By law, an Elite may own a maximum of two vassals. An Elite may not subjugate the vassal of another Elite. No free human, regardless of age or rank, may refuse an Elite request for vassalship. Extended touch, saliva, and blood are all acceptable means of empathic transfersion, to be renewed daily at a convenient time for the Elite, continuing until the Elite divests ownership or the vassal expires. Should the vassal attempt to escape, he or she forfeits all human rights, and the Elite may enforce any punishment up to and including the penalty of death.

- Lotus of the Fifth Council, Lesser Titan, Torment Breaker, 1943

Dr. Coffey flipped on the thermal imager as Lesly began removing her clothing. Though it was partly out of respect for the child’s privacy, thermal imaging also provided more data on the procedure’s progress when compared with unaided visual inspection.

“That’s her?” David Watts pointed to the colorful screen. “That’s my Les?”

The girls’ father had arrived only moments ago, bent over with hands on knees as he struggled to breathe. Visually, he appeared to be in good shape, a tanned and lightly muscled outdoorsman, but he obviously had the same bad habit as his wife, a habit which had reduced his lung capacity over the years.

“Yes,” Dr. Coffey said. “She’s preparing to accept the accelerant into her system. The thermals will let us know when the process starts and finishes.”

“I can’t believe it,” David said. “We figured Ky might become an Elite, but none of us guessed Les had it in her. And here I been walking on eggshells for the last week.”

He turned to find his daughter leaning against the far wall, arms folded tightly across her chest.

“C’mon, sweetie,” David said. “Don’t you want to watch your sister get bigger?”

No response.

“They got into a fight.” Fiona dug through her purse and pulled out some lip balm. “If you were here earlier, you’d know.”

“I got here as fast as I could.” He walked over to his petulant daughter and knelt before her. “Sweetheart, I need you to be strong for your sister. She’ll need you to be her rock.”

“Leave me alone.” Ky didn’t look up.

“Ya know...” David wiped his oil stained hands on his jeans. “I been hatin’ the thought a not bein’ able to carry my girl around anymore. Now, it looks I still can, at least a little while longer.”

“I’m not a baby anymore, Dad.”

“I know that.” He turned around, hands flat on the floor. “But how about a piggy back ride while we watch your sister. She’s gonna be bigger than both of us soon, and that means we need to stick together.”

Silence. Ky wasn’t moving, but her father remained in place.

“Fine.” She boarded her dad’s back, her face slightly less dismal after doing so. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Dr. Coffey said I might test positive next month, so I’ll probably still grow bigger than you.”

“Oh boy.” David returned to his wife’s side, his hands under his daughter’s bent knees. “With two Elite girls running around, I’ll have to start deer huntin’ again.”

“Dear Lord.” Fiona applied chapstick to her lips. “Any excuse to go hunting.”

“If my babies are hungry, I ain't gonna let ‘em starve.”

“Food’s usually the expense which rises the least during the ascension phases,” Dr. Coffey said. “It’ll go up a bit, but most Elites are able to photosynthesize to some degree, especially if they take their chlorophyll pills regularly. And you’ll likely find she’s less interested in meat products.”

“Lesly?” David said. “That girl loves my deer jerky.”

“So do I, Dad.” Ky spoke insistently into her father’s ear.

“Don’t even try, doc,” Fiona said. “Nothing can stand between that man and his rifle.”

“Yes, well” — Dr. Coffey adjusted a few sliders on his iPad — “It looks like Lesly’s ready. How about we start the process?”

“Ready when you are, doc,” David said.

“Alright Lesly, it’s about to get very bright and humid in there.” Dr. Coffey said. “Feel free to close your eyes, but don’t hold your breath, ok?”

“Kay.” Lesly’s tinny voice emitted from the wall speaker.

“So.” Dr. Coffey touched buttons on his pad. “Right now I’m increasing the room’s humidity with a highly concentrated chlorophyll solution. See the bright spot on her stomach?”

“Right here.” David pointed to the bright yellow area on the thermal monitor.

“That’s the Elite cancer lining portions of her stomach. Keep an eye on it.” Dr. Coffey increased the wattage to five hundred and humidity to sixty percent. As many times as he’d done this, he still couldn’t fully contain his excitement. “Watch as it spreads into her lungs.”

After a few seconds, Fiona touched the screen. “I see it!”

It looked like an upside-down tree with its white trunk rising from stomach to sternum, and yellow roots branching out into the purple lungs, slow but steady, as if in time lapse.

“Doing alright in there?” Dr. Coffey asked.

“Yes,” Lesly said. “It’s warm in my chest.”

“Are you sure this isn’t hurting her?” Fiona asked.

“It doesn’t hurt, Mom,” Lesly said. “It feels kinda good.”

“Alright now Lesly,” Dr. Coffey said. “Whenever you’re ready, put on the oxygen mask and start breathing through it.”

“Kay.” They watched her indigo arm move, taking something from the wall, and holding it over her mouth and nose.

