In the outskirts of Crown City, on a street lined with narrow, cramped houses, the Coopers found a place they would call home until they succeeded at selling their old house and buying a new one.
"Dude, it looks totally haunted," Logan remarked at the sight of the 100-year-old house made of chipped, fading bricks.
"Since when do you believe in ghosts?" inquired his sister, Odette.
"Since I decided I don't like this place," was Logan's reply.
"You're going to live here, and you're going to like it," said Mrs. Cooper with steely resolve. The children followed reluctantly as she and her husband marched through the screen door and set down their suitcases on the bare, dusty wooden floor. Every part of the old structure seemed to creak visibly before them.
"You said I had a choice between living in a nicer house and going to college," said Dallin as he examined a cracked and yellowed window pane.
"You're going to college," his mother stated.
Every member of the family was in awe of their musty, dilapidated new home—except for Vanessa. She had regained her ability to speak without quacking shortly after leaving her Elwood City residence, but had said little since her examination at the hospital. She had changed into something that could walk and talk, and hadn't changed since, and for that she was grateful. Still, one question consumed and obsessed her—what exactly am I now?
Stepping into what looked like a bathroom, she stood on her toes and regarded her image in the mirror. Her hair was straight and shiny brown, her eyes jet blue, her nose the elongated snout of a horse. A normal, attractive girl, yes, but with a pointed golden horn protruding from her forehead. She had tugged on it many times, but it seemed securely fasted to her skull. What was its purpose? Why did it glow in the dark? Unicorns weren't real…were they?
By the time she finished contemplating her new form, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper had unloaded their portable TV from the Buick and placed it on a windowsill. The electricity was running, so the kids were granted a means of entertaining themselves while their parents carried in boxes of clothing.
"This is Wolf Blitzen reporting live from rural Minnesota," said the canine-looking newscaster as Dallin, Logan, Odette, Vanessa, and little Megan took seats on the floor to watch. "Standing next to me is a woman who simply calls herself Gadfly, and claims to be the leader of the approximately 4,400 cat women who appeared in this valley earlier today."
Vanessa stared intently at the screen. "I've seen her before," she said out loud. The woman being interviewed by Blitzen wore a cap that resembled a saggy beret and covered whatever hair she might have, but her facial features were unmistakably familiar.
Then it occurred to her. "That's Principal Haney's old girlfriend!"
The woman, dressed in an army green, slightly dingy uniform, gazed with fearless eyes at the camera while speaking. "I am called Gadfly, because, like your philosopher Socrates, I ask stinging questions," she told the viewing audience, "We come from a planet called Yordil, which is governed by a ruthless, dehumanizing dictatorship. We were dissidents, troublemakers, and enemies of the state, and we lived in fear of imprisonment and execution. Our only hope for freedom was to flee through a space portal to another world that would sustain our form of life." Behind her, scores of similarly clad cat women milled about, some eagerly accepting beverages from National Guard officers.
Wolf Blitzen drew the microphone back to his own mouth. "Gadfly, I must inform you that your unexpected arrival here has caused unrest among the local population, and attracted the attention of the state and federal governments."
"Hence the armed military officers," said Gadfly flippantly. "I assure you, our intentions are absolutely peaceful. We would have immigrated to your country through the standard methods, but there's so much water around Ellis Island that we couldn't get a fix on dry land."
"Another question, if you don't mind," said Blitzen. "Obviously you have the knowledge and skill to travel from your planet to ours. Is it possible that the military forces of this so-called dictatorship will follow you here, and engage in hostilities against the United States?"
"I won't lie to you," replied Gadfly unhesitatingly. "Yes, it's possible."
"One more question, for the sake of curiosity," said Blitzen. "I couldn't help but notice that your group is completely made up of women and girls. Why no men at all?"
"That's easy to answer," said Gadfly. "Nearly all the men have been drafted to fight in interplanetary wars. As for the women, they're of no use to the dictatorship but to produce future soldiers. Our society has been thoroughly militarized, for the sole purpose of annexing resource-rich worlds to the Yordilian Star Empire."
Every beak fell open in the Coopers' new house. "Aliens in Minnesota," said Mr. Cooper in an attempt to relieve the astonishment. "I hope they're used to harsh winters."
"I'm glad they're in someone else's backyard," said Mrs. Cooper glibly.
Vanessa found no comfort in their statements. Bewildered by the radical changes in her life and the bizarre story unfolding on the TV news, she decided to seek relaxation and pleasure in the only activity that afforded them—walking.
I love walking, she thought as she strolled down the dirty, uneven sidewalk. I'm so glad I can walk again. All I want to do is walk, and walk, and walk, until all the weirdness in the world is explained. As long as I keep walking, I won't have to worry about what sort of weird unicorn girl freak thing I've become, or why, or what it means, or what kind of life I'll have.
"Don't go far, Vanessa," she heard Mrs. Cooper call after her.
Ignoring her mother's counsel, she walked for three blocks and kept walking. She walked until a shrill, plaintive voice interrupted her deliberations.
"Hello."
Vanessa stopped abruptly. She looked left and right, then up and down, but saw no one nearby but a slender cat with bushy, matted black fur.
"Meow," said the cat. "Hello," Vanessa thought she heard.
The cat's talking to me, she realized. I know that's impossible, but it's happening.
"Don't be afraid," the cat spoke.
I'm going crazy, thought Vanessa. I can't be sure of anything anymore. Maybe I've been a girl all along, and I only dreamed about being a crippled boy. But if I were crazy I wouldn't know it, so I must not be crazy. Then why is it that every time the cat meows, it sounds like words to me?
"My name's Goodkitty," said the black cat, creeping closer. "Are you a unicorn?"
"Uh, I don't know," replied Vanessa, but the cat only shot her a puzzled look.
I feel stupid, but here goes, she thought. "Meow," she said.
"You sure look like a unicorn," said the cat, who by now was rubbing against Vanessa's stocking. "You've got the horn, the flaring nostrils, the gray patch on the forehead…not to mention the fact that you can talk to cats. Like my mama always said, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…"
"Don't say that!" exclaimed Vanessa fearfully. To her surprise, her outburst took the form of a series of meows.
"Don't say what?" asked the unruffled cat.
Embarrassment welled up in Vanessa's heart. She's such a cute kitty. I don't want to say anything to frighten her. Maybe she'll…wait! How did I know she's female?
And how does she know what a unicorn looks like?
She knelt down, and her peach-colored skirt descended around her knees. "Tell me what you know about unicorns," she meowed hopefully.
to be continued