Baby come back

For obvious reasons, the sudden appearance of Emmy swept through the Banquet Hall like a flood. Everyone was quick to crowd around the new girl, and were bombarding her with questions. Some were from Dawn, trying to figure out what parts of Emmy were really Emmy and how much she actually understood about her present existence, but the more technical questions were drowned out by the surge of excitement and emotion from other girls.

Soon enough, one thing became clear.

“Okay, if what Sylvia and I were thinking is true, and it appears to be, then you can remember details about life, but you don’t have any individual personal memories related to yourself, is that right?” Dawn asked, adjusting her glasses.

Emmy nodded tentatively. She was shaking a little. The poor girl had no memories, and now she was being stared at by a sea of women she didn’t know. Even Carly, who she instinctively felt an immediate connection towards, was still a stranger to her.

Maybe it was a testament to her strength of character that she didn’t immediately collapse into confusion and panic.

“You are capable of conversing, so you must know English,” Amelia noted with an appraising stare. “To an acceptable conversational degree.”

“Um, thank you?” Emmy didn’t know how to respond to that. “Yeah, uh… I can talk… I guess…”

“Can you write?” Amelia queried.

Nick saw the gears turning in his stepmother’s head, and realized that she was considering the possibility of bringing another student into her classroom.

That raised all kinds of concerns.

“Let’s test out your education,” Dawn said, just as curious as Amelia in that regard. She leaned forward excitedly. “How about basic multiplication? Can you tell me what 9 x 14 equals?”

“Uh…” Emmy’s mind raced for a second as she calculated the answer in her head. “I think it’s… 126? Is that right?”

Dawn pulled back and blinked. Her ears twitched. “…Yes, that’s correct. So it seems she’s received at least some degree of formal education. She just can’t remember it.”

Emmy scratched her head. “I can remember some stuff,” she mumbled, nodding. “Like, I know facts about history, reading books in literature classes, I know science stuff, but it’s like, I don’t remember learning any of it, does that make sense?”

“It absolutely does,” Sylvia said, nodding. “The same thing happened to me. When Dakota created me, she basically downloaded me with all kinds of relevant information. It’s something the producers require of basically every host that’s created, so we can function and communicate with others.”

“Cre-created?” Emmy blinked rapidly and stared at Sylvia. “What?”

“I don’t think that’s the best thing,” Marley said, frowning. “I mean, if Dakota was going to go that far, couldn’t she at least have given you artificial memories? Like, the memory of a life growing up with Carly and I, or something?”

Emmy looked shyly at Marley. The older woman looked so much like her, and almost exactly like her mother. She instinctively felt a connection with Marley the same way she did with Carly, though of course not as strong.

“She wanted me to make memories with Emmy from the ground up,” Carly said, reaching out and gently cradling her daughter’s hand. “It’s not going to be easy, but… we’ll manage.” She turned and looked at her daughter, anxiety obvious in her eyes. “…I hope, right?”

Emmy hesitated for a second, then nodded.

“I’m curious about all this extra added detail,” Kim said, stroking her chin. “How far does it go? If you remember stuff like math and science and literature, then do you remember having preferences about all that stuff? Or is it just raw data?”

“Oh!” Mary’s face lit up. She pressed her hands together. “Do you have a favorite book?”

Emmy swung her head towards the redhead and opened her mouth to answer. “I-”

“What about movies?” Rose butted in. “Do you like french independent films?”

“I-I’ve never seen any, so I don’t-”

“Anime!” Morgana blurted out. “Do you have any memories of watching anime?”

“Um…”

“How about horses, what’s your opinion on horses?” Vivian asked with a laugh.

“They-they’re alright, I suppose…”

“What about music, what’s your favorite genre?” Gina asked next.

“I guess I like, uh…”

“What’s your favorite sexual position? Do you have any kinks?”

“Um… wait, WHAT?!”

“Holly!” Nick snapped, pulling back the eager brunette.

“Guys, give her some space,” Dani said, stepping between the flustered Emmy and the crowd of girls overwhelming her with questions.

