[ 2 days ter - morning ]

  The Major had promised me 2 days of uninterrupted rest before sending me to Florida, but unfortunately things didn't turn out that way. Instead of rexing, Lieutenant Benson visited me....for 2 full days.

  She told me that I had no choice in the matter, because all of humanity is running out of time. She taught me many basic military concepts and some tactics as well, and was happy to learn that I could keep up with her...all thanks to my dad. Memorizing lots of their special military nguage took longer than expected, and even my nguage skill was no match for all those abbreviations.

  The people at the top are now basically treating me as a flying smart bomb, and even gave me a callsign...'Delta-1.' The next time they will deploy me, as she called it, I'll end up in a real warzone with tanks and aircraft all around me. In order for me to survive all of that, they gave me a transponder to wear on the battlefield.

  It's a small device which transmits a signal to all nearby units, showing me on radar as a friendly, not as a monster. I can wear it on a belt around my uniform, so it doesn't even bother me. They tech guys even redesigned a headset to fit on my fluffy ears, so I'm basically a pilot now.

  After preparing me for battle as much as time allowed, she granted me a single day of uninterrupted rest, and I pn to make the most of it.

  The reality of the situation is finally getting through to me, and I'm scared. Scared that the other monsters will be much smarter. Because...let's face it....so far I have been incredibly lucky. The scorpion was basically terrified of me for some reason. What if I only attacked a goofball...an oddity st time?

  Surely, the monsters can't be defeated that easily, can they? In any case....it occupies my thoughts, and I have a really bad feeling about this. I'm almost 18, but they are sending me to war....expecting me to simply make it happen.

  I spent the night as a regur tiny fairy, since I don't have a real bed, and then changed into what I call my fox-form for the day.

  [ Next morning ]

  Mom noticed my grumpy mood during breakfast and simply let me be. Rachel deyed baking her chocote cake until today, since we no longer have military people in the house.

  During breakfast something happened that finally blew away all my worries. Thompson called us, and apparently I don't need to go to Florida anymore!

  Mom put him on speaker and he told us that while the fairy dust is still being analyzed by mom's research company, the dust has proven very effective on the battlefield. Of course we already knew that the stuff would work against monster shields, but storing it for a while and then using it in a conventional weapon, is a whole different matter.

  My fairy dust had surprisingly turned brown after a while, but still worked as intended. They loaded a sample in an experimental rocket and fired it on another scorpion. Its shields colpsed moments ter, and the military were able to kill it by using conventional weapons.

  He then brought me the wonderful news that made my day. I'm supposed to stay in the Washington area now, and help the military in the unlikely event that a monster should show up here.

  Sentences like "you've earned the rest," "you are requested to befriend the fairy cns on behalf of humanity" and even "you are too precious to send into battle" were plenty of evidence for me that they could now use my fairy dust and didn't need my presence anymore. Just the dust, not the fairy. But still, I have to agree with mom....not having to go to Florida is something to be grateful for, and I am. I'm off the hook!

  People sent by the government will stop by every morning to squeeze me dry of my dust, but otherwise I'm free to go and do whatever I please.

  Mom told me that I was allowed to attend school if I wanted to, but I took a raincheck on that. My common sense can't be used in this world anyway, so I honestly can't see myself graduating. The government isn't pushing me either, so I gdly accepted mom's offer to let me work in her company whenever this whole monster thing is over. And 'working' mostly means letting the humans study me and my wings and such.

  I'm longing to have a normal life again. But even then I will always be a fairy between humans, which might be challenging at times. Fairies seem to have a whole different approach to life, like living in nature and not worrying about economies, taxes and whatever else humans can think of. I actually have to agree with the fairies, humans.....they surely are curious and complicated people.

  [ shopping ]

  It's 10 am and I'm already sitting in our neighbor's family car. Alicia is driving us to the mall, while Emily and I are sitting in the back. She doesn't have to go to school today, so we agreed to make this a special day.

  "So you don't have to fight anymore?" Alicia asked while looking into the rear view mirror.

  "Nope, I'm nothing more than a cow to them now, ....giving as much fairy dust as I possibly can. But other than that....I can finally live my own life again."

