Hidden: A ZANA story

Part 3: Close Calls

Zane's POV:

After I have hidden away all the meif'wa supplies again, I start to walk to Aph's house. I had already texted Kawaii~Chan and Aphmau and we had agreed to meet at Aphmau and Aaron's house. When I get there, Aaron opens the door. Aaron is one of the few people I am truly worried will figure out my secret. Aaron can sniff out anything, so I hope he doesn't smell the wet fur hidden away. This is what I get for not bothering to dry my fur well. After he lets me in, I see the look of confusion in his eyes. He must have smelled it! He shrugs it off before leading me to where Aph and KC were sitting.

¨Hey Zane! Happy birthday!¨ Aph is the first to notice my entrance. KC perks up when she notices me. ¨Happy Birthday Zane~Kun! Kawaii~Chan found a milkshake place she thought we should try!¨ Milkshakes! My favorite treat of all time! ¨Let's go there. I haven't had a good milkshake in a while.¨ Aph and KC seem slightly shocked by my response. I was so excited, I forgot about the whole I'm so emo and dark and stuff front and let them see the tiniest sliver of the real me.

After a couple minutes of driving, we finally got there. As we stood in line, I realized something. The lady who would be taking our orders, I knew her! She was the lady who used to run the checkout in the meif'wa section of bath and body works! She would recognize me and potentially spill my secret! ¨Umm, Za-I need to go to the bathroom real quick! Order a Dark Chocolate Large for me please!¨ I sprint to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and hope to Irene that nothing bad happens.

I lock the door real quick before I take my ears and tail back out. Keeping them secret is really hard. I have to force myself to not slip into my meif'wa instincts. Meif'wa naturally want to talk like KC does, in the third person with Japanese suffixes. Garroth thought I was going through a phase when I did that for a month in seventh grade. ¨I almost said Zane~Kun back there! Get a grip on yourself! Do not let your instincts control you!¨ I hide my ears and tail again and leave the bathroom. I spot Aph and KC at a table. ¨Are you ok, Zane~Kun? You seemed in a bit of a rush earlier...¨ OH IRENE NO!!! Kawaii~Chan probably caught me almost talk in third person! ¨I-I'M FINE!!! N-No need to worry about me!¨ She gives me a look that says I will find out what is going on later but right now I just gotta keep it together!

Kawaii~Chan's POV:

When Zane~Kun spotted the lady running the register, he was obviously frightened. He then almost referred to himself in third person before running into the bathroom. Something is off and I want to know what. So I tell Aphmau I'm getting a drink while Zane~Kun is in the bathroom. I hear a very muffled conversation to himself. ¨...Zane~Kun...grip...instincts control..¨ I can't make sense of it but I get back to the table before he gets back. When he sits down I decide to ask him if he was ok. He seemed flustered and seemed like he just wanted to not talk about it. I send him a look that says I will ask you about this when we are somewhere private. I hope he understands. He looks scared but tries to act natural the rest of the afternoon. 

I will find out what is going on Zane~Kun