New Zoo (Original Series by Wallace111)

New-Zoo-Octopus

The mindscape was vast and funnily, rather scattered as the Spirit looked around, trying to track down what it was hoping for.


"Now...where are her memories?" thought the Spirit as it continued to probe around. The surroundings were confusing as the landscape wasn't clear in any sense of the word. Usually, things were at least somewhat organised but here...here was completely something else!. It could hear voices within which it didn't recognise. For some reason, this intimidated the Spirit and unnerved it. However, it felt determined to help her friend as it continued to look about, hoping to find some sense of logic within this place.


The Spirit tried to make sense of what it was seeing and found little rhyme or reason. However, she saw a flash as she suddenly saw something moving at a fast speed towards it. The Spirit barely had enough time to dodge it before it passed, a quick glance confirmed that it appeared to be some form of memory. It was shaped like a film reel as more continued to fly past the Spirit.


The Spirit was better prepared as it saw more and more go past her. It moved around, taking the occasional glance towards the memory she was interested in. Eventually, it got a glimpse of the familiar Zoo archways as it grabbed onto the reel, holding tight to prevent its escape.


The Spirit looked at the reel as it scanned its eyes before hearing a sudden bang that startled it. This caused it to let go of the reel which quickly dashed away before the Spirit could grab it.


"Damn...No," said the Spirit in frustration as it looked to the origin of the bang she had heard, determined to find out what had jeopardised its mission.


The Spirit then noticed something in the corner of its eye as it saw a spark. It watched with intrigue as the spark began to materialise into a physical construct. The spark flashed white as it intensified. It began to form into someone recognisable.


It had tied back snowy blond hair in a bow and appeared to be wearing a long white dress. Her face formed as warm brown eyes materialised, glaring at the intruder. Its feet weren't visible as the dress was the only item visible on her lower body. A bag was hung on her shoulder, the strap going down to her waist.


The Spirit could sense similarity as it smiled maliciously. "I need to be smart, she is going to have all the power here, I can only hope that she's not aware of this." The Spirit put on its best acting as it prepared itself for the inevitable confrontation.


"Leave this Place!" demanded Anastasia as it glared at the Spirit who had a nonchalant look on its face.


"I will, just as soon as you give me what I want" stated the Spirit.


"What do you want?" asked Anastasia, her gaze softening momentarily as she awaited a response.


"There was an intruder in the Zoo on the day you were reborn," said the Spirit as it crossed its arms. "I'm inclined to think you saw the intruder on the day"


Anastasia placed her hand to her chin in thought as she smiled. "Actually, I did see someone. I'll happily tell you more about it if you help me out."


"Alternatively, I can just extract what I want out of you now!" exclaimed the Spirit menacingly as its smile began to widen. "Don't think you're the one in control here" continued the Spirit as it began to glare once again at Anastasia.


Anastasia panicked slightly at the Spirit's reaction as she considered her position. The entity in front of her was definitely powerful, she could sense it!. So she decided to comply, perhaps the Spirit would reward her for her cooperation.


"Ok, I won't resist. On one condition" said Anastasia.


"What is it?" asked the Spirit, its expression showing confusion. It decided, however, to humour Anastasia, having no intention of upholding its end of the bargain.


"I sensed you previously, you absorbed our energy. If you're that powerful, surely you can reverse my change, set me free. So if I help you, will you help me?" asked Anastasia, she pleaded to the Spirit as it stared at her, struggling not to start laughing at the display.


"Ok, I will, you just need to let me in" stated the Spirit assuringly as it held up its hand. Anastasia could feel a link occurring within her mind, connecting it to the Spirit. It stung momentarily before calming as Anastasia's memories began scattering everywhere. They formed as multiple film reels once again scattered across the mindscape.


The Spirit looked on as it saw her childhood. It saw a visit to the doctor's appointment as she was prescribed what she could only guess what medication of some sort. "That would explain the scattered nature of this place," thought the Spirit as it continued to look around, trying to find the memory it was interested in.


