AuthorSME
patreon
ATM Rewrite: B2 — 2. Finding Support
🕑 Added 2023-06-02 05:37:12 +0000 UTCPoV:
1. Sora Moore (Our Fox Girl Has A New Problem!)
Google Document (In-line Comments)
--------------------
Sora was a little distracted as Devlin guided them toward the area the others were being held or resting. Wendy was a buzz of questions about what happened to her mother and Miami Beach after they’d all passed out, but Sora’s ears were on Senior Director Vondoom and Diane’s private conversation through the vents.
“I told you it would work,” the woman congratulated herself, likely still playing with her tablet.
“I assume she can still hear us, Diane?”
“Hah! Of course, she can, and if she wanted, she could place a listening bubble invisible to most of our detection methods. The Ethics Bureau was the one that wanted complete disclosure if we were to be using a reasonable Grey-Omega class entity. She must be reasoned with and onboard with it to prevent anything calamitous from happening in regards to her mother.”
Sora hadn’t thought about that possibility at all, but it was a good idea. Diane had been the one to instruct her on how to craft the barrier around that horrific artifact in the first place. This woman was far more intelligent than Sora wanted to admit, but she was fairly blunt and definitely had her own agenda.
Her mind started to steam as the thought came to her that Diane was probably telling her to do that very thing. She didn’t want to waste time skirting topics or edging around protocols.
Sora didn’t like following the woman’s instructions or hints, but she decided to do it anyway to keep listening. On a desire, the shimmering listening sphere popped into existence beside one of the air vents they passed; it was effortless at this point. Wendy and Delvin didn’t even look her way.
“Working with,” the director sighed, chair creaking as he leaned back. “What did she do to the artifact? How could she affect it when all your rituals, spells, and even the Occult World Order failed? Explain exactly what a Founder is to have that kind of power.”
Diane snorted, taking on a pompous air. “You can say it now; it’s contained as the origin point, Senior Director. Sora trapped the Cult of the Ars Goetia.”
“Dammit, Diane!” The man’s chair shot back as he stood, reaching for something besides his desk, yet he paused as silence took them. “They… They’re not appearing?”
“No, Dear,” the woman cooly stated. “We killed all their members, sending them to the origin point. And before they all could relocate and reform, they were trapped in an infinite void of Sora, literally. Hmm-hmm. In all likelihood, they are terrified at this very moment, unable to perceive anything else but this singular entity surrounding them. What is Sora? She’s beyond your clearance is what she is, Senior Director.”
“Above Level 4? I suppose so if she is a Grey-Omega: Abaddon class threat. If she has this kind of power, it makes her all the more dangerous to play. What if she’s hurt and her mother retaliates?”
“Indeed. Frightening stuff! Isn’t her fluffy tail terrifying?”
“This is no joking matter.”
“Forgive me,” Diane snickered. “I generally act alone and without so much oversight. But… you’ve been granted special access due to her being within your facility. As for terminology in our relationship with her, I’m being transparent. We aren’t friends with her; we are entering a mutually beneficial arrangement. We can help her quite a bit, and she can help us. That’s how it is.”
“Ugh. Why does it feel like we’re walking a path dangerously close to the NeoSepratists?” he growled. “I get she’s being used to help us seal the unsealable, but you must see the irony.”
“Goodness, no! I’m not accustomed to explaining things that are obvious. The NS is a bunch of blundering fools, messing with forces they cannot hope to understand. Cowboys brandishing shotguns that can destroy cities. Crude, uneducated, and vile.”
“I get it… From what the Ethics Bureau tells me, you used to work for the OWO. I have to question your motives when it comes to Sora if she is that important and this strong.”
“Hehe. So my time at the Occult World Order is what this is about?” Diane mused. “It is indeed an unorthodox situation you’ve found yourself in, given your typical line of duty, but the EC council has already vetted me. Accept it, Director. There are reasons the Foundation moved this quickly when it came to Sora, and why I have been given so much authority here.”
“You haven’t told me anything yet.”
