Home » The Crystal Hall » Fan Fiction » Shade: Reforming
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| Shade: Reforming [message #27811] |
Fri, 20 February 2009 16:08  |
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 Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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Shade: Reforming
"I'm hoooome!" I cried out as I opened the door to our apartment.
"Welcome home, Kyle," Abbey called out from the kitchen, where a delicious smell was coming from. She looked out from the side of the corridor. "How was practice today?"
"As usual, really. Coach's training us hard." I couldn't help but grin as I walked by her. "You should have seen Zack's wipeout though. He says he just tripped, but the way he went down..." I couldn't help but snicker.
I saw an amused smirk draw on my sister's face. She could already picture it, I bet. "Sounds painful, but keep it for later, okay? There's laundry to fold. The white clothes should be done." She turned back to her pots and pans, stirring the pasta a little more. "And don't you dare touch a single cookie before lunch."
I moaned, and pulled my hand away from the cookie jar. I thought only mothers were supposed to have eyes in the back of their heads. I guess she really picked up after her...
I reached out for an apple instead, and headed off to my daily chore. "Another load to dry, as usual?"
"Yup. Delicates. You know." I groaned a little. I knew what she meant. Last time wasn't exactly my fault. "Oh, and dad's going to be late tonight." She added.
"He's always late! What's the difference?" I shouted back, before biting down on my snack. I wasn't exactly complaining though. He was the one getting money into the house, and the reason we had a roof over our heads. And he worked hard for it. That's why we kids did everything we could to pitch in around the house. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, and so much more.
Then again, one of us was a chore on her own. I looked at my younger sister, Gabrielle, as she was diving halfway into the dryer, picking up leftover clothes, and tossing all the clean laundry on the floor instead of the basket. She tried hard, but sometimes a little 'too hard' for her age. That's usually when we had to help her out of trouble, or we were getting into some ourselves.
I couldn't help but asked with a slightly annoyed tone. "Gabby. What are you doing?"
She lifted her head, and conked herself on the top of the dryer. "Ooowww." She looked back at me as if the bump on her head was my fault. "I wanted Miss Mittens back!" She said as she held her red plush cat in her arms. It's big bright eyes would either make you think it was cute, or creepy. For her, it was cute 24/7. "All nice and clean!"
Wait a minute. White load? Red?
It took me a moment to take a second glance at the clothes thrown at the floor. "G-Gabby. You didn't..."
I thought that stuff only happened in TV. Color me surprised.
"W-what?" My sister and her cat were looking at me with matching innocent stares.
"GABBY! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" I screamed out as pointed to her mess. All the cloth was now dyed into a bright pink.
"But... B-but."
Oh no. I just had to open my big mouth a little too much. Again.
"I-I just wanted..."
Tears were coming from her eyes. Here come the floodgates."N-now wait, Gabby."
"T-th-to... WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
And she ran away, slamming the door to our room, crying her eyes out. Every single time she did something wrong, every time she ran crying to her room, and every time the same guilt trip on my part. It's not like I did everything perfect, but she had that 'sad little puppy dog' look in her eyes, and Abbey was the 'responsible one'. It sucked being the middle one. Even more when you're the only boy around.
And speaking of my handicap. Abbey came right over, apron still on, looking at me like I'd just kicked a kitten. "Kyle, what happened?"
"Your wardrobe just got a new expansion." I said as I pulled out my brand new pink shirt. The boys back at the field would be laughing their asses off by now.
Okay, so Abbey already knew about the mixup. Seemed that she found out herself when she pulled it out of the washer. Once more, I freaked out for nothing. I'm the big bad bully of the day. After a few apologies, Gabrielle was out, and everything went back to normal.
Normal, though, never seems to last...
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The next morning, I woke up like a zombie, stumbling out of bed. I'd been having trouble sleeping lately, and even though this was the weekend, my head still felt like I was in deep fog. I made my way to the bathroom, luckily without crashing face-first into the door frame this time. I was rubbing the sand out of my eyes when I felt a little something different.
I looked in the mirror to see my face, and my reflection seemed as surprised as I was.
Pinks hearts on my left cheek, flowers on my forehead, eyeshadow all around my eyes, cat whiskers coming from my nose and outward, and huge red lips all around mine. All done in crayon
Gabby. I growled as I immediately grabbed a wet towel, and began to wipe the drawings off my face. When I said I had trouble sleeping, it seems it didn't include little sisters coming into your room, and having fun on your face. It wasn't the first time either. I guess it was her little revenge for yesterday. I was lucky though. If she ever got the bright ideas to grab permanent markers, I'd be in trouble.
At least, a cold wet towel on the face was always a good way to wake up to reality. The more I rubbed, the sharper my senses became.
That's when I felt something else.
It was around my shirt. I couldn't quite put my finger on it yet, it felt a little tighter than usual. Did Gabby pull of another of her pranks? Were her methods evolving? Oh, if I look there and she's filled out my shirt with her stuffed toys, I was gona give her a piece of my mind.
I pulled my shirt up, and found something I didn't expect. Two small globes of flesh on my chest, both tipped with pink nubs which were showing their perkyness. They weren't anywhere near big, but I couldn't help but think. Are those... Breasts?
Okay, it took me a moment to shake off the shock, and tell myself that this had to be a trick. It had to be. A disguise, some cosmetics, or something. I pulled my shirt off, tossed it aside, and turned left and right, trying to find the straps holding these up. I looked left and right, back into the mirror, but nothing. I even looked for those special effect makeups they show in movies when they glue a pair of headlights on some actors. Okay, I was giving Gabby too much credit on that one, but Abbey could have given her a hand or something. But why the hell would they do that?
Unable to find anything after a few minutes of frustration, I just decided to grab on and pull them off. But just as my fingers wrapped around the two mounds, I felt a shiver run down my spine. "What the..." I could feel my fingers on my skin. It wasn't like having a padding push against my chest, but more like my chest had swelled up over a pair of tender globes.
I let go quickly, and simply stared for a moment. My disbelief might've hidden it from me at first, but now, I could feel the cold air brush up against them. I even poked 'them' a little, feeling the flesh move underneath like a small water balloon. I tried grabbing, pinching, squeezing, even pulled on them them to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Even the nubs at the tip seemed to harden and point upward in reaction, making them so sensitive. It was all so weird.
"What... the... FUCK IS GOING ON?" I screamed out at my reflection in a mixture of horror and frustration.
It didn't take long for Abbey to arrive to the bathroom, and peek inside. "What are you screaming... about?" She cut her own sentence short as she stared at me. No. More like she stared at my chest, just like I was. She came in closer, and reached out for my right boob. As her fingers gave a squeeze, I tensed up in surprise and pull back quickly. she looked back at me with the same shocked look on her face. "Kyle? What happened?"
"I don't know!" I screamed out in panic. "I FUCKING DON'T KNOW!"
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A few hours later, me and my father were sitting at the hospital, waiting to be called up. I couldn't help but shift nervously here and there. Every time I did though, I could feel those nipples rub up against the thick fabric of my sweather, and I stopped instantly. I tried to stay as still as I could. It was so frustrating. Why did I have these? Why was this happening to me? What was going to happen next?
Why does the wait at the hospital always take forever? I swear I saw that clock ticking backwards just to spite me.
I looked up to my father. He seemed rather calm at first glance, standing straight up, arms crossed over his chest, a stern, serious look stuck to his face. The kind of look he'd usually carry off to work when duty called. He looked tough, and in control. I knew him a little better though. He was probably nervous too, and was stiff as a board. As nervous and concerned as could be about his son growing a chest, and he steeled himself for the blow. When he looked down to me, his stone-cold attitude changed, giving me a confident smirk, and ruffled my short brown hair with his large roughed up hand. "Don't worry, sport. We'll get all this fixed up. You'll see."
"I hope so." I muttered without a hint of enthusiasm. They'd already ran the usual tests: pulse, bloodwork, temperature, X-rays, and ultrasounds. They'd even used a machine that squeezed 'those two' to make a scan. Damn that one hurt like Hell. I'll never trust a doctor saying 'this won't hurt a bit' ever again. And I don't know how many times they asked me if I was taking pills or hormones of some sort. Almost as if all the nurses thought I wanted this to happen. I'm sorry if I sound a little pissed, but this seriously wasn't my day.
My train of thoughts was cut off as the PA system chimed, and called out: "Kyle Yates, please go to Dr Julian's office."
Finally. I started into a brisk walk, my father staying by my side the whole time as we came into the small office. The place looked clean, almost sterilized, decorated by charts, medical tools and certificates hanging on the wall. Sitting behind his wooden desk was old man Julian, looking over the files with my name on it. I could see by the wrinkles on his dome head showing that he was deep in thought. It took him a moment to realize we were here. "Ah! Mr Kyle. Mr Leon. Please, sit down."
He gathered his papers together, and pulled out his pen as we took our places. "Now, Kyle, I believe we may have come to a conclusion about your..." He looked to me over his glasses. "Symptoms." That look in his eyes told me I wasn't going to like this.
"So what's happening, Julian?" My father asked in a friendly tone, as if he'd known the man for a long time.
"Leon..." The doctor took a deep breath, and sighed, trying to stay professional. "There's no real easy way to say this, so I'll just come out with it. It's a case of Gynecomastia." My father gave a small wince. "Yes, the Turcios Disease." He looked toward me, bringing his hands together. "Male breast growth."
"No duh." I responded in a deadpan tone. It wasn't obvious enough? Apparently not.
He sighed, and rubbed his tired eyes. "It's more complicated than you think, Kyle. Those aren't just fatty tissues gathering there. There's actual mammary glands growing there. Your testosterone is thinning, hormone levels are changing, and your body is trying to get a proper response." He looked at me straight in the eyes. "Kyle, this is important. Are you taking any kind of hormones?"
Did I mention I was asked that one very often lately? "No."
"Drugs?"
It was getting annoying. "No."
"Any medication?"
And I was just getting tired of it. "No. No. NO. NO!" I leapt to my feet, about to burst in frustration. "I wasn't taking anything. I still ain't. I'm NOT drugged up. I DIDN'T-"
"KYLE!"
I looked back at my father who was glaring at me sternly. Looks like I crossed a line. Sitting myself back down propperly, crossing my arms. I winced as my arms pressed right on 'the twin peaks', and quickly pulled away. "No, doctor Julian, I don't."
The doctor was looking at me with an eyebrow raised. He didn't seemed fazed by my outburst, but more like curious. "Any troubles at school? Exams coming up? Girl trouble?"
Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. This was different. "Hum... No, not lately."
"I see." He wrote down a few notes. "And nothing at home?" I shook my head, and that made him frown. "I guess this is one we'll have to take a closer look at. There's no obvious causes for these changes." He said, once more looking over his glasses at me like I needed to be careful. "I suggest you come back here after a month, we'll make a few more tests, and the discuss a proper treatment."
"Wait... What? A month?" I had trouble living one day with these without feeling self-conscious every seconds, and I had to wait a month? "Why?"
Julian once more gave a tired sigh. "To put it simply, Kyle, we need to know exactly what we need to do. You're still young, and your body is already going through some radical changes. There's a possibility this will be gone within a year or two. If they still grow, IF..." He made sure to press the word. "... If they still grow, we may try to put your body back on the right track with some hormones, but you're still very young for that, and your body might not accept that easily." He shook his head. "And if the tissues harden in place, then we'll have no choice but to go with surgery."
"Why not right now?" I asked. It seemed like he was dead on wanting me to keep 'these' longer.
He glared at me angrily. "Kid, you're not listening. Your body is still changing. If we perform surgery now, we may cause more damage than good in the long run."
I was about to burst in rage. I wanted these off NOW! Right away! These... Things didn't belong to me! It just wasn't fair.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and a squeeze. "Look, Julian, my boy is under a lot of stress right now. So are you." I looked up at my father as he spoke calmly, as if he was in control of the situation. "You need a break."
The doctor rubbed his eyes once more, as if nursing a headache. "Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. Too many hours on the clock, and that new twerp isn't helping either."
My father chuckled. "She's a handful, I'll admit that." 'She?' Didn't sound like he was talking about me. It seemed he knew a bit more about the situation with the doctor than I did. "Just give her a little time, and you two will work it out, I'm sure. She's probably taking a few patients off your waiting list already."
He gave a tired sigh. "I guess it's for the best. Still, every time I see her face..." He seemed to mutter something under his breath. You didn't need much to know what he was thinking.
"If you're that worried, just plan for a vacation sometimes. A few weeks off. You get to relax, and when you'll be back, she'll be the one begging for some help." The doctor couldn't help but give a chuckle. My father didn't let him dream off too long, and interrupted him with a small cough. "Now, about Kyle... Isn't there any alternatives?"
He looked back at me, this time a little more relaxed and at ease. "Unfortunately... No." My heart sank once more. "I'm sorry, but Gynecomastia is idiopathic. It means it can happen suddenly with no known medical causes. We're still researching the matter, but every cases are different. We've narrowed down some of the chemicals that can cause these symptoms, but even those without contact to them can catch this." He sighed, looking sorry and ashamed. "It's something, as a doctor, I never liked admitting, but until we know what causes this, there's no solid treatment known." He looked back at me with a serious look. "But I've seen other cases like you before, and they've all grown up to be men in great shape." His sight shifted back to my father. "Of course, if we have to rely on surgery, you will have to worry about the bill, Leon. Insurance will never cover the costs. It's considered a cosmetic procedure. It would be expensive."
My father squeezed my shoulder, but kept smiling. "Whatever Kyle needs, we'll do it. We might be tight for a little while, but whatever's the treatment, we'll do it." He smiled at me with confidence, and gave me a nod, telling me everything would be fine. "Besides, if he says there's a big chance it'll be gone on it's own, it will." I struggled a little inside, but I returned a small nervous smirk.
So in the end, things didn't look all that bad. I still had 'these' for a while, but it wasn't going to last forever. And with any luck, they'd be gone by themselves! If things looked grim, in the worse case scenario, I always had surgery. If it came to that, I'd work twice as hard to make it up to dad. I couldn't help but sigh to the fact I'd have to get used to the two 'pokers' on my chest, but there was hope.
"If that's all then, we'll schedule you for next month for your next examination." Julian said as he pulled the file together. "Oh, and you probably will want to invest into a bra or two in the meantime."
My face scrunched up. "A.... What now?"
I'm sure somewhere, someone was laughing at me right now.
[Updated on: Sat, 23 July 2011 17:36]
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| Re: Shade: Reforming [message #29637 is a reply to message #27811 ] |
Wed, 04 March 2009 01:16  |
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Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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If this wasn't embarrassing as hell, I didn't know what was.
I looked at the reflection in my sister's mirror. I was naked from the waist up, except for an old bra that my sister had kept in a box. The red look of embarrassment on my face was going to be stuck there for a year or two now.
I'd spent a good ten minutes trying to clip the damn thing on around my back, while Abbey was just sitting on her bed, giggling at me all along as I cursed like a sailor. That's when she finally told me to flip it around, attach, then back around, slide my arms in the strap, and set it into place. That made it all so much easier. Do girls really do this every day?
"It's a little small for you..." She said. She was right, I guessed. Not that I knew much about this kind of stuff. The cups felt silky soft on 'the twins', and pulled them back toward me. At least I didn't feel them move around as much, and they'd stop showing through my shirts. But the straps were digging into my skin, and the whole thing made me more aware of what I had more than anything else. "We'll take some time to find you something that fits better at the Goodwill store, but this should do in the meantime."
"This feels so wrong." I muttered.
She looked at my reflection over my shoulder, smiling. "Just give it a little time. You'll forget you're wearing it after a while." She was kidding me. Right? Right?
"Why pink?" I asked in a deadpan tone. I knew I'd regret opening my mouth.
"Because it might be better to keep the white one for when you go to school? Besides, I thought pink was cute on me back then. I didn't expect my little brother to be wearing it one day." She said with a small giggle and a pat on my back. That stung.
I started to wonder how many times I could use the line 'I lost a bet with my sister' as an excuse, when I heard a smaller voice at the door. "Why is big brother wearing big sister's undies?"
"I'm just wearing her old bra, Gabby." Weak excuse, I know. That didn't make it any less awkward.
"Why are you wearing big sister's bra?" She asked again, peeking into the room.
Abbey answered that one. "Because the doctor said Kyle's going to have small breasts for a little while, sweetie." Thank you, miss sensitive.
"Oh..." She looked at me with those innocent eyes of her for a moment. "Why?"
"Because I'm sick. That's why." There couldn't be a more simple truth.
"Whyyyyyyy?"
I simply gave her a tired look. Didn't she understand? Of course not. In a few years, she'd be wishing for these, and more. She could have them for all I care. For me, they were getting in the way, and I couldn't wait to get rid of them. Please, God, make it quick.
"Miss Mittens says you look pretty with pink!" She said, lifting her plush cat over her face. "Nyah! Hehehehe!"
My face couldn't be a brighter shade of red at this point. Whether it was embarrassment or frustration, I couldn't tell. But right now, any excuse to relieve some stress was welcome. I leaped out at the door, and opened it wide. "We'll see how pretty I look if I get my hands on her."
She caught on pretty quick, and ran away from me like a rocket, starting a chase between the two of us two times around the whole apartment, ending in a small tug-of-war with the plush toy. So I didn't get to kill the cat, this time, but we had some fun. That is, until Abbey picked us up and set us on our daily chores. At least some things never changed.
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I had one day to get used to my new 'assets' before the real challenge came in. Monday. School. A whole crowd of people to stare and bump into me. I tried to forget about it, but Monday always comes.
I felt conscious of my problem the whole day. The white bra wasn't any less tight on my skin, and every move of my shirt reminded me that I was wearing it. I felt every stares look at me, wondering if they could see anything. Kind of like your first public boner pushing on your pants. Good thing no one notices those either. I think I got a few odd stares here and there, probably because I was looking back, but otherwise things got surprisingly smoothly. Classes didn't go too badly. I was glad I had one of the seats by the sides of the room. The less attention I got the better. Besides, everyone fell asleep during History and Math.
I got through the morning without any problems, and as noon came up, I ran up to the cafeteria. I always did it anyways; I was a pretty good runner on our baseball team. And the last thing I needed was to be squeezed and poked from all sides, squeezed by everyone. Soon enough, I was sitting at a table, digging into my meal as the crowd divided, and the cliques were settling in their usual spots. I could see Owen and Lauren coming my way, as usual. "Hey there!"
"Hey, K." Owen let out. "You're still racing for that piece of pie?"
I shrugged. "It's the only way I can get them before Big Bruce can get a hold of the tray. The whole tray."
Owen laughed as he sat down. "Damn right."
"Real mature, you guys." Lauren roller her eyes, but even she couldn't help but smirk.
The two of them were my best friends for a long time now. Owen was my partner on the team, and we hung out together most of the time at school. A bit crazy on sports, you should have seen his collection of gear, cards and posters, but a great guy none the less. As for Lauren, our families lived in the same building, so when we played in the parking lot, a long time ago, and it was rather hard not to meet up. We were friends since then, and kept up with each other. And she'd grown real well too. She had a cute face, long silky hair, and eyes you could lose yourself into. She'd also grown a great rack that she didn't seem to mind showing off. In fact, her tube top was stretching just enough so I could almost see her black... Bra.
My eyes snapped right back up and my faced showed some color as it reminded me of my new problem, and that pressure over my chest. Dammit. Why did it have to remind me that I was growing my own set of boobs? Was this going to be the same way all the time? Was this what women had to go through every day, all the time, with people looking at their breasts? I was starting to hate myself for what I was doing all this time. Not a good sign. At least I could feel a part of their pain now, and I had to give them credit. It was tough!
Too bad. Things almost seemed back to normal. Just for a few minutes...
"By the way, Kyle." She called out to me, pulling me back down to reality. "Where were you last Saturday?"
"Saturday? What was...? Oh crap." I brought my hand to my face. I was so down on my bad luck, I forgot about everything else. Of course, I wasn't really going to tell her what happened. "I... Completely forgot." And of course, my brilliant mind forgot to make up a good excuse.
With the expression on Lauren's face, she didn't seem too forgiving on this one. Owen looked between the two of us. "He didn't just screw up your first date, did he?" He still grinned as Lauren gave him a small slap on the back of the head.
"No. Kyle was supposed to give me a hand with my essay last Saturday. I had to work on it solo." She didn't look pleased, at all. History was the subject she hated the most, and she let us know it at every occasion. "Good thing it wasn't due for today."
I raised my hands up. "Look, I'm sorry, seriously. I'll make it up to you tonight, after school? I'll bring the snacks, you can watch your shows, and I'll work on it."
I actually got a smirk on her face until Owen dropped in a problem with that plan. "Hum? Kyle? Baseball practice? Today? Coach would kill you if you didn't make it."
Baseball practice? Oh crap.
Wait... Practice? That meant changing into our uniforms and the showers? And me packing a new 'package' on my chest? Crapcrapcrapcrap. I'd never hear the end of it!
Okay, maybe I could skip the showers, and change in the bathroom stalls if I got there ahead of time. That should cover my rear for a little while. At least until I come up with a proper excuse. Life just couldn't be simple, could it?
Lauren sighed. "In that case, just come on by after supper. If Abbey will let you go for the night."
I smirked at her. "Sure. Don't worry about it. I'll be there." I said as I dug into the piece of pie.
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"And then BAM! You could just kiss it goodbye, ladies and gentlemen. It's out of here!"
I came out of the bathroom stall, uniform in hand, just as Josh was giving to the team the play-by-play of his latest homerun glory. He was making a show of stroking his ego. Again. As if he needed it.
I was about ready to head back home after one bad session. I was off my game. I'd missed a perfectly good fly ball, and my swing was terrible. I guess I shouldn't blame everything on it, but my bra didn't help my performance. It didn't hold up properly every time I ran. The twins moved around like mad when I went for bases, and I don't have to mention the movement they gave when I swung the bat. It didn't help that the idiot, Zack, threw a ball right into my chest. That HURT like HELL! He only hit it because I misjudged my own body by an inch, but still. That was deliberate.
"Are you feeling okay, Kyle?" Owen came up to me as I stashed my uniform in my locker. "You were sluggish tonight."
"Yeah, yeah." I was tired of this. "Coach already chewed me out about falling asleep at the bat. The last thing I need is-"
"YO, KYLE!" I winced a bit as I heard him. Not now. "You're not gonna cry to your best buddy because you took a ball, do you? I thought you could use a few!" Some of the other players chuckled.
"Very funny." I turned to see Zack coming out of the showers with a towel around his waist. God, the guy was annoying when he wanted to. Tended to shove his nose into just about anything and everything, and followed with a barrelful of trouble. Oh, he was a wonderful joker when you weren't the target, but when you were, watch out. I twitched inside as I returned the mad grin he was giving me. "Next time, aim for the face, Zack. So I won't have to stare at your mug for a while."
He cackled with glee. "Hahahahaaaaah! Sweet!" He pointed straight at me. "You asked for it, Kyle! Next one. POW! Right in the kisser! That'll prove you can take it like a man!" Okay. That sent shivers up my spine. Was he kidding, or not? I could never tell with him. I better watch out the next time he took the hill.
I didn't even notice when he came up next to me, and placed an arm around my shoulders. "Aw, come you know I'm just-... Just..." He froze a moment, the usual mischievous grin on his face switching to a confused gaze. His arm shifted a little more, trying to grab something on my shoulder...
"GAH! Look at the time!" I slammed my locker door, and slipped out toward the door. "Lauren's going to skin me alive!" I cried back to the guys as I ran, leaving a few perplexed faces behind.
Okay. I overreacted. I admit it. But if that nutcase would have grabbed my bra strap, the game was over. No continues. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars; do not survive until the end of the school term.
At least I got away fast enough...
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I took my seat at the back of the city bus, rolled my head back and closed my eyes. All that was left was the ride home. I could just sit back, and relax.
Looking back on my first school day with the twins. Okay, they were getting in the way. No one really noticed them, except for that brush in the locker room. Did that mean that I wouldn't be able to get close to anyone without risking my secret blown to smithereens? It was going to happen again, I couldn't avoid it. Maybe I could get some kind of sweater or something thicker to cover up. Either that, or yell out to everyone at the school that it's a medical condition. I could also pull a pistol to my social status, kiss it goodbye, and get the same results. People would be standing miles away from me like I was contagious, or laughing like I was a cripple on a wheelchair. Wonderful.
As I felt the bus start to move, I made up my mind on keeping my secret. I keep it hidden until it's over with. That was my best option right now. Maybe I could tell Owen and Lauren at least. Owen would probably freak out a little at first, but he's a smart guy, he'd understand. As for Lauren, she'd be poking fun at me for a few weeks, but at least she had some experience with 'them'. Much more than I did. Abbey was good, but a second opinion never hurts, and she couldn't be there all the time. Yeah. I'd let those two in on it. Tomorrow. When we're alone.
At least now, I had a plan. Something close to one anyways.
In retrospect, though, my biggest mistake was thinking the day was over.
"Hey, Kyle."
I barely had time to lift my head before felt two strong hands grab around my collar, lift me up on my feet, and slam me in the back of the bus. My mind still reeled from the shock when another set of arms lifted my shirt up while the first set kept me up on the wall.
"SEE? I told you he was wearing one! But nooooooo. Nobody believes me! NOBODY!" I couldn't mistake that voice. Zack.
My vision finally cleared up, and I saw Josh who was lifting me up, two other well-built guys, along with Zack who was looking over Josh's shoulder. All four were looking down at my chest in surprise. It didn't take long before that changed. Josh looked up at me with a mix of rage and disgust.
Busted. Big time.
"What kind of FREAK are you?" He shook me violently, lifted me off the ground, and slammed me into the wall again.
"I bet he just enjoys women's underwear so much, he just HAD to try it for himself." Zack cackled again. Couldn't the guy shut up for once?
"L-look, I-" Before I could even add in another word, Josh had his knuckles crash into my jaw, rattling my head once more. The guy didn't hold back either. I thought for a moment he'd broken something.
The look on his face frightened me now. I'd seen the guy a lot of times. I always thought he was strong, and that his ego could use a good deflation. The jock lifestyle pleased him enough. His body was shaped and ripped like a bodybuilders, and he was strong as an ox. No kidding. And with the enraged look on his face, he wanted nothing less than to flatten me into roadkill.
And suddenly, it was gone. The immense anger he was radiating was replaced by a smug smirk as he looked to his two muscle bound pals. "What do you say boys? Think we should teach the faggot a good lesson?" The grins written on their faces filled me with dread.
"WAIT! WAI-OOF!" They both punched me in the guts, knocking the air right out me. I grabbed my stomach in pain, feeling the blow force something up my throat as Josh dropped me back on my feet. I wasn't going anywhere.
My whole body bent forward, and I felt two blows on the back of my knees, sending me on all four on the floor. They followed with a foot slamming on my back, and I found myself biting the black rough floor of the bus. I looked up a moment, looking for help, but all the passengers were far in front, and the driver seemed concentrated on the street. I opened my mouth to yell for help, but a foot to my cheek interrupted that quickly. From that point on, everything was a blurr of voices and pain. Coming from all sides, they kicked me across the small area in the back. I couldn't even see the blows coming when they stomped my ribs, stepped on my legs, or just slammed their feet on my cheeks. I could only feel the blows and bruises hit me. I swear one of them had a steel toed boot.
I turned on my back, and tried to block their blows. I tried yelling at them to stop through my tears, crying in despair, but the blows kept on coming. That is, until I felt the bus come to it's first stop along the road. As it did, I felt Josh's foot step on my chest as he leaned down over me. "How was that, freak? Think you've had enough?" He grabbed my jaw, and squeezed. "If you ever try to pull that same kind of shit ever again, Kyle, things won't be so pretty." His deep voice growled in anger. "Got it?"
He threw my head back down, and finally led his boys out by the back door, looking back at me with a disgusted glare. Zack actually stuck around a moment, looking down at me with his stupid grin, and took a picture with his cell phone, cackling with glee. "Heeheeheee!" He leaped out the doors, waving back to me. "Bye bye, girly guy!"
I laid there on the floor for a while, trying to catch my breath. My head was ringing so bad, I could barely feel the rest of my body, but I knew I'd feel every blows for a while.
Why? I asked myself. Why did they do that? Why me? Did I deserve that? What did I do? Dammit. I tried to hold back the streaming tears from my eyes as I cursed my fate over and over again...
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I came into our apartment tired, dirty and bruised. I let my pack hit the floor, and silently made my way to the bathroom. My whole body felt painfully tenderized. I kept on replaying in my mind how I got beat up by Josh and company, every blows recorded into my mind, and I kept on asking myself why I got targeted like that.
I splashed my face clean as I figured the reason why was pretty clear. The twins were hurting more than ever now, pushing against the damn bra. They found out about it so fast, it wasn't even funny. I just wanted to rip it off, and get it over with. But even if I got the bra off, I couldn't take 'them' off. Which was worse? Being beat up for wearing a bra, or being beat up for having girl parts? No matter what, I was doomed.
I looked up into the mirror, expecting to see ugly swelling, my lips spit, a black eye, and maybe even a broken tooth or two. That's how bad I felt. But I looked at my reflection...
To find a clean face.
I searched up and down, looking for the bruises or the cuts, but I couldn't find a single change in color. I flipped the ligth switch, and looked again. Maybe I missed something. But no. Nothing. No swelling, no blood, not even a little blue. In fact, my skin looked smoother than ever. I reached up to my cheek, expecting to feel pain, but... Nothing. No pain. At all. I remembered the punches, I remembered the feel of those kicks, and I remembered the pain that was going through me, but now... Nothing. I looked across my arms, I lifted my shirt, I even rolled up my pants, looking for anything. But once more, nothing. I was clean. Completely fine.
What's going on? I looked back and forth at my reflection. I remember the beating. I remember going into the bus, Josh picking me up, and being shoved down for the beating of my life. I felt it, I know I did. It wasn't just a dream, was it? No way. It felt way too real. Josh and his goons were there, that's for sure. Were they really taking it easy on me, and those blows were just for show? But why did it hurt so badly? Tazers? Needles? Voodoo? Something?
"We're hoooome!" I heard Abbey call out from the entrance, pulling me back tot he real world. "Kyle, are you here? Help me with the groceries."
"Coming!"
I looked back in the mirror a moment, hesitating. Should I tell them? If they didn't see anything, better not worry them about it. I'll just keep on going until I figure out what's going on.I already have enough to worry about right now.
I nodded to my reflection, and finally headed for the kitchen. "So what did you bring for supper tonight?"
