Double upload!

Chapter 24: Evil Doorknobs and Panic Attacks

We lay there for a couple of hours, with Robin and I drifting into a nap. During the last hour, I stayed awake, resting my head on her belly, bored, and absentmindedly playing with the ends of her hair that I could reach. When she stirred, I turned to look up at her.

I watched her blink, then rub the sleep from her eyes before looking down at me. I guess she could feel me playing with her hair.

Oops?

"Faye?"

Oh hey, you're up.

"Yeah, I am. Is Ivy up too?"

I closed my eyes. Trying to sense if she was awake.

She wasn't.

No, she's still sleeping. Sometimes she sleeps late.

She nods, resting her hand on my head and gently rubbing the fur on my head. I close my eyes, enjoying the moment, and nudge my head up, deeper into her hand for encouragement.

She pauses, making me let out a whine in confusion, wondering why she stopped. I hear her chuckle which in turn prompted me to crack my eyes and giving her a glare with no real heat, more playful than serious.

"Sorry, I was going to ask if you could explain why you can transform into different animals. Last time I checked, Liam told me you were a shapeshifter, so I assumed that you could only become one animal. Unless he was referring to a shapeshifter who can change into multiple animals, like a skin-walker."

I shook my head at the end of her sentence.

No, the reason that I can transform is because I am part-witch.

I pause letting her digest this information.

"Part-witch? Like I put a spell on you witch?"

I snorted but nodded my head, regardless.

Yeah, I'm part-witch. Because I chose to become a random person in this universe, I got to spin the wheel to choose what species and how many I get to be.

"Wait! Hold on! You are more than a witch!? How many species did you get?!"

Yeah, I am. I managed to spin the wheel and get three species.

She looked at me shocked for a for a few minutes. My tail twitched nervously in the silence. She shook her head, trying to dispel the shock. Suddenly, she smiled brightly, looking excited.

"THREE?! You got three species?! That's so cool! How does it feel to be three different species?! What kind of magic can you do? What species are you? Are you-"

I cut her off, answering her questions before I could forget them.

Yes, I have three species, and it is pretty cool. Thank you—I got lucky spinning the wheel and landing on all three. But being a mix of different species feels strange. As for magic, I can do spells with different elements, create barriers and make different spells and other things. I also got to choose an extra power, so I went with Bella's shield. However, instead of passing it mentally, I can transfer it through touch. As for my species, I'm part witch, part vampire, and part shapeshifter, which is somewhat like a werewolf which is why I have Ivy.

She stared at me, her eyes wide with amazement. I could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to piece everything together. Finally, she broke the silence.

"That's incredible! I can't believe you're all three of those things! So, do you change species depending on the situation? Can you choose to access one particular species than the others? How do they all work together?"

I was happy that she was excited, but the questions started to overwhelm me a bit. I held up my paw indicating to wait so I could answer.

It's not as complicated as it sounds, but it's not exactly simple either.

The witch part gives me access to magic and the abilities to transform into different animals. The vampire part enhances my strength, speed, and senses. I do need blood sometimes but not often. Instead of burning in my throat, I feel a tickle? I don't know how to explain it, I don't feel bloodlust. The shapeshifter part allows me to transform into a wolf. It also enhances my strength speed, and senses, but combined with being a vampire, it only makes me a little stronger.

Accessing one species over another isn't too difficult—I can tap into whichever I need more at the moment, but most of the time, they blend together naturally.

She nodded, her eyes still gleaming with curiosity.

"And Ivy? What's her role in all this?"

I smiled, sensing Ivy still sleeping peacefully. I closed my eyes checking on her and let out a chuckle as I see her drooling.

Ivy is a part of me, linked to my shapeshifter side. She is my werewolf guide. She is here to help me throughout my journey and keep me company. Over time, I learned more about her and loved her more and more, no matter how much rants about all the different types of meat or whenever she annoys me.

I roll my eyes, fondly.

She's more than just an extension of my abilities. When I shift, she's there with me, guiding me on the best path and helping me find ways to do things. She cheers me up when I'm upset and knows exactly what to say. She's... well, she's kind of my anchor in this world.

Her expression softened as she looked at me, then pulled me into a hug. "That's amazing. You're amazing. Ivy's amazing. I'm so glad I met you and Ivy, and I'm proud to be your and Ivy's sister."

I felt a warmth in her words, a kind of acceptance that I hadn't realized I needed.

