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Although the cheetah girl couldn't describe it in words, Joshua understood well enough through her actions. From an injection. But who was the person that gave her these injections? "Who is mommy?" he asked. For some reason, it was easier to believe Colche over Kaveri and Zachery. Perhaps it was because she didn't seem quite so... insane as they had been.

Yet, even though Joshua was able to believe her, he still didn't believe they were actually turning into animals. It was possible that Colche didn't understand it herself - but would that mean they were doing these things to her against her will? He hoped not - he certainly didn't want to work for anyone who would do such things to a person without permission.

Lives at the lab, hm? She must be one of the other teachers, or perhaps just a scientist. Dr. Duvert did say they did research in the labs as well. Although... he never said what kind.

He curled his fingers gently around her hand, feeling the soft fur and the rough pads on her paws. Joshua noticed the callous on the girl's wrist, and he couldn't help wondering where it had come from. He didn't know what to make of all this. He had many questions, and he knew Colche would not be able to answer all of them. Would he ever understand what was going on here?

Maybe coming here to teach wasn't such a good idea.

When Colche spoke again, he came out of his thoughts, looking away from her wrist and back up at the girl's face. "Hmm? Oh, right - yes, I would love to see what books you have! Perhaps we can pick one out that I can help you read while I am there," he said, smiling at her and trying not to let his worries show on his face.

Joshua smiled, standing up and leaving the rest of his food on the table. He reached out and took her hand, "okay Colche, just lead the way. I don't know my way around this place very well yet, I wouldn't want to get lost!"

Although previously he had avoided looking at her, after seeing her face and hands, he couldn't help glancing down at her legs to see if they were changed too - and indeed they were. In fact, it seemed like their whole bone structure was changed, standing on her toes like a real cheetah.

How, how, how? Joshua felt a headache coming on, unable to understand the things he was seeing and desperately wanting explanations. Perhaps there was a book around that might help...

Joshua followed her to her duplex, making a mental note of where he could find it later if he needed to. All the while, he kept telling himself, it isn't real, it isn't real, it isn't real. There was nothing else he was could to accept - nothing else his mind would accept. The more he thought this, the easier it was for him to be able to relax.

He saw the bunny run and hide as he followed Colche inside, and he smiled. "You have a bunny, Colche? What's her name?" he asked, allowing her to lead him to her bookshelf. He looked over the books, trying to see which ones might be her level and which ones they should wait on reading. He took the book from her when she held it out, opening the book to where the paper was placed. "Yes, this book might be a little hard - but why don't we try it for now? If it's too hard, we can always try a different book, and then come back to this one later," he said with a smile.

"Bunny? That's a perfect name for a rabbit!" Joshua said, grinning as he was pulled over to the bed. He sat down next to the cheetah girl so he would be able to see the book with her, and he turned the pages back to the beginning of the first chapter. He was encouraged by her eagerness to learn, most of his students usually took his class because it was a requirement, so this was a nice change to teach someone who actually wanted to learn.

"Alright, Colche. Let's start at the beginning. Will you read this out loud for me? When you get to a word that's too hard, or that you don't understand, we can stop and I will help you with that," he smiled, handing the book to her so she could read from it. Letting her read out loud first would help him get a handle on what she knew and understood so far.

Joshua leaned over to see the word she was having trouble with, and nodded. "That's very close. It's a ssw-ee-ng," he said, again, saying the word slowly so Colche could hear the correct way to pronounce it.

"A swing is... it's a toy for children. It's a board, held up by two pieces of rope. The tops of the rope are tied up to a tree. You sit down on the board and you can move back and fourth," he explained, trying to make it simple enough for her to understand.

"Does that make sense?" he asked, hoping he explained it well enough to her. He thought maybe he could draw her a picture, but he wasn't very good at drawing.

Joshua was always ready to praise her when she needed it; he was a firm believer that positive reinforcement helped encourage people to learn. He helped her when she needed it, explaining words that she didn't understand, and he was sure to not interrupt her until she asked for help or started to struggle with what she was reading.

He smiled and chuckled when the cheetah girl held the book out to him, and asked him to read some. He felt she was doing well so far, so he took the book from her. "Alright, I'll read to you," he said. Joshua looked down at the pages and began to read the story to her out loud where Colche left off. If she was ever confused about a word he had said out loud, he would stop and explain it to her before continuing on.