The Woman of the House

I feel myself start to rouse slightly as light begins to trickle in from the window next to my bed. I sit up and stretch, enjoying the sensation of my tense joints loosening. Man, I really needed that. I feel like I can actually think straight again. It's amazing what a good night of sleep can do for you, even if you do end up sleeping slumped on top of your bed while still fully dressed. Although, the thought of having to get ready for work again soon sours my mood.

As I get up and start to mentally prepare for the day, I suddenly remember the odd events of last night. Well, "odd" is putting it lightly. That couldn't have been real... could it? I look around the room. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. There definitely isn't anyone else here, that's for sure. I check for any signs of that weird woman, but nothing looks even the slightest bit out of place.

"Uh... hello? Weird pervert lady? Are you there? If you can hear me, show yourself," I call out only to get no response.

So that settles it then, right? I mean, there's no way there was actually some lady with superpowers who broke into my house last night. It just doesn't make any sense. So that can only mean I imagined it. Honestly, that's kind of a relief. That woman seemed like more than a handful. Her personality, I mean, not her... You know what? I'm going to just stop myself there.

Still, it's strange how my brain managed to conjure up such a unusual character. And in such vivid detail too. The human mind is a mysterious thing, I guess. But I can't get over just how real that whole situation felt. Oh well. All I can do now is move on with my life and hope I don't keep having wild hallucinations. The last thing I need in my life is to develop some kind of mental disorder.

I take off the old clothes I fell asleep in and take a quick morning shower to freshen up before getting dressed again. Not long after, I hear my stomach growl loudly, reminding me of how little I've eaten in the past 24 hours. I should probably fix that.

Once I'm ready to go, I head downstairs and start raiding the kitchen for a decent breakfast. I manage to put together a bowl of cereal, some fresh fruit, and a cup of yogurt. There are even a few eggs left in the fridge that I fry up alongside everything else. And I have to admit, despite all the problems I have with my parents, at least they don't cheap out when it comes to buying groceries. Just about everything they buy is pretty good. Combine that with the decent cooking skills I've developed over the years (mostly thanks to having to frequently cook dinner for myself), and it's not too hard to make a satisfying meal.

As I'm eating, I hear my parents start to work their way out of their rooms and towards the kitchen. My mom is the first one to come out as she zips up the grey jumpsuit she normally wears to work, grabbing a banana and a granola bar off the counter as she passes by. Thankfully, she doesn't pay me much attention as she goes to put on her boots by the door. However, once she's out of my line of sight, I turn to notice something that causes me to raise an eyebrow.

I... I'm not hallucinating again, am I? This is the second time now that some random woman I've never met before has appeared in my house without warning. But something about this woman seems... familiar. I can't put my finger on it, but I almost feel like I've met her before. Her nice business attire makes her seem like someone important, though the unnecessary amount of cleavage does take away a little of her otherwise strong presence. She's also standing in a somewhat unnatural position. I don't know if I would quite describe it as nervousness, but maybe like she not quite as confident as she should be. It's as if she's not used to her own body. Although none of that helps me identify who she actually is.

And as if all of that isn't weird enough, once she walks into the kitchen, she starts opening cabinets and going through our food as if being here is the most normal thing ever.

"Um... do I know you?"

Upon hearing my voice, the woman looks over her shoulder at me, then gives me a stern glare.

"Oh, real funny..." she huffs.

"Huh? What's funny?" I ask in confusion.

"Would you knock it off, Kyle?!" The woman suddenly shouts, causing me to jump. "Yesterday, you insult me to my face, and now you're going to pretend like you don't even know me?! Where the hell do you get off?!"

I'm sorry, what? When did I insult this woman? This is the first time I've ever seen her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I try to tell her, which only seems to make the woman even more upset.

"Kyle..." I suddenly hear my mom chime in from the other room. "Leave your mother alone."

Why is she on this woman's side? I still have no idea what I even did wrong and-

Wait, did she just say "mother?"

As I'm trying to process what that means, my mom comes back into the kitchen, having just finished putting her boots on. She pulls her blonde hair back into a messy ponytail as she approaches this new woman. Then, in an even more surprising move, my mom leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, Alana. Love you," she says casually as she pulls away.

For a brief moment, it feels like my brain is about to short circuit. But that's when it finally hits me.

"Wait... DAD?!"

The two women look at me like I'm crazy.

"Did you just call me 'Dad?'" The brunette questions. "The fuck is wrong with you? After living in this house for over 20 years, can you still not comprehend the idea of having two moms? So not only are you a stupid wimp, but now you're a homophobe too?"

"I believe we both already told you to quit it, Kyle," my mom... or at least the woman I recognize as my mom adds. "You're in enough trouble as is. Do you really want to keep pushing it?"

I sit there in stunned silence, unsure of what to say at this point. After a moment of waiting, my mom... er... my actual mom just rolls her eyes, probably thinking something along the lines of "he's a lost cause." She then says her final goodbyes before heading out the door, leaving me alone with... her.

As I look over the woman in front of me, it starts to really hit me. This really is my dad. Or at least, it was. But he... she... whatever the right term is, looks totally different from the man I saw yesterday. His chestnut hair now extends down to her shoulders. His stubble and body hair are completely gone, the only thing left in it's place being freckles that dot her skin. Her lips are more defined, and her nails are notably longer and even painted a soft pink. His once massive height has been knocked down a considerable number of inches, putting her much closer in stature to her wife. And of course, the broad shoulders and imposing physique he once had have now been replaced with a much more... shapely figure, for lack of a better term.

And yet, despite all for that, I can still tell that they're the same person. Imagining the two side by side, they look so different, yet nearly identical. Now that I've seen it, I can't un-see it. This is my dad. This is Alan Evans. Except his, or I guess her, name is Alana. And she's my mom...

How the hell is that possible? After running that question through my mind a thousand times, there's only one possible answer I can think of: that woman from yesterday. Could she have done this? She did mention something about changing people. Is this what she meant? But that makes no sense. I thought I established that she was never real. But then again, what other option could there be?

My thoughts are interrupted by my dad... I mean my mom... I mean... GODDAMMIT! My thoughts are interrupted by Alana slamming the refrigerator door shut and turning towards me.

"Ugh... for some reason nothing looks good right now..." she muses to herself. She then pauses as she stares at me with a weird intensity that I've never seen from her. At least when she was him.

"What?"

"I... Nothing. Just... just stop being such a loser. I wish I could stop having to repeat myself, but you need to be a man. And stop whatever this stupid prank you're doing is. It's not funny," she explains to me.

Huh. I see whatever this is hasn't changed the whole "act like a man" lesson. It's a bit ironic now. And the scolding doesn't feel like it holds nearly as much weight coming out of that new mouth she has. I just don't find her nearly as intimidating as I did when she was my dad. Which is weird because my actual mom is still more than intimidating. Anyway, after imparting that little bit of wisdom, Alana grabs her suitcase and heads out the front door without so much as another glance at me.

So... that was absolutely insane. Seems like that's been my new favorite word these past 12 hours. Insane. I gotta see if I can find that Luck lady and figure out what's going on...