[Updated on: Wed, 04 March 2009 01:18]
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| Re: Shade: Reforming [message #31991 is a reply to message #27811 ] |
Wed, 18 March 2009 17:37 |
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Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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I looked up to the shower head, letting the warm water hit my face straight on. I felt the water run down my body, releasing tension all over me. It felt good, I'll admit it. But then, once more, two globes of flesh came right back to attention, the water running over the smooth skin was something else. I shivered, and tried to pay attention to where I my hands were washing instead. I needed to forget about these. Easier said than done.
I thought back to yesterday, and no matter what I tried to focus on, my thoughts kept going back to the bus. I remembered clearly how they pulled my shirt up; the disgust, and rage on their faces. Being thrown to the ground, and all the brutal blows pouring on me. My hands shook from the memories and the pain. Even if there wasn't a single trace left, I still remembered it all.
And what will happen today?
Did they tell anyone? Did they say they caught me wearing a bra? Would everyone know? And what happened on the bus? Would it happen again? Would people think I'm a freak?
I couldn't even tell Lauren last night. I went down there with full intent to tell her before we started on her history project. But as soon as I saw her face, I just couldn't. I froze. I didn't know the words. I didn't know what to say. And when I realized that, I told myself this wasn't the time. That it could wait just a little later. I didn't need to break the news to her right now, did I? And before I knew it, we were working on the history project; researching, writing down notes, and looking over each other's shoulders when we found something. And before long, it was over, and I was waving back to her from the third floor.
To be honest though, I didn't tell her because I was afraid. Afraid that she'd react the same way Josh did. She wasn't anything like the brute, but I was afraid she'd panic, and just chase me out the door like I was some kind of sicko. I didn't want the girl I liked to think of me that way. Yeah. That's why. Guy falls in love; girl freaks out; girl pulls a restraining order on mentally deranged guy. End quote.
I told myself she wouldn't react like that, and when I tried to get the courage to talk to her about it, her father, or her phone decided to ring. I clammed up right away, and waited for my next chance, which I never got. I keep beating myself up for not telling her last night. I might not get another chance like that one.
And now, here I was, in the shower, staring down at my two nemeses. I'd avoided touching them for a while now, but I had to sooner or later.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and began to soap 'them' up.
Okay, that didn't feel too bad.
I mean, they felt really soft. Really...
That... That felt good. Warm, and... And...
"Gah!" I dropped the soap as I snapped back to reality. What am I doing? Okay, I knew what I was doing. Not every day a guy fondles himself. I was such a freak. Look on the bright side, Kyle. At least I'll experience what few guys ever will? I snerked. Okay, lousy consolation, but it was all I had.
Trying to forget that little event, I dried off, dressed up, and made my way to the kitchen, where the rest of the family was. Dad was eating through a set of toast as he read the newspaper, Abbey was cooking her own set of eggs, just the way she liked them, and Gabby was at the table, eating through her cereal with Miss Mittens.
"Morning." I sat down in my usual spot, greeted with my plate of eggs and bacon. I casually set them on my toast, and began to much on breakfast as usual.
"Good morning." Abbey called back. "How'd it go with Lauren last night?"
"Pretty well." No way was I telling how I really thought it went. I chomped a piece off my sandwich. "Got a good chunk of that project done. Just type it up, check the spelling, a few footnotes, and we'll be done!"
"Did you two kiiiissssss?"
I almost choked, and turned to Gabby. "No, we didn't!"
"You should try and get her." Dad said as he turned to the next page. "Before it's too late and she slips through your fingers."
Gee, thanks dad. I chomped again.
Abbey gave me a much kinder smile as she took her seat. "Give him time. He'll ask her when he's ready. No sooner. Besides, you haven't brought someone home for a long time either." She grinned at my father, whom just retreated behind his newspaper.
Gabby just smiled innocently again. "Maybe big brother will bring back a boyfriend home!"
Okay, this time, I choked. I coughed, and tried to catch my breath, staring at Gabby with wide eyes. "WHAT? NO!"
"But you got boobies now!" She pointed toward my chest. "And boys like boobies!"
I looked at her in disbelief. Where did she learn this stuff? I looked up to my father who was still hiding, then to Abbey who couldn't seem to stop giggling. I felt my face turn red in frustration. "Let me show you how I-"
"HEE!" She squealed out as I grabbed her, and gave her a noogie she'd remember for a while. She squirmed and squirmed, trying to get out of my hold. "NOOOOO COOTIES! COOTIES!"
I stopped when she almost kicked me between the legs, and we both laughed. I looked down at her, still holding on. "Okay, you listen to me, Gabby. I'm not gay, I don't like boys, and I never will." I shook her playfully. "Do you get it?"
She smiled up at me, knowing I was just paying around. "Got it! Got it!"
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Noon. I was already sitting at my table, and was munching on some fries. I looked around nervously though. This morning hadn't been as nice as yesterday. Okay, I was a bit more relaxed, but people were giving me weird stares where ever I went. Even during the lines, I could feel people's eyes pressing on my back. At least today, I had a thicker shirt on. That should keep people from guessing, but still, people were looking me like I was a freak.
I watched Lauren head my way, followed by a rather nervous looking Owen. Yeah, he was giving me 'the look' too. He nodded to me. "Hey there." He sounded friendly, but he still sat a bit of a distance away.
"Hey man." I waved back to him. I had a guess what was on his mind. I just had to ask though. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing! N-n-nothing's wrong, man." Me and Lauren must've had matching stares, because he quickly corrected himself. "Okay, okay." He rolled his eyes, probably choosing his next few words carefully. "Well, rumors have been going around, aaaaand..." He looked straight at me with a hint of fear fro the answer. "Dude, are you gay?"
"... What? No!" Was this going to the theme of the day?
"Okay." He quickly followed up with: "Are you wearing women's underwear?"
"WHAT?" Me and Lauren both let out in tandem. He looked serious. "Fuck no! What gave you THAT crazy idea?"
He seemed hesitant for a moment. "W-well, Zack's been going around saying things about you, and-"
"You know Zack's crazy, right?" I quickly added in.
"Yeah, but Josh and the goon squad backing him up makes things a little harder to dismiss."
The three of us looked toward the other side of the cafeteria, where the rest of the jocks were sitting, and I could see a whole bunch of them look back toward me, some with disgust, others with perplexed looks written on their faces before they turned back to Josh, asking questions. The look on Josh himself though couldn't be misunderstood. He looked pissed. I thought for a moment the glass he had in his hand was going to break under his fingers. He could probably imagine my neck in that grip right now. I looked away quickly, and back to my friends. "Yeeeaaah... Friendly bunch, aren't they?"
"Yeah." Owen didn't look amused, at all. "But still, they were pretty convinced that you were wearing a bra."
"Owen, look." Lauren cut in, giving a short laugh. "I was with Kyle last evening. We were working on my history project!" She added in quickly before Owen could ask anything. "And if Kyle was wearing a bra, I would have noticed it. Don't you think?"
Oh irony. Oh sweet, sweet irony. How can you be so bitter, yet so sweet at the same time?
Owen looked at me a moment. It took him a moment of hesitation, until he finally gave: "... Yeah. You're right." He looked back to me with a sheepish grin. "Sorry man. We're good, right?"
I smirked at him, and shook his hand. "Of course man. Next time Zack says something, just do what everyone else does. Laugh, and back away slooooowly."
I laughed with them, but inside, my heart sank. I wasn't going to tell Owen about this. Ever. Now I knew how he was going to react. I'd have one less friend on the planet. And I just couldn't, I just couldn't lose him. Not now...
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There goes another thing I'll never look at twice the same way again. I thought as I changed shirts in the bathroom stall. They'd started on volleyball at gym class, and as fun at it can be, you don't really want to jump when you've got two jiggling balls on your chest. I watched women's volleyball on TV before, and loved it. But you never understand how hard it can be until a part of your body keeps moving like that. When you lunge in one direction, and your breasts move in another, it's a whole new challenge.
I finished changing, stepped out of the stall, and froze. Sitting on the counter next to the sinks, was Zack, grinning widely. "Looking goooood, Kyle."
I steeled myself, and tried to act casual toward him. "Better than you look, but that's not saying much." I spat as I started on my way out.
But the pest slide around me, and turned me toward the mirror on the wall. "Oh, but you'd look soo much better with a bit more black, a little red, and a good makeover of blue. You know, just like the paint job we did yesterday." He waved a hand out, making a show of his presentation.
I took a quick glance around the bathroom. Deserted. Great. I simply smirked a bit, and faked my confidence. "You must like daydreaming, Zack. Don't see a hint of-GH!"
He was rubbing his thumb on my cheek to a point where I almost bit myself. "How much girly makeup did you place on that face of yours? It's not a big step from those to wearing a bra." He paused a moment. "Unless you used crayons."
I growled in frustration, and grabbed him. "Get... OFF!" I shoved him off, but winced quickly as something pulled on my chest tightly. My bra was squeezing the twins hard!
"By the waaaayyy." Zack came right back, watching his grin in the mirror. He was pulling the back of my shirt. "You may have picked something thicker..." He pulled a little more to make his point. "... But I can still feel it." And with that, he let go, and the elastic straps snapped right on my back with a painful sting.
"So the fag still has it?" I looked toward the exit, and saw Josh glaring down at me. I cursed silently.
"Yeah, he still has it."
Zack's answer twisted Josh's glare into a look of disgust and hate that haunted me for the last 22 hours. I took a careful step back, but as soon as he saw that moment of hesitation on my part, he lunged forward, grabbed my collar, and lifted me off my feet. "Maybe you didn't get the message last time, freak." He shook me violently. "I don't even know how you're still standing right now, faggot." He pulled his first back, but then stopped as he heard the noise from the locker room right behind him. I squirmed against his hold, no matter how futile it was. I needed to get away.
"It's not makeup, not paint, not a clever mask..." Zack seemed to ponder on his own as he flipped his phone open. "We weren't high on something, and I'm not that good on Photoshop no matter what people say." He looked slightly annoyed for a minute, and then you could almost see the light bulb over his head. "Oh, I know what he's got now."
"What?" Josh and I asked him at the same time. What did the crazy guy think of?
"It's a shifty little secret, isn't it?" He gave us a grin that would have made the devil proud. "You're a mutie, aren't you?"
"WHAT?" I screamed out. "NO!"
"Then explain to us how you're not in the hospital right now."
He turned the phone around, and showed me a picture of yesterday. I was laying on the floor of the bus, looking blue and red all over, my cheek swollen from the beating, and my nose looked crooked, and bleeding badly over my face. "Damn!" But... I was looking fine and clean once I got back home. "I... I... Huh..."
Josh didn't seem as hesitant as I was, and tossed me down on the tile floor. "You mean this guy's a mutant?" He looked disgusted beyond anything else right now. "A dirty little piece of..." He looked back again, hearing the next class come in to change, and back down to me. "You're going to stay away from us, from the team, and the rest of the school. Or else, freak."
And with those words, he walked away from me, along with his grinning imp of a partner. I just stayed there, and made sure my heart was still beating.
Me? A mutant? You mean, like those superheroes in the news and on TV? Those ones that can shoot fire, lift buildings and even fly? Those people who could do all those unbelievable things?
Me? One of them?
No way...
[Updated on: Wed, 18 March 2009 17:38]
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| Re: Shade: Reforming [message #33377 is a reply to message #27811 ] |
Fri, 27 March 2009 11:21 |
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Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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"Ow. Tsk." I rubbed my right arm as I left the baseball field, heading toward the changing room along with the rest of the team. Practice was over, and it was time to shuffle back home. I usually loved the game, but for once, I was glad it was over.
"Are you sure you're good?" Owen asked me as he ran to my side.
"Yeah. Yeah." I rolled my arm a little. "At least he didn't keep up with his promise."
He looked at me like he was missing a part of the picture. "What promise?"
"He didn't aim for the face." I looked behind me, and saw Zack throwing his baseball in the air before handing it over to the coach. Bastard...
I felt Owen's hand on my shoulder, and he gave me a sorry look on his face. "Look, dude, I saw what happened on the field. Not cool."
"You mean the tripping, the pushing and the other pranks?" I said in a monotone voice. It happened quite a lot, and blatantly, on the field. Just as I was about to run, someone would cross my legs, and I'd end up eating dirt. Other times, the same guys would just push me down. Someone even handed me a baseball bat with a greased handle. Were they just there to make fun of me?
He gave a somber nod. "Yeah. Those. Sorry if I didn't say anything before."
I sighed as I pushed the door open. "No worries. Even coach didn't say a thing. And I'm sure he was watching. Every single shot..." I gave him a small smirk. "But hey, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?"
I was smiling to him, but inside I just wanted to scream. It's been two days since that meeting in the bathroom, and things kept on going downhill.
Every time I walked through the corridors at school, I could see people staring at me, their eyes drilling into me from head to toes as they either tried to figure me out, feared that I might be diseased, or were just plain disgusted by what I might be. And as soon as I passed them, I could hear as they talked about me. About how I was a tranny. About how I was gay. About how I was a mutant. Did rumors really go this far this fast? None of them saw what I was doing. What I had. Yet I was already judged guilty.
And as rumors spread, while some were just looking at me, others got bolder. Some 'ran into' me as I walked, shoved me by the side, and even got my face shoved against the door of my locker a few times. I screamed after some of them, but they just kept on walking while another one got me with my back turned.
Since then, I've been trying to get away from the crowd of people. I found it easier if I climbed to the second level of the school to travel between classes, and tried to get from a classroom as soon as possible to avoid gatherings. It seemed to work. For a while at least. But even during classes, I could feel people giving me the evil eye, and even some of the teachers tried to edge away. Was the whole world turning against me? All of this because of a rumor Zack and Josh started?
Not much I can do about it now. Nothing but let it blow over. I told myself as I began to change. I pulled the sleeves on my baseball uniform, and slid my other shirt over it. Looked a little overstuffed right now, but it did the job without me having to disappear in the bathroom. It helped in the regular gym classes at least. Just slip the gym clothes underneath a little earlier in another bathroom. Slide the top one off in the changing room and no one even blinks.
At least, it worked in regular gym class. But here, with the team, I could hear the grumbles behind my back. I gave a side glance, and half the room turned their sights in another direction. They either looked angry for some reason, or were snickering silently. Some of them huddled around Josh, and looked back at me. I tried to figure out what they were plotting when Owen tapped my back.
"See you later man. Don't let those jerks get to you, okay?" He gave me a confident smirk as he walked out.
"Take care man." I let out as I waved to him. Oh, if only he knew half of what I'd gone through. Would he support me, or just freak out?
I stuffed my bag with that question in mind, and walked out of there with the sound of the rest of the team muttering behind me. I rushed to the other end of the school, and slipped into the bathroom to change again. I just wanted to get away from here as soon as possible. All I had to do was take the bus, and...
Wait... The bus...
"Fuck!" How could I forget about that? The school bus was safe, there were so many people there, but the city bus was another story. They knew where I went. They knew how to get to me. And this time, they had time to plan the thing. I'm SCREWED!
I took a deep breath. Okay, okay. Just calm down. Maybe it's not that bad. Maybe I'm just overreacting. I didn't even know if they were really planning something or not. If they were, then there'd be signs of it. Someone would follow me, or something. If they do, I'll have to lose them. Somehow.
I left the school, digging into my pocket for any change I had. A few coins, barely over five bucks. Taking a taxi was out of the question. Maybe I should go to Owen's place? No. He was even farther than I was. Dad wouldn't be home with the car for a while either. Wish I had a bike now, but no such luck.
My mind kept on running through my options as I walked down the street where the bus stop was. I didn't have a lot of choices. For now, the bus was my fastest way home, yet my first deathtrap. If I made it in there, I might be able to at least cover some ground. If any of them go into the bus, I hightail my way out by the back door, and run. All right. At least that sounds like a plan.
I gave a glance back as I was reaching the bus stop, but it didn't take long before snapped right back forward. Shit. Right around the last corner, I could see Luke, one of the two bullies who'd followed Josh that day. I took a second glance, and I could see he had two other guys with him, including Big Bruce. Backup. Great. I gota lose them.
I kept on walking normally. Maybe they didn't know I looked. I didn't hear them running yet, so that was a plus. As I reached the bus stop though, I kept on walking, and turned around the corner of the building. As soon as I did, I launched into a sprint straight ahead. Hopefully, before they'd realize anything, I'd be far ahead. When I heard Luke scream "HEY!" behind me, panic made me kick into second gear. Legs, don't let me down.
I turned another corner, and dashed into the closest convenience store I could find. The cashier looked confused at me for a moment as rushed in. I didn't even let him say hi before I asked. "Bathroom? Where?" I leapt in, locked the door behind me, and stepped back slowly. Surely enough, they wouldn't be looking for me here. Would they?
I stayed in there for a good fifteen minute before I finally peeked out. Nobody but the cashier out there. Good. I slipped out, and watched out the window. It didn't take long, before I saw the bus I usually took roll right past. I could see Luke in there along with Zack, phone in hand. But I didn't see Bruce, or anyone else. Those were still out there. Along with Josh, and whoever else he might've picked up. I'd dodged a bullet, but I was still in the gun range without a vest. I was far from home, no ride, and a couple of people out there after me.
I couldn't just stay here though. I had to get home. I grabbed a sandwich, paid and left. I had a long walk ahead of me...
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You never really know how far you really have to go until you've walked it. What feels like five minutes in a car can fill a good hour on your feet. Easily. Too bad I didn't have time to appreciate the scenery.
I had to watch every faces I passed, looking over my shoulder every few minutes, looking carefully around every corners. If I ran into them, any of them, I had to be ready to bolt it. The problem with that though, is that I don't quite know who was 'one of them'. I knew Josh, Zack, and company, but otherwise, I had no ideas. I could see one of them, not notice it, and suddenly, WHAM! I'm down for the count.
I almost ran into Rick, the other goon, in front of the local pawn shop. Of course, I ran off, and as soon as I did, he came after me. We must've ran around three blocks before I finally lost him through an alley. Close. Way too close.
I left my bag somewhere I could pick it up later, just in case it would slow me down. Even if I had to have a bit of late homework, it wouldn't be too much trouble. I just had to get home. I should have called Abbey at least, but it was a little too late now. Besides, I was almost there. Three blocks away, and I'd be home free. I couldn't wait...
Suddenly, a car just stopped by the side of the road, and my eyes locked on the driver. Josh was looking back at me with that hateful glare if his, but the smirk he had sent shivers up my spine. As if he had me...
I looked around quickly, and ran out into the alley. I knew where it led. It was a shortcut I used here and there. I knew it led to a parking lot, and once I crossed that, I'd be that much closer. I just needed to lose them. Just a little longer.
But I hadn't gotten far before I saw another car park right at the other end, and two guys came out, looking toward me. You gota be kidding.
Okay, maybe they weren't with Josh. Maybe I could just run past them."Stop him!" I heard Josh behind me. And maybe flying pigs landed on Mars too. Just as I got by them, I felt two arms grab me, lift me off the ground, and toss me on my back into the middle of the alley. I looked up, and I could see Josh stare down with a victorious grin on his face. "Gotcha."
I scrambled away from him, and flattened my back against the side wall. To the left, Josh was there, holding a baseball bat, and was being joined by four more. He nodded to Big Bruce to go back. "Watch that end." I looked to the right, and I could see five guys coming toward me, two of them sliding knuckles over their fingers. There were a few more coming behind them, including Zack and Luke.
"So this is the guy?" One of the taller ones asked Josh. "Doesn't look like a mutant."
"That's the guy. Don' worry about it." Josh snerked. "Little piece of gay thrash."
I pressed my back on the wall, and climbed up to my feet. "You... You're wrong! I'm not a mutant!"
"Yeah yeah, that's what they all say." Luke said as he punched his open palm.
They weren't going to believe me. They never would. I looked for the widest opening I could, and once more tried to run right inbetween them. "Hey!" Just as I got there though, my stomach met with a fist, making me lurch forward, and two arms grabbed me once more, and pinned me back to the wall. "The worm doesn't give up, does he?"
Josh came up, and shoved the end of his bat on the middle of my chest. I shot straight back up in pain, and I felt my shirt lifted once more. "In any case, this dirty faggot's getting what he deserves. We're doing society a favor."
I couldn't believe my ears as I heard them agree with each other. "N-no! You don't understand, I- UGH!" My head flung to one side from the blow to shut me up.
Josh called out to the rest. "What do you say, boys?"
And the rallying cheer they gave made me fear for my life. The gang swarmed around me, and each one began to deliver blows after blows on my body. The two thugs on my sides let me go to join in on the beating, but I could barely move. I tried to block some of the blows, raising my arms, but every time, the force just overwhelmed me, pushing my hands aside.
My whole body was wracked with pain, flopping under the number of blows. My body started to fall to the ground, pressing against the wall. No. No. Not again. Not again! I cried out in pain as I heard the names the called me, the insults, and more than anything else, their cruel laughs.
I slumped down, my strength and will gone. In the end, I couldn't do anything. I could barely feel the pain running through my body anymore...
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Finally, after getting their fill, they left. I could still hear the echo of their laughs as they walked away. I just stayed face down on the cool ground for a while. I laid there, breathing heavily, trying to recover. My whole body felt numb. I could feel the swelling all over. My face must've been demolished by now.
Why was this happening to me? Was this how it would always be from now on? Beaten up for something I couldn't control?
I shivered as the wind blew over a naked spot on my back. My clothes must've ripped in the struggle. I finally opened my tired eyes, seeing only the beams of the street lights. It was already dark. My arms trembled as I lifted myself off the ground. I felt like hell came over me, but I had to get back.
This can't go on. I told myself as I walked, trying not to fall forward on my face. My whole body felt out of balance, my legs were shaking, and I kept thinking I was going to fall forward. Even my eyesight seemed to blurr, black lines appearing here and there. Good thing I only had two blocks left to cross.
It just has to stop. Now. I told myself. I couldn't survive another beating. I wasn't even sure I was going to survive this one. I didn't care if everyone knew I had breasts, I didn't care if they thought I was a medical freak, or handicapped. I just wanted them to leave me alone now. Josh. Zack. The rest of them. I just wanted it to be over. All over. I didn't care how anymore.
My legs shook as I took in the first few steps up out building. I leaned forward, hoping my head wouldn't spin too much before I reached the third floor. For now, I needed help. Medical help. Dad and Abbey would be home, we'd head off to the hospital, and I could get treated properly.
I finally opened the door to our apartment, and slowly stepped in. "Kyle? Is that you?" I could hear Abbey's voice calling out to me as I leaned against the closest wall. I'd finally arrived. "Do you know how... late it... is?" She froze as she saw me. I could see the look of horror on her face. I must've looked as bad as I felt. "K-Kyle?"
"Heh-hi sis." God, even my voice felt weird. "S-something... ha-happened on-"
"Sshh. It's okay. It's okay" She said reassuringly, putting an arm over my shoulders and supporting me. "We'll get you changed, and we're taking you straight to the hospital." She started to lead me strangely toward my room first.
"Ch-change?" I asked, giving a weakened chuckle. "I-I think there are more important things t-to worry about." We walked past my father, who looked at me in that same surprised look over his face. "Like... cleaning the blood, binding..."
She looked over at me again. "Blood?"
I looked up to her again. "Y-yes? Don't you see it?" I took quite a beating, surely enough, there would be blood. Right?
"Kyle, did... Did you take a look at yourself?" She asked with a touch of worry in her voice.
"Huh?"
"... Come on." She led me toward the bathroom, and pulled me toward the mirror. That's when I finally got to see the damage.
Like she said. There was no blood in sight. My clothes were in rags, my shirt open wide, my bra ripped to pieces, and my pants showing wide cuts, but I didn't even show a drop of red. Just like the first time, I didn't even show any bleeding, or bruises. I should have been swollen like a pumpkin, but I wasn't. Not even a scratch on my... smooth... skin...
I rubbed my eyes with one hand as I looked down at myself. By what I saw with the hole in my shirt, my breast has swollen even more than they had before, the auroras showing off my nipples even more. I was sure they had grown a cup or two, I couldn't exactly tell how much. That just didn't happen, did it?
But the twins weren't the only things that had changed. The muscles I had developed seemed to have smoothenned down over my belly. My waist and hips were making an odd curve down. My legs seemed to follow the curve, the rips in my pants showing a skin that looked way too smooth. I had a few scars down there, I knew it. I did.
I looked back up to the mirror, and finally saw my face clearly. My hair, usually a bright brown, short cut, had grown down to my shoulders, the only traces of the original at the tip before it switched to a dark black, as if I'd let a dye grow out. My chin had narrowed down, refined. My cheeks seemed different, felt different as I reached up with slimmer fingers. My nose seemed smaller, cuter. And finally, my eyes, the boyish look softening up in a more feminine feel to match the rest of my face. Even the color of my irises were changed, lines of a bright purple appearing inside my usual green. I looked into them deeply, until I saw a strand of black hair pass in front of them.
I was in shock. I almost fell down again, if I hadn't been held up. I couldn't believe what was going on.
"What... What... What..." I trembled, looking up to Abbey. My voice, higher than usual, almost choking around the words. "What's happening to me?"
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| Re: Shade: Reforming [message #34517 is a reply to message #27811 ] |
Sat, 04 April 2009 03:18 |
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Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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What's going on?
That's the question I kept asking myself ever since I saw my new face in the mirror. Every minute that followed was a new discovery. A new part of me. A new fear of what had happened to me. Why do I look like a... Like a...
All I could do right now though, is get to the hospital. They'd be able to get me some answers.
I double checked when I was changing into some cleaner clothes. I still had a penis, so I was still a guy, at least technically. I thought. Although my clothes had trouble following that train of thought. My boxers' elastic wasn't tight enough to keep it up properly anymore, yet I struggled to get my pants up over my hips. And once they were up, there was still a small gap left, so I had to tighten my belt as hard as I could to close it. My shirt was no better. I tried two or three of them, but in every case, my new 'inflations' were squeezed tightly against the fabric, yet hung loose underneath them. And I thought my nipples were poking out before, it was nothing compared to this. The bra I had left wouldn't even fit me anymore. Without taking the time to look through Abbey's box, I just grabbed a sweatshirt, slid it over me, and looked at the results. I still had a few more curves than I ever did before, but it helped.
I left my room, trying not to fall forward again. I still felt a little dizzy. I could see Abbey and dad by the entrance, the later sliding his coat on. "Now you stay here, and watch the-"
"But I want to know! I want to be there." She definitively looked worried.
He raised one hand. "Look, Abbey, dear." He lowered it down reassuringly. "You've got to keep an eye on Gabby."
"She's sleeping."
"Good. Keep her that way. Don't need to wake her up. We need someone here. We can't both go. Understood?"
"Yes, but-"
"Are we ready to go now?" I asked in a low voice, wincing a little. My own voice felt so odd. They both looked a little startled as they looked at me. I didn't blame them.
Dad turned to grab his hat as Abbey came to me. "Look, Kyle..." She hesitated a moment. "Can you at least tell me what happened? You mentioned blood, and your clothes, and..." She looked at me with enough worry in her eyes to make me crumble. She probably wanted to know everything as bad as I did.
I looked up to her, wishing I could explain her exactly what happened to me, but I wasn't even sure myself anymore. I thought I'd be a bloody mess in a stretcher by now. I had the clothes to prove something happened, but otherwise...
"I'll... I'll give you the details afterwards, okay? I... I don't even know anymore." I hesitantly gave her a smirk. "We'll call as soon as it's over, okay?"
She looked like she was about to argue with me for a moment, but she reconsidered, and finally just wrapped her arms around me. "Take care, little brother. Okay?"
I returned the hug hesitantly, feeling the new difference between our bodies even more now, our breasts pressing against each other, but I still hugged her. "I will, sis. I will."
With that, I let go. I started on my way, until my foot caught on something, and my whole body flew forward. "W-w-w-w-WOAH!" Abbey caught me just in time before I crashed onto the floor. I sighed, and looked up to her. "Th-thanks."
With that though, she refused to let me go until I was seated in the car. I waved out to her, and the car left the lot in a hurry.
---------------------------
A little later, we were in Doctor Julian's office, waiting for him to return from his last patient. The nurse had just finished with the preliminaries: temperature, pressure, and the standard questions. Imagine the look on her face when I said I had curves I never had before. That threw a loop in her daily routine. I guess people are going to give me that look for a while now.
I sighed, and looked up to my father. The guy, whom last time sat straight up with military stiffness, was looking down at me with concern matching mine. He didn't look angry, or disappointed, he just looked concerned. He didn't ask me a single question during the drive. He didn't ask in the waiting room either. Not even now. I knew he wanted to know more, but why wasn't he saying anything?
Just as I was about to open my mouth, the doctor came in, with file in hand. "Good evening, Leon. Good evening..." He paused a moment, looking at me. He took a moment to look at the file, and back at me. "Leon, I know you're not one to pull a prank on me, but if you wanted to bring-"
"Julian..." My father took his more serious stance. "This isn't a joke." He gave a nod. "This is Kyle."
Julian looked at him for a moment, as if deciding to believe him or not, then back at me with a questioning stare in his eyes. I bit my lip, and gave him a silent nod to confirm what dad just said.
The doctor looked shocked for a moment, taking a second look over at me from head to toes. After about an awkward minute spent under his evaluating gaze, he shook his head, and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Right... Right." He sat down, and opened my file, going through the sheets. "It hasn't been a week since the last time we spoke, Kyle. Yet you've gone through some rather... Dramatic changes." I couldn't help but shiver. The doctor reached into his desk, and set a small tape recorder. "Tell me everything Kyle." He sat down with a thick pad, pen at hand. "Tell me how you feel right now, what you think could have caused this, and everything that you can remember during these past six days."
With a sigh, I began to tell them my story. Wearing a bra, being caught by Zack, and the first beating Josh gave me. Dad looked shocked for a moment, and told the doctor this was the first he'd ever heard of this. I just hung my head low. I couldn't look up to him right now. Julian told me to continue, and I followed with my discovery at the mirror, and how I was unharmed. That seemed to catch their attention. But they didn't ask any questions yet. Finally, I told them about the beating I'd just survived. I tried to describe it; I tried to give as many names as I could, and all they did to me. I shook in my seat as the blows flashed clearly in my head.
"And... When I came back home, I... I was like this." I looked up to him as he wrote down his notes. I could see the wrinkles in his forehead as he tried to hammer down the problem.
He looked up to me once more. "That's all?" I rolled the details in my head again, and gave him a nod. "Okay... Get up, and take the sweater off."
As I got to my feet, I immediately did a double-take. "W-what?"
