Family, page 19
Cass nodded and scribbled on her notes. "I have thought about that, but not to the beauty and hygiene products. But I must say, no tampons is very, very nice."
Toni and McKenna responded with 'Amens' while the men just looked vaguely uncomfortable.
They went their own ways and Toni headed to the basement. The kids had created their own play area. Books, some construction blocks, and a TV with approved video games. The four of them were in a pile, each with a book. Nam was coloring in her coloring book, while Jamie's looked like something she'd expect a high schooler to read. Charley and Jessi were reading the same book, it looked like one of the magic school ones. If nothing else, his craving for the stories had made Jessi's reading level up in leaps and bounds.
All their heads jerked up when she came down the stairs. The immediate tension in Jessi and Jamie made her cringe.
"Do we have to leave?" Jessi blurted and Toni wanted to cry and scream at the same time. Instead, she focused on remembering they were healthier and happier than she had ever seen them.
"That was what I wanted to talk to you about." They sat up looking at her, wariness clear on their faces. Exasperation washed through her, but she made a concerted effort to not let it get into her tone. "We are planning on going back to California as soon as possible." She sat down, not liking the idea of looming over them as she talked to them. Treating them as if they had no say so in this would only make it more difficult for all of them. "Kenna and I discussed it and we understand how much you like to stay together. And we are okay with it." She placed specific emphasis on those words and saw all of them relax. "That being said, we may need to move you between houses occasionally and as McKenna works to get custody of Nam legally, you may need to sleep in your own rooms in separate houses."
They instantly began to protest and Toni raised her hand. "I know. But you two," she nodded at her kids, "want to make sure Nam can stay, right?" They all looked at each other and nodded slowly. "Then you will need to work with us and help us do it right. But we will work very hard to make sure you spend most nights together."
A sigh of relief ripped through the room. "Okay, Mom," the twins chorused.
"Good. Now, if you would, pick up and pack everything you can. Yell if you need help from anyone."
The nodded their agreement and Toni went back upstairs. She knew she needed to get the information to the parents about the option she had for them, but she thought it might be bigger than that. But she needed to be back in California to really do anything.
~I would like to return. Is that permissible?~ Rarz's voice rang in their shared mindspace.
Huh, he must have opened a micro portal to talk to us. We really need to learn how to do that. Most useful thing ever.
~Sure. Actually that might make it easier for us if you're willing to do some portals for us.~
~Of course. I can start teaching you how to use the paths if you wish.~
Toni blinked at the parallel of her thoughts.
~Oh, that would be wonderful.~ Cass's excitement bubbled through the mindspace and Toni fought back a smile.
Toni felt the creation of the portal and glanced out to the back and saw the silver swirl appear. Unable to resist, she watched him stride out of the portal and it slowly collapse behind him. With him here it opened a lot more possibilities. The urge to be out of the house and to make it more difficult for even the good guys in the government was nigh irresistible.
~What do you think about going back tonight? All of us. I'm thinking we shouldn’t be so easy for them to find. Granted, we'll be home but they can't just drive over anymore.~ Her question hung in the mind space for a long moment.
~Yes. I think that would be best. Besides, I want to talk to my parents about this in person, not over the phone. I'm a bit paranoid about any of these things being talked about online or over the air. I don't know if they would try to stop us, but I’m not sure I want them to know we are part of what the Drakyn are going to present. Oh, they'll guess but they won't know if we don't tell them.~ Perc's calm logical voice put into words the feeling that kept Toni uncomfortable and feeling like something bad was about to happen.
~Agreed. I guess we're packing hard and fast tonight.~ McKenna matched actions to words as she rose and by the time Rarz walked in the back door everyone was moving with a purpose, even the kids. They seemed excited to go home, though at least part of it probably related to getting back to their obstacle course and being able to really stretch their animal forms in McKenna’s back yard. If they were going to stay, a fence might be needed but for now the adults would always be around. And they would be carrying.
In two hours everything was packed. Toni had the least and the kids were going with McKenna, at least for now.
"Rarz, can you do a portal to my house first? I have a lot to do there." She'd only been gone a day, so she knew nothing major would have happened but from the emails Sarah had sent her, the level of stress seemed high.
"Of course, Tonan."
Hearing her full name in his deep voice caused ripples down her back she didn't want to address. She remembered when she told it to him. The dream world had called to her the night she started her period and her mom had told her she was entering womanhood. The dream offered an escape. Being a kid was hard enough, she didn't know if she could handle being a woman, but either way she had told the dragon man she was a woman now, so he could call her Tonan, not the little girl name of Toni.
She laughed to herself. That conceit had lasted about a week and she'd gone back to Toni, and her full name remained something private and rare to hear from anyone.
The portal let her out at her front door and the three boxes and duffel bag followed. She felt it snap close behind her and she already missed the scent and sound of the others.
Enough. You have people to call and a what? An escape? Migration? Wonder if this is how the Irish or the Pilgrims felt? Persecuted and hounded. Not knowing if where they were going was going to be better or worse? I have a lot more empathy for the early settlers now than I ever did in school.
