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The Victoria Chronicles

Chapter 21

Adjusting

The next few days settled into a strange new routine. For the town everyone was on edge. Word had gotten out about the abduction of people. Maybe they were sent from the government, maybe they were a cell that had gone rogue. Maybe they were alien shape shifters here to harvest people. Only a very few held any belief in the last one, but a lot of people had seen what had happened on main street that day and had heard the rumors. Now the truth was out that someone _was_stealing people. And someone else was working to stop them.

There were plenty of rumors surrounding Vix as well. Who was she? What was she? Was she some sort of monster? A werewolf? Those things didn't exist, right? What was she doing? Is she something to cheer, or something to fear? Those she had helped already were stepping forward now to tell of their encounters. These were all positive. But the town was divided on what she was and what should be done. Should she be captured and caged? Should she be honored for her good deeds?

A lot of people had seen her chasing down the men responsible for the abductions. They had only seen her in her vulpine form but now many people were now aware of her existence.

Vix didn't know any of this. Edna and Kristine hadn't allowed her to leave the farm. There really wasn't anything stopping Victoria from leaving, but after all the help they had given her and they had taken her in she couldn't just not listen to them. Beside, where was she going to go? Frank hadn't returned yet and the yard was still closed while he was gone.

Not a minute went by where she was truly left alone. There was always someone nearby her. After her outbursts and realization at the thrift store they were concerned for her. Vix understood this, but still felt bad about it. She wasn't even left alone at night. There was at least one of the Crawford's that would stay the night. They would take turns each night on who would have the duty as they called it.

Vix didn't mind per se, the company was comforting, but she was starting to get a little stir-crazy. At least during the day she had something to do. She could go downstairs and clean the inevitable mess Earle would leave the shop in. Or she would fix something on the tractors. Some sort of mantainence to distract her mind.

But at night. Vix didn't enjoy the night as much as she used to. She kept having the same nightmare each night like clockwork. But each night it would be worse, more vivid. And each time she would wake up with a start.

After that, and after whoever had the duty that night had calmed her back down, Vix found it hard to get back to sleep. She wasn't getting much of it these days. At least the Crawford's could change out each night. Vix didn't have that luxury.

At least the bath was a onetime event and they let her shower normally. She did not want to go through that embarrassment again. She wasn't a kid after all. What she did want to do was get back to her main task, finding her friends. But with no new leads there wasn't much she could do about it. She'd just be looking blindly.

The Crawford's tried to help in their own ways, but there was only so much that they could do. So she tried to keep herself busy in other ways.

It had been five days since her breakdown in the shop, but Vix seemed to be doing better, her case of cabin fever non-withstanding.

For the first time since the 'incident' Vix was left to her own devices. She was alone in the shop under her apartment while everyone else was doing things of importance. Pops was working out in a field somewhere, Kristine was in her clinic, Edna was off the property doing something, and Katie was watching her younger siblings.

With nothing else to do Vix had decided to go down to the shop and do something constructive. She was working on a tractor that Pops was having trouble getting started and keep running. Pops suspected the carburetor. Vix had taken one look at it and confirmed it. So now she was disconnecting the fuel line and air hose so that she could remove it from the engine.

Behind her she heard the door open and shut. She didn't need to turn to know who it was, she could tell by smell alone. And she had gotten good at identifying the family by scent.

"Oh, you're down here. I thought they were keeping you locked away upstairs?" Earle said derisively.

"I'm not a prisoner you know, and today everyone is otherwise busy, and I needed something to do. And Pops asked me to fix this tractor since he's busy. So I figured I would do him a favor and fix the carb on it." Victoria said flatly. "Why? Hoping to catch me without cloths again?" Vix still hadn't turned around to face Earle, but her ears had swiveled to track his movements.

"Look, I told Edna and Kristine I was sorry! I didn't know they were giving you a bath!" Earle protested.

Vix didn't look up from the tractor as she responded, "Try knocking first. And my apology?"

"Why would I apologize to you?" Earle asked.

"For several reasons. But mostly because it would be the right thing to do." Vix said as she extracted the last nut holding the carb to the engine. She removed the carb and walked over to a nearby bench where she had already assembled an assortment of tools she would need to dismantle the carb and, if necessary, clean and rebuild it. For this job she was forgoing her multi-tool in favor of more conventional tools. It helped to make her feel human, something she lacked these days when she looked in the mirror. She then turned her head to look at Earle. "What's your deal? Everyone else has accepted me here. What your problem with me?" She asked pointedly.

