ã€ŠThe Day My Life Changed: When Two Kid-sune Arrivedã€‹


 [ 1 ] The Wake-up Call

    My life flashed right before my eyes, right as I was within the last few metres to my apartment when it hit out of nowhere. I knew I¡¯d never be able to completely overcome the pain and the trauma, but once again, I found myself reliving that disastrous scene over and over. The next thing I remember is my mind clearing and my senses returning as I stop sweating and begin crying into the cushion by my head.

    The only thing after it happened was a handwritten note on my table reminding me to relive what I just went through in a journal. Oh yeah, I was probably found by my nearby neighbours who knew of my condition. I don¡¯t know who it was that helped me into my apartment, but I find the gesture grateful as I sat down and began writing out my episode.

    Noticing the digital clock on the desk, stating it was just gone half four in the afternoon, I had been in what felt like a frozen bubble of nothing for just over half an hour. It was less powerful and a bit longer than the previous one, just like the one before that, but I¡¯m still left numb to the world during it. I opened to a clear page and started writing:

    Dear Diary: It happened again... 24/7/2028

    Episode Length: About 34 min.

    My first memories during the panic attack were from when I was around seven years old. It was a very sad memory, as it was the only memory I have of my never-to-be sister, who¡¯d died prematurely. Later on, when I turned thirteen, the first thing I remember was when it was revealed on the news that a study showed there was a very unique, genetic anomaly in humans.

    They enclosed to everyone that if a human fetus grew successfully rather than dying prematurely, according to rough calculations and simulations, the babies wouldn¡¯t have normal human ears. Instead they grew with the ears of an animal, including the tail. If I remember correctly, I think it took scientists a few months to figure out how and what the animalistic appearances were going to be after getting a new simulation unit installed.

    It was to later be given the scientific genecode of ¡°An1-b3/x¡±, or more commonly known as ¡°Ani-Beast Mutation¡±. ABM for short. Since they discovered the genetic issue, it was also revealed that this mutation was no longer being treated as a disease. The reason? Simulations showed up to ninety five percent healthy births with no defects. From what I can remember, if I¡¯m correct, any other weird symptoms would likely just be things akin to autism or other disabilities. This was around the time when people started opening up about being one of the rare surviving births.

    It was three years later when I decided to study genetics. The idea of my sister being one of the numerous casualties inspired me to look into it. The subject was really hard to follow, but I did my darndest to keep up with the workload alongside my other three subjects. I remember my dad giving me the document that contained the details of my sister¡¯s genetics, as part of a case study. I was hoping to disprove a theory that was being spread around campus as a rumour. Turns out, I was along the right tracks and doing the right thing, but I was focusing in the wrong direction.

    Going back earlier, I can remember the news reporting the case of twenty unreported babies surviving back when the mutation was not known at all, because it had just been found in the first reported fifteen thousand cases of premature deaths recorded with it. And that twenty was from this fifteen thousand who¡¯d been diagnosed with a wrongly titled ¡°disease¡±. If I recall, I think my dad mentioned that he remembered rewatching the reports over and over when I was eight as there was "horrible, political nonsense" being aired. His words, not mine. They were the first recorded numbers of the babies actually making it past birth.

    In the present, I¡¯m twenty three years old and writing into my therapy diary as I look back on my life. The apartment I¡¯m in was bought by my parents when I was young. It contains a large open room overlooking the majority of the local area that I call the lounge. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an open kitchen and dining area connected directly to the lounge area.

    Off to the west of my building are a few large shops, an outdoor spa pool is to the east of my building and to the north is a large shopping centre with three stories of shops and caf¨¦s. Between them and me is a large park with a pond full of wildlife. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m facing out this way, as in the other direction there are just rows of boring apartments and lots of dark alleys that some people wouldn¡¯t like to be living near.

    For the past five years, I¡¯ve been living alone in my apartment. I barely go out unless I¡¯m gathering food and drinks. It was only a month into my university courses when it happened. I still find it hard to live alone when it always makes me think back to the death of my parents. The image of the totaled car being almost torn in two... while I survived, my parents ¡­ well, you get the picture; they weren¡¯t as fortunate.

    I remember the absurdly strong feeling of falling into an extremely anxious and deep depression almost immediately after the trauma of the crash went away. The family car had been plowed into and ripped apart by a stolen semi, plus trailer and cargo. Luckily, I was in the part of the car that was furthest from the point of impact, but I was still covered in bruises and deep cuts. It had hit us while travelling at ninety miles an hour. Area of impact? The driver¡¯s section.

    The way time slowed down when it hit scared me the most, as I watched it slowly tear the front half of the car away from the back seats. Luckily, the guy who did the hit and run got arrested and some friends helped to get me life, money and insurance compensation while I was in hospital. Up until the accident, I had been the result of many styles of bullying, one of which to the point that I couldn¡¯t reach out for help. Those lasted six years prior to the accident.

    Some of the bullies eventually came forward when they learnt about the time I was taking in hospital, during my trauma period. That was while I was constantly fluttering in and out of normal trauma shock, and my almost permanent fight or flight feedback loop. Because of this, I was unaware of the injuries I had until the doctors were able to lower my unusually extreme amounts of adrenaline and anxiety coursing through me enough that I was able to finally feel the pain from them.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Not having many friends prior to the loss of my parents, due to consistent bullying, I¡¯d gotten some friends while I¡¯d been stuck in my own room for seven weeks. In fact, during the last five weeks there, I was visited by a number of girls who were worried about me. Turns out two of them were exes of the bullies who¡¯d come forward. The visits had been allowed when I was finally stable enough to not be under any anaesthetics. Safe to say, I don¡¯t want to be stuck in another event like that. Ever. Again.

    Surprisingly, half of the bullies who¡¯d admitted had had a chance to catch up with me while distracting me with videos of students doing dumb stuff and getting permission to play videogames with me. Some games had been restricted, which they were all fine with, not because of age but because they could trigger me. I¡¯m honestly glad I was blessed with the friendship of most of these people.

    But even though they were good at keeping me distanced and occupied from the thoughts of the crash, looking back on what has changed in my life, there will always be this unfillable hole where my entire family should be. Turns out my condition landed me in the newspaper for a month after I was allowed to leave, or in the words of my favourite doctor, ¡°released back into the wild known as human society¡±.

    My biggest surprise from this was the way the guys who¡¯d visited had seen the state I was in and had helped with not only cheering me up by bringing me school work I¡¯d completely missed out on, but helping out other teens with their work too. A few of them were surprisingly smart to the point of not behaving like a bully at all. Heck, even the tutors were astonished at how their grades went from poor grades like D¡¯s and E¡¯s, to B¡¯s and C¡¯s with a few A¡¯s. I think they got berated by their parents.

    As part of my weekly therapy, which started after my first panic attack during my second term back and ended a year after my course ended, I¡¯d been tasked with recording all my thoughts and feelings into a four year diary. Designed specifically for my sake, which is amazing if you ask me.

    Looking over my latest entry, I flow back and forth to proofread and add or change anything I notice that¡¯s either written wrong, or there¡¯s something new to add that previously slipped my mind. That¡¯s just how I think, though. Back and forth, trying to solve a problem from both ends.

    Getting my latest entry off my mind, writing out memories that I seem to reminisce on a lot, it¡¯s still mind-blowing how much it actually helps with keeping my anxiety down. Especially when I need to avoid panic attacks and keep any outbursts of anger in check. After my final therapy session, I still continue to this day to record some of my entries to their therapy cloud service, but keep most things to myself in a private and personal diary.

    Being able to look back on previous entries of mine helps me to recognise when anything bad is going to happen when I experience anything that comes close to, or is one of these issues. I¡¯ve no longer had anger issues, but I do still get very small panic attacks and emotional blank-outs. Finishing and saving the final entry, I proceed to look out of the large window from my lounge area. I have a desk near it so I can look down at the park while working on my own things.

    Paying more attention, the park is vibrant with the noises of children playing loudly, noisy and busy cars driving by, the birds chirping and singing away to each other just outside of my little pocket of the world I call my home. I barely paid attention to the cop cars driving past, but the deep reverberation of a gunshot once they¡¯ve gone makes me jump and the park go quiet. It takes a few more minutes for the park to regain some of its previous white noise, but there is a noticeable air that screams ¡°something happened and I don¡¯t want to be here anymore¡±.

    Ignoring that, I sit there, with no work to focus on for my freelance jobs, thinking about what the next boring thing to do is for about ten minutes, before I hear a thump outside my apartment. I close down my laptop and head over to the door.

    ¡®What was that?¡¯

    Living beside the stairs and roughly opposite to the lifts, my apartment sits perfectly in the corner of the first floor. It faces the park perfectly, with an engraved plaque saying ¡°Room C137¡±. Instead of ignoring it, I find myself heading down the little hall to my door, I peek out of the eyepiece, which is so blurry I can barely make out two young girls outside my door through it.

    Feeling frustrated that I¡¯ve never got that looked at, I open the door to two young girls who¡¯ve probably jumped from my actions. The girls and I just stare between each other, before loud voices start to filter up the open stairwell.

    As I¡¯m considering my choices to take them into the apartment, a deep, male voice makes an extremely disgusting comment about the two girls that I barely register, some along the lines of ¡°pesky girls getting away¡± from him. and just let them rush into my apartment. Remember when I mentioned that genetics stuff about my past? Well, after I instinctively knew the voice of a guy with the wolf Ani-Beast Mutation, due to a few past experiences, angrily discussing with his ¡°buddies¡± their plans as his voice drifted loudly up the stairs.

    While they were momentarily halted, I did the stupidest and dumbest thing and that¡¯s to spray my almost finished deodorant up and down the hallway, before chucking it against the slightly open door to an empty room as it finally emptied.

    The smell was strong enough to begin burning my nose, so I quickly grabbed the two girls by their hands firmly but gently and ushered them quietly into my apartment and into the spare bedroom furthest from the door before it could affect them.

    My unusual behaviour leads to an unexpected success, as the moment I hear their footsteps reach my floor, I hear muffled voices become clear shouts of satisfying shock and surprise as the strong smells hit their noses. Hearing one of them point out the can, I hear them run down the hall into the empty room I threw the can towards, most likely searching like crazy before I hear them filing out of the room after a few minutes.

    I released a breath I didn¡¯t know I was holding after they scanned up and down the hall for other rooms. It looked like they assumed the girls must have made some kind of escape. These guys were known for being really bad, but at least they were respecting the other apartments that were likely being occupied.

    After their footsteps headed back downstairs, I finally spent the time to look at the two girls before me. Taking more notice of their appearance, I realise what the reason was for them being chased.

    ¡®They¡¯re both kitsune girls.¡¯ I thought, honestly shocked as I took in the appearance of their ears and tails.

    I¡¯m frozen to my spot as we just focus entirely on each other, me while looking with incredulity, them with looks of fear being mostly replaced with confusion. After a long number of seconds, I bring up the courage to step past them and head for the lounging area.

    I noticed that the girls both move away and close their eyes out of fear of what they thought I would do, but I simply had no interest and walked past them. Just one train of thought crossed my mind as I slowly made my way over to sit down on the couch.

