TG Anime Girls From Another World - Part 8

I woke feeling about the same as I always did. Wrapping up in the covers had left me sweaty in a way which soon dried in the morning coolness of the room. I had to stretch a bit to get the aches out. Turning, I looked at the device and the controller. They were in the same place on the table.

I held both in my hands. What was the worse that could happen? The delay got longer? There were still fail-safes. It wasn’t as though I would suddenly turn into a real anime girl. And, despite the glitches, the faint watermark had still been there.

Debating it a while, I heard the far-off sounds of Allison cooking in the kitchen but I couldn’t hear clearly enough to tell if he still had a high but variable voice. I cracked my wrists and set the controller and the device back down where they’d been. Later. 

First, I walked out into the hallway and made my way to the kitchen. A peek through the doorway told me that Allison was a boy. He waved to me and said in a starkly high-pitched voice, “Hello, sweetie. Did you sleep well?”

I grimaced a second and let myself have a smile as I told him, “I guess so. Yourself?”

The oven was preheating and he was sautéing something in a pan. Keeping his concentration on his cooking, he told me, “Gloriously. I put the device back on before I went to sleep and I slept like that in one of my silkiest outfits. And I had dreams. Special dreams.”

It had been a while. I sat at the table as I asked for more details and figured out that Allison was cooking a frittata in his usual way. I served myself some juice and listened as he explained his dream.

“It wasn’t in any of the worlds I’ve dreamed about before. So, that makes it five I’ve seen. Unless things have changed a lot in one of the four. This one had Kinrae in it.”

My eyes widened and I looked up from my juice.

Apparently, the Kinrae had recently arrived in this world. They were known by the same name, but Allison relayed a key difference to me about them, “Some of them are anime boys too!”

It wasn’t a majority but a good portion of them were male, although in a mold which sounded closer to an anime version of boy Allison than anything. Hair colors just as varied. Not that much taller than the girl Kinrae. 

Allison didn’t run into me or any of our roommates because he was still living with his family. And he was male in this universe, although not far from his usual appearance. 

There were more specific details than usual in Allison’s description. To everything I asked, he explained it with the same depth as anything that might be described in front of us. He noted, “It was the most vivid dream I’ve ever had. I’ve had really strong special dreams and ones where I just remember something of an events summary. This time, it was like I was right there even more vividly than usual. I just was that other Allison, which left me confused when I woke up in bed. Took me a minute to realize what happened.”

I pondered that and wondered aloud if the device was responsible. Allison giggled, “That would be neat, if so. First it gives me the best voice for acting and other sorts of fun and now it makes my dreams even more detailed. I may not give it back.” He winked and giggled as he went to the next step of cooking.

I went back to sipping my juice. If I had left the device on overnight then would I have had those sorts of dreams too? Perhaps there was something to the “swiss-cheese” universes theory. I let Allison continue with his little, vivid recollections of changes in street names and the way it was warmer there today than it was here. 

After putting the meal in to cook, he sat next to me with his arms folded and asked, “So what’s bothering you?” After a look from me, he noted, “I can tell. What happened? Is it my voice?” 

I could’ve just told him that was it. But I took a breath and told him instead, “I have a delay on my device.”

As I explained what I meant, his eyes widened as he jumped in, “You mean…for a few seconds, you just were an anime girl?” He leaned forward, his excitement obvious. I returned a slight smirk. “I still have the watermark. It’s a glitch or something. Like what happened to you.”

With a soft squeak and a shrug, Allison offered, “Not a bad glitch. Maybe it’s reading your mind and giving you what you want…to be a cute Kinrae? I know I love my new voice.” He held a high, sonorous note for emphasis.

There came the shiver. I liked anime girls. I loved Kinrae. But the device was not meant to make people into Kinrae, no matter what speculations flew around. And, besides, I didn’t want that. Being a girl, anime or not, was interesting. It was fun. It was delightful. But it was also something I wasn’t tied to for life. I wasn’t a Kinrae; I was just borrowing. I was just trying it out. 

As I explained to Allison, “I don’t want to stay one though. Same as you don’t want to stay with one person to give love to, right?”

Softly, Allison’s mouth opened. He didn’t respond immediately. He brushed his hands together before saying, “Right…only…. Sometimes things change.” He blushed a bit and glanced away. 

