Rebecca was flying. Her wings cut through the air current as she soared, taking opportunities to flap and gain altitude, looking out over the fields. She flew toward the tree at the edge of the clearing. She had to return to her nest…


Laying in her bed, Rebecca yawned, not wanting to wake up from her dream. Who wanted a flying dream to end? Maybe mutants who made a habit of flying, but even Agnes and Gina maintained that flight was awesome all the time. She was slightly envious; her hovering was functional, but not as nimble or impressive. At least they did not wake up with the tracings of a harness imprinted on their skin.

At least there was one benefit to waking up. Rebecca could feel the warmth of the body resting beside her. She loved this; waking up next to Maya. Or Gawain, but this morning, based on certain bodily features her hands grazed, she was sure this was a Maya day.

Things had been wonderful, particularly since their return from Budapest. Taking care of one another, sharing those moments, she felt their relationship stood stronger than ever. It had been a few weeks, and everything just seemed to work. Their relationship was on track. What more could she ask for?

She kissed the tattoo on Maya’s back, ignoring her eyebrow’s suspicious fluttery presence brushing against Maya’s skin. She was too content and cozy to notice that, or the lining of wing feathers on her arm wrapping around her lover’s waist. ”Mmm, mornin’ gorgeous.”

Maya was a deep sleeper. The midnight shift came with its own side effect of making Mirror drowsy, so unless something specifically kept them awake, they usually slept well into the morning. On school days they got up to make sure Kalos was up and off to her classes, but today, one of the last days of the year, was a holiday, and therefore included as much sleep as one wished for.

Or at least until something started tickling her neck.

Becca made some content, sleepy sounds as she nuzzled closer, and the tickling made Maya wince and chuckle.

>> ”Mmm, mornin’ gorgeous.”

"Morning" she muttered, rolling over to kiss Becca on the nose. The tickling intensified, and Maya wrinkled her nose, turning her head just in time to avoid sneezing her girlfriend in the face. "I'm sorry, your hair just..." she turned back, reaching up to Becca's face to smooth her hair out of it... but instead of red locks, her hand touched shimmery, soft... feathers?...

"Uh, umm... Becks, why... do you have feathers on your face?"

Rebecca was convinced if she could just keep her eyes closed and sink further into the bed, she could burrow her way back into her dreams. She had fleeting memories of the wind against her feathers.

A gentle hand reached over to brush strawberry locks away from her face, but something confused Maya. Feathers? Perplexed, a groggy Becca rolled out of the bed, but stumbled to her feet when she hit the ground. Blinking against the light of day, the Scot looked down, shocked.

In the place of pale, freckled feet, Rebecca was shakily standing on bird-like talons. Her eyes traveled up her bare body, noticing differences the further she went. Magenta feathers along her hips seemed to lea to longer tailfeathers starting at the small of her back. More feathers framed her shoulders, collarbone, and the upper portion of her chest.

It was unsettling to realize she did not have hnds ,but that was only partially true; her hands and arms had become more traditional wings. Panicking, she wobbled toward the mirror to see her face. As a small relief, she did not have some birdlike beak, but feathers did surround her ears and poke through her hair. And yes, as Mirror pointed out, her eyebrows were now long an feathery to match her new foliage.

Okay. Don’t panic. ”Okay. Maya. Why th’ fuck am Ah a harpy? Dae harpies e’en hae any connection tae magnetism?” She had seen mythological mutations like Gina’s take unique paths, but this felt so disconnected from everything about her powers.

How did she just wake up with a completely new physical mutation?

Maya could see the confusion in Becca's feather-framed face as she rolled out of bed to inspect herself in the mirror. Once she stood up and threw off the blankets, the full extent of the change became visible, and Maya blinked several times, rubbing her eyes as she sat up too.

"Whaaaat the..."

Was this some kind of a prank? Becca did not look like she was having fun. A secondary mutation? But... how?...

>>”Okay. Maya. Why th’ fuck am Ah a harpy? Dae harpies e’en hae any connection tae magnetism?”

What a way to wake up.