  "Isn't that something to be happy about?" Emily asked, probably sensing my somewhat gloomy mood.

  "Of course it is, but I'm still getting used to it. Many strange things have happened to me tely, and I can't believe that it's finally over. I was prepared to go to Florida....and now I no longer have to. It feels so.....unreal."

  Emily smiles. "Won't you go to school with me?"

  I shake my head. "No, mom asked me the same thing this morning, but my common sense is different from yours."

  "So true." Alicia chuckled.

  "Heeeeey!"

  "Hahaha, just kidding, Ann. No need to be upset."

  "I'm not....just...feeling a bit useless now that I'm not really needed anymore."

  Emily put her arm around mine, because our seatbelts prevented us from moving too much."You're not useless! You are still saving the world!"

  I can tell that she wanted to say more than that, but her mother is watching us with a big grin on her face.

  Alicia waits for Emily to release me and says "does this mean that you two will be spending more time.....closer together?"

  "Of course we will!" Emily said.

  "I want to hear Ann say that."

  I look outside the window for a moment, then at Alicia in the mirror. "Um....I really like Emily, Alicia. But...it's all going a bit too fast for me."

  "So....you....don't actually love me?" Emily asked, on the brink of crying.

  "Good heavens, Emily! Did I say that?" I replied.

  "Emily?" Her mom said. "Give her some time, okay? Nobody is taking her away from you. I know that you two like each other...a lot. I can tell that much, even if you can't, Ann. But I don't want either of you to get hurt. Just take it slow okay? She needs the time, Emily, and I can certainly understand that."

  "I'm not a kid, mom. I can understand big words." Emily rolled her eyes.

  Her mom finds a parking spot and parks the car."And yet, you always manage to misunderstand the situation. Just give her some time. Take it nice and slow. Go somewhere together. I mean, isn't that what you wanted from the beginning? Now she's finally a big girl. Loving a tiny fairy wasn't.....realistic, Emily. And I know that you are aware of that."

  I'm feeling embarrassed, hearing them talk about me as if I'm not even here.

  "Yeah....I'm sorry, Ann. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." She was sincere and was on the verge of crying.

  "Emilyyyyyyyyy, you're getting too emotional again, sheesh. Ann....please...can you just tell her how you feel about her? I don't know how much more of this I can take."

  Emily keeps staring at me, and her mom is waiting for my reply as well, looking at me from the driver's seat.

  I'm now staring at Emily.... while unbuckling my seatbelt. Her expression is one of confusion, while I try to look as neutral as possible. Not sure how long I can maintain my poker face.

  Do I like her? Yes. Do I love her....I think I do?

  She's always there for me, petting me and since recently also hugging me at every occasion. She even gave me a peck on my cheek. I know that she likes me, and her mom says that I like Emily in return. Mom and Rachel told me the same, so why do I still have doubts? No, I've made up my mind....

  "Ann?" Her mom asked, while Emily and I were still frozen...still staring at each other.

  I reach out with my hands, put them on Emily's cheeks, pull her closer and kiss her on her lips with my eyes closed so that I could fully concentrate on this important moment.

  When I released the kiss, I saw Emily's wonderful smile. But she then does the same thing and kisses me too!

  "Emily! For heaven's sake, she can't breathe!" It's true, her kiss sted way longer than mine did, but I can still breathe through my nose.

  "Eheheh....sorry." Emily is definitely blushing, but her smile is wonderful.

  "Does that.....answer your question, Alicia?" I said while smiling at her.

  "Yeah......yes, it does! It's about time! Well...girls, get ready, it's time to go. New rules, no kissing in the mall, no hand holding, no...."

  "Moooom!"

  "Hahaha, just kidding, Emily. And Ann....you're really blushing. Are you sure you want to get out?"

  "Um.....yeah. I need the fresh air."

  A few minutes ter we entered a supermarket while Emily stealthily took my hand for a moment. We're walking through the aisles and my mind is preoccupied with Emily, not even noticing the crowd forming near the entrance.

  Holding hands....feels surprisingly good. She cares for me...and I care for her. Nobody liked me before, but she liked me from the beginning, even when I was a tiny fairy. Well...I still am of course...but..well, you know what I mean.