I arched my eyebrows. That seemed more serious than I expected from Allison. Last night had been a ball of so many feelings and experiences all wrapped up together. I loved Allison, I knew that without a doubt even with full sleep. What that meant as we sat there waiting for breakfast to cook was a different matter altogether. 

For me, it meant a confirmation of things as they had been and it also meant a welcoming of closeness. It was also hard to say whether I was physically attracted to Allison or not. In my head, I had the censors of a thousand pin-pricks from the echoes of family about Allison, as he was right then (aside from his voice). When he was in girl mode, the censors went away. And a new censor rose up as I remembered she was my friend before she was a girl.

I sighed and reached across the table but not far enough to touch Allison’s slight hand. He reached the rest of the way to meet mine as he said, “Before, if I had to choose between loving everyone evenly and just picking one person out of all of them to focus the biggest part of my love for, spreading it around would’ve been obvious. But there’s you, Sean...Corlie. And that makes it a much bigger choice.”

Caressing Allison’s fingertips slightly, I had to ask, “Why me?”

He smirked and looked down at his hands. “For that gorgeous butt. But more so your pensive, quiet expressions. For the words you share. For caring. For letting me be me with a calm embrace. For trips to buy herbs. For games and movies in the evening. For indulging me. For a whole lot of shallow physical hotness which Lissa put very well into words. But, more than anything, for you. For just making any day the best.” His voice started with a sly, mostly boyish tone before sliding into a slow, soft feminine version by the end. He traced my fingers back.

I could only shake my head and offer, “I’m an ass…”

He countered, “That was only one thing I brought up. Sexy ass.”

I flicked my eyes down. “I mean…I looked at you as a curiosity for so long. I felt really uncomfortable around you when you got affectionate. I figured you were joking so much when you were being sincere. I don’t feel like I’ve done much and I’ve ignored you and just blathered on about Lissa all this time.”

He shrugged. “If I wanted a perfect boyfriend then there are ways for that. And pulsate settings. Lissa is a hottie with so much to love and I don’t ever mind listening to you talk, no matter the topic.”

I looked at Allison’s eyes. They were so peaceful and kind. I didn’t know what I could say. I held my mouth open but nothing came out. As I sat frozen, Allison gave me a quick little poke on the hand and said, “I told you it’s okay to talk about anything. Come on, let’s hear some more. How was you-time in the shower with you and the pulsate settings, girl?”

My face felt hot for a flashing instant but it cooled. Allison was calm. He wasn’t smirking at me, giggling, or teasing. He was sitting and listening. I let my shoulders relax and told him, “Like nothing else. And yet slightly familiar. I need a long bath next time.” 

Allison agreed vigorously and began to recite the necessary acquisitions from her store for evening “fun” as she drew up a list. I tried to jump in with memories of perfumes and lotions I’d remembered seeing and smelling.

He raised a thin eyebrow and asked me, “Oh? Interested in some? I could get you a few things with my employee discount anytime you like, sexy.” 

I bowed my head and scratched at my neck a little. Allison chuckled and noted, “There’s more too. You’re part girly Kinrae now. You need to study up. I can quiz you.”

Sitting up, I was prepared for any test Allison could throw at me. I soon got crushed by his body of knowledge. He gave me a little pat on the hand as he noted, “Do you realize that you’re a perpetually-fresh and nice-smelling anime lady, right? It also saves me having to rebraid your hair.”

I nodded but added, “It wouldn’t be bad to know a little something though.” We were interrupted by the stove buzzing as breakfast was ready to be served. 

With a quiet whisper, Allison added, “I think you’re fine just the way you are right now.” He included a little wink. 

I gave him a smile. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to know all this girlish stuff. I didn’t get much from my mother growing up, and that went several ways. And my uncle just taught me good hygiene. Allison knew so much and he considered himself more a boy than a girl. Although last night was still full of questions.

I slowly ate Allison’s excellent frittata and put forth one of those questions, “Were you at all serious last night when you…proposed marriage?” My eyes lingered on Allison just a second. He made a soft giggle and said, “At that moment, I would’ve driven to Vegas in a heartbeat. Also, added bonus…you could marry me as a girl and then we could switch outside and do it again. And again. And again. ”

I looked up from my breakfast with a smirk and asked, “And what about now?”

Allison served himself some juice and gave me a lingering look. “Are you asking or just curious?”