The Spirit saw her difficulty with making friends as it pretended to care. Finally, it saw the memory it was interested in, it noticed light blue hair within a lavender hood. The figure could be seen wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans.


While the memory played out, the Spirit could feel the memory copy itself as the Spirit began to remember the memory as its own. She now had a good image of the intruder, she would ask Elizabeth about it later, see if she recognised the person.


As the memory continued to play out. It pained Anastasia to watch the memory as it reminded her that she had been abandoned to her fate but hopefully, she was now going to be saved. This even pained the Spirit slightly but it had made up its mind. Anastasia needed to be punished for her actions against her friend.


"So you'll reverse the change?" asked Anastasia hopefully as it stared at the spirit with wide eyes, joyful that this nightmare would soon be over.


The Spirit thought for a moment before shaking its head as it said "No", preparing to leave.


"Why?!" demanded Anastasia, "We had a deal!."


"I didn't sign anything and... you need to pay for what you did to Elizabeth," said the Spirit. "You almost killed my friend" added the Spirit, venom dripping from its voice.


"Wait...What?" asked Anastasia, shocked at what she was being accused of. She had no memory of this action but she could feel the power coming from the Spirit and found herself rooted to the spot in fear, powerless to do anything as she could only appear shocked at this revelation.


"You attempted to kill my friend and have been an all-around problem. Therefore, I have no reason to comply with any of your demands. In fact, I should just leave you as you are, locked inside your mind as a single spark within something truly animal!" screamed the Spirit as energy began spilling off of it, Anastasia was left truly terrified as the Spirit calmed down, the energy dying down as it left without another word.


As she was left alone again, she only had enough time to say "well, shit" as she could feel her sense of self breaking down once again, feeling nothing but scorn for not only the people who did this to her but also herself for realising just how easily she had been played. Her form faded into the mindscape as it was once again barren, the animal regaining control.


Later that Morning:


Elizabeth wandered under the stone archways of the New Zoo, curious to see if the Spirit had worked out anything from their discussion the day before. She continued to wander down the Main Hallway as she examined the animals as she went. She stopped outside the Panther enclosure, jovial as she observed the new panther offspring. They were currently nursing on their mother's milk as Derek appeared to be on the lookout for any would-be intruders.


Elizabeth decided to leave the panthers be as she walked into the Outdoors Section of the Zoo. She stopped outside the Seal enclosure as she admired the pod. Noah was currently resting as Aaron was currently inside the water. She got a glimpse of Rachel and Mavis, noticing the pair had the early signs of pregnancy and while it would take a while, Elizabeth was looking forward to the day she could add some new seal pups to her pod.


This thought caused her to smile warmly. She could see a nearby glow as she turned her head, seeing the Spirit materialise to her side. It seemed flummoxed as Elizabeth considered the best way to phrase her new question.


"So...how did it go?" asked Elizabeth, curious to hear the answer given the Spirit's somewhat flushed expression.


"It was definitely...an experience" mumbled the Spirit, regaining its composure as it collected itself. "Fortunately, she didn't realise how much control she could have had but her mind was very messy. It was much more difficult to find what I was looking for than expected."


"But you did find it...right?" responded Elizabeth as her expression filled with worry.


"Of course, of course," said the Spirit defensively as it crossed its arms in a huff, her face moulding into a pout.


"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend" stated Elizabeth apologetically as she went to the Spirit, attempting to wrap her arms around it into a hug. The Spirit observed her intention and made itself tangible, allowing the affection as it felt a strange warmth come over it.


Shortly after, Elizabeth broke the hug as she turned to the Spirit. The Spirit noticed the look in Elizabeth's eyes as it realised what she was waiting for. The Spirit raised its left hand. It started to glow as a sudden spark emitted from it which quickly grew brighter.


The light dyed down as a turquoise rectangle appeared in mid-air which appeared to have the memory contained within. The Spirit waved its hand as the memory went into fast forward until stopping at the relevant moment.


The pair could see the intruder. They noticed light blue hair within a lavender hood. Elizabeth's mouth widened as she swore she could recognise her!


"What's wrong?" asked the Spirit, "do you recognise her?."