  I'm wearing a blue dress today, and according to Emily it looks super cute on me. But then again, she says that about everything I wear.

  My thoughts are pulled back to reality when I see and hear lots of people trailing us. I instantly let go of Emily's hand and then see what's going on.

  "Oh my god, it's Ann! The Defender!" "No way....I thought she was tiny?" "Can we have your autograph?" This and simir words were spoken all around me.

  Alicia seems annoyed, but then smiles. "Go ahead you two, enjoy your moment of fame. I'll do the shopping. Meet you outside?"

  "Yup, thanks, Alicia!" I said. I'm not actually looking forward to dealing with this right now, but those people should hear about the good news too, right? The monster news, I meant.

  Emily stands next to me when I address the people."Yeah, it's really me. I'm Ann Finley, and as you can see, I finally managed to change into this big form." I pointed at my wings.

  "No, don't get fooled, she's just cospying! Ann is super tiny! I saw her on CNN just the other day!" A dy said, sounding a bit rude.

  "No, ma'am, I can assure you...it's really me."

  "Yeah, right. You girls should be ashamed!"

  "Hahaha, then what about this?" I let my wings buzz loudly, start hovering and I then slowly fly through the shopping aisles. I even flew over Alicia.

  "Careful now," Alicia said while shaking her head. I think she's getting used to this stuff already.

  When I return to the entrance, I see many more people gathering there. At one point even the store manager asks us to leave.

  "I thought you'd like the free publicity," I said. "But okay, we can go outside."

  "Eh......sure, stay!"

  "Hahah, too te, we're leaving, right Emily?"

  "Yup!"

  We left the store and stopped in the parking lot where a real crowd formed in no time.

  "The vultures have arrived." Emily said in a strange cartoon-like voice, causing me to giggle. She pointed at a news van in the distance.

  "No way, do those people actually live in the streets? We just arrived here 10 minutes ago!"

  "I know, right?"

  People kept asking questions about me, my personal life and even who Emily was. I made sure that the whole world knew that Emily and I were inseparable and she absolutely loved hearing that.

  I ignored the news crew and started showing off my flying skills, while stealthily changing into my military uniform. I still don't know how it works, but I can choose any outfit which I wore before.

  At some point I couldn't ignore the news crew anymore.

  "Miss Ann! Miss Ann! May we have a moment?"

  Since the government still needs the PR boost, and humanity a morale boost...I decided to talk to them."Of course. I'm waiting here for a few minutes, until Emily's mother has finished shopping. So...five minutes?"

  "Sure, that's perfect. So, miss Ann..." But I interrupted her.

  "It's just Ann."

  "Okay, Ann....I'm Jessica Francis, Daily Action News." She appreciated that she could talk informally.

  Wait...did she really just say Daily Action News? Okay...whatever.

  She then asked "how is it possible that you changed into your uniform just now?"

  "Hahaha, is that what you find most interesting? It's one of my skills."

  "Your skills?"

  "Yes, all fairies can use skills like flying and using fairy dust, but I have a few more of those."

  "Incredible. Wait.....does that mean....that there are more of you? More fairies, I mean?"

  "Sure there are, but humanity has other things to worry about at the moment. The others like their privacy and don't interfere with human matters in any way, so let's not talk about them today, okay?"

  "Um....yes, but just one question. Why haven't we seen those before?"

  "Because they are small and you're huge to them, which can be scary. Fairies care for nature and are friends to humanity. I hope that me fighting monsters alongside with the military is proof of our friendship. The others will show themselves when the time is right. Until then....Concealment!"

  "Huh?" She blinked...and then saw me reappearing.

  "Wow...did you really turn invisible just now?"

  "Yup, I sure did. But as I said...we're your friends. Just give us some time, okay?"

  "Alright...so...how is it possible that you are...big now?"

  "Training, and absorbing lots of monster crystals. What you see now is my combat mode. I use this form to attack monsters. But I don't need to do that anymore."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I can't give you all the details, but our military is working on new ways to fight back. Right now, many brave men and women are preparing an attack using the most advanced weapons ever created. It's still much too soon to celebrate, but we won't rest until all the monsters go extinct!"

