The house slowly returned to its usual quiet.
Dion had already retreated to his room, pretending he didn't care though Denver was sure she heard him searching "Cursed Users Documentary" on his laptop five minutes later.
Now, only two people remained in the dining room.
Mom and Denver.
The ticking of the wall clock felt louder than ever.
Denver stared at her hands slender, pale, unfamiliar. Every movement still felt like she was controlling someone else's body.
Mom sat across from her, hands folded, eyes tired. Not scared anymore, just… worried.
"So," Mom said softly, breaking the silence, "what do we do now?"
Denver hesitated, then took a deep breath.
"There's only one thing we can do," she said.
Mom raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
"Go to the WGR."
The room froze again.
World Gift Registry.
The place where every Gifted and Cursed individual was recorded, analyzed, trained, and… sometimes detained.
Mom's expression darkened.
"…Absolutely not."
Denver stiffened. "Mom"
"No." Her voice was firm. "You know what happens to people who go there. They don't come back for months. Sometimes years."
She clenched her fists. "Some don't come back at all."
Denver lowered her gaze. She knew that, everyone did.
WGR was officially a research and protection agency. Unofficially, it was a place where the world studied people like experiments.
"But I don't have a choice," Denver said quietly.
Mom looked up.
"You know the law. When someone awakens a Gift or Curse, they must report to WGR. If they don't…" she swallowed, "…there are consequences."
Mom's jaw tightened.
Unregistered users were treated as potential threats. Some were hunted, some were captured and some simply disappeared.
"I need to know what kind of curse I have," Denver continued. "I can't just pretend this didn't happen. What if it gets worse? What if I lose control? What if it affects you and Dion?"
Silence.
Mom stared at the table.
"…You sound like your father," she whispered.
Denver froze.
"He always ran toward danger thinking it was his responsibility."
Mom laughed bitterly. "And look where that got him."
Denver clenched her fists. "I'm not trying to be a hero. I just… don't want to be a problem."
Mom stared at her daughter... no, her child long and hard.
Finally, she sighed.
"…Fine."
Denver's eyes widened.
"We'll go to WGR," Mom said reluctantly. "I'll file the report tomorrow."
Her voice softened.
"But I'm not letting you go immediately."
Denver blinked. "Huh?"
Mom stood up and walked over, placing a hand on Denver's head.
Her touch was warm.
"Before you go," she said quietly, "I want you to stay here, with us for a week."
"A week?"
She nodded.
"Some people don't come back the same after WGR. Especially the Cursed ones."
Her hand trembled slightly.
"They change, their personality, their memories and sometimes even their emotions. Some become cold, some become… someone else."
Denver felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"So," Mom continued, forcing a smile, "I want you to spend time with us, eat with us, argue with Dion and be… my child."
She looked away.
"Just in case."
Denver's chest tightened.
"…Okay," she whispered.
Mom patted her head. "Tomorrow is Monday, we start by then."
She walked toward the hallway, then paused.
"And Denver?"
"Yeah?"
"No matter what happens at WGR… you're still my kid boy or girl, Gifted or Cursed."
She gave a tired smile.
"Don't forget that."
Mom left the room.
Denver stayed at the table, staring at the clock, seven days. Seven normal days before stepping into a place that could change her forever.
She laughed softly.
"…Guess I should enjoy being a normal cursed girl while I still can."
Denver sat alone at the dining table long after Mom had gone to her room, she stared down at herself again her new self. Then a horrifying realization struck her like a cursed lightning bolt.
"…Wait."
She looked at her oversized shirt, then at her shorts and then at her reflection in the dark window. A slow, dreadful understanding crept into her brain.
"Clothes..."
"…What am I going to wear?"
Her mind replayed all the outfits in her closet, hoodies, oversized jackets, basketball shorts and a random shirts with game logos. Zero female clothing. She buried her face in her hands.
"I can't go to WGR wearing my 'I Paused My Game to Be Here' shirt."
She imagined herself walking into a global supernatural research facility dressed like a sleep deprived gamer.
"Ah yes, Subject 7392: Curse User Professional Discord Mod."
She groaned.
Then another terrifying thought hit her.
School.
Luckily it was summer break, but she still had to go back to school eventually.
"What am I supposed to wear then?!"
Uniform? Skirt? Blouse? Her brain blue screened.
"…I don't even know how skirts work."
She stood up, walked to her room, and opened her closet, it was a graveyard of masculine fashion choices.
"Who let me have such terrible foresight."
She imagined Mom dragging her to a mall, Dion watching, and strangers staring, her soul tried to exit her body.
"…I'm not ready for this."
She sat on her bed and stared at the ceiling, seven days before WGR. She sighed.
"…I guess tomorrow, I'm going shopping."
And for some reason, that thought scared her more than the World Gift Registry.