To its surprise, Elizabeth quickly dashed off. She appeared to be returning to the Main Hallway as the Spirit quickly followed her, concern etched on its face as it called out to her friend who didn't respond.


Eventually, Elizabeth arrived at the Office as she entered. She quickly made her way to the filing cabinet in the back of the room as she quickly looked into the files.


She managed to quickly find the file she was interested in as she looked it over. Fortunately, the others hadn't disposed of it.


She checked the picture of the file as she looked it over, checking it twice as she broke out into a small laughing fit.


"Oh, you clever little girl. Guess you were here after all?. Don't worry, we'll soon deal with you" mumbled Elizabeth as she couldn't stop herself from giggling.


The Spirit had arrived to catch the end of this giggling fit as it saw Elizabeth begin to get red in the face. It moved over to her friend as she regained her composure, fresh tears on her face from laughing too hard.


"Are you ok?, do you know who it is?" asked the Spirit, it was concerned for its friend.


"Yes I'm ok...sorry for startling you," said Elizabeth as she regained her breath. "The girl is known as Amanda, we thought she never showed up alongside the other applicants. Guess she did after all" stated Elizabeth as she sat back in the chair.


"Ok, what next?" wondered the Spirit.


"Simple, I'm going to set a trap for our little rat, and with this file. I have all the information I require to do it" said Elizabeth as she committed to a plan.


However, that would have to wait as the nearby clock demonstrated that a new intern was to arrive soon. Elizabeth left the office, looking forward to adding something new to the Zoo.


Two Hours Later:


Sally wandered under the stone archways of the New Zoo that had opened up. She looked around, noticing that they had already got enclosures populated with animals. She felt slightly bored as she continued to glance mindlessly. She noticed a nearby map stand of the Zoo near a ticket booth as she glanced at it, hoping she could find something she was interested in.


She moved her long brown hair out of her face as she got a better look at the map. She adjusted her glasses as she rubbed her eyes. "Staying up late last night was not a smart idea," she thought as she felt a tinge of annoyance recalling her thoughts from the previous night.


It annoyed her that people jumped to the conclusion that because she was quiet, this must mean that she was shy. Somehow, the nickname Sally Wallflower had circulated across the student body which had annoyed Sally considerably.


The truth was nothing of the sort!. She just didn't feel a need to get involved in conversations where she couldn't make any meaningful contribution. The light blue dress she had worn went down to her knees as she continued to look closer at the map.


However, her mood changed once she noticed a nearby sign for the Aquarium. Her eyes widened as she felt her mood improve considerably as she moved towards the general direction of the Aquarium.


"It's good to see the Zoo filling up its stock. I hope they have a variety within the Aquarium. That is definitely where I'd be interested in working if I get a job here" thought Sally as she wandered down the Main Hallway.


As she wandered down, she thought back to her classmates. Her mood soured once again as she felt frustration bubbling up in her. She was annoyed that despite her accomplishments, members of her class made her feel invisible. Despite her best effort, the rumours had gotten to her.


"It annoys me that barely anyone truly knows me, I'm on the swim team for god's sake!. You'd think people would stop seeing me as this ridiculously shy individual." thought Sally as she found herself near the Giraffe enclosure.


"Oh well, at least Chloe knows the real me and they don't make fun of me like Zara. Seriously, how many height jokes does one have to make before they get old?" said Sally out loud as she noticed one of the Giraffes was staring at her.


"Speaking of which, Chloe hasn't been seen since she visited the Zoo. I should look around afterwards, see if I can find her around. Would be nice to catch up" thought Sally as she noticed the Giraffe coming closer to her.


Erica watched the girl with intrigue. She swore she could remember her from somewhere. "Sally? Surprised why she would apply? she was always quiet. You'd think she wouldn't get involved in something so customer-focused? At least Marie did it in defiance of her parents. I wonder what Sally's reason is?."


Fortunately, Sally couldn't understand the giraffe's thoughts as Elizabeth noticed and walked up to Sally.


"Hello" she called out to the brunette who turned back to face her.