  "Woooow, that's amazing news. So you don't need to go to battle anymore?"

  "Probably not, but I'm always ready to help where needed. I'm now stationed in this region, so if some bug...theoretically....were to appear, I'll do my best to fight it right away. But....I'm really optimistic about our future now, and so should you be. It's good to have a normal life again."

  "It sure is! So......can you still become tiny?"

  "Sure. Wanna see?"

  "Yes!"

  I fly up into the sky and end my combat mode, turning into my smaller self. I need a moment to get used to the huge people around me, but then hover in front of the dy again.

  "Incredible! Is this your normal form?"

  "Yes, it is. And the big form is for battles, but is useful for shopping too, hahaha."

  "Hahaha, I can see why that might be useful. Oh, I see someone waving at us, is that your family?"

  "Huh? Ah, no, that's Emily's mom....sorry, we need to go now."

  Emily is blushing now that she gets a lot of camera time.

  "No problem, thank you for the interview!"

  "My pleasure!"

  I nded on Emily's shoulder and hitched a ride to her mom.

  "You're quite the celebrity now, Ann." Alicia said while loading the groceries into her car.

  "Yup, and Emily now is too. She's gonna be really popur at school now."

  "Oops....hadn't thought about that." Emily said. "Well....popur is good."

  "Ehehe.....you were blushing the whole time."

  "Girls....not here, especially in front of those cameras." She pointed at more arriving news vans while still loading her groceries into the car. "Are you ready for the next shop, Emily?"

  "Yes!" She almost shouted.

  "What shop?" I asked.

  "Hehehehe....a very important one. Let's go!"

  I think this is the perfect moment to become invisible."Emily...there are lots of people gathering, so I'm going invisible okay?"

  "Okay!"

  After a few minutes we sat down at a donut shop in the mall's center space. People quickly stopped following us, not wanting to bother us while eating. That's exactly the reason why Alicia had chosen to take a break in the first pce. We have coffee and donuts, ready to enjoy.

  Emily then asked "Ann? Are you still here?"

  I patted her hand a few times.

  "Yes, she's still here. Here's your coffee." She poured some coffee from her cup onto the saucer since there wasn't any other way for me to drink it. She also gave me a part of her donut and enjoyed seeing both the coffee and the donut slowly disappearing.

  After sitting here for twenty minutes, they resume their shopping spree, but without the audience this time.

  Surprisingly they entered a toy store and I decided that the time had come to become visible again.

  "Ah, there you are. Just...pretend to be a doll, okay? Or we'll have another crowd forming." Alicia said.

  I nodded, already doing as she asked.

  Emily took me in her hands and let it appear as if she was actually holding a doll.

  "Mommy! She has the dolly!" A little girl said. And I instantly felt the need to become invisible, but of course I couldn't, because I was pretending to be a doll.

  "Oh my, you're right, Laura. Excuse me miss, may I ask where you bought that fairy dolly? She's in love with those, but we can't find them anywhere!"

  "Emily's in love with her as well," Alicia said, making it really hard for me not to giggle. I really need to look like a normal dolly, or fly away and cause commotion.

  "Mooommmm!" Emily sounds embarrassed, but I can't look at her face right now.

  "It's no shame, miss. It really is a cute doll." The dy said with a kind smile.

  Alicia put her index finger on her lips, probably pretending to remember where she bought it. Me...I mean. "This is a special doll, or my Emily might even be willing to part with it. This one has batteries and will sometimes move a bit, but you have to look at it, or you'll miss seeing it. It was a prototype and she got it as a gift."

  I stealthily patted Emily's hand, after which she said "excuse me, I'll be right back."

  Alicia didn't understand, until she saw my smile for a brief moment.

  "What's wrong, Ann?" Emily whispered.

  "I have one of those fairy dolls in my bedroom. It's still in the packaging with military uniform and all. Maybe call my mom? Tell her that it's for a kid and that I agree."

  "Okay, I'll do that."

  "Was something wrong, Emily?" Alicia asked after we returned.

  "No, I thought I saw one of these dolls on the shelf, but it was something else. But, mom? I just remembered. Our neighbors, the Finleys, have one of these dolls. Still in packaging, I think. Can we call them? Maybe they are willing to sell it or something?"

