7ilZZua.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/7ilZZua.jpg]

Chapter 41 – I Cast Magic Missy at the Darkness

My mom came lumbering from the bedroom and Lea politely introduced herself in much the same way as she’d done with my dad before reiterating her request.

Mom’s accusing eyes brought their full weight on me, before proclaiming, “I don’t think that’s appropriate. I don’t want you to burden my daughter with whatever nonsense is going on with your family.”

She scrutinized Lea’s soft face under that dense plume of dark hair. It had ebbed in length, back to where it had been when I first ran into her this evening. I could tell mom was trying to judge her ethnicity and worth. Maybe she also recognized something of Wes in her face. I hoped not.

Lea bowed to mom and relayed, “No burden at all. In fact, I was going to do my best to help Kenzie with something she was confounded with during class. I just need a breather and helping Kenzie and keeping my mind off stress would be wonderful…and an honor. I promise not to cause any trouble.”

Mom’s expression wavered. I wished I had even a touch of Lea’s energy.

Her last effort on Lea was, “There’s something wrong with Kenzie. She shouldn’t be around others right now. The doctors are idiots, but something is up. Make sure you know that and you keep your distance.”

She nodded eagerly and promised, with a hand to her chest, “I’ve been right beside her for a while and I haven’t noticed anything, but I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

That inspired an even sterner, skeptical expression from mom, but she sighed and begrudgingly agreed. Since there wasn’t enough space in the living room for the two of us to sit comfortably apart from one another, I suggested the front den.

Mom’s attention turned to Wheel of Fortune, which allowed us to head to the other room quietly. I plopped on the couch first and Lea settled down with her jeans pressed against mine.

With a cheery smile, she wrapped her arms around me and placed her head back where it had been for our walk together. Softly, she murmured, “So much better.”

I watched the opening to the hallway, nervous that dad would pop out at any moment for his first check-in. I pulled out my English textbook and placed it over our legs as an explanation for why we were so close.

It was only then, idly, that Lea realized, “Oh…I actually don’t have any of my…scholastic accoutrements …heh…”

As a remedy, I pulled out my spare notebook and some other things until we were covered in class stuff.

Flipping through, Lea commented with a grinning giggle, “I love your little doodles. I mean I’ve sorta seen them before but never really looked at them…” I couldn’t hold back a blush about that. I had some days when I doodled all the time. Typically, it was banal stuff like a series of tic-tac-toe games I tried (and failed) to lose. Then marking off class time with complex geometric shapes formed by a line for each minute passed. A visualization of my time alive scratched away.

But Lea wasn’t focused on those. She was looking at Fred.

DQIQBvt.png [https://i.imgur.com/DQIQBvt.png]

Fred (my best attempt at MS Paint art)

Fred had been a couple different things. First, he was a frog. Then, a rock. Then, some sort of computer. Whatever I could draw which looked reasonably not-awful. Ultimately, I settled on making him a puffball alien critter with a pair of stalk bug eyes and no arms. His legs were the simplest of Ls at the bottom of his puff body.

Typically, I tried to destroy him in a variety of (what I thought were) silly ways. Like by a rocket Gaudy Goose (who did not look like a goose) launched to escape Fred’s planet and conquer the universe. It immediately went off-course and, like Wile E. Coyote…Fred had a moment of realization before he was crushed by it.

He would have a quip at the end regarding missing various organs. Or maybe there would be a joke that at least he still had three hearts left after losing two and then something else would fall on him and, after a beat, he’d say, “Oh, Gallifrey…still got two”.

Lea laughed at ones which had long ago lost their humor for me. The flatulent spider invasion left her unable to breathe. I smiled beside her. Still not that funny, but I was glad she enjoyed it. She even took a pen and made her own version of Fred with his fur coifed nicely and more expression showing on his simple eye stalks than I’d ever bothered to give him. She’d rendered my character better than I had in countless attempts.

Eventually, dad did stop by to check on us. I heard his footsteps scraping in our direction, and we had enough time to prepare ourselves on opposite ends of the couch. He looked in and stared between the two of us.

“You girls need anything?”

I assured him we were fine.

“What about a snack? I think there are some apples. And some leftover stew. Lea?”

Lea offered the same assurance, but she invited, “Although, if you have some water, that would be nice.”

My dad went off and returned with a water bottle from the fridge. Lea thanked him politely. He asked again if there was anything else. I smiled carefully and pronounced, “I think we’re set. Back to work.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He nodded at that, cleared his throat, and returned to the other room. Lea nearly leapt back to my side and quietly noted, “This is much more refreshing.” I shivered a moment, despite her warmth against me.

