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Metamorphosis
The day after Tecna’s failed attempt at cooking eggs, Timmy gave her the first cooking lesson. They had all the ingredients and utensils laid out on the counter, and Tecna looked bewildered at everything in front of her. All these tools that she had only heard of before, and Timmy was going to show her how to use them all. It all felt so daunting at that moment.
“So, let’s start small and work your way up to more complex recipes once you’ve mastered the skills,” He suggested, “Cream yogurt and fruit is as basic as you can get. It doesn’t even require the stove.”
“That sounds easy enough, but can you teach me how to operate the stove?” Tecna asked.
“Of course,” Timmy said with a slight chuckle, “but why don’t you start with this first. That way you’ll have something you know you can make on your own with full confidence.” Tecna nodded and watched Timmy gather an assortment of fruit.
“Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are bite-sized, so there isn’t any need to cut them up smaller.” He explained, “But as you can see, strawberries are bigger. The best thing you can do as a beginner is cut off the end where the stem is, and slice them into coins.” So, Tecna took a small knife and cautiously cut of the top of a strawberry. She smiled at Timmy, and he returned one back in approval.
“Now, hold the strawberry from the top and make slow slices.” He instructed, and watched Tecna carefully as she followed. Once the strawberry was sliced, she put the slices on top of the yogurt with the rest of the fruit.
“There, easy right?” Timmy asked with a slight chuckle, and Tecna nodded in agreement.
“I feel kind of stupid,” She admitted suddenly, “How could I not know how to use kitchen utensils up until now. I’m a grown woman for crying out loud.”
“Remember not to be so hard on yourself,” Timmy assured her, “You have been sheltered, abused and convinced you were worth nothing… No one ever gave you these skills to live independently. You are a beautiful, powerful woman, and I know you can do anything your heart desires, you just need the skills. That’s what this is all about, so that you can build the confidence in yourself that you truly deserve.”
“Oh Timmy, I love you,” Tecna said with a dreamy sigh. She knew with absolute certainty that even when she had lost all confidence in herself, Timmy was there to help her create what she didn’t think she ever had.
“I love you too, Tec,” He responded in a soft voice before heading to the stove, “Now why don’t I teach you how to work the stove, just like I said I would.” Tecna walked over to him and watched as he took one of his pans from a cupboard.
“Okay, when you turn the burner on, make sure it’s only turned to low to medium heat. That’s all you need for eggs.” He explained.
Tecna frowned as she watched him, and said, “It’s no wonder I burned the eggs yesterday. I had it on all the way, I suppose,” Timmy didn’t comment, he knew how self-conscious Tecna was and didn’t want to make her feel worse by asking her why she thought turning the stove on high heat was the best idea. All he did was continue his demonstration.
“It’s important to let the pan get hot gradually. A good trick to know when it’s ready is if you can feel the heat coming off.” He hovered an open palm above the pan and could slightly feel the heat, and nodded before continuing, “Then, you add a teaspoon of oil. Would you like to do it?”
“Sure.” Tecna said hesitantly as she took a teaspoon from Timmy’s measuring cups and spoons. Then, she took the bottle of cooking oil.
“It’s best to pour it over the pan, so if you spill a little, it’ll just go into the meal.” Timmy told her. He watched her carefully as she poured the oil into the teaspoon and added it to the pan.
“And now for the eggs, I assume.” Tecna guessed, receiving an approving nod from Timmy. She took two eggs from the carton and broke them over the side of the pan.
“How did you know to do that?” Timmy asked her.
“I’ve seen it done a few times before. It’s one of the only things I do know about making eggs.” Tecna admitted.
“Give yourself some credit for that. It’s a good start.” He told her with a smile.
“You think so?” She asked as she returned the bright smile. Timmy nodded again before drawing her attention back to her cooking lesson.
“See how the eggs whites and yolk are completely runny, they will firm up slowly. Let the heat do the work.” He continued to instruct her as she watched closely, “And they say a watched pot never boils, or in this case, watched eggs never cook.”
“But shouldn’t I make sure I don’t burn them, again?” Tecna queried.
