The Ultimate

Welcome Home

We arrive back at my house very late the next day. Mike drops us all off at our makeshift stop and waves goodbye.

"The bus driver thinks you look and act differently than you used to." Junie whispers to me as we walk toward my front door.

"It's because I do." I say back. For better or worse.

She snickers. "It's like you're married to yourself."

I sigh, I mean... Ya. We all are stuck with ourselves. But at least you can change yourself. I look over at Neko. You can't really change other people.

"I think the problem you guys have can't really be changed individually." Junie says. And then shes gone. I mean literally gone. I look at the place where she was beside me.

"What do you mean?" Neko looks at where her voice had come from. He looks broken, as if he could float away on the slightest wind.

Suddenly, I hear my mom scream from the house up ahead. I look at Neko who looks just as paniced as I feel. We take off toward the house.

"Mom!" I yell, opening the front door.

"Mandy?" She says, peering around the corner.

"I heard you scream." I say, very much out of breath. Man, I hadn't run in awhile. That coma sleep really had an affect on my physical ability.

"Sweetie!" Mom throws her arms around me. Then she screams again, dragging me into the living room and behind her.

"Mom! What?!"

Mom points at Neko who is staring blankly into the house, ears alert for any sign of trouble.

"Its just a black cat, baby. Nothing to be afraid of." Mom sounds more afraid than I'd ever heard her. I see Junie giggling on the couch. That little nutcracker. Scared my mom half to death probably.

"Mom," I put a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her.

"Its just Neko, mom."

I see Neko scowl out of the corner of my eyes and then Junie cover her mouth in surprise as she stares at him. I scowl back at him, wondering what he said in his head that would make Junie surprised.

"Neko? Wasn't that your cats name, sweetie?" Sudden realization hits her. "There was a black cat living under our roof?"

"There was also a guard dog living under our roof?" I say, meaning Ray.

"Oh. You know about that?" She smiles sheepishly.

"I think it's about time we had a talk. Where's dad?"

"He went out."

"Where."

"Uhm... To find you."

I sigh, frustration building up inside me. Where is all this anger coming from? Why can't I just go back to the old me who was so patient and accepting?

"Let's just sit down, mom. "

"Well you've been gone for almost 6 months now. What were we supposed to do?"

"Junie this is my mom." I turn to her in an attempt to start the conversation over.

"Hi Blue." Junie grins at my mom.

Oh great.
 
Mom stares at her in shock. She slowly turns to me. "What did that child just call me."

"Mom, this is Junie. Shes-"

"My daddy used to work with you. He talks about you a lot even though my mommy doesn't like it."

This will end just swell.

Mom stares blankly out the window for an entire minute before gracefully walking toward the door. "I need a minute." She says before walking past Neko and out into the yard.

Lovely.

"Well that was a great welcome home." I sigh as I fall back into the couch.

Neko stands near the door still.

"You might as well come sit down, Neko."

"Actually. Can we talk.... Away from everyone."

"I get it." Junie says from the couch. "I'll stay here and wait for Blue to get back."

"Maybe you should refrain from calling her Blue."

"How about Mrs. Blue?"

I grimace. "How about you don't call her anything. Maybe not even talk. Just sit there and let her get over freaking out."

"Ya, I don't know if I can do that."

"Try."

She shrugs innocently.

I pull on the sleeve of Neko's shirt as I head out the door. He follows.

"Your mom went out toward the road. Do you want to go back into the woods? By the river maybe?"

I nod and then remember, "sure."
I can feel the tension between us as we walk, not touching, out toward the sound of running water.

"Are you mad at me then?" Neko's voice is barely a whisper but I hear it all the same.

"I don't know. What do I have to be mad at you for?"

"Being blind."

I'm unable to answer. Maybe I really am mad at him for something he can't even help.

Finally I say, "if I am, I don't mean to be."

He sighs. "I understand."

"I know you're probably angry about it as well."

"No. Not really. Not now. I guess I don't have much anger left anymore. I spent most of it fighting to get you back. Then, as we left Rome, it kind of just started to melt away into acceptance. "

I laugh, "I've got enough for the both of us."

"I can tell."

I stop walking and look at him. "I'm sorry."

He shakes his head. "I do still have some anger rattling around in here." He points toward his heart. "I'm sorry I'm taking it all out on you."

"It's kind of hurtful. But I mean... I guess I get it. I haven't been that understanding."

"Every little thing you say now just ticks me off. And it's just you really. Like when you told your mom I was 'just Neko.' Like I didn't even mean anything anymore. Like you had more important matters to get to."

I don't answer. I don't know how.

We reach the river and I sit down beside it. Tears begin to slide down my cheeks against my will. I feel Neko sit beside me. We sit in silence for awhile.

"You know, I can still hear your hearbeat. It has its own rythm. That's how I found you when you were in the coma."

I sit perfectly still, my heart keeping a steady beat. I could hear it. But I couldn't hear his.

"I can't hear yours."

"Well you haven't ever been able to unless your head was on my chest." I see his cheeks go red at the mention of how we used to be.

"No... I should be able to now. I'm the ultimate. I should be able to hear and smell and... I can't. It's like I never even had the ability."

I reach for the first animal I can think of and pull my body into the shape, just like Angel and Jeff taught me. But I can't. I'm still me. Human.

I begin to run through lists of animals I was able to transform into and abilities I was able to preform. Everything is gone.

"I'm human." I whisper.

"Of course you are, Mandy."

"No you don't understand. I'm only human. No part anything else. It's gone."