Chapter 48

Hayden wasn't sure exactly where they were going at first. That was among the effects of her transformations—they brought changes both internal and external, warping her perception and her thoughts. She knew on some level they had somewhere important to go, and she definitely remembered that they didn't want to get caught. For a few seconds she tried tucking her tail, but abandoned that idea quickly. Eevee tails were too big.

She had to keep Eleanor safe, she'd made up her mind about that. Her sister didn't make it easy, not when she didn't know a single thing about Sunyshore. She almost fell off the dock at one point, and forgot completely about the slippery shingles on the bakery roof. 

But that was why she had Hayden for company—there to get her to the bin that bakery tossed its uneaten breakfast pastries into, and scurry off together with the sweetest ones. They were only a little stale.

That was where Corrin found the two of them, reclining in a large pile of old fishing nets, with a few armfuls of fresh buns between them.

Hayden barely noticed him at first, not until Liz nipped her leg and finally made her look up. Corrin loomed over the two of them, expression every bit as furious as Hayden remembered. Or—maybe almost as mad. He didn't have a gang behind him this time, just his gibble daemon beside him.

"Shouldn't be here, townies. Extra buns are ours."

He snatched Hayden's right out of her fingers, glaring down at her. "Lucky I don't know you. You can get a warning this time, instead of a swim."

"You can't do that to her!" Eleanor snapped. Loch bounded off the net, baring his teeth at Gibble. "We got those first!"

"Yeah?" Corrin turned on her. He took a few deliberate steps towards her, glaring. "Wrong way to talk, townie. Look where you're sitting. This here is our turf."

Hayden rolled forward into a standing position, balanced precariously on the old nets. She made no move closer to Corrin, nothing that would provoke him into violence. We can't win this as eevee. If we change, he might recognize us.

She set one hand on Eleanor's arm, moving between her and the looming bully. "She's new around here, Corrin, it's not her fault. We're going now. You won't have to see us again."

The kid took Eleanor’s half-eaten bun from her hand, then retreated a few steps to eat. Hayden helped her sister into a standing position. "You don't have to let him just do that! There's two of us!"

Hayden glared over her shoulder. "Yes we do. We can get something else when we get to shore."

She dragged her off the nets, towards the open alley. But then Gibble stepped to the side, blocking any potential escape. Liz stopped before her, circling around with a darting, rapid motion. Even so, the daemon sniffed, turning its oversized head to the side. "Liz?"

Hayden winced, taking another step back. Her daemon retreated at the same moment, though of course the damage was already done. 

Corrin stiffened, tossing the half-eaten rolls to the dock around him. He spun on Hayden, all attention focused on her. "Liz. Now that just can't be. Eevee named Liz. That ain't an eevee at all." He glanced between them, and finally that overconfident expression faltered. "I didn't tell you my name."

"I didn't tell you mine neither," Hayden insisted. She scooped up her daemon, hiding Liz in her own scent. Mostly that was pitch, rotten fish, and grime, not things her old self would have smelled like. So there was some reason to be hopeful. "Sorry for getting in your way. We're not here to start a war."

He looked between them, visibly straining. Hayden had never imagined Corrin capable of much independent thought—there was no cause great enough to earn his mercy, even her little sister's life. But that also meant—

"Guess I must be imagining it. Can't be you. That townie was a boy. Know it for sure—couldn't piss as far off the pier as me. He wouldn't look like you." His eyes settled on her forehead, attention straining. "You got ears. What kinda freak is that?"

"Everyone has ears, stupid," Eleanor shot back, puffing out her chest. "My sis just hears better than the rest of us. Maybe if you used yours, you'd hear her say we wanted to leave."

Hayden whimpered. If she still had some of her powers, she would've begged Eleanor to be quiet, just keep her head down and act small and helpless. That was all Corrin needed—a little submission, proof this was still his turf, and they'd be out already.

He was so fast—faster than Hayden had ever seen him. He caught Eleanor by the shoulder, lifting her up against the wall with one hand. She squealed, but he covered her mouth with his other hand, pressing harder. "Towny girl… should remember where she is. Over her head, she is. Thinks because I got thrown into the water one time that any foreigner can come up here and do it?"

Taking a little abuse herself—Hayden could do that. But standing by while Eleanor got attacked was more than she could endure. Hayden squealed, throwing herself at Corrin with all her strength. Liz sprang out of her grip, attacking the gibble with the same motion.

The results were nearly the opposite of the last time. Liz dodged around the dragon with a careful Quick Attack, before pouncing on it off the wall in a series of delicate dodges.

Eevee Hayden had none of that grace, so she just slammed into Corrin's waist. That might've been enough before, even though Corrin was older. But she'd never had to fight a boy before, not since her transformation.

He barely budged, sliding only a few feet along the pier. He released Eleanor's mouth, twisting around to tug Hayden’s hair. 

Pain shot through her, and Hayden's whole body relaxed. What was she doing again, why did it hurt so much? She opened one eye, whimpering against the pain. She was just fast enough to see Eleanor change. She didn't pull free of him, so much as she melted under his grip. Her body stretched back to the ground, brown hair went purple—and her legs touched the floor.