“Of course, I just mean that if you watch your meal cook, it’ll feel like forever before it does anything. It’s just an old saying.” Timmy couldn’t help but chuckle. Once the eggs were well done, Tecna added a little bit of pepper and they enjoyed their breakfast together. When they sat down, she looked skeptical about tasting her first meal. However, after taking a bite, she gave Timmy another smile of approval.
“It’s not that bad,” She said, “Thank you, Timmy.”
“Don’t thank me, it’s what I’m here for.” He told her as he began to eat his own eggs he had prepared once Tecna’s was done, “Although I think you should keep to the fruit and yogurt at times when you get up earlier than I do… but you can always wake me too.”
“No Timmy,” Tecna protested, “I don’t want to wake you. Especially if I’ve kept you up all night screaming in my sleep.”
“You know I’m always going to be there for you.” He reassured her as he reached over to give her hand a gentle squeeze.
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During the first week that Tecna had been living with Timmy, he continued to teach her simple household skills. One afternoon, Timmy had showed her how to operate a washer and dryer, and now they were folding the laundry in the living room. Tecna was sitting on her familiar ottoman in the corner of the room. She watched as Timmy demonstrated how to fold one of her shirts, but before she could try for herself, they heard an alert from Timmy’s cellphone.
“Hello,” Timmy began when he realized that someone was at his door.
“This is the Zenithian forensics team, we have some things you need to see.” A man responded on the screen of Timmy’s phone. He stole a glance at Tecna and she gave him a weak nod in response before they went to the door. When Timmy opened the door, a couple tall men were there awaiting them.
“Upon investigating Mr. Err’s hideout, we uncovered quite a few possessions that belonged to a couple that was pronounced dead after a tremendous house fire approximately fourteen years ago.” The man informed Timmy and Tecna when they welcomed the team in. Some of the men were carrying boxes of numerous sizes.
“Do you mind if we just set these here?” One of them asked.
“No, go ahead.” Tecna assured them quietly. Timmy was slightly surprised that Tecna was more comfortable talking to strangers now, but he also understood that she was much more at ease in his presence. The team began to gently place the smaller boxes on the table where they could find space among the articles of laundry, and others set heavier boxes on the floor. As Tecna watched all this happen, she returned her gaze to the conversation she and Timmy were having with the head of the forensics team.
“Here is the birth certificate of their child, which it was assumed that she had burned in the fire along with her parents.” He told Tecna as he handed her a small, thin, metallic box with a power button. Unfamiliar with the commonplace technologies of her own realm, Tecna gaped at it for a moment. How was anyone supposed to know that this was a piece of documentation? Though, curiosity struck her and she pressed the button on the top of the box. In seconds, a holographic screen appeared from the top of it. There, in plain sight, was Tecna’s name below two other names, one of which she was all too familiar with. Electronio Logica. The other name was one she never heard of, Magnethia.
“We have reason to believe that you are the daughter of Electronio and Magnethia Logica.” The head of the forensics team told Tecna, and she was at a loss for words.
“You said they died in a fire?” She asked after a moment of trying to collect her thoughts, “Are you positive they didn’t escape? Were the bodies found?”
“It was fourteen years ago, ma’am.” He told her with deep regret, “I wasn’t around during the time it occurred.”
“I’m sure we can do our own investigating,” Timmy interjected, “There has to be plenty of articles out there.” Tecna turned to Timmy and nodded in acceptance.
“All of these boxes contain things that belonged to your parents,” Another one of the team members told Tecna, “I’m sure some of your questions can be answered with what you find.”
“Do you have any other questions for us before we go.” The head of the forensics team asked them, and they both agreed that there was nothing else the team could provide for them.. Within minutes, the team dismissed themselves and Tecna and Timmy were alone again. Tecna stood stunned for a moment before she sat down on her ottoman again. Timmy knew that it was the spot that gave her the most comfort, and he knew she needed space.
“Do you need time to process all of this?” He asked her as he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.
“Just… give me a few minutes and I’ll help you organize everything.” She told him.
