In a house in San Fransisco, a teenage girl was finishing up her meal with her family. She got up, taking her parents' plates to the kitchen.

"Here, let me help you with that,"

Well thank you dear. I don't know what's gotten into you but I like this change over the last few days," her mom said and she pat her daughter's head.

"I just thought I better shape up! I'll take out the trash too,"

She put the dishes in the sink and then grabs the trash.

"Be careful dear," her father said.

"I will!" the girl said as she stepped out and threw the trash bag into the can outside. 

She looked around suspeciously before walking towards the shack in the backyard. As she walked past the fire pit, her eyes glowed as amber Crossbreed Eyes.

Once inside the shack, the teenage girl turned the light on. Another teenage girl that looked exactly the same was sitting tied up and gagged in the shack, horrified. The teenage girl who was with the family turned into a Red Fox Crossbreed, patting her belly satisfied.

"Ah... that hit the spot. You've got a real loving family you know.... and I love their jewlery collection,"

The Fox Crossbreed removed the gag from the teenage girl.

"P-Please don't hurt me... Please don't!"

"Hurt you? I wouldn't hurt you. You act like you've seen a.... Well I'm not about that life anyway. I've got everything I wanted," The Crossbreed unties her and gets in her face. "Don't ever say a word about what happened this week, or I'll get my friends to eat your whole family... While you watch," the Fox Crossbreed laughed and ran off, leaving the real teenage girl to run back to her house, unharmed, but scarred for life.

.........

It had been 4 months since Tabs had become a Crossbreed, thankfully the physical symptoms had calmed down and her body had adjusted to her heavily stregnthened senses, but she still didn't have the best control over her powers. She and her friends were about to start their school day with Adam and Mac waiting behind her at her locker getting into one of their usual fights.

“Mac please!" Adam begged.

"No it's true, pineapple on pizza is really good!” Mac insisted.

Adam gagged. Tabs closed her locker door and got jump scared by Lil standing behind it.

“Hey tabs just wanted to tell you, I'm the most popular kid in my grade now. Remind me, how many friends have you made since starting school here? Just two other losers?” Lil walked away laughing.

“Rude,” Adam snarked,

Tabs shook with anger before bashing her head into the locker, denting it unphased. “OH. GOD. WHY?!"

It was going to be a long day...

…

The next day was Saturday and the Lee kids were walking through the lobby of the mall movie theater while their parents were in another store of the mall shopping for work clothes. Ben was on the phone talking to Jan as they walked.

“Yeah, don’t worry. Me and the girls have plenty of money to do stuff while you and Dad get everything done,” Ben reassured.

“You sure hun? It might take longer than expected,” Jan said.

Don was struggling with pants behind her before falling over. “Where has the time of my slim waistline gone, Jan?”

“MUCH longer,”

“Yeah. Take your time. I’ll take the girls to watch a movie, get some food, walk around…. We’ll meet you when you’re done,”

Tabs, who was listening in on the phone call, accidentally ran into one of the movie theater workers and fell over. “Oh shoot! I am so sorry I-”

“Kid, it’s okay. Most kids don’t even apologize when they do that. Please relax,” the worker said, exhausted.

Tabs stood back up and dusted herself off. Lil walked up to her with a smirk on her face.

“Wow Tabs… are we sure that doctor fixed you? Cuz you had to be blind or stupid-,”

“No. I just wasn’t looking in front of me,” Tabs cut her off, already knowing where that insult was going.

“Oh Tabs Tabs Tabs. You got to watch where you’re going silly. You can’t just bump into people like that,”

Tabs scowled at Ben, being fed up with his condensending attitude almost as much as her sister's constant bullying.

“It was an accident,” Tabs moaned and walked away.

…

The day was draining, but Tabs did get the chance to finally relax that evening night. Tabs, Adam, and Mac had all went out to the park so that Tabs could practice flying out in an open space with no one else around, but her head was still reeling from dealing with her brother and sister all day.

“Tabs? Tabs!” Mac called out.

Tabs snapped out of her trans.

“Huh?!”

“Anytime now,” Adam said.

“Oh. Right!,” Tabs said remembering why they were here.

