Sept 13, 20xx

Francis

This thing. Whatever it was. It took the form of my best friend. While it’s only handicap is that it couldn’t eat me, that surely wouldn’t stop it from eating anyone else. It’s my responsibility from now on, to keep humanity safe. I have to keep it away, or convince it not to snack on people. If… that was even remotely possible. It ate Zee. It was Zee… Zoey, now. I have to be careful. Who knows how long before it successfully separates its mind from Zee’s strong emotions. Could I really trust the word of a monster? Either way, I still have to try. If what it was saying was true, then I might be the only thing standing between it and the potential extinction of the human race…

“Fran,” a voice broke the young man out of his thoughts. 

“Y-yes?” he replied.

“You’re spacing out again.” 

“S-sorry… Z-Zoey,” he swallowed hard at the name. It had been a horrifying night, and the events still hadn’t left his mind. The creature was beside him, reading a book. Zo’eryloth. Zoey. ‘Zee’. Whatever it was, it wanted to learn more about the earth. Human society, animal biology, anthropology, history, geography, even mythology and literature. So of course, there was only one place that they could go to. 

Fran groaned as he leaned back on his seat, keeping a wary eye on the creature beside him. His gaze flickered from her to the stacks of dozens of books around them littered on the table and on the floor. He could feel his head getting droopy, shaking it to keep himself awake, pinching his leg hoping that the pain would provide enough stimulation to keep alert.

“Your literature is incredibly unique,” Zoey said. “Simple. Thought-provoking. But written in very profound ways. Such powerful ideas and ideals born from situations of numerous people of different walks of life. Zee’s mind was quite lacking in terms of human knowledge, but this place is a treasure trove of information. Albeit a bit… one sided. There are many more societies than this one, with opposing thoughts and culture. Very interesting.”

“Can’t you just use the damn internet?”

“I have tried. The information is hard to verify, so many articles that elicit emotion instead of logical discourse, contradictory anecdotes, and just fake news altogether. I have then written it off as unreliable, and not a good source of information.”

“Huh, so you took one look at the internet and decided it was full of shit.”

“Yes. Your books, however, are quite knowledgeable and a lot more formal in writing. Incredible.”

“I’m glad you found it to your liking then,” Fran said with a roll of his eyes.

“Sarcasm!” Zoey said, pointing at him with an excited smile. “I recognize the eye roll and tone of your voice would indicate that it is a mockery of what you truly mean. Sarcasm. Yes?” 

“Yes,” he groaned.

They had been at the library since its doors opened and had not left since. He had to cook for it last night, and then she decided that heading to the public library was the fastest way to know more about everything. Zee, the real Zee, was a very smart girl but her focus was mostly on animals. She didn’t really care about anything else and was on route to failing most of her classes if it weren’t for Fran helping her out. 

This… imposter, however, was definitely an avid reader and learner. The creature had already stacked up on entire encyclopedias, dictionaries, academic books, journals, and just about anything it could get its hands on. It was now reading its 473rd book, one about the history of philosophy and Plato. Fran hasn't had the opportunity to eat the whole day, or even head towards the bathroom out of fear that the creature would go out on a rampage. 

It did promise that it wouldn’t kill anyone and was there to simply gather information, but his better self would not trust a word. It did as it said it would, however, as it sat, behaved, and read book after book after book. Entire towers of them had been stacked up one after another on the table and even on the surrounding floor. The librarian would look horrified every time she would pass their table. 

Fran’s stomach was starting to hurt as he forced his hunger to subside, burying his face on the table and peeking at the thing beside him from time to time. A loud rumble from his belly echoed out, breaking the creature’s focus as it suddenly turned toward him. 

“Oh, right. Humans need to eat,” Zoey said. 

“I’m not hungry.”

“You can’t even lie to save your life on this one.”

“I said I’m not. Besides, if I left to get something, you might eat everyone in the entire library. I’m not about to let that happen,” Fran replied, shooting daggers with his eyes. 

