As the curtains of night fell over Eastford, Jered walked past Jasmine's room. It was locked, according to his instructions; the key was in his pocket. She couldn't help the pangs of cannibalistic hunger, therefore it was way safer for her to avoid interacting with another human. He worked out a lie for their mother, lest she unwisely approached Jasmine. He didn't know if she could hold herself back when facing Jane.

With a sigh, he paddled back and stared at Jasmine's room. He knocked softly on her door, "Jasmine... how are you?"

"Jered..."

Her voice sounded so strained, so defeated. It was as if she had lost her colors. There was no cheerfulness in her behavior, no playfulness in her tone, no mischievousness in her actions. She was a broken doll, or close to becoming one. The strings that had been holding her up were cut, and now she couldn't find the effort to get back up. Jered tried to get in contact with Rainey, but the elderly woman had been oddly quiet.

He was on his own. No. They were on their own.

"Hang in there, sis... I'll be back soon."

A sniff rang out, then the heart-wrenching sobs. He could picture her, curled up against the door, crying.

"Jered... I'm scared..."

He couldn't empathize with her. Knowing you had become a monster, and still feel human emotions. Jered couldn't fathom how bad she was feeling. Truthfully, between the two of them, he was the real monster. He had readily embraced who he was, "I know... I know you are. I promise I'll find a way. So, please, stay here. Don't let it get the best out of you."

"..."

He laid a hand on the door, as if to transmit some warmth to her. It was just a whimsical action, really, "Look. I won't be gone for long, so wait for me," while he had promised Kenny he'd sleep over, Jasmine's condition was too harsh to be left alone. Rainey wasn't answering either. At that point, anything could happen. He couldn't afford to neglect such an unstable Jasmine.

"..."

With a parting sigh, Jered strode downstairs. His mother was in the living room, slouched on the sofa. She looked at him, a frown of concern marring her face, "How is she?"

"She's fine... she just needs some rest," he said with practiced ease, "She wouldn't let me enter either. Just leave her alone for now. She'll feel better tomorrow."

Jane ran a hand through her hair, "Maybe we should contact our family doctor?" she offered.

"It's too late for that. It doesn't seem to be serious, so don't worry too much. If her condition gets worse, I'll take her to the hospital."

"Umh... ok..."

"Mom, you're tired. You should go to sleep. I'll be back in a couple of hours anyway," he smiled, offering her a hand.

She took his hand, and smiled back—though it didn't last long on her face, "Fine, fine..." she turned off the TV and got up, "Be careful out there. They still don't know who murdered those three guys in your school. I'd rather you stay here, to be honest. But that doesn't look negotiable."

Jered hugged her, "You're a worrywart. Nothing will happen."

Jane pouted, "You don't know that. Don't make me worry."

"I'm always careful."

"Hmm..."

She planted a kiss on his forehead, "Goodnight, sweetie. Don't come back too late."

"Goodnight, mom."

----------------------------------------

Kenny gushed about his appearance for the better half of an hour, while still managing to shoehorn two showers in-between. A touch of make-up, a swipe of glossy chapstick, and a sprinkle of perfume. So far so good. His long, ebony-black hair tumbled down his shoulders and back in soft swirls. Honestly, he couldn't be prouder of it. His transformation was proceeding smoothly, and he looked forward to the final result. His skin was a healthy white, supple, hairless, and unblemished.

The problem was that he didn't know what to wear.

He didn't want to be too obvious, but he also wanted to be seen as a woman. Since it was a sleep-over, cute pajamas were a priority. Guys liked girls in pajamas, right? Fortunately, he had the foresight to buy them a few months ago. Kenny skipped towards his wardrobe, and drew out a nylon lace black camisole, and black shorts. He smiled. They felt so nice to the touch! He brought them up to his nose, and took a deep whiff. The smell was great too. Kenny untoweled himself, and slipped inside the camisole. It draped past his navel, barely covering his modesty.

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Then he tugged the shorts up.

"Oh no..."

While his penis was very small, the thin fabric of the shorts still outlined the slight bulge. He needed to do something about it. Kenny fumbled around his drawer, until he found a roll of tape. He stared at it for a few seconds, wondering if it would work. Of course, for Jered, he'd do anything to make him view him as a woman. Therefore, he uncoiled a bountiful piece of adhesive, and tore it off with his teeth. With one hand, he tucked his genitals between his thighs, making them seem as inconspicuous as possible. With the other, he stuck the tape over his shaft and the underside of his butt.

It was extremely uncomfortable, but when he finally pulled his shorts up, it really looked like he didn't have a penis.

However, to Kenny, who wanted to look his best, it was still not enough.