    ¡®What did I just get myself into?!¡¯

 [ 2 ] "Kitsune? More like KID-sune!"

    While I rested my head in my hands from the seated position, I heard a quiet but noticeable shuffling of movement from my right. Looking up from my hands, I see the girls slowly making their way to a seat, but stopped in their tracks by my reaction as I leaned back into the couch in defeat to my emotions. I remembered them flinching when I¡¯d walked past but if I remember correctly, I think they¡¯ve been through something I wouldn¡¯t consider pleasant.

    I find that after a few minutes of leaning back and staring out of the window once more, the shuffling returns and when I look back, I find them on the other couch, the one I often call the shorter one placed somewhat perpendicular from me, but enough to view the television on the wall in front of me. I reach my hand up, only to get a highly anxious and tear-filled look from both of them as they lock up into their previous state.

    ¡®So that¡¯s how it is, huh?¡¯ I keep to myself, placing my hand back on my lap, only to then immediately reach up to scratch an itch on my head nonchalantly.

    Deep in thought, I subconsciously leaned into the famous Thinker¡¯s Pose whilst sitting on the edge of the chair. As I stared out to the park, I listed the known facts and feelings of the current predicament I¡¯m in.

    ¡®Okay, so there¡¯s the fact that not many people will take the risk of bringing in stray kids, let alone caring for them. That¡¯s pretty much it, let alone them being ABM positive. That¡¯s worse now that I think about it.¡¯ I get lost in my train of thought, not realising the older girl has reached for the remote and turned my television on until the channel changed.

    Without realising, I must have been giving off an unusual vibe to them that meant ¡°it¡¯s fine, you can relax now¡± and the older girl¡¯s instinct was to put some television programme on.

    I didn¡¯t need to see the television to guess that she¡¯d put on a show of a cartoon with more animalistic versions of the people with ABM. I guess it was just great to watch something to keep their minds off of what¡¯s just happened between us. My thoughts drifted from thinking of social stereotypes and bigotry to a surprising idea.

    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of that before?¡¯ As the idea seeps itself into my head as I retrieve my phone from it¡¯s charging place. ¡®I wonder if I still have that note.¡¯

    I kept a soft focus on the girls, slowly but surely appearing more relaxed, but likely feeling worn out, yet wary and alert. I absentmindedly find myself watching the show with them before standing up to find the note of paper. Heading off to what I called the project room, I go through a few piles of written notes and business cards, unable to find what I was looking for. I bang my knee on the low table, that annoyingly juts out further than the taller one.

    I was on my way out and immediately noticed the start of a name and the beginning digits of a phone number and took it with me back into the front room as I put the number into my phone. Sitting down, I finished putting in the number when my stomach rumbled loudly, but not loud enough to be heard over the TV. I have no idea why, but I find myself remembering some weird fact online I¡¯d read about animals and food after I noticed them both licking their lips during a very enticing advert for a meal deal at a nearby fast food restaurant.

    Ringing the number, it goes through and I¡¯m about to start talking when I¡¯m greeted with the hold tone. As I return to the couch and leant back into it, I watch the girls slowly begin to nibble then eventually scoff down the small ready meals and the two cups of soft drinks. I just used the last of my lemonade bottle, as there was roughly enough for three drinks left in it. I treat myself to a bigger ready meal as I listen to the infamous dial tone.

    The number I¡¯ve called is the direct line to a store for people interested in things ranging from toy props and costumes to professional cosplay outfits. The weirdest but luckiest thing about this, is that an old school friend of mine works there. She¡¯s about a year younger than me, but is a very outgoing girl, with a contagious, bubbly kind of personality.

    She¡¯s known me for a long enough time to know most of my ticks and triggers for any overwhelming stress and anxiety are before I have any meltdowns. She¡¯s lovely, and with open arms says she is a lesbian, her partner bisexual, whenever someone confuses her behaviour. I can remember seeing this happen when we were in college. I first met her other half about a year before, well, the you-know-what event, and I had managed to surprise both of them by sending them to a local restaurant that I¡¯d somehow got some eighty percent off deals for.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, I bolt into an upright position as I hear the sound of the call connecting with a noticeable click and a slight trace of static as her voice comes down the line.

    ¡®Hello, this is Emylia from Daydream Designs. What can I help you with today?¡¯

    ¡®Hey Emi, it¡¯s me, Jacob.¡¯

    The brief sound of shock and surprise clearly makes its way down the phone. A bit unexpected when it¡¯s filled with the sound of excitement too.

    ¡®Jake?! That you?¡¯ I hear her ask animatedly. ¡®I¡¯m so glad you finally called! You feeling okay?¡¯

    ¡®A bit worse for wear, but yeah.¡¯ I hesitated just a little bit, as I pondered what to say next. ¡®I¡¯m kinda having an ¡­ unusual day today. That reminds me, are you busy later?¡¯

    ¡®Oh, huh. Let me find out, just gimme a sec!¡¯ Her cheerful voice gets muffled and she is either humming loudly, or calling out to her manager.

    Shy lives just down the hall from me, but she has a long work shift during the day, so there¡¯s barely any time for her to get in contact with me or vice versa. Learning she was down the hall after bumping into her while I was arriving late to mine due to torrential weather. I didn¡¯t quite know how to deal with the soaked shopping when she saw me look as if I was still trudging through the horrendous rainfall. I couldn¡¯t believe I almost forgot about reaching out to her.

    ¡®--kay, thanks.¡¯ I hear an excited tone come from my phone, likely after she''d been talking with her manager. ¡®Okay, so I¡¯ve checked with Matthew, he manages the cameras, and then checked with Matilda, our boss. Today has been very quiet and so I was going to be let out earlier today anyway.¡¯ A short pause follows. ¡®Wait¡­ Unusual how?¡¯

    ¡®Well¡­I just happened to be home when two very young, distressed girls appeared outside my apartment.¡¯

    In response to my comment, the fox ears of the two girls shot upright in response when I looked their way. I couldn''t help but find that a bit funny, unintentionally smirking a little in the process. I felt a bit worried about their appearance, but they seemed okay enough to be with me for a while. It didn¡¯t take me long to realise she was calling my name through the phone.

    ¡®Jake? You still there?¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, sorry.¡¯

    I rubbed the back of my head subconsciously at the awkward moment, before I continued my train of thought.

    ¡®So, you see, I was having one of my better days, when I heard a knocking on my front door. When I saw them, I could barely make out some gruff voices coming from the stairs and they looked frightened. I thought that the increasing volume and agitated tones wer--¡¯

    ¡®Sorry Jake, I¡¯ll be right back!¡¯

    ¡®No probs.¡¯

    I was aware she was still working, so I didn¡¯t question it if she needed to help out with someone. While I waited, as she most likely tended to her customers, I just sat there as the music on the phone returned, watching the two girls slowly but surely having fun skimming through the channels on my television.

    As the music changed to a very early christmas song, I noticed one of the girls was beginning to look bored. As quickly as I could, I got up and took my phone with me. Luckily they were entranced enough with the television show on some kiddy channel that they didn¡¯t notice me grab some pencils and paper until I placed it in front of them.

    As the girls started drawing, I changed the channels to come across an interesting news report. Well, it looked more like a radio station with a camera feed so it was probably a live podcast airing channel. What caught my eye about this channel though, is a new release of a book in a series I used to read. I mentally facepalmed when I saw that I''d muted the TV, so I unmuted it.

    ¡®--ell, I can¡¯t reveal much, but I can say that I was inspired by things like a scene where the protagonists eat, like some of those crossovers we see in sitcoms and anime shows. When they make a holiday and something happens that they both are good at like a fight or a friendly sport match between them and there is a goal for both in common to win. I can¡¯t reveal much more, but if you want to find out about it, please go check out my series in your nearest bookstore!¡¯

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    I muted it after that and was watching the podcast talking to upcoming authors for only a minute when the music on my phone had stopped. The sound of a louder than normal ¡°Hello? You there Jake?¡±, making me jolt a little.

    ¡®Yeah, sorry. You made me jump.¡¯ Which wasn¡¯t a lie, I did jump at the volume on my phone which I quickly lowered, despite it being quieter previously.

    ¡®So what was this story about these girls then?¡¯

    I got up from the chair and walked to the entrance to the kitchen, after the author on the TV mentioned that the upcoming novel was about [thing],.

    ¡®Well, as I mentioned before, these guys seemed to be after them, I can¡¯t quite remember what they said, but they were definitely looking for these two girls. They looked so frightened and afraid of these guys so I let them in. They were terrified at first, but I managed to get them into my apartment and I hopefully broke the trail the guys were following. I think that was about ten minutes ago.¡¯

    A slight static came through the speaker as she listened to me have a short ramble about what happened. Intentionally leaving out lots of important details as I finished talking. She had likely been doing her anxious habit of dwindling her fingers in the cord of the phone while I talked, causing a little bit of feedback through to me.

    ¡®Oh wow, that¡¯s just ¡­ weird. Like, really weird.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah. Oh, and there¡¯s one other thing.¡¯

    ¡®Really? What is it?¡¯

    Hesitation entered my thoughts when I realised I¡¯d stared at the girls for a bit too long. I¡¯m just glad the two girls ignored my awkward staring, who¡¯d started drawing things from the previous show they¡¯d been watching, but still not talking openly. I cracked a small smile, but the wave of anxiety hit me like a train once again.

    Do I tell her about them?¡¯

    I mulled through my options, hesitant as the silence slowly got unknowingly awkward.

    ¡®...Jake? You there?¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, sorry. I¡­ Well, it might be best if I let you meet them first.¡¯

    ¡®Oh? Uh, sure. Hold on a sec.¡¯

    She sounded a bit confused at first, then really intrigued as the music came back on briefly. At least that¡¯s how it sounded according to the change in her tone. I heard a yawn from the other side of the room.

    ¡®Reckon you could meet me over in the park? I just got told we¡¯re finishing earlier than normal today.¡¯

    ¡®Oh? That sounds great! When?¡¯

    ¡®See you in an hour?¡¯

    ¡®Okay, sure.¡¯

    ¡®Remember to bring the girls!¡¯

    And with that, the call ended before I could get in a reply. I was still a bit unsure if her tone was flirty or not when she asked to meet. However, she was always one to keep to a promise between friends. Besides, I couldn¡¯t dwell too much on her meetup request, as there was one other problem; getting to know the kitsune girls.

    <hr>

    It took more time than I was expecting, but luckily the walk to the park would take under five minutes if I took the elevator. The initial thirty minutes since the call ended to get the two young girls to trust me. They did enjoy watching the cartoons, but were still wary and hesitant towards me. I don¡¯t know what I did or how I acted, but the older girl of the two seemed to recognise that I had been trying to help them the entire time.

    It also helped that they were finally relaxed enough to feel sleepy. However, it had taken another fifteen minutes for the younger, black haired girl to come around from her little nap. The blonde one, the poor thing, just sat there rubbing her eyes, trying her best to stay awake. I guided her towards the bathroom so she could wash up.

