I checked behind me for traffic, then opened my door, retreived my bag from the back seat, and crossed the street, heading for the game cafe. I checked my watch. 7:46, I'm early. Still got some time to grab a drink before she gets here. I zipped up my jacket and started down the sidewalk. A minute later, I could see the cafe. I searched through the windows for people I knew as I walked to the door. There weren't that many this evening, maybe a dozen people around the place. Kenny was here, naturally. Nate was working this evening. Allen and Nick were sitting across from each other at one of the small tables, "likely in a heated game of Magic..." I thought as I opened the door. <authorial note> "Magic" referrs to the card game Magic: The Gathering </authorial note> The tone of the security system granted me the attention of everyone in the room for a full second before they returned to their games. I walked to the small table to analyze the match. If Nick didn't get rid of Allen's "Adarkar Valkyrie," he would lose within three turns...
"Hey Matt!" Kenny beckoned. I walked to where he had his laptop set up and took my bag off, leaning it against a chair.
"What's up?"
"Check out the specs on this new ATI card! Are they not FREAKIN AMAZING?!?"
Nate, from behind the counter, added, "Hell yeah, they are! This card's blowing everything Nvidia has out of the water!"
I took a cursory glance at the benchmarks. "Wow..." I muttered. Indeed, they were impressive... I checked my watch again. 7:49. She said she'd be here around 8:00...
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Ross parked the car in the small lot behind the cafe. I got out and checked my watch. 7:55, we were making good time. I pulled the hem of my hoodie down over my waist and shivered. Humans amaze me: I saw them wearing T-shirts and shorts on the drive up here. Insane, in this climate. Maybe that's why most of them are stupid, they don't take care of themselves...
I started walking down the alley towards the main street, where the sidewalk would lead me to the cafe to meet up with Matt. Ross locked the car with the remote keyfob and began to follow me. I stopped and said, "Don't you think you should wait here?"
"No, I'm here to make sure nothing goes wrong."
"If you don't want to screw things up, you'll stay here. I told Matt I'm meeting him alone." It was the truth, that's what I had told him last night on the instant messenger.
"I'm here to protect you."
"So I can't look after myself? There's a whole bunch of geek teenagers in there, I'll be fine. Stay with the car, I'll be back in... maybe a half hour."
"And if you don't return within a half hour?"
I smiled and, using as much sarcasm as I could, I replied, "Then come in with all guns blazing." More seriously, I added, "I'll try not to be too long, I know they want him before 2300."
He conceded, and I walked towards the cafe, mercifully alone.
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"...I'll tap two manna, which makes this guy a 7/7, and attack with this, this, and this..."
"Yeah, I'm done."
"Yup. Play again?"
"Yeah, sure."
And so, Allen lost the match.
I left the match table and picked out a bottle of IBC from the fridge. I paused and thought, "Should I get two? ...maybe she doesn't like root beer? Oh, hell, who doesn't like IBC?" And so I grabbed two. I paid at the counter, then found a table and pulled my laptop out of my bag. I waited while it booted into Windows 2000 (my OS of choice) and pulled up deviantArt, Fur Affinity, and my Facebook page in Firefox.
"Dammit, nothing new..." I muttered. I closed dA and FA, then updated my Facebook status to, "I am at the game cafe." To kill time, I pulled Winamp up and hooked my headphones in. I checked my watch again. 7:57. I felt anxiety in my stomach. I thought, "Why am I so nervous? I know this chick, I've just never met her..." I opened up my 'calm' playlist and tried to relax.
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At the end of the alleyway I turned right and saw the game cafe. The building looked recently renovated, the windows were old and warped, and the paint of the beige facade appeared new. It was placed in a block full of old buildings. A sign farther down the street advertised something about "Historic Downtown," and below that, "Founded 1839."
I walked past the shop once, looking through the windows, trying to spot Matt. I didn't want to walk in and look like I don't know what I'm doing. He wasn't hard to find, relaxing in a chair with his laptop and some headphones. He had his eyes closed. "Must be deep in thought," I murmured and smiled. After passing the cafe once, I turned around and walked up to the door. A plaque on the door said something about the "National Register of Historic Sites." I had my hand on the door, about to open it. I glanced at my watch. 8:00, right on schedule.