“Remember to take all the time you need.” Timmy assured her before he began tidying up some of the smaller boxes. In about ten minutes, Tecna was able to gather herself enough to help him rummage through the boxes. One of them contained another small metallic box that read ‘Photos of Tecna,’ and she was the one to come across it.
“Hey Timmy, do you think what ever is on this drive could tell us anything about my parents?” She asked him, and he turned his attention to her.
“I think so,” He said, and so Tecna turned on the metallic box. Just like with her birth certificate, a holographic screen appeared in front of them. This time, a series of pictures appeared, all of the same little girl. The first was of baby Tecna wrapped in a blanket in the arms of a woman with shoulder length blue hair tied with a bandana. Both Tecna and Timmy knew that the woman in the picture had to be Magnethia.
“I know that’s your mom, you have her beautiful teal eyes,” Timmy remarked, giving Tecna a gentle smile. All she could do in response was let out a little giggle, “You were such an adorable baby. I mean, just look at that little butterfly in her cozy cocoon.” As they shared in discovering the pictures of her childhood, he had his arm wrapped around Tecna’s waist. He pulled her in a little closer, practically cuddling her as he pecked her cheek. It always seemed to warm her heart when he referred to her as a butterfly, even as a baby. She glided her elegant fingers across the holographic screen and flipped to the next picture. This one was of a man who looked exactly like Mr. Err had when he masqueraded as her father.
“That must be the real Electronio,” Tecna thought breathlessly, “my father.” In the picture, Electronio was lifting little Tecna up into the air as she spread her arms and pretended to fly. She looked so joyous and free, and her father looked so proud. The picture made Tecna smile, she felt a warm sensation within her heart that she had never felt before. It was a warm and soothing feeling, and it was entirely different than when Timmy first declared his love to her. However, it was just as intense. Then, they turned to the next photo, when both Magnethia and Electronio were there. Sitting on Magnethia’s lap, little Tecna had a spoon in her hand and a face covered in soup.
“Do you think that Mr. Err was right… that my mom used to make algorithm soup?” Tecna asked Timmy.
“Who knows,” Timmy pondered, “we might even come across their recipes in these boxes.” The two spent another hour looking through the pictures. The pictures that stood out to Tecna the most was one of her mother reading to her before bed, another one of Tecna on the floor playing with blocks and unconsciously creating her first complex equations, and a third photo of one of her birthdays where her face was covered in cake.
When they were done looking through all the pictures, Tecna had absolute certainty that she had a wonderful life with loving parents. That is, before she had been kidnapped by Mr. Err. After the metallic box was put away on Timmy’s bookshelf, Tecna couldn’t help but continue to stare blankly in deep thought.
“What’s the matter, Tec?” Timmy asked her when he noticed she had went quiet for what felt to him like too long.
“I need to know what happened to them.” Tecna said suddenly after another minute of silence.
“I did say that we could do more investigating, if you’re absolutely sure that’s what you want.” Timmy replied. He was very hesitant, he didn’t know if Tecna was truly ready to process the information she would find. However, he also wanted to support her, no matter what her decisions were.
Over the past week, Tecna had helped Timmy finish his PC build, and now they were able to use his computer to do their research. She sat down in front of it as Timmy sat in an extra seat beside her. In the web browser, Tecna typed in the names of her parents, and was immediately provided with articles of their death. One such article was dated on August 17, 1994, approximately four years after she was born.
Two Dead and One Missing in House Fire
Two are dead after a fire started on the west end of Terabyte Street. Firefighters responded to the scene of a two-alarm fire that was set ablaze Saturday night. Neighbors say a couple and their daughter lived in the home. The remains of two adults were found, but it has not been confirmed whether the remains belonged to the couple that lived there. The child’s remains wasn’t found. Witnesses say that by the time the firefighters arrived on scene, it was too late, the fire had consumed the home. The fire marshal is still investigating the cause of the fire.
By the time Tecna and Timmy were done reading the article, their mouths were left agape. Timmy was left absolutely speechless until he turned to notice that Tecna was now shaking like a leaf. Visions of what people of Zenith assumed had happened to her and her parents clouded her imagination. She could hear their screams of pain and terror. She could unconsciously hear her younger self crying out for her parents as a complete psychotic murderer was taking her away.
