The drive wasn't long; about 15 minutes or so, Sam guessed. Eventually, they pulled into a small, old and cracked driveway outside of a small apartment building that had six units. The clerk put the car in park and turned off the engine, giving Sam a gentle smile.

"It's not much but it's the best I can do right now." The clerk says as she gathers her purse and keys. "I've had to tighten my belt a bit in the past few years."

"Thank you for letting me stay here..." Sam replied, pulling the hood of her jacket over her ears. She cautiously opened the door, making sure nobody was looking before quickly tucking her tail into her jeans.

The clerk leads Sam inside, locks the door, and closes the curtains to the front window behind them. It was a small one-bedroom unit with an out-dated kitchen, peeling wallpaper, and concrete floors that had been covered in various threadbare rugs. A small breakfast bar separated the living room from the kitchen. There was a small, older TV in the apartment that looked like it was scarcely used. A large, solid wood bookshelf sat against the back wall. It was filled with tomes on various subjects, old newspapers and magazines, and a variety of nicknacks and collectables. In front of an old couch was a coffee table that had even more books and magazines stacked on it. The clerk sat Sam down on the couch and smiled at her.

“Now.” She exhaled as she propped her elbows on her knees and cupped her hands together. “I don’t think we introduced ourselves properly. My name is Prisha Singh. What is yours?” She pointed at her with her hands still cupped together.

“S-Samantha. Sam, really.” Sam replied, her voice still raspy from dis-use.

“And you are a variant, Sam?” Prisha asked, walking toward the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk.

“Yes ma’am.” Sam responded. “I don’t know if it’s an Accidental Augment thing, or if I’m just a late-blooming Innate. At school they had a class and said that sometimes happens…”

“I’ve read the same thing.” Prisha pulled out a couple of boxes of cereal from a cabinet above the fridge and held them up. “Which would you prefer? I’m sorry I don’t have much more to offer.”

“The left.” Sam responded, pointing at the box of Marshmallow Yummy-O’s. “It’s fine… I’m--” She paused and took a deep breath. “Thank you...”

“Thank YOU.” Prisha smiled, grabbed a large cereal bowl, and filled it to the brim. “You saved my life, Sam.”

Sam looked down and away. There were still blood specks decorating her fur, despite washing her hands in the bathroom before leaving the gas station. And of course there was the smell… Prisha might not have been able to notice it but Sam did. The smell of blood.

“I almost killed him. If you hadn’t stopped me I might have.…”

“But you didn’t.” Prisha came over and handed Sam the bowl of cereal before she sat down beside her. “I was afraid you were going to, so I stopped you. But something tells me that if you really wanted to kill that man, you could have with or without me stopping you.”

Sam quietly ate her cereal, trying her best to take it slow and be polite, despite her hunger demanding she eat faster.

“So,” Prisha continued, “Why are you determined to keep yourself hidden? There are variants who live and work just like civilians.” Prisha cocked her head.

“I know…but there aren’t that many variants who look like... this, either.” Sam swallowed a bite of cereal. “Plus, I’m being chased by dudes in uniforms and it’s...it’s scary. I’ve heard stories of Accidentals sometimes being experimented on...when I was in the hospital after I changed, they told my dad they were going to take me away….” Sam took a couple more large bites of the slightly soggy cereal.

“I see.” Prisha nodded. “So-- pardon my curiosity, but-- are your changes only physical or do you have any powers like other variants do?” She leaned forward with interest.

“I’m stronger...I think my reflexes are faster too. When that guy shot at me it was like, I just knew where to dodge...I can hear better, smell better...stuff like that” Sam frowned, setting down her spoon. “It’s kind of scary...I mean I get that like, it isn’t unheard of these days but...I dunno. These powers just came out of nowhere and now these weird people are chasing me….” she trailed off.

