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Rachel’s long ears arched forward as she got to her feet, stretching her arms high into the air as she mentally prepared herself.  Alexa seems to be in a good mood.  What kind of song is she humming, though?

Her sister-in-law didn’t have a horrible voice, but she’d never heard her use it before; however, she’d never bothered spending that much time around her, to begin with.

Alexa had finished her shower and was doing some bedtime maintenance to her skin and tying back her long blonde hair.  An irritated twitch shifted her tail the opposite way as she recalled the ridiculous time she spent in the bathroom getting ready; she’d take all the hot water in the mornings, which caused Rachel to move everything to the gym for morning exercises.

What will her reaction be?  Probably shocked that some unknown bunny-girl is in the house.  She’s in a bright mood, but that could change on a dime.  Whatever the case, I’m sure she’ll find something to nitpick.

Tightening her grip on the phone in her hand, she walked out of the guest bedroom as Alexa exited the bathroom.  She turned at the next junction to enter the study through the kitchen, moving her focus back to the conversation within.

“... were that scared of you guys?”  Nam asked Scarlet.

“Well, yeah, they were pretty scared, but it’s not like we had a whole Military unit following us around.”

Rachel cut in with a chuckle as she entered.  “No, that was the Army when they escorted us to the hospital.”

Everyone turned to smile at her.  Nam and their father were in their armchairs while their mother leaned against the side of the couch, shifted toward Scarlet on the opposite side.  Her father’s muscles had eased greatly over the conversation.

 Chan-hee patted the open spot next to her with a warm smile, indicating she wanted her to sit.  “Scarlet was telling us about your first night after The Oscillation and how you met.  How was your chat with the President?”

Rachel didn’t hesitate, walking around the coffee table while positioning her hair to take a seat; she dropped next to her mother with a soft sigh as Chan-hee rubbed her leg, almost as if she was reassuring herself that she wasn’t an illusion.

“Good.  He was just interested in my experience as a Mythickin, mixed with a few other things.”

Scarlet chuckled, drawing the attention back to her.  “Rachel’s big ears aren’t just for show; she was probably following the whole conversation.  She can multitask like a boss.”

“Is that right?”  Her father asked with a raised eyebrow as his vision lifted to her large white ears, causing them to twitch.

Rachel nodded, feeling a little more self-conscious than she knew she should.  “I can dial it back or listen to things miles around me.”

Chan-hee’s lips pressed to the side for a moment as she shifted her position, staring up at her head.  “Can I touch them?”

“Sure.”

Everyone watched in silence as her mother’s hands reached up, and Rachel turned, letting them fall forward a little.  Chan-hee’s smooth fingers slid down their length, gently folding back the hair before rubbing the thin layer of gray fur within.  A lump dropped down Rachel’s throat as she giggled, tickling sensations making them twitch, causing her mother’s fingers to shoot back.

“I didn’t hurt you?”

“No, not at all.  I’m just not used to anyone touching them.”

Nam shook his head with a small smile.  “Bizarre … you don’t even look the same.”

“She’s just as pretty as before,” her mother huffed before reaching out and combing through a lock of her thick white pink-hued hair.  “What about this; is it hard to manage?  I could never grow my hair out past my mid-back … oh, it’s so soft and slick.  Is there natural oil in it?”  She mumbled, rubbing her fingers together while leaning back.

Rachel gave a weak shrug before brushing the rogue locks back into place and setting the phone on her lap.  “I’ve grown used to it, more or less.  I do need to use an unreasonable amount of shampoo and conditioner if I want to clean it, though,” she chuckled.

Scarlet jumped in.  “Oh, I forgot to mention she tried to cut it all off at the hospital!”

“Tried?”  Her father questioned.

“Well,” Rachel scooped up a large chunk of her hair around her front before letting it slide through her fingers.  “I thought it would get in the way, so I tried to cut it off.”

“You never really liked long hair,” her mother mused.

“Yeah, well, my hair’s a lot more durable now.  I couldn’t even cut it with medical scissors.”

“Crazy,” Nam muttered, vision shifting to the kitchen as Alexa called out.

“Nam, is someone here?”  Her shifting muscles told Rachel that she was a little self-conscious about coming in while dressed for bed.

“Yeah, my sister’s back.”

“Rachel?”  She asked, stepping into the doorway.  “Didn’t you tell me she…”  Her words died as her green eyes caught sight of her.

Rachel’s wide field of vision easily took in her sister-in-law’s appearance as she came into view.  She was wearing a black silk nightgown that fell to her mid-thighs, showing off her smooth and recently washed white skin.  Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, dropping down to her mid-back, and her face was slightly flushed after washing.

The mask she’d grown so accustomed to reappeared as Rachel hid her internal emotions, and she smiled at the woman two years her elder.  “Alexa, it feels like it’s been forever.”

“You did turn into … Nam said a hare?”  She mumbled, looking stunned as her eyes moved up and down her body.

“Yup, a Lunar Hare,” Rachel added.  “You’re looking pretty.  Getting ready to sleep?”