“Yeah, let’s all take a breath, okay?” Carly agreed, wrapping her arms protectively around her daughter. “Don’t overwhelm her!”

Emmy let out a deep breath, and relaxed. “Sorry… I guess… I’m still really confused,” she admitted sheepishly. “Can someone please explain? I don’t remember how I got here… I don’t know where ‘here’ is… that lady said I was brought back to life, but… everything else…”

Nick sighed. He should have expected Dakota to toss her to the wolves without explaining anything, she was just that kind of woman. And as usual, he would have to pick up the pieces.

It took some doing, but eventually Emmy was brought up to speed about where they were and what was going on. Thankfully someone had thought to bring her a chair, because by the time everyone had finished filling her in, Emmy found herself with hardly enough strength to stand.

“…Okay… so… we’re on a reality show… that’s being broadcast to a bunch of different dimensions… and the plot of the show is that you all are competing to become a part of this guy’s harem?” A very worn-out Emmy looked vexingly at Nick and bit her lip.

Nick winced.

“‘This guy’ has a name, you know,” Rose pointed out.

“…Right, yeah, sorry… Nick was it?” Emmy rubbed her temples and sighed. “You’re the master of this whole thing.”

“That’s right,” Nick said. “And before you ask, this wasn’t my idea. I was brought here against my will, same as you.”

Emmy blinked. “Oh, did you also die as a baby, then?”

Gina clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh. Unsuccessfully. “…Hah! This girl’s got a mouth on her! I like her already!”

Nick could only offer a weak smile in his defense.

Sheepishly, Emmy turned up her lips into a half-smile.

“Sorry, just… a bad joke, is all,” she mumbled. “Look, this is all a lot to take in, so…”

“Believe me, we know,” Dawn said, nodding. “You think I started out with cat ears?” She pointed at the twitching ears on her head.

Emmy gasped. “Wait, so those are real? I thought you just liked dressing up like a cat or something, sorry.”

Dawn’s smile flickered for a second. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t exactly dealing with a normal girl.

“Sorry,” Carly said, patting her daughter on the arm. She kept touching her without even realizing it. I just can’t believe she’s real. It’s really her… my Emmy.

She may have looked completely different from how she always thought of her daughter, how she remembered her. But she was really here.

Carly left her hand right where it was. If she let go of Emmy, she might disappear.

Thankfully her daughter didn’t seem to mind. Carly’s touch seemed to help calm her down as well. Meanwhile, Marley was pacing, feeling antsier than ever.

“So do you have any questions for us?” Amelia asked. She knew from experience how easy it was to miss things in conversation. That was why teachers asked questions of their students, so they knew what parts of the material they were missing.

It was a good step. Because Emmy was still having trouble getting everyone’s names straight. She looked around, and sank into her chair slightly.

“Uh… I-I guess… can I ask, um… personal questions?” She hesitated slightly. “I get the rules and all that… She… Sylvia, right?” She looked at the red-haired girl.

Sylvia smiled and nodded. “Yup!” She chirped.

“…Right, um, Sylvia was very thorough, and so were you… Donna?” Emmy guessed next.

“Dawn,” the cat girl gently corrected. “I’m glad we could explain everything to you.”

Nick noticed that Emmy still had that “deer-caught-in-the-headlights” look on her face. He recognized that look- it was the same one he’d caught on her mother the few times he had seen past her smiling mask when she was worried about something.

No wonder Marley looked so concerned. Dani seemed a little on edge as well.

“Emmy,” he said suddenly, making the ponytailed teen jump up in her seat. She looked over at him with wide eyes.

“Y-yes?” She squeaked.

“Is everything alright?” He asked gently. Maybe Carly was too caught up in the heavy emotions to see it, but he couldn’t let his concerns go unspoken. “You seem worried about something.”

Emmy made a gurgling sound in her throat and slumped back in her chair. She nodded slowly, alarming her mother.

“Oh no… is… is there something I can do!?” Carly asked.

