I find myself hesitating in front of the door to Matt’s apartment. Despite how comfortable I’ve felt with all the changes to my body, this is the first time someone I know will have the chance to judge me. He feels like a younger brother to me, and I’m not sure if that should be making it easier, or maybe the reason I’m having trouble in the first place.

I raise my hand to knock and let it drift down several times before I work up the courage to knock. After the sound of some things being moved around on the other side of the door, it opens.

As soon as Matt sees me his eyes open wide in shock, his mouth dropping briefly open into a surprised ‘O’. Uh… Ummm… yea, uh, shit.” He stammers before blurting as fast as he can, “Can I help you?!”

I don’t really want to have this chat out in the corridor and I’m already freaking out as it is. “You could let me in… soooo we can talk?”

He gapes at me for a moment before starting in surprise realizing he needed to move. He backs out of the doorway and I follow him in.

Never actually been here before, I start looking around as I make my way to a couch visible from the door. I knew he had some random anime paraphernalia, but holy shit. There were figurines everywhere. I spot one that looks a LOT like me and pick it up. Unbeknownst to me my tail makes a question mark shape behind me as I cock my head at Matt.

He lets out a strangled groan, and I just laugh. “Matt calm down, it’s me… hmmm, but who is ‘me’ now really? Definitely not… him…” I realize that I have somehow not considered my name in any real sense.

Matt is still trying to recover from his shock. Trying to speak, but his mouth just opens and closes like he’s stuck in a never ending boot loop. After a minute he says “Yea, I don’t think Dave’s gonna work anymore.”

I wince thinking about my former self, a complex and unquantifiable mixture of emotions swirling through my head. Everything from yesterday, the knowledge of what lay in the back of my head for so long denied, and even the feeling of loss at my former sense of complacency. I snap myself back to the now and think for a moment.

“Call me Maya, Yea, that works.” I say with a bright smile. Matt’s brain looks like it’s melting down.

A few minutes later Matt has calmed down and we’re sitting on his couch while I answer questions about yesterday. I painfully avoid my episode, glossing that part over just saying, ‘emotions happened,’ in place of what really happened.

“Wow…” Is all he can manage after I finish. After a moment he follows with “What are you going to do now then?”

I really wish I could say that I stopped myself from cringing, but that sort of is a lot of what’s worrying me at the moment.

“I really don’t know… How the hell do you just start over with nothing? I mean, my identity is gone, I’m not even legal at the moment. It’s not like I can fire up my old resume and get a new job either. So what DO I do? Go get a job flipping burgers again? Try to figure out how to go back to college or something… GAHHH” I can’t help but vent a little. I just feel so damn lost.

Matt laughs a little and when I look in his direction he stops like a kid caught doing what they had JUST been told not to do. “Sorry, that little growl at the end… I know you’re mad, but it was adorable.”

Huh. What… I know I’m cute. I have seen myself in the mirror and acknowledge this. It is however entirely different to be called adorable by someone else. My heart gets all fluttery and I feel a blush on my cheeks. It’s nothing sexual, just a genuinely nice feeling.

“O - Oh.” I’ll admit. I’m a little flustered. As a guy I was really only complimented on my work or something like that. It’s just that, I mostly didn’t care about my work. Not in that sense anyways. Getting compliments is just really outside of the norm for me, and I just don’t know how to react.

“So, do you have any powers?” He asks with clear enthusiasm, changing the subject.

“None that I know of, I mean nothing crazy has happened… well, you know… other than pretty much everything…”

“I want to try something.” He says his hand dipping behind the edge of the couch.

Before I know what’s happening something large is flying directly at my face. Just after I know what’s happening, that large something is hitting my face. It bounces off with a soft ‘bomf’ noise.

I just sit there motionless, eyes wide, tail straight up and puffed out, ears twisted towards either side of my head for a moment. Yup… That’s Matt alright. I’m trying not to be too mad, but I’m sure I look like I’m pouting. I look down at the large cat plushie in my lap and I want to hug it. As a guy, no way would I have. Now though, to hell with it, it’s adorable and I’m hugging it. Oh my… That’s very different.

Matt bursts into laughter while trying to splutter out an apology. “Oh my god… I wish I could have had that as a picture, HAHAHA, so fucking cute.”

My face goes scarlett, but I’m still pouting, trying not to acknowledge him.

“Okay,” He says, finally mastering himself out of his fit of laughter, “sorry again. I just thought if you had a power of some sort you might do it instinctually, like if you sensed a threat or something.” I just sigh in response. “Let’s see if you have super strength or something!”

