The Zoo, Final

Grumbling about how humans don't know how to appreciate a first-class beauty, the tiger extends her paw and places it on my hand. "And my name is Arianna."

I grin. "Well Arianna: Tiger be here, tiger be huge. But then I say, tiger be small." And then Arianna was gone.

I quickly walk away before anyone can notice, tucking my hands into the pockets of my skirt. Thankfully I won't be caught on camera. One of the tests we conducted with Clarity was if my power could be caught on film.

For some reason though, whenever I use my power the video recorder shows neither me nor what I do. But when I use my power on an object, the object still appears normal. Even if it's in the process of blowing up. On the video it's just there one moment, then gone the next.

Curious about the reaction people will have, I stand around a sign with a map of the park while keeping an eye on the tiger enclosure.

It takes a full ten minutes before some of the zookeepers come out and start trying to herd people away. They're having none of it though. At least until they mention that they're going to be entering the enclosure.

That quiets the crowd and they obediently step back, but don't leave. A few are even getting out their video recorder in case something happens.

Typical herd mentality. They're ok with others getting hurt, or even killed. But they don't even consider that it might happen to them in the same instance.

Oh wait, I do see one guy carefully making his way to the back of the crowd. Seems like he still wants to watch, but is wanting to put other people in between him and potential danger. Him I like.

The zookeeper who's been chosen to open the cage has a cattle prod in his hand in case the tiger, who isn't there anymore, jumps at him.

Honestly, why even have that? The whole reason they're even going in is because the tiger isn't there anymore. Guess it just makes him feel better to grip something so big and powerful for once.

He takes a few deep breaths, makes sure the prod is working by pushing the switch or button or whatever it is it uses, then yanks open the door and jumps back.

The door slams into the cage with a loud *CLANG* then swings back closed within seconds of each other. The zookeeper flushes as some people in the crowd snicker at him.

Angrily he yanks it open again, this time not letting go. He keeps the prod pointed at the opening for a moment in case something jumps, but nothing does.

Cautiously, he takes small steps into the enclosure. Once he's in, his face goes from relieved that he wasn't mauled, to confusion about where the tiger is.

Finally his face pales, and everyone can hear it when he says, "Oh shit."

He hurriedly starts going through the small amount of foliage, hitting it out of the way with the prod. The crowd quiets down as they realize something is wrong.

After a few more moments of frantic searching, he scrambles from the cage. He looks at the other zookeepers keeping the crowd.

In the quiet, his voice is like an explosion. "The tiger is gone."

For a few moments, nobody moves. Then everyone bursts into motion. The crowd screams and runs, except for that one guy I noticed. He breathes a sigh of relief before looking around and walking towards the exit.

...

Huh.

'He has a good head on his shoulders. If the tiger is gone, then it was probably gone for a while since nobody in the crowd saw it leave. And if it was still in the area, they would have heard the screams by now. Wish I knew his name so I could keep an eye on him. My future secret organization could use people like that.'

After all, if you have super powers and aren't recruited by a secret and/or shady organization, it only makes sense to create your own.

I shake my head, pull my hand out of my pocket and glance down at it. "How you doing, Arianna?"

"Not bad, but it's kind of hot and stuffy in there. Oh, right. Can you please explain WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ONE!? WHY THE F*CK AM I TINY NOW!? HOW DID YOU DO THAT!? DID I JUST MAKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL!?"

I bring her up closer to my ear. "Sorry, what was that? It's really hard to hear you when you're so small."

"..."

Indeed, I shrunk down Arianna and put her in my pocket. Considering nobody can get video evidence of what I did, and all witnesses are in the process of panicking, I think that I'm going to get away with it.

Especially since nobody will believe that some random, nearly eleven year old girl managed to steal a giant tiger at the zoo in the middle of the day.

Seeing that Arianna is silent, I shrug and put her back. If she's uncomfortable she'll just have to deal with it for a bit.

I make my way over to the reptile exhibit where Harry and the Dursleys are, wondering when we'll be going back to the house.

On the way I pass a snake who seems to be heading to the exit. I give them a wave and get a nod back.

Entering the exhibit, it's pandemonium. Dudley and Dennis are stuck behind the glass for one of the reptiles, Harry is on the floor staring at them. And Petunia and Vernon are banging on it while screaming for the staff to do something. Oh, and everyone else is panicking because there's apparently a snake loose as well.

I walk over to Harry and pull him to his feet while giving him a pout.

"You should have invited me if you were going to be having so, much fun!"