The Awakening Box Set

by Michael Timmins

  "If the light bothers you, there is a pair of sunglasses in the drawer," Stephanie told her and smiled, yet again.

  Beth walked to the counter and began applying a little mascara to her eyelashes.

  "This Jason better be nice to you lil’ sis."

  Little sis was the nickname Beth had given to her when they first met, when some guy at the bar was trying to be funny and asked if they were sisters. Beth glared at the guy and told him off.

  "Right, this is my lil’ sis. Now get lost." They laughed over it and became fast friends. From then on she was Beth's lil’ sis.

  "You don't need to worry. Jason is a fantastic guy and so terribly in love with me there is no way he would ever try to hurt me."

  "Well, he better not, or I'll have to take him out back and whoop his ass."

  Stephanie laughed, only because she was sure Beth could most likely whoop Jason's ass. It wasn't as if Jason was a wimp. He just wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone, even if he was getting his ass whooped.

  "Don't worry, if for any reason, Jason hurts me, there won't be anything left for you to whoop. I'll have torn him to pieces," Stephanie assured her.

  Beth smiled at her. "I'm happy for you, I honestly am, lil’ sis. I know you have been diggin' on this guy for quite some time, I'm glad he at long last made a move on you.”

  "Me, too. I didn't know if he was ever going to. I didn't think he was interested in me, and I was beginning to think maybe he thought I was freak, which was why he kept staring at me. I mean, he never really made eye contact. If I glanced at him, he would glance away, so perhaps he was disgusted by me."

  Beth snorted. "You realize you were telling yourself that, so you wouldn't go over and talk to him, right? It was your rationale, so you never had to risk putting yourself out there and converse with the guy?"

  "Well, I know now..."

  "Bullshit. You knew it then. You kept ignoring what you knew was the truth cuz you were scared. After all, you are hot girl. Who the hell would be disgusted by you?"

  Shyly, Stephanie glanced down. Beth was right, she should have gotten up the guts months, no, years ago, to go over and talk to Jason. She always tried to be in the places he was, waited for him to say or do something. Going to Tennessee State, in part, was because she knew he was going here. Though, that was one fact she would never tell anyone. If anyone found out, especially Beth, they would throttle her.

  It wasn’t like she couldn't get the education she needed here. She could. It was a fine school. But, she was an excellent student and could have gotten into a much better school. It was Jason who made her decide to come here. In the end, it seems, it worked out for the best. She was doing quite well in school, and she now had a date with Jason.

  Now she knew he was as shy as her and had been hoping she would make a move. She wished she had. Even though she told Jason it might have been because they weren’t ready, she still longed for all the possible time they could have spent together. She shook her head to clear those thoughts. There was nothing she could do about it now, she thought. The past was the past.

  "You're right, Beth. It was a silly way to handle myself. I should have asked him out a long time ago, but there is no reason to beat myself up about it now. After all, I have a date to get ready for."

  Beth smiled again at her. "That's right, lil’ sis, you get ready and go out and have some fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she told Stephanie as she turned and smacked Stephanie on the ass as she left.

  Stephanie gave a little yelp and tried to kick Beth as she scooted out of her reach.

  "Maybe, if you had some length to those legs you might have got me, midget," Beth shouted back to her.

  "Bitch!" Stephanie yelled at her with a smile.

  Stephanie could think of nothing but love for Beth. In many ways, she was Stephanie's big sis. Stephanie never had a big sister, and never knew what it was like to have an older sibling. Beth was always looking out for her, and was never afraid to tell her the truth, no matter what.

  Stephanie finished her make-up and took care of getting dressed. A green spaghetti strap blouse and black slacks which fit her ass like a glove. Glancing at herself in the mirror, again, she was finished and had to admit she looked damn hot.

  Jason was due any minute, and she was sure his jaw would drop when he saw her.

