Traveling by air has become some simple during the last few years. Admittedly, there's still a lot of waiting for flights. But it's so straightforward to take a flight that even a child could manage it. And it is quite manageable for children to take flights by themselves, provided they have some guidance in knowing where to go and having someone to pick them up when they get there. Of course, only big kids should try to fly by themselves.
There was no question that Polly White was 'big' enough. Polly's conversion into a polar bear Animalian was considerably different from others'. Her brother, Jeremy, had attempted a more roundabout use of the Animalian virus to replace the defective genes that was crippling her metabolism. The intent of this project was to treat Polly with polar bear genes without turning her into one. And while the treatment did work, it eventually made her an Animalian. But it was much more gradual than the near-instantaneous conversions of other people. And Polly was also quite large for her age, even for a polar bear. At 7 years old, she was already as big as an adult man with ursine strength to match.
4 years later, Polly hadn't really grown too much larger since then, only a few inches at most. She had grown a bit older, namely in the timbre of her voice. The current theory was that her body had reached the upper limit of its prepubescent stage. And by all indications, when Polly's puberty does start, she will be blooming early and large. Of course, that's another year or so from now. And Polly was more concerned right now with visiting her brother and his family.
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Despite the obvious joke, a 300-pound bear couldn't sit wherever she liked. An Animalian as large as Polly need as much room as she could get. Fortunately, there was plenty of leg room in first class, which both her brother and her new family could afford. Of course, there were still some people who stared at her, even if Animalians have become increasingly common. Still at least no one messed with her. There were some advantages to being a 300-pound bear.
Not long after Polly landed in Texas, she found Jeremy and Heather waiting for her. "Hi, Jeremy," said Polly as she hugged her saurian brother.
"Oh, Polly, you're getting so big," said Jeremy.
"Just you wait," said Polly, "I'm going to be as big as you someday." That was normally a typical thing for kids to say, but for all they knew, Polly may indeed grow to be as large as her brother.
"So how are things with the Whites?" asked Heather.
"Well, Marcy's been busy working for that mad scientist lately," said Polly.
"Professor Nova is not a mad scientist," said Jeremy, "She is a respected scientist...even if her theories tend to go in odd directions."
"Yeah, but if it gets Marcy into space faster, I hope it works for her," said Polly.
"Still wanting to be an astronaut, is she?" asked Heather.
"Maybe, but NASA would be dumb not to want her," said Polly, "She's almost as smart as Jeremy."
"Glad to see I'm still in high esteem," said Jeremy.
"So, when do I get to meet your kids?" asked Polly.
"Soon enough," said Heather, "Let's get you back home."
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Heather and Jeremy didn't live in a mansion, but they had more than enough space for a guest room, though it may end up becoming one of the hatchling's rooms. Anna-Poly and Mason watched Polly with interest. They hadn't seen anyone with so much hair before. "Aw, they're so cute," said Polly.
"Oh, yes, they start out cute," said Jeremy, "Until you're waken up in the middle of the night."
"Do they bite?" asked Polly.
"Don't worry, their teeth haven't come in yet," said Heather. She muttered under her breath, "Otherwise, feeding would hurt."
"Can I hold them?" asked Polly.
"Be gentle with them," said Jeremy, "They're not dolls."
"I know," said Polly. She picked them up gently. It was sure weird to think these little guys were her niece and nephew. Polly felt way too young to be an aunt. There were times she wished Jeremy would let her double-dose. Being an adult seemed to be much funner. Especially the kind of fun that Marcy and Chilly seem to have when they're alone. Polly wondered when they'd tell her about it.
But then, she was distracted with Anna-Poly and Mason started snuggling into her fur. "Oh, I think they like me," said Polly.
"You're a big teddy bear to them," said Heather with a smile.
"They don't chew on teddy bears, do they?" asked Polly.
"They're babies. Everything they can grab eventually goes into their mouths," said Heather.
"Oh," said Polly. Hopefully she could put them down before she's covered in dinosaur drool.
"I'm sure you'll like them more when they start talking," said Jeremy.
"Oh, I hope so," said Polly, "I want to be the fun aunt."
"Polly, you're their only aunt," said Jeremy.
"Less competition," said Polly. She was looking forward to spending Christmas with her brother this year.