A man, with loose skin hanging off his body, was staring at the computer screen, as the replica of the centipede displayed slowly turned in a circle. Its two antennas were highlighted with a flashing "Error" overlaid above them. He glanced at the lab's closed door before recalling his horde of bugs. Like a miniature tide, they swarmed out of every crevice and corner. Finger sized insects crawled up his body, and into his dangling skin, filling it back up. He closed his eyes as he absorbed everything they saw and heard. All the data they were watching became his. He muttered as he shuffled further into the empty lab, "Outside interference... causal effect... We should have used the I-8542 transmitter... Yes, I know we're over budget..."

***

The scene changed in the next second. The pretty EMT was gone as was the gurney. Instead, I woke up completely fine and in my bed, like it was all a dream. Maybe it was. It wouldn’t be the first weird dream I had. I stretched, didn’t feel any pain and got out of bed. I quickly checked the time and went to get breakfast. It was after ten in the morning and since my mom had mentioned she had a date with Roy and didn’t hear anybody though the thin walls, I didn’t bother getting dressed. I ambled out in a thin nightshirt only to find six people standing in our living room. My mom and Roy were the obvious ones, but several other men in the early forties were talking with them in hushed voices.

It was only after I opened the door and stepped out that I heard the closest one to my mom was saying, “She’s fine now and should wake up shortly.”

Another chimed in as if he needed to, “Yes, she is very lucky we were able to come over. Her injuries were traumatic and without our skills probably irrevocable.”

The third brushed up on his presence by stating, “You have our cards. If she has any issues, please call. Mr. Glen, when can we conclude our deal?”

“I have freed up my schedule and will be available tonight at my office.”

“Good, good…” the fourth started replying but looked over at me before continuing, “We will be on our way since she has awoken.” He pointed in my direction, but it was unneeded. As soon as he looked at me, my mom had already noticed and rushed over.

The men, who I didn’t know, left as my mom inspected me to see if I was in one piece. I finally calmed her down as Roy returned from seeing off the guests. He placed his hand on my mom’s shoulder, silently giving her comfort. It was then I noticed that her eyes were still red, as if she had just finished crying.

Once she stopped her inspection, I asked, “How bad was it?” From what I could recall before passing out, I knew I couldn't have been in good condition.

My mom’s eyes misted over, but it was Roy that answered, “You almost bled-out. Your small and large intestines were destroyed, and there were lacerations to both your uterus and stomach. If you weren’t put into stasis and if I couldn’t get a hold of the best doctors in the area, you probably wouldn’t have made it. I say this not to scare you or to show off. I want you to think about it so that next time you won’t try being a hero.” He sighed and continued, “It’s probably too late for the advice. The quick response team has noticed you and is talking with your school about advanced placement.”

He rubbed his eyes and concluded, “It’s been almost eighteen hours and your mom hasn’t slept. I’ll tuck her in and then go to the meeting.” My mom gave me a once over one more time before going with Roy into her room. His tucking her in took over forty minutes but judging from her throaty moans and shrieks of pleasure, she probably would sleep better. I went to get dressed while all that was happening but came out and waited so that I could thank Roy for his help.

When he came out, he had a happy look on his face and was more lively. I spoke up once he closed my mom’s door, “I wanted to thank you... and to say I’m sorry. I had my doubts about you. My mom seems to attract bad people. Because of that and the fact that you’re rich and handsome, I thought you were just playing with her. I know you could have left me to die, and she wouldn’t have blamed you. What I’m trying to say is, you’re a good man.” I felt like I was rambling.

He didn’t seem to mind and said, “It was my pleasure.” It looked like he was going to say more but his phone rang. His happy look faded as the person on the other end spoke. He grew serious and with a, “I’m coming down now. Stephanie, I have to go. Look after your mother for me” left.

I shut the door behind him and then glanced at my mom’s door. But couldn’t bring myself to try and search while she was still inside. Even if I knew they just did the deed. Besides I needed to figure out what happened during the fight and why my skin and blood turned golden. With that thought in mind, I went into my room.

It didn’t take long to figure it out that the Herculean Strength spell was the cause but as to what the hell happened and why was another matter. I looked at the spell sphere that held it and the fragments that littered the bottom like broken glass.

For something that was a manifestation of my subconscious, the fact that it looked like somebody took a glass panel and slammed it onto the ground was disconcerting. The spell was, for lack of a better term, broken. But from the larger pieces, I could tell that it still held the images and writing for the spell. So, I gingerly reached out, touched one and moved them around. After some sorting, I found two that looked like they went together. I knew I was being foolish but like a drowning man I was willing to try anything to regain the spell. I only had over two dozen spells, most of which weren’t that powerful. I couldn’t afford to lose one of my more potent spells. So, I gently tapped the edges together and like a puzzle, they meshed them back together.

I looked at the remaining pile of pieces and let out a sigh. This wasn't going to be easy. I just couldn't think of why it happened. The only thing I could guess was that I somehow overclocked the spell during the fight, and this was the result. Feeling a little helpless, I started putting it back together, piece by excruciating piece. It wasn’t that I wanted to. In fact, there were so many other things I could be doing, and I felt like I was wasting my day. But what else could I do? It wasn't like powerful magicians were crawling into my bed to give me spells.