"Just look at yourself! You're just some freak of nature. Something that shouldn't exist." Earle said flatly. "The only reason I tolerate your existence on the farm is because I'm out voted and my wife and in-laws find you as some kind of weird distraction. Otherwise your ass would be on the street!"

"I see." Vix replied flatly and turning back towards the bench. "So you don't see me as a person at all, do you?" Vix said. She started methodically dismantling the carb and laying out the parts in organized rows. She reached towards a power-strip mounted to the back of the workbench and clicked on the switch, turning on something she had rigged up earlier just in case Earle should wonder in. A quiet rhythmic clicking was dimly heard somewhere in the shop. Earle didn't seem to hear it. "Well, I guess I know now where I stand with you at least." Vix said trying not to let her rising anger show.

"Like I said, all you are is some sort of abomination. Nothing more." Earle explained brusquely. "Now what the hell did you do with all the tools? I can't find anything since you got here!" Earle demanded.

"You mean since I cleaned the shop?" Vix asked as she turned back to the carburetor.

"Whatever! I just need my tools so I can continue with what 'I'm' doing!" he said in that same accusing tone.

"First, they're Pops tools. That's what he told me anyway. Second, he mentioned that he was tired on not being able to find anything so I clean 'his' shop for him in return for everything he and everyone else have done for me." Vix explained tersely. She was getting tired of Earle's attitude and just wished he would find what he wanted and go away and leave her alone.

"Whatever!" he repeated, "Just tell me what you did with all the screwdrivers!" he demanded.

"Blue tool chest, top box, left side, third drawer down." Vix said making like she was ignoring him. Or trying to anyway.

Earle stomped over to the tool-chest Vix mentioned and opened the described drawer. Inside he was somewhat surprised to see a perfectly organized drawer. Flat-headed screwdrivers on the left, Philips head-screwdrivers on the right, and square and Torx in the center. Despite himself he was impressed, but refused to show it. Instead he selected what he needed and turned to leave the shop.

He reached out to grab the handle for the door, and when he grasped it he got a sudden jolt that shot up his arm. He quickly pulled he hand back and shook it a few times to get the feeling back and shake off the fading pain. He turned to look at Vix. She was watching him intently, but didn't seem to show either pleasure nor delight on her face. Instead she showed a quiet satisfaction in something that needed to be done and not much else.

"Now we're even." She said flatly. She flicked the switch of the power-strip off then turned back to what she was doing with a swish of her tail. Earle was about to say something when the door was opened from the outside and Pops walked in. Instead Earle decided to just go. With Pops here now to back her up there wasn't any point in arguing further.

For his part Pops was just a little surprised to see Earle stomp out angrily. "What's his problem?" he asked after Earle had left, slamming the door behind him.

"He was shocked to see me out of the apartment and wearing cloths." Vix said offhandedly and with a slight scowl. She started dismantling the carburator. "Out of curiosity, why do you keep such an old tractor like this around? Surly you can get more work out of the newer more modern ones you have?"

"I use this one for smaller jobs like pulling carts and running the silo blower. Keeps the big ones free for running the larger implements for field work." Pops replied as he watched Vix take the carburator apart. He was somewhat amazed by how quickly she did it. As if she had done this before. Considering her past job experience she had mentioned before it was quite possible that she had.

Vix thought about what Pops said about the tractor for a brief moment, then shrugged. Made sense really. The tractor wasn't suited for large fieldwork. But for small jobs? That made sense.

Soon enough she had the carb dismantled. "Well, I see a couple of problems. The float's got a small hole in it and the jets have more play in them than they should. Going to be a complete rebuild." The vixen said as she twiddled a random screwdriver from the bench in her paws. She seemed a bit agitated Pops thought. While most of her seemed composed her tail was thrashing a bit in agitation and her ears were folded back halfway. He saw it coming before a few moments later she let out an angry growl and hurled the screwdriver across the shop where it struck a wooden pillar and stuck there, sinking into the wood nearly to the handle.

Pops just stood there with a stoic expression on his face. He had seen this before and she needed to get it out of her system. Vix was less calm about it. Her ears couldn't get anymore flattened against her head if she tried, and her eyes were as wide as saucers when she saw what she had just done.

