“So, what do you think?” Dr. Lawrence asked.
We were in one of the many parlors and I was checking out the new furniture. There was also a big screen TV against the wall. The house was stocked with other amenities for the hybrids’ entertainment and education, such as computers, arcade games, pool tables, exercise equipment, art supplies, and even classrooms.
“It looks expensive. I can’t help but think I’m somehow going to end up paying for all this in some way. This looks way too good for us, I feel guilty.”
“I’d rather our tax dollars be spent on those girls than building bombs.”
I looked up to one of the corners to ceiling and saw a small device. “That’s one of the cameras, isn’t it?”
“Yep, everything will be recorded.”
“Even when I’m in the bathroom?”
“We’ll tell you how to turn those cameras off when you need to.”
“Good, because the girls and I don’t plan on being celibate while we’re here.”
“Oh, don’t turn them off then! That’s one of the things we need to study most!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“If this phenomenon continues, how long do you think it will be before humans and hybrids start petitioning for the right to marry? We’ve already had some cases of house pets transforming, so unless all those cases occurred with people who happen to have the same ability, it’s going to keep happening, and a lot of men are probably going to take the same route you’ve taken. Interspecies coupling is what we really want to study.”
“Oh, Lorraine is going to have a field day with this.”
I came home to find Momo and Sonja watching the news on the couch. With this warm weather, they were naked, though not Leah, who was sitting on the floor. On TV, it was another story of an animal transforming. This time it was a bird man appearing in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
“Hey, girls, what’s up?” I sat between Momo and Sonja on the couch and they leaned against me.
“What’s the new house like?” Sonja asked.
“You’ll like it, it’s really big. There is a lot of open land around it, including a forest. And I checked out the bedroom. Leah, there’s a nice big tank for you to sleep in, right next to the bed.
“Mmmm!” she hummed, slapping the floor with her tail.
“By the way, where’s Chloe?”
“Momo thinks she’s taking a nap. She’s been hiding under the bed since you left.”
“I’ll go check on her.” I went upstairs, and when I entered the bedroom, I heard sniffles. I looked under the bed and saw Chloe, lying in her sleeping bag with wet cheeks. “Chloe, what’s wrong?” She didn’t answer, so I crawled under the bed and dried her eyes. “What is it?”
“I don’t want to go to the new house!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to leave. This is the only home I have!”
“Oh, Chloe.” I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close. “It’s not going to be permanent, just a few months. And while we’re gone, this house is going to get fixed up to give us more room.”
“But I like our house the way it is! I don’t want it to change!”
“Well it’s not just for us. You know our family is going to keep growing. We’ll get a bigger bedroom and a bigger bed so we can all sleep together. Remember how we all snuggled up together during that big storm? It’ll be like that every night. And you know, next month, we’re going to get all the girls and guys from the zoo. The first animal I transformed was a tiny fox, and when I saw her, she reminded me so much of you. Her name is Lola and I can’t wait for you to meet.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and you know, we can come back here whenever we want. After all, we need to start harvesting our vegetable garden. Maybe you and I could slip out some time. We’ll pick up something to eat and spend a night here all to ourselves. Plus, I don’t have to go into work anymore, so we’ll be together every day. Hell, you may even get sick of me always being around and will want some time to yourself.”
“I could never get sick of Master!” she squealed.
“I know, I’m just teasing. I promise you, we’re going to have a great time, so will you give the new place a chance?”
“Ok.”
“Good, then let’s head downstairs and I’ll cook dinner.”
The next day, we loaded our stuff into the car. All of Sonja’s frisbees and tennis balls took up a surprising amount of room, but I was able to convince her that she didn’t need to bring her sled. Chloe chose to ride with all of her beanie babies in her lap, and next to her, Momo was wrapped in her precious electric blanket, even though it wasn’t plugged in and spring was ending. The three of them were in the back seat, but a lot of our luggage was in the passenger seat. This was so that Leah had room in the very back. Because of her thick salamander tail, it was hard for her to sit in chairs.
“Don’t worry, girls, we’ll come back at the end of the summer.”
“I can’t wait to see this new place! I love going for rides!” said Sonja.
“Cars remind Momo of the vet…” the feline muttered.
We pulled out of the driveway and headed off towards the mansion. It was an hour-long drive, so we’d have plenty of time together in the car. I played music for them through the AUX cord, letting them see what they liked. With the sun shining overhead and the windows open, it was a beautiful day and a great trip.
“Master, everyone is going to be there, right? Elise, Lorraine, Betty, and the pillar men?” Momo asked.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“We won’t have to take care of any cows, will we?”
“No, there won’t be any cows, don’t worry.”
We reached the mansion in the early afternoon, the massive house leaving the girls with wide eyes. We got there just as Lorraine and Elise arrived. Lorraine had driven with the pillar men in her own car, but Elise and Betty were driven by someone from the CDC in a rental van. It was the only vehicle that could comfortably accommodate her snake tail. Dr. Lawrence was already waiting out front, along with some other doctors from the CDC. As we got out of the car, there was hushed mutterings as they saw the girls and the pillar men.
“Master, they’re staring at us,” Chloe whimpered as she hid behind me.
I turned around and put my hands on her shoulders. “That’s because they’re amazed by you. You’re a living miracle to them.”
“Though I think most of their stares are directed at me,” said Elise, slithering over.
“So, you finally left the house,” I said.
“Yeah, it feels so good to have the sun on my skin.”
“How does your tail feel?”
The mansion driveway was gravel, but a very high-quality gravel, pure stone of all the same mineral with no sand or dirt visible. An old-school Irish nun would look at it and fantasize of all the children she’d force to kneel as punishment for some minor offense.
“It actually feels kind of nice. It seems my underside is tougher than I thought it was. It’s like walking barefoot across a lawn.”
“Did you meet the people who will be watching your farm?”
“Yeah, there are five of them, and they were all really nice. They’ve all had plenty of experience working on farms and around animals, especially cows. They’ll be staying in my house while I’m gone.”
Dr. Lawrence and the other doctors came over to greet us. “Ah, right on time,” he said.
“Damn, so this where we’re going to be staying? This is sweet! Living in a mansion and getting rammed by three guys every night, I finally know what it’s like to be a Kardashian!” Lorraine exclaimed.
“Ugh, it’s like she has Tourette Syndrome,” Elise groaned.
Lawrence cleared his throat. “Moving along… These are the doctors that will be observing your day to day activities and also performing medical examinations. They fought tooth and nail for the chance to be your observers. You and your pets have opened up a whole branch of psychology, sociology, and biology.”
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