Hours passed as I put the spell back together and answered Victoria's texts. Her dad was in his overprotective mode, so she wasn't allowed out. My day passed leisurely as I waited for my mom to wake up. It's just that she must have been exhausted because she didn’t wake up until after six. I had spent almost eight hours trying to put the spell back together, but only managed to finish less than a quarter of it. But I noticed as I connected more of the pieces, a gentle yellow glow started to backlight the writing within it.

I didn’t even notice the passage of time because it took most of my focus. So, when my mom knocked on the door, I almost jumped out of my skin. I gave a “It’s open” as I calmed myself down. I guess almost being eaten had made me skittish.

My mom popped her head into the room and with a relieved look asked, “How are you feeling? Does anything hurt? Have you eaten? Are you hungry?” She kept asking, not letting me answer. The more she asked, the more ridiculous they became, but the concern behind them made me feel warm.

When she finally stopped to breathe, I answered the more reasonable ones. “I feel fine, and no I haven’t eaten.” I already knew what she would say so I interrupted her next sentence, “How about we order something? You had a long night because of me. Why don’t we relax? Victoria wants to talk with me later but maybe we could watch a movie or something?”

“Okay, what would you like?” It was the age-old question that had plagued mankind since the beginning of time and was pretty sure that long ago a caveman asked that same question. We finally settled on Chinese after a bout of “I don’t know, what do you want?”

We had picked a movie by the time the delivery guy knocked at the door, but my mind was still on the one text Victoria sent. It was a long text but there was a simple question inside of it that made me doubt everything. ‘How did they know where to find us?’ She hadn’t been talking about the monster but the people in the truck. I would have liked to believe that it had been random, but I knew at least one of the people that had grabbed me, even though I didn’t know his name. Before she asked, I hadn’t put too much thought into it. Now, I couldn’t stop thinking about how they knew where we were.

My mom called me to the table, and we ate while talking about yesterday. I did my best to sound like I was happy, everything was fine, and that I didn’t almost die multiple times. I completely skipped over the kidnapping attempt. She was already emotional. I didn’t want to recount any of what happened yesterday, but she insisted. She acted like she could only rest easy after I said everything. Which was a little amusing because her hair was still a little scattered from her just waking up. But because I was bringing up things that scared her, our meal wasn’t the most harmonious one we ever had. It helped that I was in perfect condition and I didn’t bring that one of my spells broke. I didn’t even know if that was a thing in this world or something unique to my situation.

We spent the next couple of hours watching a romantic comedy. It was filled with misunderstanding and exaggerated drama. It was an interesting movie but as I watched I found that I didn't get some of the jokes. My mom would snort and chuckle occasionally showing that a part was supposed to be funny, but I just found it weird or humorless.

***

"Your easy plan got one of our brothers killed," a green haired teen snarled at the girl in front of him.

"Nobody could have predicted there'd be a Carkin underground. How can you blame me?"

"How can I blame you? If it wasn't for your instigation, would we have even been there? His side job helped us to funnel some of our wares and now... No, this is your fault and I'm going to recoup our losses. Even if I have to sell your skinny ass every night to do it." He moved before she could. His calloused hands wrapped around her thin arm and held her firm even as she tried to pull free.

Her startled voice was shrill as she screamed out, “Not today! I already told you it’s that time of the month.”

“Hahaha, I remember. But what better way to repay the loss of a life than with another life? Let’s go. Your date is waiting for you.”

“No! Please… Wait! Steph is a one percenter! I’ll deliver her to you if you let me go.” She regretted it right after she said it. Not many people knew Stephanie was a top tier caster. Even those that knew she had been in honors; only thought she was slightly above average. What if they wouldn’t allow her to perform the spell. From what her father’s book mentioned she knew it needed hours and her plan of drugging her during a sleep over wouldn't work if they took her. The book was meticulous in its explanation of what she had to do. It’s just she always failed at the first step and Stephanie somehow always managed to wiggle her way out of everything she tried. Even after giving her dad’s lustful CFO 'Bliss', he couldn’t seal the deal. It was so frustrating!

“A one percenter? How do you know? Wait, that’s not important. If what you said is true, we can tame her, and use her to make a fortune. Drink this… and repeat what you said,” the teen shoved a smoky vial that held a puke green liquid at the tiny girl still within his grasp. And only continued after she drank and repeated her declaration, “Okay, I’ll give you a chance. But if you fail, I’ll give you to the “executive” again. The videos of you screaming always sell well and he’ll pay extra allow him to plant a baby inside you.” He didn’t let her go but dragged her into a dirty room and threw her onto the bed. He unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down. His voice held menace as he said, “There is still a price to be paid for withholding that information from us. Next time we won’t use protection, so you better deliver.”