Emmy’s eyes widened and she quickly waved her hands. “N-no! No, no, I… it’s okay, you’re great! …M-mom.” It still felt weird saying that. But at the same time, it felt so… right.

Carly sighed in relief. But she still looked concerned.

“Then what is it?” Marley asked gently.

Emmy blushed, and glanced over at Nick. “I… I don’t… I’m a little worried about, the, um… the show part of all this,” she said, looking at all the beautiful women around her. The question she’d been meaning to ask finally rose to the surface. “I mean… how many of you are… in a relationship with that guy?”

A few murmurs and furtive glances among the girls didn’t exactly help Emmy’s anxiety.

Mary and Rose both immediately raised their hands, without hesitation. Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin raised hers a second later.

Dawn was a little more reserved, slowly raising her hand as well while smiling sheepishly. Kim grinned and did the same. Gina raised hers with a roll of her eyes, while Morgana’s trembling hand slowly rose at about the same face her head lowered.

Holly hummed to herself, tapping her foot on the floor. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

Mary elbowed her in the stomach.

Letting out a sigh, Holly rolled her eyes and raised her hand as well.

Emmy watched their hands rise one after another. A stirring of anxiety churned in her chest, and then she saw Carly raise her hand as well. Her face was wracked with guilt, and she gave Emmy an apologetic smile. She could see how flustered her daughter was, but she couldn’t lie to her.

Emmy looked over her shoulder and saw Marley do the same.

“So… a lot, huh?” Emmy mumbled.

“I’m not,” Dani said pointedly.

“Same here,” Vivian said. But Emmy noticed that as the brunette said that, her eyes jumped to Nick for a fraction of a second.

“It’s not for lack of trying,” Sylvia said, scratching her head. “But Daddy and I… our relationship is complicated.”

“I’m his stepmother,” Amelia bluntly informed the young teen. Emmy blushed deeper hearing that.

The only one to say nothing was Ella. She was seriously considering using her mask to turn invisible.

“Look, Emmy, we all have a very strange relationship with Nick,” Carly said gently, trying to break the news as easily as she could to her daughter. “I know you haven’t really had any kind of education about stuff like this, but… even though Nick and I have a relationship… I’m also in a relationship with Dani over there.”

Emmy turned to Dani, surprised. The blue-haired girl stood up a little taller and gave Emmy an awkward nod. She began to play with her hair as Emmy processed all that.

“…So if you’re embarrassed about being here, I totally get it, okay?” Carly said, placing her hand over her daughter’s.

Emmy blinked. “Oh! …No, I-I don’t mind any of that,” she said, shaking her head. “I just… well, it’s not like I’m expected to do anything… right?”

A hush fell over the room as everyone processed what the young woman had just said.

“What!?” Nick exclaimed.

Carly turned white. She looked like she was going to throw up. She quickly retracted her hand. “No! Oh, Emmy, no, no way! Absolutely not!”

“She’s a kid!” Nick’s exclamation was more intended for himself than anyone else in particular. He jumped out of his seat and started pacing around the room, muttering to himself. “Obviously we wouldn’t be doing anything like that, she’s a kid!”

“Yeah, this isn’t like when I was Mimi,” Marley agreed, looking a little sick herself. “Completely different scenario.”

Emmy sagged for a second before letting out a long sigh of relief. Then she sat up straight, like a massive burden had just been lifted from her shoulders, and placed her hand over her pounding heart. “Oh, thank goodness… I just thought… what, with everything you guys were saying about the harem and transformations and challenges, I was afraid I’d have to… …I mean, I haven’t even kissed a guy before!”

She squinted thoughtfully as she realized what she just said. “…Because I’m less than a day old. Sort of… …Am I the only one here really weirded out by this? Is this kind of thing normal for you people?”

Dani shook her head. “Nope, this is VERY weird,” she assured the other woman.

Emmy sighed in relief. “Well, as long as I’m not crazy all by myself.”

Carly squeezed Emmy’s hands tightly. “I promise, Emmy, that you aren’t going to be **** to do anything with Nick. Okay? No matter what Dakota or anybody else says.”

