Young Mutants in Love

by William D. Dickerson

  Young Mutants in Love

  By William D. Dickerson

  Text copyright © 2013

  William D. Dickerson

  All Rights Reserved

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Dedication

  This story is dedicated to everyone that has contributed to my love of comic books and super heroes over the years. Most of you know who you are.

  Chapter 1

  It was a perfect night for star gazing. It was cold, which wasn't unusual for an evening in early February, and the skies were clear. Cacy, bundled in two sweaters and her heaviest coat, was participating in a class she didn't like for credits she didn't feel that she needed, but the registrar's office had informed her that if she wanted to graduate, she would have to take the class. It was Astronomy 101 and because of the school’s policy, she was the oldest person in the class.

  As a graduate student in Physics, she wasn't interested in the stars per se, but the school had a requirement that all students had to take an Astronomy class. It wasn't the worst thing possible. At least the 101 class was easy. Cacy just had to show up to check out the stars when the weather was nice. Unfortunately, the best nights were also the coldest. She just had to put up with her 'lab partner,' Gavin. He was the TA for the class, and since there were an odd number of students, and she was the oldest student in the class, she was partnered with him.

  Gavin was a nice guy, but he wasn't an impressive specimen. He stood just a few inches above her five foot five inches. His red hair was always badly cut and frazzled. He wore the thickest pair of glasses she'd ever seen, but he was a good lab partner even though he was terribly awkward. Tonight he was just wearing a black school jacket that was a couple of sizes too big.

  The class had come to an old field at the end of an abandoned road. Professor Harrington had chosen it because there was only one old tree so there was a clear view of the stars especially on a cold night like this.

  Each team was given a blanket because the ground was muddy from the recent thaw and a star chart and a small flash light. Each couple was also given a constellation to find in the night sky. Cacy and Gavin had been assigned several because he was the TA and had an unfair advantage, as Professor Harrington insisted. It wasn't too complicated since Cacy had studied the heavenly bodies growing up. Her father had always tried to show her the stars when they went on their annual camping trip.

  "Now that you have your constellations," Professor Harrington started, "I want you and your partner to find a patch of ground and lie down and look at the heavens. Take off your gloves and hold hands while you search for your constellations, and enjoy the moment."

  Cacy was reluctant, but she took off her glove and the mitten from her right hand and grabbed Gavin's gloveless hand as instructed. She looked at his other hand which was also gloveless as he pointed at the belt of Orion.

  "There it is," Gavin announced, "Orion, the warrior of the heavens."

  "Oh really?" Cacy asked with interest.

  "Yes,” Gavin continued, “according to legend, Orion was the greatest hero of his age. He was placed in the heavens as a testament to his courage and strength."

  "Is any of that real?" Cacy wondered.

  "Who knows what happened in the world all those ages ago," Gavin replied. "We just have stories to give us hints about the past."

  "How did you learn about all of this?"

  "It's a part of Astronomy," Gavin explained. "The constellations are all tied to the stories. There are stories from almost every culture in the world."

  Cacy was going to comment, maybe say that it was interesting, see where the conversation went from there, but three things happened at that moment. First she saw a streak of light pass by the middle star of Orion's belt. Next, there was a spark that shocked both her and Gavin. Finally after several seconds, she passed out while screaming.

  * * *

  Cacy woke to find the whole class standing around her with flashlights pointed in her direction. She couldn't see any faces as she tried to blink the dots of light from her eyes, but she could still feel Gavin holding her hand. She looked over and saw that he was stirring too. Had he passed out too? Had he seen the streak of light?

  She couldn't explain the reason to herself, but she didn't want to talk about any of this with her classmates. She passed it off as the age difference. She would talk to Gavin when they had a chance to be alone.

  "What happened?" she heard Professor Harrington's panicked voice from the other side of the lights. "One moment everyone was enjoying the stars, then you both shouted. When we got here, you were both rigid and unresponsive."

  "I saw something like this once," a male voice declared from the back of the crowd. "Have you two been doing drugs? It's not nice to hog all the good stuff, you know. You need to share."

  "That's enough of that, Mr. Sandage," Professor Harrington groaned. "Now all of you go back to star gazing and I will talk to our friends."

  The students shuffled away as Professor Harrington waited for the crowd to disperse. Cacy and Gavin were both starting to move freely and Cacy could feel the stiffness she hadn’t noticed before was fading.

  "Now tell me what happened," the professor directed.

  "Sir, we were observing Orion as you instructed. We were discussing the history and legends of the stars when something flashed past Meissa. It didn't have the characteristic of any celestial body I've ever seen. Anyway, when I saw the light, there was a spark between our hands, and I guess I passed out."

  "Thank you, Mr. Peabody. Is that what you experienced, Miss Roth?"