"Uhh... mythologically speaking? No..." Maya stood too, inspecting Becca's feathered form "I mean... do you... feel different?..." did Becca like this new form?... A lot of mutants did not like it when their mutations changed. Then again, they did not usually change this drastically "Maybe it's not you? It could be one of the new kids in the Mansion having some kind of an... effect?"

Rebecca crinkled her nose at the idea that some Mansion kid was doing this to her. From where? They generally kept aware of the students and runways they collected, so she was unsure of someone who had a power like this. "If ain ay those wee buggers is hidin' in th' closet ur somethin' takin' th' piss outta me, they're gonna regret it!"

With some effort, Rebecca pulled on shorts, having just enough space to pull them up to cover her bottom and meet her tail feathers. Getting her wings into sleeves was not happening, so she found a tanktop. This still did not feel real. Looking around the room, the paranoid birdlass checked her closet, the common room, and even peeked into Kalos's room to ensure the coral girl was still sleeping and not recruiting mutant friends for mischief. Flustered, she returned to the bedroom. "Okay. Ah'm tryin' tae be mature an' rational abit this, but Ah'm freakin' it, Maya. Please tell me ye hae an idea ay hoo we figure it whit's gang oan wi' me?"

>>"If ain ay those wee buggers is hidin' in th' closet ur somethin' takin' th' piss outta me, they're gonna regret it!"

Becca was only half joking, and she seemed pretty freaked out, which made a lot of sense for someone who had just turned into some archaic bird person. Maya helped her check around the apartment, even in the hallway, but there were no obvious suspects in sight. Going through her mental list of students, no one came to mind who had turn-others-into-harpies powers anyway.

"I'm sure there is an explanation..."

While Becca put on some clothes, Maya did the same. She put on pants and threw on a shirt, combing through her hair with her fingers. The priority was to find some help for Becca.

>>"Okay. Ah'm tryin' tae be mature an' rational abit this, but Ah'm freakin' it, Maya. Please tell me ye hae an idea ay hoo we figure it whit's gang oan wi' me?"

Maya walked over taking Becca's face between her hands, carefully not to... ruffle the feathers.
God.

"It's gonna be okay" she told her "You're totally allowed to freak out, but we'll figure it out, okay? I'd say... first off, let's go to DocProf for a checkup. See what he has to say? How's that?"

Most of the time, Rebecca was a reasonable person. She had strong emotions, coming from her parents for better or worse. In a fight, she could stay cool under pressure, but a sudden, dramatic physical mutation was the kind of life changed that warranted mind-racing panic.

Thankfully, Maya was the kind of girlfriend you wanted in a crisis like this. She was the reassuring voice and the comforting touch that kept Becca centered, slowing her breathing back down. ”Thenk ye, Maya. Ah’m glad yer here tae support me through… whitever this is.” Rebecca was worried about the ways this mutation could alter her life, but it was nice to know, deep down, that Maya would not run away because of this. She was thankful they had reached this point where she knew that for certain.

”Okay,” she said, finally full of resolve. ”Tae DocProf’s office, then. Bit… Ah micht need tae hang oan tae ye fer a bit. These new feet are weird.”


”Ye know, th’ wings ur surprisingly helpful fur balancin’ me it.” Walking from the residential wings to the offices, Becca had the chance to get the hang of a taloned trot. Her wings were wider and slightly longer than her old arms; when she held them out, their tips almost brushed both walls of the hallway. ”Thenk we shoods hae called first? It’s still early; DocProf micht nae be in yet.” It was amazing how much you could shove down panic when you started focusing on what was in front of you, be it their doctor visit or the act of putting one yellow foot in front of the other.

Becca was freaking out, and Maya was trying to her best to keep her from full on panic. She had no idea what a harpy panic attack looked like, and she was not keen to find out. Honestly, she was not that calm either, but she had to look like she was. For Becca.

>>”Thenk ye, Maya. Ah’m glad yer here tae support me through… whitever this is... Okay. Tae DocProf’s office, then. Bit… Ah micht need tae hang oan tae ye fer a bit. These new feet are weird.”