    While she was washing up, I couldn¡¯t help but feel warm inside when the younger one finally came up to me, with her arms outstretched. Watching other families in the park, I believe this was called the ¡°Pwease can you cawwy me?¡± gesture. Reluctantly, I picked her up and began carrying her when I noticed the time.

    ¡®Ah crap. We¡¯re gonna be late.¡¯

    Knocking on the door, I¡¯m almost immediately met by a half-frightened face as the door slowly creaks open rather loudly, before I grab the handle and close it. The little glimpse of her startled face told me exactly where she was.

    ¡®She wasn¡¯t done in there either.¡¯

    A little squirming came from the young girl in my occupied arm, who let out a little yawn as she snuggled against my chest, her head leaning into the crook of my neck. I felt my left pocket buzz, but my left arm was occupied by ¡°little miss sleepyhead¡±, so I awkwardly used my right to fish it out.

    The text was from Emi.

    <blockquote>

    [EMiLoveBun: I¡¯m here. Where are u? ]

    </blockquote>

    I immediately started to reply.

    <blockquote>

    [JBlakesley: WE¡¯re on our way - don¡¯t worry. Give us 5min ? ]

    [EMiLiveBun: No Worries! I¡¯ll wait here. Got me an ice-cream sundae! ;) <3 ]

    </blockquote>

    Knowing that she¡¯s just being playful, I sent back a laugh out loud emoji and a ¡°see you soon¡± message as the other girl finally finished in the bathroom. The girl immediately grabbed my hand as I walked out of my apartment. I heard someone I thought I knew, possibly the neighbour from earlier, coming up the stairs and immediately stepped into the elevator. Heavens knows what they¡¯d say if they saw me with the girls.

    As quickly as I could, I rushed into the elevator as her clacking of her heels came up the stairwell. The likelihood of being caught was increasing, but my breath I didn''t know I was holding was released as the steps receded in the other direction, away from the girls and I. The dread hit me full on when the doors opened and about thirteen people looked my way.

    Luckily, I¡¯d raised my hood up while coming down the lift. It was a relatively new hoodie, so I wasn¡¯t questioned by the residents I recognised from just under the brim of the hood over my eyes. I think only one or two recognised me, because they immediately looked away after we traded eyesight as I stepped out. Keeping a casual but steady pace, I began to notice the little one by my side kept inching closer to me whenever I got too close to someone, so I stopped.

    ¡®Would you like to join your sister?¡¯

    A sullen nod was all I needed to pick her up like her sleeping sister. She was a bit heavier, but not a weight I could handle. I have been visiting the gym lately, a bit more than usual, and paid the little extra weight with no attention as I carried both of them towards the park. I sensed some lingering looks, so I turned back to find those feelings disappear. Not all, but pretty much a majority of them.

    I could feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. It wasn¡¯t until she noticed me walking over to her, with both girls now asleep in my arms. Instead of ignoring the ringing, I woke up the older girl, carefully placing her on the floor as the phone stopped buzzing.

    The girl clutched my leg as I felt Emi call me again, this time I can actually answer my phone. I don¡¯t know why but as soon as I took the phone from my pocket, the little girl clutched my leg tightly while looking up at me with sleepy eyes. I felt my face soften briefly before picking up the phone after rubbing her head.

    ¡®Hello?¡¯

    ¡®Hey! I¡¯m glad you picked up!¡¯ Came the nervously excited tone of Emi¡¯s voice through the phone¡¯s tinny speaker. ¡®I¡¯ve been waiting ages! Where are you?¡¯

    ¡®Hello to you too, Emi! We¡¯ve just passed the paddleboat area. Hopefully we¡¯ll be near you soon!¡¯ I replied, keeping a slow pace.

    ¡®Oh goodie. Wait, I think I can see¡­ you... ¡®

    I stopped to look around. It took about thirty seconds before I noticed a set of eyes staring at me in shock. I couldn¡¯t help but smirk as I walked over to her. Looking a bit cuter than I remember, Emylia had shoulder length blonde hair, tipped a bright, neon pink on the last three or so inches. Another thing I noticed, is I don¡¯t remember her being so ¡­ well, how can I put it? ¡°Busty¡±. She definitely has a great figure, since our last encounter, but I¡¯m pretty sure I would remember her having a ¡°set¡± that size.

    ¡®I¡¯m a guy, so what, I¡¯m allowed to notice these things!¡¯ I found myself thinking, my ears warming and feeling a tiny bit itchy at the tips.

    Reaching up, I massage the itch in my ears as best I could, while I forced myself to forget the thoughts racing in my head. I definitely remember now that she liked to tease guys who don¡¯t know her as well as some do. The last time we met was after a really painful episode about a year ago. That was when I was introduced to her girlfriend.

    You guessed it, she¡¯s a lesbian and her girlfriend was bisexual. And in terms of support, I was all for it. Mainly because there was a grumpy old git, Michael... something, who used to live opposite them. He¡¯d tried to use his beliefs to separate them and get them evicted, but the tenant didn¡¯t tolerate such behaviour. Instead, he gave him an extremely stern warning and transferred them to a room on the other side of the floor in our building.

    I can somewhat remember him saying he didn¡¯t want to lose one of the few ¡°benefactors¡± of his apartment block. It still angered me whenever I saw him, walking down the corridors of our floor like he was on patrol for ¡°naysayers¡±, but being an old military veteran, we all let it slide as long as he doesn¡¯t speak openly to others like he did to my friends.

    Seeing her advance towards us snapped me out of my little flashback reverie, as I pocket my phone as I felt the young girl tighten her grip around my leg, as if to hide herself behind it.

    ¡®Hey Jake! Long time no see!¡¯ Her voice sounding much better in person than over the phone, made me feel relaxed enough to lower my hood. ¡®Aww! Who are these two cuties?¡¯

    As she pulls her phone out, I give her a stern ¡°really? Now?¡± look, which she quickly notices. After a few seconds, we burst out laughing at each other''s antics and a weight I didn¡¯t know I was feeling lifted from my shoulders for just that brief moment of us being ourselves.

    The look on Emi¡¯s face went from happy and relaxed to shock and surprise. Guessing where she was now staring, I think her reaction was because of either their ears, or their tails. I¡¯m guessing the latter, as ears are relatively hard to distinguish between.

    ¡®That doesn¡¯t look entirely like a wolf tail... wait, they can¡¯t be... are they kitsune girls?! ... Well, more like kid-sune girls!¡¯

 [ 3 ] Unusual Tendencies

    The afternoon passed rather slowly, Emi and I caught up with each other¡¯s ¡°life progress¡±. I¡¯d managed to convince the sleepy, fox-eared girl that Emi was safe to be around. To my surprise, Emi had her on her lap and was making the child giggle with kids'' stories, in less time than it took to get them to be open with me.

    A loud rumble of the young girl''s stomach and the position of her ears told both of us that she was rather hungry. What made it cuter, was when she emphasised her arms clutching across her belly.

    ¡®Sowwy. I¡¯m a little hungry.¡¯ She mumbled as her cheeks became erubescent.

    I reached over and began scratching behind her ears. She leant into my touch, before moving away and covering her mouth in surprise. At that moment, I¡¯d heard the sound akin to a cat''s purring. Emi and I both stared at the girl in surprise as her face went from the warm glow to a strong red in embarrassment.

    ¡®It¡¯s okay to be yourself around us, sweetie.¡¯ Emi cooed to her, pulling her hands down from her face gently.

    ¡®Weally?¡¯

    The way her eyes went from a distant look to sparking brightly, made Emi ¡°aww¡± at how cute it was. When another gurgle from her stomach told us otherwise. The mute girl snuggled into my left arm began to stir from her sleep, rubbing her eyes as a long yawn came from her mouth.

    Keeping still, I felt her jerk a little, until she saw me looking at her. With a warm smile, she attempted a very small smile back as she hugged me around the neck. After a few seconds, I help her move around to sit on my lap, like her sister on Emi¡¯s.

    As she started taking her surroundings in, I could feel her become anxious and more alert. But before she could panic, I gently wrapped my arms around her. I felt her relax by leaning into me, before both their stomachs rumbled loudly. Immediately followed by their erubescent faces.

    ¡®Right, It¡¯s definitely time for some food for these two.¡¯ My friend said, ruffling the hair of the girl on her lap, then tickling her sides a little.

    ¡®Hehehe! Stahp!¡¯ She cried with laughter, as she squirmed in her lap.

    ¡®Right, I guess it¡¯s time to find us some food.¡¯ I remind them, as we pick up the young girls. ¡®You hungry, little one?¡¯ The girl in my safe embrace nodded, without making a sound.

    Walking around, I realised there were many places to eat. I was hoping that there was a suitable place for not just them to eat, but for the two of us as well. It took a short while, with the growing shadows of trees and buildings across the park before we stumbled across a place that felt almost perfect.

    Walking in, the warmth of the store immediately hit the four of us. We were also greeted by the strong whiff of fried chips and grilled meats adjoined with the ambient sound of food being cooked openly with the soft rumble of idle chatter around us. We stood in the queue, Emi and I openly discussing a random topic about superheroes.

    The group of people in front must have had a large order of some kind, because it had taken a good ten minutes or so before their meal was served. After we¡¯d stopped talking and just stood there in silence, the good kind that is, a sudden and very loud cough from behind. It had startled not just me, but both of the young girls as well.

    I watched Emi rub her forehead slightly, then turn on the edge of my vision towards the rude expelling of air, while the little girl in her arms visibly shakes out of fear. As if noticing my gaze, she immediately starts to reach for me. Before I could say anything, everything became a rush of colours as Emi handed me the girl as the group ahead of us finished and collected their order.

    There was a slightly heated discussion behind us as I walked up to the counter, both girls squirming a little in my arms. Luckily, the staff member was a lot more welcoming than the rude woman from behind us. However, I had barely noticed a glint of the same ¡°stink-eye¡± hidden behind his expression, similar to the womans, but as he began serving us I could tell he was experienced with kids. Well, either that or he could see how stressed and worked up the kids and I were from the woman behind us.

    ¡®Welcome to Donneli¡¯s Diner. What would you like to have, young one?¡¯ His fake, yet joyous tone grabbed her attention and I felt them relax a little.

    It had been fairly warm for the time we were out and I noticed the blonde girl was staring at the strawberry ice-cream. Her eyes showed worry and doubt, but I could feel her tail swishing slightly aganst my arm every time she looked at that flavour. Unfortunately, the younger girl had fallen asleep in my other arm again, so I didn¡¯t get the chance to order anything for her.

    After getting a small platter for myself, I also ordered a small tub of strawberry ice-cream for the young girl. I let her sit down beside me as I gently placed the sleeping one on my lap. It was a few minutes before Emi came over with her food.

    ¡®Hey! What took you so long?¡¯ I asked when I saw her upset face.

    ¡®I had a bit of an argument with an anti-ABM believer again.¡¯ She huffed, as she sat down beside the very hungry girl.

