. She’s resisted the Slime instincts to feed on people, which is why she chose that body in the end … a corpse.

Should I tell Mom and Dad?

The thought was quickly dismissed.

No, not yet. I need to have a real talk with her … I let her down … my response cut her even more. I have to let her know she’s still my sister!

Resolving herself, Fiona dried her cheeks with the back of her hand and shot into the air, scanning the streets for Nora.

She flew through the town for a few minutes without luck and noticed the temperature was continuing to drop. Her memories of past winters returned, telling her the temperature would fall dramatically in the coming hours, and she wasn’t sure what kind of resistances Nora had.

After several minutes, her stomach tightened as the realization came to her; Nora had left the center of town.

Where would she go? Maybe she went home, now that she has a body? She couldn’t talk to Mom or Dad as an animal.

Fiona changed directions, smelling the winds change as the sea breeze carried the ocean scent inland. The winds would pick-up during the night; she could smell it.

She kept an eye out but didn’t see her sister returning to their house. Floating silently through Nora’s open window, she heard her parents inside.

Their father seemed to have just returned.

“Aislinn,” her father swallowed, rushing into the front room, “has she returned—is she back?”

“I’m sorry…”

They didn’t notice Fiona, hovering in the hallway.

“But Fiona’s here—you said she’s looking for Nora; she’s alive?”

“Yes,” Aislinn comforted, wrapping her arms around her father and holding his head against her chest as he began shaking. “Yes, both our girls are alive … I know it.”

Fiona choked up, hearing him sobbing as Aislinn held him, tears gathering in her mother’s green eyes.

Aislinn sniffed, swallowing before clearing her throat, but her voice cracked a little. “There’s—there’s some changes they’ve gone through, but yes … yes, they’re alive.”

Fiona slowly exited back through the window as her mother explained the situation, confirming Nora hadn’t returned. Fiona’s mind searched for her next move, trying to stay composed as her throat and nose burned with the cocktail of emotions swirling inside her chest.

If she didn’t go home … Does she even feel like a part of the family anymore? Maybe she doesn’t. If not, where…

The realization hit her chest like a truck.

Iuchra Nic Céin…

She darted to the station to meet up with her Marine escort and Dr. MacLoughlin.

It didn’t take her long to get to the building, but to her frustration, over three minutes to get their attention to open the locked door. Eventually, she was forced to create a gust inside with Wind Wall.

“Did you find her?” Annie questioned, the first to open the door upon noticing her.

Greg and Dale were right beside her with the others soon joining.

Fiona nodded, darting out of the chilling wind her shield deflected. “She is a Slime Aberationkin, and—I need some more information from…”

She paused, catching sight of the doctor beside the local Guard.

The others were a little taken aback as she swiftly closed the distance between them with a single bat of her wings. “Doctor MacLoughlin, I need to see that report again!”

“What?” He took a quick step back, eyes locked on her tiny frame.

“That one girl—umm … Iuchra Nic Céin. Do you have her file here? Please, say you do!”

“Yeah? Eh, why do you…”

“Please! I just need to see it for a minute,” she pleaded.

“Hey, what’s goin’ on?” Dale asked with a sharp frown as they moved to join them. “Is your sister in trouble, or…”

“I don’t know, but I think—I need to help her, and I have to see that report to know where she’s going!”

“Uh, I’m lost,” Tori sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “The Doc said somethin’ about a girl’s corpse going missing, and if your sister’s a … wait…”

The other soldiers seemed to have discussed what Slime was because they all slowly put two and two together.

“She ate a corpse?” Greg asked in disbelief.

“No, but don’t they usually eat living things?” Dale questioned.

Seeing that she couldn’t keep it a secret for long, Fiona took a deep breath before swiftly explaining it. The whole station was silent, and more than one person looked uncomfortable that they were going after someone that could snatch someone’s body and take on their appearance.

A sharp quiver ran down Felix’s frame as he looked between Tori, Annie, Greg, Dale, and Theo. “Okay, now, I know we’re talkin’ about a teenage girl that turned into this Slime because of The Oscillation, but dammit, tell me you all aren’t thinking about The Thing … I mean, body snatchers.”

Fiona’s face grew hot. “No! My sister isn’t a thing; she’s just hurt and needs someone to help her.”

Felix lifted his hands defensively as Fiona glared at him. “That’s why I said I know we’re talking about a teenage girl! I get it—I do and believe me, I want to help your sister…”

Dale took a long breath before sitting down, resting his arms on the back of the chair while giving Fiona a stern look. “Fiona, calm down a bit and hear me out. Can you do that?”