"I just need to make sure of what we're looking at, Kyle." He said reassuringly. "Scars, malformations, discolorations, even cancer growths."
That didn't make me feel all that much better, but if it would help him figure it out, I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I lifted the sweater off my head. The shirt was a little trickier, but soon, I felt the cool air blow over the twins. I could almost feel the stares from the two other men in the room zoom in on 'them'. This was all kinds of awkward. I looked to my father in unease, but he simply looked away. I could see the color in his face though.
"Tell me if this hurts."
I almost screamed and jumped as I felt his hand grope my breast. "Wha-wha-what are you doing?"
"Looking for anomalies. Now stay still." He said as he prodded another spot on them. This felt so weird, so creepy. I could feel his rough fingers press into them. Feel the softer skin move like putty. This was how it was supposed to feel? "Tell me, did you feel any kind of growth before tonight? Any swelling?"
I tried to focus on the question as he kept on 'checking' on me. "N-not really." I thought a moment. "K-kinda. Th-the bra was feeling tighter."
"But they weren't anywhere this big until now?" I shook my head as he examined the nipple, and then switched to the other globe. "And any other parts of your body?" I shook my head again. "Your face? Your waist? Your legs and hands?" I shook my head again and again. "Not even your hair?"
"No... Nothing, until tonight. After what those fuckers did to me." I trembled, and bit my lower lip. My new voice made this sound all so weird, but I couldn't stop myself. "And then... Well, you know."
"Yes... Yes... And your penis hasn't changed? Shrunk? No burning sensations?"
I looked at him like he was a madman. "... What? I-" I clammed up as he looked at me sternly. "N-no. No, It's... Okay." I was scared to see where that kind of question would lead. "I think?"
"I see... I see." He lifted my two tits a little as if it were a natural thing to do. "No apparent surgical scarring here..." He looked back up to me. "Any leftover scars from the fight? Anything?" I shook my head again. "Any problems moving around?"
"I... I did have trouble with my balance at first. I almost fell a few times, but I'm... I'm getting used to it."
"No pain when you move your arms or legs? Turning around?" I closed my eyes, and shook my head again. "I see..." He gave a sigh, and waved to me. "You can put your clothes back on."
With that, he sat back in his chair, and closed his eyes, rubbing them in thought. He reviewed his notes, added a few more lines, and finally picked up his phone. "Chelsea? ... Yes. Is Doctor Dane available? ... In surgery? I see..." He looked toward me with a nervous expression I'd never seen on his face before. "This is rather special, Chelsea. As soon as this one is over, send the doctor to my office... Yes... Yes, of course. Thank you."
He hung up with a trembling hand, sighed, and shook his head, muttering something I couldn't catch. "Kyle... I'm sorry to say this, but if what you've told me is true, this may be something completely outside of my field." I could feel my heart and hopes sink down with every word. "Unless there's some kind of surgeon behind the scene, or... Some kind of miracle 'quick growth hormone' involved, this is medically impossible. But we do have someone here who's got some experience, and will give you some concrete answers." He slid his notes in my folder, and closed it. "In the meantime, I want to make a few tests. Blood, urine, X-rays, and a visit to the MRI..." He took in a deep breath. "We'll find out what's wrong with you, boy."
I gave a tired sigh. "I... I hope so."
-------------------------
I rubbed my arm where they'd stuck the needle, pressing the cotton ball on properly under my sleeve. Giving blood was never fun, but it was one more test down the line. One more step toward figuring out why I changed like this. The more I thought about it though, the more it scared me. What was going to happen next? What if the doctors couldn't figure it out?
We sat down in front of the X-ray room, and waited for my turn to come. What kind of specialist do they have here anyways?
"Look, Kyle." I looked up to my dad. "I know you're going through something rough right now, but I want to know..." He gave a grave sigh, looking both disappointed and concerned at me. "Why didn't you tell us about those bullies?"
I felt my stomach squeeze at that question. "I... I... I just... I don't know." I looked down to the floor "No. I mean, I know, but..." I rubbed my face. "At first, I just thought I was dreaming things. I mean, I'd just gotten the beating of my life, and I was completely clean. I mean, who'd believe me? Josh and his goons beat me up last Monday?" My eyes met the twins. "And... That I got beat up at school... F-for wearing a bra? I mean, come on! How many people would try to get me once that got out? I already got enough people staring at me." I muttered. "This bra thing was only supposed to be a little while..."
I sighed, and pressed my face against my hands. "But now THIS comes up! I almost get beaten to death, and... and... This!" I felt his arm around my shoulders, and squeeze. "I just want this to be over. I just want this all to be fucking over, and everything... To go... Back to normal. To the way things used to be."
My father gave a sigh. "Son... It's going to be hard, I know." He paused a moment. "If you had problems with the bra, you could have told us, we could have found something else. Or at the very least get those punks off your back."
I looked up at him, frowning a little. "Do you know how bad it sounds to have your parent call to stop a fight for you?"
He lifted a finger at me. "Maybe, but then we wouldn't be here, would we?"
I felt the stab in my reasoning, and simply looked down in defeat. "I never imagined they'd go this far..." I muttered.
He sighed with me. "But we're here now... From now on though, if anything happens, come to me or Abbey for help."
"Unless you're working..." I muttered. "And Abbey's not exactly available all the time either."
His face twisted with guilt and regret for a few seconds. "I can't help that, you know."
I bit my tongue. "I know I know... It's just..." I clenched my fists tightly in frustration. "I can't do anything. I can't fight them, I can't hide from them, and I can't run from them!" My arms shook harder. "I-I can't even prove they beat me up!" My voice choked up by the end, and I lifted one fist in the air, slamming it down on my knee. "It's not fair!"
I lifted it again, until my father caught my arm. "Kyle. Calm down." He said in his commanding voice. "You're in a hospital."
"Huh?" I looked up, and saw a few people stare at me as they walked about for a moment. My face heated up in embarrassment, and I looked down. "S-sorry."
Dad sighed, and let me go. "Kyle, I know it may seem unfair, but you do have something most victims don't have." I looked at him as if he'd just told a very bad joke. "You know your attackers. You've already given us their names, and the fact that they come from your school."
"What good does it do if I know them?" I spat out. "I don't even look beat-up! Not a scar, nothing! I... I just look like-"
"We do have your clothes. They're rather... ruined." He noted. "I'm sure there're plenty of traces of them on them."
"Most of them are on the baseball team." I muttered. "They could have had their hands on them at any times. Besides, it's not like it proves what really happened." I winced inside, until something dawned on me. "But... Maybe there-"
"STOP THAT THING!"
The scream of a nurse pulled everyone's attention at once. I could see her running in our direction down the corridor, a look of panic in her face. She was reaching down to what looked like a pure black orb of ink about three inches long that seemed to... hop across the floor? Just as she seemed to reach for it, it just leapt away a few more feet forwards out of reach. It would almost have been funny if it wasn't so freaky. And the fact that they were both headed straight at us!
I pushed myself against my chair, and just tried to stay out of the way. I did not want to get involved in any more weird stuff. But just as the black slug-like mass passed in front of our waiting cubicle, it immediately launched itself at me! "GAH!" I threw myself off my chair, and the thing splattered against the wall right where I was sitting, but it didn't take a second before it came right back at me.
I threw my arms out, and it attached itself to my forearm, pressing against the sleeve of my sweater. "AAAHHH!" I screamed out in terror, and slapped my hand on it like a bug, but as my hand pressed on top, it just split apart, slipped right in-between my fingers, and flew right at my face! It shoved itself right into my mouth, sliding right between my teeth, and down my throat, wriggling down there. I tried to close my lips in an attempt to stop it, but as soon as I did, the leftovers began to slither immediately up my nose. Before I knew it, the last bit of it was moving down, and it felt as if it all vanished inside of me.
I trembled in shock as everyone seemed to stare at me. I patted down my chest, trying to feel that black thing, but... Nothing. What kind of science fiction did I just survive?
"Kyle, are you okay?" My father came in, checking up on me.
"Uh huh?" I squeaked out. "I-I think?"
"Doc's not going to be happy about this." The nurse muttered at the scene.
-------------------------
During the next hour, I didn't know what to think anymore. My whole life was becoming weirder by the minute. There were no traces of that black thing after it went down. Not on the floor, not on the wall, not even in my mouth. It was in me, doing who knows what.
They rushed me through my tests, even at the complaints of other waiting patients. They did about three types of scanning on me, but even through that, they hadn't found anything about that black blob. I didn't feel anything inside of me, so it must've been lying still... or something.
Now, we were sitting at Julian's office, waiting for the doctor and his specialist. My leg bounced up and down nervously. What's taking so long? I wanted some answers. I wanted to know what was going on, but the longer I waited, the worse it got. This was supposed to help me, not confuse the hell out of me. None of them could tell me anything, and that scared me more and more by every passing moment. Only this 'specialist' could do anything, it seems.
After what seemed like an eternity, Julian came in, followed by a younger doctor and what seemed to be his daughter. I shot up on my feet, and looked toward the man. "Are you the specialist?" He looked at me a little shocked, and I asked him right away. "Can you tell me what's going on? What's happening to me? How do we-"
"Umm..." The man looked hesitant for a moment. "I'm sorry, but... I'm not the doctor. I'm just the assistant."
"Huh?" Completely confused, I turned to Doctor Julian for an explanation.
The old doctor rubbed his temples, his face twisting in annoyance. "Kyle... Meet Doctor Emily Dane."
He showed his hand in the direction of the small girl who didn't look any older than ten years old, her blonde hair tied into a ponytail, and wearing a lab coat that almost looked too big for her fit. She seemed a bit ticked off at me, and turned toward the assistant. "Paul, one day, we're going to have to find a way to find a way to get this cleared up." The man just shrugged with an embarrassed smile as the girl reached out toward me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyle."
I stared silently at her for about a minute while she shook my hand. This was supposed to be their specialist? I looked toward Julian. "You can't be serious. This is a joke, right?" I turned to the 'assistant', then at my father. "Right? Right? Where's the hidden camera?"
The 'specialist' seemed even more ticked off than before. "How rude is this kid?" She looked toward Julian. "He's speaking to a medical genius, and he thinks this is a joke?" She scoffed, and turned to the desk, opening my file.
"But... But... She's a KID!" I screamed out. "She looks even younger than I am!"
"And just as mature." Julian rubbed his tired eye. "But she is literally twenty seven years old."
I stared in disbelief at him, then at the pre-teen girl. "That... Just can't be true."
"Yet it is." She muttered, insulted by my statement. "By a certain twist of fate, my body is stuck this way." She rolled up her eyes at me. "But it doesn't mean I'm not smarter than you are, boy." She was flying through those pages so fast, I wondered if she even glanced at the words.
"But...B-b-but why her?" I asked. "I thought you said you were getting a specialist!"
"I did." Julian said with a sigh. "Who better to look this up than a mutant?"
My blood froze at the word. "M-m-mutant?"
"It's not obvious?" She said, looking up toward me with an amused smirk.
I took a few steps back, and fell back in my chair. I felt a lump form in my throat. "S-so you think that I'm... I'm..."
"I'll be the judge of that." She muttered as she pulled a few pages out. The small girl came up to me, studying me from head to toes, making my whole body tense up. With a wave of her hand, Paul swooped in, and placed a stool for her to climb up to eye level. She pulled out a small penlight. "Open your mouth..." I did as told, and she examined a moment. "Nothing here. Good. Now look into my eyes." She blinded me for a minute or so, while I tried not to blink. "Yeah... Classic signs." She stood up straight with a playful, childish smile on her face. "But we can't tell for sure until we see the real treat."
I frowned at her. "Real treat? What do you mean by the real treat?"
"Your power, silly." She rolled her eyes. "Well, the one we know, at least. Paul?" She pointed to her assistant. "Would you prep up a needle for the boy?"
"Right away doctor." The 'male nurse' answered quickly.
"P-power?" I twitched inside, and leaned toward her. "Wh-what are you talking about? I just want to know what's happening to me! How to stop this shit from happening!"
I felt my father's hand squeeze my shoulder again as the girl leaned forward, pressing her tiny little finger on my nose. "You're putting the carriage before the horses, boy." She pushed my head back as Paul strapped the rubber band around my arm. "I guarantee you that once we've got your power figured out, we can explain the rest of the equation." She smiled proudly, and even posed, pointing one finger in the air. "In fact, with my brilliant mind, I've already figured it all out!" She turned toward Julian with a broad smile. "Of course, I couldn't have done this so quickly without your notes, old man. Very thorough."
Julian groaned, sitting back on his chair. It seemed like he had his own bitterness toward the girl. "Just because you're the one who knows mutants the best, doctor, doesn't mean you're better than the rest of us. I only did my job as a man of medicine."
"Won't you just tell me what's going on then?" I winced a bit as I felt the needle dig into my skin. It didn't hurt, but the cold feeling sent shivers up my spine. "D-didn't you do this already? You've got my blood." I said, as I saw the vial fill up with the red liquid.
She turned toward Julian. "Nobody's bothered to tell him, did they?" The older doctor shook his head. "Oh joy." She muttered with a hint of sarcasm.
"Bothered to tell me what?" I asked, getting a bit more worried. What did they hide from me?
She shook her head. "Tsk tsk. Okay, you remember the black substance that went for you?" I shivered at the memory, and nodded to her. "Well-"
"Doctor?" Paul tapped the girl's shoulder, and held up the vial.
"Already?" She giggled, and bounced as she stared at it. "Look, it's starting."
As we all leaned forward, we saw my blood swirl a little inside the glass tube. Black lines appeared over the red, and grew wider and wider, until all my blood had become that inky black, and suddenly, it shot upward against the stopper, pushing against the rubber. My jaw just dropped at the sight.
"See? It's trying to get out." The girl whispered in awe. "It's trying to get back into you, boy."
My stomach squeezed tightly. "W-W-Whaaaat?"
"Your blood wants to come back into you. It changed into this, and right now, it's trying it's hardest to come back." The black blood was shaking around the tube violently now, jumping up and down, ramming onto both ends of the vial rapidly. "The nurses claimed that the three vials cracked, and exploded before it gathered up, and began jumping away." She looked back to me with an all-knowing glint in her eyes. "It knew right where you were, even if you were halfway across the hospital. Very smart cells."
"Umm... Doctor Emily?" Paul looked a bit worried as the vial shook violently in his fingers.
She gave a nod, and he pulled the stopper out. As soon as he did, the black liquid burst out in the air, arched down, and back onto my face. I tensed up, clenched my eyes close as the creepy feeling swam right down my throat, and it disappeared on the way down once more.
That was it. There was no denying it. I... I really was a mutant. That was my blood. That was my blood in that vial, and it just... Jumped into me. It really happened. I was one of those people. Those superheroes and monsters on TV. Those people that did the unimaginable, the incredible. Those that some viewed as freaks and menaces to society; to the human race. Those hunted down by Humanity-one. Josh and his gang treated me like dirt because they thought I was one.
They were right.
The realization made me sink in my seat. I looked up at my father, who looked at me with as much disbelief as I did. "I'm... I'm..."
The girl seemed giddy with excitement, hopping off her stool. "We've got a mutant! Yes we do!" Did she really need to sound so happy? She added a few more notes to the file. "Probably a high level Regenerator..."
"Maybe with some Shifter attributes also?" Paul added in as he looked over her shoulder.
She playfully tapped the tip of his nose with her pen. "You're learning... But I think it's something more here. Maybe a little Exemplar too."
"Exemplar?" He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I-"
Julian coughed, trying to interrupt the two. They looked back to the three of us who didn't know a thing of what they were saying. Julian sighed, looking at me and my father. "I'm sorry, there's a reason I try to keep her out of sight."
She scoffed. "You know I'm better than the rest of the quacks."
Julian frowned as he turned to her. It seemed like it was a long argument between the two. "If you'd actually-"
Dad coughed heavily. "You two..." They both growled at each other, and then turned back to us. "You said you knew what's happening. Can you explain now?" She opened her mouth when my father interrupted. "In terms we can all understand?"
She grumbled a little. "Okay..." She sighed. "Well, Mr Leon, your son, as we've just seen, is a mutant." She looked through the pages. "By the sound of things, he's what we classify as a Regenerator. Most wounds on you repair by themselves on a much accelerated rate. Bruises have their blood vessels clot together in seconds, broken bones re-attach themselves, and cuts mend themselves." She waved a finger. "In fact, I bet that black effect happens every time too. Every time your body doesn't function, or fit as it should, it snaps back into place." She looked up a bit. "I'd like to test it a little more myself, but..."
"S-so... That's why I don't have any wounds, or scars?" I mumbled lowly, looking down. "But..." I looked toward her. "Why do I look like this? Why is my body changing? My chest is growing, my hands are getting smaller, and my face-"
"Is looking more and more feminine?" She interrupted, looking away from the file. The blood in my veins froze again at the last word. I couldn't say she was wrong, I'd been thinking the same thing for a while now.
She gave me a smug smile, mumbling something about shutting me up. "Well, you said that before tonight, there weren't ANY signs of other changes, outside of your breasts?" I gave a nod which made her smile grow wider "Then we know your regeneration is linked to your changes. The more your body repairs itself, the more female you become."
My body trembled after hearing that. I wasn't just becoming malformed? I was turning into a girl?
Paul decided to cut in. "So you mean the cells are changing from Y's to X's?" He pondered. "Maybe when it turns to black, the cells find it easier to change that way?"
Emily waved a finger, shaking her head to correct him. "No, no, no. He'd still have a boy body. Even if the mutation would accelerate the changes in the cells, or create female hormones, it would only make him more emotional, give him odd feelings, and maybe a slight development of the chest." She held up a picture of my X-rays. "But none of that could go so far as to change the body that drastically. Especially something like the pelvic bone. It's rather obvious when you think about it."
Julia pushed his glasses back on his nose. "We do have to break that part in some cases for it to form properly."
"Exactly." Emily nodded in agreement, hopping in excitement. "Which is why I believe we're dealing with an Exemplar effect."
Paul slapped his fist into his hand. "So he's got a BIT?"
She squealed. "YES!" Julian coughed once more, making her groan in frustration. "BIT means Body Image Template." She gave us a bored look. "Exemplars are mutants whose bodies change to look in a certain way. The final form, or the blueprint, is the BIT."
I trembled more and more nervously as the explanation ran on. "S-so my BIT is... What made this?"
"Yup!" She giggled impishly. "Although it's incredibly rare to see a female BIT in a man."
"But... But..." I clenched my teeth, and stood up. "I'm a guy. I'm still a guy!" I stomped my foot. "I've still got a cock, and-"
"And it will surely go the way of the dodo." She sang to me. "It could just disappear into your black stuff overnight. Oooor maybe it'll just fall off, and turn into dust. Or maybe it could even slowly turn into a vagina, starting with the balls pulling inside into your ovaries, the sack turning into your lips, the length sinking inside, and the tip turning into your little clit." She suddenly seemed to have a sparkle in her eyes. "Wouldn't it be amazing to watch that process happen?" The three men shuddered in unison, but none more than me, as that vision might very well be my reality.
"You m-mean... It's... Not over?" I whispered in fear. "Ho-how do you know?"
She pointed to her face. "Your eyes, boy. Surely, you noticed the lines around them?" I knew about the lines: small purple crescents in my brown iris. But I didn't know the meaning.
Paul seemed a little confused, like the rest of us. "You never taught me that one, Doctor."
She shook her head slowly. "A common sign of a mutation is that the eyes change color." She came in a little closer to me, and everyone else leaned in closer to see. "It's happening here too. I'm guessing your normal eye color is brown?" I nodded to her as she made little circles around my eyes. "See the lines here? I'm sure when the last line of brown will be gone. You'll be close to finished." She gave an amused giggle. "If we go by these, you're a little under halfway done to your final form."
I couldn't hold back a whimper. "B-but you can stop this, right? Right?"
She gave a snerk. "If we could stop mutations, I'm sure the world would be a better place, boy."
I stomped my foot in frustration. "I mean the transformation!"
She raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference?" Everyone stared at her hard for a moment, until she explained herself. "Just like your regeneration, there's no real way to stop it."
I looked down a bit, trying think of something. "What if... What if I don't have to use my regeneration? And stay at home? My body won't change, will it?"
"Now you're just being silly." She raised a finger. "Even if it was only your mutation that caused your transformation to happen, there's no real way to avoid it. One fall, and it would begin. A paper cut. Heck, at every step we take, our bones fragment, and repair themselves. In your case, your cells would do the job every time." She tilted her head, giving it more thought. "Although you'd really want to avoid any more attacks or major accidents. The more it kicks in, the faster it will go. And if you rush things too much, you might run into increased chances of a burnout, or a GSD happening."
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Burnout? GSD? Explain?"
Paul winced a bit, while Emily explained. "A burnout is when a mutant's body overwhelms them, and they literally burst into flames. Most cases are deadly, and I've heard some who almost took out a whole city." That thought terrified me. "And GSD stands for Gross Structural Dystrophy. Those are usually major, permanent changes to the body. Very ugly business. Horns, lizard skin, body of stone, cat ears, tentacles, and such. I've even heard of one girl whose body was like jelly." She gave a smirk at me. "Being a girl then would probably be the least of your worries."
"And... And that could happen to me?" I asked, my voice struggling to get out. I could feel my father's hand on my shoulder, trying to support me, but at this time, I don't think anything would help me.
"It could." She stated, almost considering it. "Unfortunately, there's no real way to tell until it's over." She raised her finger one more, waving it around to warn me. "But you really don't want to take any unnecessary chances, got it?"
I clenched my teeth tightly, and trembled in my father's hold. "Wha-wha-what about hormones?" I looked up to Julian, who seemed a bit surprised. "You told me it could stop the breasts, c-c-can't it stop this?"
He looked at me nervously. "W-w-w-well, I..."
"You're a mutant, boy." Emily giggled a little, tossing her hands in the air. "You can toss most modern medicine out of the window. Even more so in your case." She shook her head once more, to deny me of another chance.
"Your body would probably reject any kind of hormones, if it doesn't just turn the doses into harmless proteins." She twirled her hand around. "And if you think upping the dose will help, let me tell you this... All previous attempts at reversal either failed utterly, or ended in burnout."
"Can't you... I don't know, change the damn BIT? Erase it?"
She looked at me as if I'd just told a bad joke. "If I could, surely enough I wouldn't be stuck as a ten-year old, now would I?" She scoffed. "Researchers barely understand it, and the so-called mages have no ideas. You might as well give it up." She sang out childishly.
Denied, denied, denied. I just couldn't take it anymore. I just had one more plea. "What about surgery? Put me on a table. Anything! Just... Just... Fix me, please!"
The others stared at me silently as I was about to cry out. My vision blurred as the tears began to form. That's when I heard it...
"Pffth... Pffth... Pfhehehehe." Emily had a hand over her mouth, her eyes closed. "PFHEEHEEHEEHEEEEEHAHAHAHAHAAaaaa. AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" She leaned against the desk as she laughed. I didn't understand what she was laughing about. "HAHAHAHAHHAAAAAaaaaa. Oooohhh." She shook her head, looking toward Paul. "He doesn't get it! He just doesn't get it! I mean... Surgery? Come on! Isn't it-WOAH!" She held out her hands as I came this close to punching her right across the face. If only dad hadn't held me back. I just wanted her to shut up!
"Now wait a minute! Let me explain now!" She was still smiling as she took back her footing. "Surgery isn't just a magic trick, you know? It's basically just putting you under the scalpel, and cutting you up. But we've just explained to you that anything we do to you will just heal itself! I could cut you open, and even before I could look inside, it would just seal up. I would try again, and what do you know, the exact same thing would happen again. No matter which surgeon would try, the result is the same! By the time you came out of the room, you'll be even more on your way to femininity than ever before!" She leaned forward, shaking her head. "Don't you get it, silly boy?"
I did get it. I really did. I understood every word, but it didn't make any of it feel any easier. From all of this, one thing was so very clear.
There's just no escaping it...
-------------------------
From that point on, everything was just a blur to me. The places, the voices, the people, the trip back home... Everything. I just lost myself in my thoughts. I must've been in shock. I vaguely remember that there was more shouting, more arguing, the talk of a certain school, and more testing. But that didn't matter for me right now. There were only two facts running through my head right now.
I was a mutant...
And I was going to be a girl.
There's no changing those facts. Or so they say. They even proved it in front of my very eyes. Why? Why me? Why is this happening to me?
As a mutant, I was going to be branded as a freak. A menace. Treated as dirt. If that got out, who knew what would happen to me? I saw the news. I heard about the attacks that were made. Mutants captured by Humanity-one. Mutants experimented on. And I thought at the time that some of them deserved this. But now, I was one of them! I didn't want this! I didn't want any of this to happen! Of course, there are superheroes out there, but what can I do? Take a bullet? I can't do those incredible things they show on TV. I can barely defend myself against a pack of school bullies.
I just want to get through school, help the family until Gabby was old enough, get a good job, a girlfriend, keep on practicing baseball, maybe even make pro, and maybe make a family of my own in the future. A normal life, right?
But now, that was all gone. I was a freak now.
Not only that, but I wasn't even going to be a boy. That thought scared me just as much. Was I going to be expected to act like girl? To live like one? Bras, panties, dresses, skirts, and all the girly clothes that came along with it? To look all cute and pretty? Was I going to be expected to date boys too? No! No! Just no! I didn't want to! Never did, never will!
But I was going to be a girl soon. I was going to have to face everything they did. PMS. Periods. Pregnancy? Was I going to have a baby one day? To carry one? To give birth? No! Please, God, no.
Sports. Baseball. There was no way. Not only was I a girl, I was a mutant. Baseball was out of the question. The team would never let me in. No team would. Already as a girl, my choice was limited, but mutants were practically banned from participating in any sports. I didn't even know if they were allowed to watch at all. I was going to miss the game so much.
There was no way I was going back to school. Not willingly. Not like this. If they don't know what happened to me, how many guys will look at me? How was my life going to be out there now? I... I might not even be Kyle anymore. All my grades were going down the drain along with my identity. I wasn't great, but all this time, all these years, gone? And what if I said I was Kyle? That I was a mutant? How many people would come after me? Just like... Them...
Josh and Zack. They were right on one thing. I really was a mutant. There's no denying it, they were right on the money for that. But I wasn't gay! I'm not a transvestite! I wasn't! I kept on telling them that, but they beat me up anyways!
And now... Now I really was going to go from guy to girl. I was going to be looking the part. They were going to think I'd done all this of my own free will too. What were they going to do next? The fear was overwhelming.
Owen. He was already freaked when news was going around, and now? Now that I was on this one-way trip? The guy might as well join Josh and company.
And Lauren? Oh God, Lauren. I never told her I liked her. I never stepped forward and did it. Now, I'd be a girl too. I'd never have the chance. She'd probably hate me. She'd probably run away now if I ever told.
No. No. No. Noooooo...
Before I realized it, Dad and I were climbing our way up the stairs, and opening the door to the apartment. Home...
"Dad? Kyle?" I heard Abbey running in from the living room. God, what was she going to think? "What happened? You never called." She looked at us in concern as we came in silently. "Dad? Kyle?"
I looked up to her for a moment, and tried to form the right words. But every time I struggled to speak, my throat choked out all the sound. What was I going to tell her? That I was a mutant? That her little brother was going to be her new sister? That I was a freak now and nothing could ever change that? That my life was over?
I tightened my fists, shaking in my frustration, took a deep breath, and I...
And I...
I...
I broke down.
I fell against Abbey, and let out a loud cry. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HA-HA-HAAAAAaaa..." I cried like I'd never cried before, screaming into my sister's chest with all my strength. The beatings, the transformation, the predicted future, and the feeling of being so helpless to do anything about it. It was overwhelming. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I felt Abbey's comforting arms hold me, and I clung onto her, pouring all the pain and misery I had gathered over the past six days into the tears and the screams.
I cried and cried...
Until I couldn't cry anymore...
"Action speaks louder than words. Especially if you have a giant moon cannon."
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| Re: Shade: Reforming [message #39210 is a reply to message #34517 ] |
Wed, 18 May 2011 18:53 |
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Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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The next morning, I slowly regained consciousness, greeted by the feeling of a wet pillow against my face. I wondered for a moment why it was wet in the first place, and finally remembered why.
I cried myself to sleep that night.
That's right. It all slowly came back to me as I felt the pressure on my breasts. All the news I'd been delivered last night. Being a mutant. Being a girl.
I just closed my eyes tightly, and wished that either the nightmare would end... Or that I'd never wake up again.
"Abbey!" Unfortunately, it seemed like the Sandman wasn't going to come. "Kyle brought home a girl!" I turned my head, slightly opened my tired eyes, and saw Gabby, who was holding a box of crayons. She smiled at me, and turned toward the door, shouting: "And she's cute too!" Murder ran through my mind right there and then. She looked back to me, and asked innocently. "What's your naaaaame?" Great. She didn't even recognize me.
"Leave me alone." I mumbled as I covered my head with my bedsheets.
"Come oooonnn." She jumped into the bed. "Tell meeee." She whined annoyingly. I just turned away, and tried to ignore her, but she shook me as hard as she could. "Pleeeaaaase?"
I curled up around myself, tried to forget her. "Noooo..."
I felt her shift on top of me, and pulled the bedsheets away as she could whisper in my ear. "Do you really like Kyle?"
I could feel my face turn a new shade of red.
That was it.
I sat up suddenly, pushing her up with me. I glared down at her little startled face. "Gabby. I told you to leave me ALONE!" I screamed out in anger.
She looked up at me in fear for a moment, then slowly started to look lower, down at the shirt I had on. Then lower, seeing the curves I had. Then finally a little lower, right where she was sitting, on my lap. It took us a moment to realize that she was feeling a tent in my pants, but when she did, she looked up at my face again, and pushed away, crying as she ran out. "WAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAABBBEEEEEEYYYYY!"
I sighed. At this point, I wanted to cry too...
I fell back onto my bed, curled up, and covered my head with my pillow, trying to block out the scream. I didn't want to deal with this. Not now. I heard the door close, and whispered a quiet: "Thank you."
Just leave me alone...
I didn't want to see anyone, or anyone to see me. I felt like crying so hard. I just wanted to curl up and dissapear.
I stayed in bed for what felt like hours, trying to forget the world. Trying to forget myself. Trying to keep from falling into a weeping mess again. But every time I tried to think, every time I came down to it, I just couldn't push it out of my mind. Every passing second, I was becoming less of a guy and more a girl. Everything that I was, and everything that I'd looked forward to was being erased. Replaced. What am I going to do? Every time I asked myself that question, I just couldn't come up with an answer. I tried, and tried, but I only came up with more tears. I was trapped, with nowhere to go but down.
