Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Small adjustments

"ert....bert...Robert....oh god, what do I even call her. AYAKA!" Katie shouts something, which wakes me up from my unintended slumber. 

My eyelids open wide in a split second, and I find myself sitting up straight on a bed, making me feel a bit dizzy. I quickly try to identify where I am. Where is this place? Am I still at HOME, maybe in the crew quarters? 

"Nech Nech, vos k'cha. Var dzja juu."   [  "Ho ho, easy now. You fainted."  ]
Katie says something, but I can't seem to understand her words at all. Did I just have a stroke or something?

"Ukana ma hey, Wan da jar?" [  "What? Why are you speaking Klingon now?"   ] I asked, tilting my head.
Then I massage my throat, my voice sounds different. Maybe I need something to drink?

"Sha'va Gor Djzak Val"  [ "What? Can you repeat that?" ]  Katie asked, obviously confused. 

"Waka...me.....watana...jaa?"  [ "Why...don't you....speak.....English?"]  I tried speaking slowly. 

Katie glances at Ewan but he shakes his head, and says "I don't think we speak the same language anymore."
I tilt my head, not understanding a single word of what he said.

I guess that my brain has only now completed its reboot process...because it took me a while before I noticed that both of them seem taller than they were before. I point at both and make the hand gesture that they seem taller than before.

Katie then gently shakes her head and smiles. She points at me and makes the hand gesture "small."
Let's just say that I'm utterly and totally confused by now.

Then she points at me again, her eyes, and finally at the mirror in the corner.

I nod at her suggestion and jump from the bed onto the floor and I almost lose my balance doing so. 
Not even a second later am I standing before that mirror, a regular one of course, but am shocked to see my reflection.  

A very young girl with familiar looking furry ears and tail is looking at me with her mouth agape. Her hair color is the same silvery-white as mine. She's wearing a similar kimono as I was wearing when I first arrived here.

"Oh kanna ma ha!! Na vanna me he?"   [ "WTF!! Is that me?" ] I shout.  She's tiny!  Not much older than four or five years old, I think. 

"Well, that's the first time I heard a young child cursing." Katie said while chuckling. "That much was obvious in any language. You really should work on your language, missy." 

Why is she laughing? Can't she see I'm in shock here? I gave her a very confused look. 
Somehow I could recognize the "missy" sound as a name.  I shake my head and point at myself while saying "missy."  

I start feeling dizzy again, my head hurts. My brain feels as if it's tingling on the inside. Am I about to faint?
If that really is me, then why am I no longer in an Air Force uniform? And this kimono is unlike the ones Katie got for me. This is so bloody confusing!

 

It didn't take much longer for me to break down from all the stress. I slowly bend my knees and sit down on the floor, my knees pulled towards me. 
I yell once at it, then start crying. You try smiling when fate keeps changing your life on a whim.

Katie runs over to me, sits down and embraces me for a few minutes until I stop crying. 
All this time she coos "Sho ko dor, val nech. val nech. Sho ko dor."
I don't understand a thing, but the way she said that, lets me know that she was trying to say that all would be fine. 

She keeps massaging my back until I face her and look her into the eyes. A small smile forms on my lips. 

Ewan pats my shoulder twice, he must pity me.
Then he motions me and Katie to follow him to the room where they were monitoring the global weather situation. He points at a screen that now shows clear skies. No hurricanes, just normal weather for this time of the year.

I nod to show him that I understand and place a hand on my chest, followed by a sigh.
It seems that our current crisis has ended. But my personal crisis has only started. How am I supposed to work around here in this tiny body? 

One of the employees here, a lady, winks at me and gives me a friendly smile. Of course I returned a smile, but doesn't she think it's strange that I'm a little girl now? Nope, none of them look surprised.
This can only mean that the Watcher or the Universe or something else has changed the course of history. That must also be the reason why I can't understand anyone anymore. Oh boy, I am so going to have an interesting time here.

Meanwhile, at Times Square, New York. 

At the exact moment the Watcher reset the timeline to incorporate my existence into this reality, one person used a mirror but ended up at Times Square like I did. Why? There must be some kind of cosmic significance to this place. Or it might just be a total coincidence.