“Tecna?” Timmy called to her with deep concern in his voice, “Tecna, can you hear me?” However, there was no response. Aside from uncontrollable trembling, Tecna froze with horror. So, Timmy spared no hesitation to move her from the spot sitting in his office chair to laying comfortably on his couch. By the time he reached the couch and lay her down, she had fainted. Just like he promised, he stayed by her side and squeezed her hand in reassurance that he hadn’t left. And just like times prior, he began to sing their special song to her, off-key and off-pitch in all its authenticity.
It wasn’t long until Tecna’s eyes began to flutter open again. And there, in a blurry vision of ginger hair and his signature red-rimmed glasses, her hero was looking down at her.
“You’re okay now, Tec,” He reassured her, “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll put the rest of the stuff in storage, and we can organize it another day. Just rest,” As he told her this, he placed endless kisses on her forehead. Tecna couldn’t find the strength to respond, but she was put at ease to know that her lover was there. She allowed him to pull her in close and cradle her in his arms until she was peacefully sleeping to regain her strength.
“Please, Tecna, have sweet dreams.” He whispered as he placed her down on the couch and wrapped a small blanket around her, “You deserve them.” He was reluctant to leave her side but knew that he wouldn’t be too far away if she needed him. So, he slowly lifted himself and began putting the leftover boxes into his storage space, However, as he was cleaning up, he came across a box labeled “kitchen.” What in the Magical Dimension would Mr. Err want with kitchen items? Out of curiosity, Timmy opened the box to reveal little more than some utensils and another little metal box with a power button on it. On the top of the box, it read ‘recipes.’ A small smile spread across his face as his certainties came into fruition.
Timmy powered on the small metallic box, and just as he was hoping, the first of a list of recipes was ‘Algorithm Soup,” Timmy’s smile never left his face as he looked over the file that was in the form or a holographic projection in front of him. Once he had thoroughly looked over the recipe, he snapped his attention to the sound of Tecna moaning fitfully in her sleep. Timmy immediately jumped at the sound and went to his lover’s side.
“Ssh, ssh, I’m right here.” He reassured her in a hushed whisper as he began to slide his fingers gently through strands of her magenta hair. Within a couple minutes, Tecna was quiet again.
“Timmy,” She murmured in her sleep as he continued to caress her hair. Once he knew that she was fast asleep again, he gave her a soft peck on the forehead. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight, not for a moment, but he had another wonderful surprise in store for her.
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Late at night, the smell of soup surrounded Timmy’s entire home. As the soup was simmering, he watched over Tecna, ensuring that her sleep remained peaceful. Then, when the soup was ready, he scooped up a bowl and took it into the living room.
“Tecna, wake up.” He said softly after he placed the bowl on the coffee table and gently nudged her shoulder. She groaned slightly before shifting under the blanket and finally turning to look up at him. The smell of warm, comforting soup engulfed her senses, and she saw the bowl on the table. The familiar sauce with numerous pasta shapes of different complex equations left her in a state of awe.
“Timmy, how did you…?” She couldn’t even string the words together. It felt too good to be real, but there it was, her childhood favorite meal was right in front of her.
“I found the recipe in another one of those small metallic boxes while I was cleaning up,” Timmy explained, “I hoped you would enjoy it.” Then, he left momentarily to grab a folding tray, and when he returned, he helped Tecna up to sit with support from her pillow and the couch’s armrest. She was still in awe at what Timmy had done, and slowly brought the spoon to her lips. After a few bites, a bright smile spread across her face as she looked into Timmy’s eyes.
“This is delicious,” She told him, “Thank you so much, Timmy. You’ve done… so much for me, and I just feel… so useless.” As she admitted this, her voice quieted with every word.
“No, Tecna, no,” Timmy assured her, cupping his fingers under her chin but being careful not to bump the soup bowl, “You are learning so much about yourself and what you can do. You’ve come such a long way from months ago. Think about that,” Tecna did think about it for a minute as she continued to eat her soup.
