Fiona took a deep breath, stretching across the fine silk sheets of her bed as she woke. Brushing her bound hair to the side, she groaned while sitting up to look around the room she’d slept in.

It had a nice wooden dresser with a mirror attached to the back; there was an assortment of clothes inside that she’d picked out personally, and a few other types of clothing could be seen from the walk-in closet to her left.

A rug had been placed on the wooden floor to give her feet some cushioning, and a desk with a comfortable, padded chair sitting in front of it was to her right. A wine glass, a quarter full of sugar, sat upon the desk, or it should have been there; instead, it was spilled across the mat, and the glass was nowhere to be seen.

Her head drooped, and she released a soft sigh, noticing the bed had moved a few feet to her right during her sleep. Can something not go wrong with this house while on a flight?

Getting up, she braced herself as a soft tremor ran through the building; she was in her hand-chosen house, which was actually pretty thrilling. Among Maria’s many negotiation conditions was for the Military to take her to the best dollhouse stores in Billings to let her dream shop.

Fiona didn’t skimp on the details but had to, in a manner, put them into storage while still mobile. The ability to sleep in a room that, at least, had the appearance of normal size, gave her some comfort. She could see the dim light bleeding through the cracks of the miniature wooden blinds, rustling with the shockwaves running through the plane, transferring to her house.

Going to her dresser, she pulled out some navy blue garments; it had been a nightmare trying to find the proper elastic underwear that fit her but find them she did, even if some weren’t entirely to her taste. She plucked out a sleeveless casual floral sundress, ultra low-cut liner socks, and blue flats to match them with.

She took them to the bathroom, set the items on the counter, and stepped into the bath built into the house. Creating a glob of water above her with a Water Ball, she closed her eyes and dropped it over her head. It crashed around her, but with her high Resistances, the cold liquid didn’t cause her to shake.

Fiona used the products she’d prepared in glass containers the day before, fastened safely inside a tray built into the wall. Using the spell a few more times to wash herself off, Fiona used Hot Air to dry off before combing her hair and dressing.

Walking down from the middle floor to the ground level, she opened the front door and shut it behind her, calling upon her wings to float into the air. She turned around, frowning at her house, somehow strapped into a seat on the Military plane they’d been riding on with a few supports.

Honestly, I’m gonna have to hire someone to make a real-livable house … how much would that cost, though?

“Fiona, I see you’re awake,” a gruff voice chuckled. “How’d ya sleep?”

She turned in the air to face the man sitting in the seat across from her house. Casey wasn’t the biggest military man, she’d seen, but had some muscle. She’d lost the ability to tell how tall people were since she couldn’t really compare them to her own height anymore. In any case, he was tall, and not that attractive, but a nice guy in his late twenties.

“Not great,” Fiona admitted, dropping back to sit atop her roof to talk. “The bumps are way worse when you’re as small as me,” she complained. “I got knocked off the bed once.”

“Understandable,” he nodded.

She glanced up at the window, showing the orange glow of the setting sun. “I guess we must be nearing Ireland.”

“Real close,” he mumbled, brushing back his sandy blonde hair while glancing out of the window. “In fact, I think we’ll be heading over land soon.”

“Oh,” Fiona’s eyes sparkled, smiling at him as she recalled the idea she had while lying in bed. “So, I was thinking; we don’t actually have to go to the airport! It would take forever—way longer than it has to be, and since the towers are down in that area, I’m worried. I want to get there as soon as possible.”

Casey’s eyebrows furrowed. “Uh—okay, I uh, follow you there, but—why don’t we need to go to the airport, then? Ya lost me.”

“We’ll jump!”

It seemed to fly right over the man’s head; his mouth parted, vision falling to the floor as he tried to puzzle through her statement. “We’ll jump … jump—huh? What do you mean, we’ll jump? We’re over thirty thousand feet in the air … I’m a little lost here.”

“Uh-uh, jump, as in, open the door, jump out, and go down to my parents’ house. Simple.”

“Simple … you want me to carry you down in a—wait, you can fly, so you want me to use a parachute?”

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. “No, you aren’t getting it! I’ll float us down to the ground; I have a spell called Levitate.”