  Cacy was reluctant to talk about the incident, but she still responded, "Yes, sir, it is."

  "I just have one last question," Professor Harrington added, "why are you two still holding hands?"

  They lifted their hands. Cacy was confused when she realized that she hadn't remembered that small detail. She thought about letting go of his hand, and decided against it.

  "I'm not sure, sir," she replied.

  Professor Harrington got up and moved away to talk with other teams of students. Cacy continued to look at the two hands. For some reason they looked natural together. Something had happened when they felt that shock. She just couldn't figure out what it could be.

  "So what was that we saw?" Cacy asked. "You're the star expert."

  "I've never seen anything like that," Gavin answered as he looked back up at the sky.

  Cacy followed his gaze and could see that he was looking at Orion aga
in. She looked there as well. She was searching for the something they had seen, but she suspected that whatever it had been, it was gone now.

  "So how long are we going to hold hands?" Cacy probed.

  "You can let go whenever you like, I guess," Gavin suggested. "I'm content to keep your hand in mine as long as it's OK with you."

  "I know what you mean," Cacy mused. "Does it feel natural to be holding my hand? That's what I'm feeling about yours. Maybe you could say that your hand almost feels like mine."

  "It sounds like the winner for Lamest Pick-Up Line ever,” Gavin laughed

  "Yeah, but who's doing the picking up?" Cacy wondered.

  They both laughed as they stared at the stars without saying anything else. Gavin would point at various stars, but he wouldn't say anything about them. Cacy got the sense that there were words on his mind, but she couldn't quite pick them out. She thought about asking him, but she was enjoying the moment too much.

  Chapter 2

  Gavin woke feeling better than he had felt on any day he could remember. It wasn't just that he got to spend most of the night holding hands with Cacy and staring at the stars, there was something more. He didn't understand why, but he felt phenomenal. Perhaps that exercise routine his roommate had pushed on him was finally paying off. Then Gavin tossed off his blankets.

  Something had happened during the night. This was definitely not the body Gavin was used to seeing. He noticed an increase in muscle tone and definition. He also realized that his bed was smaller than it was supposed to be. Gavin got out of bed and went to the mirror. He took off the X-men pajama pants he wore most nights in order to get a better look at his new physique. Gavin was impressed with it.

  After a couple minutes of admiring himself, which might have included flexing and posing, Gavin looked for something to wear. He tried to try on a couple of pairs of jeans and discovered that he was had grown taller. He scrounged around and managed to find a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt that just barely fit him. He had a pair of flip flops that had been big on his old feet, and now they were a tight. Fortunately it had warmed up since last night. Gavin was going to have to do some shopping. He wasn't too worried since he had money set aside for an emergency.

  He started to take off his glasses, but then he realized that he wasn't wearing them. He grabbed them and put them on, but he yanked them off because he couldn't see through them. He set them beside his bed and shook his head to clear his vision.

  Gavin tried to think of anything that had happened in his life that might account for the changes, but he hadn't been doing anything differently since the semester started aside from the workouts. Then he remembered the streak in the night sky and the shock he had shared with Cacy. He didn't know how to get in touch with her, but he knew he had to see if she had changed too.

  He threw on a pair of sunglasses and rushed out the door. He knew he couldn't explain these changes, so he hoped nobody would recognize him walking around campus. After passing a few academic buildings, Gavin paused and considered his options. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed Professor Harrington. The phone rang a few times as Gavin tapped his foot on the ground before the Professor answered.

  "Professor Harrington's office,” the professor droned from the other end of the phone.

  "Professor, this is Gavin Peabody."

  "Are you alright, boy?" the professor asked. "Your voice sounds a little odd."

  "I can't think of anything, sir," Gavin said trying to avoid the subject. "I called because I'm trying to get in touch with Cacy Roth."

  "Oh really?" the professor asked in a way that indicated he thought he knew something. "Why are you trying to reach her?"

  Gavin made some strange sounds while he tried to think of a reason, but he couldn't find any convincing reason.

  "Don't worry, son," Professor Harrington laughed, "I made up a few excuses to get a girl's number when I was your age too. Let me look it up for you. Just be careful about things, alright?"

  Gavin agreed, although he didn't really understand the professor's hints. He got the number and told Professor Harrington he wouldn't be in to work for a couple of days and hung up the phone. He dialed Cacy's number and waited to see if she would answer.

  "Hello," a groggy voice mumbled after four rings.

  "Hey, is this Cacy?" Gavin asked nervously.

  "Yeah, why are you calling me so early?" Cacy growled.

  "This is Gavin, from Astronomy. I was wondering if you were looking or feeling any different."

  "What is that supposed to mean?" Cacy demanded. "How did you even get my number?"

