Amber’s World

Amber woke up and rolled around on her warm water bed. This was the first time she came back when she was awake in the Beast World.

She wondered if whatever power controlled her transformation brought her back to protect her from the Mermaid Queen and her mates.

Amber didn't want to see another bloody battle or cause the extermination of a species.

She knew her mates were powerful and would kill anyone who tried to harm her. She thought about her mates and felt the mate pull of Nick and Blue Tang that brought them into her world.

They were close in the city, but not in her room. She knew they would find her like last time.

For now, she had to get ready for school and figure out what to do with her mates.

Amber didn't know how long she would be away from the beast world this time and missed her cubs and family over there.

She knew that her mates and beast guardian would protect Eli and the cubs. She was not worried about their safety, just felt bad they would miss her for an entire year or more.

Amber remembered how sad Nick was the first time she traveled between worlds. The time was not the same in the different places.

She got up and greeted her sister, "Good Morning!"

Jasmine noticed Amber was dressed differently again, she already knew about Amber's travel between worlds.

Jasmine asked, "How long were you over there this time? What happened?"

Amber told her the brief version of what happened from the cubs to the war with the Mermen tribe.

Jasmine was impressed, "So, you have 3 kids now? Wait, they have mermaids over there?"

Amber replied, "Yes, one of my mates is a merman and he has blue hair! I'm supposed to have a female mermaid for him to start his own Mermaid tribe. The old Mermaid Queen was jealous and tried to kill me. She wanted Blue Tang for herself, even though she already had thousands of Mermen to choose from! I had 2 Cheetah cubs with Nick. They are so cute, you would love them! Nate got Nick's golden brown eyes and Raj got my green eyes. They are adorable! I miss them already, but it will be at least a year in their world until I see them again. The last time I returned, Eli had grown almost to a teenager! They grow up so fast over there."

Amber got a little sad thinking about missing her cubs growing up. Maybe it was for the best. She tried to comfort herself. Beastmen were raised to be independent and tough to survive in their harsh world. If she were there all the time, she would want to spoil them. They were her babies and were so cute!

Amber tried to distract herself from worrying about her other family and started to plan what to do today.

Her mother still did not know about Amber's other family in the beast world. She didn't want her mother to worry about her. She also didn't want to tell her mother that she was a grandmother at such a young age.

She started getting ready for school and planned to skip class as soon as she arrived. She planned to meet up with her mates and discuss strategies for when they returned to the beast world.

If the time stayed consistent like the last few times she would return a year after the day she left. Luckily, she had the green crystal to help her not age or she would have aged a year overnight each time she time-traveled.

Amber noticed her hair had not grown and she looked the same except for the new mate marks. As long as she kept them covered up, her mother would not suspect anything. 

Her mother was a busy single mom who worked 3 jobs. She barely had any time for herself and was currently going through a divorce. Amber felt bad about lying to her mom, but she wanted to help her mom, not add to her worries. 

Jasmine was already working on a plan to help their family. Amber wanted to help as well but felt confident her sister would be able to help her mother. Her younger brother Christopher was still too young to help or understand what was going on.

Amber was the middle child, but with her years in the beast world and her experience as a mother, she was now more mentally mature than her older sister. She better understood a mother's love. She would do anything for her children.

For now, she had to plan a future in either world. Maybe one day her other mates and children would be strong enough to travel to her world. She started to imagine what that would look like.

The worlds were very different but still had some similarities. People are adaptable. She was able to adapt to the beast world all on her own. 

The laws in this world were different than the beast world. She would have to explain it to them so they would understand. She would also need to teach them how to read and write.

Amber started to plan how to create a school for her family here. She knew some classes taught adults English for non-native speakers. She could pass them off as foreigners. Technically speaking, they were.

As long as they kept their animal traits hidden and didn't transform in public it should be ok. They mostly looked human with the exceptions of the animal tails and ears, or Blue Tang's blue hair and turquoise eyes. 

She could say he was an artist, and he liked to color his hair and wear contacts. Nick's amber-brown eyes were striking, but not unseen in this world. 

The guys would have to get used to the clothes and shoes in this world, but she believed they could do it. The last time they came to this world, Nick and Blue Tang fit in well enough.

Amber worried a little about all the attention they would receive, but she was not worried about them cheating or leaving her for another woman. She knew the beast men were extremely loyal to their mates.

 Amber had cereal for a quick breakfast and headed to school. She was in the middle of her first class when she felt like she was being watched. Amber turned her head to look out the window and noticed a familiar pair of amber-brown eyes staring at her.

Amber asked to go to the restroom and left the classroom. She walked down the hallway until she didn't see anyone else around her. She snuck outside to meet Nick.

She led Nick to a quiet garden in the back of the school to make sure no one noticed an older guy who looked like he was in college on her school campus.

Nick hugged her and inhaled her scent when they were sure no one was around. He greeted, "I'm glad to find you so quickly. I was outside of the city when we came over. I followed the mate pull. I'm glad you are ok."

Amber hugged him back and responded," I'm glad you are ok too. I was worried about you guys. Where is Blue Tang?"

Nick looked a little annoyed at the mention of Blue Tang. If it were not for him, Amber would not be in danger from the Mermaid Queen. He wished Blue Tang was not her mate.

He rolled his eyes, "I didn't see Blue Tang. He is probably in the sea like last time searching for an underwater cave. We should leave him there. It's all his fault you were in danger."

Amber understood where Nick was coming from, but she knew it wasn't Blue Tang's fault. He was only worried about the survival of his race. She still owed him a female mermaid.

Amber responded, "We can let him explore underwater for now. I will go tell my teacher that I need to go home and we can plan what to do when we go back to the beast world. Meet me at the front of the school in 30 minutes. Try to stay hidden."

Amber noticed his cheetah ears and tail were hidden. Good thing he remembered from last time. He had also picked up some clothes on the way here. He was wearing some basketball shorts, sandals, and a hoodie.

He could pass as a model the way he made the most basic outfit look glamorous. Amber thought about Nick on a catwalk and chuckled as she left to ask for leave from the school nurse.

30 minutes later, Amber left school and met up with Nick who was sitting on a bus bench. Amber called a taxi and they went downtown towards the seaside park.

She wanted to be close in case Blue Tang wanted to meet up with them. She stopped at a men's clothing store and used her sister's credit card to buy a couple of simple outfits for her mates.

She only needed one outfit for Blue Tang, but she didn't want Nick to get jealous. She knew Nick already didn't like Blue Tang and didn't want to make it worse. She wondered how Nick got the clothes he was currently wearing, but didn't ask.

She guessed he had stolen them. She just hoped he didn't take them from a person and left the poor guy in his underwear. It was common for beastmen to take what they needed. 

She would have to teach them the laws here as soon as possible.