    I could hear a loud voice echo through the large interior, getting my attention. Turning to look towards the entrance, the source of the noise, it seemed like the woman was having issues with the two staff members talking to her. I noticed there was a man watching from the stairs up to the toilets and staff area. Some of thenearer customers had even started to stare in her general direction.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ''-o! I want to speak to the manager! This is outrageous!'' The angry tone of this woman seeped through the entire diner, to the point that it was less than half the volume it had previously been at.

    ''Ma''am, I am the owner of this place and I will say to you once again you are forbidden for your vulgar language and behaviour. I have already called the cops and they should be here any minute.'' The man replied, who¡¯d walked over from the stairwell, his barely noticeable American accent accentuated in his frustrated tone.

    As she sat outside the diner, it took me a moment to notice a red patch on Emi''s cheek when I looked back at her. I was infuriated at the gesture, but too cowardly to do or say anything about it. I watched as she kept rubbing at it, before a waitress came over with a piece of cloth in her hand. A drip of water fell from a corner of the cloth as Emi took the cloth with a ¡°thank you¡± to the waiter.

    ¡®I am so glad someone finally stood up to that customer. She¡¯s been harassing us for months ever since they started hiring young ABM people like us.¡¯ The young woman blurted, as she began showing off her animalised ears and tail, albeit discreetly.

    ¡®I just didn¡¯t like the fact she was making specist remarks towards these lovely girls.¡¯ Emi replied, scratching the head of the young girl between us.

    A sudden shuffling in my arm was the sign of the other one waking up, but this time, I felt her jerk and stiffen in fright. Looking at her face, I could see the stains of tears covering her cheeks as her eyes radiated with fear as she quietly clung to me tightly. I could barely hear her sniffling into my shoulder, as if to hide her tears.

    I think my friend noticed as well, because she got out a small napkin from a pocket and reached over to wipe her tears away. The little girl didn¡¯t fuss about it and stayed still as her face was cleaned from the salty mess.

    ¡®Poor thing. She must¡¯ve had a bad dream.¡¯ my friend whispered in my ear, as she cleaned up the last few streaks.

    I felt a tugging on my side, followed by a set of adorable eyes. It felt weird being around these kids. I wanted to care for them, but I knew nothing about parenting and everytime it crossed my mind, it felt like it was going to be hard work. I don¡¯t know how hard it¡¯ll be to care for these two alongside myself, but a few thoughts that skittered across my mind started to form into a small plan. If it could even work.

    I hoped she¡¯d say yes to the thought of, while I¡¯m on the hunt for a decent job, being my exclusive babysitter. The thoughts were hesitant, but I just couldn¡¯t say no to those adorable eyes of the girls.

    ¡®Hey Emi, I¡¯ve got a question for you.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah? What is it?¡¯ She replied, sitting back with the girl who¡¯d just finished her sugary treat.

    I hesitated at the immediate response.

    ¡®I was wondering... How would you like to be a temporary babysitter?¡¯ I felt like I was about to regret asking when her eyes lit up as the awake girl stared in surprise.

    ¡®That would be wonderful! I¡¯ll have to work it into my shift schedule somehow.¡¯

    Her rosy cheeks and her warm smile released an unexpectedly massive weight on my shoulders. I hugged the girl closer to my side, getting a stifled giggle in the process and a loving hug. We sat and discussed the terms of the babysitting, while the two girls played what looked like a game of pattycake between themselves.

    ~ # ~ # ~ # ~

    <hr>

    The afternoon was one of those days where it was relatively free of other ignorant and entitled people having a go at someone for being different to their ¡°personal norms¡±. The girls were looking rather sleepy as we both walked back to our, well, my apartment. The day had been relatively easygoing, which was an honest surprise for me, but my anxiety had been reduced simply by the interaction with the girls and with my good friend Emi.

    I could hear Emi teasing the young girl, as she kept yawning every now and then, until she nodded off against her shoulder, just like the younger one in my arms. Upon reaching the elevator, a young black lad managed to slip into the elevator at the last second. Luckily, I knew him and his mother. Pretty much everyone knew anyone who lived in this building.

    ¡®Evening Johnny. How¡¯s your mother doing?¡¯ I asked, rubbing his head with my free hand.

    ¡®My mother is doing fine. She¡¯s struggling to get around the apartment lately, so I¡¯m getting her shopping for her.¡± He replied, lifting the shopping bag I hadn¡¯t noticed he was carrying.

    ¡®I hope she¡¯s doing okay.¡¯ Emi murmured, as she glanced at me worryingly.

    Johnny¡¯s mother Augustina, or as she prefers, Tina, had moved in a while ago, back when the smart lad before us was about the same age as the girls. Emi had known for a while longer, but during our talk, I¡¯d gotten the news about how Tina has another baby on the way, but was just shy of the money for any hospital medical bills. It was a shock, but as a small community, we helped out one another. That way she was able to relax while her friends and neighbours were tasked with helping her out. Mainly all the other mothers on her floor.

    ¡®Well say to her from us. We hope to hear from her soon!¡¯ I added, exuberated at the thought of him having a sibling on their way.

    As he slunk off with the two heavy bags in each hand, I was always reminded of how strong he could be one day. Then let my thoughts wonder to more of my usual focus. I felt exhaustion seeping into my body and relief building up as we approached my apartment. The door was slightly ajar, which I mentally cursed myself over, but didn¡¯t have to worry. Nothing was misplaced or overturned, but I did see a hand-written note from someone saying it had swung open while they strode past while I was out and had tried to shut it without a keycard.

    As the two girls slowly made their way into the large social area, Emi noticed their growing tiredness and led them to my spare room, annoyingly with a bed larger than my own. Seeing her taking care of them like how a babysitter would, it had distracted the thoughts from the note in my hand. While reading, I was hit by a little wave of worry, followed shortly by even more relief as I groggily read the page-long note from the neighbour.

    I need to rest my eyes a little. I groaned mentally, placing the note in the trash as I eyed the empty sofa being bathed in a sea of gentle and warm colours from beyond the windows. Just a little power-nap and I¡¯ll find myself feeling better.

    A few sparrows were lined up on the edge of my balcony, and stupidly, I began counting them and silently giving them names and voices until my eyelids started feeling heavy. I felt something akin to a caring, warm set of eyes land on me briefly, but I was too tired to care as I dozed off thinking of random interactions for the sparrows that had suddenly flown off together.

    Instead of feeling worried or stressed by the events of today, I strangely found myself feeling a little bit of contentment as I drifted off into a world where all I had to worry about was keeping my feet on the floor.

 [ 4 ] Parenting is Harder Than I Thought...

    I don¡¯t quite remember what time it was when I fell asleep, but it was definitely the following day when I awoke abruptly. A loud noise emanated from somewhere in my apartment so for a brief second, I thought someone had broken in. However, once I stepped into the kitchen, the source of the noise, I instantly relaxed as I saw Emi¡¯s girlfriend, Rue, helping teach the two girls how to cook.

    ¡®Morning sleepyhead.¡¯ I heard from behind me, making me turn my head around to a partially worn out but smiling Emi standing in her work outfit. ¡®After the events of yesterday, I thought you needed some time to actually sleep. After all, you did leave your panic diary out on your desk.¡¯

    ¡­drat.

    ¡®It¡¯s okay though,¡¯ She added comfortingly, after looking towards the girls for a brief pause. ¡®I did take the other spare room while you slept after I put the diary away. After all, I couldn¡¯t leave the cuties unsupervised on the same day you had your episode.¡¯

    I wasn¡¯t awake enough for a heartfelt comment, but I gave her a warm, thankful look through my sleepy haze. I got a pat on the back as she passed me on her way to the girls. A comment about breakfast left me groggily heading for the shower. I remembered to grab my clothes first this time, grabbing a red shirt with a family-friendly, cartoony image over the previous one I picked, with casual trousers and a pair of somewhat expensive sneakers.

    After a good wash, I felt refreshed and more awake than I was earlier. The grogginess was replaced with an awareness that seemed to amplify for a few seconds before returning to my usual senses. It felt weird, but I¡¯ve had it ever since that incident from my past and I usually assumed it was linked to all my previous panic attacks. Throwing that thought to the wind, I brought myself back to the attention of the four girls in my kitchen.

    Breakfast always felt better with a friend, but with the addition of the two girls that both Emi and Rue are dubbing as ¡°kid-sune¡± girls, there was a weird feeling that also felt familiar to me. It was hard to describe, but the thought of being a father to the girls had just formed into my mind.

    Which begged the question that immediately popped into my mind afterwards; Where are their parents?

    I hadn¡¯t realised I was so focused on this train of thought, that the older of the two young girls had tugged at the hem of my shirt. She¡¯d been trying to get my attention for whoever knows how long. I think I had zoned out for longer than a few minutes, but I forced myself to forget these thoughts as I looked down at her.

    ¡®What is it, sweetie?¡¯ I asked gently, patting her head then giving a little scratch when done.

    ¡®Uhm, why do you look sad?¡¯ Her head leant to the side a little as she hesitated with her question.

    In all honesty, I shouldn¡¯t have expected them to understand what it is I¡¯m actually feeling. I picked up the girl, placing her in my lap as I explained that I was just thinking about something that wasn¡¯t very interesting and it seemed to calm her down. I cast a silent look towards Emi and I hoped she got the message that I¡¯d like to talk to her privately.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    After Emi left her girlfriend in charge of the two girls, as she had more experience due to her actual job, we went off to talk privately in my bedroom. After all, it¡¯s the only room with an inside lock.

    ¡®What did you want to talk about?¡¯ She questioned me, as I sat on the bed and she sat on the only chair in the room. ¡®I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with those girls out there having fun and, from what I¡¯ve heard from you, loosening up from high anxiety?¡¯ Her face shared a serious look with my own, as she began to twiddle her short hair in her fingers.

    ¡®Yeah,¡¯ I replied solemnly. ¡®Since my shower, I¡¯ve continuously been worrying about where their parents are. I¡¯ve also noticed that the girls don¡¯t seem to be worrying about them either. It¡¯s like they¡¯ve moved on. It just doesn¡¯t feel¡­ you know, right. Know what I mean?¡¯

    ¡®I understand, Jake.¡¯ She replied, reaching out and placing her hand on mine reassuringly while I rested it on my knee. ¡®I¡¯ll ask a friend of ours to see if there¡¯s anything they can look for. Would that settle you for now?¡¯

    A weight lifted from my shoulders I didn¡¯t know I had, nodding my head in response and earning me a pat on the back as I stood up and headed out the room. I got up a little bit too quickly, getting a dizzying sensation followed by various lights and colours that flittered across my eyes. The usual signs of feeling light-headed, oddly stronger than I¡¯ve ever felt it before. Again, I guessed it was probably a sign of my episodes.

    Behind me, I could hear her calling our mutual friend from behind the door. Before I headed back to the kitchen, which was enticed with the vivid aroma wafting from that direction, I went to my study desk, wrote down my fleeting worries onto a pad of paper. I then passed them to Emi while she was still on her phone.

    <hr>

    The morning had been rather slow, just how I preferred it. However with the addition of the two girls, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit uneasy. At one point they opened up enough to have a little game of hide and seek in my apartment, but with the lack of hiding spaces, it quickly turned into a short game of tag. Just before lunch was to roll around, the two girls could be seen sleeping soundly on the sofa.