The creature simply chuckled. “Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true.” 

“W-what?”

“Francis Bacon,” Zoey said, smiling proudly to herself. She giggled and shook her head. “Anyway, I already said that I would not hurt anyone here. I even gave you my word.”

“W-what is your word even worth? You’re not human. You have no sense of honor.” 

“Oh? Then is my word to not kill your family meaningless then?”

“I-I—”

“Thought so. Fine,” Zoey sighed. “If you’re so afraid I’ll go murder happy, then I’ll come with you. Just to ease your primitive little brain, my dear Fran. Maybe then, you would trust me a little. I can’t have a servant that can’t trust its master after all. What good would that bring?”

The voraciocite stood up from her seat and stretched. “Let’s go get us a meal,” she said. “Librarian lady! We’re done here. Please clean all this up.” 

Francis stood up and whispered. “Keep your voice down, and that’s very rude! Apparently all that studying, and none of it was about basic courtesy and ethics. Don’t Zee’s memories show you that?”

“Zee never went to the library. She hated public spaces, remember? She’d have you borrow books for her. But yes, she did know that. It’s general knowledge.”

“Then why are you—”

“Something you said struck me last night. You’re right. I am not her, and I am just imitating her,” Zoey began, putting a finger to her temple. “As a voraciocite who hasn’t figured out how to separate the archived mind of a sapient from bleeding into my own, I realized that trying to completely imitate the Zee you know would only slow my progress of this control. I read books too on… identity and trying to be the best ‘you’ that you could be.”

“What are you sayi—?”

“This ‘Zee’ is a mask that I wear, not my true self. So I have decided that I will forge my own identity separate from ‘Zee’! This is Zoey. Not Zofia. I can always slip on the Zee mask whenever someone we know comes into view, but all this is a personality I decided to make for myself! Still a work in progress. Humans are… complex..”

“Won’t you get caught? What if someone sees you or questions you?”

 “As far as I know, Zee was orphaned in an accident two years ago and had been living alone ever since. And like I said, you were her only true friend. Everyone else was a passing acquaintance.”

“That’s not what I meant. You can’t be… different. People get suspicious,” Fran looked around them before turning his voice into a low whisper. “They could be watching. Listening.”

“Oh you mean the government? The agency? Some conspiracy secret police? Pfft, they can try.”

“I don’t think you’re taking the concept of not getting caught by the authorities seriously enough.”

“I know how to blend in, Fran. I can shapeshift too. I don’t want to get caught of course, but even if I do, the possible modes of escape for my species are near infinite.”

“Right,” Fran sighed. “Okay let’s just… get out here.” 

The librarian passed them by and gave a short nod. “What a very studious, and fine looking woman. Make sure to take care of her, young man,” she said.

“It,” Fran replied. 

“W-what?” 

“It, not her. It’s an imita—”

“Thank you, miss! We’ll be going now!” Zoey smiled, pulling Fran to the side and nearly dragging him outside. 

“Ow, you’re squeezing my arm!” he yelped as soon as they were outside. “H-hey! Easy! Are you trying to snap—”

“What the hell was that?!” 

“What?”

“It?! Are you trying to give away my cover?!”

“Well, what am I supposed to use?!”

“She! Her! Are you dumb?! I have a woman’s body, refer to me as such! Don’t make people suspicious! I thought you were the one who told me that, dumbass!”

“Oh, okay then. So now you’re worried, just a little misgendering is enough to tip you off, not the damn stack of books you just went through and weird personality quirks no ordinary would have.”

“Misgendering? I am a woman!”

“But you’re not a woman. Not technically. You’re an alien with who knows what!”

“Oh, you want to be technical with me?” she growled. “Voraciocites take on the sex of the species they are mimicking. We do it perfectly on a biological level too. So yes, I have estrogen, I have breasts, I have menstruation cycles, and I can get pregnant and produce milk. Therefore, I am a human woman. If I were to take the form of a hermaphrodite animal, then I will mimic those as well.”