A few minutes later we have determined that I don’t have ‘super’ strength per se. I am however very strong. Like, I can’t lift a car, but I probably wouldn’t have much trouble carrying a refrigerator up a flight of stairs. Well, were it not like many times larger than me and cumbersome as hell.

We suspect I’m probably now a really fast runner, and we think at the very least, I can dunk. When testing, I almost clocked my head on the ceiling without really trying to hard. We tried to see if I could do anything else, but that seemed to be about it.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

After that I mentioned the issue with my tail and most clothes not being a good match. That’s when I learned that Matt was into cosplay. Apparently he did it with a group and he had learned a lot from other members. He seemed confident he could alter what I had. He said something about stretchy fabrics being a pain, but took the bags of clothing and other paraphernalia I’d left by the door and socked them away into one of the other rooms of the apartment.

It turned out his apartment was pretty spacious. It was a 3 bedroom where he’d used the other rooms for alternative purposes. One room he used as his office. I use the word ‘office’ lightly. It was more of a gaming den.

The other was his ‘hobby’ room. A table with a bunch of cosplay related stuff and assorted piles of other things that I didn’t take the time to investigate.

A while later we are back on the couch. Matt had just ordered us a late lunch as I was starting to fret about my future again.

“Look, I meant what I said on the chat. You’re the only one who’s made my life any easier at work. I will help you get on your feet again. You can stay as long as you need. It’s like you always tell me, don’t get ahead of yourself. One step at a time.”

“You’re right. Thanks a ton Matt.”

“Hey, how about some games after food to take your mind off it?”

“Sounds good.” Honestly, I’m not really in the mood, but I realize it is a pretty good idea.

Hours later Matt’s setup an air mattress in the ‘hobby’ room. Apparently he has friends stay over like this relatively often. I never would have guessed. He doesn’t seem that outgoing at work, but I guess everyone has things going on behind the curtains. At this point I can hardly claim to be different in that respect.

I take another shower before bed, this morning's a distant memory. This time I do have a hair dryer available. Still time consuming to get my hair and tail sorted. At least this time I have a brush. It takes forever, but I get my hair looking all shiny and nice. I’m not sure if this was a waste right before bed but it had to happen at some point, and I didn’t want it to get worse. I slip on the sweats and a hoodie from my bag of clothes. Being less concerned with how these looked we’d just snipped a hole for my tail in these.

Soon after I found myself cozy on the air mattress curled up in a ball. It might be the most comfortable I’ve ever been.

The next morning I had zero interest in getting up. I resisted morning with every ounce of my will. Wanting to stay in my happy little ball underneath the blankets forever.

I finally got out of bed a little after 11 am, blinking sleep from my dazed eyes. Wandering out to find an empty apartment, I see a note on the table. Apparently Matt had called in sick yesterday trying to avoid going out after the second wave of the Emergence. Now they’ve called him in on a Saturday to make up the hours. I don’t know why he let’s them walk all over him. I’d have told them to shove it. I had my sick time and I’d use it. Well, did… used to.

I snoop around his cupboards for a few minutes and find a granola bar that I figure will work just fine for breakfast. After that I decide I kind of want to see what I can do. How fast can I actually run? How high can I actually jump? I know it’s really tame compared the much vaunted heroes and villains of Penrith, but it’s still exciting to me.

Apparently while I’d been in the shower the previous night Matt had put a tail hole in the yoga pants I bought. I changed to those, and completed the outfit with the sports bra, the sportier top I bought to go with the ensemble, and grabbed my jacket. Next I put my running shoes on by the door. That done, I lock up and head out.

Once outside I’m happy to see that while it’s still cold the roads are at least pretty dry, covered in a dirty white dusting of salt. I warm up a little with some quick stretches. AAAAND WOW am I flexible! It’s not as though I couldn’t touch my toes or something as a guy, but now I’m so limber it’s a joke. Stretching actually feels good, rather than like I’m trying to pick a fight with my muscles, and losing. Once I’m done stretching, I start to jog down the street and find maintaining the pace of my sprint a couple of days prior effortless.

I keep running along increasing my pace as I go. Soon I find myself outrunning the cars next to me. There’s little girl in the car next to me and give her an exuberant wave as I pour on yet more speed.

I can’t believe this! This is crazy! I let out a giggle as I begin speeding past traffic. I figure I’m running about forty-fiveish mph. In my excitement I fail to see the cars around my slowing to a halt at the red light in front of me.