“Hmm. Perhaps not… In essence, Sora is a Singular Entity. In multiverses without end, she is unique. At least, so far as we have come to understand the classification. One of the EC is apparently quite interested in that particular area. Yet, perhaps this will be easier to grasp for someone of your background…”
Diane shifted to drop into her chair as Wendy tried to pry more information out of their escort; he had been dodging the questions revolving around her mother, which was starting to concern Sora, as well, but the high-ranking woman’s next statement made her slow to a stop in the middle of the large, fairly empty hallway.
“Sora?” Wendy asked.
She shook her head, hugging herself and listening as the two stared at her for answers. The chills Sora felt at the woman’s explanation of her kept Sora rooted to the spot, though.
“You have extensive knowledge of reality warpers, given your position. Correct?”
“Yes. Are you saying she’s something like A-1765, but perhaps more neutral like A-343?”
A thoughtful hum came from the woman. “Poor example on the latter since his true nature isn’t confirmed, but this is only a base. He could be our creator for all we know, self-confined to observe his creation. If only all anomalies were as relaxing as A-343.
“But, no. Sora is nothing like those cruel reality-bending ‘Sisters’ of the OWO. Those three are confirmed ‘reality warpers’ that can only reshape, morph, or twist what is already there; they cannot affect what isn’t there to be reshaped and are still bound within the framework.”
“Okay… Sora can, though?” the man slowly asked. “I understand that reality warpers aren’t omnipotent and can’t affect other really powerful artifacts. Are you saying reality anchors won’t work on her then? She’s not a reality warper? I need to know if she is going to remain in this facility.”
Diane shifted in her chair, her tone wearing a smile but an agitated sigh hiding underneath. “Yes. Sora is not a reality warper. She is far more powerful, diverse, and unique. Let’s take a step back! Let’s start at what we might consider ‘the top.’
“Think of the creator of this reality as a man that makes a canvas—our universe—and in their mind’s eye—all the possibilities that lay before him—every potential stroke generates what we call the multiverse.
“It’s basically what could have been from that first iteration of the big bang or the motif of creation coming into being. When all the colors settle, this masterpiece of laws and order becomes everything around us… What does a reality warper do to that painting this all-powerful entity has created?”
Vondoom was silent for a moment, retaking his seat. “Throws water on it and smudges it all up, but you’re saying they’re bound by the painting and canvas itself. That’s what you’re getting at? Sora is a creator?”
“Heh-hehe. No, no, Director. She is so far beyond that creator that it is laughable even to compare them at all is what I am saying. To Sora, we all might as well be fictional. And we could say the same for Sora’s mother or whatever came before Mia. Narratives within narratives or narratives without narratives. All the strange and unexplainable is still below Sora’s potential, and that is the key—potential.
“She’s in a state of growth in a rather unique way that multiverses without end have not seen the light of because, as I stated, she is a singular entity. There only is one Sora. Sora is a ‘foundation writer’—a Founder; above all laws and logic—yet trapped inside her own inexperience, mental, and spiritual barriers since she was born within this confined dimension.
“Mia placed her here for a reason to grow from narrative to narrative, dimension to dimension. For what reason? It doesn’t matter. We can help facilitate that while redefining the very framework and canvas of our reality to suit the Foundation’s goals! Not simply bend or twist them but ‘create the definition of normality.’ That is Sora’s value and why we will accommodate whatever she wants. Think about that, Sora.”
The bubble listening to them popped as Sora shivered, rubbing her shoulders and releasing it. The damn woman was trying to show her that she did hold a lot of power, but for what purpose? Right now, she wasn’t sure what she wanted in the first place; everything was happening too quickly.
Wendy reached out to grab her hand. “What’s wrong, Sora?”
“Huh?” Blinking to reorient herself, she squeezed her best friend’s hand and looked up at Devlin. “Actually, can we… Can we go to where my father is first?”
His frown turned into a gentle smile as he nodded. “Absolutely. It’s a bit in the opposite direction to Kari and the others you mentioned, but Mary is in that general area.” Devlin motioned for them to retreat to a hallway two branches back. “The shuttle to the medical facility is this way.”
Continuing to hold Wendy’s hand to keep herself from panicking, Sora cleared her throat and followed him. Then, taking a note from Diane’s book, she bluntly asked the next thing that was on her mind.