“Me, pretty?”  Alexa mumbled before a rueful smile touched her cheeks, and she folded her arms under her chest while leaning up against the doorframe.  “I don’t know about that.  You look stunning … you even glow, and who’s your friend next to you?”  She asked, brow furrowed.

Rachel could hear the nervousness hidden within her tone and muscle movements.  “Thanks, and this is Scarlet; we’ve become friends recently.”  When will she show her true feelings?  I know she’s still processing everything, but she was never really great at acting.

“Why don’t you join us?”  Nam asked, motioning to the armchair across from him.  “Scarlet was just telling us all about Rachel’s adventures since The Oscillation.”

“Umm, yeah, sure,” Alexa mumbled.  She fixed the left side of the nightgown as it tried to slip down and sat, thighs pressing together.  “So, what’s it like being a … what would you call it?  A hare-girl?  Can you hear far away and run really fast?”  She asked, voice picking up speed and excitement.

Caught a little off-guard, Rachel’s ears moved to the left as her tail pressed against the back of the sofa.  “Yeah.  It took some getting used to, but I’ve become a lot stronger.”

“That’s an understatement,” Scarlet said with a smirk, likely happy the focus wasn’t on her.  “Rachel can punch through steel.”

“Impressive,” her father chuckled.  “Went from kicking trees to breaking them in half?”

“I don’t think I’ve done that, yet,” Rachel said, feeling her mask falter a little.  For some reason, it was hard keeping her composure in front of her parents, and she couldn’t help but feel anxiety welling up within her again.  “What about you, Alexa?  You seem a bit … different.”

“Oh, you can tell?”  She asked, lips falling slightly as her arms tightened around her stomach, and her vision fell to her lap.  “Honestly, it all scared me a lot.”

Nam took a deep breath before letting it out, and his tone grew tired as he ruffled his black hair, shifting uncomfortably.  “Alexa was with me at the police station.”

Rachel’s glowing red eyes moved back to her brother, forehead creasing.  “She was?”

“Oh, you didn’t know,” Alexa mumbled, cheeks reddening further as she shifted uncomfortably.  “I mean, I wasn’t in the thick of it all … the gunfire really scared me, and the shouting.  I remember this smell … I hid in the back with a few women while Nam and the police barricaded the area we were in.  It was this older lady’s perfume.”

Alexa gave her a forced smile; this was a side to her sister-in-law that she’d never seen.  “Kind of weird—right?”  She swallowed.  “Everyone was shouting and screaming … gunshots, but the thing I remember most was the smell of that lady’s perfume, and I didn’t even like it that much … it was so overpowering.  It just kind of seems silly to me now,” she whispered, rubbing her left arm.

“I get that,” Scarlet whispered.  “I remember strange things, too … kind of like that.  For me, though, it’s emotion.  I can sense emotions, and they just kind of stick in my chest.”

“I can relate to that, but I don’t know if it was someone else’s emotions or just my own,” Alexa giggled nervously.  “It was like my brain took a back seat … I felt so sluggish, and my mind kept stopping and going.”

She looked up at her father-in-law, hands pressing into her lap.  “Sam says it’s natural when you’re terrified—for that to happen.  I kind of froze … not very cool, I know.  Nam was sitting there, saving the day, and I was cowering in the corner.”

“No,” Nam soothed, getting up to kneel beside her, rubbing her knee comfortingly.  “You took that girl into the back to protect her.  Remember?”

“Not really,” Alexa said with a smile, “to be honest.  Everything was a blur, and it gets all jumbled together when I think back on it.  Do you feel that way?”  She asked, turning back to Rachel with a furrowed brow.  “After you changed?”

Rachel took a deep breath before leaning back.  “No, not really.  Whenever in fights at the gym, my mind would become sharper as I focused on the opponent, and it’s gotten even faster now.  It seems like time slows, but really, it’s my brain moving faster.  I can only hold that mental state for so long, but I’ve never had to use it that long.”

“The abilities,” Alexa mumbled.  “Nam told me about them,” she said while smiling down at him and holding his hand.  “Seems like a game, right?  Sorry for dampening the mood.”

“No, no,” Scarlet shook her head.  “I can feel how upset you are.  Talking helps, it really does.  I can’t tell you how many times Rachel’s helped me cope with my own change.”

Alexa’s eyebrows came together as she turned her focus to Scarlet.  “Your change … are those fangs?  You’re like…”

“A Vampire,” Nam said, still rubbing her hand, “but not like the Seattle one we’ve heard about.”

Alexa shook her head.  “I don’t keep up with the news … it’s too scary.  I’m a bit of a wimp, but Rachel knows that.”  She chuckled, giving Rachel an apologetic smile.

Rachel felt confused and utterly blindsided.  Did The Oscillation send me to an alternate universe?  Nam, Mom, Dad, I can get, but Alexa?  How did she change so much from that one incident?  No, she’s got to be the same person buried under all that, but … I’m a lot different.

No, I’m different because of the change.  Lunar Pride and a host of other things are probably influencing me.  Alexa doesn’t have anything like that, but even Scarlet’s feeling sympathy for her.  If anyone would know she’s genuine, it would be Scarlet.  Maria could only tell if she was lying, but sincerity … that’s Scarlet’s department, and in a way, they’re actually bonding.

