Parallels

Chapter Twenty-Five: Oh, Whoa, What's This?

I won't go.

They can't make me, and that's that... I'm not going, won't go, can't make me go, fuck no. Not back to that shithole of a planet that never wanted my kind, never wanted me. There, I was a freak and a fox. Here, I'm a fox first, and I intend to keep it that way.

We're still sitting here in the hospital; they've given us a week to leave... all of us, even those of us who would rather stay on Earth (read: each and every single one of us) are supposed to go back. Guilty by association, they say, as I'm technically still part of the Terran army, and so is Alaina, and so everyone who knows, who we're mated to, friends with... in other words, off we go in a week. My arm's doing better, at least, and Julie's getting close to being all healed up...

And the kits and pups are chattering with each other... real words, whole words, they're growing up faster than I did... yeah, that's probably because I lived in abject poverty, and they actually have a loving, caring family. Granted, we're also incredibly scatterbrained, but as the expression goes, what will be, will be.

If what will be will be going back to the dump known as Terra, well, then, I'm sorry I lied, but no, never mind, count me the freak out, count me out out out out out, I want nothing to do with that hellhole again.

Earth is my home planet, Barre is my hometown, I have no need to get dragged back into this mess...

And yet I'm going anyways, head over tail, down, down, down into a burning ring of fire...

"This fucking sucks," Isaac mutters from where he and Alaina are sitting together, in a padded chair that they've dragged over by the windows so that they can get the most light possible on an overcast day like today.

"No shit," Jenna and Peter say at the same time, and then look at each other and laugh.

"This shouldn't be funny, but..."

"It totally is, Jenna," Peter says, smiling at her, and Isaac gets up to join them, sighing.

"What's wrong, Isaac?" Jenna asks him, eyeing him carefully.

"More than you could ever know, Jenna. Let's see here, I'm really fucking stressed, I'm gonna snap, I have way too many psychological issues to even think about, I'm a mess... 

"We're going to be okay, Isaac," Alaina says, and Isaac smiles weakly. "Come on, let's relax here, okay? We're all going to be okay, right? Think about it overall, we're fine, right?"

"Yeah, except I'm bleeding a little bit, like I said, these cuts on my back kinda sting..."

"And that's what I'm here for, Isaac," Alaina says. "Emotional support wolf...

"We all need our emotional support, don't we?" Marina says, smiling, and then I notice who she's standing next to, and that her tail is around his legs. Luka??

"Yes we do," the cheetah says, giving her a peck on the cheek, and Tony, Alaina, and I all look at each other in confusion.

"Did you know about this?" Tony mouths, and Alaina and I shake our heads no.

"Did you?"

"Uh, noooo....."

"So, um, my mom loves your dad, this is kinda awkward..."

"Yeah, and we're older than both of them, which makes it even weirder, did ya think about that?"

"Yeah, well, maybe they'll be good for each other... I mean, that's what I'm hoping for, at least."

"Same, Theo, same... I kinda feel like we're all finally figuring this shit out."

"Hopefully, Jenna... hey, how're the kits?"