At his statement, the others that had remained quiet up until now chuckled, because only they knew that Ann was going to be their entertainment tonight no matter what she said. It’s just that her words at least bought her some time. Now that she was willing to offer up her friends willingly, they could wait a little longer before taming Amy with drugs to permanently bind her to them. They were dissatisfied with her antics and had planned to make her their mindless toy and breeding stock before selling her, but even if they sold a thousand Amy's it wouldn't be as profitable as her friend.

Amy smiled as the first man took his place between her legs and felt him thrusting in without caring whether she wanted it or not. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him deeper into her. But her mind wasn’t on that. Instead, she thought of what she would soon gain and how she would make them all pay. Even if she had to endure; she paid too much to stop. From the lust charms to submitting to get the local gang, it all came at a heavy cost. Still, she couldn’t help worrying. What if she couldn’t deliver Stephanie? What if she could? Stephanie would no longer have “that” protection and her plan could go to the next step. But what if she was too strong now?

***

"Sir, operative 'A' was late. The mistake was on my side. The cover I arranged didn't give her enough freedom of movement, allowing the asset to become injured."

“I understand. I delt with it but your ‘bonus’ will be docked for the year. If it happens again, you’ll be let go.”

“I understand.”

“Also, I will have guests tonight. When they arrive, let them in and do not disturb us.”

“Of course, sir.”

***

Monday came and, like every weekday, I left my house early and headed to school. The only exception was that I spent twenty minutes pre-casting spells before leaving. I wasn’t sure how long they stayed up for but after what happened on Saturday, I wasn’t taking any chances. It’s just that I had to be specific enough that the spell would successfully attach to me but generic enough that they would activate in battle. It took time to come up with the right wording, which was why I hadn’t bothered for so long.

I spent an hour fighting imaginary villains and monsters once I got to the school fields. Like before, I was trying to engrave a new fighting style that was better suited to my new body. My old one relied heavily on reach, mass, and power. I was used to taking a hit or two so that I could deliver heavier blows. And while I had a spell that increased my strength, I was still too small; more importantly, I couldn’t take a blow from the monster in this world. It was better to use my size, speed, and dexterity to minimize injuries.

I paused because it felt like I was being watched. It didn’t help that it was still a little dark and it felt like a beast was lurking in the dark. The hairs on my arms rose as I looked around, but I didn’t see anybody. The late October sun had just started lighting up the horizon, but not enough to light up the dark shadows, so I hastily went inside to use the weights.

I pushed through the red double entrance doors and almost ran into the kid that had confessed to me and then claimed I was a prostitute. It took him a second to realize who I was, but when he did, he back peddled and quickly said, “I’m not bothering you. You can’t tell him that you saw me” before turning around and running off. He ran around a corner before I could regain my balance.

I was knocked sideways and as my hand touched the lockers the anti-magic devices activated and with a woosh, sucked away all the spells I precast. I looked at the glowing rectangles next to me and continued walking. I had wanted to find out how long those spells would stay up but forgot about the school’s defenses, but it could wait. Instead, I was more focused on Mr. Rodgers who had just come around the same corner that kid had disappeared around.

He looked at me as I looked at him. Unlike how I remembered him, he no longer had that energetic, youthful look. His face was unshaven, his eyes were sunken, and appeared more… I searched for the right word but all I could think of was decadent. It wasn’t his clothes. No, they looked normal. Nor was it just how he looked. I couldn’t place it and I didn’t want to. I took a half-a-step back as he continued to step forward. But he stopped before I could run off. He opened his mouth to say something but didn’t. He gave me a helpless look, clenched his hands, reluctantly turned around and went back the way he came. His steps slower than when he came around the corner.

I felt cold all over, even though I couldn’t see him, and didn’t move. It was as if he was lurking around the corner, waiting for me. Was it the trauma from that night? Whatever it was, I couldn’t shake the feeling he was still there. It wasn’t until a few minutes passed and I calmed down that I continued to the gym. Instead of continuing to work out, I went to rinse off. I wasn’t in the mood to be stared at and there were plenty of boys that came to “workout” in the morning to look at the girls. I normally didn’t mind. It wasn’t like I hadn’t stared at girls when I was guy and after two months in this body, I had gotten used to their antics. Just not today.

Amy was surrounded by several girls with an arrogant look on her face when I walked into my homeroom. She looked like a childish princess surrounded by her maids. Their excited chatter was loud enough that once I took a couple of steps inside our homeroom, I knew that she was bragging about how she was going to be in a movie. Janet, who I thought would be jealous, was with them. Her sycophantic tone when she asked things like “Can you get me in?” and “Do you know the casting director’s number?” was so unlike her that I wondered if she was possessed. And judging from how they all ignored me, Amy hadn’t mentioned my role in it.

I didn’t mind and took my seat. I just didn’t get to warm it up before Mr. Stagnik came in. I glanced at the clock on the wall as he walked over to me. He normally doesn’t come in this early, so I thought it was later than it was. “Stephanie, take your books and go to the office. You’re not in trouble, but you won’t be back before Homeroom ends.”

He didn’t explain anything else as I grabbed my backpack; so, with an “Okay” I got up and left.