"Hello, I'm Sally and I applied for a job within the Zoo" informed Sally as she shook Elizabeth's hand who returned the handshake.


"Is there any enclosure you are interested in?" asked Elizabeth as she smiled at Sally. This helped put Sally at ease as she watched Elizabeth.


"Yes, I'm interested in your Aquarium if you don't mind" informed Sally as she smiled back. Elizabeth's smile was definitely contagious, but not for the reasons Sally was thinking.


"Ok, follow me," said Elizabeth as she walked away, Sally quickly following her as the pair walked away from the giraffe enclosure.


The pair were walking down the Main Hallway as Elizabeth began to strike up a conversation.


"Why did you apply for this job?" asked Elizabeth as she looked towards Sally.


Sally knew the answer. She knew what she had to say but found herself lost for words. She looked to Elizabeth and something in her expression just seemed...off.


Nevertheless, she managed to find her voice after a moment as she replied "I was interested in the experience, particularly after hearing that you have an Aquarium."


Elizabeth smiled for a moment, noticing a familiar green glow in the corner of her eye. The situation was perfect!. She sent a thought to the Spirit which faded away, having deduced Elizabeth's idea. Elizabeth looked to Sally as she decided to follow up.


"Ok, why are you particularly interested in the Aquarium?" asked Elizabeth as she turned to Sally once more.


Sally quickly responded, her previous hesitation having faded as she responded "I'm on the swim team at school. I've always had an interest in the water and the creatures that live in it. I hope to become a marine biologist one day." She finished with a smile, her thoughts becoming happy as she started looking forward to graduation so she could be one step closer to her dream.


"Ok, I believe that's enough questions. You are definitely qualified and I think you'll do best in the Aquarium so let's go now so I can show you around what we already have" informed Elizabeth as she turned away, her smile becoming wider for a moment as Sally followed her, looking forward to what she thought, was her orientation.


Eventually, they arrived at the Aquarium as Elizabeth guided Sally in and let her look at the current enclosures on display. Elizabeth scowled slightly as she noticed how bare the Aquarium was.


"This section needs expanding on," she thought as she considered consulting with Charlotte regarding this later.


Fortunately, Sally hadn't taken much notice as she looked around, marvelling at the marine animals before becoming fixated on the Manta Ray enclosure which she could see. She stared into it, wide-eyed, wondering if the Zoo had managed to get any.


It consisted of a tank that had what resembled a tropical island in the centre surrounded by a massive body of water in a circle. To her surprise, she managed to spot two manta rays that were currently inside the enclosure who both surfaced to look at their observer.


Unknown to Sally, the pair of Manta rays could recognise their old friend. While Chloe and Zoe had managed to adapt quite nicely to their new life, they felt uneasy for their friend.


"Didn't realise Sally had applied as well?" said Chloe as she turned to her lover who 'shrugged' the best she could before attempting to comfort Chloe.


"We were all encouraged to apply, no surprise Sally did the same. She would have seen it as an opportunity to gain experience to get into marine biology" said Zoe as they continued to look towards Sally who was spying the pair with intrigue.


"So you did listen to our conversations in our meetups after swim team?" asked Chloe curiously as she turned to Zoe, surprised as she didn't realise that Zoe had been paying attention in those moments.


"Of course Chloe" replied Zoe, not wanting to admit that she had also been checking out Chloe in those moments. Despite the pair confessing their love to each other, it still felt awkward for Zoe on occasion to see Chloe as her lover.


Meanwhile, Sally had continued to watch the Manta Rays as Elizabeth approached her, taping her to get her attention.


"I see you've taken an interest in the Manta Rays?" said Elizabeth as she continued "would you like to get closer to them?."


Sally smiled as she responded "Yes, that would be lovely. What do I need to do?."


"There's a door just there which will take you to a changing room connected to a pool. You'll see a bunch of swimming costumes to choose from. Pick one you like and go to the pool. I'll bring the Manta Rays out shortly for you." said Elizabeth as an eager Sally quickly heard towards the door, wanting to get started.


Elizabeth then walked away as Chloe and Zoe realised what was happening.