A high pitched tone announced my arrival when I opened the door. I noticed everyone in the room look up at me, then returned to their game worlds. Matt opened his eyes and stared, before pulling his headphones off and asking, "Lydia?"
I hoped this was the right girl. If it was, her profile shot on Facebook did not do her justice.
She answered, "Yup! So you're Matt? Good to see you in person." She sat down across from me, so I moved my laptop off to the side.
I pushed the other bottle of IBC towards her. "Here, I took the liberty of buying you a drink."
Her eyes widened, and she appeared curious. "Thanks, what is it?" she asked, holding up the bottle.
"It's root beer. Twist the cap off."
...after some conversation... <authorial note> Add in smalltalk later </authorial note>
"So, you want to go to my house?"
I was surprised at the proposition, but not apprehensive. She obviously wanted to get to know me, and I knew I wanted to get to know her.
"Sure, gimme a sec to shut this thing down and pack it up, and I'll be ready to go." I shut my laptop off and zipped it in my bag, then pulled my jacket off the chair and put it on. Kenny gave me a quizzical look as we left. I winked at him and closed the door behind me.
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"That went well," I thought as I stepped outside. It was colder with the sun down, and I buried my hands in my hoodie pockets. I never quite understood how humans live without fur, it just boggles my mind.
<authorial note to himself> before we go any further, it'd help to really define Lydia, make a sort of reference sheet for her personality and style. It's getting tougher to write as this chick and not know her.
...well, really, she's similar to myself, and enjoys a lot of the same things I do, with the exception of a few human-centric things, such as video games, the Internet, but is decent with technology, she can hold her own. I figure that their tech is roughly similar to ours. As far as her personality, I wrote earlier, give her a bit of spunk, she's independent, like me. She doesn't take shit, but unlike me, she's willing to be confrontational with somebody over an issue. She's not quite as easy-going and laid back as I am. But overall, she's like myself: intellectual, likes music, has the spark of creativity, finds peace in nature, and enjoys life.
Regarding humans, she's generally accepting, but not approving. She would miss her world profoundly if she left it for any extended period of time.
Physically, she's of average height, perhaps slightly shorter than myself.
</authorial note>
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I followed Lydia out of the shop and down the alley 'round back of the shop. Turning the corner, I found a black Lincoln sedan and a man sitting in the driver's seat. He stepped out of the car once he saw us approach, and silently opened the back door. Stepdad, perhaps? I climbed in first, putting my bag between my feet. Lydia got in first, and sat behind the driver's seat. I climbed in next, and put my bag between my feet. The man returned to the wheel and drove us onto the main roads.
From the cafe, he headed south, towards the upscale subdivision of Deer Cliff. The ride was silent in the luxury sedan, nobody talked, the radio was off, and the engine noise was a faint purr, even though we were going 60 MPH over the hills. I stayed silent and tried to predict what our destination was. We had turned right too early to he heading towards Deer Cliff, we drove past Hunter's Ridge and Hampton Woods, but she might live near me, because this is the route I always take home from the cafe... But we didn't stop when we passed my house. I pointed my place out as we drove past. She seemed interested, so perhaps she's interested in me, too.
But we kept driving. At this point I was thoroughly confused. Chances are, this guy's new to the area, and doesn't know any shortcuts. But he seemed sure of his route, he never paused at a stoplight or stopsign.
We continued out past the large subdivisions into the farmland surrounding the town. I thought to myself, "Damn, she must have a huge house out here somewhere..." She definitely wasn't a farmer. And the houses I'd seen out here that weren't farmhouses were quarter of a million dollar homes back in the random woods that popped up along the road. This area recalled a memory made several months ago...
I had been driving home from a friend's house, and I had time to kill, so I had taken the long way home. I drove with the windows all the way down, hi-beams on, doing a lazy 40 in a 55 zone. Air from the comfortably cool summer night siphoned all thought from my conscious... it was an addictive sensation.