Fiona growled, glancing between the soldiers as they shifted uncomfortably. “I’m losing time to catch up with my sister … make it fast.”

She hovered down to his level, and the soldiers each took a seat of their own with the Guard and doctor.

“I’m all for helping to save your sister—all of us are, but what exactly are we dealing with? Based on what you have told us, and connecting the dots … I don’t believe you’re telling us everything,” he raised his voice to speak over her protests, “which I understand. You’re trying to save your sister.

“That being said, your sister has changed into a Demi that can take on the appearance of the creatures she absorbs, correct? That’s what your story about this young girl’s body disappearing connects to.”

Fiona sucked in her bottom lip, glancing left while debating her answer, but Dale responded shortly after.

“I thought as much.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” Fiona fumed.

“Honestly, girl,” Annie sighed, “you didn’t have to.”

Fiona’s glowing green eyes shot to her. “Yeah, she can, but she chose someone who’s dead instead of killing someone; she’s not a monster!”

“I don’t think she is,” Dale cooly responded, “but Felix’s comparison is only natural.”

“How?” Fiona challenged. “What even is The Thing, and how does it relate to my sister? I just don’t like how he made it sound like she’s not a real person—she is, and she has feelings, and she’s hurt!”

“All valid,” Dale eased. “Can you tell me for certain that she won’t hurt people?”

Fiona’s mind flashed to her sister’s statement about resisting the urge, but even if she was unsure, she responded without hesitation. “No! Nora won’t hurt anyone.”

“Okay—can she use this girl,” he paused, looking at the doctor for confirmation, and repeated the name, “Iuchra’s abilities? We need to know what we’re walking into.”

“No, you don’t have to because you’ll only slow me down!” Fiona shot back. “I’ll go get her, and bring her back.”

Dale sucked in his lips, exhaling a long breath before giving his unit a glance. “Fiona, I want to be as honest as I can with you. What would happen if your sister, through this change that has affected many people in—less than desirable ways, were to absorb you and take your powers? It’s just something that we have to consider,” he responded defensively.

Fiona’s mind blanked; she hadn’t even considered the possibility. “No … Nora would never attack me.”

Felix gave Tori a look that said, what did I tell you!

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“We’re in the military, Fiona,” Dale replied. “We are trained to look at the worst-case, so we can properly prepare. For all we know, you could be Nora right now … when you’re dealing with a shapeshifter—fiction has become a reality, and it’s just how we must view things now. Tell me, what would you think if you were in our shoes?

“I’ve seen some of the data on you since my team was assigned to your detail, and … if you chose to let loose, then—I don’t think you need me to paint that picture.”

“I’m not! Okay, look, I don’t know how I could ever convince you I wasn’t if that’s the case, right? Umm—it’s just an impossible thing, so … the only answer would be for me to bring back Nora to prove it.”

“Hey—I’m just saying,” Dale sighed.

“Yo,” Greg muttered, “who’s to say a Slime can’t make a body double or something, too, you know?”

“Okay, you’re all getting ridiculous!” Fiona accused, floating a little higher in the air. “Look, I could just blow my way out of here and go find my sister, but I’m not because I wouldn’t hurt you guys! All I want is to help my sister—why’s that so hard to believe?”

A puff of air slid through Dale’s lips. “Alright, alright, Fiona … if you’ll bring us with you—just like you did with the plane, then we’ll all go together to confirm it ourselves. You know we’re also here to keep an eye on you, too.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Fiona grumbled, debating it, and after a second, she relented. “Fine—but you have to let me talk to Nora in private! I’ll even trap you in a Wind Prison if that’s what it takes,” she huffed.

“As long as you’re in eyesight,” Dale responded.

“At her size?” Greg mumbled.

Annie nudged him with a smirk. “Hey, she glows like a nightlight; ain’t that hard unless you’ve got bad eyes.”

“Tch, yeah—we’ll see if everyone gets … mmh—mmh,” he grunted as the back of Annie’s hand struck between his legs, making his knees lock together. “Got it—got it,” he growled through clenched teeth.

The other members all smirked, chuckling at Greg’s pain.

“Doc, the file?” Dale asked.

“This is … crazy—I just want to be done with it…” Doctor MacLoughlin whispered, quickly handing over the file and moving to the door; by the expression on a few of the Guard officers that were on duty, they shared his sentiment.

Fiona watched the fear and uncertainty on their faces upon learning Nora’s identity, and she was glad she’d be moving her family out of the small town.

Dale opened the file, and Fiona scanned down the information. “Okay, we’re going to Roundstone Harbour Village … it’s not that far away from here. Let’s go; we might be able to find her on the way—oh, wait,” she turned to Greagoir, “do you have any sugar for coffee or something?”