“Why are you dodging Wendy’s questions about her mom?”
Devlin’s aura became somber as they entered a tunnel that gave them a wide view of a section of the facility, Earth, and space. Sora tried to remain focused as Fen and the twins’ scents came from another branching hall; they’d been down this area not too long ago with their escort of guards. If she knew anything at this point, it meant they’d come across each other soon enough.
“It’s something… personal that I think Wendy might want to discuss alone.”
“Is she dead?” Wendy choked, eyes beginning to water. “Did Jenny k-kill her?”
Sora shook her head, remembering bits and pieces from what the vulpes and Devlin said about the scene they’d found when they arrived at the hellish coliseum. “My mom resurrected everyone that died and cured Jenny’s werewolf curse. Just tell us!”
The man stopped in front of what appeared to be an elevator and pressed the button to open it. He took a deep breath and let it out as the door slid open.
“Wendy, as hard as this is for me to say, it’ll be harder to hear, and even more to accept… I’ll ask one more time. Are you sure you want me to discuss this in front of Sora?”
Hesitantly getting inside, Wendy nodded. “Sora, you’ll know if he’s telling the truth, right?”
Devlin scanned his card, pressed his palm against a digital screen, and said, “Speed rail.” The elevator closed and took them down. “As I understand it, Sora can cast a truth charm over me. Maybe it will make it easier on us both.”
“Fine,” Sora complied, spinning her desire magic around him, bypassing some kind of warding spell. If he were willing to do this, then it would save a lot of time.
The elevator stopped, opening to another long, empty corridor as the man’s eyes glazed over like the kid’s fun center employee she’d charmed with Nilly. They didn’t leave, entirely focused on the hypnotized man.
“What aren’t you telling us about Wendy’s mother?”
Wendy held her breath, shoulder pressing up against Sora’s.
“Approximately thirty hours ago, Jane Elise was visited by two Level 2 Foundation field agents to determine the extent of her relationship to you, Sora, and verify key information Diane discovered in Doctor Jernigan’s notes. It became very clear that she had a great deal of envy for your father’s success and the experiences her daughter was able to have with you.”
“Sounds like my mom,” Wendy grumbled, free arm held tightly against her stomach.
Devlin went on since a new question hadn’t been posed, and, due to the time taken, the door shut, isolating them in the wide elevator space.
“Due to the agent’s training, they saw specific signs that initiated a protocol regarding situations where an anomaly was close to human teens or children. They maneuvered the conversation into the idea of transferring care of their unwanted child to the Foundation while providing a benefits package to the parents involved.”
Wendy’s eyes blanked. “What? Unwanted? That… that’s not right. She’s my mom…”
Sora was too stunned to speak, but the charmed man simply repeated himself, truth uttered in every word.
“It isn’t uncommon for human parents that are near anomalous teens or children to feel this way and jump at the Foundation’s offer. Your mother would have been given a decent monthly income where she could go on vacations once a year to a few select locations.
“She would be provided the option to select between a few small homes around the world and a spending budget for hobbies. She wouldn’t have to work, and you would be provided for. Justifying it, in her words, ‘it’s like sending you off to a fancy private school.’ ”
Sora’s stomach twisted at the chaotic emotions of denial and doubt creeping into her best friend’s aura; she could see why the man had been so hesitant to talk about it. Yet, now charmed, he had to reveal all the ugly details.
“The documentation was handled before you awoke and less than three hours into the agents’ meeting with Ms. Elise. She chose a three-bedroom house with a small yard in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She can order food three times a day from any local restaurant, has the choice of three salons in the area for her own use once a week, and a host of clubs and casinos to live the life she always wanted. Her first vacation choice—”
“Stop!” Wendy cried, tears now falling down her cheeks. “It can’t be true—Sora, t-they had to have done something to her. What did you do to her?”
Devlin emotionlessly shook his head, Sora’s heart knotting at the emotion in her friend’s voice. “Due to the nature of Sora’s involvement and ties to you, the use of any compulsive means was strictly prohibited. The agents offered her the option of adoption, and she took it with little reserve. Her dream was to own a liquor store, and that was granted.”