  "Yes yes yes!!!" The little girl excitedly said while jumping from excitement.

  "Laura, dear, be patient." The dy said who then looked at Alicia again. "We are willing to pay for it of course. You would make her a really, really happy girl. We've been looking for it for days now."

  "I can't promise it, because I don't own it, but I'll make a phone call right now. How does that sound to you?"

  "Thank you very much!"

  Alicia and Emily walked to a quiet section of the store and asked my mom on the phone if she agreed. Mom agreed immediately, probably happy to be rid of the doll nobody uses in the first pce.

  The little girl was overjoyed when she learned that Alicia's neighbor was willing to part with the doll, just to make her happy. Laura's eyes were moist and by the looks of it, she was about to shed tears of joy.

  Alicia gave the dy my mom's address, and she then offered Alicia to buy any other doll in the store we wanted. The dy insisted, so she helped us find something Emily was looking for.

  I almost facepalmed when Emily said "we're having a pool party with kids, and it would be great if we could put something appropriate on this doll. Nothing fancy, just a swimsuit or anything else that looks cute."

  And yes......Alicia definitely noticed that this doll's face was getting red hot from embarrassment.

  It took them no less than 5 whole minutes to decide on which one was best, because there was way too much choice! I had no idea that entire companies existed, dedicated to dressing up dolls.

  Thank heavens that I remembered to disable the clothing skill, before they held the clothes to my body, or I would be wearing a swimsuit already!

  "Thank you very much, I hope it's not too expensive?" Alicia said after the dy had paid with her credit card.

  "Not at all. 15 dolrs is nothing for what you have done for us! Just look at her face! What do you say, Laura?"

  "Thank you, miss!"

  "Awww..." Alicia gave her a brief hug. "You're such a sweetheart. I know you'll love the doll. Just take good care of her, alright?"

  "I will!" But then the little girl saw me moving. I had an itch....and had to scratch my cheek! "It moved! The dolly moved!!!" She said.

  "Yes, it has batteries." The dy said. "Oh...young dy, may she hold it for a moment?"

  Emily looks at me and mom and when I close my eyelids for a moment, they see that I don't mind. How can I not be nice to such an innocent young child?

  Emily then says "open your hands, Laura. This dolly is very dear to me and can't be hugged. If you hug it, it will break. If you promise to only look at it, I'll make her move. Is that okay?"

  "I won't hurt her! Okay!"

  Emily said "Ann, move" as if she was giving me instructions to obey.

  I walk forward in a robotic way and wait on the child's open hands.

  "It really moved! Ann?" Laura asked. "Ann? Are you happy?"

  I swallow.....I have to py along so I look up at her and let my wings flutter. "Hello, Laura."

  "Wow.....it actually talks!" The dy said. "Wait! Don't hug her!" She could barely stop Laura from hugging me, by grabbing Laura's arms.

  "Sorry, but she's so cute! Will the other one talk too?" The little one said, looking at Alicia.

  Alicia shook her head. "Sorry, honey. Only this one can talk. But the other one is special too. It will protect you when you sleep."

  "Really?"

  "Yes, dear."

  I decided to give her a special reward. She's so adorable. "Laura. Are you my friend?"

  "Yes, Ann!"

  I started fpping my wings and wagging my tails.

  "Awwww......you are so cute, Ann." She petted my ears and tails.

  "Laura.....is my friend."

  Emily then said "I think that's enough. Ann is my friend too, you know?"

  Hehehehe.....is she jealous maybe?

  "Okaaaay. Bye Ann!" She waved at me, and I returned a robotic wave to her.

  "Remarkable, the technology they put into those things these days!" The dy said. "Well....thank you for this...and the doll. You really helped us out today."

  "Our pleasure! Bye!"

  "Well, Ann. It was very sweet what you did." Alicia said. "But....now everyone wants to look at the robotic fairy see?" There are lots of people staring at us from outside the shop, but also a few nearby.

  "Ann, I'll pretend to put you in our shopping bag, okay? Become invisible." Emily said.

  I pyed along and became invisible as soon as she put me inside the bag, but then she felt me nding on her shoulder, completely invisible.