“Umm—yeah?”

“No need,” Annie quickly responded, opening a pocket on her tactical vest to produce a small pouch of sugar in a plastic bag.

“Just need to recharge a bit,” Fiona replied, hovering over to her as she opened it in her hand. The officers watched in confusion as she took a few mouthfuls, getting her sugar levels to 149%.

Once finished, she activated Levitate but paused as Felix and Tori stayed grounded, and the news added another cut to Fiona’s heart.

“What’s wrong?” Tori asked.

“Yeah, what’s the deal?” Felix mumbled.

Fiona couldn’t keep the hurt from her voice. “You—don’t see me as friendly.”

Felix gave Tori a sideward glance. “W-What do you mean?”

“My Levitate Spell only works on people that view me as a friend…”

“Oh…”

Dale was quick to respond. “You two head back to Fiona’s parents’ place and keep the area secure until we return.”

“Don’t tell my parents!” Fiona earnestly stated, suddenly worried, now that they didn’t view her as friendly. “It’s just—Nora needs to tell them. It’s going to be hard…”

“They won’t say a word,” Dale promised. “That’s an order.”

They saluted. ““Sir!””

With that, Fiona left, giving them one last concerned look as she took everyone out of the building; the doctor held open the door.

The wind had picked up, and the temperature was swiftly dropping with the wind-chill.

“Holy shit…” Annie grunted as they moved higher.

“I’m f-freezin’ my balls off, here!” Greg shivered, hugging his body.

Theo chuckled through chattering teeth. “Yo, Greg, must feel good after that ball-buster Annie gave you, huh? Hey-yo!”

Annie chuckled, reaching over to give him a quick high-five since they were close to each other.

“Shut-up!” Greg growled. “Damn it, man … her little fists hurt like spikes, dude!”

“Hell yeah, they do!” Annie chuckled; her own teeth started to chatter as they moved into the countryside.

Feeling a little bad for them, Fiona expanded her Wind Shield to encompass them while pulling them in closer.

“What, the … damn, well, this is nice,” Greg smiled, shakes easing.

“Still cold as hell—but without the wind, it’s not bad,” Greg mumbled.

“Thanks, Fiona,” Dale said, seemingly deep in thought as he scanned the darkness below. The others mumbled their gratitude, too, and after a moment, the Lieutenant asked, “You can see in the dark, right?”

“Mhm,” Fiona responded, scanning the roads below. “I haven’t seen anyone walking or running below, yet.”

“Who would, in this chill,” Theo whispered, squinting his eyes.

They flew for a good eight minutes outside of town before seeing a car; they were coming up to Cliefen’s northern village.

Not wanting to take any risks of losing track of Nora, Fiona took them into a dive.

“Woah … we headin’ for that car?” Annie questioned.

“I don’t want to risk anything,” Fiona commented.

Matching pace with the vehicle, she kept the soldiers above while creating a second Wind Shield for them as she shrank her own, hovering to the side of the red car to see who was inside.

The man driving glanced over with wide eyes, and she shot up, reversing their trajectory. “She wasn’t in it; just some random dude,” Fiona sighed.

Not thirty seconds more, an older brown truck turned onto the road, heading toward Clifden. Fiona debated whether checking every vehicle was worth it but decided to inspect one one last time before entering the town.

Flying to the side, she didn’t even have to get that close before fixating on the person in the passenger seat with two cat ears. Nora … why’s she in a truck?

“I found her!”

“You sure?” Greg asked with astonishment.

“Yeah, that was quick,” Theo mumbled.

Dale hummed softly, giving her a troubled look. “How do you want to play this—there’s someone driving the truck, right? Can you make sure they’ll be safe if anything happens? That’s a big if, too, but I just wanted to make sure…”

“Yeah, of course,” Fiona growled, running her hands through her blown back hair as they hovered above the vehicle, but it was slowly coming to a stop.

Wait … if she has hearing like Rachel, then—how far away did she hear us coming? She might have good night vision, too, and if she was looking at the right spot…

“What’s—going on?” Dale asked. “Do they know we’re here?”

“How?” Annie whispered. “We’re basically freakin’ Fairy Team Five up in this bitch—we’re freakin’ flying.”

“The wind’s pretty strong, too,” Theo muttered. “There’s no way anyone could hear us—did they spot Fiona’s light coming down?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Dale grunted, loosening up as best he could while levitating. “Let’s confirm the situation, and leave Fiona to talk to her as we discussed.”

The others grunted their acceptance but still seemed perplexed about how their position was compromised.