Pulling Wendy into a hug as she cried, Sora cut the magic, making Devlin stumble back and use the side of the elevator to stabilize himself.
“My mom wouldn’t g-give me away f-for alcohol! She loves me! I’m her daughter! I-I did everything—I t-tried to be a good daughter… Is it because I yelled at her? We were fighting, a-and…”
“No, Wendy,” Sora whispered, trying to wrap her head around it, as well. “It’s not your fault!”
“It has to be my fault! I pushed her away—I was too hard on her drinking addiction! What do I do? How do I fix it? Sora, how do I fix it?”
Unable to think of anything to tell her other than to repeat herself, Sora’s nose burned, once again feeling powerless. Despite hearing everything Diane had said, trapping some insanely powerful cult, and fighting through so much, she couldn’t fix her best friend’s shattered heart.
“I’m sorry, Wendy… I’m so sorry…”
Wendy’s cries only increased at her words.
A few minutes passed, Devlin remaining silent and waiting for Wendy to calm down; the hardest part was that Sora hadn’t seen this coming. All the time she’d known Jane, her flaws, her envy, and her hatred, Sora had believed there was a caring mother under all that bitterness, but it seemed that part had been snuffed out over the years.
When Wendy’s breathing came under control, her body trembled from the exertion as she clung to her. “Sora… You can’t fix it, can you?”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sora shook her head and pulled her in tighter again, being careful with her enhanced strength. “If I did… I don’t think it would be your mom—I’d just make her a slave o-or rewrite her or something. I’m sorry. I feel so powerless…”
Sniffing back her tears, Wendy choked and drew away with a pained smile that made Sora’s eyes water again. “It’s not your fault… I knew my mom t-thought of me as a burden… Heh. It’s why I tried so hard to—to work extra jobs a-and help pay for stuff. It was never enough, though…”
Sora pulled her in again. “If she can’t see how amazing you are, then maybe it’s better this way… Maybe my dad can adopt you. Heh. Remember how I used to say that when we were kids—I was so stupid… I just wanted a sister.”
Devlin cleared his throat. “I don’t see that being a problem. Wendy, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I said, but I hurt you… I apologize for any pain I’ve caused. Is there anything I can do?”
Wendy shook her head and forced a smile while pointing at her face. “Is… there a bathroom I can use nearby? I just need some time to… to think about it.”
“Of course,” he said, opening the door and taking them to the fourth door on their left. “If there is anything you need, please, let me know.”
Entering what appeared to be a cozy waiting room, they saw another branch for men’s and women’s wash areas. Sora accompanied Wendy into one to help her clean up.
Wendy distracted herself by asking what they were supposed to do now. Sora didn’t have any answers, so she was honest with her. She was operating in the now, and that meant breaking the seals her mother placed on specific people and working out a plan.
Obviously, this Foundation wanted them, and they weren’t the only ones. Her dad would probably have an answer, but would he even be awake? Sora cleaned off her forehead with cool water and paper towels as they prepared to leave. She stopped Wendy just before exiting, another topic heavy on her mind.
“Hmm?”
Sora puffed out a long breath, rubbing her arm. “When I met my mom… she told me a few things.”
Wendy’s brown eyes lit up, much less puffy now. “Wait, no way! Really? How was she? Did you have a good talk? The last thing you told me was that she was somehow alive and now you’ve already met her. Exciting!”
“Eh-heh, yeah… something like that—no, it was magical, don’t get me wrong. It’s just…”
“Just?” Wendy pressed, trying to fidget with her bangs to keep them out of the way.
Much to her friend’s surprise, Sora used her magic to reform the locks, putting up an invisible isolation barrier around them. “My dad’s not fully human—whatever that means.”
“Woah, you can do my ha—huh?! Not fully human? Okay, you gotta go spill the details now,” Wendy muttered, totally trying to shove her own troubles down.
“She dropped it on me at the end,” Sora huffed, now a little sour. “Apparently, my dad doesn’t even know.”
“Mmm.” Wendy’s mouth became a line, glancing around the bright space. “Should we be talking about this here?”
