POV: Rachel Sung Park
Recap: After testing her nerves more than any physical battle she’s been in, Rachel is finally settling in back home, but now, she’s left with the wake of what she’s experienced, and some of those thoughts could weigh heavily on her mind.
Rachel’s ears twitched against her pillow as she stretched out beneath her sheets; her muscles released a burning pleasure as she groaned. Taking a deep breath, she released it in a soft sigh before opening her eyes. The room was dark, but she could see the small glow of bright sunlight poking through the edges of the blankets draped over her window.
Her tail shifted to the left as she got up, slowly turning her head to view her room with a soft smile. I’m home … I really am.
Scarlet was up, busy helping her mother in the kitchen while her brother and father listened to the news. Alexa was shut inside her room, watching anime by the sounds of the voices; Rachel shook her head at the high-pitched tones of the characters.
So, Alexa’s a big nerd after all. Is she embarrassed about it? Nam and her never spoke about it … well, I guess Mom is also into some things I wasn’t aware of. I never really wanted to learn about their interests either … I suppose I was pretty self-absorbed; it seems pretty obvious now, but I didn’t notice them. I thought Alexa was always in her room because she didn’t want to be around the family, but I guess she had her own secret.
Swinging her legs over her bed, Rachel got up and looked through what clothes she had left; the only things she didn’t pack were the items she rarely wore.
A sigh passed through her nose while she pulled out a light blue summer dress with spaghetti straps. She didn’t have many options, and it would work for the moment. All of her undergarments were at Miami University; so, she made do with what she had.
Sitting back down on her bed, she put her selected items beside her while taking her phone out of sleep. She didn’t have any calls or messages. Opening up Chrome, she searched, What do hares symbolize?
A smirk lifted Rachel’s full lips as she read down the first link. An animal that represents illumination, intuition, promise, and balance, huh? Elegance, beauty, and strong feminine energy. Of course, they are also connected with the devil, lunacy, and madness. Rabbits are seen to be good luck while hare is seen as bad luck. Interesting…
She chuckled before leaving her phone by the bed, going to the second-floor bathroom to shower; the space was large, but most rooms in the house were like it.
Her parents made a decent living; the house came with two master bedrooms, one taken by her parents while the other was given to Nam and Alexa. Both bedrooms had their full bathrooms, complete with bath and shower.
There was the public bathroom, which normally she had to herself, but she could see signs of Scarlet using it with the leftover water in the shower.
The rest of the house consisted of her room, two guest rooms, the study, front room, living room, kitchen, and garage. She’d grown up here her entire life, and seeing herself in the mirror made her pause. I’m so different.
She could see everything about her new body with her wide field of vision, every detail in focus. Rachel undressed, throwing her slept-in clothes on the sink before turning on the shower, letting it run for a bit to warm up. She stepped back, looking at herself in the sink mirror again.
Her long ears hung slightly forward and to the left. She studied her passive expression for a moment, letting her smooth lips fall into a slight frown. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself beautiful … more unique. It’s still strange seeing myself so skinny and without all the muscle.
A soft hum rumbled in her throat as she slid her palms across her bare stomach. It was firm, but her skin was silky smooth to the touch as her fingers grazed over her innie belly button. She turned her focus to her evenly cut and perfectly manicured nails.
My new body is so strange. I sweat, I know that, but I don’t need to use the restroom or take care of any other needs I used to have. I don’t have any hair on my legs or arms to shave … my hair has enough for a lifetime.
She brushed back her absurdly thick white pink-hued hair, turning to watch it fall to her round butt. I have an attractive body, for sure … I’m tone, and everything’s tight, but why is that? Why would The Oscillation affect my physical appearance so drastically? I’m sure Maria didn’t have the kind of body she currently has before the event. There’s so many mysteries about this, and from how it looks, the government had no warning at all this would happen.
She slid her hands up her thighs and butt, pursing her lips to the side as she let go. Why would The Oscillation care if I had a butt or not? I mean, every girl has the thought and is self-conscious about their image, but why would it accommodate for that? This alone makes me think it has something to do with our own desires, but at the same time, why would I desire to not have muscle? Is it linked to our subconscious, and I simply don’t know myself as well as I thought I did?