“It’s really quite ingenious,” Dr. Coffey said. “The cancer’s still feeding, but with the mask, it loses its access to chlorophyll and carbon dioxide, both of which are in high concentrations in the surrounding environment. Essentially we trick it to rapidly proliferate throughout the body, seeking the uppermost dermal layers of the skin where it can absorb both nutrients in abundance. At Lesly’s stage, this process would’ve happened naturally over the next few months. We’re just speeding things up a bit.”

“So you’re saying she would’ve become an Elite without all this rigmarole?” David asked.

“Of course,” Dr. Coffey said. “But she would’ve likely experienced stomach problems and breathing difficulties. Nothing serious, but enough to warrant a visit to the doctor. She would’ve been immediately identified as a pre-Elite and provided with the option to accelerate, which essentially let’s her skip over the symptomatic phases of initial metastasis.”

“Uh.” David, still holding Ky, shifted his weight to his other foot. “I guess as long as it’s natural and all.”

“He knows what he’s doing, babe,” Fiona said.

Dr. Coffey chuckled. “I can assure you, it’s completely natural. You could even say, it’s the most natural thing in the world.”

“Look!” Fiona pointed. “It’s getting bigger, moving into her arms and legs.”

Dr. Coffey watched as the cancer spread, wishing not for the first time they could find a way to let all humans become Elites. Not only were Elites immune to malignant cancers, they experienced so many other health benefits, doctors had almost given up trying to count them. They rarely got sick, and if injured, they healed quickly.

“Once her body turns white, the metastasis reaches completion.” Dr. Coffey said as the tips of Lesly’s toes brightened from purple to red to yellow. “Now the growth begins. We suspect the cancer learns it can feed more by increasing the surface area of its host.

“Miraculously, it works in perfect symbiosis with the body, increasing tissue and mass proportionally, without any negative systemic impact. Quite the opposite, in fact. Muscle and bone strengthen beyond human limitations, presumably to help support the increase in mass.”

“So she’s gonna be like what...a bodybuilder or somethin’?” David asked.

“Well, no, not unless she wants to be,” Dr. Coffey said. “But she’ll be proportionally stronger than someone of similar size. She’ll also feel lighter and more agile in spite of her increased weight. Interestingly, the effect tends to increase with growth, opposite of what one might assume. If you’ve ever seen a fully grown Elite, you’ll know they’re quite fast for their size and they can easily deadlift their own bodyweight, which, I’m sure you’re aware, is considerable.”

“You still ok in there, sweetie?” Fiona knocked on the door to the chamber.

“Yeh, it’s really warm.” Lesly’s voice sounded muffled.

“You can take off the mask now, Lesly,” Dr. Coffey said, increasing the wattage of the lights. “You might feel a little tingling sensation.”

“Ok.” Lesly placed the mask back on the wall, her form glowing white, making the air around her brighten.

“Her body has started to expand as you can see.” Dr. Coffey referenced the green numbers on the screen. “Her height, weight and BMI are all increasing.”

“Wow,” Fiona said. “It just went up to fifty-seven. How tall is that?

“Four foot nine,” Dr. Coffey said. “But she’s still going. You may find this hard to believe, but I’ve had some patients grow half a foot while in the chamber.”

“A couple more inches, and she’ll be as tall as her sister.” Fiona watched at the screen as fractions of an inch were added to Lesly’s height.

“More importantly, her brain is growing too,” Dr. Coffey said. “Most Elites gain approximately ten IQ points over the course of their ascendance. And, as you probably know, their abilities in most areas of mathematics exceed genius levels, even at stage one.”

“Guess we won’t be needin’ to buy anymore calculators,” David said.

“Always knew she had smarts,” Fiona said. “She don’t do as well as her sister in school, especially in math, but I guess this’ll fix it.”

“Looks like she’s reaching the saturation point,” Dr. Coffey said as Lesly’s thermals dimmed from white to yellow. “A little earlier than expected, but entirely within normal ranges. How you doing in there, Lesly?”

“I’m sweaty.” She panted. “Did I grow any? I feel taller.”

“Four foot ten, sweetheart,” David said. “Only an inch shorter than your sister.”

“Oh.” Lesly sounded disappointed. “Well, I can stay in longer.”

Dr. Coffey laughed. “I’m afraid it wouldn't help. Your body's cooling now. It’ll be several hours before you’re ready to grow again. Don’t worry though. In a week, you’ll be taller than your sister and your mother, and closing in on your father.”

“Really?” The excitement returned to Lesly’s voice. “I mean...that’s really cool.”

“She doesn’t sound any smarter,” Ky said, breaking her silence.

“I heard that,” Lesly said.

“Well, let’s test it out,” Dr. Coffey said. “Lesly, what’s 573 times 4891.”

“Um...two eight zero two five four three,” she said. “Did I do that?”

Dr. Coffey used the calculator on his ipad to confirm. “You did, and you’re correct.”

“I’m so proud of you sweetheart,” David said. “You’re like a genius now.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Lesly said, happiness apparent in her voice.

“This is stupid,” Kyleigh said. “Put me down.”

The little blonde didn’t wait for her dad to lower, instead opting to break from his arms and drop to the floor. She returned to her position against the far wall and flipped open her phone.