A lump dropped down the soldier’s throat, eyes darting to the window. “Wait, wait, wait, hold up—you want me to jump—without a parachute.”

Fiona shrugged. “With, without, doesn’t matter. I mean, you can if it makes you feel better,” she giggled. “I get why you’d be scared, but here, see…”

Activating Levitate, she lifted him off his seat.

“The flip! Woah, woah—cut it out!”

Releasing the spell, he dropped back to his seat, arms gripping his chair like he’d just been about to jump out of the plane. She folded her arms with a bright smile. “See? I’ll float us down, and it’ll be way faster!”

Casey took a shuttering breath, eyes big. “Okay, the General didn’t say anything about jumping out of a plane while Tinkerbell throws magic dust on me!”

“I’m not Tinkerbell,” Fiona huffed. “I’m way cooler than her … I’d like to see her throw a fireball. It’s not that big of a deal, though, I mean, you jump out of planes all the time, right?”

“Not that kind of soldier,” Casey grunted, sweat starting to gather on his forehead as he began talking to himself. “Okay, okay, uh—mmh, alright, eh—I can wear a parachute, but what if a bird comes down and eats her … or what if a sharp gust blows us apart and she can’t float me anymore? No, a lightning bolt…”

“Woah, hey,” Fiona rose into the air with pursed lips. “I’ll have you know, I’ve taken out killer mosquito dragonflies—like dozens of them! I’ve got a Wind Shield spell. And lightning? I’ve got Electricity Resistance. I’ll be fine! Oh, and if you’re scared, I can put a shield around you, too.”

His calm demeanor had washed away. “What about your stuff, uh—you need your dollhouse, right?”

Fiona twisted in the air to stare at the place. “Well, yeah, which is why you’ll put all the moveable stuff in that big bag with the rest of my stuff. I’ll just levitate those with us.”

“My bag…”

“You’ve got a carry on with clothes to get you by while the other military guys at the airport bring it to us.”

He nervously rubbed his smooth chin, taking a few deep breaths. “You’ve thought of everything—haven’t you…”

“Uh, not really,” Fiona gave him a grin. “I didn’t really think about some of that stuff; I’m just coming up with solutions as you throw out problems. But seriously, c’mon, it's scary, but not that scary. Let’s go, soldier!”

Running his left hand through his hair, he rubbed his scalp, averting eye contact. “Alright, uh—say we do this … I get it, you're worried about your family, but—but if we jump…”

“Uh-huh?”

“I’m just saying—maybe the pilot wouldn’t want to open the back or something…”

“Good point,” Fiona hummed. No, he’s not the one I need to convince. He’ll get pushed along if I get the Lieutenant on-board. “Let’s go see if the others are okay with it.”

“Wait…”

Fiona zipped to the next compartment, dipping around the curtain where a group of loud soldiers talked; they’d moved to the back to not disturb her while she slept.

“Hey, guys!”

“Fiona!” Annie cheered. “We were just talkin’ about that crazy Crystal. I heard someone say there were bugs on the other side with massive stingers that could open up a hole in you the size of a sunroof. Is that right, or was he just full of himself?”

“Dude,” Greg chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m tellin’ ya, if it was gonna be aliens, bugs are the thing; they’re just that hard to get rid of. There was a place I was in one time…”

Dale cut him off, clearly more interested in Annie’s alien bug story and not Greg’s run-in with cockroaches. “What did they look like, though?”

Theo shook his head, giving them a dubious grin. “Na, I’m still saying bull, Annie. No way they’d keep that this tight-lipped, and I knew one of the dudes that went in it, Rico, crazy son of a…”

“Talkin’ ‘bout bull, as usual,” Greg smirked at Theo, “you don’t know jack, man. Rico? I didn’t hear anyone named Rico go through the Crystal.”

“Shut-up,” Theo grunted. “Dude, Rico went through and said it was cake; ISIS has more bite.”

Fiona paused, forcing a smile while scratching the back of her head. “Uh—well, hehe, I can’t say much about what went on there, but uh—bugs, yeah, there were bugs with big stingers and teeth, and I suppose you could call them alien bugs. I killed a bunch.”

The group’s eyes widened as Casey came up behind her.