Rachel moved closer to the mirror, pressing her fingers against her cheeks, opening her mouth, and examining her teeth and tongue before pulling up on her nose and brushing back her bangs to view her forehead and vanished human ears.
I’m a Mythickin Lunar Hare … no longer human. My parents are just happy to have me back … that worry is out of the way, but there’s so much more I haven’t had the time to consider. For one, my mind; why am I so obsessed with analyzing things? I’m cold, calculating, and a killer, but at the same time, caring for those close to me, a whirlwind of emotions when I really get into fights, and focused on conflict.
What part of me is really me, unconscious human Rachel or otherwise, and what part is this change? This four-leaf clover-like design in my eye … the white moon-like iris eclipsed by a black and pink moon … all inside a large red orb. It’s so fascinating; it’s almost as if there’s a massive solar event happening inside my eyes.
A depressed sigh left her lips as she looked down at herself with a deep frown. I don’t even know if I can have kids. Sure, there are reports of Beastkin giving birth to the same Type of Beastkin, and that adds so many other questions. If that’s the case, then can Legendkin and Mythickin have children, then what would they be?
Perhaps it would be impossible for certain Kinds, Types, and Races to mix … maybe it just has to do with Type, and Mythickin can breed with Mythickin, Legendkin with Legendkin. Perhaps that’s a price for our powers as Mythickin and Legendkin, we’re unable to have children. So many questions.
Fiona voiced these types of concerns before; with her tiny body, how could she not think about it? Her blood is blue when it touches air … mine white, and if that wasn’t strange enough, it tastes like mints to me. Maria doesn’t even bleed; she’s basically the physical manifestation of Unicorn energy.
Scarlet’s body is utterly different, too … has she even considered future prospects of kids? Probably not; she’s been so busy trying to work through her parents’ betrayal and these immediate changes that she can’t see anything in her future. The way that she responded last night could be evidence of that. She doesn’t want to think about any of it.
Rachel’s lips became a line as she reached her hands into the air, stretching them high. She watched every crease her body made, sound her muscles released, and pop her bones fed back to her large ears.
I’m still exploring this body and mind, but my drive … these desires, though. There’s a growing beast inside of me that wants to be released, and it’s only a matter of time. Something is going to trigger that to come out. I may be pushing it down now, but when the time comes, I need to channel it somewhere, this animal crawling beneath my skin.
Her cheeks lifted into a smile she didn’t recognize, and she could see the light in her eyes brighten as the pink hues blazed to life.
Tell me, System-jjang, do I have a monster inside of me like Scarlet? A few seconds past without an answer, and she giggled. No? This is me, then? Why do I feel this burning in my chest to fight … ah, there it is, System-jjang; you just needed a little coaxing. Feral Instinct. Tell me about it.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the moist air as the humidity of the room increased, slowly beginning to fog the mirror and blur her image. The information that came made her smile widen with the sudden understanding of her changing behavior.
Feral Instinct, Passive, Level Six, Novice, Rank Max. I expect every Beastkin has this type of ability, but the attachment … Lunar Impulse. The moon brings out a part of me that I suppress. It’s not like it wasn’t there, to begin with, but fear, anxiety, depression, and anything that pulls me away from enjoying myself in conflict … the monstrous side of me is slowly pulled out, depending on the phase of the moon. It’s also connected to my Lunar Pool … I can carry that energy even without the phase if it’s not used.
So, multiple types of Lunar Energy can pull out this monstrous side of me. That’s a lot of fun … I pull my energy from moons, and there are different types. I want to know all of them … I do, but at the same time, I know I don’t … I want to experience them first hand. This hunger that drives me is maddening!
She laughed softly, opening her eyes to look at the fogging mirror. I’m sure Scarlet can sense some of these emotions inside of me, but she hasn’t said anything. Is she scared to make me angry? Maybe. I’m hiding these feelings deep within my chest, and I’m sure she’s worried. It would be best to not let her mind wander and address it myself. It’s all about framing.
Her bare feet slid across the wooden floor, surveying the room with one look. I’m home, but I’m not the same Rachel that left. It’s only a matter of time.
She stepped into the scalding hot shower, humming Sam Tinnesz song Play With Fire while she washed. The heat didn’t bother her as she cleaned her ears, tail, and hair, but the flames that still licked within her veins surged. She could distract herself for a time, but at some point, she needed something to use this pent up energy on.