"I'm...sorry about that. I di--" she started to say but Pops stopped her.

"Don't worry about it." He said in his calming voice. "I get it. Believe me, he's riled me from time to time too. Besides, at least you threw one of the shitty screwdrivers. I've been meaning to throw that one out anyway. That's why I had it and a few other worn-out tools out. Just hadn't gotten around to pitching them or repurposing them yet."

Vix looked down at the bench and the tools she was using and the ones that had already been on the bench in a far corner, then up at the post. She hadn't really noticed what she had grabbed at and was surprised that apparently she had the presence of mind to grab a junk one.

Vix visibly deflated a bit but kept her ears down. "What's his problem with me? I mean, he apologized to everyone but the person who he walked in on! I'm not even all that upset about the event, but specifically ignoring that I'm a person really hurts." Vix looked down towards the floor and sagged her shoulders a bit. "More than I thought it would. I hate to admit it, but I'm having a bit of trouble with my emotions."

"I've noticed." Pops said calmly, "Thinking about your friends again?" he asked.

Vix didn't respond immediately. "They're never far from my mind." She said softly.

"Let me guess, you feel powerless to do anything. Am I right?" Pops asked.

"You speak as if you've had some experience yourself." Vix said looking back up at him.

"Had more than my fair share." Pops said knowingly, "All you can do is be patient and wait for an opportunity to act."

"You say that as if it is an easy thing to do." Vix said, quirking an ear.

"It's not." Pops said firmly. "Anyone who says otherwise hasn't really had to. But remember, your body has also changed a lot too. Perhaps you just need more time for things to settle? I'm sure you'll get things under control sooner or later." Pops said in that slow and calming way he had. A lot like Edna really. "As for Earle, just try to ignore him as best you can. Either he will warm up to you or he won't. Just keep in mind he has about as much tact as a brick to a plate-glass window."

Vix made a sound between a huff and a quiet chuckle. "Why does it seem everyone her has some sort of therapy training? Except Earle of course."

"Comes with raising a family." Pops said with a chuckle. "Edna actually has had training, Kristine is just that way, and I...well, let's just say I've seen and experienced stuff and leave it at that." He said with a slight wooden expression and a hint of 'don't ask'.

Vix didn't say anything for a bit. When she did her voice was quiet, like she wasn't comfortable with something on her mind. "I assume Edna's told you about me by now?"

"She has." Pops simply said, knowing what she was talking about and how uncomfortable it was making her.

"You know what I am, who I was." She said hesitantly, dreading what might come next. "Has your opinion of me changed at all?" she asked with a bit of fear in her voice. She didn't want to ask, but she had to know where she stood.

Pops sighed before saying anything. When he did his voice was level and firm, honest and without malice. "Look, Vic. What happened to you was done outside your control, and without your consent. And even if you had known, known what you would become out the other side, chosen what would come over death. You're just a person who got dealt some bad cards. Do I think less of you for what and who you are now? No. No I don't. As far as I'm concerned you are just a person. Everything else including appearances is secondary."

"That helps me more than you know." Vix said. "With all that's happened...I don't know how to feel anymore."

"Is that because of your looks, or something else?" Pops asked.

"It's everything! I look in the mirror and it's not me! But my looks are only the tip of the iceberg! It's all the alien things I can do, the strength, the perception! All the stuff I can do that a human can't. It's scary! And I'm the only one! It makes me feel...alone..."

"Is that why you're using my tools rather than you multi-doohickey?" Pops asked.

"Yeah..." Vix said hesitantly. "It helps me feel...normal. Sort of."

"Try not to overthink it Vic. Sure, your body might be different now, and there's the gender thing. But. You are still human under all that. Hold onto that. If using regular tools helps you, then do it. But remember this, as far as the family is concerned you are human despite your looks and abilities. Hold onto that." Pops stated.

"Thank you Pops. That helps to hear you say that." Vix said.

The shop fell silent for several minutes before anyone spoke again.

Pops was the first to break the silence that had fallen, and he quickly changed the topics. Putting an end to the subject. "So what's the deal with the carb?"

Vix sighed, not because of the carb, more a sigh of relief at a change in the conversation, and her ears perked up a bit. "Well like I said, it's a complete rebuild." She turned around to face Pops and lean back against the workbench. "I don't suppose you have a rebuild-kit for this style of carb for this tractor?"

