Daily Life with Appalachian Monsters Ch. 2: A Deer in the Headlights

DJ's wide open mouth soon clamped shut before breaking out into a wide grin. "Janna!" she rushed forward and brought the girl into a hug, "I thought it would be impossible but I was hoping it might be you!"

Janna was wearing the sweater she had worn the day they met, this time with slightly longer pants that ended just above her calves, allowing her furry legs to poke out. She had a red scarf wrapped around her neck, and her trade mark braid hanging to the side. Surprisingly the flowers in her hair seemed to look the same as last time, just as brightly shining as if it were a spring morning, and not the dreary December morning that they stood in.

DJ turned towards the hulking agent beside them, "Im assuming you had something to do with this Reggie?"

The man shrugged, "No idea what you're talking about, and it's Agent Reginald, Miss Jennings."

"Of course." DJ scoffed, before grabbing Janna's luggage, which comprised of two medium sized suitcases, and a rucksack on her person.

"Did you not need to bring anything else Janna?" DJ asked hefting the items in towards the house.

The faun shook her head, "Fauns don't put a lot of stock in material items, most of that is clothes for winter and such. Im one of the odd balls in the clan. A lot of the traditional members still… Practice the old ways."

DJ raised an eyebrow before glancing at the Exchange Agent, who again, didn't offer anything more than a shift in his shoulders. Janna simply cast her eyes in another direction.

DJ chuckled, "And I thought it was only Satyrs that practiced nudity." Janna eeped, but a small smile was on her rosey face.

"It seems you both have a lot to learn from one another," injected Reginald, walking towards Janna and placing a massive hand on her shoulder, "but you two have plenty of time to find out. Miss Jennings, this begins the start of your hosting, providing a two year period without any incident, Janna will be allowed to become a full fledged member of society, it is your responsibility to make sure she integrates properly, and learns as much as she can about humanity."

DJ smiled, "Trust me, Ill take good care of her. And please you can just call me DJ." she offered a hand, which was soon engulfed with his.

"Ill keep that in mind, Miss Jennings." The agent nodded to the two before leaving through the front door. A moment later, a car was heard exiting the gravel driveway.

DJ turned her smile to Janna, "Come on, Ill show you to your room."

The two climbed a set of stairs that sat beyond the kitchen, leading to the second story of the house. It opened into a long hallway, flanked by several doors, with a large door set at the end. DJ opened one of the first doors on the left, leading into a simple bedroom with a twin size bed. On the left was a large full length mirror set in an intricate frame, with a full sized dresser beside it. Opposite of that was the bed, and a small closet for clothes. Parallel to the entrance was a large window, that peered out into the backyard of the house, which dropped into the valley below, giving a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains.

"Here's one of the guest rooms, I thought this one might be the nicest, but if you want to move into another it shouldn't be a problem." DJ lay the two suitcases at the foot of the bed. "Or if you want a different bed Im sure we can pester Reggie for some funds."

Janna shook her head, "No, this is perfect! The view is beautiful too!" Janna walked to the frost covered window, her breath fogging the pane as she eagerly pushed against it. The view opened up into the snow spotted valley, which was covered inch by inch with thick forest. The view only punctuated by the odd house here, or a small road there.

"Awesome! I hoped you'd like it. The other rooms are almost identical, this one just has one of the better views." she moved back into the hallway beckoning for Janna to follow. Walking past two doors she opened the third on the right, "This is the bathroom, you have a shower up here so you don't need to use the one downstairs, but if you ever need a little more space I don't mind sharing it."

Janna nodded, it was a full size bathroom, but the shower was a little older, the faucet hanging over a large porcelain tub.

"I think I'll be alright, I'm used to bathing in rivers and ponds, so this is pretty luxurious for me."

DJ raised an eyebrow, saving the question on her tongue for later, "Well still, I don't want you to feel like anything in the house is off limits to you. You're welcome to use anything you might need. The only exceptions being the basement and attic, which are my brother's storage spots."

"Thanks, I think I'm good. You seem really excited by the way, more than me." Janna teased, setting her rucksack on the bed before taking a seat, bouncing slightly on the cushy mattress.

