RK couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He hadn’t heard Troy cast a spell, but he wasn’t holding his book so, truthfully, he’d have no idea if Troy had just muttered one under his breath. That was why he was so suspicious when Troy had asked if he felt any different.
He didn’t feel different. His fur was still black, his tail was still fluffy, he was still a skunk and Rusty was still his boyfriend. Then a thought hit him – who was Troy?
As Troy walked out into the backyard, RK had the sudden realization that he didn’t know who Troy was. He didn’t know why Troy was in Rusty’s house. He didn’t know why, just a few seconds ago, he had been talking so nonchalantly to this seeming home invader. That was when RK realized that something was wrong.
As the man disappeared behind the chicken coup, RK bolted into the kitchen and grabbed the Book of Divinity.
Memories of Troy came flooding back. Memories of how it was Troy, not him, who was supposed to be Rusty’s boyfriend. Memories of how this wasn’t Rusty’s house, it was Troy’s. Memories that told RK that Troy had just erased himself from reality. Memories that told RK that the auditors were about the fuck them… hard.
RK’s worried line of thought was interrupted by loud clucking coming from the backyard.
“Fuck! Its already happened!”
RK dashed out into the backyard, towards the coup that his old memories told him shouldn’t be there. He both saw and heard Muffin, Rusty’s laying hen, sitting on top of an oversized egg, clucking in jubilation. What RK was seeing, he realized, was Troy. Or, rather, what the auditors had just turned Troy into.
“You goddamned idiot Troy!” RK shouted, “do you realize what you’ve done? You erased yourself from reality!”
Muffin saw RK bearing angrily down on her. Her look of joy turned to one of confusion. Why was Rusty’s friend angry with her?
RK stopped yelling at Muffin. He saw the look in her eyes. He knew she had no idea who she was. Then he saw the Book of Beast, laying in the straw next to her. He lunged over her and grabbed it – the absolute last thing anyone needed right now was for Muffin to cast another spell and screw reality up even worse than Troy had already done.
Thankfully, she didn’t try to stop him, and as he pulled the book away he could even see a look of relief on her face. It was as though she was afraid of the book and was glad that RK was taking it away from her.
RK didn’t know what to do, he just knew he had to get the book out of here. Then he could think things through, think of a way to fix Muffin – assuming that Muffin even could or wanted to be fixed. But as he lifted the book out of the straw, Muffin shifted her body slightly on top of the egg, extending a blunt arm to help keep balance.
As Muffin’s arm extended outwards, it very briefly made contact with the Book of Beasts. RK didn’t have to ask. The look of fear spreading over Muffin’s face was all he needed to see. Muffin had just remembered being Troy. Muffin had just realized how badly she had lost.