I drove on. A few minutes of this led me to a stretch of desolate road. I made a crazy decision and pulled my van over, <authorial note> yes, I drive a van in RL </authorial note> and turned everything off. For a mile in both directions, nothing but corn and soybeans. I reclined my seat and stared upwards. I relaxed, knowing I was alone with just myself, and the stars and moon the only observers. Totally at peace, nothing to bother me, with the stars and the Moon watching. And I stayed there for nearly a half hour. I had almost fallen asleep, too, and that could have been disastrous... I had returned and repeated this activity only twice, when I had needed complete silence to sort out my thoughts.
Something in my brain brought me back to Earth. In disbeleif, I recognized where we were. This was the same road my spot was on! And the driver was braking...? I looked for a house, but there was none in sight. I checked to see if we were about to hit something. The road was clear.
Something dense and hard seemed to fall into my stomach. Something's wrong. Why was he stopping out here? And why, why was he stopping at my spot...?
He pulled the Lincoln onto the side of the road and stopped the engine. I let a full second pass before I asked, "Why'd we just stop?"
"You're coming with us," was the answer from the driver. He reached into his jacket and turned around in his seat. He had produced a handgun, now aimed at my chest. "Open the door and get out... No, bring the bag. You'll need it."
As I leaned over for my bag, I looked to my left. Lydia was watching me. I noticed that she had unbuckled, and her arm was on the seat near me.
No, it was crazy... and I couldn't do that to her. Not to her. And so I let the idea go. I wrenched my bag from beneath the seat and stepped out of the car.
No doubts, this was my spot, the same empty stretch of road. The corn and soybeans had been harvested, and it was a little colder, but this was it. Same stars, same moon (now full and round), same light pollution from the South. I heard the other two doors open behind me, but I didn't turn around. Lydia said, "Ross, you can holster that thing. Do you seriously think he'll run? He doesn't have the keys to the car." I heard the man, Ross, grumble. Lydia then said, "Thank you." Presumably, he had holstered the weapon. I could tell she was walking around the car towards me. I didn't turn to look.
"Hey Matt?" She sounded tenative, almost scared. She had come to stand next to me. I asked in a solemn and accusing tone, "What are you doing," then I turned to face her, "And where are we going?"
"You're coming with _me_," she insisted. I studied her. The internal lights of the car were all I had. My pen light was in my pocket, but I hadn't thought to use it until now. But I didn't want to try anything, knowing Ross was armed.
She looked sad. I waited for her to continue, but when she did not, I queried further, "Listen, where are we going? And why'd we stop here, of all places? Are we going to your house or not?"
Her face told me nothing. Her experession was... pitiful? mourning? She started, "Well..." then reconsidered. She explained, "It's hard for me to remember how I wanted to put all this, but... we're taking you away from here. You'll be gone for a long time, and you'll be leaving your family and friends. I'm sorry you didn't have a chance to say goodbye, but... we need you. And we can't allow you to second guess a decision. It's the perfect time. You have so much to offer to us, and we have so much we can offer you..."
My brain was freezing up. Is she seriously...? Is she really a...?
I interrupted, "Listen, Lydia, I really don't give a shit for what I'm leaving. But where exactly are you going with this? And who's 'we'?" I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder.
She bit her lip, hesitating again. But sounding reassured, she started, "To answer that, it'd be easier to show you..."
"No," Ross interjected. I did not turn around. "Not here, not now. Later, once we arrive."
"Yes here, yes now," Lydia snapped. "He should know."
"And you shouldn't be blowing our cover."
"To who? The one human who needs to know anyway? Do you seriously see any humans spying on us?" Her terminology struck me cold.
"Don't underestimate humans. They could have a spy satellite on us right now."
"And for what reason would they do that? Ross, I'm showing him anyway, and you can't stop me," she finished, defiant.
He took a loud, deep breath to show his disapproval, but remained silent. I restrained myself from mocking him, he was paranoid!
I looked back at Lydia. She looked back to me.