DJ actually flushed at the comment, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing, "Hah, I can't help it. You're were my first guest in months, and now you're my roommate. It's really nice having someone around, instead of talking to the wall."

Janna herself found herself blushing, "S-sorry, Im really excited too. I didn't mean to make you feel awkward."

The red head waved her hand, "Don't worry about it, wanna take a tour around the house?"

Janna nodded eagerly, and the two exited the room before heading back downstairs.

Her host started with the foyer, and was quickly familiarizing Janna with the layout. On the first floor was the kitchen, living space, master bedroom and a large modern bathroom.

"My brother James bought this place five years ago, and he's been fixing it up ever since."

"It's pretty out of the way, and it seems older. How did he find this place?" Janna asked.

DJ shrugged, "I think he told me that it was abandoned, and he found it while out hiking the area. Told me there was something about it, bought it a month later and ever since its been a money sink for him."

Janna seemed puzzled, "But I thought he traveled for his work, like all the time? Why so much money on a house in the mountains?"

DJ laughed, "Great question, I'm sure Jay would give us some bullshit answer along the lines of, 'It looked pretty'. He's eccentric, but he does make a lot of money, so I'm sure there are worse ways to blow cash." The two entered the master bedroom, which was currently being occupied by DJ, the walls had a few posters of cartoons and anime characters, with pictures of the family sprinkled in between. Janna saw that the bed was a tangled mess of plushes and blankets, a laptop sitting to the side. A large closet with clothes strewn about it sat on the far wall, with a dresser sitting opposite.

"Ill be honest, I kinda pegged you as a bit more, uh…" Janna started.

"Tom boyish?" DJ offered a small smirk.

"I was gonna say… Ok, yeah. You got me there." Janna laughed.

The red head sat on the queen size mattress, grabbing a plush of a cutesy cat and giving it a squeeze. "What can I say? Im a bit of a dork. I did a lot of track and field in high school, before that I was the more stereotypical, chubby anime geek."

Janna leaned against the door frame, a little nervous to enter the room of her host so casually. DJ patted a spot beside her, and the faun girl finally shuffled in before settling on the soft bed. She herself found a little black fox and played with the pink tongue sticking from its mouth.

"So, what do you do on the day to day?"

DJ's face looked a little guilty as she leaned back and fell on her bed, "For the most part, nothing. My brother needed someone to look after the house, and I just happened to move back to Tennessee. Next thing you know, I'm a hermit in the mountains, binging anime and wasting time online."

Janna stopped playing with the little fox, "What do you do for money?"

"James pays for the utilities, sends me a little money for food and stuff, I don't really get payed, just enough to live. I have a lot of money saved up from my last job so I've just been whittling that away." DJ lifted her plushy in the air fiddling with its soft paws.

"What were you saving up for?" Janna blushed, thinking herself a little too forward. "Sorry, that was out of-"

"Nah, it's ok. I wanted to buy a house in Seattle, but life has a way of turning out different than you expect." DJ leaped up from the bed suddenly.

"How about some food?" the red head made for the kitchen, with Janna scampering after her. The two entered the room, and Janna took a seat near the island that sat in the middle, the stool allowing her to rest her forearms on the smooth marble. DJ was peering into a large fridge, which was flanked by drawers and a stove. The red head slowly turned around, her mouth pursed together in a small 'o' causing the faun girl to tilt her head, her braid swinging in tandem.

"I just realized I don't have any salads." DJ mumbled.

Janna let out a bell like laugh, "Fauns aren't all vegetarians, though I personally only like fish. Im sure you have something I can eat."

DJ rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed, Im just going to ask next time alright?" Janna nodded, her smile was teasing.

DJ returned to her search but quickly gave up, "Actually, all I have are frozen foods and beer, how about we make a run to town? It'll be a nice chance to get you familiar with the area. Plus I haven't left the house in like a week." she admitted.

Janna hopped from her perch, "That sounds fun! I haven't been to a human town in like, forever!" DJ ran to her room for her keys and wallet, and threw on a heavier jacket to fight the chill outside. The two exited through the front door and made towards an outdoor overhang, where DJ's truck was sitting. It was an older model, painted red and dotted with years of scratches and dents, the flat bed was just as worn and the tailgate was littered with silly bumper stickers. Janna saw a pride flag sitting amongst the collage, but didn't bother to comment on it.