Her fingers combed through her hair as she stared at the wall, but her mind was back on that alien moon, reliving the sensations she experienced there. The energy I absorbed there is still inside my Lunar Pool, and it wasn’t enough to satisfy me. This is me … I’m really this violent inside. Maybe Alexa had a point, and I was extremely aggressive. Perhaps I am insane inside, who can say?
She licked her lips, tasting the water as she shut off the shower and dried off. Her mother walked up the stairs, drawing Rachel’s attention while she put her old undergarments on. “Hey, you awake, Sung?”
“Yeah, Mom. I hear you making some breakfast downstairs with Scarlet.”
“Yeah!” Molly leaned up against the door, resting her head against the frame as she swapped to Korean. “She’s a nice girl. She always wants to help me with something. What about her parents?” She whispered. “Did something happen to them?”
Rachel was silent for a moment, tying her hair back with a blue ribbon from her accessory box on the counter. She responded in Korean. “You could say she has no parents. It’s best not to talk about them.”
“I see,” her mother mumbled, playing with a lock of her black hair as she shifted against the wall. “Umm … the way she’s been talking just has me concerned. I think she has something that’s eating her up inside.”
“More than I can say,” Rachel sighed, finishing her knot. “She needs a good supportive motherly figure to just be there to love her. Give her some time, and I’m sure she’ll open up to you.”
“Is it … appropriate?” Molly asked.
Rachel used a towel to wipe away the moisture clouding the mirror before looking at herself in it, examining how she looked in the dress. She hadn’t worn it for years, but with her lost muscle mass, it fit her fairly well. “It’s a lot to carry on her own. Her entire life has been shattered, and she doesn’t have any family to turn to. I’m like a sister to her now, and basically, all she has is me.”
“How sad,” Molly mumbled. “Okay, sorry to bother you, but it’s just been on my mind. I don’t want another mother to be worried sick while I keep their daughter all to myself.”
Rachel opened the bathroom door, giving her mother a bright smile. “You don’t have to worry about that,” she said, switching back to English.
“Wow,” her mother took a step back, looking her up and down. “You look positively stunning!”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I’m not just saying that because I’m your mom,” she huffed, lifting her eyebrows in challenge.
Rachel plucked at the hem of the dress with a rueful smile. “What’s with that expression? It’s like you want to fight me over how pretty I am? This dress is old.”
“Yes, I know. Your middle-school graduation dress! I picked it out myself,” Molly huffed with pride. “You lost a lot of your muscle, too,” she hummed, stepping forward to run her hands down her arm.
“Mom…” Rachel groaned but didn’t pull back from her mother’s touch.
“You’re just … so different,” she said, giving her long ears an inquisitive stare. “You know, Alexa thinks you’re super pretty, too.”
“She said that?” Rachel asked with semi-disbelief, hearing the name Katarina Claes in the anime her sister-in-law was watching.
“She did, and complemented Scarlet, too. I think she’s being a little shy, though; she’s been holed up in her room watching shows since breakfast.”
Rachel’s ears twitched as she heard some news that caught her a little off-guard. Her mother’s eyes moved to her ears, and a soft smile lifted her lips. “Do they do that often?”
“I hardly pay attention to it,” Rachel lied. “Umm … I heard Martial Law is mostly being lifted. Is that right?”
“Ah, your dad would know more about that,” Molly shrugged. “That would be great, though.”
“Yeah, I’ll go…” Her head turned back toward her room as she heard her phone vibrate. “My phone’s ringing? Who’d be calling me?”
“Maybe it’s Anthony,” her mother giggled, giving her a smirk.
Rachel’s smile became forced as she walked back toward her room. “Scarlet told you about Anthony? How much?”
“Enough for your mother to know there’s chemistry.”
“Right, chemistry,” Rachel chuckled, retreating from her mother’s impish grin. “It might be the President. I’ll be down in a bit.”
“I still want to hear more about this Anthony!” Her mother called after her.
Rachel shut her door behind her with a tired sigh. Honestly … mom’s talking to me about a boy. A lump dropped down her throat as she remembered Anthony’s face and the strength of his hands as he helped her up. A shiver ran down her spine to the tip of her tail before she shook her head and walked to her phone; she didn’t recognize the number.