I could’ve prompted him to answer first but I pondered Allison’s question. I pondered it quite a long while till Allison leaned forward and told me, “You don’t have to give the perfect answer.”

My answer was truly…just curiosity. I didn’t want to ask Allison out to Vegas to get married more than one way. I wasn’t prepared to step into a relationship with Allison which led off from whims, giddy ideas, and carefree feelings.

Allison ate softly and smiled at me. “It’s okay. Picnics in the park and book browsing before the deep end.” I relaxed and things settled into the usual patterns. Clayton staggered in to pick up his breakfast, filled his thermos with juice, and marveled at the fridge as though some component inside had just given him a brilliant idea. I remembered when he told me that, as a child, he used to mix everything he found in his family’s fridge together into a single concoction to consume for the sake of curiosity. And he’d only had to have his stomach pumped once.

Malcolm followed a little later with a faint look of disappointment projected on us. Allison reassured him, “My breasts will soon be back and with greater cleavage.” He seemed happy about that.

I soon finished and got ready for classes. First, I checked my phone. It just had a message from my uncle.

“Ah! Sean. This is absolutely far too late but I just got in and I wanted to say…living those kinds of days is what changes our entire world. So far as where it goes from here, I’m afraid I can’t help you there. It’s your choice and none of us feel wise, especially at the brink of epiphany. It’s only once we’ve tumbled over the edge that things rather…hit us on the head. Can’t wait to hear more and email and all that. Feel free to call me this evening.”

I reminded myself to put together that email of pictures for him later. For the moment, I looked at the device and controller with the same wariness as before. I took care of a normal shower and dressed. I was about to leave the device and controller behind but I paused at my door. I looked back.

It was stupid. I had no idea what this device was doing to me and why and what might happen next. Despite all that, I slipped it on and reactivated it, returning to Corlie form and her freshly-arranged braids. My school bag was a little harder to haul but it was tolerable.

I waved to Allison and told him I would have lunch out. It was just a vague notion but I wondered if people might watch me like I watched the Kinrae from when the school session started. All my other worries heaped on top of the idle notions but I let them go for a time with the self-assurance that the device wouldn’t do anything permanent to me and I probably wasn’t lucky enough to wind up with something which would actually turn me into a Kinrae anyway.

The morning would’ve been nice if not for a wind which was a little too rough and biting. It lashed at my braids but they held. I took a breath. Going as a group with Allison and Lissa was one thing but I was all on my own. Sure, the controller in my pocket would (or usually would) turn me back quickly. But I really had no idea what would greet me.

I kept my eyes shut for part of the way and felt the slanted sun softly brush my sensitive skin. I let the light warm me with a hot glow of red behind my closed eyes. I walked in the world as someone else and yet I felt like nothing was amiss, same as before.

I only opened my eyes when I came to the busier area where we first met drivers yesterday. I didn’t see any till I made it to the main street and none of them stopped to gawk. I crossed. The first few people noticed me but their gazes didn’t linger. A group of tall men who had the build of defensive linemen gave me Malcolm’s variety of once-over but walked past me without a word. As the people thickened, it was harder to tell who was watching. I still didn’t see any of my anthropology classmates as I made my way to my first class. 

I couldn’t say that my classmates gave me extra space or were aloof. But then I didn’t talk that much to anyone in this class; it was too big and anonymous for that kind of thing. I went up to the professor before it started and gave him my name. Since I’d told all my professors beforehand about the situation, he gave a little nod and made a note on his roll. 

And that was really all the excitement I had. I got some looks and a few quick questions about whether I was a guest or in Professor Brandt’s class. Mostly, I was left alone, except for one girl with bleached streaks in her hair who wanted to take pictures of me with her phone. I obliged and gave her a nice smile.

If I was to add anything from my jumbled reflections for class from last evening, it seemed that Kinrae were still sometimes a surprise to most random people but one which passed quickly. People got used to them as I suppose most people get used to just about anything. 

Class ended and the next followed with a few differences. I got asked why I decided “to be a girl”. I lied that off on the class requirement and not wanting to do extra work. A couple of the guys shook their heads but didn’t miss a chance to eyeball me. I got my hair touched more than once but not enough to mess up Allison’s work. 

I felt like someone’s pet which had wandered into the classroom after a while. I didn’t like the feeling but I didn’t hold it against them and I decided to keep the device on through class. Eventually, the lecture took over and I was forgotten again, at least for a little while.