After some straining, Tabs transformed into Hauntful and began beating her wings taking off into the sky and actually staying up in a straight line for once. Adam and Mac cheered on her from below. Tabs opened her eyes and for the first time since she got her powers, she realized how good flying felt. The wind in her hair, how natural it felt to be in the air… it almost felt freeing. Tabs let a cheer out right before losing her balance and smacking face first into a tree. Adam and Mac cringed. She was doing so well until then.

“Ow…” Tabs groaned as she fell to the ground and transformed back to her human form.

“Are you okay?,” Adam asked.

Tabs growled as she stood up. “I am never going to be able to get the hang of those things! I don’t get it! I can do it when I’m not thinking about it, like with the Rat King thing. I could even carry you guys! Why can’t I get them to do what I want them to do when I’m thinking about wanting them to do it?!”

“Maybe the Rat King thing was a fluke?” Mac suggested.

Suddenly Tabs’s wings spur back out.

“Agh! Great... now they won't stay in!” Tabs exclaimed.

Mac tried to stifle her laughter at the sight.

“M-Mac, it’s not funny. It’s not-,” Adam bursted out into laughter.

“Please just…. Stay gone,” Tabs begged, forcing the wings away.

They started away for a few seconds before coming back out. Tabs groaned in frustration.

…

Meanwhile…

Mimic had found the Crossbreed Control Center and quickly transformed into Tabs before coming in.

Inside, Lil was with Jan. Jan had brought Lil along to get some late night work done. Lil stormed over to her, upset.

“Mom… we’ve been here for over an hour! I don’t want to hang out at the stupid Crossbreed Control place,” Lil whined.

“The stupid Crossbreed Control place puts dinner on your table. I’m sure you can tolerate it for another 5 minutes,” Jan snarked, walking away to finish up.

Lil rolled her eyes and walked through the hallways to pass the time. “Tabs” was watching her from the corner.

“Hey sis,”

Lil jumped in surprise and turned around. “Tabs?! What are you doing here?! I thought you were hanging out with your dumb friends. It’s MY night with mom,”

“Yeah, but I figured I’d stop by… and spend time with my little sister,”

Lil narrowed her eyes. “Really? Why? We NEVER spend time together,”

“Well maybe I want to change that and start being a better sister, Lilian,” “Tabs” said, starting to seem a little fidgety and nervous.

“Yeah well-" Lil froze. "You never call me Lilian,” Lil said starting to back away, weirded out.

“Darn how long some of these memories take! You know what?! Forget it!” “Tabs” snapped and tackled Lil to the ground.

“Tabs!!? What gives?!” Lil yelled trying to struggle out of her grip but Tabs was older, stronger and was fully on top of her pinning Lil to the ground by both arms.

“What the heck is wrong with you?!” Lil snapped.

“Right now, just one thing…,” “Tabs” transformed back into her Mimic form. “I’m not Tabs,”

Lil gasped and tried to cry for her mom but Mimic covered her mouth and dragged her away.

…

Meanwhile at the Lee’s house…

Tabs had come back home and was helping Ben set the table for dinner. Ben looked over and noticed how Tabs was setting the table.

“You know you put the forks on the wrong side,” Ben reached for the utensils in her hand. “Here, let me help you,”

“Don’t! Ju-Just leave it! Let me do it!” Tabs snapped pulling her hand away, already frustrated with the days events.

“Jeez… what’s your problem?”

“YOU are my problem!”

Lil slammed the door open from behind them.

“I’M HOME!!!”

Tabs yeled and covered her ears at the loud noise. “Agh! Why?!”

“Because I can. What are you going to do about it?”

“Lil, be nice,” Ben warned.

“No, make me,” Lil stormed off. “I’m out of here,”

“She’s more vexed than normal,”

Just as Ben said that, Tabs’s sixth sense goes off. But that only ever goes off when there's a.... Crossbreed near.

…

That night…

All three of the Lee kids were fast asleep, Tabs was having a nightmare, the voices in her head that always tell her shes not good enough are louder than ever until a loud noise coming from the waking world stirred her awake. Tabs’s eyes widen as she realized she wasn’t sleeping in her bed like normal, but rather sleeping upside down hanging from the ceiling like a real bat. The realization made her bat feet turn back to her normal feet on instinct as she fell back to her bed. She surpressed a scream to keep from waking up the rest of the family.