  There was a knock at the front door and she heard Beth shout she would get it. Stephanie hastily made sure her hair was in order and she didn't have any of her make-up smeared so she could get out there fast. The last thing she needed was Beth threatening to whoop Jason's ass if he did anything to hurt her.

  Everything appeared to be in order. Making her way out to the living room where she assumed Beth and Jason would be, she heard voices. Her worst fears were realized.

  "...She's like a sister to me Jason, so if you do anything, and I mean anything at all to hurt…"

  "Hi, Jason,” Stephanie blurted, hurriedly interrupting from the hallway.

  Jason turned toward her and stared. His mouth parted as if to say something and his eyes opened a little bit more, as if he could fit more of her in his vision by doing so.

  "You look...unbelievable." He managed to say after a few seconds.

  "Thank you, Jason. You look quite nice yourself," she told him. Which he did. He was wearing a pair of khakis and a blue button-down shirt. His hair was spiked up a little and as she moved a little closer, she could catch a little whiff of cologne sexy.

  A small smile crept up on her lips, and she received one in return. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Feeling flushed, her eyes widened by the expression of desire in his eyes when he stared at her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to slow her heart racing.

  "Shall we go?" he asked.

  "Yeah. Let's leave before mother threatens you anymore." She glared at Beth to make her point. Beth tilted her head and shrugged unapologetically in response.

  Seeing the exchange, Jason turned, and approached Beth.

  "I understand your concern, Beth, but believe me, I would rather die than do anything to hurt Stephanie. But, if I ever do hurt her, you have my permission to kick my ass till I can't walk and have to eat through a straw for the rest of my life."

  Stephanie would have laughed at this comment normally, but Jason said it with so much seriousness, she couldn't do anything but stare at his back.

  Left dumbfounded by his statement, Beth finally recovered enough to nod her head to him. Jason took this as agreement and turned back around to Stephanie. Stephanie saw Beth peek at her, mouth a ‘wow’ and smile. Jason approached and took her hands in his and raised them to his lips.

  "Let's go have some fun," he told her and walked her to the door.

  Stephanie never had so much fun in her life. They went out to dinner first at a nice restaurant and talked about everything you could think of. They had many things in common, from philosophies of life to dream vacations and hobbies. It almost scared her how much they had in common. She never shared this much with anyone.

  After dinner, they went to see a movie which they both wanted to see, but none of their friends wanted to see. Now, they were making out in his apartment he shared with his friend Mike, who conveniently was staying with a friend tonight. The fact that he orchestrated some alone time with her didn’t upset her, she was excited by it and was wondering if this would go all the way. She knew she shouldn't have sex with him on their first date, but she was so into him. If he tried to take it further than making out and some touchy feely, she wasn’t sure she would try and stop him.

  Kissing her neck, his hand cautiously slid under her blouse to slip inside her bra. His fingers brushed against her nipple and she pushed them against his hand and leaned into his kisses. His fingers pinched her nipple and she gasped. He rolled it softly and suddenly she was awash in pain. Doubling over, she rolled away from his hands and onto the floor. A cry escaped her lips as pain lanced up and down her body, a thousand slashes of heat and agony.

  Her mind was n
umb and muddled, thoughts flew from her like a hundred birds spooked by a loud noise. She could scarcely hear Jason shouting at her, asking if she was alright, yelling he was sorry, he didn't mean to do anything to hurt her. If she could have laughed, she would have at Jason for thinking pinching her nipple would cause her to writhe in pain. However, she couldn't laugh. Could barely breathe. Never had she felt anything so painful in all her life. The sound of cracking, like the breaking of sticks, as her bones broke throughout her body reached her ears first, before she felt them.

  What was happening to her, she didn’t know, but she knew Jason needed to get out of here as soon as possible. For some reason, she was afraid for his life. It didn't make any sense. She was the one who felt like she was dying, why would she worry for him? But, worry she did. Rolling over onto her hands and knees, she peered up at Jason. Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes, and his lips quivered as his eyes darted, questing her from head to toe.