"Thought I'd show you who I really am..." She took a step away from the car, in the fringes of the light. She wiped a hand across her face, in the same way one would wipe sweat away. I thought the bad light was playing with my vision, because she appeared blurry for a moment. But then she came into focus and stepped toward me, into better light. Ross grumbled again...
She had changed. Her entire fucking body had changed. She had taken the form of an anthropomorphic female fox, a vixen. Flaming red fur, long bushy tail, canid muzzle, complete with furred ears.
I just... kind of stood there.
The entirety of my concious brain was blank. No thoughts, just overwhelming shock. Through the fog, my shoulder started hurting from my bag, so I dropped it, not taking my eyes off Lydia, as if she would disappear if I looked away.
She smiled, one of those 'Sorry I Didn't Tell You Until Now' smiles that I've seen in movies where the girl tells the guy she's pregnant.
"This is who we are. You call it, 'furry'. Our word translates as "family".
<authorial note> I am NOT going to use their language anywhere, because I am too lazy to make it up. That is all. </authorial note>
How much does she already know about me? Heh, the way things are going, she could be reading my mind...
I tenatively reached out. "Can I...?"
She nodded, and stepped closer. With my hand, I brushed the fur on her neck (Ross grumbled again) and let my hand fall back to my side.
"So... why me?"
"That'll be explained once we arrive." I suddenly was anxious. Does she mean that it won't be her...?
"Are you two done yet?" Ross asked, impatient.
Lydia made a wordless inquiry, and I replied with a nod. I shouldered my bag and followed Lydia, who followed Ross across the road and out into the cornfield.
"What about the car?" I asked.
Ross answered, "It was stolen, they'll find it." I kept quiet and followed.
We walked through the broken stalks of corn, all silent. I kept my hands in my jacket pocket to give them refuge from the cold Autumn night.
About fifty feet into the field, Ross halted and turned to face us. He reached into his jacket, into the pocket opposite his holster. From there he produced a chain necklace, with a small, transparent orb attatched to the end. He undid the clasp and put it around his neck.
He then pulled out two more, and handed them to Lydia and myself. The chain was long enough for me to slip it on without undoing the clasp. Even then, it hung a good six inches down my chest. I looked to Lydia for instruction, but she was looking at Ross, so I looked to Ross.
He stood with his arms folded and his chin on his chest, meditating.
Quite suddenly, light shone on his chest. A tiny white light was shining inside the crystal sphere on his neck.
Then Lydia's lit up, then mine. I stared down at mine, and I remember thinking, "Wish I could have one of these. Much better than a penlight..."
Without warning, my world turned black. I noticed stars... Stars?!?
I felt no sensation of movement, but my eyes told me I was moving at a physically impossible rate. Stars blurred as we flew through space. Lydia and Ross were still with me.
And quite suddenly, it stopped.
Looking around, we were now in a deciduous forest, in the middle of the day. The light felt ultra-bright after being in the middle of the night a few seconds ago. I shielded my eyes.
Here too, it was Fall; half the leaves were already on the ground. It reminded me of Stillwater Prairie, and I relaxed.
Lydia tapped my shoulder. "This way, come on!" she urged. I could tell she was excited: my dog acts the same way. She practically skipped down the path. I could see a black panther farther down the trail: I assumed it to be Ross in his natural form.
I readjusted my grip on my laptop bag and walked beside Lydia.
"Where are we now?"
"We've home!" Lydia was practically singing it.
"OK, but *where* are we?" I readjusted my pace to keep up.
"This is Acadia, my hometown. Largest city in the country, and it's the capitol of Iberia. We're going down to the labs at the bottom of the hill."
We had started going downhill. I tried to keep up with Lydia, who was bounding ahead. Literally, she was more skipping than walking. And after descending perhaps thirty feet of elevation, I met her at the bottom. At the base of the hill, we had arrived at what looked like a college campus. It was a bunch of recent (at least, by my standards of 'recent') brick buildings surrounding a common green. A sign told me this was the, "Acadia Research Labs". Lydia was beckoning to me. She held a back door open to the closest building. I adjusted my grip on my bag again, and followed her inside.
Inside, a welcome committee waited.