Enthralled by the night, by what she could see, smell, hear, Diana had trouble a lot of the time focusing on where she was going. Aware of other bats in the area, she was also cognizant of other animals, with the biggest worry was when she came across an owl. But then, remembering her body was about 25 inches in length, whilst her wingspan was closer to six, she chuckled when the surprised bird, who'd thought to take on Diana, decided it wasn't worth the effort and took its hunting elsewhere. Wondering what other surprises waited her, she was almost distracted to the point of going to find out. But then, realising what she was about to do, she made herself focus on flying, which was getting easier the further she went, straight to her destination.
Some ways ahead, she spotted Jennifer’s place. Not wanting to land right away, making herself remember why it was she'd turned herself into a Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, Diana began to circle the house. Trying to determine if anyone was home, and after doing so, which room was Jennifer's. Unable to do the latter, she made a rather clumsy landing on the roof, and waiting a moment to see if she'd been heard, she then crawled across the shingles. Exploring, moving about, approaching each window, some with more difficulty than others due to them being on the side of the house, it didn't take her long before she determined which room was Jennifer's. Wondering what she ought to do next, Diana decided to wait until the girl came upstairs.
Inside the house, Mrs Grace comforted her daughter. Holding her, listening as the girl sniffed and cried, she fretted on how she'd worried about something like this happening. Displeased with people like Ginny, Mrs Grace was startled from her thoughts when her daughter whimpered, "Did I make a mistake when I came out as Jennifer? Admitted that I was a girl."
With a quick shake of her head, her mother said, "Honey, no. This is who you say you are. But you know there are people out there who don't understand. Who are so tied up in their narrow views, they cannot accept someone like you."
Jennifer sniffed and nodded. She understood this, had come to realise it, knew her choice to live as who she was wouldn't be easy, and was the reason she'd had trouble making and keeping friends before her mom and dad moved. But now, having made a friend, possibly more than one, she had actually believed things might be different, she might be accepted. And then everything had crashed around her, she'd been found out, and sent home. Wondering if Ginny had told the others anything, she soon decided it didn't matter, as they probably wouldn't want to be around her, nor would be allowed to. Thinking aloud, she stated, "Maybe I ought to give up, give in, and go back to being Daniel, like a lot of people say I should."
Knowing her daughter was just upset, Mrs Grace, at first, didn't say anything. Then, after a bit of holding the girl, comforting her, she offered, "That's a decision you'll have to make."
She'd been miserable living as a boy. And when she was allowed to express herself as who she actually was, Jennifer had been happy. But, now, questioning everything, what she knew of herself, people, and how society worked and behaved, she had her doubts. Standing in the kitchen, her overnight pack on the floor by the backdoor, her mother holding her in a hug, she tried to sort of what she should do. After a bit, her mom kissed her on the head and offered, "Why don't you go upstairs, put on some PJs, and you and I shall watch a movie. We'll have our own sleep over. Okay?"
Nodding at this, Jennifer kicked off her shoes, collected her bag, and headed upstairs. Clicking on her bedroom light, tossing her bag next to the bed, she was about to go and get one of her sleeper outfit when she was distracted by a soft tapping on the window. Curious, she stepped closer, and froze when a soft, feminine voice inquired, "Jennifer?"
Puzzled as to who it might be, she affirmed, "Yeah?" after a moment, and listened as the person asked, "Can I talk with you? About what happened tonight?"
Unsure about this, she almost told them, "No" and "Go away". But her curiosity winning out, she opened the window, stepped back, and waited for them to enter. To her surprise, the voice whispered, "Please, don't scream. My appearance might be alarming, but, please, trust me when I say I am a friend," and wanting to know what they meant by this, Jennifer watched as a very large, winged animal crawled inside.
Her first instinct was to go screaming to her mother. But, as she watched the furry critter as they fluttered, jumped, and scooted away from the window, she relaxed as a part of her understood the thing meant her no harm. Getting over her shock, she whispered after a bit, "Who are you? What are you?" as she considered how the head of it looked like one thing, "Almost like a fox," she considered, whilst the body was something else, with wings attached.
"This may come as a shock," the animal answered, "but, it's me, Diana. From the sleep over. I used the Chronivac in order to come see you, to talk with you, find out what's up, why you left."
The moment the critter Jennifer was starting to think might be a sort of fox with wings introduced herself, she was baffled. Thinking back to the sleep over, the girls she met, she went over the names of everyone there. There not being any Diana there, she pointed this by stating, "There wasn’t a Diana at the sleep over. There was Lucy, Tanya, Natalie, and Felicity, as well as Lucy's aunt, Ginny," then added, "You say you used the Chronivac?"
Of all the things she'd expected to hear, what Jennifer said wasn't one of them. Wondering what had changed, why it was Jennifer didn't remember her, Diana sighed. Toying with the idea Jennifer had been too far away to be affected by the Chronivac, she thought a minute before saying, "This might be more difficult than I imagined," and spreading her wings a bit, she flicked her way, clumsily, over the girl's bed. Landing hard, realising how hungry she suddenly was, she said, "Do you have any fruit? Becoming a bat has become more exhausting than I thought it'd be."
Her curiosity raised even more, Jennifer nodded as she thought about the bowl of fruit her mother kept on the kitchen table, and the bunch of bananas on the counter. Wanting to know more about who this Diana person was, and why it was they wanted to know why she'd been made to leave, as well as whether she wanted to tell them, Jennifer mulled over what to tell her mother. Thinking about all of this, looking at the thing on her bed, trying to see it as what it said it was, a bat, and not seeing it, she went to her dresser and took out a clean pair of underwear and a sleeper outfit. Looking at the creature, she told her, "Be right back," and heading across the room, she disappeared out the door.
Alone on the bed, Diana watched Jennifer leave. Wondering what she was going to do, why she'd taken her pyjamas with her, she also tried to sort of why it seemed like Jennifer didn't know who she was. Questions piling atop questions, Diana stared out at the room and thinking about the Chronivac, about why the girl had been asked to leave, and what the others would say, or do, upon learning what Diana had done, "If they even remember me," she thought at one point, she waited for Jennifer to come back.