They landed on the ground, and the soldiers collapsed, quickly recovering their stability on stable ground with low curses.

Fiona kept her position a few feet beside the passenger side door, brow furrowed with concern as she listened to Nora nervously speak to the woman inside.

“Umm—thanks for stopping, Ms. Blinne.”

“Where did they come from,” Blinne whispered in disbelief; her elderly eyes locked on them, barely illuminated by the car’s headlights. The moon was covered by thick clouds overhead, casting the scene in darkness for anyone that couldn’t penetrate the night.

“The little glowing one … that’s my sister—Fiona.”

“Ah,” Blinne softly replied, “the one you mentioned. Hmm—how are you feeling?”

“Scared…” Nora mumbled, vision dropping to her lap, and making Fiona’s heart burn.

Blinne reached over to hold her hand as tears started gathering in Nora’s eyes. “Hey, hey—talk to me. Why are you scared?”

“I don’t know … I just am.”

Nora…

“Want me to come out with you?”

“No, no—it’s too cold for you.”

“Nonsense! See…” The old woman grunted, leaning back in the three-person truck to grab a thick coat from behind the seat. “I’ll be just fine! I’m more worried about you—which is why I brought a second.”

“No, I told you, I don’t need that…” Nora mumbled but took the coat regardless as it was offered to her.

“And what would I tell your parents if you got a cold on my watch? No, Ma’am! I’m not goin’ to see my maker that soon, deary! Now, let’s get this on ya.”

“You’re too fussy,” Nora grumbled, pulling the coat on before helping the old lady with hers.

The soldiers watched the lit inside of the truck with confusion as the women prepared to exit the vehicle.

“It’s how this old woman’s survived all these years. Now—oh, don’t forget your cocoa; you need to keep somethin’ warm in that belly!”

“What belly,” Nora sighed, glancing down at her abdomen.

“Right?” Blinne huffed, reaching over to poke her stomach. “Look how thin … oh, actually, you’ve got some muscle there!”

“Hey, knock it off,” Nora groaned, inching away while taking a deep breath.

“You ready?”

“No…”

“Then, you’re ready!”

Fiona was utterly taken aback by the display.

How does Nora know this woman … It's like she’s talking to our grandma.

Putting her hand on the handle, Nora opened the door and exited; the door whipped open with the violet wind, but she managed to catch it. Stepping out, she shut it before rubbing her left shoulder, green eyes on the ground. “Hey, Fi…”

She gave a start as Blinne grunted, trying to get out of the car and keep the gusts assailing the door from making her a pancake.

Dale and Theo got to her before her sister, leaving the safety of her shield.

“Are you okay, Ma’am?” Theo asked.

“Eh?” She called out as the winds picked up in Gaelic. “I don’t speak English!”

Fiona used Levitate to lift Annie and Greg off their feet with a grunt of surprise, moving the Wind Shield to encompass the five. She motioned for her sister to join them, expanding the shield to cover its full three-meter radius; it cost a lot more sugar to maintain, but it wasn’t that bad with only the outside weather being blocked.

“She said she doesn’t understand English,” Fiona explained, and Nora hesitantly entered the shell.

“Oh…” Theo and Dale glanced at each other with confused looks, and the woman burst out laughing.

Her wheezing chuckles soon eased, and she began speaking English. “Of course, I speak English—but you should have seen the look on your faces!”

“Blinne,” Nora mumbled with a bit of frustration.

“I’m sorry, dearie—I couldn’t help myself,” she giggled, giving Theo a wink. “This one’s just so cute!”

“Oh, well, thanks, Ma’am,” Theo mumbled with a forced laugh, causing the other soldiers to mimic him.

“So,” Fiona paused, floating to her sister. “Umm—Nora, I just—I wanted to talk. Is that okay?”

“What about—all the things I said to you,” Nora whispered, still not making eye contact and trying to hold back tears, but her flat ears and stiff tail gave her away.

“I think she’s saying all that doesn’t matter,” Blinne softly urged. “Is that right?”

“No, Nora,” Fiona rubbed her own shoulder, left hand pressed against her belly, “it hurt—it really did…”

Nora flinched, but Fiona continued.

“Even though what you said hurt—I love you, Nora. You’re my sister, and—and I know—I should have seen you were hurting sooner. Can, umm,” she swallowed and cleared her throat, “can we go and talk—alone?”

Nora’s lips were tucked under, and she seemed more vulnerable than she’d ever seen her sister.

All she could do was nod, and Blinne took a deep breath before puffing it out. “That’s the hard part, dearies … just remember, you’re sisters, okay?”

Fiona gave her a forced smile. “Thank you—Blinne, was it?”

