“Fine,” she hissed and loosened her death grip. “You clearly don’t respect me. I’m going to go maul a rabbit.”
She slithered away, long grasses parting around her invisible body.
“Don’t try to gaslight me,” I whisper-yelled after her. “You treat me like a horse that you can ride whenever you want. Also, leave the nice bunnies alone.”
“I bet that cheetah monster needs a friend,” Nyx called back.
“You resemble an obese slug.”
“Your hair is greasy and frizzy.”
I gasped and clutched at my bushy ponytail. She did not go there. She knew they didn’t let us shower.
With narrowed eyes, I pointed at the tree she’d headed toward. “Listen here, you?—”
“Uh?” Drex asked. “Are you arguing with a tree?”
I whirled around and put my finger down.
“No?”
Drex grimaced. “I understand. This place can really make you”—he rolled his finger next to his ear—“lose it.” A miniature horse (with fangs) galloped by. “Talk later.” He sprinted after it.
Sighing, I stomped off down the path, waiting for a cute fluffy animal to come love me.
I wouldn’t mind a raccoon.
A big dog could also becool.
A falcon (government surveillance drone) with glowing purple eyes and a long silver tail perched on the top of a tree and screeched down at me angrily.
Then it spread its wings, which were wider than I was tall, and flew away.Robot design is really getting out of control.
As I walked through the forest, all sorts of (alleged) birds bobbed their heads angrily, then took flight.
Apparently, I was the opposite of a princess—creatures absolutely loathed me.
Nice.
Not upsetting at all.
A deer with wings stood on the tree-lined path, eating berries off a bush. Pink eyes flashed, and it sprinted away in a blur.Did it just do a double take?
The bizarre behavior continued as I walked through the forest.
Whenever I came across another initiate hanging out with peaceful animals, those same animals saw me and panicked, sprinting in every direction to get away.
After an hour of being a pariah of Mother Nature, I collapsed onto the short grass at the edge of the lake.
I’d thought Nero and Poppae hated me because their owners did.
Now I wasn’t so sure.
It felt likeIwas the reason.
Water splashed as an alligator (a T. rex?) with ten-foot spikes waddled out onto the bank, saw me, turned around, and swam away frantically.
Moisture burned my eyes.