“I got a barrier up.”
“Oh, cool. Uh, yeah. I think we should go get some answers.”
“Uh-huh…” Sora’s gaze drifted to the right, a new idea forming. “Let’s go.”
Leaving the room and assuring Devlin they weren’t at least dead, he led the way to a high-speed railway around the curved corridor. Sora probed for more information on their path and was a little taken aback by the three vulpes and guard unit that met them at the boarding area.
Faia was a ball of energy as he skipped forward to engage them, yet his hand gestures and the magic enclosing his mouth told Sora Fen had placed a silencing spell on him.
The black-furred vulpes left the wall she leaned against with an agitated flick of her three tails as Hinote joined her. The military men lingered around them and took up a defensive position as if expecting company. Fen spoke first.
“Diane told us you’d go to your father… It took you long enough, though.”
“Why are you guys here?” Sora whispered, her ears pulled back as Faia tried to act out a game of charades that she couldn’t understand.
Hinote casually held his hands behind his back, two orange tails weaving lazily behind him as he walked up to them. “Honestly, probably to be Diane’s spies.”
Reflecting on some of the things she’d heard thus far, Sora’s gaze shifted to the control charms at the base of their tails. For some reason, Faia jumped back, puffy tails wrapped in his arms protectively and tears coming to his eyes.
“Don’t be shy, Bro,” Hinote chuckled, extending his as they went on the move again. “Take a good look. Not as mystical or awe-inspiring as yours, but we get by.”
Fen rolled her eyes. “Tch. Her tail is annoying, is what it is.”
“Excuse you?” Wendy huffed, peeking out from beside her to glare at the irritated fox. “What’s your problem with Sora?”
Hinote smirked, drawing a leery eye from the woman. “In a universe, bright and vibrant, there is but one gorgeous coat that draws the envy of the beautiful, ethereal weaves and cosmic wonders; a blanket of mystery and magic wrap around one elegant tail like the spontaneous birth of a galaxy that dazzles worlds without end.”
Sora felt her cheeks colored as he spoke, gaze drifting toward her rear. “Are you complimenting my tail? I’m not sure.”
Wendy smiled, moving in to bump her lightly with her shoulder. “Someone’s flowery with their words.”
Fen grunted. “In short, you’re a menace to the eye. It’s really quite annoying.”
“What’s up her skirt?” Wendy huffed, glaring at the vulpes.
Faia joined in, holding up his arms in an x-shape, vehemently protesting as his tails mirrored the action and making Wendy and her chuckle.
Boarding the sleek-looking train as it pulled in, Sora’s mood brightened a tad with the twins’ and Fen’s antics. Sure, the grumpy old fox woman had her spikes, but she did lighten up the mood and make them laugh with her comments.
No one was in the car they entered, but she saw a few faces through the window of the next one. Fen advised her to create an invisibility spell around them; she could do it, but it was annoying. Then again, when Sora wove the magic, the fox appeared to grow more sullen, studying the fields she created.
Hinote leaned in to explain that Huli Jing were supposed to be unique when it came to bending light, and she did it so effortlessly.
Ironically, the moment the younger twin’s mouth was ungagged, he was throwing his innocent hands. Apparently, Fen had a stick stuck in her tail due to her ‘man’ not being present; that flippant comment earned him a swat to the head and a glare that shut the grinning boy up, apologizing to his senior vulpes.
Hinote didn’t help with a shrug and facial expression that said, “Is he wrong?”
Fen’s claws flexed in and out, aura contemplating murder, but Sora managed to redirect things with a few more questions about her magic.
Sora was blown away when they entered the medical site, spotting several dozen people busy working on all sorts of projects; it was practically a city itself, and she heard discussions on alien healing technology, virus testing, study on illnesses she’d never heard of, and many other biohazards.
Apparently, this site was used to conduct the most dangerous pathogen research since any containment breaks could be isolated given the lunar base’s powerful protocols. Only the brightest were brought onto these projects, and they’d solved the issues of space muscle and bone degradation a decade ago via gravity turbines that maintained a perfect Earth atmosphere.
