It was almost a 2-hour trip to Springfield, Missouri, where my mom’s friend lived. She initially did fashion designs for models and celebrities until one of the stars made a dress for, called her style mediocre. After she closed shop and moved back home here, making clothes for people who would appreciate her talent. Mom said she called her the day before yesterday to see what had happened to her after the Emergence. I found myself wondering just what to expect when we got there. Maybe she would be just like me, or even Taylor.

When we finally got to my mom’s friend’s place, it looked like just another house. It was two stories, with fading blue paint. There was a closed sign sitting outside the door. Mom got out and went and knocked on the door. There was a small wait, and the door opened a little. I guess she didn’t want any unwanted guests. Mom motioned for us to come in. With a bit of curiosity, I got out of the car. I felt a little self-conscious about anyone looking at me with how I looked. It wasn’t natural for someone to see a girl who looked like a wolf on two legs. At least not without it being a costume. On the other hand, I could not pull off the excuse that I was wearing an outfit.

As we walked through the door, I immediately knew why she did not want anyone coming inside. Although the upper part of her body was human, her lower body was that of a serpent. She looked like Medusa. It was hard not to stare at her as we all came into the house. Mom cleared her throat, a warning to stop staring. I did not want to get on my moms’ bad side today. Things were already stressful enough with what had happened earlier. She was still upset about how dad had treated me about helping those cops this morning.

“Karen, it is about time that you show up. I thought I was going to have to hunt you down. And you brought the kids with you. It is wonderful to see you all.” She said as she snaked her way to the center of the living room. I watched as Taylor did her best to press herself against the closest wall she could. I guess she didn’t like snakes, even if they did look beautiful. Mom smiled and walked over to the woman and hugged her. She didn’t seem the least bit freaked out by the woman.

“Well, Eva, I would have been here sooner, but our newly made daughter had a little issue this morning. I’m sure it will be all over the news soon, but she took on another emerged who was fighting the police.” My mom bragged, placing a hand on me. It was nice to hear her brag about something that I did, mostly when it felt like something out of a comic book. Just thinking about it gave me the chills, a geek becoming one of the heroes she read about.

“Well, sounds like we have heroin in these very confusing times.” The woman said, smiling, looking me up and down. It was a little unnerving having someone look at me as if I were a prize. But I didn’t have long to dwell on it before the smell of cookies hit my nose. They smelled amazing. I could smell the dough cooking and the chocolate chips melting as if I were in the kitchen. I guess my sniffing was noticeable because everyone was staring at me.

“Oi, I’m guessing that nose of yours isn’t just for looks. I made cookies knowing that you all would be arriving; I’m guessing they are about done. I will be right back.” Eva said as she slithered into the kitchen. Taylor did not move a muscle even when Eva left the room, so I walked over and gave her a hug. I wouldn’t know what to do if I was in the house with someone who looked like a spider. The next thing I knew, her tail had snaked around my waist. I wondered if she even noticed what her tail was doing. Everyone else sure did, and the way they were staring at us made me feel uncomfortable.

“Alright, why don’t we all sit at the table and have a cookie or two, and I can explain why I asked you here.” She said. Everyone started piling at the table except Taylor. She did not seem to want to move. Taking her hand, I lightly dragged her with me, and we sat on the far end of the table as possible. Her tail was wagging frantically. Eva poured everyone a glass of milk and then gave everyone 3 cookies. They smelled so delicious. Without warning, I bent down and gobbled the cookies down like a dog in a dog bowl. Coming back up, yet again everyone was staring at me. It wasn’t like I asked to be this way. It was like second nature to me.

“Well then, now that everyone is seated and enjoying their cookies, some more than others, I wanted to share with you exactly what happened to me after that storm.” She said as she looked at mom. Mom nodded as she began eating one of her cookies. “besides the obvious, when I woke up, I had ideas and thoughts on how to make clothing. Out of thin air. Materials that aren’t from this world.” She said as she lifted her hand as a light flashed before our eyes. In her hand was some kind of cloth I had never seen before. It shined like a diamond.

“This is the wing webbing of a frost dragon, even though dragons shouldn’t exist.” She said as she passed the material to my dad, who examined it, a smile crossing his face. Yep, he was a geek like mom and me. That was how they met. They both went to college for gaming, but then dad changed majors. Next was mom, who just smiled and passed it along. When it finally came to me, I could feel a slight chill to the touch. It was light but looked as if it could take some damage. Curiously, I pulled on it and even tried to bite it, only to find that it hurt my teeth to try.

“This isn’t the only thing I can make. Somehow I have the plans to make a piece of jewelry that can conceal a persons’ looks with the looks of someone or something else.” She said as she pulled out a necklace and put it around her neck. In an instant, she was a beautiful woman. I mean, she was already beautiful, but she no longer had the tail of a snake.

“I’m guessing it is not permanent,” Mom asked as she bit her bottom lip. She always did that when she was thinking. Sighing as she took off the necklace, Eva began to shift back into her snakish look. So the pendant only worked while it was being worn.

“It only lasts as long as the wearer is wearing it. It does not actually change who you are. Just changes your body to look like that of your human self, although in your daughter’s case, it would probably make her look like what she would have if she had been born a girl in the first place.” She said as she looked at me. Then she reached over to me with it in her hand and said, “Little one, I want you to have it. I am sure it is difficult to walking around without getting stared at, and this will give you a little peace of mind.” She said, smiling.

She spent the next few minutes talking about how the Emergence had affected her business. I just stared at the jewel as I listened to her speak. It looked so beautiful, a deep blue, almost like the diamond necklace that was in titanic. I felt a certain warmth being emitted from it, like a knowing that it was in my possession.

“So, now that I have talked your ear off let’s move on to the next reason you came here. Karen said that you needed clothes that you can wear that will not be affected by your wings. Let’s see what we can do.” She said as she pulled out a box of what I guessed was her tailoring equipment. With a gulp, I stood up, waiting for anything.