The noise was still there. Tabs saw a silhouette pass by her door, and it did not look human. Quietly getting up, Tabs went to go investigate, the noise was coming from Lil’s room. Creeping the door open, Tabs didn’t know what she expected to see, maybe a Crossbreed looming over her sister she would then have to figure out how to deal with without waking her sister up, but there was nothing. Lil was fast asleep. Tabs raised an eyebrow and quietly closed the door again, confused.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Tabs told herself, as she went back to bed.

If Tabs had left the door open a little longer, she might have noticed the one eye open on Lil revealing amber, cat like eyes.

…

Monday at lunch…

Tabs was explaining what had happened since she left her friends and went home.

“My sense of smell doesn’t make mistakes. It doesn’t mis-smell,” Tabs said.

Noticing Adam wasn’t paying attention and was more focused on his sketch pad, Tabs looked over to see what he was drawing was not of anything they’re talking about, but of Adam sitting in a throne while being fanned by Tabs and Mac. Tabs gave him a look before grabbing the book and tossing it away from their table. Adam glared at her. But said nothing as she continued to rant.

“I’m telling you every single time I’m near Lil, I smell a Crossbreed,”

Mac smiled at her. “Oh come on Tabs, maybe you’re just on edge with everything going on. I mean you don’t really think Lil is a Crossbreed do you?,”

“No! Of course not!” Tabs rubbed her neck unsure. “But what if it's a shapeshifting Crossbreed, those exist, right?”

Mac rolled her eyes. “Why would a Crossbreed decide to look like Lil when it could just as easily do whatever it wanted by turning into your parents…. Or Adam’s parents, they’re rich,”

“You took my book. Don’t talk to me,”

Tabs scowled. “Fine! If you guys aren'tt gonna help me, I’ll figure it out myself,”

Tabs stormed away.

Tabs stormed down the hallway.

“Jerks think I’m crazy, I'm not crazy! SHE SMELLS STINKY!”

Tabs suddenly looked up to see the other kids in the hallway staring at her.

“What?! Like you don’t say worse! Don’t you judge me!”

She needed to calm down. She went into the bathroom and took a deep breathe. Maybe she was just on edge, maybe nothing was wrong, maybe Lil was fine and being her normal Lil self, she wasn't ACTING weird after all, maybe- someone was coming in.

“Shoot!”

Tabs super jumped up to the ceiling, her hands and feet turning into her Crossbreed hands and feet helping her hold onto the ceiling. Lil came into the bathroom after her. “Lil” transformed back into her natural Mimic form.

“Can’t believe I didn’t check if there was another Crossbreed in the host family before I took this form. Mimic, you’re losing your touch. Maybe I need a break, I have enough jewls and cash from the last few families to last a while and that annoying kid won’t shut up! I’m doing her a favor by bringing her food… I’ll just get rid of her tonight. She's honestly so annoying,”

Mimic transformed back into Lil and left.

“I knew it!” Tabs said to herself once Mimic left.

She sprinted out of the bathroom. Whatever that Crossbreed was up to that required taking her sister’s form, she had to stop it.

On her way out, she saw Fiona standing in the courtyard looking anxious. She knew she shouldn't stop, but Fiona was her friend, she should at least go ask what was wrong.

“Hey Fee…. what’s wrong?” Tabs asked, walking up to her.

“Uh, my brother is in the hospital… again,” Fiona said shakily.

Tabs paled. She knew Fiona's brother, Flynn, had been born with some heart problems and he wasn't responding well to any treatments the doctors tried. Him being in the hosptial again wasn't a good sign.

“Oh shoot Fee! I’m so sorry!”

Tabs gave her a hug.

“I gotta get to the hospital… like now,”

“Isn’t your foster mom on her way?”

“She’s not sure she can be there at all,”

Fiona scowled slightly. “She’s NEVER sure she can be there,”.

Fiona looked up at Tabs. “Hey... could you stop by tonight? I don’t want to be there alone,”

“Oh.. Um…” Could she? What about Lil? But she couldn’t tell Fiona that. Maybe… it would be ok to do both???

“Sure! I’ll be there! Promise! I just really gotta go right now!”

Fiona smiled as Tabs sprinted off.

“See you there!”

Why did you have to PROMISE???