"Not presently, no." Pops replied, "But Ed should have one kicking around the back at his store. I'd go and get it now, but I'm too busy with other farm stuff that needs to get done today."

Vix thought for a moment before responding. "Ok, I'll go get it." She said as she headed for the stairs for her apartment.

"How are you going to get into town? Everyone is busy, and it's a tad far to walk." Pops asked, curious what she was planning to do.

"I figured I'd take my bike. You know, put some miles on it. I haven't had much chance to ride it at all. And the weather's nice." Vix replied.

"I thought Edna wanted you to hang around the farm?"

"I don't intend to get into trouble." Vix said.

"You never do, and yet it seems to find you." Pops remarked.

"It didn't use to. Not this bad anyway." Vix mumbled half to herself.

"Well, be careful. I was in town earlier this morning and you are the talk of the town."

"Ah geeze!" Vix sighed. "Of course they are. Wait, which me?" Vix asked.

"The fox you mainly. You've help a lot of people, and you are gaining some notoriety." Pops said. "And a few people are talking about the human you. But in more of a 'Have you seen that new girl in town?' kinda thing."

"Not sure how to feel about all that." Vix said with one ear up and the other swiveled back and down a bit.

"I wouldn't worry too much about either." he said, "Just be yourself and keep a low profile."

"I'll keep that in mind." Vix said before going upstairs to her apartment. She reappeared soon after wearing the leather jacket she got from the thrift shop.

Pops followed her outside where she went around the building to where her bike was still sitting under the outside stairs to the apartment.

"Don't you need a helmet? Or at least wouldn't it be a good idea?" Pops asked.

"I probably do not, but still..." Vix thought for a moment. "I could probably use my suit's helmet, but I don't really want to if I don't have to."

"Why not?" Pops asked.

"It...you might think this is stupid, but it makes me feel less human to. I just want to be normal at this point. Or as normal as I can considering..." Vix trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Pops though briefly then said, "Actually, I believe I do have something." He walked off into the back of the shop and disappeared into one of the crowded storage rooms. Vix heard the sounds of boxes being moved and the rummaging through a few of them. He returned sometime later holding an older looking helmet with a swing down full-face guard. "Will this work? I'm sure you could leave the guard up of remove it entirely. Not sure about your ears though."

Vix took the helmet and turned it around in her paws looking at it. "I think I can work with this. Where did it come from?" she asked.

Pops shrugged. "Sometimes we use quads and UTV's to get around to the far places of the farm rather than a truck. It is Kristine's old helmet." He said.

"Huh, would have expected it to be pink. She won't mind?" Vix asked.

"At the time they didn't have any pink ones in stock. Now she has a pink one for those few times she needs one. She won't mind you using it." Pops explained.

"Well then." She said then placed it upright on a workbench. She extracted her multi-tool and ran a quick scan on her head, Particularly her ears. Then pointed the tool at the face-guard of the helmet. With some work the tool pulled the guard outwards enough to give room to her muzzle. Then she worked on the crown of the helmet and with the tool pulled two slanted back three-sided pyramids in about the location her ears would sit if she had them swept back. She also made some slanted holes on the back side of the ear protrusions for ventilation and to allow some sound to get to her ears. Putting her tool away Vix then picked up the helmet and turned it this way and back.

Satisfied with her modifications Vix put the helmet on with the face-guard up. It was a little awkward at first as she slid her ears back, but once the helmet was on her ears felt comfortable in the space she made for them. She then pulled the face guard down. Her muzzle fit within the confines of the lower faceguard with her whiskers lightly brushing the inside padding.

"How's it feel?" pops asked.

"Actually, not too bad. It's a bit strange the way my ears and muzzle fit, but not uncomfortable." Vix paused for a moment to consider what she had just said. "That's still a strange sentence to say. It still feels strange having these ears, and a muzzle. And have fur. With all of that the helmet isn't as annoying at all.

"Having that tool must be useful." Pops said impressed.

"It's annoying." Vix replied as she took the helmet back off again. "All these, gifts, for lack of a better word just reinforce that my life is far from the normal it used to be."

"Maybe." Pops said, "But I'm sure there are those that would kill for just some of those abilities." He said facetiously.