Finally, something forced me out of my room. A full bladder about to explode. I tried to ignore it for a while, but I could only do so much. I'm only human. At least some kind of human. I squirmed out of bed, and slowly stumbled my way to the bathroom. I had a little trouble taking the damn pants off. After that though, I just had to take a moment to doublecheck. It was still down there. Didn't look different. Or shrunken. Good.
After relieving myself, I was making my way back to my room, when it hit me. A sweet, warm, lightly spicy aroma fluttering through the air. A cinnamon flavor that invaded my mind. As it did, my stomach squeezed, and grumbled in hunger, reminding me that the sandwich I had yesterday was long gone by now. I was so depressed that I'd forgotten to eat. Worry was never as filling as food, no matter how much you had of the former.
Following the scent, I peeked around the corner to the kitchen. Abbey was pulling out a panfull of delicious cinnamon buns from the oven. The sweet smell was overwhelming. I loved it when she made her homemade desserts like this.
She turned around, saw me, and jumped in the air, her eyes went wide in surprise. "Ah! Kyle!" She almost dropped the whole thing to the floor. "You startled me." She set the pan aside, and smiled at me with relief. "Are you feeling better today?"
I gave her a small nod, pulling some of that annoying black hair out of my eyes. "Yeah. Kinda. Ah-As good as can be, considering."
She slowly came closer to me, looking at me straight in the eyes in that warm, motherly way. "Good. I thought you might need some time alone, so I called in sick for both of us, and..." She hesitated a moment, then realized I was staring at the cinnamon buns. "Want one? I'm sure you're hungry by now. You haven't eaten much, have you?" I gave a nod, and soon enough, we were sitting down, savoring the sweet pastries.
The bun was so warm and tender, that it melted in your mouth. And it was so sweet. Not to the point where it would rot your teeth, but enough to lift you up to the clouds. I was digging in without remorse. "Mmmnn."
Abbey was barely touching hers though. "Kyle..." She sighed. "Dad told me about what happened at the hospital."
My appetite vanished instantly as I was about to take the last bite. A cold feeling ran through my veins as I looked toward her. "Y-yeah?" I looked down at my plate. "He told you, huh? About me, and my... Mutation?"
She gave a nod to me, speaking in that soft tone of hers. "Yes. On how you're supposed to heal, the black thing with your blood, and-"
I dropped my fork, and sighed. "And how I'm going to be a girl soon."
"Yeah..." She edged in a little closer to me. "You were really upset last night." I looked away from her, sniffing. "How do you feel now, Kyle?"
"... Miserable." I muttered. "I mean, I get beat up, everyone thinks I'm a gay transvestite, a mutant, and... And..." I placed my hand over my forehead, my throat choking down the words. "Look at me now. I-I'm already looking, hic, l-like a girl. And that's all I can be now."
I felt her arm wrap around my shoulders, and pull me against her. "And you never wanted this, did you?"
"Of course not!" I sobbed. "I don't want to be a girl! I don't want to wear dresses! I don't want to date boys! I want to be able to play sports, not be the cheerleader!" I hiccuped. "But I can't stop this! I can't!"
"Sshh. Shh." She whispered. "It's okay. Everything will be okay."
"Yeah right." I muttered, sniffing. "I'm loosing my manhood. I'm losing my friends. I'm losing my future. I'm even losing my face. What do I have left?"
"You've still got us." She said, pulling me closer to her. "We'll always be here for you, Kyle."
I leaned against her, shaking a little. "Even if I'm-"
"Even if you are a mutant. Or a girl." She ran her fingers through my long hair. "You're still family. You're still Kyle inside."
I thought about that for a while. "Dad just lost his only son. And Gabby won't see her big brother again."
"Dad wasn't so worried about that. He seemed more preoccupied with the fact that he wasn't there to help. He thinks it's his fault again. You know, work and all that." I nodded softly. I knew why. "And Gabby..." She giggled. "Well, she's Gabby. She didn't quite get it when we tried to explain it to her the first time, but when she finally understood, you should have seen the smile on her face." I gave a small groan. Why was I not surprised? "So cute."
"And what about you?" I looked up to her. "How do you feel about... Me?"
She looked down at me with a warm, comforting smile. "I've told you already. You're still Kyle. My little brother. You're going to go through some big changes. Bigger than a lot of people, I know." A sliver of worry drew across her face for a moment, but it disappeared just as quickly. "But I still love you, Kyle. No matter what you may be." She gently placed a kiss on my forehead. "If you need any help during yooouuur... Transition, you can count on your big sister. Okay?"
I looked up to her for a moment. My beating heart seemed to slow down, and I finally relaxed a little. "Oh-Okay." I held on to her, and rested my head against her chest. At least I knew my family was here. At least I had someone who cared. No matter what. And right now, in this embrace, I felt safe. A small piece of comfort I could hold on to.
"Everything will be fine, dear. Everything... will be... fine..." She whispered softly to me.
We stayed like this for a while.
That is, until my stomach grumbled in protest.
Abbey gave me a soft smile, and squeezed me around the waist. "Come on, let's get you something more filling."
----------------------------------
That's when we decided to break off, and prepare a real meal together. Granted, sandwiches aren't the tastiest or fanciest of meals, but I was hungry, and these were quickly done. After a filling dinner, we began to work on cleaning up the place a bit. I didn't exactly feel in shape to work, but maybe getting myself occupied would take my mind off my condition.
At least I thought it would.
Moving around was a whole new ball game. My whole center of gravity had shifted around. Standing upright, it wasn't so noticeable, but every time I took a step, I felt something shift. I don't know if it was the new shape of my legs, or the new weight on my chest, but it definitively felt different.
I leaned down to grab one of Gabby's toys, and in a split second, I had to catch myself before my face met the floor. Okay, Kyle. Next time, a little slower. Less hips, more knees. Just to make things worse, every time I leaned down, I could feel the rim of my pants slip down around my hips. I pulled them up slightly, and hoped they settled there.
Getting back up, I felt my globes shift around in my shirt again. It was really getting annoying. Every time I moved, 'the twins' seemed to bounce and move as if they had minds of their own. And just trying to hold something up without those two getting in the way was impossible. I had that problem before, but thanks to the added cup size, it was getting unbearable.
It bore a foot-wide hole in my paper-thin male ego to actually ask this, but I didn't have much of a choice. "Abbey? Are you sure..." I gulped. "You don't have any bras my size?"
She looked back at me with an apologetic smile. "No. I don't. Sorry."
I sighed, and let my shoulders drop. It was humiliating to admit this, but I was missing the support right now. Maybe I just got used to the bra when I had smaller breasts? I froze in my steps. Did I really admit that? I shuddered internally, and tossed another toy into the box.
I moved on, and leaned to grab Miss Mittens. I looked at the big beady eyes and the feline smile, and muttered: "What are you so happy ab- Wa-wa-wa-WAH!" My legs suddenly caught into something, my whole body was flung forward, and crashed straight down to the floor. "Ngh..." I groaned, and looked back, finding my pants all the way down to my ankles, and they sent me on this quick trip.
"Are you oh... kay?" Abbey asked as she came in. "Kyle?" I could see she was struggling not to laugh. I groaned, and pulled my pants back up, when I realized then that the fall probably cost me a little more time. A little more before I'd be a full girl. How much was one bruise? A minute? An hour? A day? I whimpered inside. Even my clothes were working against me.
I tried to be careful for the rest of the afternoon. Together, we did a good job. The cleanup job was usually pushed back for Saturday, but now, at least, the place was cleaned up in advance.
I looked at our work over the living room when I heard a rush of footsteps, and a loud: "SISSY!"
"Huh? GAH!" I barely had time to turn before Gabby ran right into me, tossing both of us into the sofa. "Oof! Gabby!"
I looked down at my little sister, clutching me around the waist with a happy smile. "Sissy!" She giggled, pressing her face against my chest.
My lips twitched. "S-s-sissy?"
She smiled up to me. "Yeah! Abbey's the big sister, and I'm the litte one. So you can't be the little sister too!"
"B-but... Sissy?" I asked, hoping she'd change her mind quickly
"Yeah! It's cute!" She giggled, and held on tighter to me. I looked miserably toward Abbey, whom just gave me an amused smile, and shrugged.
With a sigh, I looked back down at my little sister. "Can't you just call me Kyle?"
"But you're a girl now! You can't have a boy's name. That's just silly." Ow. There goes my ego again.
I pulled a small wry smile though. "Y-you're not sad for your big brother?"
She looked up to me with those big childish eyes. "Why?" Wasn't it obvious?
"We-we-well, I'm not going to be a boy anymore. I-"
"You're going to be a girl too! I know! Isn't it sweet?" Okay, she was way too cheerful about this. She looked to Abbey expectantly. "Can she move in our room?"
I twitched again. "What?"
Abbey just laughed. "I don't think there's enough room there, Gabby."
"But she's a girl tooooo!" She pouted.
"I'm not a girl yet!" Well, not fully anyways.
She squeezed the twins with her little hands, sending shivers up my spine. "But you've got boobies!" She didn't hesitate to press the point, and my chest. "You're a girl now!"
Did she enjoy this? Did she enjoy seeing me being turned into a girl? I wasn't sure if I wanted to hug her, or strangle her. She gave 'them' another squeeze, and it didn't take me two seconds to make my choice. I reached inbetween us, gripped her sides, and began to tickle her like there's no tomorow. She gave a high-pitched squeal, and squirmed wildly, before she began to fight back. Before long, we were both rolling around like we used to. We even fell off the couch, and that didn't even slow us down.
By the end, we were both laying on the floor, trying to catch our breath. Okay, maybe a little too much fun. Before I knew it though, Gabby was hugging me with a smile painted on her face again. With a tired sigh, I gave up, and just placed a hand over her head, holding my little sister. At least I knew where Gabby stood.
-------------------------
A little later, I dashed into my room, and slammed the door behind me. I knew Gabby liked me, but playing 'tea time' with her and her dolls? She thought that because I was going from boy to girl, my usual excuse of 'boys don't play with dolls' was null and void. It didn't mean I wanted to play that with her any more now than I did back then.
With a groan, I flopped down on my bed, and sighed. At least I slipped out of that one easily enough.
At least, it seemed my family wouldn't hate me. Abbey was so understanding, I almost couldn't believe it. As for Gabby, she seemed happy about it. Which was a little disturbing, I'll admit, but it could have been worse. I still had to face dad though, but... He'd understand. Right?
But what about the rest of my life?
I wasn't just going to live inside the apartment for the rest of my life, was I? What was I going to do out there?
I took in a deep breath, and tried to relax. Okay. First, I gotta find out what I've got. What do I have? Or rather: what do I have left?
I looked at my left wall, where my eyes met with a poster of the Chicago Cubs. It was last year, when our school baseball team went to see them as a reward for winning the scholar championship. I was so proud when we got to meet the pro players. I still remember the knots I had in my stomach when I shook their hands. I got my baseball bat signed and everything. It was one of the proudest moments in my life.
But what about now? I don't think there ever was a woman in the major leagues. Ever. And I'd be one before I'd even finish my teenage years. Baseball- No. Professional baseball was out of reach for me. Forever. There goes one dream promptly crushed.
Did I have an alternative with sports though? Softball? Maybe. Tennis? I hadn't practiced that kind of swing in a long time. Volleyball? I had enough trouble keeping the twins in check in one class, let alone train regularly. Gymnastics? You'd have better chances of convincing me to jump in a fire than get me to wear one of those costumes.
Who am I kidding? I didn't have anything left in professional sports anymore. It wasn't because I was a girl, but because I was a mutant. I still remember the fiasco that happened a few years ago in Europe. They discovered that one of the soccer players was actually a mutant, and when they did, the whole sports world went into shock. The world thought the team had used those powers to win, and fans came up with so many excuses. It would have made your head spin. The man himself though, was hunted down like a dog, and that's the last news we'd heard of it. I was younger back then, but it still left a big enough impact on me. And since then, they made sure that no mutants were ever to be involved in sporting events.
So even if I found something else in sports, it would only end in catastrophe. There was nothing I could really do. The world wouldn't even give me a chance. I didn't think so anyways.
I decided that the poster would only bring back bad memories. Lost dreams I could never reach.
And so I began to roll it up. I would make it disappear before it brought any more tears. Just as I turned to my closet though, I found myself staring at the other poster I had set up there.
She was hot. In many more ways than one. Her body was luscious. Her curves were perfect. Her legs were long and slender. She had a full chest, one I could stare at for hours, just wishing I could get my hands on, to touch them, feel them. And her face was radiating beauty. Those vibrant red eyes, that long flowing blond hair, that beautiful confidant smile, those full red lips. All that with the silvery mask sitting on top of her cute nose. Just enough to cover up her secret identity.
She was dressed in that body-tight spandex-like material all over. The kind that gave almost nothing for the imagination. The blazing red color of the material reflected all the curves of her body as she sped off, flames bursting from her feet and fingertips as she made firery trails behind her. The silver gauntlet and greaves she had enhanced the feeling of strength that seemed to emanate from her. Just over her picture, was written her codename with a flame design: Racetrack. A superheroine that could run at extreme speeds, and create flames at will. I'd seen her a few times before. She was absolutely incredible.
I stared the poster for a few minutes. She looked so good. So strong, yet so beautiful. I'll admit I took this poster for more than just the fact that she was a hero. It brought in a lot of fantasies. Both heroic, and erotic. Who knows how many wet dreams this one poster fuelled up. Every guy had to have something, right?
But I wasn't going to be a guy soon. Was I going to look at this differently? Was this going to change too? Was I still going to fantasize about her, or look up to her for fashion advice? Was my brain going to turn into a girl's too? Was this the kind of stuff I was going to wear? That I'd want to wear?
No. Of course not. This was only the stuff superheroes had to wear. Freedom of movement, right? This wasn't everyday clothes.
A superhero. That was something I hadn't thought of. Maybe I couldn't be a sports prodigy, but maybe I could be a superhero. Save people. Stop villains. Save the day. I couldn't help but smirk a bit. That might be nice. Being looked at as an example to follow. The top of human performance. The epitome of strength.
Of female strength. I couldn't forget that, but it still made my stomach twist. I'd be the greatest female example to follow. Somehow, I doubt I'd be the best one on that field.
I shook my head quickly. Even if I wanted to be a superhero, what could I do? All I know right now is that I heal quickly. Then again, they don't know what I will do in the end either. Would I be able to lift buildings over my head? Would I be able to fly? To shoot lasers from my eyes? I looked up to Racetrack once more. Will I be able to do what you do?
I looked up at her for a moment, trying to find an answer to that, when I felt a familiar sensation down there. I looked down to make sure. Yeah. I was pitching a tent. It hurt a little too, since it was so tight around that area. But I had the answer to one of my questions. At least I know I'm still turned on by sexy women. I sighed as I reached down, trying to push my manhood down in a better position. That's when I felt something else poking out. It took me a moment to realize, but my nipples were pointing up against my shirt. They felt hard, and pressed against my shirt with a pinching sensation. I winced, and resisted the temptation to touch them. And still turned on as a woman. Great...
I groaned, and opened the stuffy closet to toss the baseball poster in. At least I knew Racetrack's poster was something I could keep. A source of so much inspiration...
That's when a certain realization slipped in my mind.
If I was going to be a superhero one day, did that mean there'd be posters of me too? Does that mean that I'd be...
Other guy's wet dreams?
My mind was invaded with pictures of guys dreaming of me like that. Of getting turned on at the sight of me. The same way I did with Racetrack here.
I felt my insides rot away and die.
No. No way. No fucking way. NO! FUCK NO!
Okay, I was definitively freaked out. I fell back on my bed, shaking my head violently, trying to shake away the pictures of guys from my mind. Distracting thoughts. That's what I need. Fast cars, ice cream, beaches, flowers, puppies. Anything I could think of to get the thought out of my head.
After a good minute of a proper panic attack, I finally cleared my mind of that nightmare.
Like it or not, though, I had to face reality. Guys would be looking at me. How could I stop that? But it didn't stop me from feeling sick every time I thought about it. Guys and me, not gona happen. Ever.
So then what does that make me? Straight guy, or lesbian? I couldn't help but give a weak laugh. Guess what, guys? You were right! I am gay! Just on the other side of the shore completely! Oh, the irony. You bastards would probably cheer me on if you knew.
My laugh faded quickly though. I could see that picture frame that stood on my small desk. Every one of them, smiling proudly for the camera. All grouped together. And I could point out every single face that was there last night.
I grabbed the picture, and stared at it. Our baseball team, all around a trophy, each one of us in uniforms, coach looking over our shoulders. I felt on top of the world. Invincible. Everyone felt the same way. We were so happy back then.
Owen and I were always close together; sticking to the outfield, training for the big game, and trading jokes all the time. Zack was always playing the clown; crazy, but harmless enough. Unless he purposively tripped over his own two feet, which was hilarious. Luke, and his weekly adventures. I swear the guy couldn't keep a girlfriend steady any longer than that. I even looked up to Josh back then. He was so strong. So fast. He was our star player. Sure, he was a jerk at times, but he had his shining moments.
I remembered the laughs. I remembered the tear and sweat we were put through. And the cheers of victory we had in the end. All together.
We were a team.
And look how quickly they turned on you. I thought to myself.
In less than a week, at least half of these bastards decided I was trash. That I should be hunted down, beaten, and left to die.
Why? Because I had to wear a bra? Because they thought I was gay? Because they believed I was a mutant? Did I really deserve this? Did all that time together mean nothing? Did I suddenly turn into a monster and try to eat them alive?
My fingers curled around the frame and tightened as I watched their grinning faces on the picture. My blood boiled in anger as I thought of what they did to me. They were probably back out there, laughing at me. Laughing at what they did. I could picture their mocking smiles just as they punched my face over and over again.
My hands were shaking as I stared at the picture. Swiftly, I lifted the frame in the air, and smashed it on the floor as hard as I could, the glass shattering in pieces. I grabbed between the shards, and pulled the picture out before tearing it in my rage. I gripped the remaining pieces in my hands as hard as I could, picturing I had one of those assholes by the neck, squeezing until his head would explode. I felt like killing every single one of them! Every. Single. One!
My anger soon faded though, my hands still shaking in frustration as I looked down at the glass shards, and the ripped pieces of a picture I used to treasure. "One more thing broken to pieces," I muttered. With a sigh, I began to gather it all up, and tossed it in the trash. It's all gone now...
I took a moment to let the words sink in. Was it really all gone?
I stared at one last picture I had. One that we'd taken at the summer fair. Owen, Lauren, and I all holding each other around the shoulders, laughing happily. Last year was so much fun. We had a blast. By the time it was all over, we were exhausted, and lost with the piles of plushies me and Owen had tried to win. We'd turned each game into a competition. Of course, all the prizes were divided between the girls, but it was all for fun anyways.
I sighed, and thought back to my two friends. What about those two? What will they think?
My eyes focused on Lauren's face, and I felt my heart squeeze again. How will I tell you?
That's when I heard a knock at my door. "Kyle?" The blood in my veins froze instantly. "It's Lauren. I brought you your homework."
She's here? Now? NO! I wasn't ready for this. Not now. I didn't want her to see me like this.
"Gabby told me you were in your room, so I thought I'd check up on you." She knocked again. "Are you okay?"
That was sweet of her. Really sweet. But now wasn't the time. I needed to disappear!
To the right. Closet? Too much stuff.
To the left? Window? I'm desperate, but not suicidal.
I heard the door knob turn slowly. Too late to lock that. "I'm coming in."
Reacting purely on instinct, I just grabbed my bed sheet, slid under my bed, and cocooned myself up just in time to hear my door open. On second thought I probably should have tried to keep the door closed to keep her out. I cursed myself silently for not thinking straight, but it was too late now.
I closed my eyes tightly as I heard her footsteps. "Kyle? Where are- Oh? You gotta be kidding me." I felt a sudden tug on the bed sheet as she began to pull me out from my hiding place. I resisted the urge to whimper, and tightened my hold on my cocoon. "What are you doing?"
Please, go away. Please go away. Not now. Not like this. That's what I wanted to say, but my throat choked up, and I turned my back to her. One last pathetic defense.
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to convince her. "You can't be that bad if you're down here. Come on." She pulled even more on the sheet, and I held on, pulling back. "Nngh! Look, I know that brute, Josh, beat you up. There's nothing to be ashamed of, Kyle. Gh! Come oooonnnnn!"
We kept on with the tug-o-war for a minute or so, but the more she pulled, the more the cloth slipped between my smaller fingers. In panic, I tried to grab even further, but all it did was pull me toward her. Why was she so adamant about this?
"Lauren? Kyle?" I heard Abbey call out from the door, when suddenly the sheet slipped from my grasp, and Lauren pulled it away from me.
She smiled in victory. "There we go! Was it... that... hah-haaard?" Her expression slowly changed as she stared at me, going from victorious to questioning. I quickly backed away from her, until my back pressed against the wall. Her eyes squinted as she came in a little closer, examining me from head to toes. "Whooooo?" Her eyes suddenly widened, filled with surprise. "Kyle?"
I whimpered inside, curled up a little more, and gave a small nod. "It-It's me." My voice came out as a nervous whisper. She had a look of shock and confusion on her face, staring as I was crazy. It made me want to sob miserably. Please. Please, don't look at me like that.
"What... Happened? I thought you'd be..." She looked back to Abbey a moment. "This is a joke, right? One bad joke?" Abbey shook her head, and that's when Lauren looked really scared.
"L-Lauren. I-I-I..." I covered my head, and pressed my face against my knees. "I-I-I'm changing into a girl."
I closed my eyes tightly as she screamed at me. "I can see that! When did you make that crazy choice? When did you think-"
"I didn't!" I screamed at her. "I didn't want this! It's... It's..." My voice decided to choke out again. I wanted to blame something or someone for all of this. "It's all their fault."
I tried hard not to cry again. I could feel tears start dripping down my cheeks already. There was an awkward silence between us for a while, until I heard Abbey's voice again.
"Look, Lauren, it's complicated. Kyle's gone through a lot of things lately." I looked up a moment, my vision blurred by the water in my eyes. "Last night, he came back home like this. His clothes were ripped, and he'd just been in a big fight." Just as Lauren was about to contradict her, Abbey pointed out to the pile of shredded clothes I had. "That's how we knew."
Lauren insisted though. "But that doesn't explain why he's a girl now. Did a surgeon make a mistake, or something?" I couldn't help but snerk at that one.
Just as Abbey was about to continue, I interrupted. "I'm a mutant." They both looked to me. "Turns out I'm a mutant. The more I get hurt, the more I turn into a girl. So when Josh and those assholes got to me, th-this is what happened."
I looked up to Lauren, and she still seemed to be in disbelief. With a sigh though, she sat back on my bed. "Look, this is obviously way more complicated than you make it sound." Her hands and voice were shaking nervously. "Ho-how about you start explaining from the beginning? This just... Doesn't make any sense right now."
Abbey sat next to her, and they both looked down at me, waiting for me to tell the tale. With a sigh, I began. "It all started last Saturday when I woke up..."
I told them what happened. Everything. I had to fight back the tears as I spoke, my own voice struggling with the words, but I told them everything I could remember. Lauren was surprised a little when I admitted wearing a bra, but what really got a reaction from her was hearing about the beatings. She seemed shocked at first; I could see her fists tighten up in anger. But I continued on with what happened at the hospital. The effect my blood had seemed to scare them both rather well. I couldn't give them all the terms the doctors gave me, but I told them the big details of what was happening to me. They listened to every word I said with silent stares.
"Then we came back here, and I-I..." I simply looked down in shame. "Th-that's all."
Lauren took a moment to take it all in. I could see the concern in her eyes. "So that's why you're turning into a girl?"
I gave a soft nod. "Yeah."
"And there's really nothing to change you back into a guy?"
I cringed, and felt my heart sink again. I shook my head. "Doesn't seem like it."
I felt her fingers touch my forehead, and brush my black hair away from my face. I could see Lauren's sad eyes look down at me. "Mmmnn. So it's true. They really did change."
"Yeah. And by the time they're completely purple, if not before then, I'll be... I'll be a girl." I felt like I'd said it so often now, yet it still felt like an open wound.
"And you didn't tell us anything?" The accusing tone in her voice opened another wound. "When were we going to hear about this? You didn't trust us?"
"No! That's not it! I-I-I-" I hiccupped. "What was I supposed to say? That they beat me up, but I'm completely okay? Or... Or... How could I explain this?"
"You should have said something!" She screamed. I quickly backed away from her, and she immediately regretted her words. "L-look. We were worried. You didn't show up at school, you were acting weird all week long, and... When Owen told me how Josh was bragging with the rest of them about how they... Got you, I... I..." She sighed. "And then, I find you like this. Not exactly what I expected. I thought you'd be broken, in a cast or something."
I sighed. "I'm already disfigured as it is."
"Kyle." She sat down next to me. "Come on. It isn't that bad." She looked up and down at me. "How does your body feel now?"
"It's a pain. I've got to think twice before I move in any ways, or I can crash to the floor at any moment. Everything shifts differently, my arms and legs are so small, and my hips and chest are so different, and-"
"But you're still okay, right?" I stopped, and blinked at her. "You're not in a hospital bed, hooked to an IV, or in a wheelchair. You're still able to walk, talk, and everything. By the way you described it, if it weren't for that... mutation, you might be handicapped for life, or worse." She wrapped one arm around me, and pulled us closer together. "You've still got two legs to walk on, don't you?"
It took me a moment to really let those words sink in. To admit that even with everything that happened to me, she was right. "Yeah."
"I'm glad you're safe, Kyle." She whispered.
I felt a sudden joy build up inside of me. She cared. My stomach squeezed though, reminding me of what I had. "Even if I'm-"
"Even if you're a mutant. Or a girl." She gave me a friendly smile that melted my doubts away.
"Lauren." I hugged her as tightly as I could. If she would still care, even if I was changing, then it would be all right. "Thank you."
We hugged for a few minutes. It felt so nice to hold her. To be held by her. To know she'd still accept me.
If only it would last just a little longer.
"Abbeeyyy!" Gabby yelled out from the door. "The clock rang!"
My older sister looked up. "Really? Lunch is just about ready then." She sighed, and got up. She looked to Lauren a moment. "Did you already eat?" She shook her head. "Would you like to eat here then? Father's going to be taking care of a few things tonight, so we're going to have some leftovers."
Lauren smirked, and gave a nod. "Sure, no problem. Just let me call home to tell my dad."
"Great. Shouldn't be long. Hope you like lasagna." She paused a moment at the door. She seemed to hesitate a moment, then looked back to us again. "Lauren, are you free tomorrow?"
Lauren and I looked at her curiously. "Yyyeeeaaaah? Why?"
She leaned against the door frame. "Would you like to come with us to the mall then? Kyle needs a new wardrobe."
I raised an eyebrow. "W-what?"
"Kyle, you've been asking all day if I had a bra that could fit you." My cheeks turned red. "And I don't think you want to repeat what happened with your pants, do you?"
"What?" Lauren asked, and amused smirk drawn on her face. "What happened with his pants?"
Abbey couldn't help giggling. "Well, you see, Kyle's pants were slipping, and-"
"Abbey!" I whined out. How much was she going to embarrass me?
"Okay, okay." She gave another giggle. "But with some clothes more fitted for you, it shouldn't happen again."
"But I-"
She raised a hand. "No dresses. No skirts. Nothing too 'girly' if you don't want to, and you've got final say on everything, alright?"
What was she, a mind reader? I looked at her for a moment, and sighed in resignation. "Okay."
She looked at Lauren a moment. "Well? What do you say? Wanna come? The more the merrier."
I looked back to Lauren, and found that she was studying me from head to toes. "I can think of a few things that should look good on you. I remember a few tops that show just enough skin right around heeere." She made a small circle around my navel. She giggled a little as I grumbled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Anyways, we'll see what we can get once we get there." She gave a nod to Abbey. "Tomorrow then? Sounds good. I could use a few things myself."
Abbey clapped her hands together. "Great!"
I gave a sigh of resignation. To say the least, I wasn't looking forward to play 'dress up' with these two, but I did need new clothes. I had the feeling it would be embarrassing like nothing else. Didn't have much of a choice. Maybe between Abbey and Lauren, we could have a good time. I hoped.
With one more hug, Lauren and I headed off to the kitchen, and began to make a few plans for tomorrow.
--------------------------------------
"What about Krystal?"
I shook my head. "Nah."
"Samantha, maybe?" Lauren tossed in the next one.
I shook my head again, mid-bite.
"Ooh! Oh!" Gabby was bouncing with excitement. "Bambi!"
I gave an annoyed groan. "No."
"Aaww." Gabby looked disappointed again. But as much as she wanted it, there was no way I was picking that one.
Back to the top, Abbey was next. "Michelle?"
"No..."
Lauren snapped her fingers. "Alex!"
I sighed. Didn't feel right either. "No, sorry."
"I know! Blossom!" I growled, and glared daggers at Gabby. She looked up innocently at me, and pointed to Miss Mittens. "She thought it was cute."
Abbey sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "Kyle. I know you don't like the idea, but you have to make up your mind sooner or later."
"I know. I know." I sighed, and looked down in defeat. This all started in the middle of lunch, when it was mentioned that it might be weird to call me Kyle out at the mall. And with that, they began to give out new names for me. But at every proposition, it reminded me that I wouldn't be Kyle anymore. Maybe it seemed childish to them, but it felt an execution for me. "Sorry, but it juuuuust doesn't feel right."
Lauren frowned at me. "Too bad, but I don't think anyone here would be comfortable calling out: Does the bra fit, Kyle?" My face turned crimson at that one. "So sooner or later, you're going to have to buck up, and take it like a man." She quickly realized that she slipped up. "... Like... A... Woman." She held back an amused snicker as I glared at her. "S-sorry. Thaaaaat didn't come out right."
"Very funny." I muttered.
Abbey giggled a little, but settled back quickly. "Seriously though, Kyle, this can't really wait. And unfortunately, I'm running low on names." She finished off the last piece of lasagna on her plate. "How about this? Since it'll be your name, we'll still let you choose it. Completely up to you. We'll set you up on dad's computer and go on a website for baby names."
I raised an eyebrow. "Baby names?"
She smiled at me, leaning toward me. "Because I doubt there's a website out there made to 'name your angsty teenagers'." I grumbled a little, but she had a point. "If nothing else, we'll just take something temporary, okay? Just for tomorrow. And you can change it later if you don't like it."