The second-oddest moment of the day was when one of the younger professors, who had a slight beard and wore a three-piece gray suit, started talking to me.

“Are you a student around here?”

I told him yes without going into further detail. The questions gave me enough room to sidestep whether I was a regular Kinrae or an imitation.

Then he asked, “Do you have some time? Wanna share a lunch, my treat?”

It took a moment for what he was asking to really penetrate. When I looked at a man like him, I didn’t think to flirt in this kind of situation. He adjusted his blue tie, which was a more subdued color than the one with my outfit. I drew my coat close and smoothed my skirt.

He added, “Wherever you like.”

I could feel a strange, intrigued thrill in my head. I could imagine saying yes. But I had to say first, “Actually, I’m not a real Kinrae. I’m just one of Professor Brandt’s students and I’m not usually like this.”

He waved a hand with a chuckle. “You do realize I can see your watermarks…”

I glanced at my hands. They were just as faint as before…I checked again. Maybe a little fainter? No, just the way the light was shining on them. But still, they were clear. 

He didn’t even turn away when I gave my name and all but showed him my regular form. He folded his arms and told me, “Right now, you are a lovely, brightly-colored lady who I would very much wish to share a meal with.”

I looked back at him. He didn’t have creepy eyes or any sense of malice but then just because I didn’t see those things didn’t necessarily rule them out. He did seem a little lonely. And he didn’t even bother to linger on the obvious spots of my body with his gaze. His eyes traveled all over me with a relaxed sense of appreciation.

I was tempted. I might’ve gone. But I didn’t.

I thanked him politely but told him, “Sorry. I’m having lunch with someone else and I can’t cancel.”

He looked disappointed but ended things with a smile, telling me, “I’ll see you around.”

I leaned against a tree with my hair brushing the bark. I felt a pang about lying…although I could always head back to the house and Allison to make it true. 

I ate out at one of the restaurants adjacent to campus, a little Chinese place with only a handful of tables (we sometimes ordered to go from it when Allison happened to be away or not feeling good).

I wished I’d said something more like, “I have someone.” Only in better words. But did I really have Allison or Lissa? I ate my noodle soup as the old lady who ran the restaurant gave me a calm but skeptical look. 

It felt like forsaking Allison to spend time with someone new. But I wanted to go slow with her. And Lissa wanted me to go even slower with her. And I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go at all.

All that felt clear was the hope of a fun call with Lissa when she was ready and a quiet picnic at the park with Allison. I held onto those hopes and finished my lunch.  

The afternoon was pleasant. I headed over to the library when I could to see about some books I might need for one of my classes. The computer lab, always rather small but finally with some new desktops, was adjacent to it. 

No one looked up from their screens. I didn’t mind. The librarian had a look about her kinda like Clayton with her eyes undulating open and a smile carrying across her face like rogue waves on the ocean. Considering the box of tissue and her red nose, I figured it was just the effects of cold medicine. It was going around.

Not with Kinrae though. No one could prove it but most figured they didn’t get sick. At least no one had ever seen them sick and, whenever asked about it, they talked about the idea with curiosity but detachment. It didn’t quite work the same for Kinrae imitations. And scientists had yet to find anything unique to Kinrae physiology which kept them from illness, even after many volunteers and much testing.

I left with the book I needed and finished up with the rest of my class day. By that time it was probably too late to head out to the park, especially if I was going to make the meal. I had only a vague notion in my head about what I might make. Most of the items would have to be cribbed from Allison’s recipes. I could ask my uncle for some ideas but those ideas tended to be things I knew Allison could cook so much better than me. Still, I wanted to try.

The looks and leers and slowing steps faded away. I was reminded of a story Allison had told me once, more like an urban legend. It was about a performer in a subway in some east coast city. He stood there with a violin which was virtually priceless and played beautiful music. Only the rare person ever stopped (mostly children) and then only for a short time. In actuality, he was one of the greatest musicians in the world. It was a moment of incomparable beauty and barely anyone noticed. 

The same way, most moments passed with the Kinrae among us. Art and beauty in flesh. And it just became part of the noise of human life. Beings from another universe, from a world we had never imagined before they arrived and which we had never seen. Something worthy of incalculable awe and reduced to a curiosity likened to something odd about the weather.