“You can get dressed now, Lesly.” Dr. Coffey turned off the thermal imager. “Come on out when you’re ready.”

“Kay,” Lesly said.

After a couple minutes, Lesly opened the door and stepped out, her old clothing bundled in her arms. She looked like a little girl raiding her mom’s closet. Her t-shirt hung down to her thighs and her leggings were rolled up and wrinkled, altogether giving the illusion that she hadn’t grown an inch.

“My baby!” Fiona embraced her daughter, squeezing the bundle of clothing between them, and effectively destroying the illusion — Lesly obviously now much closer to her mother in height. The top of Lesly’s head nearly reached Fiona’s eyes.

“Mooom!” Lesly squirmed until her mom finally released her, holding her at arm's length, inspecting her. “You look amazing. Doesn’t she look amazing, honey?”

“Yeh,” David said. “Got some muscle on her bones now.” He gave Lesly’s bicep a squeeze. “Gonna have to be careful arm wrestling. She might just break my arm.”

Lesly giggled and blushed, clearly not accustomed to getting so much attention.

“I’m not talking about her muscles, ya dolt,” Fiona said. “Look at her face. Her pimples are gone. And her eyes. Aren’t they pretty?”

“They look green.” David squinted. “Wait. Weren’t they brown before?”

“Of course they were brown!” Fiona punched David in the shoulder, causing him to wince. “Ain’t you never paid attention to your daughters’ looks before? I swear, this man wouldn’t notice a train if it be about to run him over.”

“Now hold on a minute,” David said. “I know she’s pretty, both of ‘em are. They got it from you, babe.”

Fiona rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

“It’s why I keep a shotgun by the front door for when ‘dem boys start knockin’.” David spoke with a straight face, leaving Dr. Coffey confused as to truth of the statement.

“Well...yes.” Dr. Coffey cleared his throat. “Her eyes are green now, as are all Elites. You may notice them glowing at times. It’s nothing to be concerned about. Furthermore, she should no longer need vision correction.”

“Uh, you mean glasses?” David asked.

“Whoa!” Lesly blinked rapidly. “I not wearing my glasses and I can see!”

“Read the last line on that chart over there.” Dr. Coffey pointed to the eye chart.

“P E Z O L C F T D,” Lesly said. “I don’t even have to squint!”

“Very good.” Dr. Coffey checked the time. “Here’s a prescription for chlorophyll refills.” He handed the paper to David. “She should take one a day, but if she misses a day or takes too many, it doesn’t matter all that much. They’re like vitamins, and honestly, there’s debate on whether they’re even helpful. Still, I recommend them.”

“Uh, ok.” David pocketed the slip of paper. “How fast will she grow?”

“Expect an inch a day,” Dr. Coffey said. “Maybe more, maybe less. Sunlight seems to accelerate the growth in many Elites. Buy oversized clothing since she’ll grow into them, and don’t force her to eat anything she doesn’t want. Foods will taste different and she’ll probably find herself wanting more vegetables than anything else.”

“I’ve been eating more asparagus at lunch,” Lesly said.

“Great,” Ky said. “Now the bathroom is going to stink of her asparagus pee.”

Lesly frowned slightly and glanced over at her sister, but said nothing. Dr. Coffey considered saying something about how Lesly would smell better in most ways, more natural, but Fiona spoke first.

“If you're going to act like this, I’m taking your phone away.” Fiona extended her hand toward her eldest daughter, palm up.

“Fine.” Ky pocketed her phone. “I’ll be nice.” She marched over, then stood at nearly eye level with her sister. The tension between them seemed almost a visible force.

“You look pretty.” Ky reached out. “Can I carry your clothes, please?”

“Um.” Lesly looked to her mom, then back at Ky. “You don’t have to — ”

Ky snatched the clothes from her sister. A sock dropped, but Ky quickly bent and retrieved it.

“Kyleigh Ann, if you — ”

“No, it’s fine Mom,” Lesly said, then faced her sister. “Thanks.”

*****

Dr. Coffey checked the remainder of his schedule. Two boys, both in stage two, a breath of fresh air if ever there was one.

His scheduler had saved his easier patients for the end of the day, thankfully, and boys were indeed much, much easier. Though they were stronger and often better in math, they lacked the empathic abilities which made girls so...draining. Male Elites almost never experienced emotional highs or lows, most advancing toward a near stoic state, as if they’d joined the military under a particularly demanding drill sergeant.

Unfortunately, males were less common and, as a result, most of Dr. Coffey’s days were spent weathering emotional extremes. Today had been good, but most days treated him like a plastic bag in a hurricane, his nerves frayed by the time he returned home to his own daughter who (thankfully) wasn’t an Elite.

However, she was only six. If by some stroke of luck she became an Elite, he’d have to find something stronger than Cognac to get to sleep. He specialized in treating children, and people respected him for it, but the parents of Elites deserved the true respect, especially if those Elites were female.

He couldn’t imagine surviving as a parent in a family like the Watts’, with two competitive daughters, one of whom was in the early stages of ascension. Dr. Coffey wasn’t sure if God existed, but he made a mental note to pray for the Watts family.

They’d certainly need it.