I sighed in defeat. If I changed my name once, I might as well change it for good. And I was going to lose the name Kyle anyways.
But if I was going to change my name for the rest of my life, I wanted one that felt right. That felt right to me.
I could at least get that, right?
--------------------------
And so that's why, a little later that evening, I was in front of my father's computer screen, going through lists of names after names through the internet.
It wasn't that helpful though. "No... No... Heck no!"
Abbey leaned over my shoulder. "So, how's the search going?"
I rolled my eyes up. "Not good. Have you seen some of these names? Fanny? Fabunni? Falala? This is only one page! And there's thousands just like these."
"Good thing you only need one good name?" She said with a hopeful smile.
"Doesn't help that it's so slow." Lauren added in, watching from the other side. "Dial-up's the only thing you guys have?"
Abbey sighed. "No. But it's an old computer. Dad only uses it to get his emails, and for work. We're not usually allowed on it either, unless it's important."
"And I do hope it was important." The stern voice froze us all in place. We turned in unison toward the door, where my father stood. He certainly didn't look happy.
I cringed. Busted
He sighed in disappointment, and shook his head, tossing his suitcase on the bed. "Lauren, go back home, your father's waiting for you. Abbey, put Gabby to bed, will you?" The three of us got up, and were about to bolt out, when dad held an arm up in front of me. "Kyle, stay here. We have to talk."
I froze in place, looking at Lauren as she waved to me. "See you tomorrow!"
I waved back to her for a moment, before looking back to dad, who was leaning in front of his computer screen. "Nothing here... Good... Good..." He popped up a few screens while I sat on the bed, waiting for him to open up. Finally, with a sigh, and a nod, he sat down by my side. He looked down to me, that stern look on his face softening considerably. "Glad to see you're doing better, son."
I gave him a faint smile. "Yeah. Although..." I sighed. "I suppose you won't be calling me 'son' for very long, will you? You gotta be disappointed."
I felt his hand on my head, and quickly ruffled my hair like he used to. "It's not your fault, sport. Your DNA just decided to take a left turn at Albuquerque." I had to hold back a chuckle. "And as long as you're willing to sit down with me to watch the baseball season, I can still call you my son." I know he was trying hard to cheer me up with a little humor. I had to resist laughing. Maybe I should have told him how I felt about baseball right now, but I didn't dare interrupt him.
His smile changed though as he straightened himself out. He was about to discuss about more serious matters. "I've been looking after work about help for your changes. Julian's been helping me find the proper papers and contacts for your new identity."
I blinked. "New identity?"
"Yes. Everything, from your school records to your birth certificate, will need to be changed now, or transferred. Of course, some things will have to wait after all the changes are finished-" I shivered at the mention. "But we might as well begin now."
I sighed, and gave a slow nod, then realized something. "Wait. School records?" I looked up to him with a bit of shock. "I-I-I'm not going back there, you know that, right?" With Josh just waiting for me out there, there was no way I'd place a foot in there.
Dad just sighed. "Look, Kyle. There's only a month and half left before your exams. And there's no way you're not getting an education, son."
I felt choked inside. He wasn't really going to force me, was he? "B-but dad! They're going to ki-"
He held out one hand to calm me down. "I know. I know. Your classmates. I know. That's why tomorrow; I'll look up for a deal. Maybe find some courses on the internet for you. Also, since it's so close to the end of the year, I can try to get you passing grades somehow, or even end with a modified exam. If nothing else will work, we'll get you to another school. Somehow." He sighed. "Special conditions and all. I'm sure they'll understand."
I gave a sigh of relief. Saved. But then one little detail followed up in my mind. "But what about next year?"
He held out one finger, and opened his suitcase. "Doctor Emilly gave me this." He reached for a pamphlet inside, and handed it over to me. "She couldn't praise it enough, and after looking over it myself, I'll have to agree."
I eyed the pamphlet curiously. "Whateley? What's that?" I opened it, and the sight of super heroes and magicians greeted my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing for a moment. I looked back at the cover, showing a normal boarding school, then back at the content inside. "What the heck?"
"It's a boarding school for mutants." Dad said, looking over my shoulder. "Specifically for mutant kids to take control of their powers, and have normal lives."
My eyes went wide as I read through the starting content. True enough, it looked like exactly that. The pictures clearly showed the message too. Supermen lifting houses, mad scientists and their experiments, and girls running at the speed of sound. What really caught my eye though, was the red-head elf, who seemed not only incredibly beautiful and hot, but she was controlling the wind and lightning with a wave of her hand. It took my breath away.
But even with the great pictures, the details of the place worried me a little. "Four years?" I looked up to dad. "You're sending me away for four years? All the way to Boston?" Was he trying to get rid of me? The freak of the family?
"It's for the best, Kyle." He said to me. "This way, you'll be fully graduated by the end, and hey they have first-class teachers there. This isn't only about you getting your schooling either." He pointed to one of the further sections. "The Whateley faculties will be able to help you with your mutation, and keep things under control. They have researchers specialized on these matters. At the same time, you won't have to worry about those bullies anymore. They'll be far away."
Those all sounded like good reasons. If it was all true, at least.
I kept on looking through the pamphlet, lost in thoughts. Was it really worth it? Was it worth leaving home? Leaving the family? What about Lauren? After this disaster, I finally find something to cling to, and it's going to be snatched away? And what about Owen? I hadn't told him anything. Things keep going downhill lately.
My eyes almost popped out of my eyes when I saw a further section. "Dad? Did you see this?" I pointed to the entry fees. "This is way too much. How are we going to afford this?" I read a little further. "And that's without adding in the costs of books, materials, and logging."
He gave a sigh. "I know. But there's a lot of financial aid offered by this school." Dad pointed out. "We'll grab a scholarship, and if that's not enough, we'll take a loan. We'll manage."
Did he really want to do this? Did he really want to throw the family into debt because of me? Now I was a ball and chain to everyone. "What about Abbey? An-and Gabby?"
"I'll talk to Abbey about this, and Gabby still has a lot of time before we have to worry about colege." He squeezed my shoulder. "I'm willing to take these expenses right now, because these changes you're going through are going to make life difficult, unless you're trained properly. This place will help you more than anyone else."
I looked up to him with a heavy weight inside my chest. He really was willing to go this far. For me. Was he trying to make up for something? Should I be happy, or worried?
"In any case, I've already asked for the applications forms, but it's up to you if you want to fill them out or not. The decision's up to you." He sighed. "If you don't want it, we'll find something else. We'll manage. That's all."
I looked up to that solid, assured expression on his face. "Really?"
He slowly gave a nod. "Of course. No matter what, everything will be okay, sport." He said with confidence, ruffling my hair again. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
I gave a long sigh of relief. Those words coming from him meant something. "Thanks, dad."
"No problem, son." He said with a huge smile. "So." He pointed to the computer screen that still showed the bright colors of the website. "What were you looking for?"
"Huh? Oh." I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. "We were looking for a new name for me. I can't exactly go as 'Kyle' anymore, now can I? At least, not in public."
"Hrm. True. And if you're getting a new ID, you'll need something new." He patted my shoulder. "Good thinking. So what did you come up with?"
I shrugged. "Nothing really solid. You haven't seen the names they'll give people these days. Let alone find one that feels right."
He stared at the screen a moment, rubbing his chin a moment. "I don't know if you'll like this one." He looked down at me a moment. "But I still remember how your mother wanted to name you. If we had a girl, of course."
"Huh?" Okay, this should be interesting. Or a disaster. "What was it?"
"Karen." He took in a deep breath. "Your mother wanted to name you Karen."
I took a moment to take the name in. It wasn't too girly, or too obvious. It wasn't funny, or anything. It just felt right.
"Karen." I whispered the name slowly, drawing a small smile.
Thank you, mom...
((Disclaimer: Racetrack is property of Talhe. I only used her with his permision.))
[Updated on: Wed, 18 May 2011 18:53]
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| Re: Shade: Reforming [message #39215 is a reply to message #27811 ] |
Wed, 18 May 2011 19:59 |
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Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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I couldn't stop trembling as I let the warm water run down my body. At first, I thought the shower would help me. I'd be alone with my thoughts for a while, and the hot water should wake me up. It usually did the trick. Tough luck.
I did need something to wake me up though. No matter how many times I tossed and turned in my sheets, I couldn't seem to find any real sleep last night. I had so many things going on in my head. Now that I'm a girl, now that I'm a mutant, what am I going to do with my life? What am I going to become? What kind of mutant am I going to be?
For now though, those big questions could wait. I had something that came much sooner to worry about.
We were going to the mall today. Right into a crowd of people. They were going to see me as I was right then. Were they going to stare? Was I going to act right? Did I really have to do this now? What if I messed up? What if people found out? What if those guys found me? What if any guys looked at me? I mean, really looked at me! What was I going to do?
The more time passed, the sooner we were heading out, and the more nervous I became.
Why did I agree to do this again? I kept asking myself. I let a spray of water cover my face, trying to clear my mind. I knew why. I needed new clothes. And I couldn't get them unless we got out there. Maybe we would be in and out of there quickly. I hoped. Am I really up to this?
I just closed my eyes, emptied my mind, and tried to focus. Karen. My name is Karen now. I had to keep repeating that mantra over and over again as I washed myself. I was Karen now. I wasn't Kyle anymore. Just Karen. I needed to forget my old name. Forget my old life. No matter how much I wanted it back. Kyle was gone. It twisted my stomach every time I thought about it, but I had to make this work.
At least for today. If I can at least to make this trip work, I should be okay. I can work it out afterwards. Take it a little slower, or something.
I looked down at my small hands. Those small, delicate, feminine hands. "I'm Karen now," I whispered quietly. "Karen..."
I grabbed the soap again, and looked at those two globes of mine. Again, I tried to avoid them for as long as I could, but rubbing every other part of myself was just as bad. Every curve of my soft skin reminded me of what I was becoming and the fact that it wasn't even over yet. I thought taking a shower would let me forget my problems, but that plan backfired pretty badly. Not a second passed without being fully conscious about my figure.
And now, here I was, looking at the pair that started it all. "I hope you two are happy now," I muttered. "It seems you're going to stay for good after all." I couldn't stop a whimper as the tips reddened, and poked out. "What? You're going to taunt me about it too?"
I shivered as I began to soap them up. Maybe if it didn't feel so nice, it'd be easier to say it felt wrong. It was supposed to be wrong, right? But every time my hands pressed into them, caressing the tips, the sensations running through my body simply felt so good. It was odd, but for a moment, I felt like I wanted to... Wanted to...
Ack! Okay, I had to stay away from that line of thoughts.
Just as I pulled myself away from my imagination, I felt something else grab my attention. I looked down a little lower, and saw my soldier standing up high for attention. "What are you so happy about, dead man?" I knew it was only a matter of time before it would be gone, shrinking down to nothingness, yet it was still poking up when it felt like it. As if I needed another reminder of what was going on.
I was about to reach for the cold water, when I thought: If I'm going to lose it... I might as well enjoy it? Right? While it's still there...
Hesitating for a moment, I closed my eyes, grabbed my soldier, and lost myself to thoughts of Lauren and Racetrack...
And the rest, is better left to your imagination.
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"Good morning," I said to dad as I let him have the bathroom. He gave me a tired mumble as he made his way past me, ruffling my wet hair a bit. He paused, and took a second look at me. We looked at each other for a moment, before he gave a tired sigh, and continued on his way. He must've been tired as hell. I had to sigh too. It was going to take some time to get used to this. For all of us.
"Good morning, Sissy!" Of course, some of us were was having a much easier time adjusting. Gabby was looking at me with her brightest smile from the other end of the table.
"Good morning, Karen!" Abbey's cheerful voice didn't really improve my mood either. Why did she have to pick today to be a morning person? "Took you a while in there." She said with a bit of a sly smirk.
I gave a tired groan. She really didn't need to know why. As I sat down, I felt a few strands of wet black hair slide down my brow, and right over my eyes. "It's this hair." Hopefully, she'd buy that excuse. I pulled the strands back up where they belonged, feeling more water drip down from it. "It's so hard to work with. It's too long. How do you do it?"
She stopped in her tracks, and examined me for a moment. "Your hair is a mess..."
Just as I was about to reach for the cereals, I felt her fingers comb through my hair, and before I knew it, her fingers caught in a knot, pulling my head back by the roots. "Ow-ow-ow-ow-OW!"
"Karen, how did you dry your hair?"
"I just dried it with a towel. You know, rubbing and-OW!" I grabbed her hand before she'd pull my scalp off. "Stop that!"
"Karen." She sighed. "You're gonna need to take care of your hair better than that. It's not as short as it used to be." Before I could even begin breakfast, she pulled me out of my chair and dragged me to her room for my first lesson in hair care.
This wasn't a good way to begin the day.
For a guy, hair is easy. Wet, soap, wash off, and dry. Cut when it gets a bit long. Combs and/or gel if you want to get fancy.
For a girl, things were far more complicated. Or at least they felt much more complicated as I listened to Abbey, comb in one hand, blowdrier in the other. She told me how I needed to wash it gently, comb it out, wrap it around in the towel, squeeze it out, and everything. And when she thought I wasn't paying attention, the comb caught on a knot or two as a painful reminder. Okay, maybe I was getting a bit bored by it, but I knew it might come back and bite me if I didn't listen.
Not that I wanted this hair. Nor did I want it to shine, or look healthy or anything. I didn't even want it this long in the first place.
"You know, while we're at the mall, we might as well get you a good haircut at the salon."
I felt a shiver run up my spine. I looked up nervously at her. "W-why?"
She held out a few strands of hair to me, showing the short brown tips that suddenly switched to black after an inch or two. "We gota take care of this. Even if you claim it's a dye job, and you just didn't like it, this won't hold up."
I looked at my original hair color for a while. Would someone really recognize me with just that? I didn't really want to take that chance. "Yeah. Yeah." She was right though, I had to admit it. But I still didn't like the idea of a salon. Every time I passed the place, I could see women with their hair in rolls, pulled upwards, and their heads stuck in machines for hours! I didn't want to go through that! "Can't you just give me a cut here? Just for today?"
I could tell she was about to tell me exactly why we needed to go, but just as she looked at me, she hesitated. She bit her lower lip, considered for a moment, and then reached for the highest drawer of her dresser. "Okay, I'll do it." She pointed to me. "Just for today. And don't expect any spectacular results."
"Thanks. But I don't need spectacular results," I muttered quietly. "In fact, I wouldn't mind if you could just cut it all off!" I said as she began to snip away the longer hair.
"Don't say that. You've got great hair," she said as she combed it down, before cutting another inch off. "You just need to take care of it better." I whined loudly, which earned me a tap on the back of the head. "You'll get used to it, Kyl-Kh-Karen."
I let my shoulders fall in defeat, and sighed. One more thing to get used to. I just let her work in silence, looking down at the floor, when...
"Whuh? Wha-WHA-WAAAAAH!" Abbey shrieked out hard enough that we both shot off the bed, and pressed against the opposing ends of the room in panic.
I stared at her, waiting for my heart to slow down before I asked: "What happened?"
She looked up to me with widened eyes. "You don't see it?"
"See what?"
She pointed down to my leg, and that's when I saw them.
They were small, black lines, like strings, and they were crawling up my legs like snakes. There was about a dozen of them, and I could feel them slithering up my skin, up my thighs, and...
"Ah! AH! AAAAAAAH!" I screamed as I tried to slap the little buggers down like bugs, but that didn't even slow them down. In fact, two of them were hanging off my fingers, and trying to pull themselves higher. "Get off, get off, get OFF!" I tried to shake them off my hand as hard as I could, while the rest just kept going higher and higher. "Dammit! It's just like what happened at..."
I slapped my free hand over my mouth and pinched my nose. This was the hospital all over again!
I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for them to get back into me as I felt them crawl up over my face, over my hand, over my forehead, entangled around my scalp, and...
I waited...
And waited...
Finally, I felt a hand run through my hair, and I opened one eye slowly. "Is it over yet?"
Abbey looked at me curiously, and nodded. "Yeah." She lifted my hair a bit. "Yeah. Yeah. It's over."
"Where did they go?"
"Back to your..." She paused a moment, and pulled a few strands of black hair up. "Hair."
"What?" I said in confusion, before she turned my head toward the mirror. It took me a moment to realize what she was pointing at. The left side of my head hadn't changed, but the right side, where Abbey had cut was not only completely black, but now had gained an inch of length.
Abbey placed a finger on my head, about an inch over where the brown ends were. "I cut around here. I wanted to make it shorter for you, and that's when that happened."
"It's... It's just like my blood." I grabbed her scissors, and cut the other side of my hair. Just as the strands touched the floor, the black ends of my hair began to squirm, separate from the brown leftovers, and began to climb right back up. "Just like at the hospital." I watched in the mirror as the thin lines came back up, re-attached, and once more, gained in length. "Even my hair comes back to me." I just let my head drop. "I can't even cut it."
I felt Abbey's arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. "Karen..."
I weakly held up the scissors to her. "Go ahead. Keep going. Just... Try to make it even? At least?"
She leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I will. Promise." She smiled to me. "And look on the bright side. you won't have to go get a haircut now. It'd be pretty pointless, wouldn't it?"
I snerked. "Yeah." It was a rather small consolation.
She began to work on the rest of it. It felt like it took forever since she had to wait for everything she cut off to come back before she could continue. It slowed down the process to a crawl. By the time she was done though, there wasn't a brown spot of hair left on my head. I had to pull the hair out of my face like a set of curtains to look in the mirror. I could see my hair had reached down past my shoulders now.
"Great. Just great," I muttered. That's when I felt her hands pull my hair back and together. "What are you doing?"
"Stay still. Maybe we can't cut it, but I can still style it. Just give me a moment," she said as she searched into her drawer.
Before long, she'd put my new look through half a dozen styles. Ponytail, braids, pigtails, and a few others I didn't even know. I just sat there, letting her style to her liking for a while. Each one was becoming more awkward than the last. We hadn't even stepped out, and I already felt like a doll. I let her play with it, until...
"What's that for?" I asked, a little worried.
"This?" She held up the 'wand'. "It's a curling iron. You just take your hair, and-"
I backed away quickly out of reach, and shook my head. "Nuh-huh. I'm not going into that kind of fancy stuff."
"But This just goes-"
"NO!" I screamed out. "I'll just take it like this. That's it!"
This is usually the point where she'd tell me to stop being a baby, and take it. She was about to, I could feel it. Instead though, she just let it drop back in her drawer, and reached for something else. "Okay then, at least let me do this."
I didn't have time to complain before she started on me again. "Come on, sis! Stop! Hey!"
"Stop squirming. This'll help. You'll see." She finally let go, and looked back to me. "There we go. Now take a look."
I gave a sigh, and looked to the mirror again. It took me a moment to see what she'd done, but I could see the couple of barrettes she'd set up on each side of my head. Abbey sat down beside be, and smiled at the results. "See? They frame your face, and this way, you won't have your hair in your face anymore."
Okay. I didn't have anything to complain, this time. They were small, the hair was getting in the way, and besides...
"I think they look good on you." I turned to the new voice, and saw that Lauren was spying on us from the door with a happy smile. She waved her fingers at us. "Hi!"
"Hi-hi." I felt like shrinking down into my bathrobe just from the embarrassment.
"Hi Lauren." Of course, Abbey didn't seem affected. "You were watching, mn?"
"Just for the last part. Hope you didn't mind, Gabrielle let me in." She smiled as she dropped her purse on the bed, and sat next to me. "Did you do something to your hair though? It wasn't this long."
"It's my mutation," I said lowly, twirling my fingers. "More changes on the way."
"Hey, it's not so bad." She looked me over, studying my face. "A ponytail would look good on you though."
I groaned. "Aw, come on, not you too."
Lauren and Abbey looked at each other, and giggled playfully. "So, ready for today?"
"No." I let out a sigh. "But I'll go anyways."
"Good girl." She pulled me into a one-armed hug. "We'll have fun, you'll see."
"I-I-hum... Maybe?" I knew it wasn't going to be, but it was hard to stay grumpy around her.
She paused a moment, and her eyes lit up. "Oh yeah!" She looked inside her purse a moment. She looked at me hesitantly. "I-hum..."
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"I brought you a little something. I..." She hesitated again, trying to work out the words. "Yesterday, you were complaining a lot about how your clothes didn't fit right anymore. Remember?"
I could feel my cheeks becoming red. "Y-yeah. I do." I was so glad she wasn't there when my pants dropped. "That's why we're getting new stuff today."
"Yeah! Yeah. And I thought..." Her fingers drummed on her purse, before she pulled out a small bag. "I thought you might have the same problem with your... Underwear."
The blush on my cheeks was spreading now. I pulled my arms around my chest, and squeezed 'them' again. "Y-yeah. Sis' bra doesn't fit anymore, and-and-and-"
"It's okay, it's okay." She tried to reassure me. "I thought so." She gulped a bit. "It's why I brought you these." And she thrusted the bag toward me.
I looked at her, a little confused as I took the bag. "What is this?"
"They're... Mine."
My cheeks felt hotter and hotter as I placed two and two together. "They're... yours?" I took a peek inside to confirm it, and I was greeted to white cotton. "I... I-I-I-"
"I think our sizes are pretty close, so they should fit." She held up two fingers. "One bra, and one set of panties. At least for today."
I didn't know what to say. This wasn't the way I ever pictured to get my hands on her undies. And I was going to...
My imagination cut off as Abbey patted me on the back. "Go ahead." She smiled at me. "Go try them in your room, we'll wait for you."
"Right. Right." I nodded to her, then looked back to Lauren. "Th-thank you," I whispered shyly.
She returned a smile, and gave me a friendly hug. "You're welcome, Kyle."
"I... Hum... Actually. " I hesitated a moment. "It's Karen now."
"Karen?" I nodded, which made her smirk. "So you finally made up your mind, mn?" She seemed to consider it for a few seconds. "It's cute."
I felt warm all over, until I felt Abbey's hand squeeze my shoudler. "Go, girl, go. Unless you want to go to the mall in your bathrobe."
She didn't have to tell me twice! I almost leapt off the bed, and ran to my room.
A few minutes later, and I was wondering: What I am getting myself into again?
The panties felt nice. Very nice, in fact. Better than my boxers did now anyways. They were thin, soft, and hugged perfectly in place. They really felt nice.
Yet I couldn't stop myself from thinking: these are Lauren's panties. I felt like such a pervert. I couldn't help it! The more I thought about it, the more I pictured her in them, the fact that I had them on, and the more that lump down there grew.
I frowned as I looked at my little soldier down there. "You haven't had enough already?" If there was one thing that looked wrong here, it was seeing Lauren's panties with 'him' stretching them. And even though it felt nice, I was going to have to wash these well before I had any chances to hand them over.
I just gave a sigh. Well, it's only a matter of time before that'll become flat. I cringed a little. Yeah, that definitively killed 'his' mood.
I heard a knock on the door. "Are you okay in there?" Lauren called out.
"Yeah." I looked to the top half of the set. As if Lauren's panties weren't enough. "The bra feels a little loose though." I said, pulling one of the elastics.
"Really? Did you put it on right?" This time, it was Abbey calling.
"I-I think so." I doublechecked. Did I do something wrong?
"We're coming in!" Abbey called out.
I heard the door knob turn just in time for me to slam my back against the door, and I began to slip my pants on. "Give me a minute here!" I struggled for a good minute with those pants, before I finally let them in.
Abbey didn't waste a second to slip in her motherly role, and check up on my bra, leaving me completely embarrassed in front of Lauren, whom seemed as embarrassed as I was. Abbey pulled a few times on the elastics. "No. Seems like everything's right. It is a little big for your size."
Lauren seemed to smile a bit proudly for a second or two. "It should still do for today at least."
"Yeah." Abbey considered for a moment. "Maybe a little later too. Lauren, do you mind if we keep this one?"
"Why?" Lauren and I asked in tandem.
"The doctors did say you didn't finish transforming, didn't they?" She pulled on the bra a bit. "Soon, you might be able to fill this one more properly." I groaned. Great.
Lauren looked at me, a little surprised. "Really now?" I bit my lower lip, and nodded. "Well... I guess you can keep it. For now."
"You don't mind?"
She shook her head. "If it'll help you Kyl... Karen?" She seemed a bit hesitant, but switched to a more caring smile as she saw me. "Right. If it'll help you, Karen, it's okay." I couldn't quite believe it, but I really couldn't complain.
Abbey seemed rather pleased. "Good. One less piece to buy at the mall." She got a confused look from Lauren and me, and she quickly explained: "Since you're still changing, Karen, and we don't know how fast, we're going to take two sets of clothes your size, and one set one size larger. Just in case things change again."
Lauren pondered for a moment. "I guess that does makes sense."
"Doesn't make it any less of a pain." I muttered as I slipped my sweatshirt back on. "And it's going to be expensive in the long run."
Abbey nodded. "Yeah, but we don't know how long, and how drastic those changes will be. And you can't exactly wear the same thing every day now, can you?"
"She's right." Lauren looked at me apologetically. I still felt down though.
"Besides, if they don't fit anymore, we could pick up a sewing machine one day so we can work out the difference." Abbey noted. She gently patted me on the head. "It'll work out. It might sound like a pain right now, but it'll be worth it, you'll see."
I let out a whine, but before I could say anything more, we heard dad call out to us: "Are you girls ready to go?"
I bit my lip. Time's up, time to go. "Coming!"
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"But daddyyyyyyyyyyy! It's not fair!" Gabby was whining out ever since we'd gotten into the car, and even more since we pulled into the mall's parking lot. "I wana go tooooo!"
The rest of us sighed in exasperation together. Dad explained to her. Again. "Gabrielle, your sisters have important things to do. They can't take you with them."
"But I wana goooo!" She climbed on the back of the front seat. "I wana go shopping big sister and sissy and Lauren! I wana see sissy in her pretty new clothes!"
I gave a tortured groan. I just had to picture the pink dresses and big bows. There was no way I'd survive the trip if Gabby was coming with us. I looked to Lauren, who sat by my side, and we shared sympathetic looks at each other.
"Look, Gabby..." Abbey turned back to her. "This is important, big-girl things-"
"But I'm a big girl too!" She whined.
"I know, I know." Abbey rubbed her head. "You're a big girl too, but we don't have time for toys today. You wouldn't have any fun. Besides, you're going to have the whole day with Melissa." She leaned in a bit closer to Gabby's ear, and whispered: "I heard that she just got the Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses on DVD."
I could almost see the sparkles in Gabby's wide open eyes for a moment there. She began to look between me and Abbey, seriously having second thoughts. "Bu-bu-but Sissy-"
"Will only wear the prettiest clothes. I'll make sure of that." She winked to her mischievously. "Don't worry, big sis' on the job."
It took a moment for Gabby to figure it out, and finally, she smiled. "Okay!" She sat back, and looked at me with a smile that made me groan painfully. Abbey wasn't serious, was she?
Finally, dad parked the car. "Here we are." He struggled to reach his wallet in his back pocket a moment. "Now, I'll meet you all back here at four. Abbey-"
"Meet us back at four?" I asked curiously, leaning forward. "You mean, you're not coming with us?"
"I've got things to take care of." He leafed through a few bill. "I'm meeting a friend who'll be able to give us a hand with the papers about your new identity. After that, there's the matter of your school and your records. It could take some time." He looked back to me for a moment. "Besides, Abbey and Lauren will be much better suited to help you with clothes than I ever will."
"... Yeah. Good point." I said bitterly. "I guess." I felt disappointed as I fell back in my seat though. So much for leaving early.
He handed a small wad of bills to Abbey. "Here's money for clothes, lunch, and a little extra spending money for you girls." He gave a knowing stare at Abbey. "Do try not to spend it all." He looked back to Lauren as she was about to step out. "Abbey will pay for your lunch too."
Lauren nodded. "Okay." She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, sir?"
"One meal won't be too bad, I'm sure." Dad then turned to me. He reached, and placed his hand on my head. I expected him to ruffle my hair as he usually did, but instead he just looked at me with a concerned stare. It was making me a bit nervous. After a minute or so, he finally cracked a small smile. "Take care, dear. Okay?"
I just nodded to him. "Yeah. You too, dad." I finally got my chance to step out of the car. "Don't let the bad traffic get to you."
He gave an amused snerk. "Yeah, right. I'd be more worried about the paperwork I'm going to face." He looked to us, and sighed. "Now, remember girls. Back here, at four. I don't want to have to go in there looking for you." After he got our nods of agreement, he finally waved to us. "Now, be good! Bye."
Gabby followed up, pressed against the window. "Bye bye, Sissy!"
I waved back to her, my stomach twisting lightly as I muttered. "I wish she'd stop calling me 'Sissy' already."
"She will, one day." Abbey said with a smirk. "The day she stops calling me 'big sister', or dad into 'daddy'. She'll grow up. Eventually."
"Eventually." I groaned out. "It'll never come soon enough."
Lauren took my hand, and squeezed it a little. "Come on, Karen. Let's go." I stumbled a little as she pulled me toward the mall. "Better get there while it's still early."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
She gave me a concerned look. "I think you're going to want to avoid the lunch crowd. Wouldn't you? The less people around, the better?"
Abbey gave a nod, following behind us. "Especially if our first stop will be for your..." She searched for the right word for me. "Intimates."
In an instant, I knew what she meant, and a second later, I was the one dragging Lauren through the front doors.
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Why was I in a hurry again? I kept on asking myself that question as I walked into the store. I must have looked like a five year old on his first trip to the toy store.
Everywhere I looked: panties, bra, or the combination of both; either in the racks, hanging up, or in packs; on displays, on posters, or on manekins; silk, cotton, or frilly. They were everywhere! This was the kind of store I usually eyed from a distance, nervous that I might get caught peeking, and... Well, I'm sure you can figure out what I was thinking.
But then, there I was.
Right in the middle of it.
My face must've been a bright red, I was sure of it. My head was lost to fantasies, and my soldier down there was making himself painfully obvious to me. It was getting more and more awkward by the second, and I had to resist the urge to turn around and run. I'm here to get some of my own! I have to be here! I kept telling myself that, but it really wasn't helping my nervousness.
"Can I help you?"
I almost jumped out of my skin when the clerk came to me. "I-I-I'm he-here f-f-for..." My mouth might have gotten better use as a jackhammer the way I was shaking.
Abbey came to my side, rescuing me from total embarrassment. "We're just looking for a few cheap sets of bras and panties right now." She rolled her eyes a bit. "The airport seem to have 'misplaced' her baggage. You know how that can go."