“For real?” Theo mumbled.

“Mhm, burnt them to crisps with lightning and fire!”

“Dang.”

“That’s sick, girl!”

“Were they intelligent?” Dale asked.

“I mean, Dude,” Annie gave Theo a look. “I’m not lettin’ that slide; cake … they were callin’ in a nuke—a freakin’ nuke, man. Cake, my butt. When was the last nuke called in to take out ISIS?”

“No, totally,” Greg nodded, “but that doesn’t mean they were intelligent…”

“Hey, I’m just sayin’, nuke—that’s real, son.”

Dale lifted his fist, and Annie bumped it. “I’m with her, Dude. Some real crap was goin’ down in there. Geek threw up three times checkin’ to see if everyone evacuated just thinkin’ about being that close to a nuke.”

Casey’s lips tucked in.

“Lieutenant, c’mon,” Theo mumbled. “I’m just sayin’...”

“Anyways,” Fiona cleared her throat to draw their attention. “So, I had this plan to jump out of the plane when we get over my town!”

The four soldiers paused, giving each other impressed looks.

“Wild,” Annie chuckled. “I mean, I’m game if you got a plan. Wait, you sayin’ we all goin’ that way or just you?”

Theo scratched his nose while appraising her, floating in the air. “Sick, just flying down to the ground? Can’t say I thought of that option for ya, but I don’t know about us.”

“Parachuting?” Dale asked, brow furrowing while leaning back to give her a frown. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of getting off this plane, but we aren’t prepped for that.”

“Right?” Casey said with a sigh of relief. “She says she wants to levitate us down!”

Greg’s tongue pressed against his cheek as his mouth curved, eyes sparkling. “Na, c’mon, Lieutenant,” he scoffed. “I’m pretty sure they got everything we need on the plane, and if the Captain says it’s cool, then we can greenlight it, right?”

“Hold up,” Dale’s lips lifted into a smile, vision darting between his team members. “I wasn’t saying it can’t be done, Greg, and levitate us down? Huh, okay, what’s on your mind, Fiona?”

Yes, I knew they’d be up for it! These guys are thrill-seekers … not so much, this guy, though. She thought, giving Casey a sidelong look. Guess they call him Geek for a reason.

“Okay, so, check it out! I can make all of us levitate, and then lower us to the ground. Simple as that!”

“No need for a parachute?” Annie asked.

“Nope!”

“Sweet. Okay, I can get behind that; never jumped without a failsafe!”

“I can’t get behind that,” Dale interjected; Casey gave him a hopeful look. “We’ll be wearing chutes just in case, but yeah, let’s get this goin’! It’ll save a ton of time, and then we can get back to the States.”

Annie popped her tongue with Greg. “Boo!” It quickly flipped to a smile, though. “We might be able to hit up that barbecue Karle was braggin’ if we cut off some more time!”

“Yeah,” Greg nodded, “that’s what I’m talkin’ about, and Tony’s bringin’ the boos; you know he gets the good stuff!”

“W-Wait…” Casey was overshadowed as Dale got up with a grunt. “Alright, let me go clear it. You guys get everything ready.”

“B-But…”

Annie and Greg jumped to their feet, dodging around Fiona to slap the stuttering man on each arm while Dale went to the front.

“C’mon, don’t be a puss,” Annie bellowed.

Greg smacked him on the back. “Your first jump, Geek; let’s go!”

“I—I don’t know how to…”

Fiona gave him an innocent smile as they guided him to the cargo area. “Don’t worry, Casey; I’ll be gentle!”

The three soldiers roared with laughter, on their way, spreading the news to Tori and Felix.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Yes! Operation Fairy Fall is a go!

Dale got permission after explaining the details to the current ranking officer on the flight, and the unit gathered at the back. Annie helped clear out the moveable objects in her house, placing them in the bag that contained her the rest of her furnishings.

By the time they’d finished, and Greg taught Casey how to properly pull his parachute, they prepared to jump by heading to the back of the plane. Several of the other soldiers on the flight gathered to see them off, cheering Casey’s first jump on as the news spread.