Others had only noticed me with momentary interruptions in the pattern of life but, aside from the man in the suit who asked me to lunch and a few random outliers, it was just ripples on the surface. I recalled my psychology class a bit. Might be good to reference somewhere in my paper. Only I couldn’t remember much. Just a sense of how human beings deal with disruptions in their lives, how they can sometimes have tunnel vision to the world around them. I didn’t know a name for it but I knew it was a thing.

“Helloooooo!”

The voice jumped into my thoughts like an echo. I glanced to my left on the sidewalk and sighted a Kinrae standing closer to me than I expected. I staggered back and she flashed a quick smile and gave a little laugh.

“Sorry about that”, she continued. “You were kinda in your own little world. Didn’t mean to intrude.” The Kinrae standing before me had soft brown hair in dense locks which hung past her shoulders and vast brown eyes which glimmered in the afternoon sun. She was clad in a light shade of green from the bow behind her head to her top and what looked like a shawl with leafy patterns on the fringe. Black filled in wherever wasn’t green with a black skirt past her thighs and high matching stockings that ended in dark boots. Her skin tone was between the one I had and Lissa’s. 

I gasped and apologized profusely. She giggled a little and batted a hand, saying, “No need to worry. This is a splendid place to get lost in. I forget what they call it though. Do you know?”

I paused a moment and realized what she meant. She thought I was a genuine Kinrae, the same as her. Assuming she wasn’t Allison playing a game. Her hands were clasped in front of her with the backs turned towards me and mine hung at my sides in the same position, easily obscured by my sleeves. I took a few hesitant steps in place before I gave her the city’s name. 

She made a face and sounded the name out before giving a nod. “It even has a nice name. I’ll probably explore a bit to the north later this week but I’ve met some nice people since I’ve been here. Not really, you know, 'the sort' though. But at least they don’t give me sour looks. How have you been treated? Have you found anyone ‘interesting’?”

I felt torn and nervous about how to answer. Part of me wanted to just outright say I was a fake but another part assumed if I didn’t make it too obvious then I could just claim I was confused. But how to say it right….

“A lot of people were curious. Asked a lot of questions. This one man in a suit even wanted to treat me to lunch and seemed serious about it.” 

She giggled and leaned against a nearby wall. Still no view of her palms and I didn’t want to make it too obvious I was looking. She brushed back her hair and proclaimed, “Very nice…I’ve found they treat me like anyone else once the surprise is over. I mean I doubt they’re the same everywhere but it is a nice place. Especially compared to some places I can think of.”

I gave her a curious look like I was confused. I offered cautiously, “That’s good. It’s a nice area. Not perfect but it’s a great place to live, if you don’t mind a lot of dust and desert.” That earned another giggle from her, as she remarked “I’ve seen dustier. It’s no biggie. It will make an excellent haven when our forthcoming invasion forces subdue the native population and begin converting everyone in mind and body to our kind.” She accented that with a harsh smile.

I tried not to show any emotion. My heart throbbed in my head. I was at a loss for words. Then her mouth line wobbled and she suddenly broke out in a wrath of giggles. She clutched her belly and laughed over and over with sparkly tears in her eyes.

I let her have a frown as I asked, “Are you messing with me?”

She returned a nod. “Disgracefully so. Blame my sense of humor. I assume you’re a resident of this world and a student. With Professor Brandt?” 

I eventually gave her a little nod. She set a leg forward and told me, “An influx of Kinrae, as you all like to call us, draws our curiosity. I’ve talked to a few who are probably your classmates. You’re….interesting though.” She leaned closer to me with her head forward as though she was trying to sniff something on me.

I turned my hands up to her and she had little reaction to my watermark but to ask, “Can I see your regular face, if you don’t mind?”

Manipulating the controller, I wondered where this was going. I switched Corlie’s face off. And waited. A few seconds in, the Kinrae arched the line of her eyebrows and asked, “Have you been having technical issues?” I opened my mouth to speak and expected my regular face to return but I was still Corlie. And the time as her seemed longer than it had been before. But standing there, waiting for things to revert, made each second feel abnormally stretched. 

The Kinrae puzzled at me and asked if I was sure I’d turned off the device. I showed it to her and she stared between me and it. Before she could say anything further, I finally reverted. I looked down at my hands in relief.