"Aaaahh." She gave an understanding nod. "Hate it when that happens. They always say they're sorry, that they'll get everything sorted out, and... Ugh." She shook her head as she guided me to the changing room. "Unbelievable." I just smiled, and nodded with her along the way, until she asked me: "So do you know your current size, dear?"
"Ah!" I gulped a bit. "I don't know. I-I never-"
"Not a problem." She smiled cheerfully at me as she turned the key. "We'll just have to make some fresh measurements. Just take off your top, and we'll get started."
I looked back at Abbey and Lauren nervously, and they both gave me sympathetic smiles, and a nod. It seemed I didn't have a choice in the matter.
The process felt completely embarrassing. Maybe most girls went through this many times, but for me, being half naked with this woman, someone I barely knew, wasn't sitting well with me. Even less when she wrapped her measuring tape around my chest, and claimed out: "Looks like a blossoming B cup, sweetie." I resisted a groan as she adjusted the tape a bit. "Don't worry, dear," she said in a reassuring tone. "You're still growing, so they'll get bigger. Promise."
I held back a whimper. That's not what I wanted to hear.
She then added: "Then you'll get all the cute boys drooling over you."
I shivered at the thought. Okay. That's definitely not what I wanted to hear.
She left me with that thought for a moment, and came back with an armful of bras of different colors and brands. I tried to slip on the first one on. After a minute of struggling, I finally attached it, and settled into the cups. It was relieving to finally have a bit of proper support up there. It felt like silk all over, and I had to admit, it felt really nice.
"How does it feel?" She asked as she observed around me.
"It feels fine. I mean it- Hey!" She poked with her nail at my breast. "Ow!"
She looked to me like she was expecting this. "Hurts here, doesn't it?"
It took me a moment, but I could feel the wire under the cup dig into my skin. "It's just a pinch. it's not much."
"It may feel like only a pinch now, dear, but this is only the beginning. You're going to be using this for a while. That's when the pain is really going to be a bother." She shook her head as she began to unhook it. "It's too small. Definitely. It might seem fine, but we can find something you're going to be comfortable in for the long run." She looked through the selection she'd pulled out. "You don't know how many women walk away with bras the wrong size, thinking the pain's supposed to be a part of it. Let's see... How about this brand?"
Before I could have my say, she had pulled a lacy black bra over my chest, and had begun to set it in place.
I had a bad feeling this day was never going to end.
Bra after bra, she made me try all sorts of them: from blue to red, cotton to silk, and even strapless to push-up. I couldn't tell if she was just bad at fitting, or if she was trying to get me to wear her whole store's inventory. Every time, there was either something wrong, or she had a better idea in mind.
There was one, I had to admit, did look great. It was a cherry red silky bra that seemed to cup my set so well. I felt like the material was caressing my skin as I slid it into place. I knew the clerk wouldn't find any flaw if it fitted or not. I looked at my reflection, and found myself taking a moment to examine how it looked. The color was perfect, the way it molded the curves of my breasts was wonderful, and the laced design of roses was fitting so well.
I was a little nervous to admit it. I look... Pretty. Yeah. I look... Pretty. That was the word I was looking for.
"Hum. D-dear? Sorry, but..." She said a bit nervously.
"What is it?" Oh. Don't tell me there's something wrong with this one too.
No. Wait. She was looking to low to be looking at the bra.
Lower.
Lower...
I followed her line of sight until I saw it. "ACK!"
I backed away, and covered the tent that was growing in my pants. I was so busy looking at myself to notice the huge hard-on I was getting.
It was too late though. She'd seen it. There was no way she'd just forget it.
She was just looking at me with a look of shock on her face.
"This-this isn't what you're thinking." I pleaded miserably.
Her lips turned upward, and then she began to snicker. "Oh, I get it." She waved her hand, giving me a sly look. "I get it, dear." She was turning a bright red herself, before she started to giggle too. "You almost got me too." She said, waving a finger. "You're good. Really good."
"Ah... Ah..." I didn't know what to say.
"Don't worry." She smiled to me brightly. "I won't tell anyone. Your little secret is safe with me."
Okay.
I was going to die there.
No matter how well my body repaired itself.
I was going to die of embarrassment right there and then.
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The whole affair took an hour and a half before we could finally get away from that place. I couldn't tell if the woman was angry, or just disappointed when we walked out with only one bra in hand. Then again, just that one bra was already expensive enough. Part of me wanted to buy the red one too, but Abbey was strictly against it. The budget didn't allow it, she said.
At least the one I got gave me the support Lauren's bra couldn't give, without the extra pressure Abbey's gave. I could actually breathe easier. Not to forget that silky feel it gave. I had to admit it though: it did feel comfortable.
As we walked away though, I could see the clerk wink at me mischievously. That wink sent a shiver up my spine I thought would never stop.
Now that we knew the brand and measurements that were the best for me, Abbey assured me we'd be able to get one cheaper with the same fit at our next destination. Getting my clothes to Wal-Mart was probably for the best anyhow.
As we made our way through the mall though, I could see there were more people walking through the halls. There was still plenty of room to walk in, but every glances in my direction made me want to sink down in my sweater and hide.
Before we were halfway to the store though, Abbey stopped in her tracks. My heart skipped a beat as I saw her lips turn into a predatory grin. I followed her line of sight until I saw a bright, colorful sign that showed: "BIG SALE! Everything 50 -70% off!"
Before I knew it, I felt a grip tighten on my wrist, and Abbey was pulling me toward the store. "I got a better idea." Maybe she didn't realize that her grin was making me nervous, but there was no chance I was getting away from her. "You'll thank me for this, you'll see."
With a sigh of resignation, I let her lead the way, followed by Lauren, whom seemed to have a twinkle in her eyes that matched Abbey's.
Great. Must be a girl thing, and I'm getting swept up in it.
Abbey and Lauren didn't waste a second before they started browsing through the clothes. It was like it was second nature to them.
For me, just being in the women's section of a store was like being in a foreign country. I didn't know where to start or where to go.
This might sound strange, but before this, all I'd see for tops would be a huge selection of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and such. All I'd have to pick was the picture in front of it. Comic characters, funnies, skulls, skaters and so on. I'd usually pick up a baseball T-shirt if I could. There were more formal and complicated sets, but for me, it seemed straightforward.
But as I looked around this section, everything was different. Any logos I used to see were either replaced by flowery designs or rainbows, if not totally gone. One of them had "Your Girlfriend's Worst Nightmare" printed on it. Whoever wrote that probably thought he was being real funny. There were a few with skulls, but most of that section looked like it belonged to a goth. Everything else seemed to be a bright shade of bubblegum pink.
On second thought, the logos should have been the least of my worries.
As a guy, it didn't matter how much skin you showed. It was pretty straightforward. In here though, every displays seemed to show off how tight the clothes were supposed to be. Every manikins, and every poster I could see made sure to show every curve the models had. Even the tops with turtle necks and long sleeves made sure that the material was as thin and as tight as could be. Was that what I was gonna have to wear?
I looked in one corner, and a saw a good selection of hoodies. Those seemed much thicker, and covered the body so much more than the rest. The last thing they'd do is show off my body. Or so I thought anyways. But about half the stock they had was pink, or had a ton of flowery designs sewn in. This wasn't something really I wanted to wear.
Then again, my alternatives weren't that much better.
One shirt had a V-cut so wide, even the manikin had one shoulder slide out the collar.
The other one looked more like a net than a shirt.
The next one seemed like it was meant to leave the whole waist naked for the world to see.
The one after looked like a combo of the other three.
My sight moved on to the next one, and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. It was a charcoal black top, with material so thin, you could see the red bra that was underneath. I wondered for a moment if it was made out of nylon. It wasn't meant to cover you as much as to say it's there. It didn't take me long before I pictured Lauren wearing this. I thought she might look so cute in it, and I'd get a good look at her...
"Do you want to try that one?" Lauren whispered over my shoulder, and quickly reminded me that I was the one getting a new wardrobe.
Did I want to try that on? Did I want to show off my assets to the world? To give every guy a free peek?
I shook my head slowly. "No." I didn't want this! I didn't want to show off my body. I didn't want to be looked at. At all! "No. No, I don't. It... It..." The words just stopped in my throat, refusing to come out.
Lauren gave a sigh of relief. "It's okay. How about something a bit closer to what you used to wear?"
Did she just read my mind? In any case, I was glad to let this one go. "Y-Yeah. If I could." I rolled my eyes a bit. "You wouldn't have seen a shirt with the Cubs' logo on it somewhere?"
She rolled her eyes at me with that knowing smirk. She probably thought I was kidding. It couldn't hurt to be a little hopeful, right?
That's when Abbey came up to me with a few sets of clothes slung over one arm. "Karen? Could you try these on first? I think these should be about your size."
I quickly looked through what she'd brought. No dresses. Nothing pink. Good. Jeans too? Good! A few blank shirts, and...
"Wait. What's... This?" I pulled out a dark purple piece out of of the pile, and held it up.
Lauren raised an eyebrow. "A tube top? Really, Abbey?"
As if on cue, I noticed a woman walk by the store with the same kind of top wrapped up tightly around her chest. The kind you figured might be one size too small. The kind that squeezed all around her body, looking as if it was painted over her chest, leaving very little to the imagination. The kind that you knew if she just bent forward a little, you could see all the way down her...
Male instincts kicked in, and the first thoughts that crossed my head were: She's hot! But then I remembered what I was holding up in my hands, and all the blood in my face drained out in dread. Is this what everyone expects me to wear too?
Abbey smiled. "Sure! I thought it looked cute. And it matches Karen's eyes, so-"
"No." I held it out at Abbey as if the cloth was on fire, and shook my head. "I won't, Abbey. Nuh huh. No way. I really don't want this."
She looked disappointed for a moment. "But Karen..."
"Abbey." Lauren added in, stepping by my side. "She's not ready. You know that."
Lauren frowned in frustration. "I... I just thought you'd..." She looked at me a moment, then sighed. "Sorry. But you'll try the rest, okay?"
"Okay!" I gave a nod, took what she'd picked, and hurried into the changing room before she changed her mind.
I quickly discarded my stuffy old sweater, and slid on the red shirt she'd gotten me. I was so glad to have something lighter on my back after three days of wearing the same sweatshirt. And this one didn't squeeze my new assets like my old collection did. I looked in the long mirror on the side, and checked myself a moment. It looked a little bland, but otherwise, perfect.
The first problem came with the jeans.
They slid up the legs with no difficulties. I had plenty of room there.
And I felt so relieved when the rim passed around my hips, as if they were meant to.
It's when I reached the top that I felt it.
"NGH!" I made a face as I felt the crotch squeeze my package painfully. Dammit! These weren't designed for girls with attachments.
With a bit more determination, and a mental reminder that I wanted jeans, I just closed my eyes, and squirmed, trying to fit it to the side. It took some work, and it wasn't comfortable, but I pulled it off.
That is, until I tried to pull the zipper up.
First try. "Mph!" Nope. It wouldn't go.
Second shot. "Gh!" Just a little, but it went back down.
Third attempt. Just put a little muscle into it, and... "AAARGH!"
I crossed my legs, scrunched my face, and bent forward in pain. Oh GOD, that HURTS! Bad idea. Bad idea. No pants are worth this much trouble.
"Karen? Are you okay in there?" I heard Lauren's voice on the other side of the door.
"Fine. I'm fine." I squeaked out.
I tried the second pair in the pile, and those seemed just a tad bigger, must have been another brand, but it fit just enough for me to zip it up without too much problems. That is, if you didn't count a squeezing sensations around my balls, and the bulge that they were making down there.
A few minutes later, Abbey was raising an eyebrow hesitantly as the three of us looked in the mirror. "Karen." She sighed. "I don't think that's going to work."
Lauren was just looking silently at my reflection, staring a lot lower than I wanted to. I could only guess what she was thinking.
"Do you think a lot of people are going to notice?" I muttered before I reminded myself of what happened at the bra store. I got lucky back then.
Abbey hesitated a moment, a look of concern drawn on her face. "I think so. And you know what that would mean, right?"
I shuddered at the thought. I already knew how awful it was when people saw I was bad as a guy with breasts; I didn't want to think what they'd do if they saw me as a girl with a package. But I still wanted a good pair of pants on. "Can't you get something bigger? Enough to hide it?"
She winced a bit. I guessed it wasn't likely to happen, but she gave me a tired sigh, and turned around. "I'll see what I can find."
"Thanks." I let out before I felt a small tug from Lauren.
"Hum, you... Never told me that you hadn't lost... I mean, that you still have..." She looked around carefully, leaned in, and whispered. "... Your equipment?"
I winced lightly. "Sorry. It... Didn't exactly come up. I mean, what was I going to say?" I hesitated a moment. "Besides, they said it'd be gone soon."
She leaned forward curiously. "How long?"
"Before the transformation is over. At least, that's what they said." I muttered sadly. "Until then, I get a few more memories to make with it's still attached."
Lauren's cheeks were becoming redder with every seconds she looked down. "I-I see." She looked back up to my face, hesitated for a moment, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Are you okay about this?"
For a second, I trembled in shock under her arm. "I'm not okay with most of this. You know that." I snerked, and forced a wry smirk on my face. "But it's not like I got a choice anyways, right?" I let out a dry chuckle. "Besides, peeing while standing up is overrated anyways."
She placed the other arm around my waist, and hugged me tighter. I looked into her eyes, and for a moment, I thought she could see through the dry humor; that she could see how much scared I was. And I saw how much she was worried. Yet she was still giving me a comforting smile. "You're stronger than that, Ky-" She bit her lip. "Karen. You'll get through this. I know you can."
I let the words sink in a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. It's just... It's just..." I sighed. "Thanks, Lauren. Thank you." I reached back to her, and we shared a hug for a little while. I really needed that.
After we released each other, I looked back at the mirror, trying not to think too much about what was going to happen. No matter how much I stared though, it didn't make the lump any less obvious. "I never gave a thought about this problem though. I mean, I always wore jeans before. Wasn't a problem."
"We'll find something." She said in a reassuring tone. "If nothing else, you'll be able to get jeans a little later on."
"Yeah. You're right." I let out weakly. "Once my little soldier's fallen." I sighed, and gathered myself up. I don't have time to get depressed again. That still left me with my first problem. "I still need some pants though."
She patted me on the shoulder, and winked. "Leave that to us. Okay?"
"Okay." I gave her a small smirk, and nodded. "I'm counting on you."
During the next two hours, I tried jeans after jeans, hoping that the next pair would be a better fit than the previous one. No luck. Every one of them were either showing off my equipment or slid off my hips. Halfway through the process, Lauren did find a pair of black slacks that fit. The color did hide the bump better, but it just couldn't make it disappear. We even tried a few guy's pants, hoping they'd help, but I still had the same problem my old set had. They were either too tight at some spots or too loose in other.
After so many attempts, Abbey finally came up to me with a piece of clothing I did hope to stay away from: a skirt.
"Abbey. Uuuuh." I bit my lower lip. "You're not serious, are you?"
She frowned in frustration. "Karen, you're running out of options. Pants can't do it without showing off, and you're not going out there if you're going to show, right? This should give 'it' enough free space, and fit nicely on you."
I eyed the skirt warily. I didn't like it. I really didn't want it. This is what girls always wore. Something that showed off their legs, and blew up in the wind. Something cute, and it was so... So... Girly!
But I'm a girl now. The thought twisted my stomach into a knot. The skirt may have been girly, but I was too. I could wear this, and I was expected to. And if it would help...
Abbey handed it to me. "At least give it a try first, okay?"
I gave a hesitant look at Lauren, whom bit her lip, but gave me an encouraging nod.
With that, I let my shoulders drop and surrendered. "Okay. I'll try."
As I closed the door of the changing room, I closed my eyes, and, once more, I repeated my little mantra.
I am Karen now. I am Karen now...
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God, this feels so weird! After wearing pants all my life, even if the skirt went down to my knees, it felt like I was naked from the waist down. I could feel the bare skin of my legs touching one another as I walked through the mall, surrounded by a crowd of people. It felt so wrong!
But the skirt passed the girl's inspections, and it was hard to go against that. I could still remember the grin Abbey had on her face when I walked out of the changing room. She seemed so happy.
At least I only had to wear that for today. Once we'd get home, I'd be able to ditch it for the slacks we bought. I just had to be a little patient.
In the meantime though, all I wanted to do was fade away and vanish.
By the time we'd pulled out of that store, it was already noon, and the lunch crowd was in full swing. The corridors were flooded with people coming and going. It was hard to move around without being swept away upstream, and the last thing I wanted was to be separated from Lauren and Abbey.
But the crowd also brought something that filled me with dread. The stares. They came from all over. No matter where I looked, I felt like someone was looking my way; looking at the girl I'd become. It wasn't so bad with women, most were charming and welcome, but every time I saw a man smile broadly at me, I was on the verge of panic. It felt even worse when one group of guys were staring at me like sharks eyeing their next meal, and I had to stop myself from screaming when I felt a hand brush against my backside.
So when Abbey proposed to get out of the crowd until things cooled down, I agreed with her without a second though.
Finding the first opening we had, we ducked into a music store. While I took a moment to settle down, I took a quick glance at the place. Man, it's been a while since I've been here. I remembered coming to this place every time we came by the mall. It used to be a lot more full in the past, but ever since MP3 players became so popular, it was seemingly struggling. It even tried to bring in DVDs to pull in a new crowd, but it could only do so much.
I looked at the old Metallica poster that had stood up on that wall forever, when suddenly, I heard: "Hey! Lauren!"
Someone waved toward us over a few rows of CDs as he was heading our way. Lauren waved back. "Owen! Hi!"
When I saw my best friend turn the corner, I froze in place, and held my breath. No way. Not now! I shuffled behind Abbey, and just hoped he wouldn't notice me.
Luckily, his focus shifted to my sister first. "Oh, hi Abbey. How are you two doing?"
"I'm fine." They answered in tandem, before Lauren asked: "And what about you? What are you doing here?"
He grinned, and held up a CD. "The latest album from Brass Monkey. It just came out, and I had to get it."
I shuddered along with Lauren, who said: "How can you stand that..." She winced. "No. I can't even call that music. I prefer the sound of nails on a chalkboard over their best 'hit'."
He waved a hand aside. "You just don't get it. Not everyone does." He shrugged. He'd given up trying to convince Lauren and me a long time ago. "And why did you come here today?"
Lauren's face seemed to color, and she glanced my way. "W-well..." I tensed up as she extended a hand to me. "Karen here is visiting for a while, and she needed a few sets of clothes."
I tried to smile to him without panicking. Please don't figure it out. Please don't figure it out. Please. Don't. "Hi th-there."
"Hi." He reached out with one hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Owen."
"I'm K-Karen." I stuttered out, as I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too." I tried to stay as still as I could when I saw his eyes wander up and down. Don't tell me I look familiar. Please. I was so worried about him recognizing me though, that it took me a minute to realize his stare had stopped wandering about three inches lower than my shoulders. "He-hey!"
His eyes shot back upward. "So how long are you going to visit?"
"For a while." I whispered lowly as I crossed my arms over my 'twins'. I can't believe he'd... "Th-there's some trouble going on back home, and I really needed to get away."
"Aaah." He rubbed the back of his head, obviously uncomfortable. "I'm sorry to hear that."
I shook my head, and tried to stick to my story. "It's okay. I'll be fine. I just need some time to think about things."
He smiled in relief. "Good. I- huh?" He looked toward the cashiers. "Oh! Line's open." He rushed over there, pausing for only one moment. "Just give me a minute, this won't be long!"
I waved to him a little, then whispered to Lauren. "Does he always look down at your, I mean, mine, I mean..." I pointed to my chest. "You know?"
Lauren gave me a small, amused smirk. "You mean, you never noticed?" I could see her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. "He does stare, here and there. And you used to do the same thing too."
"Wha-what?" It was my turn to blush.
"Yeah." She crossed her arms. "In fact, you're doing it right now."
My eyes shot right back up to her face. "What? But- I didn't- I just..."
She simply smiled at me, and patted my shoulder. "It's okay, Karen. Most guys do it anyways."
"Besides, you should be flattered. He likes you." Abbey giggled, definitely amused.
I groaned a bit. "I should be flat." I shook my head. "This is just too weird. This is Owen we're talking about. My best friend. And he's... He's ogling me." I shivered again. That was one thing I really didn't want to think about right now.
But before we could continue further, Owen came back, bearing a huge satisfied grin on his face. "There goes this week's allowance, but it's worth it."
Lauren gave a sigh. "My ears don't think so. If you don't mind me, I'll buy myself a set of earplugs."
Owen didn't seem to find that funny, giving us the most deadpan laugh you'd hear on this side of the mall. He then looked at Abbey. "Oh yeah." He looked concerned for a moment. "How's Kyle doing lately?" My heart just skipped a beat. He looked to Lauren. "Did you check up on him? How was he?"
Both girls looked at each other nervously for a moment, then looked in my direction. Abbey finally answered: "Kyle... Really isn't feeling well right now."
Lauren nodded with her. "Yeah. He really wasn't looking too good. At all." She looked at me nervously, and bit her lower lip. I returned her nervous look. I didn't know what else to do but stay quiet, and nod.
Owen let his shoulders drop down. "You mean... They did it? They really did it?" He looked depressed for a moment. "They really beat him up?"
"He really looked bad, Owen." She shook her head softly. "You probably wouldn't recognize him right now."
Lauren cut in. "We took him to the hospital, and they did all they could." She sighed. "The best thing we can do, right now, is let Kyle rest and heal up." I had to give Lauren some credit, she was a quick thinker under pressure.
"No way." He just shook his head, and his face twisted in anger. "Those damn bastards!" I saw his fists close tightly hard enough for his arm shake under the frustration. "I... Ugh. I can't believe it. Josh and those guys." He leaned against the side of a display, and looked at the ground. He raised his fist, and for a second, I thought he was going to hit something. "Goddamn bastards."
I had to bite my tongue. Just mentioning Josh's name made my blood boil, even though my legs were quivering in fear. I wanted to get back at the jerk somehow. But what can I do? And how?
Before I could ponder that any more, Owen asked: "So when are you going to see him? Can I come too?"
Abbey hesitated a moment. We didn't plan that kind of excuse. "We'd have to check back with dad. He's already going there for today, and this is his day off. After that..." She gave an unsure shrug. "But as soon as he gets back on his feet, you'll be the first to know."
Owen silently took the rejection, and hung his head low. Lauren and I exchanged uncomfortable glances once more. I didn't like lying to Owen right now, but it had to be done.
The awkward silence that had settled between us was broken by a sudden growl. "S-sorry." I placed a hand over my protesting stomach. "I barely had a piece of toast for breakfast. It's probably long gone by now."
Another stomach joined into the fray. This time, it was Owen's body making the call. "I guess we're all a little hungry. How about we go for the food court, grab something there together?" He said with a smile my way.
For a moment, I couldn't imagine how this could get any more awkward.
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It took us a while, and a bit of pushing around, but we finally made our way to the food court. The place was just as crowded as the halls. Between all the people at the tables, those traveling in between the chairs with trays, and the baby stollers laying about, the whole place was a labyrinth for us. Getting a good table wasn't going to be easy.
We quickly agreed to a plan, Abbey would go gather our orders while the rest of us would scatter through the mess of people to find a spot. Luckily for us, Lauren caught a family was just leaving. I was so embarrassed when Owen actually took the time to pull the chair for me. I couldn't exactly say no, could I? I wished he would have stopped staring at me with those eyes from the other side of the table. If only he knew who I was, he surely would have stopped.
He leaned forward a bit. "So where did you come from?"
I looked down at my knees, trying to avoid looking directly at him as I tried to remember the story we'd made earlier. "I-I-I'm from Maine. Portland, Maine."
"Portland?" He looked surprised. "That's quite a long way from here to run away."
Once more, I froze. "W-w-well, after what happened, I-I-I..." We didn't think that far ahead. What am I supposed to say?
But before I could say anything, a sudden flash of light exploded in front of my eyes. "ACK!" I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear away the white spots out of them.
"Hrm. Dammit. I forgot to take the flash off. That just won't do." It took me only seconds to recognize the voice. I glared up, and couldn't tell which was greater; my dread, or my anger. Zack was just walking around the table, grinning like a shark. "Aaaahhh. Too bad. That shy look on your face would have been perfect too."
The heat around the table must have rose up by one degree. Owen shot out of his seat, and grabbed the cocky guy around the collar. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, hey, heeeeeyyyy." He raised both hands nonchalantly. "Bad idea, buddy. Bad idea. Calm down, switch to decaf, take a chill pill, or something." Zack waved a camera in front of Owen's face. "I needed to grab a new camera, since the last one got busted. There's only so much the camera on my phone can do." His grin grew about an inch wider. "Then, I saw you, and I decided to check up on the three musketeers... Minus one."
For a moment, Owen looked like he was struggling between letting go, and slugging the smug bastard. I wished he would have done the latter. Zack would have deserved it. I had to hold myself back from jumping across the table, and strangling the guy myself. Him and his buddies had destroyed everything I had, and he was celebrating.
When Owen let him go, Zack quickly slid into the free chair, and raised an eyebrow my way. "You didn't take long to find a replacement either." He gave a playful growl, leaning toward me. "Quite an improvement too, I have to admit" I had to grip my chair not to jump on the other side of the table and start paying him back for everything he'd done.
Lauren glared at him, and slowly uttered: "If you're looking for trouble, Zack-"
"Oh, no trouble. No trouble at all." He snickered. "Heck, I could even make sure Luke doesn't try to go for her either. I know he'll be tempted. New meat and all." I shuddered at the thought. He then switched to Lauren. "Then again, if you're free now, I-URK!"
Owen pulled him back by the collar. "Back off, Romeo."
"Hey, hey, HEY! I was just asking!" Zack shrugged , and rolled his eyes. "Sheesh!"
Lauren's face twisted in disgust. "Not that I'd ever be interested in you, jackass."
"Aaawww." Zack leaned back over dramatically. "Ye wound me, oh fair lady." He cackled as he straightened up. "And I thought I might have a chance now that your tag-along is out of the picture." It took all my willpower not to reach out and punch the grin off his face. He raised an eyebrow, and asked: "And how is Kyle faring out anyways, mn?"
"What do you think?" Owen growled. "He's in the hospital."
"Ah? Is that so?" Zack raised an eyebrow with that smug smile. "Good riddance."
"Good riddance?" The three of us hissed out. If looks could kill, Zack would have exploded. But all it did was make his grin grow even wider as he leaned back in his chair.
"Well yeah! One less homo to worry about." He shrugged with a huge smile. "If that's not a good thing, I don't know what is."
Lauren leaned toward him with a challenging look on her face. "You keep on saying that Kyle's gay. How did you and your 'crew' get to that conclusion? What if you got it wrong? You just beat him up for no reason." I nodded to Lauren confidently. They didn't know what was really happening.
Zack didn't quite believe what he'd just heard. "You think we made a mistake? Really? Didn't I show you the photos? Isn't it obvious? HELLOOOOOO!" He paused for a few seconds. "Unless you think 'drag queen' doesn't mean 'gay'."
"Drag Queen?" Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Now you're taking it a bit far."
"Am I?" Zack smacked his lips a bit. "Okay. The guy was wearing a bra. Getting into women's underwear still qualifies." He looked to Owen. "Right?"
Lauren gulped a bit. "What if he had a reason to wear a bra? What... If he lost a bet?"
Zack snerked loudly. "Yeah. A bet. Good one." He shook his head, and shrugged. "We warned him two times, and the whole thing lasted a week! If it was a bet, he could have just told us. We'd all have a laugh at his expense, he'd take if off, and it'd be over right? But did he even gave a hint? Nooooo." He looked at us. "Did he tell any of you?"
Owen sighed, and shook his head. "Nope. Not a thing."
"What if it was a medical reason?" I finally decided to jump into the discussion, which earned me a silent stare from all over the table.
"Medical?" Zack muttered in a deadpan tone. "Medical. Really? What? He can't live properly without a bra? I gets hives, and rashes if he doesn't get that silky feel over his chest? Pfth! Yeah right. Gaaayyyy!"
I simply nodded. "Yeah. I think the doctors call it... What was it again?... Gynecomastia, or something? Bad hormones in the body, and even a guy can start growing breasts?" I was rewarded with another awkward pause from the other three. "It's treatable though."
Zack finally opened his big mouth. "Okay. If that's REALLY what's happening, we're moving away from homo, and more toward freakshow! Just as bad, yet somehow still GAAAAYYYYYY!"
"Zaaack." Owen growled again.
"What? It's true! Besides, do you really want to be seen with a guy like that? Come on!" He shook his head. "And, if we didn't chase him off, what do you think would happen?" He looked to Owen. "You remember what happened to Chilton High's team?"
Owen and I winced a bit. We remembered. We even played that team before. We'd heard rumors of what happened. Two members were found in each other's arms with their tongues deep into each other's mouth. There were only rumors, but the whole team was still humiliated, and treated as homos as they came out of the dugouts. We'd only seen the treatment they got once, and back then, we thought it was to our advantage to win, but now I could imagine how horrible it must've felt. We didn't know how much truth there was to the rumors, but the one thing we knew for sure is that no one enrolled for the team the year after.
"The very same thing could've happened to us, you know." Zack pointed out. "The moment someone else found out, and we didn't weed the guy out... Well, how the hell do you think the rest of us would look like?" He pointed down at the table. "Josh saw that coming, and he did what had to be done." He looked at Owen seriously. "In fact, you should probably thank us for straightening him out."
"Thank you? Thank you?" Owen's face reddened in anger as he leaned toward Zack. "You're joking, right? You and your crazy gang beat up Kyle to a bloody pulp! Who knows what's going happen to him? I'm surprised you're not with the police right now. And I'm supposed to thank you?"
Zack didn't seem intimidated though. "Of course! If you have a queer around, people are going to start wondering who said queer is... How can I say this... Who would be the queer's partner in crime?" He leaned forward with an amused smile on his face. "Now who would be the one guy that Kyle's been the closest to? The one person that's always sticking by his side. The one who'd be 'his manly man', his knight in shining armor, his main squeeze, the one guy he'd want to hold on to at night..." He grinned at Owen. "Now I wonder who that could be. Wouldn't you?"
Owen's face seemed to lose it's color with every words that came out of Zack's mouth. "I...I..." He shook his head slowly.
"Yet, I bet people are going to draw a rather simple conclusion, won't they?" Zack snickered as Owen just looked away. "But now, you won't have to worry about that, will you?"