Just over five months ago, she was on the verge of suicide. She discovered that the Omega Portal was breached, and she researched the catastrophic aftermath if it wasn’t closed. It was the one way she could escape the torturous life she lived. However, when Tecna realized the troops rescued her in the Omega Dimension, she didn’t want to be saved. She refused to eat, didn’t want to talk to anyone, and took quite a long time to regain only a little bit of health. Still, Tecna never trusted anyone. She was just too damaged. Everyone assigned to help her only lasted a few days before giving up, not knowing how to get her to come out of hiding. That is, until the day that Mrs. Faragonda assigned Timmy to her.
She was just as aloof towards him as she bad been toward everyone else that was assigned to her. However, the others never piqued her curiosity and interests like Timmy had. He introduced her to video games, a form of technology that she had been deprived of her entire life. Timmy made a deal with her, she would eat her meals and Timmy would introduce her to more of his games. After a while, Tecna looked forward to mealtimes. It was because Timmy had connected to her in a way that no-one else attempted that sparked this special bond, despite the trauma that still consumed Tecna.
One night a few weeks later, Timmy had sung to her. That was what chased away the nightmares that haunted her. She had asked him why he did it, fearing that it was all her imagination. When he told her that he knew she had been crying in her sleep, she expected him to punish her. That was all she knew. Timmy reassured her that it was okay to cry. It was something she’d been holding back for so long, and she broke down in front of him. Ever since, it felt right for her to open up to Timmy, knowing he would never reprimand her.
Within days, all her horrible secrets had been revealed to him. When Tecna finally told him about Mr. Err, Timmy immediately went to Mrs. Faragonda. He begged and pleaded for the head of Alfea to track Mr. Err down and put him to justice. Unfortunately, after five days of searching, she was unable to. It was then that Timmy decided to take the task on himself, at any cost. He was determined to find Mr. Err. Tecna knew that Timmy would never put her in harm’s way and trusted him. When she tried to locate Mr. Err’s hideout through the computer, she was shocked unconscious. Timmy stayed by her side throughout the night. When she opened her eyes, he did everything he could to restore her strength. It was on that night that she learned just how much he loved her. He never stopped crying the whole time she was unconscious. He blamed himself for allowing her to get hurt and dedicated himself to rectifying that mistake. He made sure that her powers were not damaged by the shock and told her that he would never forgive himself if they had been.
All the while, Timmy had asked a couple other fairies and their workers to prepare a special night for Tecna. That night was magical despite how it ended. He wanted to give her what she never got a chance to have. He spent two weeks learning how to dance, but never got to show her that night. That was the last time they were allowed to spend together, and after they departed, Timmy still devoted the rest of the night trying desperately to find Mr. Err’s location to no avail. In the morning, he saw that Tecna couldn’t make it without him. He threw all caution to the wind and held her in his arms, letting her give herself to his comfort. Even though he couldn’t meet with Mrs. Faragonda, he promised that he would try to convince her to let him be with Tecna throughout her new transition.
Then, when Mr. Err masqueraded as Tecna’s father and took her away, Timmy took matters into his own hands and followed them back to Zenith. Tecna had no idea how he did it, but he contacted the Zenith authorities before storming the hideout himself. All Tecna knew was that Timmy had faced off against Mr. Err and finally took his life, even if it was at the expense of his own. Tecna refused to let Timmy die, she was too scared to live without him, and now that would never change. Her tears of anguish and the use of all of her fairy dust managed to heal him, the way he did everything he could to heal her.
When Tecna realized that she was still alive, and that Timmy was also alive, she was overjoyed. It was at the moment that Timmy sang their song without the use of magic that confirmed that she was still alive. It was Timmy’s authenticity that reassured her that they had both survived. With the assurance that she was alive and free, Tecna reconciled with Mrs. Faragonda for her ignorance, and opened up to her new friends, Stella, Brandon, Helia and Musa. Then, Timmy had given her the most wonderful choice she ever thought she would receive. He offered her a place to live, and without hesitation, she accepted. Tecna was too frightened to even fathom living by herself, and she still couldn’t imagine it now.