Upon inquiring about her skill, she discovered a weight limit on Levitation; she could only lift things that were four-hundred pounds or less, and upon testing, if more were added on, the spell would break. Her cost also increased based on the weight added. Casey wasn’t happy with the news.

Annie chuckled as he complained. “What, you think a three hundred pound bird is going to land on your head?”

“No, no, I’m just scared of heights! I don’t want to do it!”

Dale puffed out a long breath while watching him and, after a few moments of more jabbing comments from the soldiers, shook his head. “Alright, Casey. If you really don’t want to do this, you can stay on the plane and meet up with us later.”

“Y-You mean go all the way there on my own—what if there’s civil unrest on the way?”

Annie rolled her eyes while moving away to finish preparing herself. “Then you’ll be wishing you came with us, Geek.”

Tori snickered, leaning close to her. “Girl, he’s not cut out for fieldwork.”

“He requested it and was shoved onto us!” Annie hissed back. “I don’t get people like him.”

“Hey, if he doesn’t come, then we won’t have to deal with the whining twenty-four-seven.”

“True, that.”

While he debated the options, Dale adjusted his helmet and pressed the button to open the back; the air was sucked out as the noise and wind amplified.

Fiona took one more bite of sugar to top off before using Levitation on the several packs of gear around her, split for three hundred pounds each.

“Here we go, ladies and gentlemen!” Dale shouted, ignoring Casey. “You know your line-up! In three, two, one, go, go, go!”

The soldiers smiled as they filed to the edge with cheers shouting them on from the crowd watching. Fiona’s stomach swam as it finally struck her. Mom, Dad, and Nora are down there! I’m coming home.

As the fifth soldier jumped, she followed Dale, leaving Casey behind. Activating her spell, he grinned as his weight seemed to vanish, and they shot after the falling Marines. Catching each one with quick succession, she slowed their descent.

“Dude, dude!” Theo shouted with exhilaration. “We’re actually floating in the sky!”

“Aww yeah!” Tori screamed, glancing around at the darkening landscape below them.

The burning glow of the sun cast a long shadow across certain sections of the rolling green hills; she used to think they were mountains before going to the U.S. and seeing the Appalachian Trail along her flight to Florida from New York. She could see Clifden Castle, a speck in the distance.

Annie brushed away her bound brown hair, forcing the ponytail back before the strong gust snatched it, whipping it to the side. “Got any crazy moves you can do on this crazy ride?”

“Just watch!” Fiona called, forcing them down as g-forces hit their bodies.

She sped through the air, pulling the rest of her companions along while doing sharp loops and zig-zags. A few of them started laughing as Greg threw up, maneuvering Dale around the spray.

Fiona snickered. Doubt he’ll be living that one down tonight!

She moved them toward the coast and the town by the sea. It took them less than ten minutes to reach the city’s outskirts, the soldiers whooping and hollering as they flew, spreading out their hands as if anime characters. There was more than one comment about having firefights like this.

Fiona shifted directions as she got her bearings, remembering landmarks; it was a little disorienting, following them by air. Only a few people looked up, most going about their own business. Her mind turned to her hometown, smiling at the familiar places, and spotting her school.

Clifden, population around sixteen-hundred … man, what a small place compared to Miami. Mom and Dad are gonna be blown away!

Reaching the outskirts, she spotted her family’s little two-bedroom house. She and Nora shared a room until she’d moved to Florida with the support of her followers who had chosen the place from a poll. It shocked her a bit, but Russia’s city Nizhny Novgorod was second on the poll list.

Fiona took a deep breath as she touched the soldiers down on her front yard, dropping off the equipment nearby. Floating to the door, she paused. Wait … I can’t even open the door or knock!

Sighing, she turned, eyebrow lifting as she saw the six soldiers on their butts, trying to get used to ground again.

“Son of a…” Greg coughed, spitting out what remained of the vomit in his mouth.

Felix cracked up laughing. “Dude, you got crap all over her face, bro!”

Fiona giggled, reluctantly floating over to him. “Here, let me help with that.” Creating a bubble of water, she said, “Hold your breath and stiffen your neck…”

The others watched in fascination as she ran the water across his face, peeling off all the gunk. Greg used his sleeve to dry his face; voice muffled as he thanked her.