"Oh goddess, what is this place?" A young lady exclaims after she appears out of thin air.

She seems to be in her early twenties. She's dressed in a black kimono-like dress and has brown/reddish furry ears and a ditto tail. No, that's no kimono, it looks like a hybrid of a kimono and a servant's uniform. Lucky for her she appears in front of a pet shop instead of in the middle of rush hour traffic. 

She seems to be amazed about the many, many cars passing her by, but also the many pedestrians who walk beside her without saying a word. But some do glance over at her, believing she's either cosplaying or perhaps trying to lure people inside of the pet shop, being dressed as something furry.

"Hello? Excuse me? Ah, excuse me. Hello? Can you...  Please can..." Whatever she tried, nobody wanted to listen to her.

Suddenly a guy catcalls her. "Wooo hooo. Hey honey, you don't need to be on a leash when you come home with me!"

She glares at him. Yes...she understood every word he said. 

"You barbarian! Didn't your mommy teach you to respect ladies?" she crosses her arms...she's not impressed by this one.

"Oh c'mon, I promise I will treat you like a true lady. How about a drink then?"

"Why don't you help me find my little girl, you inconsiderate Kvir!" Oh..if looks could kill.

"Are you scared of a real man, kitty?" The guy doesn't seem to have the brain capacity to understand that he should just shut up.

"My balls are bigger than yours, now be gone!" Ouch. She's waaayyy tougher than she looks.

"Wooooooooo! Go girl!" A young woman said while giving her a thumbs up.

The servant, for that's what she appears to be, runs after this woman and begs her to help her find her little girl.
After calling the police, the servant is asked to wait here for a while. All alone. 

Then, about ten minutes later, she sees a police car approaching.
"What IS that ugly thing? Who would possibly drive such an ugly vehicle?"

A male police officer gets out of the car and walks towards her. He smiles, trying to help her calm down. 
But she remains vigilant. But before he can ask her what's going on, the lady starts asking questions of her own.

"Sir, are you perhaps a royal knight?" the servant said to the police officer.

"A what now? I don't think I've ever been called that before. Lady, are you okay? I am a police officer. Can you show me some ID?"

"AAAIIIDEEEE? What's that? I don't have anything of value with me to give you. I just want to find my little girl. I beg you, please help me."  

"Now calm down, miss. I'm only trying to help you. How about you come with me to the station? We can file a missing person report there."

"So...you promise to help me find my girl? And you won't harm me?" She doesn't seem to trust the officer.

"Yes, I promise to do everything I can do to find her. And I also promise I won't harm you. Besides, you seem like you are freezing in those clothes. You will feel better when you are warm inside, don't you agree?"

The servant considers her options for a moment. That woman contacted these people, and she was nice to her. So she must also trust them.

"Alright, I will come with you. But I really need to find her."

The police officer sticks his head through the window opening of the car and whispers to his colleague "hey Frank, didn't Becker report such a freak not so long ago?"

"Yeah, I think she looks the same. Maybe take her to the same place? Becker's gonna love this."

The officer then looks at her again. "Miss, the child you are looking for. Does she..resemble...you? Except for white hair?" 

"Yes, yes! She does! You found her already?"

"Easy, easy. We may have a lead here. A while ago one of my colleagues picked up a kid from the streets here, almost the exact same spot I believe. Nobody believed my colleague initially when she described a cosplaying kid with white hair. Anyway, they took her to the children's hospital, then to a...another hospital. Perhaps she's there. We can check that, at least?" 

"My lord! Yes! Thank you so much." She folds her hands and bows deeply to the officer.

The officers then called dispatch and it didn't take them long to convince dispatch to give her a ride to Tranquil Peaks...for some closer observation. Truth be told that they really listened to her story and really filed a missing person's report. But they were "kind" enough to let Becker handle the (nut)case.

Back to my point of view

It's about six p.m., and dinner is about to be served. We are currently in the ATF building in what appears to be a company restaurant. The ambiance is much nicer than the mess hall we visited earlier. This looks and feels like a real restaurant, but...still safe inside the building where nobody would ask any unnecessary questions.
It's already dark outside and the lights in here are comfortably adjusted to help people relax. The sounds my tiny tummy is making however, would even amaze a hungry wolf.