Thanks, I replied quietly, my tail relaxing as the tension eased. It's been a journey, but I'm getting the hang of it. And with Ivy by my side, I'm not alone.

She smiled warmly, reaching out to squeeze me a bit tighter. "You're not alone at all."

At that moment, I realized that she meant that she was also in my corner, making me curl deeper into her embrace. It's funny, in most of my past life, I used to flinch at even the slightest brush of skin, avoiding touch whenever I could. Now, I can't seem to get enough. Maybe I was more touch-starved than I ever realized.

The conversation settled into a comfortable silence, it was good to have someone who didn't just accept the weirdness, but embraced it with open arms.

Finally, she broke the silence with a chuckle. "So, any other surprises I should know about?"

I grinned, shaking my head. Well, I think that I am relaxed enough to change back into a human. I don't know if that counts.

At that, she became extremely excited.

"Oh my god! You mean that you can change back now?! What are you waiting for!" She places me on the ground looking at me like I was going to turn human in a puff of smoke, her legs shaking with anticipation and excitement. "I'm so excited to see what you look like!"

I look down feeling a little nervous and embarrassed.

"Faye? What's a matter?"

I keep my eyes on the ground as I answer.

Well, if I shift back now I'll be naked… I haven't made a spell to keep my clothes when I shift, yet.

For a few minutes, silence hung between us as I gathered the courage to see her reaction. Finally, I looked up, stealing a glance through my lashes.

I was surprised to see Robyn partially hiding behind her hair, as she tried to hide her flustered expression, although I could see one of her cheeks tinged with a soft pink.

Her expression made me burst into laughter, causing me to fall on my back.

You should see the *laugh* look on your face! *giggle* I have never seen anyone look so red in my life!

I heard a huff which made me look up, only to see Robyn pouting, looking slightly away with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"You're so mean," she mumbled, though the corner of her mouth twitched, betraying the hint of a smile. "It's not like I could have known you'd be naked when you shift back."

I couldn't help but laugh again, shaking my head.

I look up at her giving her a mischievous and teasing grin. Well, now you know.

She rolled her eyes, but the smile she'd been trying to hide finally broke through. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you've got clothes stashed somewhere in this house. Now go on, you little rascal."

I let out a giggle before running to my room, but as I reached the door I realized I had a problem.

(Fun fact: Ring-tailed Lemurs are about the size of a house cat.)

I was too short to reach the knob, but stubbornly, I stood on my tiptoes, stretching as high as I could. When that failed, I jumped up, only managing to graze it with my fingertips. Frustrated, I sank to the floor, glaring at the door knob with the fiercest side-eye I could muster, my lips forming a slight pout.

I swear that door knob is mocking me!

I heard giggling behind me and turned to see Robyn peeking over the couch, an amused grin on her face.

"Need a little help?"

I let out a small huff, weighing my options. On one hand, I could keep trying and save my pride by conquering that stupidity tall door knob. On the other, I could accept Robyn's help, change back, and maybe even recruit her to help me get my payback.

At that thought, I look back at the door knob giving it a look saying, enjoy mocking me for now. You'll get what you deserve, before turning back to Robyn and nodding before standing up.

She hurried to open the door, and I stepped inside, offering a quick nod of thanks before closing it softly behind me. I heard her footsteps retreat back towards the couch. I leaned against the door letting out a deep sigh. I quickly changed back and got dressed, but just as I reached for the doorknob, I froze. I felt my anxiety start to creep up on me.

The thought of turning back into a human in front of someone, especially Robyn, made me nervous and anxious. What if she doesn't like how I look and decides she doesn't want to be my sister anymore?

The thought of Robyn no longer being my sister made my breath quicken into a frantic rhythm. Lost in a spiral of negative thoughts, I felt like it was getting harder to breathe as my vision blurred with tears.

Suddenly Ivy's voice cut through the storm in my mind, sharp and urgent. Her presence was like a lifeline, pulling me back from the brink of panic.

Huh? What's going on? Faye?! What's wrong? Her tone was a mix of sleep, confusion and concern.

My vision was still blurred with tears, but my breathing was calming down a bit as I heard Ivy's voice.

What's going on?! Who do I have to bite? she demanded, her voice fierce and protective.

I managed a shaky laugh, wiping at my eyes with the back of my hand. "No one, Ivy. I just… got worked up over my thoughts. It's nothing." But even as I said the words, I knew they weren't entirely true. The fear of losing Robyn, of not being accepted, still gnawed at me.