    It was about an hour earlier when Emi had joined us. Her call had lasted almost a solid two hours, but she left the call to confirm that our friend had begun looking into it. What honestly surprised me, is since he¡¯d left college six years ago he¡¯d somehow made a name for himself as a very special lawyer. After all, he had dropped out early when he¡¯d been given a job halfway through his last year, but somehow his grade was good enough as it was for him to land the job.

    He now helps run a business that backs Emi¡¯s shop and many others for those willing to help people like the two girls with me. Every time I began looking at them, it always gave me a feeling that they¡¯re a little like me. Even with pushing the thought to the back of my head, it kept nagging like some kind of instinctual knowledge. Not that I¡¯d know what the feeling actually was, but weirdly, it also felt... right. Almost protective, with how forefront it felt.

    Making myself divert my train of thought from htat nonsensical stuff, I remembered the guy Emi called was a mutual friend of ours, but I couldn¡¯t exactly remember his name. Even after she¡¯d mentioned it in passing. Looking back, it wasn¡¯t a surprise to see that he was so invested in getting a job. After all, he was following in his father¡¯s footsteps to make an image for himself. After all, he was helping an old friend from his position while supposedly managing other support centres against the bigotry in their local areas.

    Hopefully according to her brief response in front of the girls, who were distracted with some cake making, he¡¯d help to look or have an employee look into the case of the parents. I hoped they found something soon. But putting that on the back burner, I sat down at the table with a freshly brewed coffee, as the two girls struggled to make some cookies.

    Out of habit, I kept looking at the clock on the cooking stove setup and started to move to the lounge for a television series I¡¯ve been watching lately. I had no idea how long today was going to feel, but just one thing was definitely going to change my life. And I really had no idea how much it would affect me in the years to come. And for the better, might I add.

 [ 5 ] Nothing ever Works Like in the Movies

    It¡¯s been just over half a week since the girls showed up and the two of them have just opened up enough since we first met. The younger one hasn¡¯t spoken since we first met, but since then they have definitely been a handful during the nights, I¡¯ll tell you that much. It¡¯s possible that she¡¯s mute, but I don¡¯t want to assume anything until I¡¯ve been shown proof.

    I am constantly woken up by loud crying and after a while, I instinctively rush towards their bedroom to check up on the two of them. I found it really annoying, but that¡¯s the pain of being a temporary father figure, so I didn¡¯t mind the change of routine. Although, it did leave me with a very sore headache every time.

    ¡®Come on, it¡¯s okay.¡¯ Attempting to keep my voice calm and soothing to a pair of ginger-ish, blonde ears.

    Right now, I was in the middle of consoling Lucia, the young blonde girl. Despite their nightmares waking them up, they can now easily sleep through each other''s episodes as long as I¡¯m around. It sucks. However, it¡¯s what I currently have to deal with. Knowing my top would be a little damp from the tears and ¡­ something snotty, it¡¯s strangely kinda worth it after feeling either one of the girls relax against me.

    That¡¯s the cue that they¡¯ve finished their nightmare episodes, as it had just so happened in the spare bedroom. The one the two girls use.

    ¡®You good, Lucia?¡¯ I whispered.

    I dared not break the comfort I was giving her, feeling her shifting her head against my chest. The poor thing fell asleep minutes later. Right in the middle of a cuddling and head stroking session.

    ¡®Welp, guess that solves that problem.¡¯ I thought, as I gently stroked the back of her head and getting a half-smile in response.

    The girls have definitely become a lot more attached to me. Emylia and her girlfriend are both supportive of my choice to take care of them for the time being, but I still think I need to do something different. One thing I had noticed, is since I met them, I¡¯ve not really experienced another panic attack myself. It¡¯s like something switched inside me. It helped to have a distraction, but it was definitely not something I was expecting. Not in the least.

    The new changes have been having an effect, not sure if good or bad, on my waking life. I felt the anxious tug of my episodes buzzing, but when the anxiety increased prior to their arrival, the anxiety waves no longer occurred.

    Looking at the time on my watch, with the barely visible glow of the photo-luminescent display, I knew it was half something, but I couldn¡¯t tell what the actual time was as my eyes weren''t focusing. Maybe two, possibly three thirty.

    ¡®Dang it.¡¯ I whispered as loudly as I dared. ¡®I needed a bedside clock. And ay-sap.¡¯ I added as an afterthought, without realising I drifted off to sleep with her in my arms.

    ?   ?   ?

    <hr>

    My watch peeped softly, nudging me awake. The room felt different, so I knew it wasn¡¯t my room. Opening my eyes, I was stopped by a pair of glistening eyes staring back into mine from the side of the bed.

    Lucia had been staring at me while clutching her tail between her legs, the tips of her ears pointing straight towards the head of the bed, twitching a little. I slowly reached up and rubbed her head, resulting in a little ¡°eep¡± in response. But followed by a warm, calming vibration against my hand.

    Unlike the other girl, Lucia had been the faster one to open her feelings around the apartment. This was shown by her adorable affection towards Emi, Rue and I. Rue likes to call her ¡®Little LuLu¡¯ and I think it kind of suits her personality. The latter part, that is.

    ¡®You okay, LuLu-sweetie?¡¯ I mumbled.

    ¡®Mhmm.¡¯ She hummed in response, alongside her purring.

    Her eyes closed after I started scratching behind her right ear before I reached down to tickle her. Earnt me a rather loud giggle fit from her that ultimately ended up waking her sister up in the process. I really don¡¯t know why I hadn¡¯t thought of it before, but being a fatherly figure for these girls just warms my heart and feels like it¡¯s replacing but not completely filling the gap that was there before I met them.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    I still wanted to help them, but I didn¡¯t know what to do. I knew I needed adoption papers, but I had never thought of the chance that I could actually use them. Putting this thought to the back of my mind for the time being, I was just sitting there enjoying the company of the two girls.

    I don¡¯t know how, or why, or anything else but the thought that these two needed someone to run to if things got sour.  Taking this opportunity, I decided to reach out for my phone and check my messages. The bright light of my screen flickered on for a brief second, before the filter turned on, blinding the three of us.

    Lucia briefly gripped my shirt tighter in response. I comforted her with a head pat, before scrolling down to find a music playlist I usually listen to when I wake up. She¡¯d relaxed into my side while the black-haired girl sleepily made her way to our side of the double bed. The clumsy placement of her hands barely grazed her knees as she made her way to my side.

    The tracks I¡¯d picked were from a Lo-Fi playlist by a well-known artist. Perfect for waking up on a weekend. Today was a Saturday, but we were already up rather early.

    ¡®I like this song.¡¯

    Looks like I wasn¡¯t the only one to enjoy Lo-Fi music. It helps keep my mind calm and relaxed in the mornings. I just wish I wasn¡¯t woken up almost every night to their nightma¨C

    ¡®What¡¯s for breakfast?¡¯ Lucia caught me off guard with her groggy but soft and adorably cute voice.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go find out shall we?¡¯ A gentle nod of her head was given in response as she placed her index finger in her mouth.

    I picked up her younger sister, who was making a grabbing motion with her hands, and then carried her while I guided Lucia to the kitchen. Luckily, there wasn¡¯t much in terms of food, but there was indeed enough for us to have for breakfast.  The creaking of the wood beneath our feet seemed to amplify in the early morning as we tiptoed our way to the kitchen.

    ¡®What would you girls like to have?¡¯ I asked, placing the quiet girl carefully on a seat and helping Lucia onto hers.

    ¡®ChocoCrocs please!¡¯ She replied, with a bit more volume.

    Her half-awake giggles from the tickle-fest I gave her were still somewhat present whilst her sister just nodded sleepily in agreement. We sat quietly, the girls having their sugary cereal whilst I had a few of the remaining slices of toast and a coffee. I don¡¯t usually drink caffeinated coffee, but for the time being, I just sat there whilst the boost of caffeine started to boost my system.

    Knowing full well I¡¯d crash later this evening, it was definitely a plan to keep these girls active. The thought of the gym started to sound interesting as I sipped at my coffee. I''d never been often in the past five years, but the thought of returning was like relighting an old candle lamp; easy to get back into doing.

    ¡®Would it be a good idea to take Lucia with me? I don¡¯t think her sister will be able to come along yet...¡¯ I mentally checked my options, while Lucia¡¯s sister was nibbling quietly at her breakfast.

    The day was progressing slowly, but there was just enough sunlight to bathe the lounge area in a soft, dimly lit glow. As I stared out the kitchen towards the windows, a series of rapid knocks rattled against my front door. I let the girls know they could follow or stay behind and finish their breakfast as I got up with the last of my drink in hand. The sight before me was of Emylia and Ruella. I was going to ask what was wrong, but Emi¡¯s glare of concern shut me up.

    After ten minutes of asking the two girls to sit in their temporary bedroom, Rue put the TV on, quietly enough to not be heard by the two children, but loud enough for the three of us to hear it. The very quick swap to the news left me speechless when the live feed displayed a crime scene not far from our apartment block.

    ¡®-his is the scene of a horrific murder made by one of the local gangs in the area. Police nearby at the time were unaware of the crime as they were in hot pursuit of a reckless driver with a passenger firing back at their vehicle. The criminals have since been caught and imprisoned, but upon their return route to their posted area, they¡¯d stumbled across a mass of people at the entrance to the alleyway, where they had discovered the scene of two adults murdered.¡¯ The newswoman looked a little queasy as she caught a lump in her throat before continuing.

    ¡®The information of this has just been revealed to us today after an investigation into the situation at hand. This couple was well known in the area for the past decade, but some people were aware that they were told of how afraid the couple were of the accusations towards their young children.¡¯

    The scene cut to a picture of the couple during a public photoshoot with a timestamp from two days before. It looked like the first outing of the couple with their children.

    ¡®The couples were Mary and David McCormack, both in their late twenties. As you can see, their suspicions were valid. Their children are the first known documentation of the rumoured fox-girl appearance since the reveal of ABM Positive members of the public. Unfortunately, these children have not been seen or heard from since the murder of their parents. If anybody has seen these two girls, please report to us as soon as possible.¡¯

    However, the image lingered in my mind as I stared at it in shock. The pieces clicked into place as I stared at it for way too long to be normal. Luckily, as it shifted off that news report, I realised I¡¯d been holding in a deep breath. That¡¯s when it clicked in my head as I turned to look at Emi and Rue across from me.

    It was an image of Lucia and her sister.

 [ 6 ] Reality Can Be a Little Disappointing...

    The live news report ended right with another set of knocks, this time slower and softer in comparison to the one that came with Emi and Rue¡¯s arrival. Sitting there in shock, the TV now off, Rue and I just sat beside each other as Emi answered the door.

    ¡®I knew them. I remember seeing the girls when they were younger, but their baby clothes hid their true appearance. I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t realise it sooner.¡¯ She rambled quietly.

    Shaking my head, I snapped out of the shock and moved over to give her a gentle hug around the shoulders as Emi came in with a woman from down the hall. We all knew her as the owner of, coincidentally, a local setup for the homeless and lost or abandoned children. I knew she was a friend of my mother, but never knew how close they¡¯d been for her to visit directly.