"That's one of the things that concern me. And likely what that asshole Smith wants." Vix said with some unease. "Among other things."

Vix walked to the door and left the shop. Pops followed behind her. They walked around the front of the building as if to go up the outside stairs to her living space above the shop, but instead she went around the stairs to where her bike was under the staircase out of the weather. She put the helmet on the seat and pulled the bike out into the open where she then gave it a once over to make sure everything was still in working order.

"Still going to go into town anyway, huh?" Pops asked.

"Well if no one else has the time to get the parts, then yes. It's not like I have anything better to do." Victoria said as she straddled the bike and put her helmet on. But for the time being she left the face shield up.

"Well if you insist on going do try to be careful. The towns pretty stirred up right now. There are a lot of people who don't know what to make of a six foot talking fox." Pops advised. "Try to keep your head down and out of trouble. There are a few that wouldn't take kindly to you ever if you were doing good. Try to stay out of sight and look human as much as possible. That's just my 5 cents of advice." He said concerned.

"I'll do my best." She said. Vix reached down to the side of the engine and turned on the ignition switch. She then gave the starter peddle a kick and the motor sprung to life. She could probably throw in a motorized starter at some point, but why? With her strength it would be redundant. It wasn't like it was very hard for her to just kick-start it after all.

"See you when I get back." Vix said before dropping the faceguard into place and releasing the hand clutch. She idled down the driveway then kicked it up a few gears as she speed down the road, her tail fluttering in the slipstream behind her.

The ride into town was uneventful. And it was just what Vix needed. She didn't so as have fun as she found it peaceful, and she found some enjoyment and solace in that.

As she entered town she used her human form with barely a thought, but noticed that the small town had changed somewhat.

People were walking the streets sure, but they did it in small groups, and there weren't that many people about despite being midday. Few walked alone. There was also a larger police presence visible. Not in a curfew way, but in a way that the vixen noted that they wanted to be seen and were watching for trouble. Whether this was a good thing or not Vix was unsure. But considering what had been happening she couldn't really blame them. She'd have to ask the sheriff about that before she left town and back to the farm.

The disguised vixen also noticed that she was getting a bit more attention then past visits. Some gave her looks of suspicion. Others idle curiosity. A few were more to her attractive looks. Most of them shared one thing in common, who was this newcomer to town?

She recognized a few faces though as belonging to those she had recently helped in some way. But because she had the faceguard pulled down no one recognized her. It was probably for the best.

Pulling into the parking lot for the hardware store Vix pulled the bike into a space near the building and gave a light kick to the kickstand as she turned off the engine and pulled out the key. She pulled up the faceguard and then pulled off the helmet before hanging it from the handlebars. Vix got off the bike and unzipped her jacket. She looked in the windows to make sure the place wasn't too busy before going inside.

Once inside Vix walked to the front desk. But once she got into view she saw that Ed was already working with a customer. So she wondered around the isles nearby perusing until he was done.

Finally she heard Ed finishing with the last customer and made her way to the front counter.

"Have a good day." Ed was heard saying before turning to look at Vix. "Oh, good to see you again Victoria." He said in a genuinely happy voice at see her. "What brings you in today? Staying out of trouble?"

"Trying to. I need a carb rebuild kit for one of Pops tractors." Vix replied with a pleasant smile on her face. She was happy to be doing such a mundane thing as procuring replacement parts. It had a familiar sense of 'normalcy' that Vix had been missing lately.

"What tractor is it for?" Ed asked walking around the counter. Vix told him the make and model of the tractor. "Hmm...I think I still have a few kicking around in storage. Could you watch the front while I go in back to look?"

"Sure? What is someone comes in?" Vix asked.

"Just tell anyone coming in I'll be back in a few minutes." Ed said.

"Uhm, ok." Vix said uncertainly.

Ed nodded and headed towards the back of the store and disappeared into the back. Vix looked around the front of the store. Currently she was the only person on the sales floor, so all she really needed to do was hang around near the front. She wondered down a few isles while keeping the entrance in site and her ears open for the jingle of the bell over the door. Just to kill some time she did a little tidying of the merchandise, pulling stuff to the front to make the selves look stocked. There really wasn't much of that to do as Ed kept little things like that in order. And the rest of the store was in good shape too. She instead looked around to see what was carried and made a mental note in case she needed anything in the future.