But that doesn't change my mood. I feel depressed, beaten, victimized and helpless. Why do these things keep happening to me? Well, people are kind to me, so that's a plus at least.

Katie found some fitting clothes for me earlier, and managed to get me dressed in them, even after my many attempts at refusing. The embarrassment is complete now. I'm wearing something like black pajama pants and a warm pink sweater depicting a unicorn of all creatures. And did I mention the smiling sun? On my feet are modest white shoes with velcro straps. I have to admit though, my new outfit really is comfy. Yes, this is my life now. The life of a kid who can't even speak the same language. But on the inside I'm still thirty two years old.

What else does the universe have in store for me? Eh..I take that back.

Ewan is keeping me company in the restaurant and occasionally shows a few pictures on his phone, trying to help me understand what's going on. At that point Katie walks inside, bringing some takeout.
Oh god, it smells divine! I recognize that...

She takes the food outside of a white plastic bag and puts a little carton in front of each of us. Ewan gets two boxes for some reason. I can barely sit on the chair, let alone reach the cutlery, but I still recognize the big letter "M" on the boxes. I assume it means the same in this universe.

Katie leaves us for a minute, then returns with a cushion. She points at me and I get the message. I stand up and she puts the cushion on the chair.  "Eek!" I shout, surprised that Katie just picks me up like I'm some toddler. Oh right...I am...more or less.

"Shhhh," she says, placing her finger on her lips. Yeah, I get the message. She smiles warmly at me, even though I feel quite embarrassed.

At least I can now properly see my meal, but my rather short arms are still unable to reach the cutlery.

She takes away the fork and knife and shoves the box my way, opening it for me.

I look at her in the universal expression of "are you kidding me?" 

Yep, she's thoroughly enjoying this! In front of me is a happy meal, including a less than interesting miniature toy. I don't think anybody has ever seen a little girl facepalming at a happy meal. Well, there's a first time for everything, right? 

At some point I notice that my feet are hovering above the floor and my legs are moving on their own. It takes a strong desire to tell my body to stop doing that. Stop dangling already!

Ewan takes a french fry from my box and motions me to do the same. So...am I supposed to eat like that? Sure I can do that. 

After finishing my happy meal, which was surprisingly enough for my tiny tummy, I don't really feel as miserable  as before anymore. Maybe I really needed that? And no, I totally didn't see people winking at me with a warm expression on their faces. Ah, who am I kidding? I waved my tiny hand back at them. Big mistake!
One lady now approaches me and seems to speak perfect Klingon. 

I can only reply by tilting my head and shrugging. Ewan then made some similar noises, probably a reply to the lady's question.  

She said something like "ahhh," probably understanding what was going on and patted me on my head while smiling. I gave her an honest smile, because these people genuinely seem to think that a four or five year old is sitting here, enjoying her happy meal. Should I tell her that I'm actually eighteen, no, thirty-two years old? Nah, what's the point?

The lady in question has already left when I focus on reality again. Katie is smiling at me for some odd reason. I make the gesture "what?" and she replies with her hands folded at her cheeks...is she...sleepy?

I point at her and make the same gesture, making it look like a question. 

She shakes her head, then points at me and repeats the gesture.
Oh no...was I nodding off a moment ago? At six thirty? Well..my eyelids ARE feeling heavy, I have to admit.
It has been quite the day today.

Katie, who is sitting next to me, then picks me up and puts me on her lap. But unfortunately for her this causes me to burp pretty loudly, after which I put my right hand on my mouth in a reflex. 
"Me he vanna.." [ I'm sorry ] I said.

She coos something in my right ear and doesn't seem to mind my impolite behavior in a restaurant. 
She wraps her arms around my stomach and gently pushes me towards her. Then, with her right hand, she gently pushes my head against her shoulder. Yep, now you have done it! This is sooo warm and comfortable.
Sounds are slowly getting blurry. That purr must have been Katie trying to help me relax. I hear it until I lose consciousness all together.