“Yeah, uh, I wasn’t exactly looking to get close to the guy who’s sleeping with my mom along with half the island,” Emmy said dryly. She turned and looked at Nick. “…No offense.”

Nick shook his head. “Believe me, I can’t even think about taking offense to something like that,” he assured her. But even as he said that, he still remembered his conversation with Dakota late last night, and her insistence that he could be even more happy than he already was.

Dakota might be trying to push this outcome... no way will that happen.

Emmy smiled that little half-smile of hers again and turned back to her mom. “I’m kinda just a kid, even though I don’t feel like one. It’s really strange. But I’m glad you’re looking out for me.”

“Oh, of course,” Carly said, reaching out and hugging her daughter again. “And don’t worry. I know how this whole harem thing looks, but my relationship with him is completely physical.”

Emmy winced. “O-okay?”

Marley cleared her throat. “Sis, I’m not sure if this is the right time and place to have this discussion,” she reminded her sister.

Carly’s face burned. “Yeah… maybe not,” she admitted sheepishly. “Sorry, I just… well…”

She looked over at Nick, then her eyes slid over to Dani before finally returning to her daughter again. “I just wanted you to know a bit more about me,” she said gently. “Right now, I’m in a relationship with someone I really love. And in another relationship with a guy who means a lot to me as one of my coolest friends. And I have a sister who could stand to lose a couple pounds…”

“Hey!” Marley snapped.

Emmy laughed incredulously at her mother’s statement and shook her head. She squeezed Carly’s hands back. “No, it’s… it’s okay,” she said, nodding. “I mean it, mom. I get it. This is all new for me too, you know…”

“New for all of us,” Rose said quietly. A few people nodded in silent agreement. Of all the directions this morning could have gone, this definitely was a surprising one.

“Well… hopefully we can get you used to the strange life we have here,” Carly said, finally letting go of her daughter’s hands. “I really can’t wait to get to know you better, Emmy.”

“I can’t wait to get to know me better, too,” Emmy said dryly. “And, you know, what you said. Same with me.” She giggled a little and Carly laughed. It seemed Emmy had a sense of humor too, just like her mother!

…With some of her aunt thrown in as well. That could be a bit of a problem.

“Emmy does raise a good point though,” Dawn said, frowning. “What exactly IS she going to be doing here? I mean, for one thing, where is she gonna sleep?”

“Oh yeah…” Sylvia turned pale. Their bed was cramped enough as it was with three people. Adding another girl into the mix, even if her curves weren’t as developed as her mother’s, that would really be inconvenient.

“Maybe Dakota will fill us in on that later,” Nick muttered. “You know, when she gets around to it. Instead of just dumping her in our lap and taking off.”

“Well, Daddy, the good thing is that she’s not a contestant at least,” Sylvia said, tapping the back of her hand. “The producers might have mandated that she age up to be 18, but I don’t think they actually expect you to sleep with her.”

“Yeah, Dakota would have been way more overbearing if that was the expectation,” Mary agreed. She frowned as she considered the implications. “But what’s gonna happen now?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? They had a brand new girl who had just arrived on the island. And if that wasn’t disruptive enough, the girl in question was technically an adult but only had a basic level of information downloaded into her brain. It would take a lot of doing on everyone’s part to get her used to living here.

And what about when they all returned back home? Would things work out then? How would they explain Carly’s sudden adult daughter?

...And for that matter, what about Sylvia herself?

Sylvia’s brain was starting to hurt.

“Normally I’d say trust the producers,” Sylvia said, rubbing her temples, “but I don’t know… this seems like a classic case of Dakota doing something crazy without actually thinking through the consequences of it…”

“Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing,” Kim sighed, shaking her head. “At least we can take things slowly and try to get to know her better.”

Dealing with a girl around her own age would at least be easier than dealing with a little kid. Considering the sort of stuff that was regularly occurring here.

That was about where Nick was in regard to this topic, himself. He just hoped that Emmy wouldn’t be too twisted by this show, and Dakota’s machinations.

Carly looked so happy with her daughter… he didn’t want anything to ruin that for her.