"If you found something that wasn't shaped like a human at all and it wasn't an animal how would you tell what it was instead?"

"Well, I eat plants," says Astrid. "And I drink water. And my hair does color."

Lynn nods. "Unfortunately I don't know what things eat only plants, drink water, and change hair color based on what they eat. Besides you, of course. Which kind of makes it difficult to classify you."

"Oh. Well, what do we do about me not being an animal?"

"Well, it means that I shouldn't take you to the hospital or nurse's office or anything, because I am worried that other people would want to - study you and that they would not have proper ethics while doing it. But other than that - I don't see a need to do much of anything, you seem fine."

"Study me?"

"Try to figure out what you are, which is fine in itself. But you are also a person along with being not an animal, and I'm worried they would forget that. In their excitement to figure out what you are."

"I think that would be pretty hard to forget. I talk."

Astrid looks blank.

"They might - do bad things to study you because they are curious and they are thinking about what they want to know instead of how you want to be treated."

"Oh."

"Yes. And I want to prevent that, more than anything else in the world."

"Anything?"

"Just about, yes. It's just barely, barely below keeping you alive."

"What about all the other things in the world?"

"You are my priority," informs Lynn. "Because I consider you to be my daughter, and I love you. So you come before all of the other things in the world. Including myself."

"I don't know. Obviously I also would like to keep living, and would try very hard to not die. But if it seemed like it was absolutely unavoidable, like I had a timer that would kill me no matter what I do, I would make sure you go somewhere that you are safe and happy."

Astrid nods gravely.

Lynn decides that her daughter needs a hug. She is going to offer one.

Hug.

"Is there anybody else who might know what I am?"