Peter, friends with a Channeler named Tori

Victoria smiled over at you from the passenger seat of your car. "Thanks so much for doing this, Pete. I know it's been so long since we'd talked in person, but since I heard you moved back to town, and I needed a place to stay after things with Mike fell through..."

"Oh yeah, no problem," you said, glancing over with a smile of your own. "What was it, high school when we last saw each other face-to-face? After growing up just down the block from each other for as long as I remember, it was a big adjustment to not see your face every day when I had to move. I kinda missed that, y'know? Plus, we got into a lot of trouble together."

"You're being generous there! I got us into the trouble, you were the one who had to get us out!" Tori giggled a little, before turning away to look out her window. "Although, I guess things are a little different for me lately. It's hard to explain, I don't know I'm ready to tell you everything yet. I will eventually. I think I trust you more than anyone else I know, but... it's a weird problem."

"Is this weirdness why you asked me to drive you back to town the long way?" you asked, only slightly curious about the directions Tori had given you.

Victoria shrugged and slunk a little in her seat without another word. Both of you were in your mid 20s, in the prime of fitness, and Tori had become quite a beautiful woman, you remembered her with her frizzy hair and big glasses and limitless energy for exploring the woods behind the house. You'd probably seen her face more than your own in a mirror--it almost felt like you knew Tori better than yourself in a lot of ways. Or, so you thought, once upon a time. Now, she's tamed her mane into pleasant light-brown curls, she'd found a more stylish glasses frame that suited her pixie face far better, and she'd traded in her oversized shirts for a practical outfit of jeans and henleys--still dressed for wandering the outdoors, but in attire that flattered her stunning figure.

You shook that thought from your mind. This was your childhood friend! You had your girlfriend Andrea to think about, if you were going to consider anyone sexy! And Tori was in between relationships, given that she'd broken up with a guy named Mike because of some more 'weird stuff'. You didn't inquire, you knew when to let things go when it came to Tori, those sorts of instincts between close friends always came naturally.

Still, while Tori was undoubtedly quite goofy--a personality trait she retained, even if her looks no longer reflect it--you thought she was a pretty normal person. She worked as a veterinarian who traveled to nearby farms to care for the creatures, and you've heard secondhand that she's practically a miracle worker when it came to caring for animals. Whatever was wrong, she could diagnose it with an incredible degree of accuracy, although she requested absolute privacy in those instances. The farmers didn't care, so long as she got results and didn't charge them ridiculous fees like some of the professionals from the city. If anything, it was her dad that always seemed off to you. He had some days where you almost didn't recognize him, like he was an entirely different person each time...

As you drove along the empty road, you yearned for something interesting to look at while driving, it was such a boring detour that felt almost entirely unnecessary. When you saw a lone cow standing in the grass near the road, you couldn't help but remark. "Someone looks a little lost, huh?"

Tori put her hand on the window, and then turned to look at you, her eyes slightly glazed over and the gravest expression on her face.

"Stop the car, right now."