They made their way out of the apartment and to the Infirmary. Maya supported Becca, literally and emotionally, as they walked; the talons and wings were awkward, but she was getting the hand of the basic movements by the time they got to the Infirmary hallway.

>>”Ye know, th’ wings ur surprisingly helpful fur balancin’ me it. Thenk we shoods hae called first? It’s still early; DocProf micht nae be in yet.”

"Well, if he is not in, we will jut call him" Maya concluded, letting go of Becca to go open the Infirmary door. "Here we go. Umm... Doc? Hello? We've got a... situation."

Hopefully, he would know what to do.

Inside the infirmary, DocProf has his hands full with another, smaller, problem. It was a small seven year old girl wearing a tailored little doctors jacket, armed with a clipboard and a serious expression.

“I need work suitable for my advanced intellectual capacity,She was saying. You can provide me with the necessary mental stimulation. You are called DocProf, are you not? I was under the impression that held some teaching connotation.”

DocProf already looked exhausted, “I am not licensed to teach anyone medical knowledge, least of all a child. That is a liability we are not willing to explore. Please, if you don’t have an ailment, I have work to do—ah! See, clearly someone needs me now!”

Evelyn looked over as the two figures walked in, a frown on her face. She disliked being turned away based on her size, and felt she clearly had more to offer the world. Or rather, the world had to offer her.

The two strangers seemed to be upset. [anxiety, confusion. Panic. Birdljke mutation, lack of coordination suggests new. Close contact. Relationship.] oh, proactive mutant couple first thing in the morning. Love despite gender or feathery appendages.

Becca was hoping that whatever happened to her was an anomaly that would pass with time, but she needed to mentally be ready for this to be her new normal. How much of a hypocrite would she be to become intensely distressed by a physical mutation when she made a career of making mutants more accepting of their true selves.

If this was normal, Becca would adjust to life with wings; it was not the worst life she could have, particularly with Maya by her side.

Tentatively peeking into the infirmary, Becca’s hopes and prayers were rewarded by DocProf being in office already. ”Oh, guid, yer here.”

“And you’re… a bird. You weren’t a bird last checkup.”

”Amazin’ observation, thenks,” she replied flatly. She was putting up a brave front, but honestly, the anxiety was getting to her. Even her stomach felt queasy, but she pressed on. ”Ah woke up loch thes and was hopin’ ye coods help me figure it why?”

DocProf moved to his desk to grab a clipboard. “Of course. We’ll take a proper look at what’s going on here—young lady, for the sake of patient privacy, can you please go?”

Becca smirked in spite of herself, noticing the unfamiliar blonde. New student? ”Weel, look at thes wee lass. Got yerself an assistant, did ye?”

The Doc was in (honestly, Maya would have been shocked to see he wasn't, Doc practically lived in his office, for better or worse). Maya sighed a small sight of relief as they walked in.

>>”Oh, guid, yer here.”

>>“And you’re… a bird. You weren’t a bird last checkup.”

>>”Amazin’ observation, thenks. Ah woke up loch thes and was hopin’ ye coods help me figure it why?”

Maya stood back, letting DocProf take the lead. There was a kid in with him, bud judging from the tiny lab coat and clipboard, she was probably playing doctor rather than being a patient. There was... something about her... as she turned, Maya suddenly got very distracted from what was going on.

>>“Of course. We’ll take a proper look at what’s going on here—young lady, for the sake of patient privacy, can you please go?”

>>”Weel, look at thes wee lass. Got yerself an assistant, did ye?”

Maya stared. That kid... that girl... surely, she couldn't be?... This was not her first encounter this week with someone who was their own younger self. But for the sake of her sanity she prayed to everything that was holy for there to be another explanation.
Any other explanation.

"Uhh... I mean, hi. I'm Maya. And you are?..."

Evelyn listened to the exchange closely, clearly ignoring the request from Doc to leave. She started scrawling rapidly on her notebook, nodding vigorously while the echoes and her collaborated.