  "I called Professor Harrington,” Gavin explained, hoping that would be enough for her. “Look something strange happened to me overnight and the only explanation I have is that it happened when we were out in the field for Astronomy. Has anything changed for you?"

  "I haven't even opened my eyes yet,” Cacy insisted.

  “Do you feel any different?” Gavin pressed.

  “I do feel good, now that you mention it.” Cacy yawned.

  “Better than you’ve ever felt?” Gavin pressed.

  “Yes, that would describe it,” Cacy agreed. “Why do you ask?”

  “Pull up your blanket and see if you look any different,” Gavin insisted.

  “I don’t understand what you are trying to accomplish.” Cacy muttered. “If this is one of those weird sex calls, I’m not interested.”

  “No,” Gavin tried to explain, “When I woke up this morning my body had changed. I still look like myself only better.”

  “Better how?” Cacy asked

  “I’m a few inches taller, and I’ve got muscles all over my body,” Gavin explained.

  “Fine, I’ll look,” Cacy moaned.

  * * *

  Why was Gavin calling her? Sure they had held hands last night, but he could have waited until noon to call. This was college and a Saturday after all. There wasn't any chance of getting back to sleep now, so she decided to wake up even if she didn't get out of bed. She switched her phone to speaker and set it on the night stand.

  "So what am I supposed to be doing now?" she asked grumpily.

  "Look for ways that you might have changed,” Gavin instructed.

  Cacy didn't move. She was warm and comfortable so she didn't want to follow his directions, but then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. There was something yellow on her pillow. She pulled her hand from under the blanket and saw that her hand looked a strange, but a bigger surprise was that the yellow was her hair. It was longer than it had been when she went to bed, and it had changed from her natural brown to a bright blond shade.

  "What did you do to me?" Cacy shouted as she sat up in bed.

  "Why are you blaming me?" Gavin snapped. "I don't know what happened to us either."

  "I'm blond," Cacy shouted. "Are you a blond?"

  "No, my hair hasn't changed," Gavin replied. "Maybe we should get together and compare our notes."

  "If this is just an excuse to see me..." Cacy threatened.

  "We have to figure out what happened to us," Gavin insisted.

  "Fine, let's meet at the mail room. I need to check my mail anyway,” Cacy muttered as she tried to push her blonde hair out of her sight.

  "In an hour?" Gavin suggested.

  "That will be fine," Cacy accepted as she hung up the phone.

  Now that the conversation was over, Cacy could take a moment to get over her dismay at her blond hair. She looked at the time and made a mental note about when she was suppose to meet Gavin. Now that she was starting to wake, she found herself looking forward to seeing him in an hour. Maybe something had happened to them last night. What else might have happened to her?

  She started shifting in bed and realized that something else was different. He body didn't feel like it was her own familiar body. She threw back the sheet and blanket to see what was different.

  Cacy didn't like to spend a lot of time worrying about her appearance. She wasn't
what she considered one of the pretty girls, and she wasn't worried about fitting that mold. Before today she'd had shoulder length brown hair and what some had called a boyish frame. When she dressed casually, she was often mistaken for a short man. That was no longer the case.

  Cacy often slept in her ex-boyfriend's tee-shirt. It used to be loose and served as a night dress, but not anymore. She had breasts and that was about all that she could tell because they were blocking her view of anything else. Cacy had often thought about what her life would be like with something bigger than an A cup, and now she was finding out, and she didn't like it so far.

  She crawled out of bed and inched her way to her mirror. Reluctantly, she stepped in front of herself. The woman in the mirror was taller than the image she was used to seeing, and she had long blond hair that even though she had just crawled out of bed, looked perfect. She had large breasts and curves just like something out of a comic book. Cacy started to wonder about her wardrobe-what could she possibly wear to meet with Gavin? Now that she had seen herself, she was curious to see what had changed with him.

  Getting out the door was going to be a problem. There wasn't much in her wardrobe that was going to fit with all of these changes. Even the panties she'd been wearing to sleep were cutting into her hips. They were too tight to slip off, and she ended up grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting them off. After throwing them out, she went to her dresser.

  She pulled open the top drawer and shook her head at the panty options. They were comfortable in her old body, but there was no way they would work with her new hips. After digging around in the drawer, she found a pair of granny panties she'd been given as a joke for her twenty-first birthday. She'd never actually worn them, but she decided they would be better than nothing.

  Opening the next drawer, she quickly decided against trying any of her t-shirts. They were all smalls, and she was definitely not a small anymore. She didn't even bother looking at the jeans and shorts in the bottom drawer.

  Her only hope was something from the closet, but there wasn't much there. After passing over several button-up shirts and a couple of dresses, she managed to find a once loose-fitting dress that would just barely fit. It was something her grandmother had given her several years ago, and Cacy had tried it on once for her. She took it off the hanger and slipped it over her head and looked in the mirror.