While she was ambling down an aisle, doing some mild window shopping, the door chime ringed out indicating someone had come into the store. Vix headed back down the aisle to see who had just entered the store. Standing near the counter was a thirty-something aged man.

As Vix walked over the man turned around and noticed her. "Oh, do you work here?"

"Only temporarily. Ed in back looking for a part. Can I help you with something?" Vix asked pleasantly.

"Oh I don't know. I think I need a man's perspective." The man said.

"Don't let the gender fool you. I know far more than you might think." Vix replied.

"Well, you see. I'm having a plumbing problem." The man said after a bit of thought. He went on to describe his issue while Vix listened patiently, only interrupting a view times with a question or two or for clarification.

"Ok, I see what your problem is." Vix said at last, "Follow me to the plumbing aisle and we'll get you sorted out."

Vix lead the man to the plumbing aisle and in short order had the tools and parts he would need.

"There you go. This is all you need." Vix said handing the man the single tool and some rubber washers.

"That's it?" The man asked.

"That's it." Vix replied.

"The plumber said it would need replacing." The man said still a bit confused.

"Sometimes. But in most cases, like the one you describe, it's a fairly simple matter of replacing a washer or tightening the valve. But not too tight, just snug." Vix explained. "Here, let me show you." Vix looked around the shelves till she found a simple faucet. She picked up the box and carried it to the front counter with the man in tow.

"OK, so first thing you want to do is find the set screw that locks the handle on. Sometimes it will have a cover on it. So you pop the cover off," Vix got a fingernail under the lip of the cover and popped it off, "Like this, then you take either a screwdriver or an allen-wrench and unscrew it till the handle is loose enough to pull off." Vix then proceeded to do just that. "Now, you see this set nut here?" the man nodded. "First try tightening it just a bit till the faucet stops dripping. You should still be able to turn the handle. If not back off a bit on the nut. If it starts dripping again then look under the sink. There will be two valves to turn off the hot and cold water respectively. Turn off the appropriate one first. Then loosen the nut till it comes off." Vix did this to the demonstration faucet. "Now, you see this rubber washer here?" the man nodded again, following everything Vix was explaining so far. "This should be the only thing you need to replace. You match up the warn washer with a new one of the right general size. Keep in mind that the old one is likely squashed and warn when comparing. Anyway, replace the washer, and put everything back together." Vix proceeded to reassemble the faucet. "That's it. Turn the water back on slowly so as to not induce water hammer and check to see if anything is leaking. If so just tighten that nut just a little at a time till it stops. You're done."

"That's all that's to it?" the man asked.

"That's it. Pretty simple." Vix said re-boxing the faucet as if it had never been opened.

"That's so simple! Thanks for explaining it all so simply." The man said with a smile on his face. "I actually think I can do this myself!"

Vix smiled back. "No problem. Just remember to turn the water on slowly. If you get a gusher after following all that then the problem is a bigger one and you will likely need to replace the faucet itself. It's not generally that hard, but it can be tedious and difficult to reach some of the pipes and whatnot. At that point don't be afraid to call the plummer then. Sometimes it's easier and less frustrating to call a plummer then. Also, if things go south they are licensed and insured to cover damages if it's a really big thing. But a simple drip is an easy fix 98% of the time." Vix explained.

Vix gathered the man's items together on the counter. "Now, I can't ring you out, but Ed should be back soon if you are willing to wait." She said.

"Actually, I have some other shopping to do nearby. Would it be possible to put these aside for me when I come back and I can deal with Ed?" the man asked.

"I don't see any reason why not." Vix said as she looked around for a pad of paper and a pencil or pen. She found some behind the counter and asked the lady for her name. The man gave his name and Vix wrote it down and tore the page out and put it on the items after putting them on an empty section of shelves behind the counter area. The man thanked her and left just as another man came in the front door.

Vix ended up helping several more customers in a similar fashion. Some were just looking for advice, which she gave easily. Others needed something or other. For those Vix repeated the process of taking their names if they couldn't wait but could come back a little later, while one or two did end up waiting while doing some window shopping in the aisles.

When Vix finished with the last customer she heard the door chime indicating another. So she headed back to the front of the store to render assistance if needed.

When she came round the corner she the greeting she got was not what she was expecting.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" An angry voice came accusing her.