She swung upward in a high kick, directly between Corrin's legs. The kid grunted, then the harsh grip on Hayden's hair abruptly relaxed. Eleanor shoved him backward, pushing him onto the pile of nets where they'd been eating. "Like I said. You had no idea who you were talking to. My sister was just showing her hometown, and you had to get weird about it."

She took Hayden under one arm, running her other hand through her hair. "She was right about one thing, though. We're not coming back. Just forget we were here."

Corrin's daemon rushed to his side, crouched low and protective over its fallen human. "What kind of… freak… are you?" he gasped, eyes still wide and unfocused with pain.

Eleanor didn't stop to answer. By the time they made it out of the alley, she was an eevee again, returned to her previous apparent innocence. "Hadie, I think we should find your house. I don't feel very welcome around here."

She nodded tearfully. Hayden held on tight the rest of the way home, until they were finally off the dock and back in familiar town streets.

Maybe not as familiar as she would've hoped. The dirt roads were all gone now, replaced with fresh pavement. Several new buildings rose up around the docks, many featuring feline imagery in their names and decorations. One theme unified them all—her.

At least the idea of her, anyway. A miracle child was born here. Here was that little spark of hope every family needed—even if they often produced similar daemons, there was always a chance of settling in other ways. Pink, white, and light blue were common colors in all the new buildings. Some were cafes, some little shops—all busy with tourists.

Even the town's train station was surrounded by construction equipment and pallets of supplies since her last visit. The prosperity Mew House promised had made its way to Sinnoh.

She found a quiet back corner to change, with Eleanor to keep watch and a few dumpsters to screen her approach. She got taller, pinker, and added a few bows to her outfit. If she was going to invest the time into building an alternate identity, she might as well at least be consistent about it.

Besides, the ribbons felt a little less like giving up all her powers and becoming vulnerable again. She could use them more or less like telekinesis, though at far worse range. "Thanks for the save before," she said, emerging from the dark a few seconds later. Her dress no longer looked dirty, and it even fit correctly. But however strong her visual illusion, she still smelled of grime, dirt, and fish. It wasn't her whole body that looked clean, just the dress. "But we didn't have to fight him at all. If you just…"

"Let him walk all over me?" Eleanor spun; arms folded. Somehow she could look up at a taller, older Hayden, without losing her nerve. "Yeah that's not really who I am. Loch and I adapt, we don't cower. If someone's big, we'll be bigger. Besides, it looked like you two had some history."

She nodded weakly, adjusting the strange pink and white ribbon under one ear. It felt entirely natural there, despite the weight. "He's the worst. Wars between the dock and the town have gone on since I remember. It's… back and forth. We take parts of the dock; they take them back. If you lose, you get pushed in, and have to swim back to your side. Most kids drop out when they get older, do important grown-up stuff. But Corrin hasn't yet. Maybe nobody wants him."

She reached tentatively for Eleanor's wrist, curling her ribbon around it. The eevee smiled weakly at her, then pried if off again. "Don't. That has to look like a costume. Otherwise, you'd be from my family's household. Unity like that doesn't come from anywhere else."

She let go, reluctantly. "Guess we are trying to look like we're from mine. Liz and I should… probably start practicing how to hide this stuff. Even Corrin noticed."

"Noticed what?" another voice asked, emerging from the corner behind Hayden. Hayden recognized her instantly—Lin, with the clopping hooves of her ponyta trailing behind. There was nothing stealthy or quiet about the huge daemon, or the flicker of flames in his mane.

Lin was about her equal in height and maturity now, at least as a sylveon. But like Corrin, there was no sign of a family with work for her to do. Instead, she remained scrawny thin, with dirt smeared into her skin so deep the original color was lost. "Thought I recognized that voice. Guess I only… half did." She eyed Liz, then shoved Hayden right in the chest. "Ha! So it's true!"

She winced, pushing her away with both ribbons. How they could exert any force without just ripping off her ear, she didn't know. "What the hell, Lin? We're on the same side!"

Eleanor turned towards them. Despite her smaller size, she moved to join Hayden without a hint of fear. But if Corrin’s bulk didn't scare her, the wiry ponyta sure wouldn't. "Don't do anything to her, whoever you are. Last guy found that out really quick."

"That really you, Hayden?" Lin said. "You sound like him… and his sisters. Ain't never heard of a boy settling into a girl when he grows up. And you can't tell me you weren't, not after as many times as we swam together. Don't lie."

She shook her head weakly, resting one hand on Lin's shoulder. "I'm undercover, Lin. You can't tell nobody I'm here. Not a soul."

Lin's face lit up, overflowing with eager energy. "So it's true! Hayden the mew, miracle of Sunyshore. Flesh and fluff, right here. That's Liz, and… your friend is…"

Their daemons moved at the same moment—Liz floated onto the boxes, rubbing her head against the ponyta, then hopped up onto his back for some quiet conversation into his ears. A mewier Hayden could hear both conversations at once—but this girl couldn't. "Ellie," she answered quickly. "Can you keep a secret, please?"

