Amy said goodnight to Lina and returned to her house. She reached the front door and braced herself before opening it and walking in.
She saw her mother reading a magazine in the living room and her little brother playing video games on the television. Her mom looked up when she came in, but she didn't go pale with fright or shriek at her changed daughter. She meerely said "I was wondering what kept you. Your father's almost home with dinner."
"Sorry," Amy said, trying to act as naturally as possible given her appearance. She feigned innocence by scratching the back of her upright mane. "Lina and I checked out a new store in town."
"It's so nice that you have a friend like Lina," her mother said dryly. "With all those bad apples in school, it was about time someone looked beyond your appearance."
Amy wondered what her mother was talking about. Bad apples? She didn't have a problem with school bullies, and she rarely talked to most of the lazy or rude kids. They weren't her crowd, but they didn't regard her in any sort of negative way. Heck, they barely even knew she existed.
"Yeah, zebra girl," her brother taunted once he defeated a level boss. "I wish my friends were more like Lina so they would stop asking questions about you."
"Questions?" Amy said, putting her hands on her hips. This was the first time she heard anything about her brother's friends talking about her.
"You know," he recalled, as if he'd told her this many times. He deepened his voice in mock impersonation: "You that kid with the freak sister? Why don't you send her to a petting zoo?"
Amy froze. Even though everyone believed she had been a zebra-striped girl for her entire life, they still regarded her as a different person. This was a far cry from the unconditional acceptance she believed Lina held for her. Maybe acceptance wasn't part of the curse, or whatever magic had befallen her. Maybe Lina accepted Amy all on her own.
"Would you mind setting the table?" her mother asked. Her mind foggy with apprehension and worry, Amy simply nodded and went into the kitchen.