Anomaly

Things calmed down considerably after Victor, Rupert, Emily, and Laura arrived. The change was almost immediate. The tension that had been hanging in the air before, heavy and constant, gradually faded as the presence of other people filled the room.

To be honest, I figured it was far more comforting for them to have other humans around than to remain alone in the company of an anomaly whose intentions they knew absolutely nothing about. And honestly, I couldn't blame them for that.

Not that I had any intention of harming them. From the very beginning, I'd made it pretty clear that I was a relatively passive anomaly compared to most others. They generally seemed to fall into one of two categories: destroy everything in their path or try to wipe out humanity altogether. Me? I'd rather stay as far away from that kind of trouble as possible.

No exaggeration, I’ve witnessed so many apocalyptic events that I lost count a long time ago. One would end, and before long another would show up to take its place, as if the world had developed some strange obsession with trying to destroy itself.

Thankfully, nothing truly significant had happened since the incident with the crazy priest. There had been a few problems here and there, a handful of anomalies getting out of control, a few issues popping up in forgotten corners of the world, but nothing serious enough to require my direct involvement.

Anyway, setting aside my thoughts, and my internal complaints, I unfortunately wasn't so lucky this time around. Emily gave me one hell of a scolding. She was clearly far from pleased that I had simply disappeared without offering any kind of explanation. Ironically, she even said it would've been less concerning if I'd left behind a smoke signal telling everyone I was leaving.

Not ironically, I'm almost certain I could actually do that if I wanted to, but that's beside the point. After a few minutes of conversation and a healthy amount of persuasion directed at my little sister's family, things finally started improving. Rupert and Victor made a point of backing up everything I'd said, assuring them that I was harmless... at least most of the time.

It wasn't exactly the most reassuring endorsement in the world, but it worked. Little by little, her parents seemed to relax. The tension that had kept their shoulders stiff and their eyes constantly alert gradually faded, replaced by a cautious sense of relief.

I imagine watching Emily scold me without the slightest hesitation, only for Laura to show up moments later and start petting me like I was some particularly beloved household pet, probably helped quite a bit with that shift in perception.

Honestly, though, I have no way of proving that theory. Still, given the circumstances, I suspect seeing someone alternate between lecturing me and pampering me within the span of a few seconds was fairly convincing evidence that I wasn't an immediate threat to anyone.

Anyway, after the lecture, Emily and Laura turned their attention back to the family, leaving me momentarily on my own. Even while keeping some distance and pretending to observe some random point in the room, I continued watching my little sister out of the corner of my eye, never fully letting her leave my field of vision.

Her parents still looked tense, worried, and understandably suspicious of the entire situation. That was only natural. To them, all of this must have sounded far too absurd to accept without resistance.

My little sister, however, reacted differently. There was a subtle trace of boredom in her expression, as though the adults' conversation had dragged on far longer than necessary. Every now and then, she'd look away and idly observe her surroundings while patiently waiting for the discussion to end.

In fact, the longer I spent looking at her, the stronger that strange sensation became, the one that always surfaced whenever I was near one of my little sisters. That said, I still couldn't find any logical explanation for why she appeared human. I had witnessed something vaguely similar before: Althea.

The difference was that the feeling back then had been completely different. Whenever I looked at Althea, it felt like I was staring at someone wearing a perfect mask. She wasn't exactly human, even if she physically and biologically resembled one.

The impression she gave wasn't that of an ordinary person, but of something that had merged with a human being, intertwining so deeply that the two existences had become practically inseparable. With my new little sister, though, it wasn't like that.

She seemed human. Not just on the outside. Not just biologically. On a much deeper, more fundamental level. My golden eyes blinked the moment that thought crossed my mind. My "Sight" settled on the girl in front of me once more.

She appeared to be roughly my height, though I was still slightly shorter than her. Even so, no matter how closely I observed her, I couldn't "Feel" the same thing from her that I felt from Althea.

It wasn't as if she were wearing a human shell or hiding her true nature beneath a false appearance. No. She was human. She had been born human, raised human, and remained human even now. I could perceive that much with absolute clarity. And yet... It was still strange. Far too strange.

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Because somehow, I could feel my little sister's presence within her. The sensation was difficult to describe, almost impossible to put into words. It was as if my sister wasn't exactly this girl, but was using her as a point of contact, a kind of reflection or manifestation.

As though this human girl were merely the visible surface of something far greater extending beyond her. I'm not sure if that makes any sense. Truthfully, it didn't make much sense to me either. But that was exactly how she felt to me.

While I remained distracted, lost in my own thoughts, a distinctly haughty voice laced with indignation echoed through the room, cutting through my thoughts like a sharpened blade: “How many times do I have to repeat myself before you finally leave us alone?” the woman snapped, every word dripping with irritation: “My daughter has absolutely nothing to do with any of those freaks that have been showing up!”