Shaking her head at her own silliness, she lugged all the stuff inside, dumping the laundry and getting it going first. Then she sat down and called Sarah.
"Toni, do you have any news?" No hello, just the desperate question. It caused whiskers to ache, whiskers she didn't have in this form.
"I have an option. How about a potluck at my house? Only Shifters or their families. If you need someone to watch your kids, McKenna said they could come over and play with our kids."
"Done. What time and what do you want me to bring?" Immediate acceptance, not even hesitation. That bad feeling got worse.
"Food, something to eat. About six? You need Kenna's address?" Toni passed over all the information then repeated the call to Sorrel, and all the other parents on her list. Ones that she thought would care. She didn't bother calling the Bara's.
Tonight is going to be interesting. Wonder if they'll believe me.
That struck and she thought. ~Rarz?~
~Yes?~
~Would Alinis be willing to let me have some more lasm and your honey? I want to prove to people that there is another world with edible food. It will help hammer home what I am talking about.~
A minute of silence and her mind filled in the calling his mother, asking the question, the reply. She rubbed her face. When had her world gotten so weird?
~Oppay says she would be delighted. I'll bring it to you in one of your hours?~
~Perfect. Thank you and thank her for me.~
He agreed and signed off. She could tell McKenna and the others hadn't made it back to the house yet. The lights still felt far away.
Now to get ready for a house party I guess. And try to convince people to leave this world.
26
Dinner Display
The study of the weird virus has reached a fever pitch with people wanting to know if they have this disease as more people shun the very idea of being a Shifter. With the backing of some very religious corporations, all who have taken the stance that anything of alien origin is not in "God's design," the research is advancing quickly. Rumor is that within the next month or two there will be a test to look for the virus in anyone. Is this a wave of testing like they do for drugs? Where everyone tests to see if you are a Shifter as part of the job application? ~ TNN Science
* * *
The first knock on the door made her jump and glance at the clock. Ten minutes early, but that would be about right. She didn't know for sure who would come. She had called Sorrel, Sarah, Pearl Chun, Don Hauff, Mariposa Juarez, the Williamsons, and the Harnens. Toni thought about calling the Baras for all of six seconds, but if their daughter was worth so little, she didn't care about them. As Sorrel said, the Morzovs had moved, which she felt bad about. Ivan Morzov had been an impressive man. He also changed, but into a wolverine while his daughter became a spectacled bear. Some had seemed enthused, others wary and suspicious. At least two had asked if they could bring others.
This might be good or a complete disaster. I'm glad I bought extra whiskey.
Pulling open the door, Pearl Chun, the mother of Ping, stood there. A small woman, round face, her hair was in a tight bun that only accentuated it. Her normal placid expression had cracks in it. Her daughter turned into a panda, as did Pearl, something that had been regarded with great favor. At least it had when they met.
"Pearl. I'm glad you could come."
Pearl looked at her and took a deep breath before she stepped in, a large container in her hands. "I almost didn't. But it came out that we could change when those aliens came after us. My family in China hasn't been heard from since they attacked. At this point we may have no more choice." She hefted the dish. "Where should I place this?"
Toni gestured to the counter. She had bought a bunch of chicken fingers, easy to eat things with various dips. Cooking wasn't something she had the energy for right now. Before either of them could say anything the bell sounded and people kept arriving. By 6:45 she had a full house. Most of the people were the ones she had known, parents of children who shifted. In most cases at least one of the parents also shifted except for the Harnens. Their oldest son also changed. He was seventeen and trying to decide what to do. The new people were both single parents of a Shifter child. Laurel Otto, whose eight-year-old turned into a wolf, she was in the same class as Charley. And Joseph Kilian. He was a huge light-skinned black man, with sharp eyes and graying hair. His grandson was the one who changed, his daughter long out of the picture. At thirteen Luke didn't know how to feel about the mix of popularity for shifting followed by the hate. Joseph had agreed to come when Sorrel mentioned it.
When everyone had food, more to give them something to play with, Toni set a covered box down on the small coffee table but didn't open it. The eyes of everyone present snapped to her, then to the box. The silence seemed tense, as if the wrong word would cause it to explode.
Here it goes. Either they'll believe or storm out calling me crazy. And I wouldn't blame them for either reaction.
"For those of you who don't know me. I'm Toni Diaz. My twin kids and I all shift into black jaguars. One of my best friends is McKenna Largo." One person inhaled a sharp short breath, so at least one person hadn't known who she hung around with. "I'm sure all of you saw the crash of the alien ship?" It had been broadcast on damn near every network. The cameras at White Sands had captured the entire thing, though the resolution had not been good enough at the distance they landed to show anything of the burial except the smoke billowing into the air. The crash had broken the Neilson ratings.
When everyone nodded, she swallowed and continued. "Now what I’m going to tell you is, while not classified information, is stuff that we really don't want to get out. If it does and anyone asks me about it, I'll deny everything." She waited until they all nodded. "I was involved in helping the ship land. Trust me, compared to what might have happened it was a landing. Also involved was an alien from yet another planet. They have made an offer to my friends and me. They authorized me to extend the same to you."
