Jon followed Mikey wordlessly back home. People glanced with pity or sometimes something worse- relief. Relief that the myst-virus did not get them. His little brother was now walking on his new talons, the claws scraping across the hilly pavement. They took their time. Mikey had to practice walking and it was not at all easy. Everything felt wrong, from the placement of his non-existent toes to their new flexible inflexibility- or at least in terms of a human foot. There was an awful lot more to think about.
"It's like I'm standing on my hands," Mikey suddenly realised. "I gotta think to keep em flat or.. I trip up."
"you're doing really well Mikey," Karyn said with an encouraged tone. "In a few days you won't have to think about it."
"Try a few hours," Said Jon with quiet determination.
"Well let's keep it realistic," suggested Karyn.
Jon however had made up his mind. As soon as he got home, he would use the stone. This would be wished away, completely. This wasn't even 'interesting' as far as he was concerned! He had just hurt his little brother. His stupid wish hurt so many people, especially the children. He had to undo it...
They were home now. Jon shivered in anticipation. Finally he could put all this away. "Mikey? You should.. get some rest."
"I don't want to!" The boy suddenly protested. "The school nurse said sleep makes the Myst go faster!"
Karyn placed another hand on his shoulder. "That is true. Usually people who catch it sleeping transform straight away. Still, you can't put it off you have to go to sleep eventually Mikey. We'll deal with your changes as they happen, I promise."
Jon nodded. "Just.. stay calm Mikey, I have to.. sort something out with Karyn.
Mikey felt worried. Did he do something wrong? "I.. guess." he eventually agreed. "I guess I can watch my favourite cartoons until mom and dad get back." He departed to his room, his new red feathers waving behind him pitiably.
With that Jon and Karyn left Mikey.. the changing boy was already so much of a bird from what he could see below. He just hoped he would recover.
"The stone." Jon muttered looking around for it. His room- it was clean! His mother.. did she.. she didn't! Could she? He rummaged around every shelf he could find.
"Jon, it's over here." Karyn said pointing at the bedside.
"You mean mom didn't throw it away despite cleaning my room?" Jon looked in wide eyed surprise.
"I guess we can be thankful for small favours. So, how do we fix this?"
"What if I wished the Myst never existed?"
Karyn shrugged. "It's gone beyond the range of the stone now. You could stop the myst from happening in our town, but it could come back in some other form. Besides you wished for something interesting to happen-"
"THIS IS NOT INTERESTING!" Jon suddenly snapped. "Karyn- he's my brother! I screwed him up- I screwed the whole freakin' world up!" Jon gasped suddenly in tears. "I'm a monster.. I.."
"Shh..." Karyn whispered holding her friend. "Jon.. you didn't do this I know you wouldn't have wanted this. Nobody would have."
"I wish I knew what to do!"
The stone suddenly glowed. Jon blinked.
"Um- Jon? You okay?" Karyn asked.
"Yeah but I don't get it..." he looked at the stone confused and fearful.
"What did the stone say?"
Jon sat down on his bed. "It.. said well- no- it put inside my head that my best course of action is to... wait."
"Wait? Wait for what?"
"It didn't say..." Jon looked again at the stone. "I wish I knew what I needed to wait for..."
"Well?"
Jon blinked again. The stone didn't speak it implanted knowledge deep inside making it a memory instantly... An incredibly disconcerting experience with no association of an actual experience. " I need to wait... for something interesting to happen." Jon groaned. "I don't like wishing for knowledge. It.. it hurts my head." He put the stone down with a grimace.
Jon sat down beside him. She wasn't sure what to say either. "Well.. it's up to you Jon. Do we trust the magic stone, or do you want to try and fix it?"
Jon had to think. The feeling of the stone was so strong. He had to think of his brother though! Not just him but everyone- literally, everyone. The families and.. no. He was not going to wait. "Karyn, this stone already messed with me. I- I have to try 'something', I wish I could wait but-"
"JON!"