My "Sight" immediately shifted toward my little sister's mother. The woman was visibly upset, her face flushed with restrained anger and her jaw clenched tight. She held her daughter firmly against her body, almost like a lioness protecting her cub.

Her arms wrapped around the girl so tightly that it seemed she genuinely believed that if she loosened her grip for even a single moment, someone would appear and tear her daughter away from her by force.

“That’s completely insane!” she shot back, indignation spilling into her voice as she took a step forward: “Government or not, you can’t just trample over our rights like this! We’re not obligated to answer this kind of ridiculous question!”

Her voice rose even higher, but she didn’t seem to care: “My daughter is still a minor!” she continued, pointing toward the girl as though trying to shield her from the accusation: “She has never shown any abnormal behavior because she’s nothing more than an ordinary girl! A normal teenager!”

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides: “Nothing, absolutely nothing, comes even close to the absurd insinuations you’re making here! So stop acting as if she’s some kind of threat or criminal based on nothing but baseless suspicions!”

The girl remained silent against her mother’s chest, watching everything with curious eyes, clearly intrigued by how the situation was unfolding: “We’re a normal family!” the woman went on without leaving any room for interruption: “We have rights, and you’re violating every single one of them with this pointless harassment!”

Beside her, my little sister’s father maintained a more composed demeanor. Despite the obvious tension in his shoulders and the concern written across his face, he seemed to be making a genuine effort to keep the situation from spiraling any further out of control.

That was when Victor stepped in again, just before Emily could part her lips to respond. He took a small step forward, taking over the conversation without appearing aggressive. His arms remained slightly open in a clear gesture of reassurance, while his expression held a controlled calm.

“Look, ma’am... we understand that you’re uncomfortable” he said, his voice firm yet filled with understanding: “And honestly, anyone in their right mind would react the same way if they were in your position”

The woman pressed her lips together, her fingers tightening around her own arm as she tried to contain the unease plainly visible on her face. Victor waited a brief moment before continuing: “But as we’ve already explained, this isn’t something any of us want. We’re not here because we’re trying to cause trouble or scare you and your daughter”

His gaze softened for a moment, but the seriousness behind it remained unwavering: “If your daughter really does carry even a trace of this... and we simply ignore the possibility... then there’s a chance something could happen later. Something we might not be able to control”

The silence that followed seemed to weigh heavily on the room: “She could end up hurting the people around her without meaning to” Victor said, his voice growing more solemn: “And worse than that... she could end up hurting herself”

Then he looked directly at my little sister’s mother. There was no hostility in his eyes, only a firm conviction that made it impossible to doubt the sincerity of his words: “We’re not trying to take anything away from you, ma’am. We’re trying to prevent something irreversible from happening”

Victor held her gaze for a few more seconds before asking the question that truly mattered: “Because at the end of the day... is that what you want?” His voice remained calm, but every word carried a weight that was impossible to ignore: “Do you really want to take that risk with your own daughter?”

My little sister’s mother parted her lips, clearly ready to argue with Victor, as though she were desperately searching for any argument capable of dismantling his words. But nothing came out. No answer followed. Or rather, there was no answer. What argument could she possibly make? In the end, she simply fell silent. Her expression became deeply conflicted.

On one hand, it was obvious that she wanted to take her daughter out of the facility as quickly as possible, to protect her from this strange and unfamiliar situation. On the other hand... what if Victor was right? What if this really was the safest place for her right now? She didn’t want to risk putting her own daughter in danger.

After several seconds of silence, she lifted her eyes and looked toward her husband, seeking support, or perhaps a decision she couldn’t bring herself to make. He looked just as conflicted as she was. The furrow in his brow and the tension in his jaw made that abundantly clear. Still, someone had to decide.

After a brief hesitation, he let out a long sigh and nodded: “Alright” His voice came out firm, though heavy with reluctance. He turned his gaze toward his daughter, and the rigidity in his expression softened immediately. There was an unmistakable tenderness there, mixed with concern: “But we want to be involved throughout the entire process” he continued, keeping his eyes on her for a moment before shifting his attention back to Victor and Emily: “We’re not just going to hand her over and hope for the best. If anything happens that we don’t agree with, we’re taking our daughter out of here immediately. No arguments. No interference”

He paused briefly, making sure his words were understood: “So? Do we have a deal?”

Emily remained silent for several seconds. A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she considered the couple’s demands. Then she let out a quiet, almost resigned sigh and nodded: “Alright” she replied: “I can agree to those conditions” A small smile appeared on Emily’s lips, though it never quite reached her eyes: “After all, you’re her parents. It’s only natural that you’d want to be involved”