“Noooo,” the girl next to me whines as I slide out of bed. I look back at the mess of semi-curly hair that hides Belle’s pout.

“I have to get some food in before my workout time starts.” Though five a.m. is a hard wake-up, it’s better than the hellish workout routine that Marcella has me on with no calories to spare.

“Are you coming back for lunch and dinner?” She asks, pulling my pillow close and snuggling that instead.

“Marcella wants lunch in the cantina today, but I don’t think she’d schedule me away from dinner. She likes the idea of family dinners.” I think all three of us do. The odd thing about it is that Belle is the mother figure while Marcella and I bicker like sisters. “You’ll text me if you need me to pick something up from the Cantina?”

She mumbles something that sounds like yes and I chuckle as the mess of hair wiggles. I grab workout clothes from our dresser and change into what is basically the Warram gym uniform before grabbing some juice out of the fridge and tossing it into the bag that Belle encourages me to prepare the night before. After three months of this routine, it’s nearly automatic. Somehow, Belle still protests when I get up early, but we’ve only been snuggling at night for a month or so. Then again, I usually try to zonk out after our evening movies, but Belle convinces me to brush my teeth and wash my face ‘like a normal human’.

It took me those first months to realize that the little things she was doing, like my laundry and setting out my clothes for the next day weren’t just the things she did to help with her job—though the massages are amazing. I was so ready for her to start asking for things back, as recompense for her service, but she never did. Eventually, I started to want to do nice things for her too. That’s when I stopped resisting Belle’s emotions.

Now there’s a lot more cuddling and casual touching and it’s been really comfortable. Marcella calls us out on how cute we are and teases me all the time by calling Bell my ‘little wifey’. I blush furiously—of course—but mostly because I’m afraid to like her more than I do, and we’ve only kissed a few times. Sheesh!

My morning routine took a few evolutions as determining how much I could tolerate eating before a workout changed every few weeks as the healthier I got, the more I could cope with eating and exertion. I now take a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese from the Cantina before heading to the gym. I warm up on an elliptical with the arm things for twenty minutes before hitting High Intensity Interval Training workouts that I’m given every week. It started as just going through the machines that worked the muscle group focuses for the day, but again, after I started getting healthier, Marcella seemed to up the difficulty tenfold.

After that, I hit the Cantina to start my calorie mandate for the day—I’m up to 3k right now. Some studying and strategic game playing on my phone comes after that to let my mess of a belly settle while still being productive. Then comes an hour of muscle group appropriate cardio and today it was my choice of an arm bike or a boxing routine. I picked the boxing routine because the arm bike makes my legs all jittery and need to move.

Before and after Lunch, I study more, usually a mix before lunch and just studying after. Midafternoon, I dress back in gym clothes and get two hours of martial tradition training. Marcella calls it that because there is very little beauty in Systema, and with her ‘mongrel mash’ with Krav Maga, it’s an ugly but effective tradition. The last half hour before dinner, she ‘allows’ me to self-study kickboxing so that if I want sparring time I can have some that doesn’t include hobbling my opponents.

“Every morning I’m surprised that you make it to work on time. I expected the little wifey to make you late at least once.”

I roll my eyes. “We’re not doing anything like that, Marcella. Shouldn’t you be focused more on your own love life?” She flicks an almond at my face.

“Hey, I have my eye on someone, but she is currently working in Reno. So, nyah!” How very adult of you, oh mentor of mine. “Let me see your gainz book.” She makes a motion with her hand.

I search through my back, put the notebook in her hand and start my workout. Before I get to my next grouping exercises, she hijacks my attention at the refreshment table.

“Your legs are progressing far faster than your arms, but even your legs are slower than the projections that I’m aiming for. We need to see the Doc again and see if we can up your hormone therapy or if there are other alternatives.”

“I know you mentioned that before, but what is it going to do to me?” I’d admit that it would make me nervous, but if she’s not going to hurt me, I guess it’s okay.

“Same as it has been since we’ve last seen Doc, It’ll try squeeze the last few inches from your growth plates and allow you to build muscle faster. Side affects, some of which are already apparent, include mood changes some of your feminine features might not develop as fast, etc. Other than that, I’m not really sure. The doc will better available to talk about what happens when we increase your dose.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“He’s going to accept seeing me again?” I’m absolutely floored. He said that if I never saw him again it would be too soon.

“I had to promise that I would find someone else to look after you. I have a prospect, but I still have to get everyone else to agree.” Her tone is tight and her expression reserved. Does she have history with the new doctor or is she being . . . no, Marcella is never secretive for no reason.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll behave. Please, please, have the next person be a female nurse or something. That dude gives me the creeps.”

“Kimber, every guy gives you the creeps. Well, maybe Marcus and your sparring partner Jason don’t.” Belle adds with a smile as she stirs something that’s starting to smell good.

