David glanced at Mark.
This was probably the most awkward glance she had ever made to someone- anyone in her life. That simple look conveyed every emotion possible. But perhaps most of all, embarrassment. Yet at the same time, she could sense her own feeling in her, not to be embarrassed. Being linked like this to her five other sisters was hard enough without someone feeling what Mark was feeling, sharing it into their group sensations.
"Mark," called David getting her attention. It was obvious it was her... the way she just tried to act as if nothing had happened. That she was the same person, but her anxious eyes belaying the truth. She seemed to be trying to walk as she did as a man.
Mark shot another glance standing up to her full height, in a fully defensive gesture. "I'm not talking about it." Her words were seething.
"Look- I know you're upset er-" David glanced around making sure nobody could hear them. They were in the hallways of the school. Her other sisters were sending marginally distracting feelings again, most of them were holding a pen, one had bubble gum... One of them was even leaning lazily at a desk, which was oddly, more distracting then the act of actually 'doing' something.
Mark looked angrily a moment. "J-Just- leave it!" But as soon as she said those words, and sensed how hurt David became by them she winced. "No- I- urgh! I'm so confused..." she slouched onto the wall, placing her hands over her eyes.
David placed a hand gently onto her sister's shoulder, which in turn made Mark feel her hand on a shoulder. Their wings moved in unison, as did the gentle glow of their halos. "I'm really sorry Mark... I don't think whoever started it wanted to...hurt..."
Mark fumed again then turned beat red. "I-I- it was.. me." she said quietly.
David gasped. "Y-You?" Of all the people she thought, Mark was at the bottom of her suspect list.
The admission made Mark's face turn beat red. "I couldn't help it! I... just...." she struggled trying to get a measure of calm. "I knew I could- and well- I knew you were all thinking about it.. and.. I... I... it just... happened..." how could she do this! She was supposed to be the manly one. trying to keep this group from doing anything stupid! Instead she had allowed herself- and her sisters to... to experience .. a... a..."
David overcome by her sister's distress embraced her. She sensed revulsion at first, but then it slowly calmed down.. and she knew Mark was feeling a little calmer now. "It's okay..."
"No.. it's not. We have to promise each other not to do that again. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"Don't be," said David blushing a bit. "We all took part in it. It wasn't um...that bad." David once again glanced around. Talking about something so intimate here was not a good idea! But where else could they go?
"B-But what if one of us becomes all girly! What if they.. what if..." Oh gods... this was a curse! This was just.. horrible... They were linked like this and it might be forever! They would feel it when someone got hurt.. It was also no illusion to her that their appearance was somewhat on the pretty side. People- men- looked at them with interest. What if.. what if... argh!
David sighed. "We have to deal with it some day... maybe." the angel girl looked a bit downcast.
"A-A-and what if one of us got pregnant! I can't handle that!" Mark looked wild eyed at the thought. Though still would that happen to any of them? She didn't think any of the others were like that... but it wasn't entirely impossible, right?
"I don't know," said David. "But if it happened... we'll deal with it together."
Mark scoffed. "When I said we were part of a gang I didn't want this you know," she said in the end. "Now we're just freaks..."
"It really isn't so bad," Said David leaning on the wall, next to her identical sister.
"So bad? It's the worst thing that could happen to us." The image of her body showing signs of pregnancy because of the actions of another filled her with dread. Not to mention... it would be a time bomb for pain and.. urgh... she didn't want that!
"But some part of you, likes it too?" David asked carefully.
Mark blushed even more. It couldn't be helped that a good feeling was still a good feeling... indeed it was hard to deny the feeling of another sister enjoying something, much like earlier with David's coffee. As long as David gained enjoyment from it, some of that enjoyment would pass on... but it was still annoying! The angel girl sighed. "Maybe... just.. I don't want anyone in our group doing anything until we find a cure."
"I don't think we can control what any of us do. Just... try to relax Mark, okay?" She said it almost pleadingly.
"Yeah.. I'll be fine," the angel girl said still unsure about it all.
Hannah smiled a little as she started to get to know her new strange squirrel friend she met in dance. She learned that she was a friend of Jenny and Artemis- though apparently they were going through a difficult patch at the moment and the details of which Lilly didn't want to say. Hannah for her part didn't pay it further mind. She didn't think any of the other girl would want to talk to a harpy. Nobody did, ever since her transformation . The Raven-like girl studied Lilly a little more, still curious to know more about her. She then noticed something a little odd about her leotard. "Uh- Lilly?"
"yeah?" asked the squirrel girl.
"You got um- er- do you have f-f-four?" The girl said in some disbelief, gesturing to her torso.