“That’s right! Now, you two go talk while I get to know these handsome young men—oh, let me turn on some music; it’s been forever since I’ve danced!”

Theo and Greg chuckled, giving each other confused stares while Annie looked like she wanted to grab a bag of popcorn.

“We’ll be right here,” Dale stated, never keeping his eyes off Nora.

“Right…”

Fiona left the shield with Nora, expanding her personal shell to include her sister and block their conversation from being heard.

Nora glanced at the invisible shield surrounding them, only recognizable by the soft hum of wind it produced. “You have some pretty awesome magic,” Nora whispered.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Fiona shrugged.

The conversation died until they reached several meters away, and Nora sat on the grass, crossing her legs while staring down at her lap. “You—You came looking for me … even after all those nasty things I said—it really hurt?”

Fiona sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. “Yeah—yeah, it hurt a lot, Nora,” Fiona whispered, “but I get it … it took me a bit, but yeah … you’ve had it rough. I—I judged you unfairly, though … I shouldn’t have acted like that.”

“Why,” Nora mumbled, playing with the hem of her skirt, “why is me being a Slime so bad for you?”

“Umm,” Fiona swallowed, recalling the monster she’d killed. “There was—an incident in Miami when I changed—I was kidnapped.”

“What?” Nora’s eyes widened. “You were—are you okay?”

“I’m here,” Fiona mumbled, spreading her arms. “I mean—I was saved by some new friends I made—other Mythickin, but umm—there was a Slime in the group that kidnapped me.”

Nora looked horrified.

“They—they were really, really bad people—really bad … like real Nazi bad, and—and I found out I’m capable of things that I didn’t think I could do. I killed that Slime, Nora … I killed more than one of the people that kidnapped me.”

“What … you…” Nora couldn’t finish the statement, trying to work through the confession as she listened to her story.

“They were terrorists … killed hundreds of people … maybe a thousand or more—kids, wives, husbands—horrible people,” Fiona mumbled, feeling the emotions of her capture resurface with the tears in her eyes. “I saved dozens of kids that were being held hostage, and—the things I learned—was forced to watch … the FBI picked us up after all of that.

“We spent a bit of time there before a four-star general of the Army showed up and made us a deal … we’re friends with him now—I think. I’m kind of a part of a team contracted out by the government—I know it sounds crazy, but that’s where I’m coming from, but—but I wasn’t fair to you, Nora,” Fiona sniffed, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand. “The thought should have never crossed my mind, and I’m so, so sorry, Nora—I’m sorry—can you forgive me? You’re nothing like that monster; you’re my little sister!”

“Fi,” Nora cried, “I’m sorry I said those horrible things—I love you, and I’m sorry—I just felt so scared of myself. I’m trying to be good—I don’t want to hurt people…”

Fiona darted forward, hugging her sister’s neck, and Nora’s hand gently closed around her back, causing Fairy Wings to be interrupted and break into fragmented light.

They both sobbed; her skin felt like solid water as Fiona’s small, bitter tears fell from her eyes, and the trembles in Nora’s neck rippled through Fiona’s tiny body, causing minor pain, but she ignored it.

After a few minutes, they separated, both composing themselves.

“Can we—can we just be sisters again?” Nora choked.

“Please—I want my sister,” Fiona broke back into tears. “I want you, and Mom and Dad—I came back to get you. I want to bring you back with me.”

“Can we—even if I’m—I’m this?”

“Yes! You’re my sister, and you’ll come back, and we’ll start over … do you want that?”

“Please, Fi … I just want to feel normal.”

Fiona pushed back her tears, fighting for control; she’d almost lost control of her shield a couple of times. “I don’t know how normal things can ever get—there’s so much more that I can’t tell you right now, but—but we’ll be together.”

“I want that, but—but what about this body? Her parents—they deserve to know who killed her—I know who murdered her.”

“Then we’ll get him, okay; we’ll get him together!”

“K-Kill him?”

“No! No, we’ll get the police, and go there as soon as possible, okay?”

“Her parents, too … How do I face them? I stole their daughter’s body…”

“Hey, hey,” Fiona soothed, floating in to give her a softer hug. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Let’s first go back to Mom and Dad … they’re so worried about you.”

“I’m sorry—I’m so sorry, Fi … I didn’t mean to make everyone so scared…”

“It’s okay—it’s okay, we’re together—we’re a family, okay? We’ll get through this!”

“Thank you, Fi … for—for being my sister…”

Nora gave everyone a quick summary of what happened after her transformation; once finished, they returned to their parents’ house, bringing the elderly woman who had helped save Nora from herself.