  "Run, Jason," she forced out, teeth clenched as pain racked her body.

  "I'm not leaving, I need to call the paramedics, and you need some help."

  "I need you to run, Jason. RUN!" Shouting, finally unable to control her panic.

  "I'm not leaving you, Stephanie," he screamed back at her.

  "You are in danger, Jason. Please," she sobbed through the pain. " Please, run."

  Unable to comprehend her wishes, he moved to the floor and held her in his arms.

  "No." she cried, not for the pain, but because she sensed Jason was going to die because of her. It was at that moment the bones in her face shattered and she blacked out.

  Holding Stephanie tighter in his arms, Jason had no idea what was happening. Bones moved under her skin, like writhing snakes. Rightly, he was afraid for himself, but was more afraid for Stephanie. He promised he wouldn't leave. If she was going to die and it brought about his death, so be it.

  Staring at her face, he saw it collapse as the bones broke all at once; he saw her head lull to the side, either from dying or falling unconscious. Bringing his fingers up to her neck, he checked for a pulse. His eyes widened when he felt her pulse. It beat with strength and purpose.

  Glancing back up at her face, he saw it begin to elongate out into a snout, the nose flattening and turning black. The rusty brown color of her hair reddened, as similar hair began to push its way out of her skin all over her body. Even her face was sprouting reddish brown hair, except along her mouth and neck where the hair was white. Her skull flattened some, pushing her ears to near the top of her head. The head took shape by curving towards the front, canine-like. Red hair covered the ears as well as they swooped up, elongating above her now flattened head.

  Bones began to settle, but her body was not done changing, it inflated somewhat, and her clothes split at many of the seams to compensate. Muscle formed along her body where his hands rested, her body firming up under his touch, becoming hard and defined. Similar changes were occurring in her legs as he watched the opening of the ripped seams in her slacks.

  Jason freaked out. Was this going to kill Stephanie? He had every intention of keeping his promise of staying with her. At least, he did until he felt something digging into his leg. When he glanced down, he saw the hand she had resting in his lap had elongated and sharp claws were growing from the ends of her fingers. One claw pushed its way into his leg. Watching in fascination, it punched through his khakis and slid easily into his skin. Crying out, Jason scrambled away.

  With some distance between them now, he could take her all in. Her face had taken on a canine aspect, but it wasn't bulky, it was sleek and slight. The reddish hair covered everywhere as far as he could see, except around her lower jaw and down her chest where it was white. Black hair erupted along the tips of her ears jutting high above her head.

  It took Jason a moment to figure out what she resembled. It wasn't that she appeared canine-like, she appeared foxlike — like a red fox. Blood ran down his leg where her claw punctured his leg, a slow and steady river of lifeblood. The thing emitted a soft rumble of a growl. At that moment, he decided to take her advice, and ran.

  Bolting through the doorway and into the hall, the pain from the wound in his leg throbbed with every step he took. Jason made it to the bottom of the stairwell when he heard a crash of something big breaking upstairs, presumably from his room. He thought about calling the police but discarded the idea. The thing was Stephanie, and there was no way the cops wouldn't open fire on it and kill her. Once outside his apartment complex, he stumbled into the night.

  The parking lot was virtually empty, being a Saturday night, everyone had somewhere else to be. Jason turned to glance back up at the window in his apartment. There was nothing to see except a shadow moving about. Jason continued to stare.

  Until the shadow disappeared, he figured he was in no real danger, since it meant she was still in there. Something smashed through his apartment window, and he realized his mistake. A huge form sailed over his head. Spinning around the moment before the thing hit the ground, he saw it land and pivot to face him. It was foxlike.

  It was humanoid, standing on two pawed feet. Its legs were thin, yet muscular, and partially covered by shredded black slacks. A bushy tail swept down from behind it to curl around its right leg. Little of the thing’s torso was visible as it was still mostly covered by the blouse Stephanie wore. Reddish-brown hair covered her muscular arms.