I couldn't help to remember why I was panicking in the first place making me let out a slight whimper.

Ivy's seemed to softened as she saw my flashback, and she let out a breath relaxing now that she knew that was going on. Faye, you scared me. I woke up to find you freaking out and didn't know why. Her voice was gentler now, You know Robyn wouldn't just walk away from you, right? She loves you. We both do. We are sisters for life.

I looked down, my fingers twisting together nervously. "But what if… what if she sees me differently? What if I'm not… enough?"

Faye, listen to me. You are more than enough. Robyn knows who you are, and she seems to already love you and she hasn't even seen you in your human form yet, nothing's going to change that. You don't have to be perfect, or anything other than yourself. We're a family, and family sticks together.

Her words sank in slowly, like warmth seeping through a cold room. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Ivy was right. Robyn had always been there for me, through everything so far. She wouldn't just abandon me because of how I looked or who I was. Otherwise, she would have left me when she saw me as a bear or a lemur.

Sometimes I hated my anxiety, overthinking everything made me feel tired and worn out. Afterward, I always need to stop talking for a bit to cool my mind down.

I nodded, feeling the tension in my chest start to ease. "Thanks, Ivy. I needed to hear that."

Anytime, Faye. I'm here for you, and so is Robyn. We'll get through this together.

The words were comforting, but I still felt a knot of anxiety at the back of my mind. "But what about Rosalie or Emmett and the others? What if they don't understand or accept me? What if they hate me after realizing my real age?"

I sensed Ivy's expression turned thoughtful, as she quietly thought of a response. You know, it's not always easy when you're different. Thankfully our bonds are vampires and most likely been stuck as the same age for a while. People might have their own struggles accepting change, but that doesn't mean they won't eventually come around. Just be patient Faye. And remember, it's okay to be scared. We all have our moments of doubt. But it's in those moments that we need to lean on each other the most.

Her advice was helpful and soothing, and I could feel a glimmer of hope starting to push through the haze of uncertainty.

I knew that Ivy and Robyn's acceptance was a strong foundation, but the thought of facing others and their opinions was still scary. Although I know with Ivy and Robyn by my side will make it easier.

"I hope you're right," I said quietly, a hint of vulnerability in my voice. "I really do."

Ivy gave me a reassuring smile. I know I am. And remember, no matter what, you're not alone in this. We're all in this together.

I managed a small smile in return, feeling a bit more grounded. The fear was still there, but it felt a little less overwhelming. "I'll do my best to remember that. I guess I've been pushing everyone away because I'm used to being pushed away myself for so long."

You're not pushing anyone away, Ivy said firmly. Not while I'm here.

"Hey Faye, are you okay in there?"

Suddenly, Robyn's voice called out, causing me to jump in surprise and making Ivy snicker.

Rude.

I saw Ivy stick her tongue out a me making me giggle a bit.

I walked out of the room and glanced at Robyn through my eye lashes. I could see what seemed to be surprise and Happiness? Happy? She's happy to see me?

"Woah, you really are young. You said you were what? 12? You look like you are 9 or 10."

I let out an offended gasp at her comment making Ivy laugh.

How dare you I know I look young and haven't grown much but still how dare you, madam?!

"You also need a hair cut bad. How can you see? Your hair is covering your eyes."

I looked up at her as she moved my hair out of my face making her realize that my eyes were a bit red from crying.

"Is everything okay?"

I didn't answer as I looked at the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Ivy spoke up.

Faye was having a rough time, but I think she's starting to feel a little better.

"Oh, honey." She effortlessly lifted me onto her lap on the couch and pulled me into a comforting hug. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I relaxed leaning my head on her collarbone. I shook my head a bit before saying quietly, "No, not yet. Can we stay like this for a bit?"

I felt her tighten her hug before saying, "Of course we can."

We stayed there for a bit, enjoying each other's company and the warmth of the shared embrace. The quiet was soothing, allowing us to simply be together without the need for words. Ivy was even starting to relax. Slowly, the tension in my shoulders eased, and I felt a fresh feeling of calm, safety, and warmth. My anxiety and being an introvert might be a problem in the future might be a problem, but I knew with Ivy and Robyn by my side I would be okay.

With that thought, I felt my consciousness start to slip away, feeling tired with a mix of relief and exhaustion after the intensity of the day.