"Zack," I hissed out angrily. "Why don't you just leave us alone?"
The guy turned to me with his smug smile. "Why? I'm just giving a little warning to a few friends now."
I frowned, leaning toward him. "Sounded more like threats than warnings."
He came in a little closer. "But I'm just having a little fun."
I stood up. "You're annoying us."
He mimicked me. "So what, mn? Gonna spank me, and send me home?"
I glared. "Don't tempt me."
He then grinned, and whispered lowly. "You know, you're kinda cute when you're trying to be threatening."
The way he let out those words sent shivers up and down my whole body. I thought I was going to be sick.
That seemed to get a few laughs from him. "Hehehehe-URK!" That is, until someone pulled hard on his collar.
The wrathful glare that Abbey had as she looked to Zack even made me nervous. I knew that angry look in her eyes, and things usually didn't end too well. For a moment, I thought she was even lifting Zack off the floor with one hand.
Zack looked confused for a second, gave a nervous chuckle, and waved to her. "Hey there."
She carefully set the tray of food on our table with her other hand, and turned back to Zack. "Okay. I'm going to say this slowly so there's no misunderstanding here." The tone of her voice rumbled with anger. "Leave. Us. Alone." She reached out with her other hand to his collar, and really lifted him up to his toes. "If you or your friends harass us any more today, or if you think of getting even close to my little brother, you little creep," Her eyes focused on his as she uttered the words. "I'll guarantee you'll regret it."
As she let go, Zack tried to get his footing back. "Bu-bu-but, you can't- you don't scare-"
The slap he received echoed throughout the food court. The way he just shot to the side, I thought his head was about to pop off his shoulders. Everyone suddenly looked at the two of them, and stared. Zack stood, looking shocked as he brought a hand to the red imprint over his cheek. Looking around at everyone, he slowly started to back away from Abbey slowly at first. "Fuck," he muttered lowly before he finally turned, and hurried away from us.
As the court slowly returned to it's usual chatter, I let out a sigh of relief. Lauren smiled to Abbey. "Thanks. He definitely deserved that."
"My pleasure." Abbey let out, rubbing her wrist. "The little vermin's got a tough face though. Ow."
I snerked. "Probably from all the falls he took on it lately."
Abbey sighed, and looked at us. "Did he do anything? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"Nah. He was just flapping his gums." Lauren rolled her eyes. "As usual."
"But he was right." We turned to Owen quickly, whom looked rather uncomfortable. "I mean, you've seen the pictures too, Lauren. He did have 'it' on."
We all looked in shock at him. My heart just skipped a beat. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Lauren slapped her palms on the table. "So you think beating Kyle up was a good idea too? Is that it?"
"No!" He waved his hands quickly. "No, no, no! No way! I wouldn't dare! It's those sickos' idea!" He took a moment to catch his breath. "I meant... What if Kyle really is gay?" There was an awkward pause all around the table. "What if he really does wear women's underwear? Or even dresses like a girl?" He looked to Abbey, a little scared of her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean anything bad, but... But..."
"But... What?" Lauren and me asked together.
He just groaned. "I don't know. It's so freaky, so weird. I mean, what kind of guy does this stuff? Really?" He rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. "And Kyle, out of all people? That's just... Wrong!"
I got back up on my feet. "S-sorry, I... I gotta go." I left quietly. I had to get away from there.
I just couldn't hear any more of this.
-----------------------------------------------
Dammit! I splashed water over my face a few times. Damn Owen. Damn Zack. Damn fucking mutation!
I took in a deep breath, and tried to calm down. I felt like I was either going to scream my lungs out, or cry my eyes off; and I couldn't afford either one right now. I had to bear it out.
I can't believe it. When I thought I might be able to tell Owen, this happens. He's already thinking I'm gay by now, thanks to those bastards. How am I supposed to tell him I'm like this NOW without him freaking out? I rubbed my face dry as I tried to figure out what to do. The way things were going, Owen was going to think I was some kind of freak, no matter what I did.
Then again... It is pretty freaky one way or another. I looked up at my reflection. How do you tell your best friend that you've just changed sex?
Just when I was about to ponder what I had, I suddenly felt a rough hand caress my backside. "Ooohhh. You're cute." A man was leaning in close with a rather large smile. I'd never felt more creeped out before in my life. "Now what's a cute girl like you doing all the way out here? Mmnn?"
What's that creep doing? Was the first thought that rang into my head. It was only when I caught a glimpse of the urinal in the mirror that I realized my big mistake. Oooooh crap.
"Leave her alone, Clark," another man noted as he zipped up. "She's probably underage anyways."
"Hey. Even school kids need extra allowance." He squeezed my butt. "What do you say, sugar?"
I don't know exactly what came over me, but he seemed just as surprised as I was when my hand slapped across his face. A second later, after panic gave me back the use of my legs, I bolted out of the men's bathroom as fast as I could. So fast, that I slammed my face against the division between the two doors. Crap, crap, crap, crap! I held my nose painfully as I stumbled around for a few seconds, dashed into the women's side, and locked myself into a stall.
Panting heavily, I dropped onto the toilet seat. "I can't believe I did that," I whispered. If I hadn't been so upset, and actually paid attention to what I was doing, instead of following an old habit, I might have avoided that.
"But instead..." I closed my eyes, and shook my head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." I sniffed a little. I felt like crying again. Everything was so unfair. I couldn't even go to the bathroom without doing something wrong. All because this stupid mutation decided I needed to be a girl. I didn't want this!
Why me? Why is this happening to me?
I wrapped my arms around myself, and wiped my tears away.
I stayed in that stall for a while, trying not to think how harsh the world was...
-----------------------------------------------
I finally got out of there, led back to the food court by my empty stomach. Abbey and Lauren were just about done, and Owen was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go?"
"His dad came to pick him up." Lauren said. "He tried to ask him for more time, but no luck."
Abbey gave a concerned look my way. "How do you feel, sis?"
I mumbled a weak little: "I'm okay." I took a bite out of my burger. A little lukewarm, but still eatable.
"I'm sorry about Owen." Lauren said softly. "You know how he can be sometimes. Before he knows it, he has his foot in his mouth." I groaned in response, and kept on eating. "Besides, he couldn't have known what really happened, could he?"
"I get it. I get it." I sighed. "It still hurts though. You know?"
"Yeah, I know, but..." She bit her lip. "When are you going to tell him?"
I winced. "I don't know."
"Karen." She turned toward me, putting on a more serious tone. "Do you think you can keep this a secret from him forever? At one point or another, he's going to want to see Kyle."
"I know." I rubbed my forehead. "I know. But how am I supposed to tell him? You almost didn't believe me yourself at first."
"We might not have to." I looked to Abbey, who continued to explain. "We tell him you're still at the hospital for a while, and when you're home, we tell him you're not feeling well enough to see anyone." She took a sip from her drink. "We can do that for a few months, and then we can tell him we sent you off to a private school because we didn't want the same thing to happen again. Case closed."
"I... Guess... That could work," I let out. It didn't feel right to lie to Owen, but it might be the only way not to hurt him.
Lauren crossed her arms. "And what will you do when Karen comes back to school?"
"She's not going to," Abbey let out. She saw the confusion in our eyes, and finally explained: "The part about sending Karen to a private school isn't a lie."
"Ah." I looked down a bit. "So dad did talk with you about that already?"
She nodded. "Yeah. And I think it's for the best."
"What?" Lauren looked between the two of us. "What's for the best? A private school? Are you kidding?"
"She isn't." I hung my head low. I guess I know where I'm going now. Might as well kiss everything else goodbye. "There's this school that's... Well, for people with 'special gifts' out there, and the doctor said I should go there." I looked to Abbey. "It's expensive though. A bit too much."
Abbey shook her head softly. "It's okay. College can wait. And besides, if it'll keep those creeps away from you, it's worth it."
"Ho-how long's that gona be? How far?" Lauren asked, seemingly upset.
"Four years." I mumbled lowly. "In New Hampshire, or something."
"... Do you really have to go there?" Lauren pleaded. "It-it's not like those guys will be any more trouble. We just had one right here, and he couldn't even clue in it was you."
"It's more than just that." Abbey added. "That place will help Karen with her mutation."
"What mutation? I mean, look at her! No fires, no horns, no scales, or anything you see on TV. You could still be considered normal." Lauren kept on insisting. "You could still go to school with us. Just take different classes, and try to avoid the gym. And if you change more, no one would be the wiser!"
"You think so?" I felt a little glimmer of hope. Maybe I didn't have to leave. "You really think so?"
"Of course! Things might not be the same, but... We'd still be able to hang out together." She smiled at me in a way that made my heart flutter.
Abbey didn't seem too hopeful though. "But what if there's an accident? What if you cut yourself, or something. Some people might figure out you're a mutant." She shook her head. "We'd be right back to square one."
"But those bullies wouldn't dare touch a girl," Lauren countered.
"Maybe. But then there's all the people who are anti-mutants. I doubt they'd be so forgiving."
It seemed that the more the discussion progressed, the more bleak things seemed. If it wasn't bullies, it was worse. my heart just sunk at the thought. It was so depressing.
Abbey looked at me, and hesitated for some reason. "Okay. We'll talk more about this later. If dad thinks it's okay, then... Maybe." She she reached over, and squeezed my hand. "But you have to realize that this is for your safety, Karen. You've already been through enough trouble already."
"I know. I know. And you know I don't want this to happen again, but I don't really want to leave." I felt Lauren hug me once more from the side. I whispered to her: "If we could make this work..." She slowly nodded to me, and squeezed even harder.
Abbey smiled at us. "In any case, we have three hours to go before dad picks us up, and most of our shopping's done." She crossed her arms. "After you finish eating, how about we go catch a movie?"
"Sure!" Lauren and me said in tandem.
Unfortunately, Lauren caught the jinx. I owed her a soda.
Soon enough though, we left the food court, Lauren and I holding onto each other's arms. Just that made wearing a skirt almost worth it.
-----------------------------------------------
"The Return of the Champion?" Lauren asked, eyebrow quirked. "Isn't that an old title?"
"Maybe." I winced. "But to be honest, I'm really not in the mood for a superhero movie right now."
Abbey leaned in closer. "Actually... It's a documentary."
"Pass!"
We moved on to the next poster.
"Romance Hill?" I gave a pleading look to the two girls beside me. "Please, no."
"Come on, it'll be good." Lauren gave me a sly smile. "Give a chick flick a chance. You'll like it! It's got Leo in it!"
Blergh. "The last thing I need is to see 'another' kiss scene with that guy." And I had a feeling that my malehood would shrivel up on itself as soon as I stepped into the room. "Can we skip this one? For me? Please?"
Lauren gave a grunt, but as we moved on, Abbey whispered in her ear something like: "She'll see the light one day."
The next one was about 'The Shaping'.
"Horror one. A story about an evil, possessed house?" I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds a bit cliche."
Lauren grinned widely. "I heard about this one. It's good."
"Really?"
She nodded. "Really. It's spooky, with disturbing images, and things that come at you right out of nowhere! And what it makes he main character do, oooohh, this should be good."
"It's too bad I'm not getting you to see it then." Abbey interrupted sternly.
"What? Why?"
She pointed to one corner. "Eighteen years or older only." She shook her head. "Sorry. I can't."
"Come on! We look old enough! We'll pass! Pleeeaaase?" I pleaded, but Abbey barely gave an amused snerk, before moving on.
"Weekend at Karedonia 3?" She asked in disgust. "They actually dared to make a sequel to that?"
I groaned, and followed along, curious about the next one. "What's this?"
"It's... Bad. Ugh." I could the shivers it gave her. "Let's just say what they did in the last one was way disgusting."
"How bad could it be?" Lauren asked curiously.
Abbey made a face. "Well... At one point one of the girls, who was probably drunk, started to flirt with the owner of the place."
"Uh huh?" Lauren and I nodded.
"And the next scene, the two are... Ugh-frenching so hard, I..."
We both raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so wrong. "Yeah?"
"And then the next morning, the girl comes out of the owner's bedroom, and..." She just shook her head. "Oh god."
"So what?" I asked curiously. "Is she disgusting, or something?"
Abbey looked green for a moment. "The owner, since the first movie, is a corpse. Full rigor mortis, and stuff."
The colors drained from our faces. "So everything that girl did..."
Abbey nodded, still looking green. "Uh huh."
"With a..."
"Yup."
"And they made a sequel?"
She crossed her arms, and looked away from the poster. "Yeeeaaah."
We looked away from that one in disgust. Some things were never meant for cinema.
The next poster looked much more promising. "Jennifer Stevens in Operation Skycracker." I raised an eyebrow at the sight of the blonde woman holding a handgun. I must have been staring rather intensely, since Lauren elbowed me a little.
"I guess you're interested in this one?" She asked with a sly smirk. I couldn't hold back an embarrassed chuckle while she examined the poster herself. "Sounds like a spy movie to me."
"Jennifer Stevens..." Abbey pondered. "I think she's known mostly for her radio show, but I guess she's popular enough to have a movie now."
"So how about it?" I gave a sheepish grin to the two. I was looking forward to this one! I didn't need to argue before Lauren pulled me toward the ticket booth.
-----------------------------------------------
The movie was good. The actors, the plot, the action, and the explosions. It was all good. Watching the good guys sneak around unnoticed, and almost getting caught was so exciting. And the death trap seemed perfect. I thought for a moment that they were done for! At least, until Jennifer used the electro magnet in her belt. I hadn't thought of using it that way. Everything was so perfect on the big screen.
But the best moment of the whole thing was when I felt Lauren's head rest against my shoulder. She felt so warm. It was then I wished the movie would never end.
Unfortunately, the end came all too soon, and it was time to go. We spent the last few minutes talking about how awesome the movie was until dad picked us up. By then, we had to endure a hyped up Gabby who seemed to bounce with questions, and chattered on about how great and wonderful her day was. Dad did ask a few questions of his own. He was a little concerned about the skirt too, but Abbey was able to cover most of the details.
Finally, we were back home, and piling out of the car. While dad, and my sisters climbed up to our floor, I stayed down a little longer with Lauren.
"Thanks for coming today. I'm really glad you came along," I said a bit nervously. My cheeks were probably a bright red by now.
She smiled to me, and gave a friendly nod. "I was glad to be there. I just wish I could have helped you more." We shared an awkward silence for a minute, as her face started to show some concern for me. "Are you okay, Karen?"
"Yeah." I nodded to her, fidgeting in place. "Yeah, I'm fine." I wasn't totally honest there, but as she was looking at me, I couldn't help but nod, and giving a lopsided smile. "I've got everything I needed today afterall."
"Yeah, but..." She hesitated a moment. "Did you ever figure out how you're going to tell Owen?"
I winced a bit. I'd forgotten about him for a while. "I... I don't know." I looked aside. "But I guess there's not a thousand ways to go about it. I'll call him, get him here, and... Unload." I snerked. "I doubt he'd believe me though."
"I believed you." She mumbled.
"Yeah. After you pulled me out, screaming from under my bed." We both shared a few seconds of laughter. After we caught our breath, I looked to her. "Would you be there too? It'd really help me. It could go better if we're all together."
She nodded firmly. "Of course I'll be there. We'll tell him, even if we have to get through his thick head." The smile she had was kinda contagious. "Then things will be just like they were before, the three of us together."
"Just. Like. Before?" At first, it sounded great, but deep in my mind, I knew things would never really be that way ever again.
But before I could find the words, Lauren was pressed up against me, her arms wrapped up around my neck, and was hugging me tightly. "We can make this work, Karen. I'm sure we can."
It was then that I realized that she wouldn't let this go.
That she wouldn't let me go, even after what I was going through.
And that, honestly, I didn't want to let her go either.
I reached around her, and returned the hug, and I realized that even through all the bad times, I really wanted to stay with her, no matter what...
I gave a soft nod to her, and that's when I felt her soft lips on my cheek. My heart went crazy in my chest, and I felt so hot inside, I thought I could melt right there and then. She pulled out of our embrace with her charming smile, and all I could do was stare at her dumbfounded as she walked back toward her home.
She waved to me, and finally said: "I'll see you tomorrow, Karen!"
I finally popped out of my trance, and waved to her merrily. "See you tomorrow!"
I waved to her until she was out of sight, taking a moment to reach for my cheek. It was still warm. Lauren kissed me! I couldn't stop smiling. I was just so happy.
With newfound confidence, I headed back home, practically bouncing up at every step.
Maybe my life as Karen wouldn't be so hard.
Life was finally looking up again.
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On the other side of the street though, hiding out of sight behind the trash, someone was watching as the new girl went straight up to the third floor. He pressed on the trigger, and his camera took one more picture. "There we go!"
He started to walk away as he examined the picture's quality. "Well, if that doesn't prove who this is, I'll be eating my shoes."
Zack couldn't help but cackle happily as he leapt in the air, and started to run toward the others.
It didn't take long before he was back at the parking lot where the rest of the gang was, sitting around a trio of cars. One of them waved to Zack as he arrived. "So did you get it?"
The boy couldn't help but grin widely as he waved his new camera proudly in the air. "Got it, got it, got it!" He raised a finger up. "You've seen the other pictures, right? The ones from the mall?"
Rick groaned, and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. It's already as disturbing as it is."
"Can't believe you got an upskirt shot like this," Luke noted.
Zack grinned proudly, and shrugged. "It's a gift, what can I say?" He made a face, and shuddered. "Even if sometimes you unearth slime like that."
"Zack." Josh grumbled, extending one hand. "The camera. Now."
Zack grumbled a bit about patience when he handed it over to Josh, and the rest of the group huddled around him as they shuffled through the pictures.
"Yeah. The faggot lives there too." Rick noted in disgust.
Luke shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it. I mean, we beat the crap out of the guy back then, and he's already back up? Like this?"
"He's a mutant." Zack shrugged. "Or there's some kind of mutant involved anyways." He snatched his camera back from Josh's tense hands. "I even heard on the internet that there's mutant drugs out there that can change guys into traps. Really!"
Josh gave a loud angry grunt. "You know what pisses me off the most about this guy? Every time we try to teach him a lesson, he takes it up a notch. We warn him, he keeps going. We beat him up, and he gets the freaky surgery." He shook his head in disgust. "It's like he's trying to piss us off."
"And what now?"
Zack shrugged, and sat on the hood of a car. "The family will try to make a deal, try to get the fag back into school under a new name or something..." He then got a wicked grin on his face. "Then we can unveil him, and the whole school will be on his sorry ass."
"No." Josh shook his head, his face twisting in rage. "No, we're not letting this get that far. It's already wrong enough that he thinks he can play girly, we're not letting him get away with it." He looked to the others. "Besides, if he does go into another school, no one will know, and some other sorry ass will pay the price." There were nods of agreement all around. "We know the truth, and we can do something about it. Am I right?"
There were various responses of: "Yeah!"
He gave a nod at them as he stood up. "Is everyone with me when I say we're going to stop this for good?"
He got a unanimous: "Hell yeah!"
"Good. Good." He gave a vile grin as he cracked his knuckles. "Here's what we're going to do, boys..."
"Action speaks louder than words. Especially if you have a giant moon cannon."
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| Re: Shade: Reforming [message #44554 is a reply to message #27811 ] |
Tue, 09 August 2011 08:20 |
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Polk kitsune
Messages: 340
Registered: January 2009
Location: Canada |
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"A little more. I can do it. Almost there." I just kept running though the city streets, taking deep breaths with every step. The bridge was right there, just on the other side of the street. "Just a little more.That's it." The more the road went uphill, the harder it was to take the next step, but I didn't dare slow down.
Pushing for the final sprint, I finally reached the top of the bridge. Standing on top of my goal, I rose my arms way up in the air. "WOO!" And I finally let myself drop on the bench. "Oof. What a workout."
It had been a few days since I had some exercise, and it felt like the perfect time for some jogging. It felt like it'd been forever since I went for a run. For some reason, I thought I would have been more tired than I was. I barely felt that usual ache in my legs. Maybe next time, I'll go even farther. In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have gone this far. The trip home was going to be just as long. I didn't want to get out of shape though. Coach would have had kittens if he knew I'd slowed down. Not that he'd care now. I chuckled. He'd have a fit for a whole other reason at this point. I got in shape alright, just the wrong kind of shape.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead. At least it felt nice to have some fresh air again. It felt like it'd been forever since I'd seen the sky. Then again, it had been only two days since we went to the mall. Maybe there was something about being left alone in the apartment, with nothing to do, that made time slow down to a crawl. At least yesterday I had Abbey and Gabby around. Lauren even came to visit again. Now, if only I hadn't been forced to play in Gabby's tea party when Lauren came in, I might not have been half as embarrassed that afternoon.
Dad told me that I'd have to meet his friend in a few days about my new papers and identity. There was also something about testing that needed to be done, but he told me not to worry about it; that it was all part of the regulations. It really gnawed at me at first. I wondered what kind of testing they could do to me. Surely, it wasn't meant to hurt me. At least, I hoped it wasn't.
After that would be over, maybe I'd be able to go back to school like everyone else...
As I sat up, I felt my assets shift with me. They were getting in the way again. The bra definitively helped, but once I started to run, they were bouncing so hard they were quickly starting to hurt. I must have looked weird running with my arms around my chest, trying to keep these two still. I really need to get a sports bra. You two are getting more and more high maintenance as I go. For now though, all I could do was take it easier on the way back home.
As I watched the cars pass underneath the bridge, I started to think about what I had talked with Lauren about yesterday. How we'd face Owen together.
The plan was simple: we'd invite him to my home, set him up in my room, and lay it on him. Simple, direct, and to the point. Maybe a little too direct, but at least we had enough proof to show him we weren't crazy.
But being considered crazy was only half the problem. What if he did believe me? That I'm a girl now? How's he going to react to that? That's what really scared me. I really wanted us to be friends again, but I didn't want to risk him turning on me either. I already had the rest of the baseball team beat me up, I didn't want to add him to the count. This transformation made sure no one recognized me, and Owen already thought I was 'Karen'. Maybe that was enough.
"If he hates me for this..." Just that thought filled me with dread. "Maybe it'd be better if he didn't know."
But I missed him. It'd only been two days since I saw him at the mall, but I missed talking to him. I missed practicing our passes to each other in his backyard. I missed hanging out together. I missed how things used to be.
From where I sat, I could see his house in the distance. For a moment, I thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, that maybe he'd understand. He was my best friend after all. Lauren believed in him. Maybe I should too.
I'll give him a chance. I'll just have to explain things right. Make sure everything's clear. He'll understand. He will! I clung to that bit of hope, and started to formulate a speech for him. I only had to convince him I wasn't gay, that this wasn't by choice, and that he had to keep this a secret.
Yeah. Easier said than done.
At least I got plenty of time to think about it. I got back on my feet, and started on my way home. I should be back before school ends, I told myself, until I felt the twins bounce. I quickly wrapped my arms around them again before they could go any higher. At least, if I can keep up the pace.
In the distance, I could see dark clouds starting to loom over the city. It would probably rain that night, or so I thought. If my head hadn't been stuck in the clouds, maybe I would have seen the real storm coming.
It only took a few seconds. I barely felt the two arms wrap around me before I realised I'd been pulled off my feet, and into the alley.
At first, I was in shock. I didn't know what had happened; only that I was being carried away, and that all my senses screamed at me to panic. I tried to scream, but the man's rough hand muffled my cry for help. I kicked and squirmed, trying to make him drop me, but it only made him tighten his strong grip. I wanted to punch him, to fight him, but he was too strong. He wasn't about to let me go.
I could see it. I could feel the chill run up under my skin.
I was gonna die.
No. No, no, no, no, no! I didn't want to go. I didn't want to die. Not like this. Not because this bastard caught me. I wasn't going to go down like this! I gathered whatever strength I had, screaming, punching, and trying to hurt him however I could.
He dragged me back further from the street to where three other guys were waiting. Grinning, one of them loomed in. "Got the little fucker," he started to laugh, until my foot connected with his crotch. The response was immediate, his body folding down as he let out a strangled grunt. Just as quickly came the reaction from the asshole holding me. He squeezed down, lifting my feet off the ground and trying to maintain control as I kicked at the air and squirmed.
"Stop it, you little piece of-AAARGH!" I finally got a break, and bit onto his fingers as hard as I could. The big guy let go of my mouth, and that was my chance to draw in some attention.
I took a deep breath, and hoped that my scream would reach someone. "HEEEEE-Gack!" A hand wrapped around my neck and squeezed the life out my voice. I barely had a second to see the thug's glare before his punch connected with my jaw.
My whole head rang with pain, and everything became a blur. I heard one of them bark orders as I gasped for breath. They pressed something against my lips, and finally let go off my neck, before the brutes threw me down to the pavement.
When I could finally see straight, I found myself pinned face down under the biggest of the brutes, while another one was duct-taping my hands together. I cursed in silence; they'd taped my mouth shut already. Pulling and squirming under the big guy was just useless. He'd already proven how strong he was, and with his weight on top of me, I didn't have a chance. Meanwhile his friend finished a solid silver duct tape cocoon over my hands. "There we go."
"Get the legs too." The one who punched me sent a glance my way, before turning back to his phone. "Don't want to chase the little fucker down the street."
The punk caught my foot as I tried to kick him. "Gotcha! Hehe! Feisty one, aren't you?" He started to tie my ankles together tightly. I cursed again. Tied up like this, I wasn't going anywhere. My chances of escaping from these guys were getting slimmer with every passing minute.
"Goddamn, motherfucking, shit... NGH!" The one I got in the crotch was pulling himself together, and he looked really pissed off. He ground his heel into my cheek until I thought he'd break my jaw. "Goddamn freak. Let's see how you like a good shot in the balls."
Thankfully, the 'leader' yanked him back by the collar. "You've already done enough."
"Bastard kicked me in the nuts," he grunted.
"And maybe next time, you'll see the foot coming." He closed his phone. "Big guy wants this one right now. Said we shouldn't play around with it. Might be dangerous."
The brute cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Hmph. He won't mind a few extra bruises."
With a groan, the leader handed his phone over. "We don't have time for this. Call the others, tell them to get off lookout." He then pointed to the other flunkies. "You two, get this one in the trunk. We're going."
The big guy finally got off me, only to grab me by the wrists, while his pal got my ankles. No, no, no, no, no! I pulled and squirmed as they pulled me up, and tossed me into the trunk of their car. I managed to crawl halfway out, but the big guy lifted his boot high, and kicked me right back in. His pal shoved my arms and legs in, and the last thing I saw was the smiles on their faces before they slammed the door down.
No. Please, god, no. Panic ran through my veins. I tried to push the trunk lid, hit it as hard as I could with the tight space I had, until my knees and arms were throbbing in pain. I tried to peel away the tape over my hands, but I could barely feel my fingers in that silver cocoon. Even the tape over my mouth felt like it would never come off.
Suddenly, I could hear loud heavy metal music explode from the speakers, and the car started going. A few bumps in the road made the whole trunk jump and I smacked my head on the metal frame. I felt the car turn around, and we were off.
They had me.
They had me, and there was nothing I could do about it.
The realization was sinking in deeper and deeper in my mind. They took me out of nowhere, overpowered me, outnumbered me, and again, I couldn't do a damn thing about it. Why does this keep happening to me?
I didn't know where they were taking me. I didn't even know why they wanted me, or what they wanted to do with me. I guess they want to take me somewhere secluded and quiet, so they can do whatever psychos do with... young... girls... they... grab... Pictures of rape, mutilation, and murder flashed in my mind. News stories about lost girls who were never found again, or broken so badly, they could barely be recognised. Am I.... Going... To be one of... Those?
I gasped. The realization scared me down to the bone. No.
I banged on the door even harder.
I wanted out of there.
I wanted to be back home.
I wanted to be far away from these fuckers!
But no matter how many times I hit it, the metal door didn't even budge. Eventually, I had to give up. I was tired, I was exhausted, and nothing was going my way.
It's not fair. Not fair. Not fair. I sobbed, and pressed my face against my arms. I didn't know how long the tears were there, but I couldn't hold them back anymore.
In the darkness, I curled up, and cried...
------------------------------------------------------------ -
Hours passed. The car never stopped. I couldn't tell how far we were gone. The only hint that time passed was the headbanging music changing tracks. I knew that all I could do, all this time, was wait for these brutes to open the trunk and let me out. Until then I was just along for the ride.
I knew things would only get worse from there on. I didn't know how worse, but I had plenty of time to think back about it.
At least they won't rape me. It wasn't just denial going through my head. They said that I was a freak, so they know something. One even proposed to hit me in the balls, so they must know about my mutation, or at least my condition.
But then, how did they know? Who told them? It's not like they checked or anything. They just picked me up. Did the doctors tell them? That squirt of a mutant doctor? Was it Dad? Gabby? Abbey? Lauren? I shuddered. Who else knows about me?
I pushed that question aside for the time being. I knew there was nothing I could do about it from inside of that trunk. Doesn't matter how they learned about me. They do know, and now, they're going to take me to their boss. Whoever that is. Chances are I don't want to find out!
I tried to undo my bonds as hard as I could. I didn't have much luck there. Try as I might, I didn't have any play with my wrists. They were taped way too tightly together. The whole trunk was probably cleaned out before I was tossed in too. Nothing sharp around for me to cut the tape open. I did have more room with my feet though. That was something I could work with. I started to test the limit, and stretch the tape as much as I could, trying to loosen the damn thing. Maybe If I took my shoes off, I could slip one foot out. Not much, but if I can at least run when they-WHOA!
Suddenly, the car took a left turn, and the whole trunk started shaking violently, bouncing up and down, and tossing me around like a rag doll in a dryer. I cursed their car's lousy shocks as my head smashed against the door again and again. The car took another sharp turn, threw me hard to the side while the brakes squealed loudly, and finally everything came to a stop.
As I tried to get my head to stop spinning, the loud music died down, replaced by the sound of doors being slammed shut. Gh. Guess this means we're 'here'. I tried to force one foot out of the tape as hard as I could. I knew I was short on time already. I just didn't realize exactly how short until I heard the trunk's lock click. No!
As door opened, I was greeted by a bright flash right in my face, and that infernal cackling. "Heeheeheeee! Yup! That's Kyle all right. No mistake about it." I stared up in shock at Zack's impish grin as he looked down over me. "Good job, guys!"
Zack? But... How'd he know? One thought led to another, and for a moment, any rage I had for the guy was replaced by more fear. If he's here, then did the rest...?