“Alright,” turning to Dale, she was about to ask if he could knock for her when the door opened, revealing her red-haired mother.

At five-six, and thirty-eight years old, her mother was still a beauty, hosting cute freckles and dimples that sadly, she didn’t pass on to Fiona. Nervously peering between the soldiers and speaking in her hometown’s native tongue of Gaelic, she asked, “Umm—can I help you?”

Fiona responded in like. “Mom; I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Her mother shrank back a little as she zipped forward to explain herself.

“It’s me—it’s Fiona! I know I’m a little small now—well, more than a little,” she grunted, examining herself in the air, “but I came back to see how you were doing.”

The soldiers cleared their throats and composed themselves, lining up a respectable distance in front of the porch while waiting for her to draw attention to them.

“F-Fiona?” Her mother stammered, bright green irises taking in every inch of her body. “W-What happened? How did you—is it really you?”

“Yes! Well…” She paused, thinking about the statistics Rachel had told her about The Oscillation when discovering more about their abilities. “I guess you wouldn’t really be up to date on what’s happening around the world—I mean, statistically, only about ten people in town would have changed.”

“Changed … yes, there have been a few strange things—wait,” her eyes widened, “Fiona, have you heard from your sister?”

Fiona looked away, sucking on her lower lip. “Mmh, Nora? No, no, I haven’t been able to call you guys at all—why, is she missing?”

Looking troubled, she glanced back at the soldiers and took one more studious exam of her daughter before saying, “Come in … I’ll tell you what’s happening—but, umm—will they be joining us?”

“Oh, uh,” Dale noticed the attention shifting their way and accurately judged the situation, despite not understanding a word they were speaking. “No, no, Ma’am, we’ll go look for a hotel in town; we’re just here to offer support to your daughter in case she needs us.”

Fiona gently pulled back. “So, eh, Mom, these six fine U.S. soldiers are my escort! It was pretty nice of the Army to assign helpers to me … I’m kind of small now, so … yeah.”

“Oh,” gesturing to them, she continued. “Umm—Lieutenant Dale, this is my mother, Aislinn.” Her Irish educational side started to flare. “It’s pronounced ASH-lin, not Ice-lin or ASH-leen, but ASH-lin, as in, lin rhymes with sin, and is not a homophone! The Irish ‘s’ has a sh sound…”

“Dear me,” Aislinn sighed, giving her a soft smile, “you are my daughter.” Smiling at the six confused soldiers, she said, “Thank you for taking care of my daughter.” Tucking in her lower lips, she said, “Maybe—I could use your help; if you would like to come in, I’ll explain.”

“Mom?”

“Uh,” Dale breathed through his teeth while glancing between his men. “Sure, yeah … okay.”

They all followed Aislinn inside, Tori bringing up the rear and shutting the door. Guided to the front room, her mother gestured for all of them to sit, and Fiona took the edge of the coffee table in front of her mother.

“Mom, what’s going on with Nora, and where’s Dad?”

Taking a shuttering breath, Aislinn closed her eyes and whipped a tear away from her left eye. “We don’t know—she disappeared after all the lights spread across the sky. Fodhla won’t shut-up about aliens taking people … no frikin’ alien took my daughter!” She growled, face hardening, causing Fiona to flinch, she’d rarely heard her mother so close to swearing; it had been a rule in the house to refrain from crude language.

She soon became solemn again, shoulders slumping. “I’ve been stuck in the house … the Garda told me to wait here unless she returns, but…”

[Garda i.e., Irish Police Force]

“That’s a whole week,” Fiona cried out, rising back into the air as she worked through her thoughts. “How—where would she get food? Did—she … is she seeing anyone?”

Aislinn shook her head. “You know your sister … well, if she was, then she didn’t tell us—you know how private she is.”

“Then, Dad?”

“He’s been out, every day … but no one’s seen anything, and people are talking about people having strange powers. Máen won’t quit going on about Clídna’s son speaking to birds … he always was a rather antisocial kid, but still … no, I don’t know, Fi … I’m scared.”

A lump dropped down Fiona’s throat as her mother tried to keep herself composed. “Umm—where was she last; where have you checked?”