“Umm, that’s pretty cool, though,” Alexa said, and it was clear that she was trying to fight back tears.  “I can’t—imagine how hard it must have been for you guys.”

Scarlet’s muscles tightened, arm pressing against her abdomen.  “It has been rough … if it wasn’t for Rachel, I don’t know if I could have made it.  She’s been a huge mental support for me; Rachel’s always so calm and collected, and she always knows what to say.”

Rachel tried to hide the twitch that shot down her ears by moving them to the left as everyone turned to smile at her.  “I’m just glad everyone’s safe.”

“Speaking about that,” her father took a deep breath, drawing everyone’s gaze.

“Soo-geun?”  Her mother asked with a sad tone.

Rachel’s brow furrowed, remembering what her father had said about her younger cousin being turned into a Bear Beastkin.

Sam nodded.  “Soo-geun hasn’t been getting along with his parents since the change, and he’s been having some temperament issues.  Your grandfather has asked for him to come up and spend time away from all the drama.”

“Drama?”  Rachel asked, remembering the time she’d spent with her cousin.  They hadn’t been the closest, but they were the nearest in age within the family, she being nineteen, and Soo-geun being seventeen.

Chan-hee’s hand tightened on Rachel’s knee.  “Girl troubles.  Apparently, the girl he’d been dating over the past year just broke up with him, and it has something to do with his change.”

“That sucks,” Scarlet whispered.

Her father released a tired sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before turning to look at Rachel.  “I told him about your change, and he wants you to come up to talk with him.  I’m sure that’s not his only reasoning; he was concerned about your wellbeing, too, since we couldn’t get in touch with you.”

“About that,” her mother pressed, glaring at her husband.

Sam nodded, lips curved into a deep frown as he glanced at Chan-hee before returning to Rachel.  “I’m sorry, Sung.  After consulting with your mother and grandfather, I acted out of line.  I was worried about you and came off too strong.  What I said was inexcusable.”

Rachel felt her entire life falling into pieces.  What happened to my parents?  Dad’s apologizing … to me?  He was out of line?  Dad never apologizes.  He means it, too.  I got an apology from my dad … the first … ever.

This can’t be real.  Am I still trapped in the alien ship?  Is it all a lie?  This can’t be reality … it just can’t.  Maybe even before the crystal … am I in some kind of mental trap from Relica?  Did I get transferred to a new reality?  My mind left my Earth, and now I’m stuck in this hare body?

“Rachel?”  Her mother asked.  “Are you okay?”

A lump dropped down Rachel’s throat as she collected herself, reforming her breaking mask.  “Y-Yeah, I’m fine.  Thanks, dad … I don’t know what to say.  Umm—why does Grandpa want me to talk to Soo-geun about girl problems?  I’ve never even been on a date before.  Nam would be better at that, not that there are any problems with you.”  She chuckled, giving Alexa a forced smile.  

Alexa shook her head, returning the smile.  “No—I know I haven’t really been fair to you.  It’s just been a tough transition—having someone else in the house was hard at first.  I just kind of—felt like I was competing with you, to be honest.”

“For?”

“Nam’s attention,” she admitted.  “It was petty, but I’ve been thinking about it over the last few days, and I was really worried about you, too.  I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Yeah … umm—I’m suddenly feeling a little tired, and this is a lot to take in,” Rachel said, knowing by Scarlet’s appearance that she knew her inner struggle.  “Is my old room still untouched?”

“I mean, other than the stuff you took to the dorm, yeah,” Nam muttered.  “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just a lot to take in,” Rachel reassured.  “I’ll call Grandpa later, too, Dad.  Thanks for letting me know.”

“Right, it is getting kind of late,” Sam said with a long yawn.  “We can talk about some other things that were on my mind and finish this up tomorrow.”

Her mother quickly got to her feet, moving to the front hallway.  “Oh, Scarlet, dear, let me get everything ready in the guest bedroom for you.  You said sunlight is not good, right?  I’ll nail some blankets over the window for you.”

“Thank you, Ms. Park.  Umm—would you like some help?”  She asked, shooting Rachel a questioning look.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Rachel urged.

“Okay…”  Scarlet got up, following after Chan-hee.

Nam guided Alexa to her feet, hugging her around the waist.  “Right, let’s head up to bed.  We’ll catch-up tomorrow, Sung?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Rachel said with a bright smile; her heart felt like it would pound outside her chest like in the cartoons she’d seen as a little girl.  She got up, fingers clamped around her phone.  This is just too much!

“Alright,” her father groaned while rising, and the cracking of his aged body almost made Rachel wince as he stretched, reminding her that her parents were getting on in years.  “I just need to make a few business calls, and I’ll be heading to bed myself.  Love you three, and it’s good to have you back, Sung.”

Rachel tensed as her father moved in, feeling her heart put to the test as he gave her a strong hug.  “Really … it’s nice to have you home.  Whatever your grandfather says, please, stay for a few days to put our minds at ease.”

“Y-Yeah,” Rachel’s throat caught, and a tear fell down her cheek as she returned the hug.  “Thanks, Dad.  I love you, too … I’m home.”

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