"All the miracles and horrors of plastic surgery all rolled into one shitty package. Good thing we got him quickly." He rubbed his hands together. "Don't have all day though. You grab the hands, and I'll grab the- WOAH THERE!"
That nimble monkey bastard got out of the way as I tried to kick him. That gave one of the the big thugs the chance to grab my ankles firmly. "Don't worry, small fry. I got him." I tried to pull back, but the big lug just got a better hold, and pulled me out of the trunk like a sack of potatoes.
As I was fuming over the facts, being dragged over the bare ground, I tried to make out where we were. All I could really see, outside the little dirt trail, were trees, trees and more trees. Back where we came from, I could only see a sharp turn, with no signs of the road between the branches. I couldn't even see the city over the treetops. I'd been out in the woods once in a while, but I had never seen these trails before. How far did these bastards take me?
The trail finally broke into a large clearing. I could see dirt paths in all sorts of various directions. The whole place could have been a maze for all I knew. I was dragged right past a row of various cars parked on the side, about six of them by what I saw. On the other side, there was a set of three ATVs and trailers with them. Someone must have been doing work here at some point. Further in the back of the clearing though, I caught a glimpse of more people, sitting around a large crater in the ground. Goddammit, more of them?
"Heeeyy! We're back," my captor announced. It didn't take long before all of them swarmed around me with either glares of disgust or wicked grins across their faces. There must have been at least twenty of them at least. Up close, I could recognize half of them from the back alley when they beat me up, some of them obviously ready and willing to give me a second helping.
The first one who broke away from the group leered over me with a crooked smile. "Soooooo, you're tonight's entertainment, huh?" He knelt down to my level, and to my surprise, gently cupped my breasts. "You're a little younger than the usual, but you'll do fiiiiiine, baby." It wasn't until his hands started to rub and caress my chest that I recognised that hungry look in his eyes. He wasn't looking for violence, but he was definitively looking for some action!
No way. Fuck! This isn't happening. This seriously isn't happening! I kicked, bucked, and twisted away from the guy, but he was clearly stronger than I was. He pulled me back in his grip, his hand squeezing my breast hard. "Aaawww, don't be that way, babe." He leaned in close enough for me to smell the alcohol on his breath. "It'll hurt a little at first, but you'll learn to enjoy it soon enough."
One of his buddies finally came up to his, and whispered into the pervert's ear. Whatever he said, it changed my aggressor's lustful look in his eyes to one of confusion. His hand let go off my chest, trailed down my body, until he grabbed onto... "MMMMRRRFFGH!!"
"AAAAAACK!" He jerked away in shock, letting go off my balls as quickly as he'd grabbed them. "Holy shit, man! That's a dude!" A roar of laughter echoed all around from the rest of the guys as I squeezed my legs tightly together in pain, thanking God that the molestation had stopped. "That's not fucking funny, guys!" The pervert was already back on his feet, looking pissed as he kicked me square in the stomach. "Fuckin' queer."
My body curled around itself, trying to keep my lunch inside, when I saw a new set of feet walk up to me. My gaze followed up his huge muscled frame, while I grew more and more afraid, peaking as my eyes locked on Josh's furious face. His lips twisted in disgust, his brow furrowed deeply in rage, and his eyes radiated with more anger than I'd ever seen before.
"Hard to tell, isn't it?" His foot swiftly shoved me on my back. "Wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself." He followed by shoving his heel on my chest, and placing his whole body down as he ground his foot in. "We told you to cut it out, Kyle." I bit my tongue and closed my eyes tightly; trying to endure the pain he was drilling in my breast. I could barely breathe under the pressure. "Should have listened when you had the chance, you little piece of shit." As he pulled his foot off, I got to take a long comforting breath in. "Luke, Rick, you two take care of the tarp. Carl, you get the gasoline ready. The rest of you, fill in the pit for a good bonfire." He cracked his knuckles eagerly. "I'll soften the freak up myself." His twisted lips turned into a vicious sadistic smile. "This time, we'll make sure he won't be coming back from this one."
A bonfire? What? They're not going to... Oh God no. It dawned on me that they weren't just going to beat me up this time, they were going to outright kill me. Panic rushing through my veins again, I pushed as hard as I could with my hands and feet, crawling away from the pit quickly, until Josh grabbed the duct tape cocoon around my hands. "Oh no, you're not." I didn't stop pulling away, thrashing left and right in his grip, until I noticed that he wasn't dragging me back in.
"Oh, don't worry." He chuckled as he started to wrap my wrists in a chain knot. "Mutant or not, I doubt you'll be conscious by the time I'm done with you." He pulled on the knot hard enough for the links to dig into my skin, and closed it off with a padlock. I pulled on the chains, but once more, there was no room to maneuver anything, as if the duck tape wasn't enough. The more I tried to shake to chains off, the more Josh looked satisfied with his work. "I'd tell you to hold on tight, freak, but I'm pretty sure you'll follow along nicely." I had a few choice words I only wished I could have screamed. Unhappy with my reaction, his grin turned into a scowl, as he grabbed my head by the hair, and smashed my face down on the rocky ground.
My whole skull rang with pain, but I bitterly knew this was only the beginning. I expected another blow to soon follow, so I covered my head, closed my eyes, and waited for it...
But nothing came.
Not a kick. Not a punch. Not even a pinch or an insult.
I carefully opened one eye, wondering if Josh hasn't been pulled away by his buddies. Instead, I was greeted to the sound of a motor roaring to life. Josh had climbed onto a small ATV, put on his helmet, and was working up the small vehicle. For a moment, I wondered if he'd forgotten about me as I watched him start the ride away, and made his way toward a small dirt path that snaked off into the forest.
Where the hell is he going? I didn't get what he was planning, until I felt a tug on my arms. Looking down, I finally noticed that the chain Josh had used to wrap up my arms followed the dirt path, and ended up hooked on the backside of his ride. No... Way... FUCK! Panicking, I pushed myself away desperately, but it was one tug-o-war I simply didn't have a chance in hell of winning. With something carrying that kind of weight and horsepower, I might as well have been trying to move an elephant.
I only saw Josh's eyes for a second, but the look he gave was enough to send me a cold shiver down my spine. He flipped his visor shut, and gunned the throttle. The wheels peeled out, throwing up a huge cloud of dust that covered everything. I barely had a second to shield my face before the chains dug into my wrists, whipped me forward, and dragged me right behind him. Pain tore through my shoulders so bad that I thought they'd gone out of their sockets. My whole body skidded along the ground so fast that everything went past me as only a blur, and every moment that followed was nothing less than pure, unyielding pain.
As fast as the scenery passed beside me, the ground underneath ripped down my body like a grinder, stones poking out from the dirt punctured my underside from my shoulders to my feet over and over, ripping my skin back, while my arms pulled me forward with more and more intensity. Every puncture raking through felt like it was lit on fire, and the pressure never ended. It was even worse when the small bumps and holes of the road tossed me about in every direction, slamming my body up and down like a sledgehammer before the grinding continued. It all hurt like Hell.
The first turn came in hard, the strong swing tossing me off the road, and into brush, where branches snapped and clawed into my skin, yanking my head back by my hair, while my underside met with bark, roots, and stones the size of bricks. I screamed as one branch pierced through my side, into my skin, and pulled open a large bleeding gash. The pull back on the road almost felt welcome.
It all passed at blinding speed. The blows never stopped coming, and the pain only got worse. When one hill shoved me to the side, there was another one right after, raking through my back, followed with my breast ripped by another sharp rock, before a hole slammed my face to the ground. It didn't help that the cloud of dust kicked up by Josh made it impossible to tell what was coming up next. Everything came up so fast and so hard.
The chains bit into my wrists. I had to find a way out of this, but I couldn't even try to wriggle my hands loose with that knot on. I could feel my fingers going numb from the pressure. I shook my arms hard, trying to pry something loose. Even if the duct tape would have loosened a little, I might have been able to do something from there on.
I was pulling myself up, trying to get a better look at that chain, when I suddenly heard a loud screech ahead of me. For a short moment, the pull on my arm became slack, my body thrown in the air, and I could see Josh taking a sharp turn around a corner as my body kept going straight ahead. I didn't even notice the tree until my back slammed into it, and the most intense pain in my life erupted through my spine as it tore in half with a loud 'SNAP'! I screamed into the tape as hard as I could. OH GOD! All the bruises and scratches were nothing compared to the torn feeling in my back. I could feel my spine broken out of alignment, the fragments digging into my flesh from the inside, and the blood spilling from my back. I thought I was going to die, right there and then.
I didn't even get a moment to wallow in agony. The chain whipped forward again, and dragged me back on the path to resume my torture. I screamed and howled as it twisted my spine further, stretching my body through the ground. Every sensation below the waist was blocked off by an inferno of pain in the middle. STOP! I wanted to scream. STOP, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! STOP! Through the burning pain, I felt the tears running down my face. Please, stooooooooooop.
But he didn't stop. He didn't even bother to slow down. He probably didn't even notice how hard he was running me into the ground.
Another bump into the road tossed me right on my chest, where the rocks clawed in my flesh mercilessly. My shirt finally gave up, ripped open, and left only my bra to protect me from the biting shards. I twisted my body to the left, only to be rewarded with an intense, tearing pain from my spine. My upper body had turned, but my legs hadn't even attempted to push. COME ON! I pushed again, with the same result. I couldn't even feel them. They were just bouncing back there like dead weights. Move. MOVE! But instead of getting an answer, my path hit a sudden hole, and while my arms were pulled upward by the chains, my face got slammed right into the dirt without mercy. My head felt like it had been split open. My vision blurred, and it took a whole minute to even register the dirt all over my face.
As I tried to regain my senses though, I felt a sudden squeeze in my back. There was a sliver of pain as it twisted again, followed by an odd, cooling sensation. What the hell? With little warning, I could feel warmth though my legs again, along with every bruises they'd collected along the way. ACK! Okay, that hurt, but I was never this happy before to be able to wiggle my big toes.
So my body's still healing. Right. Go figure. One more bump, and finally I flipped on my back again, followed with a stone slab lamming on the back of my head. OW! Gh. Damn thing won't help with the pain though. It's not fast enough either. It just means this will last longer. And if it goes on like this, my body will-AAGH! I rolled to the side as I felt my shoulder blade crack under the strain. Ngh. Fucking useless mutant power. If only I had super strength, I'd bust out of this in no time. Or if I could make fire from my hands; or laser eyes; or even if I could just fly, I wouldn't be here! Hell, if I wasn't a freaky mutant, I wouldn't be in this goddamn shit!
While I was cursing, I started to hear something else over the roar of the ATV's motor. It was faint at first, but as we came closer, it wasn't hard to recognise. After all, I'd just been put through hours of that screamingly loud metal music when I was in that trunk. The guitar riffs got louder the closer we got, and it was soon joined in by screams and cheers of the gang.
It was a hard and bitter pill to swallow, enough to turn my stomach inside out, but it really drove in that these guys, these sick bastards, were cheering for all of this. They were cheering for Josh. They were cheering for this torture. They were cheering to see me broken down and burned alive.
And to think I used to call some of those shitheads my friends. I choked off a sob. And now they're going to kill me.
Since we were back at the beginning, I thought the ride would be over, but Josh didn't even slow down as we passed the clearing. One wide turn along the path, and I was looking back at the whole gang shrinking in the distance. I was relieved for a moment, but it didn't last.
It looked like Josh still wasn't done with me yet. I now had to suffer another lap of this infernal torture.
And maybe another after this one.
And another.
And another.
Until that maniac had enough.
No. Please. Stop. I had hit rock bottom. I could only pray for a miracle. Please. Somebody stop him. I didn't care who did it. The police, the rangers, the firemen, or even the Champion! For a moment, just a moment, I dreamt that Racetrack would zoom in-between the trees, burn through that chain, and carry me off in her arms. Where's one of those heroes when you really need one?
Waiting for that miracle to appear, I felt the road pull into its first turn again. I braced myself, and tried to protect my face from the thousands of sharp branches ripping through my flesh, and opening wide bloody holes at every exposed inch. Through the rush though, one thick branch slipped right between my legs, and caught right onto the knot around my ankles. For only a moment, I screamed as hard as I could as the chain pulled on my wrists, and the root held on tight, the two sides just pulling on me until something gave out. My shoulders cracked under the tension, just about to come right out of their sockets, until the duct tape gave out first and ripped apart, launching me back into the road that welcomed me with a thick slab of stone smacking me on the back of the head.
My head rang terribly. I could feel the wet spot behind my head where the blood was spilling, and through all the pain I felt, everything started to go dark and numb. I just wanted to close my eyes, and drift off to sleep...
I knew though, that once I'd lose consciousness, once I'd gone under...
I would never wake up.
Everything would just end.
As I drifted on the edge of consciousness, all the pain and all the fears numbed down to nothing. I was standing at death's door. That last moment where I could look back at my life, just before I'd go to whatever afterlife there was. I didn't have much time to leave anything behind. All I had were the few people close to me.
I'm sorry, dad. I really should have stayed home. I'm sorry we couldn't make things work out. Sorry I couldn't make you proud. Sorry I can't say goodbye.
Abbey, I'm sorry to you too. I won't be able to help you anymore. I'm so sorry I won't be there. You'll have to take care of dad and Gabby on your own now.
Gabby. I'm sorry I can't play with you anymore. I'm sorry I can't watch you grow up. I can't help you along the way. Please be a good girl when I'm gone.
Owen... I should have told you when I had the chance. I wanted to see you again. I really did. If I'd get another chance... You better get to the major leagues one day, buddy. Sorry I couldn't be there with you when it happened.
Lauren. Just thinking about her made it all worse. I wish I could be with you right now. You always made everything better. There's so many things I want to say to you. I won't even get to see your smile again. If only I had more time. I choked down a sob. If only I could see you... One more time...
I wanted to see her again. More than anything in the world, I wanted to see them again. All of them.
I don't want to die. Not now.
Another chance. I just wanted one more chance.
There's still so much I want to do.
A sharp pain in the back of my head flared up as I braced myself. I could feel the ground under me again.
I don't care how...
I closed my eyes, and pulled my arms apart as hard as I could.
I don't want to die.
I didn't get far at first. My hands were still cuffed together. But I pulled again, and again, and again.
I just want to live!
Suddenly, something flickered inside, my efforts paid off, and I felt my arms rip out from my bonds like there was nothing there. I did it? I really did it?
When I opened my eyes though, what I saw took my breath away.
My arms were free all right, but they were both completely black. Not a black man's brown skin, but they were an inky, tar-like black color all over. I looked at them with mixed fear and awe as I flexed my new fingers. What the Hell? ACK!
Another rock slammed into my shoulder, and that's when I noticed I was still moving. My arms were free, but I was still being dragged all over. But I'm free! what's going on? It wasn't until that I looked up that I saw my first set of arms; my real, pink, flesh and bones arms still bound together with the tape and chains. Huh? I looked back down at the black arms, and back to the real ones. How is that even-WHOA!
A bump in the road hit my left side and tossed me over back on my chest. Goddammit. I didn't have time to second-guess what had just happened. I had to stop all this. Cringing through the pain, I grabbed onto the chain with my new black limbs, and started to climb up. It was hard to move forward; the ground kept pushing me back. It was like I was a trout swimming against the upstream current. Every time I reached out further was a chance for something to knock me right back down. But I didn't dare give up. If this was my one chance to get through this, then I'd take it with all I had.
Pulling further and further forward, I cleared the cloud of dirt, and grabbed onto the back railing of the ATV. Josh didn't seem to have noticed me; he was probably focusing on the driving for now. Good. I checked on the chain again, and cursed. Another padlock was holding that end in place.
The ATV suddenly swung hard into that sharp turn again, and I found myself flung hard right against the right spinning tire. I bit my tongue as my legs were pelted with all sorts of pebbles and dirt shot off from the ground. My skin was peeling back, and my legs felt like they were on fire. I was so close. So close. Just ignore the pain. It's nothing. Nothing. I kept telling myself that as I pulled myself over the rails, swung my legs in, and settled onto the back of the ATV. Finally. A moment of relief.
I wasn't out of the woods yet though, in every sense of the phrase. I glanced back at Josh. Still no reaction from him. The roaring motor was probably drowning everything else out. Thanking what little luck I had left, I reached back, and gave the chain another good tug. Of course, the chain was firmly attached. If I wanted to take the damn chain off, I was going to need the keys; and in order to get them, I'd have to take that brute on. I really didn't like those odds. At all.
Clenching my teeth together, I reached over with my two black hands, about to do my first attempt at picking pockets. Just as I slid my fingers in, I heard him go: "Huh? The hell?"
Crap. He definitively noticed me then. I braced myself and quickly tackled against his back, shoving him down on top of his handlebars. I wasn't gonna go down without a fight. I pulled one hand out, and looked at my prize. Dammit. Don't need a wallet. I didn't get a second try before Josh slammed one elbow right into my ribs. "Mmph!"
"Get off, freak!" He pushed himself back up, almost tossing me back on the road. The ATV suddenly swerved, and only my grip on Josh's jacket was keeping me from flying off. He tried to shrug me loose, but I clung on for all I could, pulling myself back on.
As the ATV settled back on the road, I heard the cheers of the gang that was waiting for us. If we stop here, then they'll get me. No doubts. I was so close. I couldn't lose now.
Whatever I was going to do, I only had one shot at it.
I had to get control of this thing from this damned bastard.
I threw myself against Josh's right shoulder, making him swerve again. As the whole thing swung around this time, I wrapped my black arms around his right arm, and let the motion carry me. "GODDAMIT!" Had he been lighter, he would have been thrown right off with me. Instead, he pulled me right by his side as he tried to get the ATV straight again.
"You little piece of shit." His scream died down as he got a good look at me. "What the hell?" For a moment, I could almost see the confused look in his eyes. If I wanted an opening, it was now or never.
The screaming crowd was getting closer and closer. This is it. I grabbed onto the right handle, and pushed the throttle hard. The motor roared with power and shot off down the path. It wasn't long before we got into the clearing, and that's when I pulled on my side of the handlebar. "STOP!" Josh snapped back and tried to wrestle control away from me, but we were already running right into the gathered crowd.
"GANGWAAAAAAYYYYYY!" The gang's cheers quickly changed into panicked screams, as they scrambled out of our way. They would either run out of the way, or get bulldozed by the ATV. I had to hold on to the throttle just a little longer to pass this clearing. After that, I'd only have to worry about Josh again.
But the crowd had hidden a hole in my plan. The hole for the bonfire. The whole group split in two to make a path for us, and before I knew it, the ATV's front wheels were diving right into the fiery pit. For a second, I felt the flames lick my clothes and my skin with intense heat as the fire enveloped us. I thought we were done for.
But our ride didn't give up yet. The motor roared even louder. As soon as the back wheels hit the pile of wood, it shot forward, catching the outside lip of the pit, and launched us both high into the air.
As we reached the top of the leap, I could see where we were going to land: right on top of a bright red car.
There was no stopping it.
There was no softening it.
It wasn't going to end well.
I just closed my eyes, and braced myself for the crash.
The ATV hit with a loud 'CRUNCH', and flipped over, tossing me right off. The world started spinning like crazy, and everything became a spinning blur. I felt the ground slam into me twice, before something slammed against my back with a sickening crack, and I collapsed on my side.
Finally, everything came to a stop.
No more tumbling or tossing around.
No more spinning.
No more dragging across the road.
The world was lying perfectly still.
I still felt all the bruises and cuts all over my skin, my skull was still ringing from all the blows, and my stomach was telling me I was about to throw up.
But now, I felt like I could just lay there and rest. Maybe... Just a little nap. That'd be... really nice about now...
"Holy shit!" I could barely hear the voice over the fading ringing in my ears. "Guys. Over here."
Crap. I forced one eye open. Everything was so blurry, but I could still hear the gang coming. Got off the ride, but it's not over yet.
I brought my hand up to my face. Still black. Still free. Good. Pushing myself up was harder than I thought. My body felt so heavy. I was so tired. I was in so much pain. I felt sick to the point of hurling. My legs were quaking as I got on my knees, and my back was still feeling like fiery hell from that last blow. I wasn't going anywhere fast. Maybe I should just stay down and play dead instead.
But as I pulled myself up on my feet, I started to notice a difference. I had stopped counting the number of bruises a while ago, but I was certain that I was feeling them less and less by the second. The cuts I had numbed down, as if a cool lotion had been poured on them, and the stinging feel of the cold air was disappearing. Now that my body wasn't constantly being battered, my mutation was healing the pain away.
"Oh my God." I looked toward the voice, and pulled my fists up. I didn't care who that blurry shape was, he wasn't going to take me without a fight. Not even with his two friends. Or four... Ten... It was going to be a very short fight.
What the Hell are they waiting for? They clearly had me outnumbered, but they just stayed away, muttering between themselves.
"What's with that freak?" "Did you see anything like that?" "Duuuuude." "You see that?" "Wasn't like that before." "Where's Josh?" "Is he still alive?" "How?" "Bro, whatever you gave me, it's way too strong." "Can we just leave him like that?" "Urk." "You go get him." "Hell no!" "I'm gonna be sick."
The blur started to clear up, and I could finally see the look of awe in their face. Wait. No. Not awe. Fear. It was fear I saw in those eyes.
I took one step forward and half the gang backed away. One more step, and they all jerked back. It was hard to move without falling over on my face, but the reaction was simply priceless. They're scared... Of me? Really? Now? I chocked back a laugh.
I staggered on, watching them stay far away, when suddenly I felt a tug. Huh? I gave a quick jerk, and instantly regreted it when an intense shot of pain tore right through my waist. "MMMMRPH!" My legs buckled, and I caught myself on a nearby tree. I felt my insides lit on fire for a few seconds, followed by that numbing sensation. What was that?
Mixed in-between the shredded remains of my shirt and trapped between my two flesh arms, was a thick branch, about four inches wide, sticking right out of my stomach for about a foot out. That... That doesn't... Look right. The skin around the shaft had turned into the tarry black goo, and although I could feel warm blood spill out underneath the hole, it wasn't long before it too turned black, and tried to climb back in. How did I not feel that? How am I still... Alive?
Okay. Okay. Calm down. Deep breaths. Deep- "GGRKH!" No deep breaths! No deep breaths! Feeling that hole squeeze around the stake wasn't pleasant. It travelled all the way back to that burning spot in my back. It wasn't my spine breaking during the crash. It was that skewer.
"AAAAAAH!"
Luke's shriek pulled everyone's attention back to him as he was scrambling up on top of Rick's back. "Wha-wha-wha-what the fuck is that!"
I couldn't see 'that' at first, but I spotted a little black spot wiggling it's way between the blades of grass, and heading back my way. Then there was a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, and even more. There was a tiny army of black spots bouncing around rocks and grass, all converging on me. Every bit of scraped skin and blood I'd spilled on that trip through hell was coming back. Did I lose that much?
At least I knew what they were.
They, on the other hand, didn't have a clue.
"What are these things?" "Oh my god!" "Is he doing that?" "I saw something like that on TV." "Black magic?" "They're fucking everywhere!" "Duuuuude." "Get away!" "They're like little slugs!" "Girly dude's gonna eat our souls, man!" "What do we do?" "We're so dead, man." "Mutie's finding his powers now." "Fucker won't die either."
"Fu-fu-FUCK THIS SHIT!" A frightened guy turned tail, screaming his head off while running for the cars, followed by his fellow cowards. Others were dragged away from the scene, including the one that was puking his guts out by the bushes. Playing on their fears, I waved one arm around in circles above my head, as if I was calling the bits in. The crowd started to thin out more and more, and the less that stayed there, the less confident the remaining thugs were. Their glares turned to uncertainty, and as the cars' motors started, they too decided it might have been wiser to join them.
That's right. Run from the scaaaaary mutant. Sickos.
The last one stared at me a little longer. Maybe he wasn't convinced of what the others saw. In the end though, he backed away with the rest, before he'd be left behind.
And finally, I was alone.
They're gone. I chuckled. They're really... Gone.
For once in that miserable night, I felt relief wash over me.
Well, relief and dozens of little black blots climbing over my legs and slipping into my skin. I could feel each one push against my skin at first. Where I expected pain, I instead felt a cooling numbness slip inside my veins and disappear. It was a welcome change compared to what I'd just gone through.
My abdomen suddenly squeezed, reminding me I still had something right through me. The bits and pieces I was getting back were pushing to get back in place, and there was a thick piece of wood in the way. My insides were trying to break through the piece of wood, and doing a poor job at it. Bark was stronger than guts. Dammit. Better get this fixed now before it really starts to hurt.
I grabbed hold of the stake with both hands, closed my eyes, held my breath, and I pushed the branch back as hard as I could. "Mmph!" The first shove got it back all the way to the tip. I felt that urge to throw up again. I hadn't felt the wood break its way in the first time, but I felt every inch, every bump rub inside. To my surprise, it wasn't half as painful as I expected. It all blurred with that numb sensation. The healing probably started already. It didn't make the process any less disturbing.
I grabbed the back end, pulled the stake out with a wet 'shlorp', and let myself rest against the tree. There. Come on, power, work your magic. I could feel the hole close down on it's own, like fingers pulling the skin together, weaving between one another, and fade into my skin. It was so weird. I felt the process happen again and again inside of me, sealing up the bloody hole.
Dead. I should be dead right now. I knew I wasn't dead because of my regeneration 'gift'. There was no other way. I knew I should have been thankful, I was, really, but a part of me was simply disturbed by this. How strong is this healing? How bad can it go and keep me alive? Normal people don't get up after this...
As the last of the patch job finished on the inside, I finally peeled the tape off my mouth, and took in a long, deep breath of fresh air. "Aaaahhh. Much better." I winced. My voice was cracking with a wispy tone. Either I had a few splinters still down there or it was changing again. "Gh. Hope that fixes itself soon."
At least, the worst of it was over.
The infernal ride was over, the punks were gone, and I was still alive.
All I had to do now was get back home.
"And before that can happen..." I eyed at the tape cocoon and chain knot. "This has got to go."
Working with my new black arms, I started to peel off the tape. The tape had at least ripped open at a few places. I had to thank those trips through the brush for that. Unfortunately, the tape held up a lot better than my clothes did.
As I worked on unwrapping my hands, my mind came back to the black limbs I'd gained. I wondered where they came from. I was pretty sure these hadn't come out before, and this wasn't part of the regeneration. At least, I thought it wasn't. They were black, the same way as when I lost blood or hair before, but they felt like the real thing. Sure, I was slightly bitter that I was even more of a freak now, but these had just saved my life. How could I not be thankful? "Maybe there's more to me after all."
What worried me though, was my two regular arms. I hadn't moved them since the two new ones came out. I hadn't really thoughts about it, really. Were they going to be dead weight from now on? I just had to test that theory.
But just as my thoughts shifted to my tied up limbs, the black arms suddenly dissolved. Dissolving was the best way I could describe it as they lost their shape, clung to my skin, and seeped right underneath it. Before I knew it, my free arms were vanishing in front of my eyes.
"What? NO!" Without thinking, I tried to catch the goo with my duct taped hands. It only gave the goo a chance to seep in through my forearms instead. "I'm not done yet! I still need those arms! Gah!" I tried to force the new limbs out the same way I did before, pulling my arms apart from each other. "Come on, come on, come ooooonnnn. Just a little more." I pulled, pulled, and pulled some more and got nothing for but the print of the chains in my skin.
"Fuck! Just when you think things are looking up..." At least I still had my regular arms. I eyed the halfway torn cocoon, and let out a sigh. "Not much of a choice." With that in mind, I started to gnaw the tape open.
It was a long process, the tape was very tough, and the adhesive was making things even trickier, not to mention the taste of the whole thing, but in the end, I could finally wriggle my fingers freely.
Now all I had left was the chain. Obviously, teeth weren't going to cut it here, and Josh didn't give me any wriggle room to work with. One quick tug confirmed that I was still attached to something. With a sigh of resignation, I pulled myself back to my feet, and followed the chain back to its source. "Please snap off. Please snap off. Please..."
Following the steel links through a bush, I quickly spotted the ATV, banged up all around, and had finished its crash with four wheels in the air. It wasn't going to roll anytime soon. One quick tug on the chain confirmed my worry. "Yup. Still hooked. So much for an easy getaway."
It wasn't until I got closer that I noticed Josh.
"Oh. My. God."
He was lying on the ground, both legs pinned down under the wreck of his ride. Usually, legs didn't flatten that thin, last I checked. He didn't seem to be moving either, other than the slow rise and fall of his chest. It took me a minute to stop shaking, and check up on him. It wasn't like he could do anything now. "Josh?" He didn't respond. One quick wave of my hand in front of his helmet for a final check. Still no reaction. I finally let out a sigh of relief. "Unconscious." I rolled my eyes. "No wonder. He's lucky to be alive." Looking over him though, I couldn't help but feel the psycho deserved what he got.
There was one thing I did need off him. Rubbing my hands together, I started to dig inside his pocket again. "Good thing you're knocked out or this would be much more awkward. Now let's see what we have in pocket number one."
"Gum? Don't need minty breath. Next pocket."
"Swiss army knife. Could be handy. But no. Next."
"MP3 player. Would be nice at another time. Next."
"A... Rubber." I shuddered. "Fuck no. Next."
"Last pocket. Let's catch ourselves a winner. Nnngh." The pocket inside his jacket was a tricky reach, but I finally pulled the content out. "Aaannnd... A Blackberry. Fancy. Rich guy gets the expensive stuff."
I sighed. "But no key. So either you dropped them out there, or they're in the ignition." I tried to look underneath it, but even if I could have seen it, there was no way to pull it out as is. Pushing against the ATV didn't help any either. That machine was going nowhere.
Groaning, I leaned against the wreck, and began to check back on my situation. "Chained to an ATV, in the middle of nowhere, no one around for god knows how far, and no way to move this hunk of junk." I just shook my head. "What a fine mess..."
I looked at the phone a moment. "I guess... It's you or nothing." I crossed my fingers as I turned it on. "Please get service, please get service, please get... Yes." Only one bar, but it was all I needed.
With all the tension running through my body, I dialled the three digits carefully.
"911. Please state the nature of your emergency"
"Hum..." Great. Smooth thinking. What am I supposed to say? I bit my lower lip, and made up my mind.
"... Hello?"
"Y-yes. Th-there was an accident. S-someone's hurt real bad here."
"Okay, sweetie, we've got help on the way. Can you tell me where you are?"
I looked around, and honestly, I could only reply: "I... Really... I don't know."
Suddenly, with a strike of lightning, a strong downpour started to fall.
[Updated on: Sat, 13 August 2011 11:43]
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