Lilly blinked taking a decent second to work out what Hannah was talking about. She glanced down at herself and blushed heavily under her fur. The leotard was tight enough so it was showing her extra nipples pressed against the fabric just slightly. She felt a little sick with embarrassment "N-No It's just er- how the clothings made. Looks funny doesn't it," she said trying to laugh it off. Please let her believe it!
"Oh," Hannah said apologetically. "Sorry. I heard lots of weird changes happened to people an' I thought- er- that's what it looked like," the young child flushed a bit more with embarrassment.
"It's okay." Lilly quickly said dismissing it. They started to walk back to get changed, Lilly seemed especially eager to get out of her leotard. It- or rather they wouldn't show in her normal clothing.
There was an awkward silence between the two, which Hannah finally broke. "So- what were you like before?" She asked curiously.
Lilly felt herself get a bit more tense. She couldn't tell her the truth! "J-Just ordinary.. like.. um.. normal, I guess..." she couldn't say how she used to be an older boy! It- just-
"I miss being a normal girl too," said Hannah sadly. "You wanna be friends?"
"S-sure.." Lilly said quickly.
Noting her nervousness the harpy girl sighed. "Only if you want to. I know I .. um..." Hannah looked down. Nobody wanted to be her friend because they seemed to think they were obliged in some way to help her carry things. Sometimes the other children made cruel jokes about her. She heard that sometimes they also made jokes on Lilly too.
"I'd like to be friends!" Said Lilly quickly. "Sorry... this is all just... a bit weird to me," the squirrel girl said sadly. She quickly put on her normal clothes noting that Hannah hasn't even started to change. "Arn't you gonna change?"
"I'm waitin' for the teacher to change me," The girl said a bit upset about it.
"Oh..." Lilly cringed a bit wordlessly. That was horrible! What should she do? Should she just.. pretend... no. That would be worse. She should say something.. "Is there anything I can do?" She felt even more sorry for her now.
Hannah looked a bit hopeful. "Well.. you could just put that top over my head for me. I can do the rest," she said.
The squirrel girl quickly did as asked. The harpy girl was quite quick in getting dressed, all she needed was a little extra help guiding her clothing. She did so without it being too awkward.
"You know..." Lilly thought in the end... "I think you should try flying."
"but I'm scared!" Hannah said suddenly worried. "I hate heights." The idea of just being on a building made her palms sweat- when she actually had hands. now that she doesn't and she has nothing to grab on to, she was absolutely terrified.
"Nuh uh, I'll go with you. I know lots of nice trees an' we could try flyin' from. We'll go explorin' after school." The squirrel girl was grinning inside. This could be fun! Right now she really needed that.
The harpy looked unsure. "I guess.. I could tell my parents I'm doin' some extra stuff." But still.. to fly? She wasn't sure. She didn't think her wings would work like that any way. It might just be... decorative? She felt way too heavy to be able to fly. They had also become so stiff until today in dancing.
Lilly smiled encouragingly. "My parents always let me out-" Well technically they did... when she was a teenager. It's not as if they rescinded that rule recently, right? They couldn't take that away from her, right? She was old enough in mind to take care of Hannah too! "After school lets explore the wild country!" she said smiling.
She wanted to see what else was in the countryside too.
Anneza looked at her computer. Various chairs in her house now hand something to tether her body to, in some way. It was necessary or she tended to float away and exert more effort into trying to stay in one place. Having her dress back on was... rather soothing too. No more sudden bursts of static. It was annoying that it wasn't just the material but also the form of it requiring something to consider. The way it was lose around her breasts in particular was distracting. At least her body was able to wear clothes- some transformed people couldn't wear anything.
She clicked on a few bookmarked pages, though had to guess on where to actually click... ah there it was. Her old portfolios and stocks. That was how she made her initial fortune, to set up the company. One day she would have floated the company she created and made even more money. It was all part of a twenty year plan. Yes, this was where she gauged how well she was doing in life...
And it was all meaningless. What exactly did this show of her life? Just.. empty. Nothing. It showed a life that had nothing going for it at all, except the pursuit of wealth. Why did she even feel she needed so much money? There was no reason at all. It was just.. expected? She got things because it was expected, was she really more machine then man?
She removed the tether to the chair and floated to the window closing the shutters. She did the same with each window. Her entire house descended into darkness as she turned off the lights. She couldn't see her body any more, she was floating as a ghost now. That's right isn't it? If her life was nothing, then this was the truth. She was a ghost... her old self died in the sunlight. Isn't that why she burned her various possessions? Purging them as if performing some kind of funeral without the actual body to cremate.
Aneeza shivered, curling herself up in the center of the room. She just wanted to shut everything out... everything! Her body, was willing to just.. float still. Tranquil. She closed her eyes... she could still see them laughing at her. But someone else had joined the laughter. Someone else was mocking her.
It was a human... a male... the person he used to be. Even he was.. mocking her?
"You're fired!"
Aneeza opened her eyes startled.