Everyone went even more still, looking like prey animals hoping the predator wouldn't see them.
"If you want." Toni shrugged trying to not appear like a salesman. "They have cities, buildings, homes, from where the Elentrin killed their populace, and they are willing to offer them to Shifters who are willing to move there."
The silence stretched on for so long, she wondered if they had heard her. Sara broke the quiet. "Are you telling me aliens are offering to let us settle on another planet?"
"Yes."
"Bullshit," the word exploded out of Joseph Kilian's mouth like a bullet. "You trying to tell me not only are aliens trying to kill us but more aliens are offering us homes? Why the fuck do some freaking aliens give a damn about us?" He'd risen, his large bulk intimidating, but Toni just looked at him.
"Yes. The food there is edible, the climate temperate, and they have houses we can move into on multiple planets."
"How do we know they don't just want to use us too? That this isn't a trap. Hell, how do we know we won't starve to death on another planet." His belligerent tone and stance screamed fear to her, and that allayed any worry.
"You don't, but I trust him and I trust his people. As to the food," She reached down and took out what Alinis had provided. This time she laid out the container full of raw lasm, her mouth watering as the strange sweet scent hit her. Then the honey. The lasm lay in what she might have called glass, but it glowed with a light her eyes struggled to translate, while it was bound in fibers that didn't match anything she'd ever seen on earth. The honey lay in a jar made of something akin to ceramic yet picking it up it felt like you lifted air. Even the containers screamed strange and foreign.
"That is food from another world?" Mariposa sounded excited and scared at the same time.
"Yes. This is a fish they call lasm. I prefer it raw, but I'd say an entire market on ways to cook it would spring up. From what little we've discovered they don't have many varieties of cooking styles or seasonings. This is honey from their version of bees. It is probably the best thing I've ever tasted. I'm a predator so my craving isn't as much, but for a bear and wolverine I know, they licked the jar clean."
Joseph blustered out, "You think some food will prove it to us?"
Toni shook her head. "No, but you can taste it and you'll know this didn't originate on Earth. What I have here just tastes different, but something in it calls to me."
All of them, even Joseph, gave in and tried the various things she had provided for them to taste, Sorrel being the bravest.
"Oh wow," Sarah breathed after she ate the honey. "That is good. Makes me want to make baklava with it."
Toni had been watching her the closest, as being a non-Shifter she'd had a moment of worry about it, but none of the food caused any issues. The lasm disappeared as did the honey on the bread she'd purchased to put it on.
"I'm not saying we'd be pioneers, but life would be different than what we have now." Toni waved her hands around the place as she spoke. "It might be hard or even dangerous. But it is an option."
The parents looked at each other but it was Sorrel who spoke. "Life is dangerous. Americans get spoiled with easy access to food, clean water, housing. If you are offering a planet where we won't be hated for the color of our skin, the fact that we can change, letting us have houses to live in? Why would I turn that down?"
Everyone had fallen silent while he spoke and Toni wanted to hug him, but she needed to level with all of them. "The Drakyn don't think the same as we do and it will be living in another world, literally. But it will be a world where we can make it good or bad. We've asked them about vetting people, but for now they are trusting me to help pick people to test this out. The next part is up to you."
They talked back and forth and unfortunately most of their questions about the planet and living conditions were met with shrugs or 'I don't know' responses from Toni. But she did keep a list of the questions and promised to get them answers to their questions.
At the end she looked at them, not speaking, just asking.
"You know I don't shift. If we go, will humans be accepted?" Sarah asked, her voice tiny. All of them looked tired and stressed. The Shifters, while healthier, still looked exhausted.
This question had been one Toni knew would be asked. "Arrangements have been made that if you go to the planet with your family, you will be provided the option to convert into a Kaylid if you wish. While it will be mandatory for no one, the overall benefits may be worth it to you."
A strange hush filled the room as people looked at each other. Too many emotions for her to tell what the reaction was, but Sarah gave a short sharp nod to her husband.
"I want to believe. A world with no drugs, no gangs, a chance for my grandson to grow up and put his mark on the world the way people once did? But it seems almost unbelievable. Then you mention that maybe we can shift? Yet…" Joseph Kilian trailed off and shrugged. "Let me think about it? This is a big decision to make."
"Of course. This isn't a now or never. I'm expecting this to be rolled out slowly over the next while. I'd watch the news. You'll recognize the next big thing when it happens." Toni refused to say anything else.
Eventually people left, exchanging numbers and talking. She noted that there was a bit of hope, but a lot of concern. Concern she couldn't blame them for. The idea of moving was one thing. Moving to another planet with aliens? The idea thrilled and terrified her. And she didn't know which one was greater.
Sorrel lingered, helping her clean up. Everyone had eaten what was brought, enough Shifters in the mix to not have any leftovers. The lasm and every drop of the honey had been eaten too.
