“You don’t have to. You’re free to roam the house and the outside as much as you want, whenever you want. It can be the middle of the night, you can run laps around the house if you want. The only rules are to stay on the property, don’t make messes, and don’t disturb others.”
The new hybrids were all in a state of shock. They had all grown up in the zoo, spending their lives behind fences. The idea of freedom was completely foreign to them.
I saw Chloe move into the crowd from the edge, something that she would normally be far too shy to do. She came face to face with Lola, the two of them staring at each other. Minus their animal traits, they looked and acted so much alike they could have been sisters.
“You’re Lola, aren’t you?” Chloe asked, wringing her tail in her hands.
“Are you Chloe?” Lola asked in turn, hiding her arms behind her back to she could grip her own tail for comfort.
“Master told me a lot about you. He said he couldn’t wait for us to meet.”
“Yeah, he said the same thing to me.”
No more words were spoken, both girls blushing in embarrassment, but they were also smiling.
The tour ended with us all outside behind the house. All the hybrids, even my girls and Lorraine’s boys, were running around the fields, in and out of the woods, jumping and playing in the sun. Lorraine, Elise, and I were sitting on the patio, watching them having the time of their life.
“It’s like the liberation of France,” said Elise.
“When I first started turning them at the zoo, and when I first saw them in that hospital, I felt so guilty for what I had done, for the life I had forced on them, but maybe with this, I can finally start to do right by them,” I said.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re kind of a drama queen?” asked Lorraine. “Seriously, listen to yourself. ‘I felt so guilty for what I had done, for the life I had forced on them, but maybe with this, I can finally start to do right by them.’ That’s the kind of thing you’d hear from the overacted character in every AMC show.”
“Says the girl whose entire existence is alcoholism, sex jokes, and anime references. You’re like the poster girl for every Spencer’s and Hot Topic in America.”
Elise ended up laughing so hard that she gave herself hiccups.
“I’m not taking shit from a vanilla fucker who couldn’t even handle my pinky. You dish it out, but you can’t take it.”
“In the last week, how many Facebook posts have you shared of a picture of the Joker or some other bad guy with some edgy wannabe-individualist quote they never said?” Lorraine wanted to respond but couldn’t. “Let me guess, at least one of them said something like ‘throw me to the wolves, or I’ll return leading the pack’. How many of them talked about not giving a fuck? I bet at least half of them were about people being fake or how many times you’ve been “betrayed” in the past.”
Lorraine wordlessly got up and went back into the house and Elise gave me a high-five with her tail.
The rest of the day was spent helping everyone get familiar with the house and with each other. I spoke with every girl, touching base with them to make sure they were happy. I had long since memorized all their names, getting to know each and every one of them during those weekends in the hospital. They picked out their rooms and played for hours in the sun. When it was time for the evening news, we had to bring in furniture from other rooms so that everyone would have a place to sit. My couch was pushed to the back of the room and as many girls as possible piled on, all of them wanting to snuggle up with me.
I doubt many of them were really paying attention, and if they were, whether or not they actually understood. The only stories that caught their attention were the appearances of more hybrids. The rate of their appearances was increasing. Just a little while ago, there would be one report every few days, but now, there could be five or even more every night. Countless glances were directed back at me and Lorraine.
“Master, are you doing this?” Talia asked. Jenny had asked the same thing when she first watched the news.
“No, I’m not, at least I don’t think I am. The doctors and I think that these cases are happening naturally, unlike all of you who Lorraine and I created.”
“What’s going to happen to them?” Saul, Lorraine’s peacock man asked. He was sitting in back with us since his massive tail feathers would otherwise block everyone’s view.
“They’re going to homes like this one so they can be studied and kept safe. Dr. Lawrence told me that an adoption program is being developed so that they can be looked after in more relaxed environments.”
Dinner came, and the sound in the dining room was absolutely thunderous, more than a hundred people all gathered around one long table. Actually, the table had to be extended for everyone to take a seat. No longer were Elise and I doing the cooking. The CDC had hired chefs to prepare huge bulk meals, setting out tables covered in food in the kitchen, buffet style, and everyone would fill up a plate and sit in the dining room. Normally Momo and others would eat from their bowls on the floor, but with so many new additions, they didn’t want to be pushed out so they flanked me on either side.
“Mistress, what are we going to do tomorrow?” Brock, Lorraine’s rhino, asked.
“Well the doctors might want to perform some tests, but we can pretty much do whatever we want. I was thinking I might show you guys how to play on my Xbox tomorrow,” she said.
“Master, what about us?” Amanda, a grizzly bear asked. She had the same kind of hairstyle as Gloria and Linda, but with soft fur also growing from her hands. Her fingers were tipped with sharp claws and she had a poof ball tail like Jenny’s, though smaller.
“I’m not sure. I guess we’ll just figure it out in the morning.”
After dinner, there was plenty of time before bed, so the hybrids continued exploring the property and everything it had to offer. I had convinced the CDC to give them means of entertainment at the hospital, such as foosball tables, ping pong, and some video games, so they already knew how to enjoy many of the activities available at the mansion.
Neija stood in an empty hallway, staring out the window at the moon. “What do you want?” she demanded.
From around the corner, Momo appeared. “Momo wanted to see you.”
“Well go away, I don’t want to see you.”
Regardless, Momo walked over. “What was it like being a big cat?”
Neija, who only knew of her original lion race, looked at her in confusion. “Weren’t you one as well?”
“No, Momo was a small cat. That was back when it was just Momo and Master together. Momo was small enough to sit in his lap. Momo still does, but it’s not quite the same.”
Neija looked back at the moon. “I don’t care, just leave me alone.”
“Are you mad at Momo? Did Momo do something wrong?”
“You really don’t get it, do you? Your Master made me what I am simply to help keep you safe and then he left me behind. I’m just a tool for your benefit.”
“Master didn’t leave you behind. Master was worried about you every day, he told Momo, and Momo was worried too. He was counting down the days until he could see you again.”
“He cares more about you than he does any of us. So why should I care about him?”
“Because Master loves you.”
Neija scoffed and walked away. “That’s the same stupid answer he gave me the first time.”
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