“Everywhere … and,” her vision wandered to her old room down the hall. “She was in her room; she screamed, and we ran in, but—we couldn’t find her. The window was open, and we were only a few seconds—but we couldn’t see anyone outside, and your father and I didn’t see anything around the house. She just—vanished…”

Fiona hummed softly, glaring at the rug sitting on top of the planks of the hardwood floor. If she turned into something, then … maybe Nora transformed into a little person, like me? What if she’s trapped somewhere…

The horror started playing across her mind, thinking about how many things could have gone even more wrong had she not been in the shower. What if I was carrying some heavy boxes or books and they fell on me while I transformed … goodbye, little Fairy.

“Umm—did you check all around her room?”

“Yeah, and we couldn’t see anything but her carpet was kind of wet; there was a storm that night, though, and the window was open—she liked to listen to the rain.”

“Puddle of water … okay. Uh—let’s go check her room.”

They all got up, and Fiona examined the space. As she noticed on her last visit, her sister certainly used all the extra space she’d left her. It looked like an anime fan-girl’s room, complete with posters and figurines. She didn’t know all of the shows her sister liked, but she assumed some of them were a bit more mature, and she wanted to keep them hidden from their parents.

It was tidy, and nothing seemed that out of place or caught her eye. What … happened to Nora?

She heard some chirping outside that caught her attention.

“Hey, you see that strange new thing?”

“Yeah, yeah, saw it eat the worm I was going after!”

“Scary thing, right?”

“Had me shook, man … hey, you eying my spot?”

“No, you’re eying my spot!”

“I’ll beat you with my wing!”

“You limp wing; you scared!”

“I ain’t scared!”

“Come get this beak, then! Get some!”

“You don’t want this pecker!”

“Give me all the pecker, wing snipper!”

“Oh, you want this?”

Fiona darted out of the open window, leaving the soldiers and her mom chasing after her.

“Fiona!”

“Where are you going?”

“What’s up, you spot somethin’?”

Quickly identifying the creatures, she watched the two blackbirds hop back and forth, screeching about who would start the brawl first.

“Hey, hey!” Fiona shouted, causing the two birds’ necks to snap her way.

“Flap! It’s the worm police!”

“Get gone, foo!”

They took to the skies, but she swiftly cut them off, trapping them in a Wind Prison.

“Yo, Jojo, I’ve been had!”

“They got me, too, Dinrin!”

Fiona brought the two before her, giving them a lifted, green glowing, eyebrow as she used her Wind Magic. “You two were talking about a new creature that stole your worm?”

“Eat feathers, worm police!”

“Yeah, we ain’t gonna say droppings, you ka-co!”

“Okay,” Fiona mumbled, “I don’t know what the worm police are, but I’m not them … and what’s a ka-co?”

“You!”

“Right? Bro, totally got her!”

“Yeah, Bro, we come from the North!”

“Represent!”

“Unbelievable,” Fiona facepalmed. “Are you two from New York or something?”

“Yo, Bro, what’s New York?”

“How should I know? No, we from the North, ka-co!”

“Yeah! We ain’t sayin’...”

“Droppings, got it,” Fiona sighed. “Okay, look, hmm—how should I do this?”

“You can clip our wings; we ain’t talkin’ to no worm police!”

“Yeah, Bro!”

“The hype man,” Fiona rolled her eyes. “Oh, I know! I’ll give you some seeds if you tell me what I want to know. Sound good?” She asked, giving them a bright smile.

“Tch, seeds,” Jojo said in a smirking tone. “What’s she take us for, Eurasian blue tit?”

“Yeah, insulting, Bro! We take them out; war, Bro. It’s hot out here!”

“Berries?” Fiona offered with a confused shrug.

They both looked at each other. “Okay, okay, now talkin’,” Jojo chirped. “What kind of berries, huh? You ain’t tryin’ to pull a fast one on us, huh?”

“Uh—strawberries?” She tentatively offered, throwing out the first thing that came to mind.

“Yo, strawberries, Dude,” Dinrin whispered, quite loudly, but it seemed most birds didn’t know what whispering was. “Strawberries!”

“I heard, foo! Okay, okay, how much we talkin’?”