[Early, dishevele. New mutation appeared this morning. Living at mansion suggest both mutants.] The feathered girl seemed to be having some type of discomfort, So morning sickness was a possibility. After all, many doctors did ask the first question when someone came in for pain: is there the possibility of you being pregnant. Given that both girls were, well, girls, that seemed unlikely.

However... Evelyn looked closer at Maya, eyes silver as her powers buzzed busily. There was something almost androgynous in the choice of clothing and general behavior. It was there, ever so subtly beyond the surface. Then there were comments she had heard during her time here about odd talents. Given that both were mutants, there was the possibility of cheating or...

”So how long have you been shifting genders, Maya? Since birth? She was already scrawling out a timeline. Parents could pass on some characteristics to their children, after all. It would make sense a child could start generating their own mutation at a rapid pace.

“Evelyn!” DocProf seemed exasperated by her question. She kept writing.

Becca stepped toward the table and did her best to use her wings like arms to lift herself up. She was careful not to apply too much weight, knowing bird bones were hollow. Did her bones change? That would make it difficult to fight… and she was already considering how pointless her shield was now beyond one more weapon to manipulate with her magnetism. At least that had not changed.

DocProf returned to her, seemingly exhasperated by his little helper. Becca wanted to be present for Maya talking with the girl, because she genuinely loved watching her girlfriend tend to the kids of the Mansion, but she had more pressing concerns to focus on.

“Well, I don’t believe my mutation will help diagnose what’s going on here—if this is an injury or illness, it’s a bizarre one.” That said, he still laid a hand on Becca’s wing just to be sure. No dice. Sighing, he pulled out a device to scan the wing instead. “Any odd symptoms recently?”

”Loch moltin?” she asked flatly. ”Nae, naethin’ that seems tae connect. Ah’ve been under th’ weather lately, bit that seems tae gae aroond th’ mansion e’ry Winter. Though thes whole theng is makin’ me sick wi’ nerves.”

“Which we’ll figure out, I promise.” The elder healer of the Mansion had a way of calming patients, even in the face of the unknown. He triggered the scan and checked the screen it was attached to. “Interesting. The bone structure has shifted a little, but the bones themselves are still clearly human. Certainly won’t be flying with all this weight, sadly. Or gladly?”

Becca arched an eyebrow. ”Unsure, really. If Ah’m stuck loch thes, flight woods hae been nice. Though that sadly disnae give any mair clues tae whit happened t’ me.” This just felt too unrelated to her mutation to be a natural progression.

Becca waddled off to take a seat on Doc's examining table, and Maya was left to deal with the diminutive assistant that looked very eerily like Evelyn. The thought made her feel kind of dizzy, to be honest. Whatever it was, the blonde kid did not seem to notice, or care.

>>”So how long have you been shifting genders, Maya? Since birth?"

How did she...? Did she remember? But then why was she acting the way she was acting?... Did she have some kind of a medical mutation too? Maya took a seat in a nearby chair.

"Uh... before" she answered the question, too rattled to think.

>>“Evelyn!”

DAMN.

Maya felt like she was going to pass out. Any minute now.

"Eve...? Wh... what happened to you?"

Evelyn was still taking notes, nodding to herself. Becca was pulled aside and Evelyn was left with Maya instead. Well, she already made her deduction so it didn’t matter much if she went along. Her interest was peaked by Maya’s next comment though.

What happened? Evelyn looked up, really taking notice this time. [Recognition. Confusion. Surprise.] Recognition? Oh, this was someone who knew her from when she was older. She had gathered little information about that time, other than what she could gather from her credit cards, ID and public records. She knew she had been close to the same age as these two, and the discomfort on Maya’s face suggested more.

Well, that was a surprising twist. ”I didn’t realize I was bisexual. Then again, that wouldn’t have been listed on my public record.” She looked like she was chewing on that thought for a minute before she pushed that thought away. ”Not that I am really of age to decide such things now. Whatever this, shall we call it, age reversal is, I’m afraid it has overrun what information my playbacks could have provided. But really, I can’t imagine why I would have chosen you anyway. You seem a bit mundane to me.” the statement came dismissively.