Chapter 183
Sheera acted as if nothing was wrong, going straight for the meat laden sandwiches immediately. Matis and Charlene just stood there frozen, trying to process what had just happened in front of them. After all, Sheera, who was a mountain lion that was comparable in size to Charlene, had just jumped out of her chest. They just stared in surprise and fascination as Sheera went forward to her meal and picked it up as usual. Usually, she would pick up her food and go to her favorite spot beside Charlene to eat. However, she had found that the spot she was in for the second half of her sleep was far comfier to her. So with the plate being carefully held in her mouth, Sheera went and crawled back into Charlene to dig into her breakfast.
The act of the cougar climbing back into Char like she was a comfy cat bed knocked both her and Matis out of their stupor. Almost immediately, she started stripping off her top, trying to see if there was a mark or orifice of any sort there. However, no matter how much they looked and examined to find any answer, they were left dumbfounded with nothing to explain it. Eventually Char just put on their clothes, the issue being tabled for after they had some food. Were they just really hungry and was that causing them to see things? Doubtful, otherwise Sheera's plate would still be sitting there. Could they have been delusional for years, just imagining the cat's existence? It was rare after all for a cougar to live so peacefully with others for so long, so much that it was basically unheard of before their case. But that also had a slim chance of being the case, given how blunt and direct their daughter was. If they were making up the fact that they had a pet cougar, she would have told them they were crazy to their face and ask the two of them to go in for professional help. Especially with all the years that they had spent visiting one another.
All the thoughts that they were crazy were instantly both muted and amplified when Sheera came back out with an empty plate halfway through their sandwiches. She went and placed it from where she had picked it up before turning and looking straight into Charlene's eyes. 'Tasty.' reverberated through Charlene's head as she was stared down by the large feline.
The word coming up in her head startled Char, almost causing her to choke on the piece of tomato that was currently inside her throat. It was a voice that was clearly not her own, yet felt familiar. Looking to her side, she saw that Matis had clearly heard nothing as he continued to eat with a look of intense thought on his face. Looking back to Sheera, she felt like the most likely source of the sound. Before she could ask if the cougar did in fact talk to her in her head, Sheera disappeared back inside of her, purring contently as she entered.
It took the two another five minutes to finish of their BLT's and got to thinking about what had just happened. Once their mouths were clear of food and their teeth brushed, they shot ideas back and forth consisting of what they thought was happening. No idea was laughed off as too out there or cracked, as what they had seen had never been recorded before. Added with the way that Sheera seemed to be content entering Charlene, they had to take this as a recent development. Otherwise, why would she not have done that years ago should she have possessed the ability. Did their family member get abducted and replaced by aliens? Unlikely since she still acted the same, but not entirely ruled out. Parasite that infected her last night? Ruled out because she was acting exactly the same. Secret government test that had gone on without them knowing? Seen as the least credible, due to a lack of tracks around them or on the dirt roads nearby.
As they shot ideas back and forth, the creature at the center of the discussion came back out again. Only, she came out with the exact same plate that she had come out with earlier. At first, they both thought that they were being messed with by the cat, not having been the first nor last time that would happen. However, when they saw her set it next to the three others that were sitting out and air drying, their back and forth of ideas dried up immediately. They only ever travelled with three plates, they had no need to pack more and as such used the space more appropriately. The fact that there were now four plates sitting there implied that one was created inside of Charlene. She did not feel any different, nor did the fourth plate appear to be any different than the three that were there. In fact, it matched one so perfectly that it had chips in the porcelain in the exact same spots.
"Alright, this is all just weird now." Matis spoke up, "We should just get back home, and get in contact with some colleagues to see if any of them are experiencing similar happenings on their end." Charlene could only nod in response, still not able to wrap her head around the fact that a plate was created inside of her, which was an exact replica of the one that had come before. Quickly, they finished packing up the impromptu campsite and reverting it back as much as they could before climbing into the car. However, when Matis tried to turn the key, nothing happened. Not even the sound of the vehicle attempting to turn over was heard. This couldn't be a coincidence, as they had recently had it serviced with both new oil and a new battery, as well as topping up before they came out. There should be no reason or it to be dead, unless whatever gave Sheera the ability to enter Charlene had also changed their vehicle.
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