  White fur coated the underneath of her sweeping neck and elongated jaw. Its snout was thin, like a fox, and ended in a black canine-like nose. Black, beady eyes stared down at him, for she was now taller than him. Jason watched as the thing's lips peeled back into a growl and took a step towards him.

  "Stephanie, please don't," Jason said as the thing lunged for him. He brought his arm up in front of his face, but the attack never came. Jason lowered his arm and peeked out above it. The creature scrutinized him with its head cocked to one side. It appeared it was trying to figure him out.

  "Stephanie, it's me, Jason. I know it's you. Can you hear me? Do you understand?" Jason took a step towards her. She continued to peer at him, and he could see the confusion in her eyes. After a moment, the thing examined itself, as if seeing for the first time what it appeared like. When it gazed back at him, he thought he could see recognition, but before he could ask any more, the thing turned and ran off. It moved like lightning and was out of his sight in seconds. It was a moment before he realized how close to dying, he had come.

  The first thing Stephanie remembered after she blacked out was seeing Jason standing before her outside his apartment complex. Looking and smelling of fear and blood. Blood stained his left pant leg and he was covered in sweat, his blue shirt to sticking to his chest.

  Wondering why he appeared afraid, she realized something was wrong. She was staring down at him, which was odd, as he should have been taller than her. Something was very wrong. It was at the same moment she noticed she was peering down a long snout, ending in a black nose. Raising her arms, she examined them.

  Instead of her thin, pale-skinned arms, she saw a muscular arm covered in red fur which ended in a clawed hand. The other one was the same. Not taking the time to see the rest of her body, as she assumed it appeared somewhat similar, she needed to get out of here. She needed to get away from Jason whom she had already hurt and who knows what would have happened if she hadn't regained consciousness. Glancing at Jason, she turned, and ran.

  When the panic subsided, she realized how exhilarating it was to be running this fast. Darting everywhere, she swiftly made her way into a local park to hide. She hoped Jason could forgive her for what she did. “Who am I kidding? I’m a monster, why would he want to have anything to do with me?”

  Running a little bit deeper into the forested area of the park; she could hear animals scramble out of her way, their mad dash to safety audible to her as if they were only mere inches away. The thing scaring her the most, though, was the fact she could also smell them.

  There was a pair of squirr
els skittering off to her right. A bunny was sitting perfectly still to her left, hoping she wouldn't know it was there, but ready to bolt at the slightest sign she did. Catching a whiff of deer from up ahead, she could hear the pair of white tails run away from her.

  When she was deep into the forest she stopped and took a moment to come to grips with what had happened. Which would have helped if she had any idea what the hell had happened, she told herself. Evidently, she had turned into some sort of creature. The what and how were questions she didn't have an answer to. Lowering herself onto her haunches, she rocked back and forth.

  Again, she took a moment to examine herself. It was odd, she shouldn't have been able to see herself at all, given the fact there was only a sliver of a moon and plenty of tree cover, but she was able to see almost perfectly. Sure, the colors were muted, but she could see the redness of her fur, though she knew it was redder than it appeared right now.

  The sounds of the forest were beginning to resurface after they had gone silent because of her mad dash through the thicket. It was odd, she could pick out all the sounds and was sure she could point to each one individually.

  She had bulked up from her lithe body size. Taller than Jason now, her body, was a mass of muscles. Flexing her arms, she was amazed to see muscles hard and defined. Judging by how fast she fled from Jason's apartment, she had a clear idea of how strong her new leg muscles were.

  If the rest of her muscles were as capable, she was formidable, indeed. She also was the proud owner of a semi-bushy tail, evidently. The only problem, if you could say there was only one problem, she thought, was she looked like a monster. As such, she would be most likely hunted down and either killed or captured.