She could sense so many odd phenomena happening all around her that it felt dizzying. Monsters and even what she assumed were aliens worked within the facility; it was all just so surreal. Fen mentioned there were several other sites on the moon that housed many other functions that the Foundation organized by task.
Delvin guided them to her father first, but, as she feared, he didn’t have one of her mother’s binding threads. There was an infinite seed of condensed magic within him that brought Sora’s mind back to her visit with her mother.
Fen couldn’t sense anything, and Sora got the feeling her mother’s magic functioned independently from this universe. It worked in a complex weave that knitted substances she knew nothing about, but it calmed her heart to see him resting so peacefully, lost in some dream about her mother.
Sleep well, Dad, she thought, bending over to kiss his forehead.
According to the doctor overlooking his condition, there was nothing wrong with him. He seemed to be in perfect health.
He showed brain activity, and if she wanted, there were technologies they could use to peer into his dreams, but Fen snorted at the doctor’s idea, agitating the man. She casually said that there was no technology they had, magical or otherwise, that could penetrate the literal firewall she sensed around his spirit.
Sora dismissed the idea; besides, she probably had access and could do that herself when she decided to hit the sack. It did spark a lot of questions within her, though, and she privately told the others when Wendy was distracted by Faia that she did not want Wendy to learn she’d been the one to hurt her father.
For some reason, the damage Wendy unknowingly did to her dad had caused a chain reaction that affected him beyond this universe’s boundaries. There was no way Jenny or Wendy had that ability, which meant it was something more deeply tied to his non-human origin.
A little frustrated, but glad to finally confirm he was okay, Sora asked to be notified if he awoke; she’d try Dream Walking later, as Fen called it, along with offering some guidance. Sora’s smile became strained when she proudly stated that dream manipulation was one of her specialties.
On their path into Mary’s room, Fen unsealed Faia’s mouth for a second time for him to cheer and apologize to the fox as if she was a goddess, making her puff up her chest; she seemed to be the easily flattered type of woman.
Entering the clean room, Sora’s magic brushed against Mary’s spirit, snapping the thread and making the brown-haired woman shoot up in her bed; her eyes darted to all the new faces in her room in a short panic.
“Wha… Sora, I… I think I saw your mother, or… some—where are we?” The woman’s mouth went slack as her gaze went to the window, showing a clear vision of the stars and base. “No…”
“The moon!” the younger twin cheered, jumping over to make a new friend. “Hello! I’m Faia, and you’re on the moon base of healing!”
“Lunar Site - 04, the Lunar Medical Institute,” Hinote corrected.
“Mmm.” Clearly overwhelmed, her bottom lip pulled in while she tried to organize her thoughts. “I… would like to speak to Sora and Wendy alone, please.”
“Of course,” Delvin nodded, motioning for the others to leave. “We will give you your privacy. Is there anything you’d like to question the doctor before she leaves?”
The pink-haired, middle-aged woman with a tablet stepped forward with a sociable smile. “I’m at your disposal, Doctor Jernigan.”
“Uh, yes… My husband?”
“In the opposite room. Should I have him brought in with you?”
“Yes, please, and thank you.”
They nodded and left. Once the door was shut, Mary threw off her blanket and adjusted her medical gown as Sora jumped to help her.
“Careful! You just woke up…”
“Eh-hehe. I’m okay, girls. I, umm… Wow. I’m a little blown away,” she whispered. Wendy helped with the IV, wheeling it beside Mary as she shifted to the window bench to stare out into the vastness of space. “I’m speechless… Your mother saved me, Sora.”
Wendy frowned, and she sucked in a breath, possibly trying to shove down some feelings as the word came up. “I don’t remember seeing Sora’s mom. Bummer. You okay?”
“Yes, girls—beautiful,” she whispered, spotting the Earth from an angle. “I’ve always wanted to go into space. Wow. I apologize; I’m just a little flustered,” she laughed, wiping at her eyes and rubbing her flushed cheeks as she turned to her. “Your mother asked me to help guide you where I can. Do you want to talk?”
Heat rising in Sora’s throat, she saw the same effect happening with her best friend; they both nodded, unable to say anything more.