“Fine, whatever. I’m still not used to this, okay?!” Fran sighed. “I am torn about blowing your cover and saving humanity, or selling my species out just to survive! What do you want from me? So I’m very sorry if I called you an ‘it’, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or whatever.”

“Wow, yeah this conversation would go well with the gay community. Didn’t think you were a bigot.” Zoey rolled her eyes. “Seriously Fran, I told you to act naturally like you and Zee did, as if friends. If you keep annoying me with your nuances and barely-contained aggression, then our deal can be nullified right now. Do you want that?”

“...No.” 

“Good. Then fall in line and be a good pet.”

“I am not a pet,” Fran spat. “If I’m going to help you out and treat you ‘as if friends’, then you better treat me like an equal. Because from what I’m hearing you want to blend in as a human. I’ll treat you as one if you treat me as one. With respect, and equality. You may not fear the agency, but I do. If you get caught, I’ll go down with you. And while you can escape, I can’t. So either treat me well, or I sink us both.”

“Wow.” She hummed. “Look at you. Not at all as spineless as I thought! Very well, Fran. You’re not a pet. You’re my companion. Is that better?”

“Y-yeah… That’s a lot better.” 

Zoey nodded and yawned. “Okay, now that that’s settled. Let’s get some food. I feel hungry too.” 

“Y-you’re not going to eat a person, are you?” 

“No. Not yet at least. I’m still figuring out Zee’s workings and separating her mind from blending with mine. So we’ll have dinner at a restaurant. I want to try chicken. I hear there’s many ways to cook it. I can’t wait to try these flavors. I wonder what cooked meat is like.”

“Zofia was a vegetarian.” 

“Well I’m not. So I want to eat meat. Now chop chop. Let’s get a move on.”

Fran sighed and followed behind Zoey, looking around at the shops and stalls around. He kept his eyes on the creature, or whatever it— she wanted to be. As he watched her, she really didn’t seem like anything but a normal young woman. Even the bounce in her step was almost identical to that of his late friend. It twisted a knot in his stomach, but it all felt strangely natural to the thing. It must be muscle memory of sorts. He thought. 

This thing was walking exactly the way she did. It breaks my heart to see how it's almost like Zee was right in front of me. The real Zee. There was almost no discernable difference in how they moved. The voraciocite was right. They really did mimic the victim perfectly. The only reason she needed me right now, and why I haven't been devoured yet, was that because this one is an amateur. It was their first time eating a sapient creature and the complexities of the human brain and consciousness must’ve been a shock. I’m on borrowed time. The moment she fixes herself and I’m no longer useful… I’m lunch. 

“Fran, look!” Zoey said, shaking him from his thoughts. 

They had stopped by a restaurant and the menu sign showed that they served a full roast chicken. “Wow,” she grinned. Her mouth watered as she stared at the chalk drawing of the chicken on the menu. Her mouth watered, splitting four ways for a second before reverting back to normal. “That does look appetizing. I want a full chicken.”

“All to yourself?? Besides, you don’t just get a whole chicken here.”

“I’m a hungry girl.” 

“That’s…. Expensive.” Fran sighed. “Just take the ham and eggs.”

“Aw come on, be a darling won’t you?”

“Even if you sweet talk me, it’s still going to cost a lot.”

“Well it’s a good thing I’m not paying for it then, right?” she said with an innocent face.

“That’s not going to work on me. You’re not her.” 

“Such a sour puss. Fine, I’ll share a bit. Happy?” 

“Not like I have a choice,” he sighed. “Alright. Come then.”

The two entered the resto and immediately sat down by an empty table. The waiter approached them and handed them the menu. “Hello! What will the couple be having?” 

“Oh, uh, we’re not—”

“We’ll be having a plate of ham to share and two plates of fried eggs,” Zoey said, cutting him off. “That would be okay, right dear?” she grinned at him. 

Fran shuddered and nodded slowly. “Yes, that would be fine. Just water for the drinks, thank you.”