    The building she currently owns is currently purposed as a Children''s Home but in the past, it had been a church before being an orphanage during the Second World War. Apparently, the place had lots of memories, good and bad, connected to it. I remember when my mother brought me there when I was younger. I don¡¯t remember much, but I later learned that I¡¯d made friends with a young Emylia back then.

    ¡®Hello, Jacob. I¡¯m sorry for not reaching out sooner. I wish it could have been under better circumstances, but I was a good friend of your mother''s.¡¯ She said, sitting down on the adjacent, smaller sofa to my right.

    ¡®Hi, Janet.¡¯ I responded. ¡®I¡¯m not feeling great right now, but I¡¯m glad to hear that you knew my mother. I don¡¯t think I remember meeting you before.¡¯ I added, rubbing my forehead in the process.

    ¡®She was a great lady. She always talked about you, well, the younger you. Even things you probably wouldn¡¯t want to hear about.¡¯ Her comment made me tense at the thought behind her words, but when I noticed her smirk, in an attempt to lighten the mood, I began to relax. ¡®I remembered seeing you take the girls out the other day and when I noticed the picture of them on the news, I wanted to come over and make sure you weren¡¯t who the old guy next door said you were before jumping to any conclusions. He¡¯s one of our patrons after all.

    ¡®Anyway, your mother taught me that when we first met, you know. Around nine years ago, I think, if memory serves correctly. We both stayed in touch with each other, while they were looking for a place to move to after your father decided to move jobs.¡¯

    ¡®Wow... I knew my mother said she¡¯d helped someone when she first came here with Dad, but I didn¡¯t know it was you she was talking about.¡¯ I replied, the shock of the revelation finally dissipating from my mind and my features as I felt a soft flush warm through my body.

    ¡®It¡¯s a good thing too. I wouldn¡¯t have met my new fianc¨¦ if not for your mother¡¯s actions.¡¯

    The chat continued, while Emi brought the girls out, hand in hand, from the room after the television was turned off. After a few minutes of clearing up the other rumours from that bigoted guy, who unfortunately happened to have been influencing my mother¡¯s old friend again. His incessant ramblings often seemed to have an air of truth behind them but were a little too far-fetched in the areas he focused on.

    The discussion ended with two things. Janet had revealed that she was responsible for my repositioning after my recent episode. The other, well, I was only a little bummed out with it, but the reminder of me being looked down upon for taking the girls in, left me with no choice but to let her take them to her workplace. I think the charity behind the place was called ¡°Solving Solitude¡±, but I might be wrong. Due to how sporadic my episodes were, she confirmed with me that she would not reveal that I was the one to take care of the girls.

    Due to the lack of time to bond with each other, I didn¡¯t find myself feeling any familial affection towards the girls. However, that didn¡¯t stop the two of them from grabbing my legs and hugging them lightly as they were whisked away by Janet to a place that would be more suited to helping them. It took me a few minutes, but I eventually figured that they could do with me showing up now and then. I crouched down to be at eye height with the girls.

    ¡®Hey girls, it¡¯s gonna be okay. Janet is a good friend of mine.¡¯ I assured them, as I placed a hand on top of theirs that clung to my legs. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to show up from time to time. Just follow what she says, okay?¡¯

    ¡®Um, okay.¡¯ Lucia said as she and her sister¡¯s ears flopped behind their heads. ¡®Will you... Will you visit us whilst we¡¯re with the nice lady?¡¯ She added hesitantly, while she hugged my leg tighter.

    ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to visit you when I have the time.¡¯ I answered, gently rubbing the tops of their heads, getting them to relax as their hair was being tousled.

    ¡®Well, at least you know where to find them.¡¯ Janet said, as she leaned down and patted the head of Lucia¡¯s younger sister.

    As if on cue, both the girls moved and grabbed at my legs tighter than I was expecting. It seemed that they didn''t want to leave my side. After prying and persuading both girls from my legs gently I bent down, dropping to a knee and bent over slightly so I was at Lucia''s height.

    ¡®Yes, I''ll make sure to try and pop down to see them.¡¯ I said to Janet, as Lucia purrs quietly into my hand. ¡®Speaking of visiting, could you let my friend and her girlfriend visit them too? I think these girls trust them.¡¯ I ask, my voice calm but firm.

    ¡®Sure, I¡¯ll make sure to keep them in the documents for who can visit the girls.¡¯ Janet replied, pulling out a phone from inside her jacket. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to list them on our database as wolf-girls so that nobody gets interested in them, but I don¡¯t know how long that¡¯ll keep them hidden at my workplace.¡¯ She added, her fingers tapping away into the device in her hands for a brief moment.

    Lucia, bless her, looked interested but her eyes showed a bit of cluelessness to them. As if she was attempting to understand our conversation. I softened the muscles around my face and lifted her into a cuddle. As I picked her up, I noticed that her eyes were glistening and a liquid had formed along the bottom eyelids while her lower lip quivered.

    ¡®Hey kiddo, it¡¯s alright.¡¯ I say as I use my thumb to gently wipe her eyes, her tears being swept off her face. ¡®I¡¯ll always make sure you''re taken care of, Lulu. The same goes for your sister.¡¯ I added, and then a thought came to mind as she wrapped her small arms around my neck, to which I patted her back in return.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡®Hey Lulu, I don¡¯t think I ever learned your sister¡¯s name.¡¯ I spoke, once she pulled herself from the hug that I think she desperately needed.

    ¡®My sister is Rina.¡¯ She said softly as she continued to hold my neck, keeping me at her eye level. ¡®Wait, no, it¡¯s Larina!¡¯ She corrected herself a bit louder this time, a gentle glow on her cheeks from stating her nickname for her sister.

    ¡®It¡¯s alright.¡¯ I said as I pulled an arm free and slid her around to rest on my left side. ¡®Emi, you don¡¯t mind carrying the younger one, do you?¡¯ I turn to look at Emylia and spot the corner of her mouth turning up.

    ¡®I don¡¯t mind at all.¡¯ Emi replied, her eyes glistening like a moonlit lake as they widened before the sides of her mouth rose slightly from that smirk to a calmer expression. ¡®What¡¯s the plan, Jake? D¡¯you want to check the place out?¡¯ She added, as she came over and lifted the smaller girl.

    ¡®I can drive us there, my car¡¯s outside.¡¯ I turned to my mom¡¯s old friend when she spoke up again.

    ¡®Oh, uhm, okay.¡¯ I reply as I stumble over what I wanted to say, in an articulated manner.

    I grabbed my apartment keys and followed Janet as we got ready to leave. Lucia¡¯s giggles sometimes catch me off guard whenever I drop something, or attempt to perform a task with a single hand and fail in the process. It gently made my chest feel warm when I caught her smile on the edge of my peripheral.

    After I got my desired stuff, my phone, wallet and my keys, Emi and I followed Janet down to her car. My eyebrows rose very high when she walked up to a cream-coloured car that looked like a Bentley. I heard Emi mess around with Larina in her arms behind me as we walked up to the car.

    ¡®That¡¯s your car?¡¯ My mouth slipped out, my voice raised slightly as I felt my heart start to race a little bit. ¡®How do you have a Bentley?¡¯ I added, my pitch dropping down to my usual range whilst I tried to mentally hold my jaw from dropping.

    ¡®Correction, it¡¯s a Toyota Venza.¡¯ Janet replied, then pulled out a key from inside what looked like her work jacket and the key had the Toyota logo in it. ¡®I got a right-hand model with a slight face-lift on it imported overseas from United Amerania. It was a gift from my Ameranian husband on our twentieth anniversary.¡¯ She added, with a slight backward tilt of her head as she straightened her back.

    I couldn¡¯t see her face, but I guessed that she was probably trying to hide her face from us out of embarrassment. I had no idea that my raised brows had furrowed until she turned to look at me, her eyes flicking from mine to look somewhere on my forehead and chuckled. I felt Lucia lean slightly in my arms as she tried to look at the creamy-white car.

    ¡®I see¡­ It easily has the beauty of a Bentley though. I just can¡¯t remember which one though.¡¯ I replied, my ears finally catching Emi¡¯s voice that sounded like she¡¯d just been caught off-guard as I turned to look at her.

    ¡®Sorry, I was having a little game with this cute one, but that can¡¯t be a Toyota.¡¯ Emi said, surprising me back with a curl of her lips.

    ¡®I¡¯ll prove it then.¡¯ Janet responded as she raised her hand, held the keys in view and pressed the unlock button in a very obvious manner.

    The car¡¯s indicators blinked twice in quick succession. That was all the proof Emi and I needed.

    ¡®So, where would everyone like to sit?¡¯ Janet asked as I saw her eyes slowly dart a few times between the two young girls.

    ¡®I have to head back to the apartment, so I¡¯ll head down later.¡¯ Said Emi as her shoulders slumped downwards just a little bit as she pushed her bottom lip out, yet her playful eyes betrayed her body language.

    ¡®Well we¡¯re going, aren¡¯t we?¡¯ I replied, placing Lucia on the ground whilst Emyla carefully positioned Larina and extended her arms to pass her over to me.

    Lucia¡¯s gentle giggle went off in my ear, almost like an owl¡¯s wingbeat with how quiet it was. I gently placed Lucia in the car, surprised to find a single child seat in the car. I was about to inform Janet, but never got any words out as my raised finger aimed at it gave me a response.

    ¡®Oh don¡¯t worry about that, it¡¯s for some of the kids at the children¡¯s home.¡¯ Janet replied, as she reached out and pulled a rear handle of the car door. ¡®I would say feel free to hop in the back with the girls as they seem to trust you. However, I think it would look better if you sat in the front for a while.¡¯ She added, the corners of her mouth returned to rest in a weaker smile.

    I¡¯d already been thinking of doing that. I nodded, as Lucia kept her hands around my neck for longer than I liked, but despite that, she let go as I buckled her in. Her eyes looked a little needy, but I patted her head to calm her down, my fingers pressed with a soft touch as they brushed behind the base of her cute ears. I noticed her cheeks taking on a rosy hue as I felt a low vibration against my fingers and palm.

    She was purring again.

    That¡¯s super cute. I found myself thinking, while I chuckled at her reaction to my contact.!

    When she likely noticed her purring, I ruffled her hair slightly as she covered her mouth. The action made my chest feel warmer and I found myself adoring her behaviour. That had to be put in the back of my thoughts, as Emi passed me Larina. The young girl started to nibble on her thumb as I shuffled her to my right side while I ventured around the back of Janet¡¯s car.

    ¡®Don¡¯t spend too long there,¡¯ Emi said, which caught me off guard and my head snapped around to look at her, a brow raised. ¡®I won¡¯t have anybody to tease besides Rue!¡¯ She suddenly turned to the car window and stuck her tongue out a little bit.

    I caught Lucia with her tongue stuck out in return, allowing a chuckle to escape my lips. As I walked around to the other side, Larina lent her forehead against the front of my shoulder, her ears flopped out sideways as she pulled her thumb from her mouth.