  "Hold it right there!" Someone yelled at us.

  "Oh nooo....." Alicia said, shaking her head.

  A mall security guard rushed towards us. "Young dy, aren't you going to pay for that?" He pointed at the bag.

  But before Emily could reply, the cashier thankfully corrected the misunderstanding. "It was her doll, she didn't take anything. She paid for the rest."

  "Oh....okay. In that case I owe you an apology. Enjoy your day." He then left the shop and said in a loud voice to the people standing outside "my mistake, she paid for everything. Nothing to see here, move along now."

  When we were finally seated in the car, I decided to stay tiny but of course became visible again."Alicia, is this how you always do your shopping?" I'm standing on the dashboard now.

  "Be careful, Ann."

  "Why?" I grinned.

  "This is why." She briefly braked real hard, unching me towards the windshield.

  "Ouch...." I said while rubbing my nose, but the impact wasn't that hard due to the low speed of the car. But still, for a tiny fairy...quite the impact.

  "Mooom!"

  "Hahahaha, that's what you get for not wearing seatbelts.....and trying to tease me. What did you say again?"

  "Nothing, ma'am!" I pretended to be afraid.

  "Hahaha, you know, I'll become your mother-in-w if you two get married someday. Yes.... I can see the terror in your eyes. Treat my Emily with love, or else...." She used her thumb as an imaginary knife to slit her throat.

  "But I love her!" I said, trying to tease her, but Emily didn't mind the comment.

  "Awwww....and I love you too!!" Emily said and then took the doll clothes they bought for me to wear. "What's it gonna be today, Ann? A bikini or a swimsuit?"

  "Em......... "

  Alicia gnced at me. "Be careful what you say. Don't use the word 'neither' or she'll exactly make you do that."

  "Oh........creepy. Okay...a swimsuit is fine, I guess."

  Emily grinned. "A pink one with a pony, or a blue one with a dolphin?"

  "My god...those are so childish."

  "You can also become big first and then choose one of mine if you want?" Emily is teasing me, no doubt about it.

  "Okay...I surrender. The pink one, because you keep pointing at it nonstop. I get it."

  "Hehehehe, great choice. I'll match your color then."

  "Alicia?"

  "Yes, Ann?"

  "What if....fairies can't swim because of their wings?"

  "Oh....that's actually a good point. We'll see what happens okay? No need to be afraid, we don't want you to get hurt."

  "Thanks."

  We're approaching their driveway and see an unfamiliar car parked in front of our house."Looks like you've got visitors again, Ann."

  "Yeah, probably another load of monster crystals."

  "But you don't need them anymore, or do you?"

  "No, but they have them, and I can still absorb them. Who knows what I will turn into next?"

  "Hehehe." Emily giggled.

  I shake my head. "I don't want to know what you were thinking just now."

  "....." She only grinned, so I left the car.

  "I'll go tell my mom that we've returned and that I'll join you for a swim, okay?"

  "Sure, Ann. Tell your mom that you're a celebrity now."

  "Yeah...don't remind me of that. See ya ter." I changed into my fox-form and let my tails wag for Emily to enjoy. Just a bit of teasing.

  When Emily giggled, I heard her mom say "honey, try your new leash ter, okay?" Again she's teasing me!

  "Aliciaaaaaaa! You're evil!"

  "Nuh-uh...mother-in-w. Never forget who I am!"

  "Sheesh.....okay. See you ter, mother dearest!"

  "Awww........Emily, why can't you be so polite? Hahahahah, that pouting face! Let's get inside before your face stays like that!"

  When I entered our home through our backdoor, still grinning, I saw two familiar people sitting on the sofa. Oops....they are the dy and her little kid, Laura, from the toy store! But the problem is....they don't know that I already met them.

  It's almost noon, but still morning. Let's be super polite. "Good morning, mother. Ah, we have guests?"

  "Oh, hi dear, you're right on time. Alicia called me, and our little guest here wanted to have your Ann doll. You don't mind, do you?"

  Didn't she give it to them already? "Of course I don't." I then shook hands with the dy, and we introduced ourselves.

  "I can't believe it! Are you really Ann Finley? The hero who fights monsters?" The dy asked.