"That you're a girl?" Lin eyed her dress. "Dunno how good you're hiding that one, Hayden. You should nick some trousers if that's what you want. Cut that hair real short. In fact—why would you pick such a girly pokémon, anyway? You can be anything, right? That's the whole point?"

"Guess so. But that's not it." She took Lin’s arm, pulling her close. "Don't tell nobody I'm here. Not Brick, or Ming, or anyone else. I'm secret."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's in it for me if I don't?"

"None of these people know who they're talking to," Eleanor muttered. "Don't they realize how much a mythical's favors are worth? Infinitely more than silver or gold. Doesn't look like she has much of those to begin with."

She doesn't have parents. Hayden released her arm, a grin spreading slowly over her face. "Here's something I could trade for it. You don't tell anybody. Not one person, not their daemon, nobody. And in exchange, you can come with."

"What?" Eleanor and Lin asked in the same moment, with almost the same shock. But Lin had far less tact. "To where? I didn't even see you get here."

Hayden kept her voice down, whispering quietly. "I'm supposed to have my own staff. I have a handmaid, but no one else. I could get whatever people I want to work for me… but I don't want people I can't trust." She reached into a pocket, removing a pink handkerchief with the Mew House crest embroidered near the center. Then she spat into it, and used it to wipe the dirt from Lin's face. "Somewhere with a roof, three meals a day, and hot showers."

"Miss Branwen says I'll have one of those on Red Street when I'm older. Another year or two… I'll get all the food and fancy clothes I want. Get to meet all the visitors who come to Sunyshore. What would I do with you?"

Hayden winced. Red Street was where all the sailors went to spend their pay when they came back from long voyages. Many of the dock kids came from such unions. "No. Lin, she's—that's not what you want to do. Come with me instead. I won't ask you to work too hard! I wouldn't even make you do anything, but then they wouldn't want to keep you. But it won't be much."

Eleanor glowered at her, both hands on her hips. "Little sister. I hope you realize what you're doing. Who do you think has to supervise your staff and servants? Think about what you offer before giving your handmaid another project."

Right. 

"I don't wanna leave Sunyshore," Lin said, a few seconds later. "It's good here. Never gets too cold, always food and somewhere to stay out of the weather. How about something shiny? Being all evolved and special ought to mean you get a few coins, right?"

You have no idea how stupid this is. She reached into a pocket, deep enough to find her pouch of gold. Most of it was for her family, though some was for herself and Eleanor in case anything went wrong. She withdrew a single coin from inside, the smallest denomination she carried.

It was more than old Hayden had ever had at once, enough to buy a whole new outfit at her parents’ shop from scratch. But the Johto Mews had no use for silver. She held it down, so no one around them would see. "Don't tell nobody, and you can have this."

Lin gasped. She froze, all attention fixed on Hayden. "Where in Arceus’s name did you get that?"

She backed away, keeping it out of her reach. "Come with me, and you could have this kind of money all the time. Wouldn't need to work on Red Street. Help me pick dresses and wash some floors or whatever, and…"

"Both," Lin snapped, without thinking. "Gimmie. I'll get nice things for the other townies. Jackets and that, you know. Then when you come back, I'll go too. Or no deal."

Eleanor huffed, turning her back on them both. "No wonder your family is almost extinct. Bleeding little kitten hearts, every one. Come on."

Hayden shoved the coin into Lin's hands, pressing her fingers closed around it. "Not a word. I wasn't here. Probably you should come back with me and let my family give you change. That's a lot to have at once."

"Nah." She retreated, tucking it away into a pocket. Her daemon hurried after, fast enough to make Liz hop down to the pavement. She moved up beside Hayden's leg, watching their old friend vanish back the way she came.

"You didn't have to give her anything," Eleanor said, as soon as they were gone. "No one is going to believe a word she says. There are kids like that all over, they just want attention. Everyone knows not to listen."

Hayden took Eleanor's hand again, staring down at the pavement. "I wasn't that different from her, a year ago. My family gave me a roof, but not always much more. Sometimes we didn't have enough to eat. My parents couldn't watch me that close, so I was around kids like Lin a lot. Might be part of how we settled the way we did."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "If you say so. But if she actually comes back in a few days and wants to work in Mew House, you get to be the one to explain it to Ilene. I had nothing to do with this."

"I meant what I said," she declared. Together, they returned to the street, cutting a direct route up the road towards her old home. "In fact, it feels like… I should do more. When I'm older, when I've got gold, maybe I'll build something besides a palace. Like a… big house, for kids like that. With servants paid to cook meals for all the kids."

"Orphanage," Eleanor supplied. "Some cities have them. But there's never enough space. We never built one in Sunyshore. Before you, there weren't a lot of investments out this way. Now… maybe."

Together, they walked up the steps to the old clothes shop, then slipped inside.

The place was already dark, signs proclaiming an early close that day. That did little to stop Hayden from getting in, not with Liz to work a ribbon under the door from the right angle, and click it open. Before anyone passing behind them could look too closely, they hurried inside, and locked the door. Familiar smells embraced her, familiar shelves of clothes and display signs. 

For what might be the last time in her life, Hayden was home.