It was the next Saturday and we met in the woods again in order to plan how we’re going to unveil Leo to the school, except-

“I don’t...feel comfortable like this” Leo sighs whilst sitting cross legged on the grass, clearly not too worried about the dew soaking his clothes.

“Right, what are you comfortable with?” Erina asks from above, perched on a low branch. She apparently likes doing this, having wrapped her tail around the trunk.

“Um, I can turn into...a fox, a blackbird, a-”

“Thats unfortunately not much use Leo. If you don’t want to go as your current form, can you not adjust it to...what you might be comfortably be as a human?”

“I don’t know…”

I cleared my throat, causing Leo to wince from the harsh noise. I had this message prepared: “There was..a thing I read online, I didn’t know anything about this back in, like, 2010. About people who are unhappy, who have always been unhappy about their bodies. So they try to change them. Its called Dysphoria”

“Yeah” Erina nods. “I know a trans-woman online, they’d have loved to have been a shapeshifter like you, just gotta..like, narrow it down for you so you can adjust. So whats your poison? Taller, shorter?”

“....I don’t know?” He seems to sink deeper into himself, internally pondering the question. I place a hand on his shoulder and rub it encouragingly whilst I also tap out another message on my tablet.

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out Leo”

“Why don’t we try some research Leo. Try all sorts of body types, maybe even gender who knows?” Erina beams down from above, looking like she came up with a great idea. Leo perks up a bit at this.

“That's ...not a bad idea..” he says, I nod in agreement.

We spent a while trying different things but none of them were working, any slight alterations just resulted Leo feeling worse and worse, we called it when we both noticed a substantial drop in his mood. I pat him on the head, trying to reassure him that we’ll find a solution to his dysphoria. We had to get more drastic.

***

That evening, I was playing another old racing game, trying to chase some of my own records when I heard a tap at the window from something hard sounding. I open the blind to see Leo standing there sheepishly. I let him in and invite him to sit down on one of the beanbags.

“I came up with...something… by myself..” I clapped my hands together excitedly.

“Go on!” He closes his eyes, I imagining that he is picturing what he thinks is his ideal form, and with a flash of light. I cover my eyes momentarily, blinking away the light.

“W-well?” A lighter voice says, I lower my arm from covering my eyes and see a...very androgynous figure in front of me. Leo is shorter than before, now at eye level with me (and I was a rather petite girl at only 5 foot 2).

“You look very cute” was the best way I could put it. “Um, I’ll be honest, I don’t know if you’re even…”

Leo looks like a weight has been lifted from them. “I’d rather not say, I was...investigating online, and found people who claimed to be..non binary”

“Non-Binary?”

“I don’t want to be considered either male or female..just yet. I don’t think”

“Then?” I was a little confused, not angry, but I didn’t really know what it all means. It wasn’t a concept that had reached me back in 2010. I resolved with myself then and there that I’d support whatever Leo wanted.

“I’d immensely prefer if I was referred to as they/them for the time being, I haven’t thought of a new name or anything though”

“Can I take a picture and send it to Erina?”

“Uh-ummm” they blush, looking especially on the feminine side of androgynous. “Sh-sure” I quickly snap a photo and send it to Erina.

Sylvie Wade: I received a visitor this evening..

Erina Hartley: Woah is that Leo?

Sylvie Wade: Yup, they/them pronouns apparently, or for the time being I’ve been told.

Erina Hartley: Oh so they decided on non-binary for now then, cool, Tell Leo they’re cute.

I turned the tablet to show Leo and they blush deeply. “Tell her thanks” I get back to typing.

Sylvie Wade: They said thanks, we haven’t thought up a new name for them just yet though.

Erina Hartley: I guess I’ll think about it too, I’m gonna go sleep I got an early morning.

Sylvie Wade: Night then, see you tomorrow!

Erina Hartley: Night Syl.

It was my turn to blush, she’d never given me a nickname or anything before, I wonder what a zombie blushing looked like. I stumbled towards the bathroom, nearly tripping over Leo’s outstretched legs.