Before I know it there’s a truck right in my path. I panic for a split second before jumping with all my might. To my relief I sail over the truck, feeling the wind whipped by its passage buffet me. I land on the far side in a roll and slow down as the adrenaline and fright catches up with me. On the side of the road I come to a stop breathing hard and trying to stifle some nervous laughter. Holy hell, that could have been bad!

For some reason rather than proceeding with more caution as would make sense I let me excitement and adrenaline carry me away. Moments later I’m racing across rooftops leaping from one to the next whooping like a madwoman.

I know it’s stupid but it’s one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever experienced! I actually start to lose track of how long I’ve been scampering around the rooftops. The view of the street 50 ft below, jumping from one block to the next, is positively addictive. This is FUCKING AWESOME!!! It’s an experience that I never even dreamed of having. I simply can’t get enough.

Eventually I find myself looking out over the city from a building 3 stories up. Observing the skyline with the lake in the background. I reflect on myself, feeling a lot better. By no means am I ‘fine’, but in this moment the world doesn’t feel like it’s falling down on me.

In the end, I guess that was too much to ask for.

Footsteps sound behind me along with panting. I turn around seeing a guy in his early 20s. He’s pretty buff, wearing black jeans, boots, and a red leather jacket. His jacket is open, exposing his chest.

I’m completely dumbfounded, it’s below freezing. Is this guy a complete and total freaking idiot? After a moment I realize the rooftop is smouldering where he stands and there is steam visibly rolling off of him. Looking him in the eyes is difficult because they shimmer as though seen through a heat haze. Ok, maybe not stupid, just really hot. NO, not that kinda hot dammit. Just because I’m a girl now doesn’t mean that after a lifetime of being attracted to women I’m suddenly mesmerized by some dude without the forethought to put on a damn shirt.

“I finally caught you. Stupid bitch you shouldn’t have stopped.”

“What, why, and… well fuck you too!” I’m confused… and freaking pissed too. What the hell did I do?!

“I’ve been chasing the two of you villains for over an hour. Now it’s time to pay.”

“For what?! I haven’t done anything! I just changed a couple days ago! All I can do is run anyways, just leave me alone.”

“Yea sure… I totally believe you and all, but I’ve got more of you filthy fiends to catch today.”

With that he jolts forward leaving flames rolling in the air where his hands and feet had just been. I don’t even have time to react before a boot shaped fireball smashes into my gut knocking the wind out of me. Suddenly I realize I’m falling as I shriek out in pain. His roiling visage disguised by the flames wreathing his form receding in my view.

In horror I watch the edge of the roof pass by me as I realize I’m falling off the building. I have time to gather my breath and let out a full lunged scream as I fall. The air whipping my hair in front of my face and my tail rapidly windmilling in an insticutal effort to right me as I fall. The world seems to slow and I just hope and pray that the powers Matt was convinced I had would save me now.

It was with a shock, that I hit the ground landing on my back. It didn’t even hurt right away. At first it was just pressure and a sense that something was seriously wrong. That wasn’t to last though as within moments I was screaming in pain.

An unrelenting agony in my lower back and the base of my tail. I’d never experienced anything like it. I had no control over myself. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. It had to be a dream or something.

Over a few minutes the pain fades to a dull but severe ache that just won’t give me a moment to breath. Where is everyone…? Why won’t anyone help. My eyes are streaming in tears, as I mewl in pain.

I’m laying there on my side, and every time I try to shift even a little the pain crescendos to new heights causing me to cry out once again in pain. Passerby are averting their eyes, or looking on as though some justice has been served. What the fuck is wrong with these people, please!

After what feels like an eternity an ambulance arrives. The paramedics get out and by and large, they just look disgusted.

“Pleeease heeelp me” I whimper… “I didn’t do anything, oh god why. Why me?!”

None of them seem to give a shit about me in the least. They unpack the stretcher and in short order grab me roughly to transfer me to it.

I scream out it the worst pain I have ever felt. “OH GOD, PLEASE STOP, WAIT!”

Then my tail and everything below it goes numb. I can’t feel anything but a dull ache. “Oh please, oh please, oh god no, no no no no, I can’t feel it anymore, I can’t feel anything anymore!”

“Could you sedate her, I’m sick of listening to this shit.” The paramedic says before facing me, “If you didn’t want to get hurt you shouldn't have acted like the world was yours for the taking honey.” He says in a faux-sweet tone.

Just then I feel a stab in my arm. Then the lights go dark.