The man on the TV screen sat at the table, speaking sadly in contrast to the Christmas lights around.
"I'm sorry, it's obvious our relationship is a toxic one. I keep poisoning what you do. I think I tried to force it work for so long because I knew you'd always reply to my efforts. But it's obvious my efforts don't make make you happy. They just make you stressed. You want things one way, I want them another. I don't blame you. The fault is completely with me. You sincerely tried to compromise. More than once. But I kept trying to have things my way anyway. I don't want to keep on poisoning your enjoyment of what you do. Maybe I just need to learn to let go, walk away, rather than just trying and poisoning things again and again... I should walk away before I destroy something you love. I do this because I respect what you do."
"Soap operas Yuriko? Seriously?" Rexie asked watching the actors on TV.
"Trying to keep my mind off things. The situation is where any outside meddling would just make things worse. After a certain sister-in-law thought to scare Darren straight, when it just created the conflict she was trying to prevent." There was a beeping on her phone. "A text message from Steph?"
"'... I want to thank you for being reasonable with me and fighting past your own discomfort with me. I will confess, even after that, I thought I could test you rather than just trust you. My only theory is that Darren was listening in on my thoughts somehow. Guess robots are immune to telepathy after all. I shouldn't be putting my own creators to the test, as they say. Darren wasn't happy when his dad ordered me to come come rather than me wandering about the city where I could get stolen. I'm spending my time out of his sight and in the closet where I can recharge in peace. Hannah's at her parents' house. Due to the magic they naturally accepted her now being a droid. She texted me and said she was surprised how little things changed besides her being trusted with more chores around the house. Funny how humans treat their human shaped objects more kindly than fellow humans sometimes isn't it? I'd have never spoken to you if I knew it would upset Darren like this. Good-bye.'
+++++
The white ghost fox swirled around the teens... they were too bewildered at this had actually worked to run for it. It wasn't nearly as big as they thought it would be. In fact... as it got closer... they saw it was... really kinda small...
Then it seemed to turn solid... and morph into a familiar girl.
"Hi guys! Thanks for the offering, but you guys can have your stuff back... I'll take the stuffed animal!... Uh... unless you want it back."
Gail gasped. "SACHIKO! How did you do that?!"
"What kinda magic trick was that?"
"That's easy..."Sachiko changed form again, and leapt from one of their shoulders to the next as light as a feather before changing back to her human appearance again. "I'm the ghost fox..."
"WHAT?!" The teens all shouted in shock.
"... " Sachiko cringed. "... P... please? ... Don't be angry with me for keeping from you? ... Please?" She looked on the verge of tears. "Please don't hate me?"
+++++
Darren was reminded of the classes Hannah shared with him when she still showed up for school the next day. Darren was surprised to see how many students were treating Hannah with MORE interest and excitement than when she'd been a flesh and blood person. Since they were aware of her change, but yet treating the change as 'normal' created an oddity where they saw her transformation as the newest incarnation of getting your ears pierced. (Like those cat-ear bio-mods that had been popular a few decades back, much to the agitation of their children now desperate to hide what they'd inherited from their parents).
Hannah didn't speak to him... she didn't look him in the eyes. But she did text him. Darren was tempted to delete it. But read it anyway.
'I'm sorry I upset you. But I want you to know. This was never ever about spiting that woman. It was about PROTECTING YOU! End of story. I never wanted to trivialize your super strength gift. The way she threatened you when all you did wrong was take a stupid dare really made me worried she was gonna do something if you so much as sneezed wrong. I wish you'd never gone into that house if it was gonna hurt you like this. I get you liked me as I was. But that doesn't mean I don't get to try new things (which honestly, is a little creepy in context you don't want me to try new things). I thought you'd at least laugh at the jokes I threw in about the robot-hero show we used to watch... I'm sorry if I've been acting like a controlling shrew... In a way, I'm kinda proud you blew up... shows you have a limit to what you'll bend over for after all. I say again, I became this way to protect you, not to spite that woman, which I TOLD YOU right at the start. ... Sorry. I just hate being misunderstood. But that doesn't make your heart feelings any less real. And I'm sorry for that. But know I'll still protect you even so. I'm sorry Darren.'