THE MOMENT
"I don't tell a lot of people about this, but you asked," Tessa nodded at her friend, Monday. "I saw one once. At the time, I thought I imagined it; but, now I know it was probably real," she said.
"Probably," Monday agreed. The two teenage girls walked along a forest path alone. It was early in the morning and the sun had not risen above the treetops yet. Only Monday knew where they were going; but, Tessa was comfortable following her. She'd only met Monday the previous day but it changed her world completely. "Where'd you see it?" she asked.
"I was following one of my targets around...," Tessa said. She paused for a moment to see if Monday would react at all. She'd told her new friend about her evenings spent as a violent vigilante; but, she still seemed unconcerned. "...and they visited a company called Sharp Development. I was trying to stay hidden and found a lab with one."
"Oh, that one was definitely real," Monday said.
"What?" Tessa giggled. "How would you even know that? It was like months ago."
"Don't you remember Mundo going over Sharp Development with you?" Monday asked. Tessa could see the end of the forest in the distance; they were nearly out. She could see the golden morning sunlight growing brighter.
"Oh yeah...," Tessa nodded. Mundo gave her so much information she had trouble remembering it all. She was too busy trying to take it in that she didn't notice she'd seen that name before Mundo explained it. "...oh wow," she nodded once her mind gave her the relevant details. The way it was explained to her; Sharp Development essentially ruled the multiverse. It was a corporation spread out across millions of universes all run by one woman, Ms. Dana Sharp. They were capable of almost anything.
"Yeah, that was definitely real," she giggled again at the realization. But, it took her an extra moment to register the implications of everything Mundo told her. "Wait...," she stopped walking. Monday stopped and turned to face her, she moved her rainbow bangs out of the way and gave Tessa her attention.
"They're real.. that means we can go see one??" she asked.
"See one??" Monday asked. She grinned, "Wait till you taste one!"
"Taste..?" Tessa asked. Despite everything she'd learned in the last 24 hours, she still felt queasy at the thought.
"I think it's delicious," Monday shrugged. "But, it's not for everyone; you won't know until you try," she said.
"Okay..," Tessa nodded. She resumed walking forward again. She could see shadowy figures moving beyond the forest; it looked like several dozen people if not more. They were all headed in a single direction. "..I trust you," she added.
"By the way, speaking of Sharp Development...," Monday said. She kept walking; but, she turned slightly and pointed to a red scissor logo on her white blazer. It was the first time Tessa noticed it. When she met Monday, most of her white suit was covered in dark red blood. "...I work for them too. Ms. Sharp is like the best boss ever; she's very generous to her loyal employees."
"Generous?" Tessa asked. "How? I mean, money isn't an issue, right?" Mundo's talk covered a lot of ground, including the fact that Unique Souls didn't have to worry about money as much as Zeros did.
"Sharp Development can make dreams come true," Monday grinned. "And, if Ms. Sharp likes you, there's nothing she can't do."
"Wow," Tessa was impressed. She nodded as they reached the edge of the forest; then, she stopped when she looked forward. "WOW!"
A gleaming white building sat on the path ahead surrounded by several smaller white buildings. Hundreds of people were walking between the buildings with more approaching on paths from the side. On closer inspection, it seemed that most of them were teenagers.
"Welcome to Toku-high," Monday said. "If you want to come to school with me, you can. Or you can go back to the school you were going to on your Earth."
"That's a high school??" Tessa asked as she started walking again.
"It's a high school for Unique Souls only. It's the only one, and there are a lot of Uniques out there in the multiverse. And, it's run by Sharp Development," Monday grinned.
"Of course," Tessa rolled her eyes in amusement. "It's really okay if I join you?" she asked.
"I wouldn't have brought you here if it wasn't," Monday nodded.
"Thank you!" Tessa put her arm around Monday for a brief hug as they continued walking; then, she let go. "But, hey," she had a sudden thought.
"Why'd you ask about whether I'd seen one?"
"Now that we're friends, I wanted to be honest with you," Monday said. She hesitated a moment. "I'm one," she said.
"WHAT!?" Tessa stopped and spun to her right to face Monday. "You're kidding?" She made sure to smile to show Monday she wasn't afraid or angry. She wanted to know more. "You're a unicorn??" Monday shrugged and ran her hand through her rainbow hair.
"Well,... half," she said. "My dad was a unicorn; my mom is a vampire." Tessa's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.
"You're telling me.... you're half unicorn and half vampire???"
"Yeah," Monday smiled broadly and showed off her fangs.
"You're so awesome!" Tessa couldn't contain her giddiness. Ever since she saw the unicorn at Sharp Development, she hoped she would have a chance to see one again. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. Monday seemed content to let her get her wits about her. After a few moments, Tessa decided there was too much happening to stay still on the path. First and foremost, she wanted to go to a school full of people like her. Then, she wanted to see a unicorn. And, along the way, she would learn about her new best friend. She turned and resumed walking. Monday followed.
"Unicorn dad and vampire mom... wow...," Tessa shook her head in awe. "What about the rest of your family? Do you have any? What are they like?" she asked. Monday shook her head; but, her smile grew broader.
"No one else," she said. "This time, I'm an only child."