“Well, yeah. Marcus may have had a hand in trying to kill me, but his motivations are clear. Jason, well, I think Jason may like me in a way that I’m not comfortable with, but his actions are straightforward, and if he ever brings it up, I have the ‘super gay’ card ready to go.”

“Well, how do you know that if you met a pretty guy . . .” Belle drifts off. Holy moly, is she really worried about my attentions drifting.

“Belle. I’ve been abused by boys and girls. I keep making excuses that it’s not all girls. I demonize the boys. That’s an instinctual hint if I’ve ever heard one. Plus, girls have boobs and butts. Fifty percent more curvy parts is a plus in my book.”

“You’re insufferable!” Belle scoffs, but Marcella offers a fist for me to bump, which of course I do.

I smile broadly, satisfied at her adorable outrage, but knowing that I have an apology to give for scandalizing her. I slide up behind her and kiss her ear. “I’m sorry to scandalize you, but girls feel nice. And I think I have a favorite.”

I think my line is super smooth, but all it gets me is a whack on the arm with a wooden spoon.

“You are not allowed to be sexy while I’m cooking! Go sit!” The effect of her words is severely diminished with the strawberry tone of her skin. Gods, she’s adorable. Instead of patting her bottom, I sit down dutifully and ask my mentor about important topics.

“Sis, I’ve been scamming a juice and Cantina takeaway before my morning workouts. Is there a better way? ‘cause I can’t do a full calorie download from the terminal before my gym time.”

“Nah, you’re fine. You’ve ordered fewer clothes and pampered Belle much less than I predicted, so you’re safe. However, I expect with the meds we’re picking up tomorrow, your habits will change a bit. Keep in mind that I am placing a lot of trust in you, and that your progress keeps my pockets open. That said, a month into therapy I’m adjusting your schedule again to get you to an optimal regiment with your new testosterone quotient.”

“Will I get mannish?” I ask, not serious.

“No more than you’re already becoming. You should be looking at more rapid muscle growth, an estrogen reduction that leads to irregular periods and some puberty growth changes, but by and large I’m hoping this leads to a permanent body change of stature and muscle retention after your System Initialization.”

“Wait, what governs what an initialization crystalizes?”

“Intent and training mostly. You show your commitment to being taller and more muscular, then that is the best hope we have.”

“Hope and faith are not realistic assurances, Marcella.”

“I just want to prep you for when Jack tells you that you need to believe in the treatment. He doesn’t need more reasons to be pissed off at you.”

Ugh, I sigh and jam some more mashed potatoes in my mouth. “Guy gives me the creeps. Think if I ask for a study or a paper that reflects that hope causes better results that he’d do it?”

“If I promise him that it’ll mean you’ll be cooperative and silent, he’d send us a medical journal on the topic.” She’s pointing a serrated knife in my direction, waiting for a response.

I hate chew some vegetable before nodding. “Yah, fine, but he doesn’t touch me unless he explains it first.”

“Gods, Kimber. I need to talk to the boss about Danielle ASAP.” She rubs her face before taking another bite of meat. “If I get a lady doctor on location, you’re going to owe me. Not a whole favor, of course, but I might ask you to pick up a trade skill for me, you’ll want to pick up two until you hit level four anyway—quickest way to get there without combat.”

“I’ll admit, I too would prefer to not see Dr. Renfroe again.” Belle says from the kitchen.

“Wait,” I look down at my meal and back at Belle. “What the heck are you cooking?”

She snorts in laughter. “Marcella convinced me to practice my desserts, so I’m melting chocolate and making a strawberry sauce to go over the cheesecake . . . or other fun things.”

It takes me a second to get the inuendo, but I start stuttering and coughing up the food I tried to breath when I gasped at her lewd thoughts. My mentor is also coughing. My thoughts wrap back to what she actually said, and the imagery of licking chocolate off of Belle doesn’t sound so bad. Well, until she would try to reciprocate and a trauma flash would hit me and I would start screaming. Things I don’t want to subject my adorable roomie to.

“I did not expect that from the mousey one.” Marcella adds, sipping water to cool her throat from the hacking coughs. “Think I’ll pick the cheesecake though.”

“Don’t be gross, sis. And Belle, we are going to have to talk about that, yeah?”

She sighs, “Yes. I’m scared of what you’ll say, but okay. Should I start crying now? Or . . “

“No! Why would you be crying? I’m just not ready to sex. I have some trauma and Jamie played into it.” I play with my potatoes a little before continuing. “I guess that’s mostly it. I kinda flip out and get violent if it’s overwhelming.”

“Oof, kid. That’s tragic. At least you’re young and have time to work through it, I guess.”

I watch Belle do a few more things in the kitchen before she comes over and sits in front of her plate. She scootches over immediately so that our legs are touching while she eats. It’s been a thing lately and I can’t say that I mind, and before long I’m thumbing circles on her leg. I’m not sure whether I started doing it to calm her down or calm myself down, but it seems to be doing both.