Evelyn jumped up and tried to move backwards, but she tripped on some long soft cylinder and fell sharply on her back. She tried to scoot backwards on the floor, but she felt something tugging on her back, just above her butt, making it difficult to get very far.
The creature leaned back, raising from its crouched position to its full height, and appeared to smile. "Relax, sister, if I wanted to hurt you, you would already be dead. I need your help, and I don't think we have much time."
She looked closely at the creature before her. Judging by the height chart in the animal holding room, it was about 9 feet tall. The creature was covered in a hard thick leathery skin, accentuated by spines extending down its back to a thick tail. The creature was bipedal, but just barely, with long feet and hands ending with sharp black claws. The body was large with dense muscle, but had a slight hourglass shape. She would have thought it was just some monster, if not for the head. She would never forget that face as long as she lived. It was the face of Mary Lou.
Mary Lou turned from her and began to look around the room. Evelyn relaxed, but just a little. The creature was a monster, but it seemed to be a rational monster, and it might be reasoned with.
"What do you want?" Evelyn said shakily. Her voice sounded a little strange to her, gravely and a little deeper, but she attributed it to her fear. She was still struggling to slowly back up, but that nagging mass attached to her back made it difficult. Were her clothes stuck to her back or something?
Mary Lou continued looking through the shelves of the animal holding room. "What do you think I want? The same thing as you, probably. I want to get out of here. I'm tired of being stuck in that stupid pen, being gawked at by morons. Now stop asking stupid questions. We don't have much time. I don't think anyone saw me leave, but it won't be long before someone notices I'm missing."
"And why should I help you?" said Evelyn with a little more confidence. She stopped moving, and crossed her arms, trying to look a little more like the authority figure.
Mary Lou stopped looking through the cabinets, turned, and stared directly at Evelyn. She crossed her arms, too, and leaned one massive hip against the cabinet. With a smirk, she said, "Because, dear sister, I think we both are in the same boat now."
Evelyn slowly looked down at her crossed arms, and saw the same leathery skin. She extended her arm, and saw an arm ending in the same wicked claws. She quickly jumped up and ran to the large full length mirror on the wall of the animal holding pen, dragging what she knew now to be her tail behind her. With a shock she saw the same monster she feared looking back in the mirror. Mary Lou walked behind Evelyn, and put her hand warmly around her shoulder. With a shock Evelyn realized they were the same height. "Welcome to the sisterhood".