“Mmh,” Fiona crossed her arms. “Let’s see—if what you have helps me, then I could get you a whole carton.”

“Lies; those humans keep those in ice-cold boxes; there’s no way you could get a whole carton!”

“Yeah, Tenri got whacked tryin’ for some last summer, Bro! Lies! Lies!”

“No,” Fiona huffed. “I’ll show you them right now.”

“Mmh?” Jojo gave a dubious grunt. “Show us the goods!”

“Fine, fine…”

Carrying them back to her house, the blackbirds seemed perfectly content standing on the magically created wind floor that trapped them in the prison she’d created while squawking insults at each other about some incident involving a dog the day before.

Honestly, they’re lucky I don’t threaten to cook them … all creatures aren’t equal—that creepy bear taught me that.

Returning to her sister’s room, she was met by her mother and six soldiers.

“Wait … you ran after—are those birds standing in midair?” Annie asked, trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

“Yeah, uh, what’s goin’ on?” Dale asked.

“So, Mom—I, umm,” Fiona weakly pointed at the two loud blackbirds, “I can actually speak to animals … well, birds, fish, you get the point, but not insects.”

“I’m—finding this hard to follow,” Aislinn mumbled. “You’re a little person—I’m trying not to faint with just that,” she forced a laugh. “And, um—now you’re saying you can talk to animals … like Clídna’s son … why are you glowing green—and the dust?”

“Okay, I know I need to explain a lot, Mom, I know!” Fiona said slowly. “Umm—Annie, can you help my mom sit down?”

“I can sit down on my own,” Aislinn mumbled, hands shaking a little as she pulled out her sister’s padded computer chair to take a seat.

“Right…” Annie whispered, lips becoming a line while grasping her hands behind her back.

“First, I want to question these guys about where Nora is…”

The two birds raised their voices.

“Don’t know, no Nora.”

“Stupid name, blue tit name!”

Fiona’s cheeks started to redden as her patience ran thin. “Will you two shut-up!” She yelled. “Trolls, you two won’t stop talking for half a second, and it’s always complaining!”

“At least we don’t look like trees,” Jojo huffed. “Lay a nest on you.”

“Strawberries! Strawberries!” Dinrin began to chant. “We want strawberries!”

“Frigin … ugh,” Fiona scratched the side of her head with irritation. “Mom, do we have strawberries in the fridge?”

“Yes—we usually keep some on hand, since they’re your sister’s favorite snack—why is that important?”

“They won’t tell me what they saw—oh, right, umm—I think they saw Nora, but they’re being little trolls about it.”

“We’re not trolls, we blackbirds!”

“Proud blackbirds; blackbird army! Oorah!”

“These things are giving me a headache,” Fiona growled, running her hand through her hair. “Let’s grab the strawberries.”

After some explanation and showing the apparently daring, handsome, and brave blackbird soldiers their possible reward, they started spilling out information like they were on the torture rack.

“Blobby thing!”

“Wet thing!”

“It moves and swallows everything!”

“Ate the cat!”

“Yeah, that was a good one, wasn’t it!”

“Take that, ya fiend! Serves him right; what a monster that thing was…”

“Yeah, took out Uncle Henpi, Aunt Ulra, and Grenli, yo!”

“Got what it deserved!”

The picture they were painting made Fiona’s face pale, getting flashbacks as the possibilities narrowed quickly.

“It moves like water!”

“But it's slow and wobbly, then…”

“Pounce! Just like the barbarian furballs!”

“A new ally in the war on the furballs; we will be victorious! We are legion!”

Fiona dropped to the table, her wings vanishing; she scratched her left arm as a shiver ran down her spine. “Like Banner … oh, no, no, no—Nora…”

“Fiona, what do you mean, like Banner? What happened to my little girl?” Her mother asked, voice hoarse as she leaned forward. “Fiona, what?”

The soldiers gave each other confused looks at her stunned mumbles.

“I think—no, not Nora—why? She’s so happy … she’s an Aberationkin—a Slime.”

Why—out of everything … if our change is based on our desires or how we really feel, then—then why a Slime, Nora? Nora, how do you see yourself? My baby sister is a Slime…