He rummaged around his wardrobe before retrieving his prized knee-high socks. This one was black too, with white stripes. They clung to his legs like a second layer of skin, enhancing their shape, and drawing more attention to his bare thighs. Kenny posed in front of the mirror, whipping his hair around, and sticking his butt out. His body was feminine, charming, and curvy. He just hoped his glow-up wouldn't go unnoticed.

As a last touch, he polished his nails too.

Yes, Kenny felt like he was way better looking than those brainless bitches at school. He smiled at his reflection, biting his bottom lip, and practicing his best sultry look. He had always been attracted to Jered—ever since he met him. Of course, Kenny knew that pursuing that kind of love was silly. But what was he supposed to do? Friends were a commodity, and who wanted to be friends with the weird kid? His father had barely been there to make sure he was okay, and only if he wasn't dressed as a girl. If Kenny as much as wore high heels, skirts, or bras, Liam would treat him just like any other guy at school.

Jered was a bit different in that regard. He wasn't surprised or disgusted by Kenny's choices. He always treated him the same. He treated everyone the same. It never changed, and probably never will. It was exactly that difference that made his heart melt. It further solidified his conviction when they ended up killing their classmates. Kenny had been sick for a few days, but the thought of Jered helped him get over it.

And now he felt a tug of obsession towards his friend, something toxic that couldn't live without being fed the attention it wanted. He just wanted Jered to slightly change the way he saw him, and take him, slam him against the wall, and conquer him. He wanted him to do questionable things to his body, and pound him until he a sweaty mess of arousal.

Well, fuck. Kenny blushed, feeling a growing pressure on the tape on his crotch.

Maybe he should masturbate before Jered's arrival? Just so he could stay calm and sober when he eventually came over. Kenny bit his bottom lip, taking a quick look at the clock. Ah, to hell with it! He burst into the bathroom, locked it, and pulled his shorts and panties down. He unrolled the tape, and his cock sprung to life. Even when hard, it was barely bigger than an adult's thumb. Thanks to his hormone therapy, he had developed erectile dysfunction. However, when his thoughts involved Jered, he was quick to get excited.

His hand easily folded around his tiny erection, and he began to rub away. Needless to say, his mind floated around the image of Jered.

A bit too soon, a bubbling tension settled on his stomach. His hand accelerated, and right when the throes of ecstasy were buckling his knees, someone rang the doorbell, "Oh no!" bad timing. Extremely bad timing. Kenny clumsily pulled his underwear up, along with the tape, and washed his hands. The doorbell rang again, sounding impatient. Once done, he ran downstairs and swung the entrance door open.

"H-Hey! Here you are! Hehehe," Kenny held his ragged breathing back, though no amount of foundation could cover his blushing cheeks, or his dilated eyes. Jered tilted his head, his nose curling up slightly.

"You smell funny."

"..."

"Your father's car is not here. Is he and Isabelle out?"

"Ah, yes. It's their anniversary. They went to a restaurant, and will be most likely spending the entire night out. Which means it's just you and me!" Kenny chirped excitedly, "Ohh, you didn't bring spare clothes with you?"

Jered waved him off, "No need. I won't be sleeping here. There is an urgent problem at home, so I'll have to go back in a few hours."

"Oh, really?" Kenny sighed, visibly disappointed at the lost opportunity of advancing his relationship with Jered.

"Yes, but it's okay... I'm here mostly to deal with that problem we talked about."

"Hmmm..."

"What's wrong?" Jered frowned.

"Nothing, hehe. Come inside."

He didn't even notice how he had dolled himself up for him. Kenny was confident he could get a reaction out of his friend, but the underlying problem seemed to be evident. For as long as he had a penis, Jered would never see him as a woman. His face darkened, but he still put on a smile. He led his friend upstairs and into his room, "I even moved a spare mattress next to mine... hehe, it's sad that you can't sleep here."

"I'll make it up for you another way, another day. As a matter of fact, I'll help you get rid of your biggest problem right now," Jered inspected his friend's room, looking for clues. Then again, ghost hunting was not something that he majored in. But he did manage to wring a few details out of Rainey, plus, he had the 'Soul Eater' spell. He was confident, "Kenny, I need you to do me a favor. We need to draw him out. Your parents are not home... it's just you and me. It's the perfect situation for him to appear."

"Y-You must be kidding..."

"Why would I? We killed him once, we can do it again."

"But... but..."

Jered got closer to him, narrowing his eyes, "But what?"

"N-Nothing," Kenny cursed his inner horniness for acting up whenever Jered was nearby. He took a deep breath, "W-What do I have to do?"

"It's simple, turn every light off. We have to do this in complete darkness."