The scenery rushed by as DJ carelessly drove through the winding mountain roads. Janna was on the verge of making a comment about their speedy descent, but the ease that DJ took the turns made her realize she was just being nervous. The sheer cliff drops sure didn't help. DJ flicked her hand to the stereo and managed to turn the radio on without looking. After twisting a nob for a few seconds, low folksy music filled the cab of the car, slightly drowned out by the roar of the heat escaping from the vents.

When the feelings of vertigo subsided, Janna took the opportunity to greedily soak in the mountains around her. Even growing up at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, the faun could never get over her love of the countryside. Waking up early to see the mists rise from the peaks, the lush green trees and outcrops of rock that jutted through them, she never got tired of it. There was something comfortable about these mountains. Her uncle had once told her it was the oldest range in the world, and perhaps thats why their soft rolling faces and deep valleys entranced her so.

Soon the mountains were punctuated by houses. A cabin here, a cabin there, suddenly they pass a gas station, and almost out of nowhere they entered the small town of Unicoi. The trees opening up into a flat valley, with small businesses and churches separated only by a few blocks passing by them. Soon they entered a more populated area and pulled into a small grocery store. The town wasn't exactly in the middle of nowhere, but had somehow managed to escape major corporations from taking hold. The grocery store had a large sign over the top, faded with tinges of rust, reading The Feed & Till.

The parking lot wasn't very busy, probably due to the fact it was two pm on a Tuesday, with most people probably eating lunch or working. DJ quickly found a spot and threw the truck into park before yanking the keys out of the ignition. The two exited the vehicle, tightening their clothes around them as the winter wind whipped around them. It was overcast today, painting the area in a grey light. Leafless trees swayed as the moody clouds above trudged by, begrudgingly stopping the sun from warming anything in the small town. As DJ approached the door of the establishment, Janna saw a man with a ratty coat sitting on a bench, cigarette in hand and a large backpack by his side. The faun watched DJ fish a five dollar bill out of her pocket and handing the man the money, briefly telling him to stay warm as he nodded his head gratefully. Janna watched the man as they finally entered the store, giving him a smile as he waved to her.

"Is that common in these parts?" Janna asked, following DJ as the red head procured a shopping cart.

"More so in the summer, but that guy is a local. Names' Nick I think. He normally ends up being able to stay at the church down the street at night, so he doesn't have to sleep out in the cold."

"Is unemployment that bad here?" Janna loosened her scarf around her neck, the heating in the store cranked all the way up, causing a light sheen of sweat to appear on her wind burned cheeks.

"Not really. Mostly just people drifting in on the way to the east coast. Nick normally helps rebuilding older buildings in the summer, and bums around when it gets cold. He's had a hard life, most of those type of people do." Janna nodded, wanting to change the subject to something more light hearted. Looking around she examined the shelves of canned foods, watching DJ swiftly grabbing vegetables and soups.

"Anything you're particularly fond of?"

Janna shrugged, "Im good with salads and fruits, but I know it's hard to find those this time of year. We normally eat a lot of potatoes in the winter back home."

"Well thankfully, the modern food industry is here to provide." DJ led the girl to a produce section, though sparse they were able to stock up on the few things required to make salads. Janna picked up a fruit and sniffed it, her nose crinkling instinctually.

"It is nice to have food all year round, but this apple smells like it was frozen."

DJ chuckled, "No doubt, Im assuming fauns grow all their food?"

Janna nodded, "Most everyone farms in some way or another, it helps that we have nature magicks to speed things along."

DJ looked at the girl to see if she was joking but Janna was examining the remaining fruits, picking out the most fresh amongst the lot. When it was clear that the faun had indeed been serious the red head simply went back to her shopping. I really need to look into more liminal stuff. Well, I'm sure me and Janna can talk about it in time. After a stop to pick up some eggs, the two made their way to the front of the store with a loaded cart. Exiting the aisles they approached a check out manned by a bored teenager.

The girl had easily just turned eighteen, she had long brown hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing a stiff apron covering a hoody. She had a cellphone in hand, idly flicking a thumb across the screen as she lackadaisically chewed bubblegum. When the two approached and began to set their items on the conveyor belt, DJ spoke up, "Keeping busy Sophie?" The girl let out a sigh as she began to ring up the items and bagged them.

