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I slide into the chair and face the dark screen. Any minute, I’ll see their faces, but as each second passes, the butterflies turn into birds and peck at my stomach. My knees shake, and I drum my fingers on the table before shifting in my chair.
Then I notice the link connecting and my heart beats wildly.
Mom and Dad project from the screen with confused expressions.
When Moms’ eyes collide with mine, she shrieks, “Oh my God!”
And then she bursts into tears.
Dad rubs her back as she cries into her hands. He’s holding back his own tears, even as mine are streaming down my cheeks. I can see for myself how badly my presumed death has impacted them—Dad never cries.
“Myla, is that really you?” he asks.
“Hi Dad.” I give him a shaky smile. “It’s really me.”
“They told us you were killed.”
Mom seems to regain control of her emotions as she wipes her nose with a tissue.
“Myla, honey…when your Aunt Viv contacted us, she was a mess. Where have you been? What happened?”
Here it goes, the moment I’ve been dreading for a while. But seeing how happy they are to see me alive, it’s somehow less daunting.
“I’ll give you the short version.”
Dad nods, still rubbing Mom’s back; that’s the way he’s always comforted her.
“Not long after I left Earth,” I begin, “the transport was attacked by an alien race called the Cadus.” I ignore Mom’s gasp, plunging forward. “They sold me to another species, who held me prisoner while they did…experiments.”
“Oh God! What did they do to you?” she cries.
“It’s hard to describe, but they…they injected me with something that changed my DNA, at least a little.”
I feel my own horror welling up as I remember that terrible time not so long ago, but force myself to push it back down.
“Now you’re an alien?” Mom’s eyes are wide, and a laugh bubbles up from the bottom of my stomach. Only my mom would call her own daughter an alien and believe it.
“Yes…I mean no.” I’m still laughing. Zeno peaks around the corner, probably wondering what’s going on. “That’s just what they do, Mom. I’m still me. Mostly.”
“Please explain,” Dad says, and it’s obvious he’s not amused.
“The Acradidia changed the Kintue people by altering their DNA. They now are able to transform into something like a pre-historic wolf.” Mom starts to speak and I hold up a hand. “They change only when they want to, not like werewolves changing with the full moon.”
Mom deflates a little but this time, I hold back the laughter.
I don’t think there is such a thing as werewolves, but Mom loves reading fantasy novels, so I knew she would ask.
“Do you…also…change?” Mom asks.
“No.” My head teeters. “Well okay, a little. Once when I was in danger, my nails changed into claws, so I was able to free myself. I might get sharp teeth…not sure. Oh, and I have some kind of night vision.”
Dad nods approvingly. “All very useful tools.”
“When are you coming home?” Mom asks, her expression hopeful.
I’m shaking my head before I even say the words.
“I’m not.” Before they can protest, I charge on. “The Acradidia changed me in more ways than you can imagine. They’ve been doing it for a while to the Kintue. The Hi-Cas has declared them a new alien species. His own daughter married—well, mated—three of them.”