"So it looks like we'll be interacting with our friend after all" snarked Zoe, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She realised what was likely to happen as Chloe turned to her.


"I guess...still better than someone or something else I say" replied Chloe before adding "Think she'll join us? we could always do with another companion."


"Maybe, I don't know. I guess we can still support her the best we can, regardless of what happens" wondered Zoe.


"I agree" replied Chloe, 'smiling' towards her friend as they awaited Elizabeth's inevitable return.

Elizabeth had returned with a small tank on wheels. She delicately picked up the Manta Rays as she placed them inside the tank before taking them through the door towards the pool.


Within the Aquarium:


Sally had chosen a swimming costume and put it on. The costume was a nice light blue, similar to the dress she had worn as she looked around. She checked the pool and, not seeing any harm in it, slid herself into the water.


She felt goosebumps as she entered the water, a familiar sensation from her time on the swim team as she did a few quick lengths while awaiting Elizabeth to return. Her technique was still magnificent and graceful as she decided to stop, moving towards one of the edges as she waited. She felt herself settling as she kept herself afloat, however an odd tingling sensation which she could feel very minorly hadn't faded but Sally had concluded this was due to her excitement.


Elizabeth came in, carefully lowering the tank containing the Manta Rays as she opened the above hatch which enabled Zoe and Chloe to get out. They quickly moved towards their friend as Elizabeth dismissed herself, informing Sally that she would return in fifteen minutes.


Sally watched as the Manta Rays quickly swam towards her. She placed her hand on Zoe as she could feel the texture of her skin which Sally knew, was covered with mucus to prevent infection. She could feel the tingling that had started becoming stronger as she looked down at her hand, shocked at what she was seeing.


She could see her fingers shift as her thumbs began to shrink. She watched with surprise as they faded away into her palms as she quickly noticed her fingers began fusing in pairs of two. She saw the same occurring on her other hand as she looked further up her arms.


She watched as her arms began to split down the middle as they travelled further up her arm. She quickly spun her head to see the same thing happening in her other arm as it continued to split upwards, dividing her arms from two to four.


"What in the hell is happening to me?!" said Sally out loud as she felt something strange happening. She could feel the sensation of goosebumps return as she felt something occurring underneath her new limbs. She could feel an odd sensation which, unknown to her, was the formation of her new suckers.


Sally looked around in a panic as she began to flail about with her new limbs. All she accomplished was making water splash out from the pool as she hadn't gotten used to swimming with her new limbs. Chloe and Zoe stared awkwardly, wondering how to respond to the situation.


"What do you think we should do?" asked Chloe as she stared at Zoe, hoping she would have an answer.


"Not sure what we can do. I guess... we wait for her to calm down and see if we can help then" wondered Zoe out loud before adding "that is if she calms down."


Unknown to the group, the Spirit was watching the events unfold as it placed a hand to its chin, wondering what to do. It eventually got an idea, snapping its fingers before looking on, waiting to observe its handiwork.


Meanwhile, Sally had begun to calm down, if only momentarily which caused her to notice something in the corner of her eye. She looked down, noticing her arms had changed colour and from the appearance, likely texture as well. They had discoloured, becoming a light shade of orange which appeared very odd when compared with her still human skin.


This new development only made her become more determined to escape and get out of the pool. She began to thrash her legs, attempting to use her swimming training to attempt to get out of the pool. She was beginning to get close as she became more focused on her objective. Chloe watched expectedly whereas Zoe was still somewhat amazed at watching Sally's determination. She had seen her swimming before but never this focused.


"Wow...I knew Sally wasn't the quiet girl the class thinks she is but this surpasses everything I thought of her" said Zoe as she looked to Chloe who continued to stare intently at her friend.


"She was always like this, it's just a shame the others never saw it" replied Chloe.


As Sally got to the edge of the pool, she attempted to try to get out, hoping it would reverse whatever was causing the changes to happen to her. Her first attempt landed her back in the water but as she went for another, she swore she could hear voices.