Eyes softening, she opened her arms to welcome them into a hug. “I’m here to listen. What’s troubling you?”
Sora melted into her psychiatrist’s caring embrace; in such a short time, she’d come to trust this woman completely. It was rare that someone treated her so seriously and didn’t automatically think she was having some kind of teenage moment.
Wendy went first, half-unintelligible, as she expressed the pain she felt from her mother’s betrayal. It was hard for Sora to listen to without weeping at years of torment and abuse that Wendy had suffered at the hands of her envious and bitter mother. How she hadn’t seen it when dealing with Kari’s bullying or how much her best friend was struggling.
Her guilt at not seeing her struggles came out soon after that had Wendy crying and hugging her in response. Wendy expressed her own guilt at abandoning Sora to her fight against Kari’s pack of ravenous wolves that had them both rocking back and forth.
Throughout it all, Mary’s tender comments and actions helped to soothe the fire that burned their hearts. They’d come through a lot in the past three years, but now they had each other again; plus, in a way, despite the pain, Jane’s betrayal had opened the way for them to be real sisters.
During their unofficial session, Mary’s husband was wheeled in by the doctor, leaving them with a look that said she was sorry to intrude. When they worked through as much as they could at this stage in their emotional roller coaster, Sora used her magic to help clean up their tear-stained faces and flushed skin.
Sitting on the medical bed with Wendy as Mary sat beside her husband, fidgeting with his hair, Sora cleared her hoarse throat. “So… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. They think I’m some beyond-godly girl when I can’t even get people to believe that I’m bullied! It’s like the entire universe is being thrown on my shoulders…”
“Literally,” Wendy choked and rubbed her nose. “We’re just teenagers!”
Pulling her tail up to her lap, Sora stroked her fur, her mind returning to the way Hinote described it as some beautiful cosmic force. “Still… I do want to help people if I can. If some cosmic bullies want to come and enslave the world… how can I stand by and just do nothing? If I can do something… shouldn’t I?”
She looked up at Mary, who wore a small smile as she stared into her resting husband’s face. “At the end of the day, Sora, you can only do what you can. You are a teenager, and you may be blessed with incredible gifts, but only you can decide where to draw the boundary. If they are giving you all this authority, then take it and use it to figure out where you want to go.”
Mary giggled and looked up at the stars. “Your life is so wrapped in negativity that you’re missing out on all the beauty of it. Why don’t we work toward a more positive route? Explore! Look at all of this lying in front of you, and don’t see it as a job but an adventure. I’m here to support you in any way I can.”
Getting up to hug Mary, Sora held back her tears. “Thanks for helping us work through this stuff. Heh. I know a certain wolf that could probably use a good psychiatrist. Maybe I’ll recommend her,” she chimed, making the woman chuckle; Wendy still looked very much torn by the ‘semi-not-hate-Kari’ angle.
“You’ve matured so quickly, Sora… I’m here to help anyone that wants it.”
Snapping the thread around her husband that kept him unconscious, Sora motioned for Wendy to follow her out. “I’ll go grab the others and get back to you on my decision… I probably won’t solidify it until I can talk to my dad, though.”
“Of course. I’ll be here, enjoying the stars with my husband. Ah! We are such science fiction nerds. What is that giant tower and bubble over there… How can they hide all of this from the public… Trees… growing on the moon?! Haha! This is so… overwhelming.”
Happy to see Mary in such a good mood, she could feel herself resonating with the woman’s positive aura. It was time to wake up everyone and try to talk to her dad. Mary was right: big adventures were ahead in this mysterious veiled world that was peeling back, and if she let it, this new chapter in her life could be fun.
Waving to the confused man as his wife teased him, Sora found the others in the hallway. Delvin took them back to the rail system to reach the monster containment site, and she mentioned the bubble on the trip back; there appeared to be a small outpost fashioned right next to it that the train went to.
Fen snickered at the question and told her something unbelievable; apparently, that impassable dome was home to A-2686, the ‘Moon Wizard.’ Devlin confirmed it, sparking her interest.
Well, I have to check that out!
------------------