She answered with a neutral tone, regaining her cool facade. “Hello?”
The voice and tone of the person on the other end made her ears stand on end. “R-Rachel … umm, hey, it’s Zoe. I—I don’t know if you remember me, but—umm, hey. You know—the c-cute cat-girl, Beastkin? Calling myself cute … sorry, I’m just…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know your voice, Zoe. You sound scared. What’s going on? How did you get my number?”
“Your number? Yeah, umm—I knew the dorm supervisor, Heather, and she—umm, got me your number because I said you had something I needed. I’m sorry, I am, but I just—I don’t know anyone else here. I’m a Freshman, and I didn’t really like my roommate…”
“Okay, slow down,” Rachel sat on the side of her bed, smoothing out her dress while holding the phone in front of her. “Calm down a little, take a few breaths, and let me know what’s going on.”
“Alright,” Zoe cleared her throat and took a deep breath before continuing. “I think I’m in trouble, and I don’t know what else to do.”
Rachel pressed her tongue against her teeth for a moment before answering. “I don’t know what I can do. What kind of trouble?”
“I’m being followed by some guys … it’s my fault. I was stupid, I know, but I’m just—I’m scared, and I don’t know anyone from Florida. I’m from stupid, boring Kansas … you know the stereotype, well … that’s kind of what it was like. I came to Miami University to have a little fun … you know, the whole Florida fun college life.”
“You’re going off-topic, Zoe. Focus for me, okay?”
“Okay, alright, I get it, I get it. I—umm, there was this woman that said there was this opportunity for a job. I know, I shouldn’t have even thought about it. I mean, but she said it paid really well, and I just needed to see someone. They were kind of—interested in Beastkin. I was pretty cute … stupid me—I don’t know … I think they’re gangsters or a part of the mob or something…”
Rachel resisted a groan, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. I don’t know Zoe at all other than a few hours after The Oscillation, but she actually helped me a lot. What can I do for her? If there are gangsters or people after her … I could waste some of my time before the crystal raiding happens.
A smile lifted her cheeks as she opened her eyes. “Alright, Zoe, I understand. Where are you?”
“Umm, the west side of Downtown Miami.”
An idea sparked in Rachel’s mind. “Near Little Havana?”
“Yeah … this car keeps following me.”
“Are you in a car?”
“No … I don’t have a car. I normally just walk or use public transit.”
“Alright, I’ll see you later tonight. What I want you to do is go to Maria Camila Espinar’s neighborhood and start asking around about Felix, her brother. Drop her name just about anywhere in Little Havana, and you’re bound to find someone that knows something; it’s her home turf.”
“They’ll keep you safe until I can get to you. I’ll give you the address, but can you repeat back to me her name?”
“No … let me write it down real fast. Umm … okay, say it again.”
“Maria Camila Espinar and Felix Espinar.”
“I don’t understand. Why do I need to go there? How can they keep me safe?”
“Maria runs a gang there, and she’s got a reputation. People will know her name, okay? I’ll be there tonight, and I’ll help you sort everything out.”
“Maria and Felix … okay, thanks, Rachel. I just—it’s hard. I can’t get in touch with my parents—I don’t know if they’re alive or dead. No one in my family is picking up their phone … it’s scary. There’s this big guy named Calístrato, I think … Ballesteros or something like that. He likes Beastkin girls, and it was just a maid-type of job. I thought it would be fine, but—I’m stupid—I’m just stupid…”
“Hey,” Rachel cut her off. “Hey, it’ll be okay. Alright. Tell me you’ll be okay.”
“I’ll be okay…”
“Go and ask anyone that looks like a Mexican gangster about Maria. You’ll probably have some hit or misses, but I’ll find you. Okay?”
“Alright … thanks, Rachel. I just didn’t know where to go or what to do, and my card was denied … I was desperate.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes, I said, I’d be there. I’ll find you, but during the day I won’t be of much help.”
“Lunar Hare, right … okay. I just need to take a deep breath and calm down.”
“That’s right.”
Zoe took a deep breath before releasing it and hanging up.
Rachel grinned. Well, looks like something interesting has dropped into my lap. I just can’t be as reckless as I was before. If things escalate … no witnesses, but I need to be smart about this.
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