There was something else that Tecna couldn’t even fathom, it had only been a week since she had moved in with Timmy. Within that week, he had taught her so much. Little by little, she was acquiring new living skills that she never thought she would have. Timmy was right, she had come a long way from months ago. Looking back on all that she’d been through, and how much her life had changed, tears of disbelief began to prick the corners of her eyes.
“I would’ve never gotten to where I am now if it weren’t for you,” She said quietly as Timmy noticed her tears, “Thank you, Timmy."
“All of that is behind you,” He assured her as he reached over to wipe her tears with his thumb, “And if you ever have any post-traumatic experiences, remember that I’ll always be there to get you through them.” Tecna looked into Timmy’s hazel eyes behind his red-rimmed glasses and smiled at him.
“I love you, Timmy,” She choked, unable to grasp just how amazing he had been. He had gone through hell for her and would do it all again at any expense.
“I love you too, Tec,” He responded back, returning her smile, “Would you like more algorithm soup?” Tecna nodded silently as he took the bowl from her and gave her one last peck on her forehead.
“Hey Tec?” He asked before leaving to the kitchen, “You know what?”
“What?” She said.
“If you ever have any doubts about your parents, think about this. They are resting in peace now, knowing that their little butterfly is free, and that someone would do anything for her…, absolutely anything.” And then, Timmy departed into the kitchen to refill her bowl. It was because of this man that she was even alive today, but she still was in such disbelief at how good she had it. Timmy would continue to encourage her to be loved until she knew how to truly love herself.
A few months later, Timmy came home from running a couple of errands to find Tecna hard at work at his compute with a spreadsheet open and one of her separate holographic screens beside her. Timmy had told Tecna in the beginning that she was always welcome to use his computer, but what she was doing took him by surprise.
“Hey Timmy,” Tecna greeted him with a joyous smile that he thought had grown more sincere with each passing day, “I noticed a whole bunch of receipts in your desk drawer and some of your bills. So I thought I’d organize your budgeting a little.” Timmy walked over to see exactly what Tecna had done thus far. She had a spreadsheet open on his computer which was systematically shorted, and beside her was one of her holographic screens that she used to make calculations. He was amazed by what he saw, everything was so comprehensive and easy to find.
“This is incredible, Tec.” He said, nearly at a loss for words to say.
“I also see that you’re trying to save up for something and you have a set amount of money you’d like to put aside.” Tecna added, “I just wanted to do something to support you in your dream.”
“You’re not curious at all?” Timmy asked. He had been trying desperately to set money aside for something spectacular, but with bills and expenses, he was having no luck with it on his own.
“What you do with your money is your own business, Timmy.” Tecna assured him, “I just want to help you reach your goals. It’s the least I could do for you after all you’ve done for me. I don’t want to be so useless.” There it was again, no matter how much time had passed, Tecna still considered herself useless. Even if she had learned so many living skills, she could now cook a simple meal for Timmy a few days a week and divided the household chores with him equally, she still felt it wasn’t enough compared to how much he helped her.
“Tecna, you are not useless,” He reminded her, “You are intelligent, powerful, beautiful and you are getting more and more independent every day. How many times do I have to say how far you’ve come? You’re amazing.” He couldn’t help but chuckle slightly, and it brought her smile back.
“Please stop saying that you’re useless, Tecna.” He continued, “It hurts me so much to know that you still think that way about yourself, even after so long.” Then, he lifted her chin gently with his fingers and their lips met. It was one of many passionate kisses they had shared throughout the months, and it filled Tecna’s heart with the same overpowering warmth that it had the very first time he had kissed her. The warmth still had just as much intensity, and Tecna reciprocated it with just as much passion. As they parted, they couldn’t think of a moment in the rest of their lives when they weren’t by each other’s side.
Over the next few months, Tecna continued to learn important life skills and go through plenty of new experiences that she never thought she would. In return, continued to do Timmy’s budgeting while he worked remotely from home. When he had time off, they spent afternoons playing the latest video game titles, and Timmy didn’t mind in the slightest that Tecna always beat him. He just relished in her pleasure, it was all he could ask for her. He was planning something to ensure that she was a truly free butterfly, released from the net of her past traumas.