Suddenly the stone just.. vanished.
"Oh.. OH SHIT!" Jon looked for the stone. "It's- it's gone!"
Biff was excited. Today was the day. "Good bye small body!" he said to the mirror a little giddy. The sun was still up being a kid was interesting. Temporary but.. yes. He was almost too excited to get any sleep. Still nothing could stop his excitement that he would be back to normal. His room almost felt alien with all the teenage stuff- but it had only been a week.
His father knocked on his door and came in.. "Boy, you best be back to normal tomorrow. I'm not going to raise you all over again. If this were permanent I'd have sent you to your mother- heck if I knew where she even was."
"I miss her," Biff suddenly whispered still.. very young.
"Yeah yeah. Here I got some pills to get you to sleep faster."
"Oh thanks dad!" Biff said.
"Just take two.. good boy."
Biff glanced to his guitar as he washed down the sedatives. It had been unused for a week. There was also football.. yeah he remembered how good he was at sports. "I'm gonna play that again.. first thing I do. Gonna join the.. band..."
With that, Biff was sleeping.
Biff's father glanced with indifference. "Stupid virus," he grumbled. "At least it will be over tomorrow."
Biff woke with a pounding headache. He stumbled slightly. It felt like it was the middle of the night. Wait- had he- changed back? His bed felt smaller..
Biff suddenly stood up, feeling very hot. His sheets were laced with sweat. The virus when it changed you tend to make you burn. He looked down at the.. familiar body. He had his muscled arms back! His legs his- torso- yes!
"I'm back- ow-" he winced. What a freakin' headache. It was like he hungover or something. He had to go to the bathroom. Biff stumbled out of his room, marvelling at being a teenager once more. Once he recovered from this pain.. once inside the bathroom he was.. still feeling a bit woozy. Something felt like it was stuck on- "What the-"
Finally it clicked. Despite being back to normal, Biff had a tail. A strange tail that looked almost feline. It had yellow fur, and a black tuft at the very end. "I must be really drunk," he grumbled as he washed his face. Just a.. delusion. He would be fine tomorrow in the morning.
Not thinking much of it he went back to sleep.
Biff continued to sleep. Changes didn't stop.. in fact they became faster. His face started to change, his once blonde hair turning a dark black as a raven. It had a curious illustrious shine to it, as it began to cascade down his face looking almost like a misplaced wig. His legs began to change, from feet first. They became huge paws as his nails turned into claws, protected now by fur. The little toes however, completely receded into nothingness on each foot, absorbed by the structure of his new paws. A sudden growth of fur and.. they didn't look human any more.
The legs continued to change, the ankles raising higher and locking into position, so that the paws were at a slight angle in their natural resting position. Fur suddenly spread from them, a curious golden yellow they met at his thighs, giving Biff a tingling sensation as they met the fur of his tail. Again the bones began to push and shift, changing slowly until thee legs bent closer to his torso.
His hands began to change. The pinky of each becoming smaller but not quite disappearing. Instead they rose up his arm, turning into a dewclaw. Useless as a thumb though his hands- well- also paws did get bigger. A lot bigger, almost the size of a dinner plate when outstretched. Soft fur again covering the giant claws as fur sprouted up his changing arms.
Biff groaned and turned slightly to his side. He felt warm and hot. The sweat of his body seeming to almost glow in the dark, forming a strange surreal mist of strange lights around him.
His face started to soften.. his pronounced chin, fading away. His eyes became slightly more curved and almost alluring. His nose became smaller. His cheekbones raised while his lips gaining a slight pout. There was no mistaking it as the face of a woman a young teenage girl. Small breasts began to push out as his organs between his legs changed adopting a feminine configuration, hidden within her fur.
A claw from her feet- or rather- hind legs tore the sheets, revealing her to now have the lower body of a lion, with the head of a female woman. Then suddenly, dark black wings sprouted from his torso wings of curious feathers, gently caressing his body and allowing a slight breeze.
Biff continued to snore