“Where’re you going Sylvie?” I’m still not used to the higher tone of Leo’s new voice, I ducked into the bathroom to try and catch my face in the mirror but the feeling had passed by the time I got there. Drat.

“I got curious about something, sorry Leo. I’m glad to see you’ve found a way to feel more comfortable in your own skin, do you want to play some video games or do you need to go?”

“Maybe one or two rounds of something, what’ve you got?” Leo looks towards the cabinet underneath my TV.

“I got one or two things” I kneel down at the cabinet and pull the doors open, revealing a couple of tall stacks of old games, Leo’s eyes go wide.

“Those are so old! Awesome!” I cringe a bit, time to educate Leo on a proper game….

***

It was late at night and the computer screen was the only thing lighting up the room, Cadence is lying sleepless on top of the keyboard. The depressed key leaving a line of y’s on the notepad. “Nothing…” she mumbled to herself. “Nothing on raising the dead, its almost as if they’re…” she shot bolt upright.

“...protecting her…” she looks to a picture propped up on her desk, her Dad’s smiling face radiating back at her. “Why must she come back...why not you? What makes her worthy!?”

She slams a bruised fist down on the desk and winces, knocking over the picture frame. She quickly grabs it and places it back where it was.

“Sorry Dad…”

***

Me and Leo had spent the evening playing video games together, I was pretty good at most of the games so I went easy on them. They left at about 10pm through the sliding door, silently turning into the same black bird and flying away. I check to see if anyone was around and thankfully no-one was, one room along the way did have a strange blue light emanating from it but I didn’t pay much mind to it.

I went back into my room, switched everything off and crawled under the bedsheets. I was tired after the days escapades, and not looking forwards to my appointment with the Nurse tomorrow, I had gotten the message about it during our play session and I wasn’t happy about it. She said they were going to replace all the bandaging that I had been scared to touch so far. I was always super gentle putting on clothes because of them. I yawned and sank down on the pillow, slowly fading into sleep…

The next morning I make my way down to Nurse Jousset’s office, tied my hair back in advance in two long twintails to clear them out of the way as some of these bandages were on my back. I knock on the door of the office.

“Come in!” I hear from the other side, I open the door and see her moving various bits and pieces around. “Sit down please, I have to rearrange this so I can fit the examination bed” I do so and she wheels this tall leather contraption out of a cupboard and begins to unfold it. Its a bit like those dentist seats with all the arms and lights poking out of it.

I shiver a bit. It was a very cold and frosty morning, I’m only wearing an undershirt, thin trousers and a dressing gown because of this appointment, I miss the warmth of Colin’s heat lamp.

“Right, all done. Come hop up onto the bed, as said in the email I will be redressing your bandages and taking notes on any changes in health. Ok?” I nod in return and climb up onto the bed. The harsh light of the ceiling light causes me to close my eyes, I suspect that I’ve become slightly more light sensitive in general. “I am going to begin okay, can you lift your shirt so I can redress the bandages on your midriff” I grab the bottom hem of the shirt and lift it to just under my breasts. I keep my eyes firmly shut as she peels away the old wrappings.

“Interesting, interesting. I see you don’t particularly want to see what's underneath so I will inform you after I’m done” I hear a pencil scrawling against paper, my curiosity got the better of me and I peeked down for a millisecond before noping out, back to eyes closed.

After she was done redressing, Nurse Jousset sat me up and asked me some questions. I’d told her about my photosensitivity and about how my eyes can act as torches. I’d forgotten to tell her this before to be honest. She takes her tray of old bandages and slides them with a gloved hand into a plastic box. “You don’t mind me taking these off to examine right? You are the only Zombie we know of. So I’d quite like to get ahead in finding out how you work”

I hesitate for a moment then nod, Jousset had never not been helpful to her so I might as well return the favour right?.

“Right! Thanks a lot!” she smiles at me. “The good news is that you’d probably stay together without the bandages, but your skin is...not in good condition. I will try to figure out some way that I can heal that, magic or not, that is all. Thanks for coming down like I requested”

“Mmrr” I let out a little positive sounding growl, almost like a cat’s mewl. I stand and give her a little wave before leaving to get on with the rest of my day.