At some point I am awoken by someone blowing at the backside of my ears, causing them to twitch heavily.
I wake up with a loud yawn "iiiiii" and see that I'm sitting in the backside of a car.
My eyelids open wide and I look around in confusion. I'm still sitting on Katie's lap somehow. Did she do magic? I didn't notice a thing. Don't tell me she drugged me! Sure, that must be it! Something in the food perhaps? 

My racing thoughts are interrupted when Katie points at the building outside. I can't see it very well in the dark, until I recognize the building. We are parked in front of the Tranquil Peaks Psychiatric Institution!
I start shivering and violently want to leave her lap, until she makes me understand to calm down.

She then points at me and shakes her head. Then she points at me again and then at her while nodding. Ah good, so I can stay with them, good. I nod to confirm that I understand.
She points at the both of us and then at the building. Ah, so we are going inside. I nod.

It's dark outside, so nobody will suspect a little girl with furry ears and a tail to be a real alien. 
We walk towards the front door, which Ewan is keeping open for us, while Katie makes sure to match my slow walking speed. Yes, she's really holding hands, how embarrassing!

We walk towards the common room and I recognize some of the residents here. 

Wait...are those...yes! Millie and the police officer from before...eh...Becker!

They approach me and smile. They are making hand gestures too. Do they....recognize me in this form? Not the adult me? Maybe that's what the Watcher said. They now seem to believe that I have always been a little girl! That's the only explanation I can think of!  

"Millie! Becker!" I said, loud enough for both of them to hear. They both take turns to hug me and feel the need to pat me on the head. 

Suddenly I understand why the hair on a dog's head is always flat. That's where they are always petted, right?
Guess I don't have to think about fluffy hair at that spot anymore.

And there they go again, speaking their mystery language again. I look at the faces of the adults, but I don't understand a thing.

"I'm glad she's fine. Does she remember her name already?" Becker asked Katie. 

"She really is a sweetheart, but her memories only seem to be returning slowly." Katie tried to think of a suitable answer on the spot.

Millie then says "what are the odds that another one ended up in our little safe haven here? I think it's time to introduce them, don't you?"  

"Yep, let's see what happens." Katie said.

I look around, completely ignoring the gibberish the adults call "conversation" until Katie taps my shoulder and points towards the chair I sat in before. The one looking out onto the garden.

Wait...are those? No...can't be. Or can it? Someone is sitting in the chair, facing away from us. But I can still see two furry objects where there should be none. Katie pushes my back a bit and I walk towards the chair. Are they....real furry ears?

I stop at the back of the chair and say "Excuse me. Are those ears real?" 

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Not even a second passed when the person sitting in the chair jumped high into the air, landing next to the chair and then facing me. Wow..can you do that again? Nevermind. Ah, it's definitely a lady.

That lady's mouth is agape and she blinks. She's scanning me from my head to my toes and back. "Maya? Maya, is that really you?" 

Then I get the most incredible headache ever, falling down to my knees in pain. I hold my head and then the lady embraces me. 

"Maya! It really is you. What's wrong? Did they hurt you?"

I shake my head, but I feel fine again. "No, I feel fine again. Just a big headache."

I look up at the lady and she now somehow looks familiar. "Nyana?" I said out loud for some unknown reason.

"Yes Maya, I finally found you!"

Then I hug her tightly and say "Nyana, I missed you so much."
Really? Didn't I just meet her? Where did that come from? But why do I feel tears coming from my eyes? 
Both our tails are swaying vividly as well!

Behind me I hear an "ahem".. Ewan seems to want some answers. But I still can't understand him. 

Nyana inspects my neck, but can't find what she's looking for.
"Maya Kisune, first you worry your parents and me and then you also forget your translator stone? How could you forget that?"

"I'm soooowwie." What's going on with me? Is my mind really regressing to the point of a toddler?
Wait...did she just mention my last name? 

"Ah, don't be sad, little one. I'm not angry. I could never be. Lucky for you I always carry a spare one with me, here let me put it around your neck." She then made me wear a necklace with a pretty little green stone. 

"Well, how about it?" Ewan said. I could understand him!