    ¡®Come on, Rina.¡¯ I said, my voice wavered up and down a little as I spoke. ¡®I¡¯ll just be in the front, don¡¯t worry.¡¯ I added, my free hand reached up and scratched with a gentle force behind her lowered ears.

    Larina¡¯s ears raised and pointed forward by a small distance. She let out a quiet whimper, but I got her buckled into the baby seat. She probably didn¡¯t want to go in it, but she was just small enough to fit comfortably.

    ¡®You okay like that for a bit?¡¯ I asked her, to which I got a simple nod as she grabbed my hand with both of hers and smiled back without my lips shut. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be in the front.¡¯ I added, a subtle squeeze of her fingers in my single hand.

    As I closed the car door, I lightly jogged around the car and hopped into the passenger seat. Janet had already hopped into the car while I interacted with the girls. I caught a reminiscent smile on my mother¡¯s friend as I saw the two girls wave at Emi with a shaky hand each during their slow waves. Lucia¡¯s were more energetic, but I gave a simple two-shake wave as the car pulled away.

    Just one thing of many dominates my thoughts as the car rides away.

    I wonder what this place will be like. My thoughts kept rolling back around to different iterations of this question. I hope the girls will be alright. I hope the girls can stand being there whilst I focus on myself for a little bit. My mind raced in response to its question.

    Little did I know, that things were going to feel different from this point forward.

 [ 7 ] Keeping Promises

    The ride was slow, but the girls in the back appeared to enjoy watching out of the window. Well, I say both of them, but it¡¯s Lucia who was looking. My arm is stretched back through Janet¡¯s car to hold Larina¡¯s hand. I could feel her fingers trembling as we rode along. The ride had only just started when Lucia had leaned forward to tell me that Larina wanted to hold hands.

    And so here I was. In a car with my mother¡¯s friend and two young and recently orphaned fox girls, on the way to the place where Janet runs. After a minute¡¯s drive of silence, I finally decided to speak up, asking questions I knew the girls would want to know.

    ¡®I have a question¡­¡¯

    ¡®Go for it,¡¯ Janet replied, her eyes focused on the road. ¡®I may not always respond right away. I am driving after all.¡¯ She added, as we briefly stopped to let a car zip past the junction.

    ¡®Fair enough,¡¯ I paused, to get a breath before asking the thought on my mind. ¡®how did you get your hands on not only running but owning this children¡¯s home you spoke of earlier?¡¯

    ¡®The process will bore you, but the history is the thing that most people find interesting.¡¯ She continued, narrowly avoiding contact with an aggressive driver on her right, in a car I could only assume from a glance as a Mercedes C-Class or a BMW 328i.

    ¡®Really?¡¯ My eyes widened after that altercation, and my brows raised as I squeezed Larina¡¯s hand before I brought my arm back to my side. ¡®What made it so popular?¡¯ My near voice break on ¡°popular¡± made Janet chuckle.

    ¡®Let¡¯s take a scenic route for this, as we¡¯re already close to the place.¡¯ She stated as she flipped the indicator to go the opposite way to our destination. ¡®The place has a surprising amount of history to it.¡¯

    ¡®The place I now run was previously an abandoned site, where a lot of bad things happened that the girls have yet to learn. It suffered a great deal over the years, but with the recently finished renovations, it¡¯s a suitable place for homeless children and orphans to stay off the streets. It¡¯s also a place where independent young adults can get used to living in the real world. The place, according to some experts, was originally built to be a church in the middle of nowhere.¡¯ She seemed to not enjoy this little bit of historical monologuing, so I decided to interrupt with a question.

    ¡®How did it change from being a church?¡¯ I asked quickly.

    ¡®I was about to get to that part.¡¯ She continued, with a short skyme in my direction and a brighter mood on her face. ¡®So the origin of this place was to be a place of solitude in the outskirts of Kanterby Village. Before they knew it, the church stopped being an isolated place and our population grew and eventually got absorbed by the growing village. It eventually became one of three churches that still stand to this day.¡¯ I nodded and kept my mouth shut this time, but jumped slightly when I saw Lucia¡¯s head leaning in to listen.

    ¡®The Place had supposedly been left in disrepair for a short while, then became a place of refuge during the Second World War. After the war had ended, there wasn¡¯t any real use for the church after it had been vandalised by the youth at the time and a stained window had been shattered.

    ¡®Luckily, they were recently able to use this smart artificial intelligence thing to find some images on social media that contain the original design so it can be replaced. Anyway, that¡¯s modern stuff. Before it became a place for the Second World War, it was abandoned from its church duties to act as a place for orphaned kids to be sheltered away from the village at the time.

    ¡®Its history was uncovered during renovations with an old, worn logbook hidden under a staircase. We had to call a local Academic Historian to take a look at it and there¡¯s now a history section in the front of the church for visitors.¡¯ She finished, as the car approached an upcoming crossroad before a roundabout.

    Before I could ask a question on my mind, the sound of sirens suddenly started wailing loudly. It forced Janet to slam on the brakes as a car shot past less than a metre from the front of the car. The car lurched as a loud and quiet yelp behind me along with one of my own. I heard a quiet pair of sobs and immediately snapped my head around.

    ¡®Nngh! My neck hurts!¡¯ I heard Lucia call out from behind me after a short while.

    Faster than I anticipated, Janet pulled over in a safe spot with space for cars to get past and put her hazards on. She gave me a look with her eyes narrowed and a bit distant. Immediately I got out and attended to Lucia while across from the side I was on, while I saw my mother¡¯s friend attend to Larina. I turned my focus onto the priority before me.

    ¡®Hey, it¡¯s okay, Lulu. Where does it hurt?¡¯ I asked, my voice low and calm as I stopped my brows from furrowing.

    ¡®Ngh. Over here.¡¯ Lulu pointed at the end of a red line along her neck that blended into a slight mark on the top of her new shirt.

    ¡®Mind if I take a closer look?¡¯ I asked with my voice tinted with worry, my hand hovered over her left shoulder.

    With a silent nod of her head, I was allowed to enter her I pulled the hem of her shirt down enough to get a look. Good thing I checked. It looked like the seatbelt had locked at a looser position than it should have.

    The lurch of the car must have forced the seatbelt to tightly rub its edge along her neckline. I kept to myself, as I attempted to guess the length of the sore mark. Doesn¡¯t seem right though, it should¡¯ve been safe and not been this bad. I added.

    ¡®I¡¯ve been meaning to fix that seatbelt.¡¯ Janet spoke up as I started gently rubbing the index and middle finger above and below the mark in circles, hopefully, to soothe some of the pain from the friction burn. ¡®There was an unruly kid who didn¡¯t want to be taken to the place after their mother put them up for adoption. I didn¡¯t learn until later that the child had damaged both the edge of the material and the mechanism. This one has faired a bit easier.¡¯ I released a breath I had been holding for a little while, glad that the younger one was okay.

    ¡®Damn. I¡¯d get it looked at if you¡¯re using this to chauffeur more than two people around.¡¯ I mentioned as I brushed a few fingers through Lulu¡¯s hair. ¡®With a kid in the back, I think that¡¯s a safety hazard.¡¯ I added, expressing my thoughts on the matter openly.

    ¡®I¡¯ve got an MOT booked for next week, so I¡¯ll try and bring it up then.¡¯ My mother¡¯s friend replied, as we eventually merged back into the traffic.

    I just nodded as the traffic increased. The remainder of the trip was silent, as I sat in the front but kept my attention on Lucia in both the wing mirror and the visor¡¯s mirror. She repeated the motions I did on her neck; rubbing in circles around the red mark. I didn¡¯t expect her to copy me, but it was a bit cute.

    I started to daydream from the rumble of the car as the traffic built up, the sky that had been bright a few minutes ago with dark grey clouds slowly drifting across the blue vastness and diluting the colours.

    ¡®Looks like the weather¡¯s coming in.¡¯ Janet stated as the first patter of large raindrops pelted the windscreen.

    ¡®yeah, it does.¡¯ I said with a sigh, my voice low and distant.

    I stared at the pattern of the rain as the sky got darker, the streaks of the liquid racing down the side of the window as we grudgingly idled our way through this traffic rush. I barely caught my mother''s friend cursing for taking such a long route onto the busiest road at the busiest time of the day. Then followed by frustration at the weather.

    The traffic eventually subsided after we pulled down an older road. A sudden gasp from behind lulled me out of my small lull. My body stiffened, then relaxed briefly as the car slowed to a crawl. I¡¯d completely zoned out that last bit of the trip until one of the girls gasped at something. The rainy experience felt very soothing.

    ¡®We¡¯re here, Jacob.¡¯ Janet said, probably after she noticed my body jerk slightly. ¡®Are you okay?¡¯ She added, as I slowly turned my head to give her visual attention.

    ¡®Sorry, the deep pattering of the rain and the soft rumbling of the car¡¯s engine was very soothing.¡¯ I replied as I shuffled my body into an upright position as her car pulled down a gravel road and into a large area.

    ¡®I hope you¡¯re ready,¡¯ She continued, the engine of the car rumbled to a stop. ¡®You¡¯ll need to rush through the rain. It¡¯s a bit of a downpour.¡¯

    I looked out of the window and unintentionally let out a well-needed yawn. I had no idea how tired I was until that moment, but I shook my head slowly and noticed a few bangs of hair dangled in front of my eyes.

    I need a haircut soon. I found myself thinking, as I swiped my hair off my face. I also need to find a part-time job as well. I barely have enough to scrape by at home just for myself. Stupid Will. I added, frustrated at my father¡¯s Will saying I won¡¯t get the full income from his bank account upon his death until I finished my education.

    ¡®Welcome to the place I run, Aether¡¯s Serenity.¡¯ Said Janet as we walked up to the modernised entrance.

    I helped Lucia out of the car, as she still rubbed the small mark on her neck that was less colourful than earlier. I watch as Larina is lifted with speed into Janet¡¯s arms whilst I hold Lucia¡¯s hand as she hops out and stands alongside me.

    ¡®Where are we going?¡¯ Lucia said as we raced through the rain into the entrance of the building.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Her eyes darted around, as she turned to look at the various walls in the entrance depicting the history of the renovated building. The history was much more expos¨¦d in the various news articles, photographs, print-outs and flyers that explored more details about the place. The reception wasn¡¯t bustling, but it did look a little busy as we shook some of the rain off our clothes. I stopped walking further in as I watched my host and guide go up to the reception counter. Probably to speak to whoever was there.

    ¡®Anita, can you spare a second?¡¯ Janet asked as she slowly approached the front desk.

    ¡®Co jest teraz?¡¯ I heard the bespeckled woman reply, in a hint of what I could only describe as frustrated boredom, her voice thick with what sounded like a Polidian accent as she spoke words I¡¯d not understood in the slightest.

    ¡®Uwa?aj, mamy go?ci.¡¯ Janet replied, which made me jump.