She was warm enough she eventually slipped off her bulky sweater and set it beside her. Her arms felt even smaller once exposed. She wore a gray-and-blue checkered, short-sleeved flannel top that only buttoned at the collar.

It fanned out with her hips and still looked a size too large for her slight frame. Her breasts were obvious and impossible to imagine away as an incidental ruffle. Her breasts. My responsibility.

I took a deep breath as she sipped her water. I had to ask her, “Are you okay?”

She finished drinking and raised her eyebrows. “Sure. Why do you ask?”

Now my turn to raise my eyebrows. I stopped short of gesturing at her chest or any other changed part of her body. I simply answered, “Obvious reasons.”

“Right.” She giggled to herself and crossed her legs. “I’m fine. More than that, I feel great. Especially right here and now, beside you. I feel absolutely…exuberant, but I don’t want to go making your parents suspicious…”

A smile that went on too long could make them suspicious. And Lea had plenty of smiles. I was glad for that, but this was the same person who lost the will to live when I focused whatever I had on her…him the first time.

I wanted to ask him more questions, but I also didn’t want to be caught. He peeked over to the next page of the textbook. Deep breath.

After a swallow, I asked him, “You remember everything, right? Everything from before all this?” Vague enough. I could be asking him about the previous unit.

He nodded and asked if it was okay to turn the page. I wasn’t even paying attention to it anymore.

His words came out wistfully but enthusiastically, “I remember everything. Not eidetically but clearly. All the stuff before. I remember class. I remember life. I remember you. I remember how I felt years and years ago and days ago too. The days ago are the morose patches, but I feel I’m through them now. I don’t feel as sad as I did. I feel optimistic. I feel like...if I’m here…then everything will be okay.”

More careful phrasing in case a parent was in earshot, “You’re really fine with…what’s different now?”

He set his hands in his lap. “Well…with what we talked about…I’m flummoxed about what happens now. It’s scary, but I can just do my best to adapt. I expect class to be crazy. Family things will be crazy too. I can’t even imagine. But I just gotta take it one thing at a time.”

I shut my eyes for a long moment and sniffled quietly. Lea rubbed my shoulder and said, “You feel guilty. Please don’t. I’m fine. Everything is fine. It’ll be okay…”

He…nah…she felt more right….she was comforting me and it was crazy, because I thought for sure she would be the one needing comfort. For the moment, I accepted that comfort.

With a little chuckle, she told me, “It’s weird…I have some brothers and a handful of sisters, all older than me, and barely around anymore. But I feel like I have a new big sister. I love you…”

Her arms wrapped snuggly but not crushingly around me. With whispers, she mused, “I can feel my heart soar from imagining…if I could sleep over tonight. Share the same bed. Fall asleep with you holding me. But, before that, spend way too much time in the bathroom. Talk and just be together. I want that…forever and ever. And that warmth. I feel just the edge of it now, but you enveloped me with it to protect me from that rat thing. I want to feel it closer, stronger. Please…”

I felt overwhelmed by her fervent words. Sleeping over? My parents would never agree. At best, she’d have to crash on this couch. I shared a bed with my parents when I was young, but I otherwise always slept alone. However, I often made a presence of junk and clothes on the other side. Something there. I wouldn’t mind clearing it off and having another person next to me.

All those other thoughts felt nice too. A sister. My mind didn’t even touch the fact that I thought I’d loved Wes for a time. But that felt so very long ago and was a love so different than this.

My mind set off all the warnings, but I ignored them. I focused on Lea. I focused like before. It was challenging though, because I was beginning to feel the crush of the long day upon me. I was sleepy, my eyes drooping and achy. But I pushed with all the feeling I could. I crafted the sense of a laser beam aimed right at her.

And she responded. She took a deep breath and relaxed even deeper next to me. At the same time, she felt so warm and so soft. I watched as her hair trickled out past her shoulder again. I watched her features shift slightly as though kneaded by invisible hands. Her nose slimmed along the edges. Her cheeks gained a little fullness. Her breasts remained the same. But I noticed her bottom lip gained a subtle fold, similar to mine.

Thinking of the copies of me filling math class earlier, my focus waned. She leaned closer to me, as though trying to catch the last, intangible drops. With a long, slow breath, she said, “That felt like the most comforting hug I’ve ever had but everywhere at once. Thank you so much…”

KiYDZ9u.png [https://i.imgur.com/KiYDZ9u.png]

Art by Alexis Rillera/Anirhapsodist