"What was that?, Who's there?" said Sally, bemused as she looked around, trying to see if Elizabeth had returned. However, she couldn't find anybody. The only company she managed to find was the two Manta Rays which now seemed to...almost be staring at her.


Sally felt awkward as she decided to ask a question. It couldn't hurt to ask, after all, she now had what appeared to be forming 'tentacles' as she took a closer look at them.


"Who are you?" asked Sally, unsure of herself as she waited to see if she got an answer.


"It's me, don't you recognise me Sally?" asked Chloe, the end of her sentence said in a jokingly tone before she saw Sally's face and decided to elaborate "It's Chloe."


Sally blinked, bewildered for a moment before regaining her composure. It was definitely strange but it did explain some things.


She stared at the other Manta-Ray which had a different colouration to the one she recognised as Chloe. "Let me guess...that's Zoe?" asked Sally curiously.


"Yes, surprised to see you too Sally," said Zoe as she observed her before turning to Chloe who turned to face her.


"I guess...you two confessed to each other?" asked Sally as Zoe turned away awkwardly before Sally continued "Zoe, your attraction to Chloe couldn't have been any more obvious." This only caused Zoe to 'blush' as Sally considered how to continue the conversation.


However, Sally was distracted as she felt a sensation start occurring in her legs. If her arms were to be believed, she could only assume the same was about to happen to her legs.


"Yes, we did," said the pair together as they stared 'forlornly' at their friend, noticing the dilemma she was facing. They knew they couldn't make this decision for her so they stared quietly as Sally appeared to be in deep thought.


"If I leave...then I lose my friends, but there's still no guarantee of keeping them anyway," thought Sally as she considered her conundrum. She looked at her friends once again, she didn't notice at first but now...she noticed the subtle signs from the pair. They truly did embrace their new existence which had allowed them to truly love each other.


As she considered her options, she could feel her legs begin to shift. She could feel her little toes bending back on each other as her other toes merged into pairs. She could feel similar goosebumps as she realised what she was becoming.


"I'm becoming an Octopus?" thought Sally as she felt the sensation of her new suckers forming on what was quickly becoming her other set of tentacles. As her legs continued to split upwards, she realised that she was truly stuck. It would be impossible to get out of the pool now!. Even if she did, was there any guarantee the magic would stop?


"Guess the decision has been made for me, I suppose I'm staying, girls" informed Sally, acknowledging the new tentacles that, only moments ago, were her legs. She called out to the Manta Rays as she felt herself calm, realising the inevitable.


Chloe and Zoe then swam up to Sally as they tried to comfort her the best they could. Sally felt a warmth within her as she allowed herself to enjoy the moment with her friends. However, the warmth had another purpose as she could feel it spread across her body, preparing her for the next change.


She saw as her friends moved back, watching the changes unfold as Sally felt a sudden feeling in her stomach. She felt extremely unsettled as she felt organs shift and move around, changing shape or function as she could feel her body begin to deflate and decompress like a balloon. This shifting and subsequent deflation caused the swimming costume she was wearing to loosen and stretch before snapping off and sinking into the pool.


Her hair fell off her head as it floated across the water, becoming another discarded feature of Sally's humanity. She couldn't see this however as she was focused on her gills which formed on her new deflated body which allowed her to breathe as they were currently under the water. She could feel her mouth shift and change, becoming a beak before settling between her tentacles in her current 'pancake' state.


However, this was short-lived as she felt an inflating sensation which got bigger and bigger as she could feel what was to be her new head forming. Her eyes shifted which allowed her to be able to see her friends, who were still watching her transform.


She could feel her new organs shift around inside of it as Sally felt squeamish. It was an unpleasant experience as Chloe moved to comfort her friend. Sally could feel her organs shifting around within her and it made her feel extremely uncomfortable.


"Good job Sally, you're doing so well. I'm looking forward to when you finish" said Chloe joyously as the joy became contagious.


Sally could feel a sense of joy wash over her as Chloe's enthusiasm continued to rub off of her. "I made the right decision," thought Sally as she could feel the changes begin to shift to her brain.


