My Girlfriend, My Pet.

Chapter 32

"Ma'am, please don't scream, okay?" said the civet-turned-waitress. "I won't. I won't. Just... just tell me you're... real," replied Iona, who was still staring slack-jawed at the nude woman who had just materialized from a civet moments ago. The waitress gave her a funny look.

"That I'm real? Excuse me, my English isn't that good. I don't understand what you're trying to say," she countered, confusion painted over her face now. Iona slowly approached her and stuck her hand out. "Hi, we should really talk. My name in Iona. Your name is?"

"Aaliyah," she said as she took Iona's hand in hers and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Madam Iona." She chuckled at the wholly unnecessary designation. "Please, just call me Iona. I'm a nobody, to be honest." Aaliyah, on the other hand, had a different idea in mind. She quickly explained to Iona that she was indeed a 'somebody' and that there were more shapeshifters scattered around the world - the last bit made Iona's eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

"You mean there are more shapeshifters?!" Aaliyah quickly shushed her before looking around, not keen on letting any passerby hear their conversation.

Speaking of stray wanderers nearby, Iona's mind flashed back to Raiden, Maggie and Mike. Crap. How long has it been since she left them? Quickly, Iona recalculated and traced her steps - okay, not too long. A little over 20 minutes. "I'm sorry but I have to go really soon. I left my friends back and I don't want them to come looking for me. Can we meet tonight? At the restaurant where you work?" Iona asked.

"Sure, I'll meet you tonight at half past nine. Is that alright?" They both agreed to the time and turned around to go their separate ways. As they began to walk in opposite directions, Iona turned back to see Aaliyah's features redefine into a hawk's as her body melted down.

~~~

"We thought you fell down into a ravine or something. Jeez!" said Mike the minute he spied Iona pushing herself out through the undergrowth. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, I got caught up with the... rafflesia flower. It's quite a sight actually. The largest flower in the world and native to this country and nearby ones," clarified Iona as she dusted herself off.

Raiden and Maggie looked to each other and nodded subtly. That girl knew how to lie when it came to it. No surprise, really, when Iona had to pretty lie to keep her true nature a secret her whole life. "Anyway, so sorry for the delay. Dinner's on me tonight!" Iona chirped as the group got moving once again.

Along the way, Raiden had quietly asked Iona if she was truly alright from her little excursion into the woods alone. When she only nodded and told him that she'll tell him the whole thing later in private, he began to suspect that something had gone amiss. Still, the fact that she was here, safe and sound, comforted him for the time being.

The four of them finished their hike late in the afternoon that day. Mike and Maggie, who miraculously still had the energy for it, decided to spend the rest of the day swimming in the sea while Iona and Raiden had decided to call it quits and head back to their villa for some rest. "So, dinner IS on you, right?" Mike affirmed cheekily as the two of them were about to board a boat back. "Yeah, let's say we meet here around 8 tonight? We'll see where we can eat once we get a good look at what's open," assured Iona as the boat pulled away.

Upon reaching back, Iona and Raiden both gunned for the shower before plummeting on to the bed to relax for the remainder of the afternoon. "Well? You were about to tell me what you did back there?" questioned Raiden. "What animals did you turn into?"

Iona sat up before answering him. "Well, I shifted into a tiger for a few minutes before turning into a binturong." Raiden had no idea what the last animal was, to which Iona had promised she'd show him in the near future with a sly grin plastered across her face. When Raiden got the hint and pinned her to the bed, she resisted and continued on. "That's not the highlight, though."