  "Well, I don't know about being a hero, but yes, ma'am, I fought a few of them."

  "Amazing. And you are truly willing to part with your doll?"

  "I am. It was a gift, but I'm kinda too old to py with dolls."

  Mom coughed.....okaaaaay. Let's ignore her. I kneel in front of the girl and say "did my mom give it to you already?" Of course I already know the answer, but I want to see that innocent smile again.

  She shook her head and said "are you really a fairy?"

  I guess she's focused on the real fairy now. "Yes, I am. See?" I let my wings flutter.

  "Wooaaaaa......beautiful! May I.....hug you?"

  "Laura!"

  "No, it's okay, ma'am. How often do you get the chance to hug a real fairy? Come here, little one, give me a hug."

  She gave me a strong hug but petting my fluffy ears was apparently irresistible. Seeing her happy smile was worth all the gold in the world, and even more.

  I winked and then went upstairs to get the doll, which was still in its packaging, complete with uniform.Long story short, the kid was super happy and unpacked the doll right in front of us. It didn't take long for her to cuddle the thing. I'm happy that she didn't cuddle me like that when I was in the toy store, or I might not have made it back home in one piece.

  When they were about to leave, I changed back into my fairy form. Laura's eyes were sparkling to see a real tiny fairy. I'm the same person, but a tiny fairy is still the real thing for kids.

  "Oooooohhhh!!!! Pretty!" She said.

  "Thank you very much for your kindness and of course the doll." The dy said on her way out.

  "My pleasure! Bye, Laura!" I waved at Laura.

  "Bye, Ann!"

  Mom and I returned to the living room, where I sat down on the sofa in my fox-form.

  She said "did you see how happy she was?"

  "Yes, I met them in the toy store. But seeing her smile when Emily told her that we had a real Ann doll for her.....was priceless."

  "I know what you mean. Thank you for that."

  "What for?"

  "You know what I mean. Not everyone is as generous as you are."

  "Yeah, like you are different. You took in a stray fairy, remember?"

  "Hahahaha, guess I did. So, how was the shopping? Nice?" She grinned.

  "No...it was really....interesting. News crews were following us, so we had to be creative. I became invisible or we would still be talking to those right now."

  "Yes, about that...I already got a phone call from Thompson. Something about telling people that monsters were about to go extinct?"

  "Oops....did he sound happy....or angry?"

  "He was very pleased, actually. You credited the military and they appreciated the little bit of free publicity you gave them. But you also announced that other fairies exist. But he said that it was inevitable, and you prepared humanity for a future encounter. Well done."

  "Pfew. You got me worried there."

  "Why? You can sy monsters, Thompson is hardly a monster."

  "I know that. It's just....I don't want......you know.....them to make me leave you."

  She gave me a hug. "He wouldn't, Ann. But it's good to see that you still want to be here."

  "I do!"

  "Shhh...okay, no need for the drama. A little bird told me that you'll be swimming in the pool next door?"

  "How do you know that? I was about to ask you!"

  "Ask me? You have rights too, you know?"

  "I know. It's just..."

  "Sheesh, girl. Just get it over with already. How was your first kiss?"

  "WAAAAA??"

  "Hahahaha, yes, Rachel saw their car and just happened to see the most important moment in a young woman's life!"

  I'm blushing severely, covering my face with my hands."I love her, mom."

  "Everyone already knew that you two were rather...close. Sure, a fairy and a human were hardly compatible, but now that you're a big girl.....I'm happy for you. Gd to see you happy, Ann."

  "Mom......"

  "No tears, for crying out loud. It's...okay...okay..." She patted my back. "There, is that better?"

  "Yeah."

  "Just so you know....Rachel's chocote cake didn't survive my taste test, so Rachel is making a new one. Don't tell her I told you. She went back to the mall to buy more ingredients...so that's how she spotted you."

  "Hehehehehe, I can't wait to try it."

  "It will be waiting for you. Now go and have fun!"

  "Yes, ma'am! But....can I have lunch first?"

  She sighed and said "I hope you're in the mood for a banana, because Rachel is obsessed with her cake. My advice...stay away from the kitchen."

  "Hehehehe..... a banana sounds good. Safe too."