She could feel something travelling downwards towards her tentacles as it felt increasingly strange as she felt new neuron clusters forming. She felt them come together in a central ring as she felt as if each of her tentacles had a mind of its own. However, she quickly gained control of them as she could feel her brain continue to shift.


She felt new instincts forming as she looked around the pool. She tested her tentacles which operated with a finesse which, only moments ago, seemed impossible to the nearly full octopus. Despite the changes going on directly to her brain, she could still remember her former humanity which brought a substantial amount of relief.


Finally, Sally could feel her skin change texture and colour, becoming orange like her tentacles. She was no longer scared or fearful, she looked to her friends and 'smiled'. She was eager to enjoy the rest of her life with them.


Sally's change was now complete. She had transformed into a full Octopus. She stared at her friends who seemed sceptical for a moment.


"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Sally as she stared at the Manta Rays. Almost immediately, she saw them quickly swim up to her.


"Good to see you're still in there," said Chloe as she looked over Sally before turning back to Zoe who 'smiled' at Sally, secretly glad that Sally was still in control.


The group came together, reflecting on old times as they began to swim with each other. Sally was still getting used to her new body but after a while, she was handling it like a pro, her determination pulling her through as the friends continued to play with each other.


Meanwhile, the Spirit had observed the entire transformation. It was feeding off of Sally's energy from transforming as it felt its strength grow. It was almost there, just one more than she could begin her plan for Charlotte.


"Soon, I'll have all the energy I need and I won't stop till Charlotte gets what she deserves" thought the Spirit as it looked to the group, considering its next action.


It considered snapping its fingers to remove their ability to communicate but found itself unable to. They just seemed...so happy together. For some reason the Spirit couldn't understand, it felt sympathy towards them.


The Spirit attempted to dismiss this thought as it shook its head. However, the thought still lingered as it wondered. Are these people more valuable than just being meal tickets?


It needed to think, possibly converse with Marie later that evening. It looked to the group and faded away, Elizabeth would be here soon and she could surely deal with them.


After Dark:


The Spirit found itself drifting mindlessly over the loch from which it had emerged. It hovered around, trying to make sense of what it felt earlier on.


"What was that?" thought the Spirit, finding itself at a loss. "Why did I hesitate...it makes no sense" continued the Spirit, shaking like an infant. It laid back as if hoping a change in position would provide new insight towards its inner conflict.


"I just feel so...disconnected," admitted the Spirit. "Like I'm only part of a greater whole" pondered the Spirit, still wondering about its developing...complexity.


Before it had time to ponder further, it heard the nearby water rippling. The Spirit turned around, noticing the large creature that was facing her. It could faintly recall the former boy which had transformed into...this.


"Hey there...big guy," said the Spirit awkwardly, confusion evident on all of its features. The creature tilted its head as if it was likewise confused at the Spirit. The Spirit couldn't help but feel some strange emotion swirling within it. Any other observer would confirm it was feeling elation.


"You're not that bad are you boy?" said the Spirit, its tone rather condescending. Despite this, the creature seemed to take no notice of the condescension. It responded positively as the Spirit began to show affection to it.


At least, until a slight shock struck the Spirit, causing it to quickly shift back.


"Wait...is that?" wondered the Spirit, unable to focus as a single raindrop struck its nose. It looked upwards, noticing the building storm clouds in the sky. Before it could do much else, it noticed the creature shifting away, sinking back into the loch.


While the Spirit desired to pursue the creature, find out whatever had caused that shock...it realized it had greater priorities right now. Given its confusion, it needed to speak with Marie.


Hopefully, she'd know what the Spirit was feeling.


"I won't bring this up to Elizabeth yet...she has enough to worry about," thought the Spirit, electing to keep its recent encounter to itself.


But for now, the Spirit desired to get out of what it could sense, was a quickly developing storm.


"But first...I feel like feeding," admitted the Spirit, smiling widely as it vanished.


Unknown to the Spirit, something was hiding just beneath the surface.


It had been biding its time for so very long. Hence, it could wait a moment longer to ensure its victory.


After all, what was one little Spirit against darkness itself?