She turned my controller over a few times and informed me, “Some say battery problems can cause a delay in the signal being transferred from the control to the thingie…I never bothered to learn the technical names they have. Some say that. But, if you plan to go to one of the big enclaves where we live anytime soon, I have a friend who likes to fiddle with these things. She does a lot of work for colleges when she can get it. I have her info.”

After passing the controller back to me, she pulled out a small, blank card and began writing on the back. It was an address and a name, Naltra. With a bow, she gave her name as “Tessa”. I told her mine and she shook my hand.

She reassured me, “There’s honestly nothing to worry about with your device and...I’m not saying that because of devious plans to enslave mankind. Well, just because of that. But 'Nali' should be able to check it out if you have any concerns. And it was nice meeting you, Sean. Hope you have a beautiful afternoon!”

And that was it. She made her way down the street and was gone before I knew it. Such a random encounter. Such a lot of talking. Probably the most a Kinrae had ever said to me in the few times I’d been so close to one. 

I wondered why she’d come up to me. Obviously, because I had the imitation on. She’d acted like I was just like her. Although she probably saw through the imitation from the beginning. And it was so odd that she seemed to know about technical problems and knew someone to check with. I looked over the card again. Right in what people called ‘Kinraetown’ in one of the big downtown areas to the south. 

I’d have to visit there eventually and the location on the card wouldn’t even be much of a detour. Still, I felt a little weird. It was quite a day for random meetings. At least the Kinrae didn’t ask me out to dinner. I wasn’t sure what I might’ve said if she had. Logically, I knew she was probably some sort of advisor for the college with the devices and she probably met a lot of others from my class. I definitely wasn’t the first. 

At least she didn’t seem alarmed, which put me slightly at ease. A bad battery sending a weak signal was the best explanation. Still, that didn’t explain Allison’s problem. If only I’d thought to somehow mention it without accidentally getting Lissa in trouble. The Kinrae didn’t leave any of her own contact information on the card. But at least I had this Naltra’s info.

I walked the rest of the way home and soon found Allison, as a pink haired Kinrae, dancing in the middle of the room to a music video on TV. With an extra spin, she wobbled, jiggled, and waved at me before asking, “Have a fun day?”

She then immediately pointed out I wasn’t a Kinrae. I smiled back and slowly wove my experience of prospective lunch dates, curious questions, feeling forgotten, and then running into Tessa.

Allison listened to it all with a quiet grin. She remarked at points.

“I would’ve accepted his date. Could’ve been fun. Remember, I love everyone. I won’t be jealous. But it’s bad to fib like that, especially to a nice guy in a suit.” I bowed my head and she gave me a slight bonk. 

For the later parts, I got hugs and an account of her day as a Kinrae with wanting to pose for videos and all sorts of fun in dance class. She proposed an age and gender-reversed version of King Lear. Young female king and his old sons. That was as far as she’d gotten with the idea.

With Tessa, she seemed to ponder in the same way I pondered. She noted that she had seen what she felt were a few of my classmates around campus but hadn’t checked their hands. I realized that I hadn’t checked Tessa’s hands either. I didn’t remember seeing anything though. Allison noted she’d randomly asked those people to dance. Only two of them were any good though, she lamented.

I showed Allison the card Tessa gave me. She turned it over a few times and passed it back to me before saying, “Sooo…going to Kinraetown will be our third date? I’ve heard there are some fun places down there.”

I blushed but told her, “If you like.” To which she immediately responded, “Yes! Very much. But while picnic is going to be girl me and boy you and the book trip too….you’re going as the girl to Kinraetown. Deal?”

I really couldn’t protest. Rubbing her hands together, Allison noted, “There is much you must learn before then and especially for the picnic! We shall swiftly level up your special sandwiching skills!” 

With a smile, Allison led me into the kitchen for a lesson. 

I focused on her instructions but I was still thinking about Tessa. Something about her was sticking in my thoughts. It would take till late evening before the pieces came together.

I’d saved and digitized a few old pictures of my parents. I looked them up on my computer. 

My mom, when she was about my age, had long, soft brown hair just like Tessa’s and she loved green and black.    

If someone were to attempt a younger, Kinrae version of my mother, Tessa was extremely close to how she would look. And another thing…Tessa. My mother’s name was Theresa. 

I rubbed at my eyes and shook my head. Definitely a coincidence. Still, I thought about it much longer than I wanted to.