I turned around and noticed that everyone in the room was watching this spectacle. It was utterly quiet here, but I focused on Ewan for now. "Ewan, I can understand you again!"

"That's good news. Eh..Maya, isn't it?"

"Yes, I remember that now. My name is Maya!"

"Hello Maya, nice to finally meet the real you!" Katie said, smiling. Reports about me spontaneously hugging Katie are greatly exaggerated. "Awww. You are so much cuter now." Eh, Katie said that, not me.

That earned her a glare from me, but only for a second as we both giggled. 

"And that lady is Nyana, my caretaker when my parents are not at home." I said.

"Well, it's actually Nana, but little Maya here likes to call me Nyana so I let her." Then Nyana cuddled me again for a while. I didn't notice that Millie and Becker had left us, in order to discuss some loose ends with Katie.

After a few minutes, Katie returned, seeing that Nyana was done hugging me.

"Goddess I am so happy to see you." She looks at me. Then Nyana looks at Katie "but how did you find me?"

"We received a report that described someone like Maya here, so we already thought you two might be related. But if you don't mind, we would like to go elsewhere, so we can talk in private."

Nyana looks at me and I understand her worries.

"Don't worry Nyana, they are good people."

"I am not worried about them. But you seem to have learned many new words in such a short time. You're growing up a bit too fast."

"Ahaha." How am I getting out of this? Of course she would notice that I don't speak like a young child anymore. "Eh...I have been watching a lot of television?" 

"It's a form of entertainment here." Katie tried to help me. I made sure to wink at her, thanking her for the rescue.

"Ah, that makes sense. Anyway, please lead the way. If Maya trusts you, then so shall I."

Before we went outside, I saw the elderly lady again. You know, the one who petted my ears? Or didn't this happen now? Talk about confusion. 

But the lady did recognize me. "Hi, pretty kitty." She winked at me. 

Then she whispered in my ears "thank you for being nice to me. Enjoy life now you are a little kitty."

Ohhh...that's just too creepy. I stared into her eyes, feeling utterly confused. That earned me a grin and another wink. Then she resumed cuddling her baby doll. Who is she??? She knows things!

But I can't ask her about it, because Katie is pushing me forward, we are heading back to our car.

Nyana insists that I sit on her lap while Katie makes sure that the seatbelts are properly fastened.
Somewhere on the highway, about ten or fifteen minutes after our departure, I fell asleep.

I now find myself at home in my own bedroom. How did I get here? My bed is warm and comfortable, my plushies are all neatly sitting on the shelves. A dolly is lying in the corner of the room, like if she's looking outside the window. 

"Mommy! Daddy! I'm home!"
I run barefoot to the living room where my parents are, but they are not happy to see me. 

"So you finally decided to come back, huh? You should be ashamed of yourself. You left us worried sick while you had a fun adventure. Just go back. We don't want you anymore. You are not my child."  She was pissed and wouldn't even look at me.

"Mommy? Noooo...." 

"Don't speak so disrespectfully to her! You are a fake! There is no Maya! Leave us alone!"

"Daddy...noo!"  I'm crying. Why aren't they happy that I'm back? 

"I'm sowwiee. I didn't want to leave you! It was an accident!" 

"Leave! You're a FAKE. FAKE. FAKE!" Daddy is shouting! 

"No daddy, no. Mommy...."

"Mwaaaa." I'm crying really loud now, tears are rolling down my cheeks.

"ya....Maya!...wake up honey." 

"Nyana?" I have a bad headache, and see that I'm sitting in a car on Nyana's lap. I look up to try and see Nyana's face, but it's too dark.

"Yes sweetie. I'm here." She hugs me and gives me a kiss on the cheek. 

"Mwaaaa..." I can't stop crying. I'm so sorry, but I can't stop it. This feeling, it's so deep, so emotional. There is no way I can stop crying. 

"What's wrong Maya?" Nyana tries to comfort me.

"Mommy, daddy....they don't like me anymore. They think I'm a fake."

"They what? Maya sweetie, trust me, that was just a bad dream. Your mommy and daddy really love you. 

