"Wait a minute!" Alfonso interrupted. "How does Mami know who that crazy bird lady is?"

"So, you are interested?" Sofia asked with a cheeky grin. Alfonso just stuck his tongue out at his sister.

"Okay, okay, knock it off," Piranha said to the kids. "That's a very good question, mijo. And I think I owe you guys some answers. It all started in the summer of 2012..."

⏪⏪⏪⏪⏪⏪

It was Gabi's first trip to Fashion Camp, and her first summer away from the Rat Pack. She didn't know anyone, so that made the twelve-year-old angelfish particularly nervous. She was never that great at making her own friends, especially in unfamiliar environments. But Gabi knew she would have to push through if she were to have a chance to make Gala worthy dresses one day.

After being escorted to her bunk, Gabi unpacked and sorted all of her things. Including her favorite object: a photo of herself, Brenda, Monique, and Sapphire crashing a Forth of July party.

"Don't forget me, chicas," she muttered, already missing them. Just as she put the picture down on her dresser, however, a large, brown owl swooped down and crushed it with its talons! "Hey! That was mine!"

The owl stared at her with big red eyes and the picture piece with Brenda's face on it in her mouth. She spat it out and said, "Well, you drove me into doing it! Don't you know anything about owls? We eat rats!"

"They're my best friends!" Gabi argued, grabbing what was left of the photo. "I love them very much."

"Barf," the owl said in disgust as Gabi sobbed. "Oh, don't cry. If you were a blood thirsty monster, you'd do the same thing."

"I didn't say you were a monster," Gabi said defensively.

"No, but that's what people think of owls," she pointed out. "You're probably thinking it, too."

"Not at all," Gabi insisted. Even though she destroyed her picture, she felt sympathy towards the owl and shook her wing with her fin. "I'm Gabi. It's short for Gabriela."

"We'll have to work on that," the owl replied. "Mi-Na Huu."

⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩

Minerva climbed down from her perch and approached Gabi with a raised eyebrow. After what felt like forever, she let the words pour out of her beak.

"You've put on weight."

"I've been on antidepressants," Gabi muttered, nervously hugging her body. She wasn't that much heavier, but she didn't like it when people pointed it out.

"That's no excuse," Minerva scoffed, then noticing the scars on her head and neck. "And what's this? Had a few accidents?"

"You wouldn't understand..."

Minerva just shrugged and gently stroked a few feathers down Gabi's face. “At least your eyes stayed the same. Who could forget that sweet look of naïveté?"

Gabi blushed for a moment, but shrugged it off and said, “You said you got job offers in Seoul and Paris. This whole time, you've been here?!"

“Well, not this whole time," she admitted. “I flew here and there across the country, finding poor, helpless souls to join my Flock and fight against the Oppressors."

“You mean, you lied to me?" Gabi asked in disbelief as they both heard a beeping sound. Minerva turned away to answer the call.

“What is it, Ismene?"

“Mother, five newcomers have arrived. They haven't said why they're here, but I think I know who they are."

“Piranha!" Gabi gasped. Minerva raised an eyebrow at her and turned back to the screen.

“Send them up right away," Minerva replied, and turned back to Gabi. “Unfortunately, one small army of animals would be useless against 8 billion people. Which is why I created him."

Gabi heard the creature growling from below and stared at her former friend in horror.

“Most would see a monster," she said. “I see my proudest achievement. My own little Hatchling."

“You made him? How?"

“It wasn't easy," Minerva admitted. “I laid several eggs and added several different DNA samples to each of them. He was one of the only five who took. The last four had gone mad and entered cardiac arrest. However, once I heard about how a guinea pig used a special kind of energy from a meteorite to control the minds of thousands of other guinea pigs. So, I had a few of my followers retrieve what was left of the rock, pressurized them into one piece, took a tiny drop of blood from my baby, and made a secret mind-control device to make sure he remains stable."

Gabi took deep breaths as she remembered when Professor Marmalade was still in her life. What he did those guinea pigs... to Millicent... to her... Up to the point where she...

It still hurt.

“What happened to you?" Gabi asked her former friend. “What happened to Mi-Na? The creative owl with a passion for fashion? Who always saw the beauty in even the little things? What happened to her?"

“Oh, I still see beauty," Minerva claimed. “But I also see change. In the last eight years since we've seen each other, I went from innocent little Mi-Na to Minerva, mother of all who were hurt by mankind. Just like how during those four summers, you went from stubborn little Gabi to the loyal Aura. The first creature to ever believe in me."

At that moment, the rest of the group was brought into the room by Ismene, and Piranha was more than relieved to see his beloved was still alive.

“Gabi!" he exclaimed, running up to hug her. “Oh, thank God your alright."

Speechless, Gabi slowly hugged him back, but kept her gaze on Minerva. Wolf noticed the owl scowling at them and attempted to throw on the old charm.

“You must be Mother Minerva," he said smoothly. “We've heard that you would be creating a better world for all animals, big and small."

“What is he doing?" Webs asked the boys.

“Yes, I am," she admitted. “I assume you and your crew wish to be part of it?"

“More than anything," Wolf lied. “You see, no matter how hard we've tried, people still see us as good-for-nothing monsters. I'm sure a seemingly ferocious owl such as yourself knows how that feels."

Minerva nodded. “And the five of you wish for a sense of belonging."

“Naturally. Right, guys?"

The others looked at each other in confusion before nodding in agreement.

“Very well," Minerva agreed. “I'll let you all stay... if the green one will let go of Aura."

“Aura?" Piranha repeated in confusion, pulling away from his wife. “Gabi, you know this chica?"

“Well... it's been a while."

“We spent four summers as bunkmates in fashion camp," Minerva explained, wrapping a wing around Gabi. “In fact, she was the one to inspire me to have my Hatchling. The real one who will deliver us during the Blood Moon after I have finished guiding him."

“Gabi, what's she talking about?" Piranha asked.

“You folks need not worry," Minerva assured them. “Ismene, give these five some proper identification."

“I'm not leaving without Gabi," Piranha claimed. Minerva just puffed up her feathers and glared at him.

“She has been Aura for the past eight years," she said aggressively. “And before she was your friend, she was mine. Disrespect her, you disrespect me."

“Mi-Na!" Gabi interrupted before Piranha could attack the eagle-owl. “I mean, Mother. Perhaps I should go with them. They already trust me. I could keep an eye on them for you."

“Very well, my sweet Aura," Minerva cooed, letting her leave with her husband.

“Gabi, what's going on?" Piranha asked. “What's your deal with her? How did you help her make that thing?"

“Look, it'll take me forever to explain," Gabi said. “And we don't have a lot of time, so–"

“Well, just tell me how you helped her make the Hatchling. Please, hermosa."

Gabi bit her lip hard before admitting, “I'm one-sixteenth barracuda."

“And you never told me?!"

“Sorry, cariño," Gabi apologized, “but when your great-great-grandmother has an affair with one, it kinda makes you feel an unspeakable sense of shame."

Yeah, this was a lot. I know. I may write more flashbacks from Gabi and Minerva's childhood.