"Just trying not to fall asleep DJ. Who's your frie-" Sophie stopped momentarily when she noticed Janna's antlers and pointed ears, causing the faun to flush and glance away. The first of many, thought DJ before answering, "This is Janna, she's a faun from the colony in South Carolina. She's staying with me as part of the Liminal Exchange program for the next few years."

Janna peaked through her hair at the young girl before giving a meek wave, causing the teenager to gasp.

"You are like, so pretty. How do you keep your hair so soft? Are those your real eyelashes? They are so gorgeous. Are those flowers real? They look real. How do you have fresh flowers all the time?" Janna's head spun at the amount of rapid fire questions thrown her way, barely having time to register everything. She felt a hand on her shoulder hearing DJ giggle softly, "Whoa there Sophie, lets ease up on the lightning round."

Sophie's cheeks colored a bit as she mumbled an apology before returning to her work, quickly ringing up the total on the till. After DJ paid, Janna finally spoke to the girl, "Um, my flowers are so fresh cause they grow in my hair, they are kind of apart of me. They become much larger in the spring and summer. It was nice meeting you Sophie."

The teenager grinned and waved at the two, before flicking her phone back open and texting her friends about what she just saw. Finally a bit more excitement in this town.

With dinner eaten and drinks in hand, the two sat on the spacious couch as a movie played. Janna in particular seemed entranced by modern cinema, and after a lengthy deliberation of DJ's collection, they had settled on an old drama set during World War II. Most of the time was filled with a comfortable silence, as Janna drank in the lines in the movie. The two quipped here and there as the story unfolded, before watching with teary eyes as it ended.

Janna quickly clapped her hands together softly, "That was awesome! How many more movies are there?" DJ grinned at her, "My friend, let me show you two of my favorite people. Netflix and Hulu." The red head quickly pulled the apps up on the television and Janna's eyes widened before breaking into a shining smile. The two spent the rest of the night watching movies, some so funny they found themselves on the ground giggling uncontrollably. Some so scary that the faun girl had shyly scooted closer to DJ only to bury her head into the taller girl's shoulder, emerald eyes peaking out to see if the terror had passed. A few hours later DJ checked her phone, noting the late hour she glanced over at Janna, only to see the girl curled up on the couch, her head resting on a pillow, and her hoofed feet poking out from under the blanket.

How can someone be so adorable? DJ thought, eyes curiously examining the girl. Her sweater hung loosely off one of her shoulders, the neck line dipping to show a soft pronounced collarbone. She had changed into a pair of small shorts that had a hole cut out for her soft tail, which bobbed and twitched in her sleep. DJ found herself examining the petite girl's face, before her eyes settled on the soft pink lips that slowly breathed in and out.

DJ quickly glanced away, a curious feeling blossoming in her stomach. Jesus DJ I know you're lonely but ogling girls in their sleep is a bit much don't you think? The red head rose and stretched, walking over to her friend before gently shaking her awake. "Hey, lets get some sleep in a real bed ok?" The faun mumbled something, before sitting up and looking around, as if she was suddenly remembering where she was. As DJ went to turn out the lights in the house, Janna herself stretched and stood, making for the stairs before suddenly stopping and shyly turning around to her host.

"D-DJ? Um, is it ok if I sleep in your bed tonight? That movie was really scary…" Janna's face could not be more red, her hands fidgeting and and eyes slightly cast downwards. DJ thought her heart might explode.

"Uh-um of course. Come on, lets get some sleep."

Janna climbed into DJ's bed after clearing some stuffed animals. Pillows were arranged and DJ flicked the lights off, crawling underneath the blankets beside her homestay. There was silence for a moment, as if the two didn't know what to say. But it wasn't long before Janna turned over and whispered, "I had a lot of fun today, and I'm really happy your my host. Goodnight DJ." The red head smiled and said her own goodnights. Quickly the sounds of light breathing could be heard, and DJ knew the faun had fallen asleep. Feeling unnaturally awake DJ attempted to quiet her mind from replaying the day's events, and from her curious feelings about the girl laying inches away from her.