Before you start reading, I should probably warn you that what one character does to another in this chapter is, while I attempted to keep it tame, extremely creepy.

BTW, Gabi's a demisexual biromantic, in case anyone was wondering. Enjoy!

While the Bad Guys slept soundly, Gabi felt completely restless. She hoped that Piranha, who slept beside her, wouldn't awake to find her in this state.

"You should've told him."

Gabi flinched, but didn't turn. She knew whose voice that was. The voice of someone who wasn't there physically.

"Why are you here?" she asked the voice.

"You know why I'm here. Try as you might, but you can never escape me. Whether I'm alive or dead."

"When will you be done with me?" Gabi asked, carefully getting out of bed. "All you do is hurt me. You've kept me locked up for three years..."

"You chose that."

"You lied to me about everything..." Gabi continued. Piranha woke up just as she left the room.

"You're lying to your husband. How's that different?"

"You tortured me..." Gabi sobbed quietly. "I had a miscarriage because of you."

"If you had listened to me, it may not have happened."

"Get out of my head!" Gabi pleaded. "I just want you gone!"

"Then, why'd you stop taking your medicine?"

knock! knock! knock!

The voice vanished once Gabi heard the door to the apartment. She opened it and found a lizard standing at the door wearing a shirt with the number DT-768 stitched into it.

"Can I help you?" she asked the lizard.

"Um, the Mother wishes to speak to you," they replied.

"Oh, um, okay," Gabi said, pulling the robe off the coat rack and slipping it on. Once she was gone, Piranha discreetly followed them all the way to Minerva's headquarters, but the lizard closed the door once Gabi went inside. The lizard began to walk away, but turned back around when they heard Piranha attempting to open the door.

"No one's allowed in there without the Mother's permission," DT-768 informed him.

"I knew that," Piranha lied. "But that's my wife in there, and I wanna know what your 'Mother's' doin' to her."

"I hate to say it, but I, too, am a little skeptic of her," the lizard admitted. Piranha raised an eyebrow. "I mean, just three months ago, I lost my job, could no longer pay my rent, people kept misgendering me. Then, out of the blue, this red wolf appeared, wearing a shirt like this one, and told me a change was coming and I was welcome to be a part of it? I don't know if it was a coincidence or if I was being watched."

"But you joined anyways?" Piranha asked.

"Where else was I supposed to go?" they replied. "Besides, I had been meaning to change my name for a while."

"No offense, pal," Piranha said, "but DT-768 ain't a very good name."

"I know," said the lizard. "Even though it won't happen, I would like my name to be... Zyon."

"Now, that's a good name," Piranha agreed. "But, uh, what makes you think it won't happen?"

"Over the last three months, I've noticed Mother Minerva names fully fledged Flock members after figures in Greek and Roman mythology and literature," Zyon explained. "Minerva is the Roman goddess of justice. And there were no Zyons in Greece or Rome. Yeah, I'm kind of an ancient history nerd."

Piranha thought about this for a moment and asked, "And, uh... who was Aura?"

"A virgin nymph who was a better warrior than Artemis," they answered. "Out of jealousy, Artemis allowed Dionysus to... Well, let's just say it wasn't consensual."

Piranha's eyes widened in shock. "Gabi!"

🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶

"Not a night goes by that I haven't thought about you," Minerva said to the angelfish. "I've really missed you, Aura."

"I... have mixed feelings," Gabi replied.

"Maybe I can help you resolve them," Minerva suggested, her voice sounding more seductive. Gabi backed away nervously.

"Look, Mi-Na-"

"I am Minerva now."

"Fine. Minerva," Gabi corrected herself. "Look, things are different now. A lot has changed. I'm m-"

"Yes, the world is changing, and we'll have to change with it," Minerva interrupted, wrapping a wing around her. "But don't you remember how much fun we had our last day together at camp?"

"Oh, I remember..." Gabi replied. "You... you kissed me... without asking."

"I did ask you."

"If I trusted you," Gabi pointed out. "I didn't know you were going to kiss me."

"You liked it, didn't you?" Minerva asked. Gabi was unsure how to answer.

"I see a pattern here."

"For the record," Minerva continued, "I don't mind your scars, or your little weight gain. All that matters is your here... with your family... and with me."

Flustered, Gabi looked away as Minerva slowly rubbed her feathered fingers against her pink scaly skin.

"Mi-N- Minerva... you don't understand," Gabi attempted to explain again. "I... I kinda have..."

"What?" asked Minerva. "That overgrown sardine is your new boyfriend now?"

"He's not my-"

"I mean, come on. What could he possibly have that I don't?"

CRASH!

"Get away from my Gabi!" Piranha shouted once he had the door busted open. He attempted to attack Minerva, but she flew straight up.

"Janus, we have a situation," she said, pressing a talon against her ear.

"Come down here, and fight like the cold-hearted monster you are!" Piranha growled. Outraged, Minerva swooped down and grabbed him by the neck.

"Piranha!" Gabi screamed. She ran towards the two, but Zyon ushered her away.

"You have no idea what I am," she said menacingly. At that moment, Janus stormed right inside and Minerva let go of Piranha so he could grab hold of him.

"Lemme go!" Piranha shouted. "I'm warning ya! Lemme the fu-"

BOINK!

With one smack of Janus's hoof, Piranha was out cold.

"DT-768, I am very disappointed in you," Minerva said to Zyon as they lowered their head in shame. "You seem to have filled PN-177's head with deadly ideas that could threaten our future as a whole."

"Mother," Janus interrupted. "We've found out that PN-177 was the one who took out the restaurant workers in Koreatown. He was also there when Prometheus attempted to assassinate James Welles. Not to mention, Aura and the rest of the strangers he arrived with are in on it, too."

"Well, how about that?" Minerva said, glaring at Gabi.

"Should I... kill them?"

"No," Minerva answered. "But since we're this close to the Blood Moon, we have limited options. Aura shall stay in my care, but send the rest of them to the correction chamber. DT-768, too. Whoever hasn't been converted by the Blood Moon... feed them to the Hatchling."

"No, you can't do that!" Gabi pleaded, being pulled back by Minerva as Janus carried Piranha and escorted Zyon out of the room. "Minerva, please!"

"Oh, calm down," Minerva scoffed. "By the time he's converted, he'll know his place in the Flock. Just like how you should know that your place is to be right behind me as I improve this world."

"No... I can't..." Gabi sobbed.

"You cannot escape your destiny. Accept her, Gabriela, and I'll leave you alone. Besides, she can't be quite as horrible as me. Can she?"

"You know you already belong to me," Minerva whispered in a low voice, pressing her chest against Gabi's back. "All you have to do is say it to make it official."

"What do you say, my child?"

Feeling weak in the knees, Gabi collapsed into Minerva's wings and muttered, "I will make you proud."

"There's a good girl..."

Just to be clear, Marmalade isn't a ghost. He's nothing but a figment of Gabi's imagination mixed with horrible memories.

See you next time.