They would never, ever say something like that. Did you watch something scary maybe?"

"No...."

"Maya, did I ever lie to you?" Nyana asked.

"No, never."

"Then trust me now, when I say that it was just a bad dream, okay?"

"You promise?"

"Yes of course."

I heard Katie whisper something to Ewan, but I couldn't understand it.

Nyana then kept brushing my hair with the palm of her hand, which made me relax. 
The occasional kiss and the fact that she gently hummed a nursery song I remember from home, made me feel sleepy again. 

After sleeping on Nyana's lap for who knows how long, we finally arrived at the ATF headquarters.

 

I could swear they teleported me, because I am now sitting in a conference room. The clock shows nine thirty and my body is complaining that it needs even more sleep.

"Ah little Maya's awake." Katie said in a teasing tone of voice. "Oh c'mon, don't give me that look. You know I mean well."

Nyana then takes over the conversation and asks me, who is still sitting on her lap, "how are you feeling now honey?"

"Okay, but I'm sleepy." I said. My brain is working in low-power mode I guess.

"I used the most recent address in the portal's memory, hoping I would find you. And thank goddess I did. Now tell me, Maya, what happened for you to end up here?"

After a two second headache and subsequent embrace from Nyana, I could remember more details, so I replied "I was playing with the portal. I didn't want to leave! Really!"

"Shhh, it's okay Maya. It was only an accident. Nobody's angry with you." She's brushing my hair again.

"Excuse me, Nyana? En Nana, I meant." Katie said.

"Yes, what is it..eh Katie, I believe your name is?"

"Yes, right. Is her last name really Kisune?"  

"Yes it is. Have you heard of it before?"

"Honestly, yes. We have stories from a country far away where a person such as yourself appeared to the people of this world. They called those beings Kitsune."

"That is almost the same name. How odd."  Nyana said, appearing deep in thought.

"Indeed, do you have any stories of visiting this world in the past perhaps?" Katie asks.

"Let me think...no, nothing seems familiar to me. I would definitely remember beings without a tail and small ears on the sides of their heads."

"Ah, that's a pity." Ewan said. Then he continued "Nana and Maya. I must be completely honest with the both of you. I don't know if we can get you home. We have a portal here, but the guardian told us that traveling was not recommended due to the age of the portal."

"That is....unfortunate. Perhaps we could try to speak to my people? Let them know where we are? They can send a ship this way. What do you call this world?"

"This is the planet Earth." Ewan said.

"Uuuhrth. No...I have never heard that name before."

"I ask that you both sleep here tonight. We will have fresh clothes and anything you may need here.
Perhaps tomorrow we can try using the portal again. If you can't return home, you will be our guests for a while longer." Ewan said in a reassuring tone of voice.

"But...we have nothing to offer you as payment though?" Nyana looked concerned when I looked up at her.

"If you could share some stories about your world, then we can call that payment in full. And I must ask you to stay inside this building until we can find a way to hide your ears and tail. People of this world are not used to...visitors such as yourself."

"I see. Then we will graciously accept your offer. I always take care of Maya's parent's tavern, so I might help around here if you would allow me." Nyana said.

"Thank you very much, but that won't be necessary. We can take care of most things, so just relax for now." Katie said.

Nyana nods and smiles, then focuses on me.

"It's past bedtime for you, young lady. Mmm? Maya?" She moved her nose through my hair, just between the ears.

"Mmmm.." was the only sound my body was able to produce to indicate she was interrupting me. Not at all did I answer her gentle strokes with a purr.

But I was already sleeping comfortably in Nyana's warm embrace to notice any of this. Katie smiled warmly at Nyana's motherly care for me.

At some point I wake up and realize that I'm lying in a warm, comfy bed. Nyana's fluffy tail is surrounding me and keeping me warm. She's here to help me feel safe. 

This is good, just like back home. It's the way things are supposed to be. She always comforts me like this when I feel lonely because my parents aren't at home. Or that time the thunderstorm outside was so bad and loud that I couldn't sleep, trembling in bed. Just like that day, so am I feeling safe now and it doesn't take long for me to fall asleep once more, while enjoying her warm caring embrace.