“I’m sorry. I know that must be very hard.” Prisha placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. Sam looked at her, frowning at the red welt on her face and the bruise under her eye. Prisha’s long black hair was parted down the center and braided in the back. She had dark brown, kind eyes and a round, pleasant-looking face. On her forehead was a red bindi. She was still dressed in the gas station uniform, a navy blue shirt with the company logo on the upper right pocket and then a pair of khaki pants with a brown belt. “So if you are trying to hide, why did you stop that robber in the gas station?”

Sam thought for a minute. She honestly wasn’t entirely sure. “I don’t know really. I mean...I couldn’t just…” She shook her head. “I thought about just calling the cops and bailing, but...I was afraid. I was scared of what would happen. Like, if I wouldn’t step in, who would? And it was happening right there...right then...and I was right there...right then...it seemed...selfish to not do something. Does that make sense?”

Prisha nodded, smiling kindly. “It does. And your heart was in the right place.” She paused and looked serious as she said, “But you cannot allow your powers to go unchecked.”

Sam nodded and closed her eyes, setting the spoon back into the now empty cereal bowl. “I know, I know.” She sighed and looked up at Prisha. “I have to be more careful.”

“Good girl.” Prisha patted Sam’s back motherly. “Are you still hungry?”

Sam nodded, nearly crying at the touch of a friendly human after all this time. “If you don’t mind?”

“Help yourself.” Prisha gestured to the kitchen. “What’s mine is yours.”

With Prisha’s blessing, Sam quickly gave her thanks before she ran into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets for more food to eat.

Prisha insisted that Sam stay with her for the next week at least to take a break from her journey and just rest for a while. Sam didn’t protest at all, happy to have a bed to sleep in for the first time in what felt like years. The two became fast friends. Sam viewed Prisha as an older sister figure, and if she was being honest with herself, she enjoyed being taken care of by someone again. Prisha, who Sam learned had been living alone since her husband passed away, was glad for the company. Prisha’s mother, father, younger brother Reyansh, and younger sister were living on the other side of the states in Washington. Although she wanted to join them, student loans and car payments anchored her in Tennessee until she could save up enough to move back with them.

Sam found herself falling into a comfortable, predictable schedule: She would read while Prisha was working, entertaining herself with the books in place of television. After work, Prisha would come home with groceries and show Sam how to make everything from biryani to “sam”osas (Prisha loved puns). They would talk and joke around while they cooked, ate, and cleaned together. Sam slept in the spare bedroom while Prisha studied most of the night, and she would wake up when Prisha left in the morning. Sam felt better than she had in months, but she wasn’t quite ready to leave. Prisha must not have been ready for her to leave either, since they both quietly ignored the 7 day deadline.

Sam was halfway through “The Invisible Man” when Prisha came back to the apartment and fumbled to lock the door behind her. She had some shopping bags in her hands that she quickly set down on the ground. Sam, who was reading a book on the couch, looked up at Prisha and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” The tigress stood up and reached out toward her.

“I’m sorry, Sam. You have to leave.” Prisha closed the blinds. “There were people in army uniforms at the gas station today. They were asking questions about the robbery and showed me a photograph of you.” Sam’s eyes widened in shock. “ I-I tried to tell them I didn’t know you but I don’t think they believed me…” She frowned, her eyes welling up with tears. “I-I’m so sorry, Sam!”

Sam frowned and walked over to Prisha, pulling her into a hug. “It’s okay...I knew this probably wouldn’t last forever.” Her ears fell back slightly. “I’ll go get my things.”

“H-here.” Prisha picked up one of the shopping bags. “Some new clothes and supplies. There’s a burner phone in there as well as a charger. I put my email address in the contacts. Please…” She cupped Sam’s face motherly, “lease stay in touch.”

Sam smiled and nodded. “Thank you so much...I’ll do my best…” She hugged Prisha once more and then ran toward the spare bedroom, quickly gathering her things and shoving them into her pack.

Once she had everything, Prisha drove her to the opposite end of town. They pulled into an old lumber mill that was long since abandoned and parked the car. After a long, tearful goodbye, Sam jogged off into the woods, disappearing into the thick trees. Prisha frowned and returned to her car, wondering if she’d ever hear from Sam again...