    I didn¡¯t know she could speak the same language! Must have been part of their employment. I thought, then mentally shook my head as Lucia started to tug on and tighten her grip on my hand. They must be from Pol¡¯handa. I added as an afterthought, as I watched her push her spectacles up her nose a bit and then look over the counter towards

    ¡®Hush, I need your attention right this second.¡¯ Janet snapped back playfully to the language I could understand, as I saw them smirk from behind the reception desk and then look behind Janet towards Lucia and I.

    ¡®Oh my, they look cute!¡¯ Anita said, their voice raised along with their rosy-red eyebrows, as they looked between the two girls.

    With a simple ¡°come hither¡± gesture from Janet, Lucia and I approached the reception desk. I could feel Lucia¡¯s hand shaking in mine as we approached them, so I bent down and lifted her to be like her sister in Janet¡¯s arms. It still surprises me how light the girls are.

    ¡®What brings these cute wolf-girls to Aether¡¯s Serenity, today?¡¯ Anita asked us, her accented voice felt like curiosity mixed with a warm inflexion.

    ¡®They need a place to stay whilst Skye¡¯s son takes care of them for the time being.¡¯ Janet said without missing a beat, as she tickled under Larina¡¯s chin. ¡®Is there a room for the two girls to take for themselves? Preferably one with less noisy neighbours. Maybe there¡¯s something near¡­ ?¡¯ She added as the two started conversing at length.

    I zoned them out, as my mind started to turn and tumble with thoughts about how I was going to visit them. Or for them to visit me. I had a little thumb war with Lucia to calm her down for a short while as everything played out, with her winning most of them. I didn¡¯t want to disappoint them after spending all this time trying to care for them. Before I¡¯d realised it both fox-girls were looking at me together with a look I could only describe as worried mixed with confusion.

    I knew there was a better way to deal with all this, but being around the girls has given me a bit of time to think about the state I¡¯ve been in for the past year. I¡¯m fond of the girls now and this might be selfish of me, but I don¡¯t want to see them be given to another family. The girls probably wouldn¡¯t understand, but I would likely jump at the chance now to at least be a guardian of the two girls.

    ¡®¨Ccob? Hello, you in there?¡¯ I snapped out of my thoughts as soon as I heard Janet grabbing my attention again.

    ¡®Uh, sorry.¡¯ I muttered, as I inhaled then released a small but long breath to relax myself. ¡®Did you say something?¡¯ I added to make sure I listened this time.

    ¡®Yes, we were just wrapping up our conversation about their lodging here.¡¯ She replied. I hadn¡¯t even noticed that they had wrapped that up so quickly. ¡®To avoid a big issue, I¡¯ve requested her to sign an NDA to have them publicly registered as wolf-girls.¡¯ She added after she bent over and spoke at a lower volume.

    ¡®Oh, right, I forgot that would¡¯ve been a big issue.¡¯ I replied with the same volume, as I swapped Lucia over to my left side. ¡®Is there a place to sit and eat? It¡¯s been a while since breakfast, my legs are a bit sore and it¡¯s still raining heavily outside.¡¯ I added normally, as a very faint and distant rumble accompanied the bassy rumbles of the rain that pattered on the windows and front doors to the place.

    ¡®There¡¯s always what we call the caf¨¦ area.¡¯ Janet replied, her thumb pointed over her free shoulder as she raised her eyebrows a little whilst her head tilted slightly.

    ¡®That¡­ sounds fine.¡¯ I went to look at my watch when I remembered Lucia was being held by that arm.

    I comically slapped my free hand against my forehead after the attempt at reading the time on my watch, finally getting a giggle from Lucia. Whilst Janet said her goodbyes to check on the rooms, Anita took us to the so-called ¡°caf¨¦ area¡±, and discovered it was part of where there would be some pews in a normal church, but had been converted into a seating area with fold-out tables; small and short alongside big and tall.

    After swapping Lucia for Larina, we followed Anita to one of the tables. I saw some of the younger kids carry some plate stacks through a doorway. Probably heading to the kitchen or somewhere like that. Some of them turned and waved, but didn¡¯t approach us like kids in an anime would. There were a few anime that I watched where kids would come up to the protagonist to see how cool he or his young companions were. Luckily, that kind of logic doesn¡¯t seem to apply in the real world for our case.

    I could see a range of kids here. From what it looked like, they had a variety of ethnicities and ages. They even had a range of AniBeast Mutation kids. Half of them were wearing aprons. They looked like they were cleaning up after a messy group when I noticed the table was covered in food.

    ¡®Here¡¯s your visitor¡¯s table. There¡¯s food at the open wall back there.¡¯ Anita said when I saw her grab a small object with three flags and a hand-spun clamp on it from the next table over. ¡®This little tool can be used to signal to whoever¡¯s on cleaning duty and if you¡¯d like to be approached or not. We have some neurodivergent kids here who use it as a visual identifier for that last part.¡¯ She added, whilst attaching it to our table.

    ¡®Uhm¡­ Can me and Rina get food?¡¯ Lucia asked as she sat down close to my side. ¡®I feel hungwy, and Rina might be too.¡¯ She added as she rubbed her stomach.

    I looked at Anita and before I could ask, she just nodded in response. I watched as she turned her head with a slight tilt towards Lucia.

    ¡®The food is available for young visitors like you two.¡¯ She said, her lips tugged upwards at the corners, the start of a warm smile.

    ¡®... Okay. Come on, Rina!¡¯ Lucia exclaimed, her voice going from soft-spoken and shy to animated and joyful, as I watched her drag her younger sister towards the table with a small platter of foods dotted over it.

    ¡®I take it there was an issue with high-functioning kids approaching people in the past?¡¯ I raised a brow and my eyes widened a tiny bit as I turned back to face Anita.

    ¡®Yes, we got these commissioned for our place by a young teen who was in school and had a Textiles and Woodworks class.¡¯ Anita replied as she pointed at the object as she spoke. ¡®From what I¡¯ve heard, they noticed that some of the different kids approached people who had requested to be left alone, so they took it upon themselves to make a few prototypes¡­¡¯ My eyes widened a bit more as I listened to all this coming from a young boy. ¡®...and this was the penultimate design of what they made which looks nothing like what they sent us.¡¯

    ¡®...Wow.¡¯ That was all I could say in response to the design of the small object attached to the table.

    ¡®While you were zoned out, my boss and I were discussing what type of guardian would suit you for being with the two girls.¡¯ She continued, likely moving on from that little monologuing she didn¡¯t mean to do. ¡®There is a way to become a legal guardian this very week, but that¡¯s a lot of paperwork.¡¯

    I puffed my cheeks out in surprise as I raised my hands behind my head, whilst my elbows rested on the table.

    ¡®We¡¯ll keep an eye on the girls after we start to work on the legal documents for you.¡¯ Anita spoke, then went silent as the quiet patter of feet on the tiled floor came our way which made me sit back up again.

    ¡®Mister Jake, you looked sad earlier, so I thought you would like this.¡¯ Lucia said as she came and held out a couple of snack bars when I looked her way. ¡®I saw you had them in your home yesterday.¡¯ I shifted to her face and saw a toothless grin and a slight, rosy glow on her.

    ¡®Thank you, Lulu.¡¯ I replied, a toothless smile of my own forced into my lips as I scruffed her hair with my fingers. ¡®I¡¯ll have them soon.¡¯

    I got up for a bit and helped them sit back up on the table, mainly to help Larina. I watched the girls tucking into a surprisingly healthy assortment of little snack-sized fruits and vegetables alongside a few slices of flapjacks.

    ¡®I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t go for just the sweets and snacks.¡¯ I remarked, with my fingers performing light circles in Lucia¡¯s hair behind her ears. ¡®Well done, to both of you.¡¯ That earned me a silent smile from Larina as Lucia started to purr as she leaned into my touch, her body leaning towards me in the process.

    I had almost forgotten that Anita had watched this little display of affection for the girls. All I heard was a chuckle which brought her back to my attention. Short and succinct. Enough to interrupt the interaction.

    ¡®Sorry,¡¯ I said, a hand raised to press against my temple for a short moment as I felt my cheeks gain a bit of warmth in them.

    ¡®It¡¯s alright.¡¯ Anita responded as she returned her hand that covered her chuckle back to her lap. ¡®Speaking of the girls, is the little one okay? I¡¯ve not heard her speak this entire time.¡¯ She added, her worried interest in Larina¡¯s lack of voice clear.

    ¡®My neighbours in my apartment block, mainly Emylia, are aware of it as well, but we¡¯re not certain about it yet.¡¯ I said, with the girls present by my side.

    ¡®My sis used to speak to me loads before¡­¡¯ Lucia started to say before a glint of the overhead natural lighting flashed into my eyes from just below hers as she went quiet.

    After I noticed what was happening, I grabbed her shoulder and patted my lap. She crawled onto my lap and I let her hug me tight. Her arms barely made it around my chest as I held my arm around her back. I noticed Larina stare at us and I raised a finger and closed it twice, and she shuffled over herself.

    ¡®It¡¯s a very touchy subject for them.¡¯ I mouthed to Anita, as I let the two girls cling to me, one quietly leaking tears into the shoulder of my shirt and the other into my chest.

    ¡®It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t mean to say¡­ Well, you know¡­ sorry.¡¯ Anita apologised in a softer-spoken voice, which didn¡¯t quite surprise me.

    She still held herself from expressing her emotions, but it did look like she was genuine in her apology.

    ¡®It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll be back later to discuss it.¡¯ I replied, hoping to convey through my relaxed face that I was not that worried about it¡­ even though my mind was racing a little at how attached the two girls were to me now.

    It took a long while, but I was patient with the girls as they eventually came out of their sad moments. I noticed Anita experienced this entire sequence of events. Up to when they were easily prompted to try and interact with some of the other kids. They listened to me and took off slowly, hand in hand, to see the others.

    Larina kept looking back at me, more than Lucia did, until she let go and raced back to me. Lucia quickly followed. Larina said nothing, as she kept trying to open her mouth. Yet no words came out as Lucia went to hug her sideways. Lucia hugged her sister close as she turned her head to look at me.

    ¡®We don¡¯t want you to go.¡¯ Lucia said, her voice a gentle plea that lingered in my mind. ¡®Do you promise to come back and see us?¡¯ Their eyes glistened from the recent tears, while her voice began to shake.

    I got off the seat attached to the table and hugged both girls in my arms. I dared to not say anything, but I could somehow sense they wanted a response. Instead, I held them until I felt them relax into the hug and then sat on the edge of the seat, my elbows at rest on my knees.

    ¡®You two are, despite our initial interactions and first impressions, a bit special to me now.¡¯ I said, watching as Larina¡¯s eyes widened and Lucia¡¯s jaw dropped a little. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t want to forget about either of you.¡¯

    ¡®Wuh-will you pinkie-promise to come see us?¡¯ Said Lucia, who seemed doubtful of my words.

    ¡®Sure. I¡¯ll pinkie-promise to make sure that I will visit you whenever I can.¡¯ I added, my hands closed into fists and the pinkie fingers stuck out towards both of them. ¡®I pinkie-promise to always visit you.¡¯ I said with almost all of my heart and mind towards the girls.

    Little did I know that there was a chain of events that would affect me before becoming both their legal guardian.